Democrats must stop the normalization
Everyone needs to understand January 6 was a breaking point and the longer we allow the 1/6 lies to fester the longer the nation will take to heal
The January 6 attack and the aftermath which resulted in Trump falsifying what everyone saw with their own eyes means we cannot as a country move on until these lies are exposed and the people who spread them are held accountable. Trump and his billionaire friends together with the party that enabled this travesty of justice must pay a price. We need to remind the public again and again that —”the riot led to four deaths, including a demonstrator who was shot as she tried to reach fleeing lawmakers. A Capitol police officer died of strokes the day after and four others have taken their own lives since then. More than 150 officers were injured, many permanently.”
Democrats must find ways to remind voters that Trump is not only a 34 count convicted felon but responsible for the number of deaths and injuries he caused by his own actions and his failure to respond to members of his own party who wanted him to call off the insurrection and prevent the violence. It is absurd that this person now holds the reins of power. The GOP and the media will argue that despite the information about his criminality he was voted into office by majorities in the electoral college and popular vote. As the New York Times reported, Republicans mounted a propaganda campaign that Russia and China would have been proud of,
“Through the spring and summer of 2021, Mr. Trump’s Republican allies sought to sow doubt and blame others. It was as if Mr. McConnell, among other leading Republicans, had never publicly declared Mr. Trump responsible. As if the world had not seen what it had seen.
In early May, on the same day House Republicans stripped Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming of her leadership role for labeling Mr. Trump a threat to democracy, they used an Oversight Committee hearing to minimize the riot. Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina questioned whether all those rioters wearing Trump gear and shouting pro-Trump chants were truly Trump supporters, while Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia likened much of the trespassing to a “normal tourist visit.”
VP Harris in her campaign steered away from making any of these points. Neither did the democrats. They thought that the issues could be debated out as if Trump were a normal candidate and the issues of who favored the struggling working class and middle class families would be clearly decided in their favor. During this period Trump was treated to great press -as he rolled through the country appearing on podcasts and serving up McDonalds fast food while his new friend Musk handed out millions of dollars to likely Trump voters. The democrats response was a shambles of confused and timid messaging. No one was voting for tariffs —every major economist knew they were ridiculous and counterproductive. No one pointed out the multiple conflicts of interest that surrounded Musk’s new best friend status.
So Democrats have to reset and they need to do so fast.
Stop cozying up to the billionaire class and the wealthy donors that fund most of their campaign. Align the party with solid working class interests—that means protecting unions and workers right to organize, it means supporting a living wage, child care tax credits and family leave
In all the messaging they do they should point out that Trump is a volatile and unserious leader who will do deals with people as long as they benefit his financial interests. They should put heat on Elon Musk to either sell or place his assets in a blind trust if he wants to continue to have a role in government.
Remind people that he may not give up power at the end of his term and that there will be consequences if he does not commit to another peaceful transfer of power.
Oppose his inhumane and cruel deportation policies and show how there are some better alternatives that the Biden administration has followed
Hold him accountable for the promises to reduce inflation and improve the lives of working people. Remind him of his promises at every turn.
Place a new group of young leaders in positions of power across the country and coordinate the messaging in the War Room style that Jim Carville made famous.
Expose the ridicoulous logice behind Trumps proposals starting with tarriffs.
Don’t normalize so for example when he gives a speech or an interview ask him whether he intends to run for a third term and did he think the 2020 election was legitimate. Ask follow up questions.