ANALYSIS/OPINION
Republicans beware. Democrats are fighting with a vengeance, feeling galvanized and determined to outsmart Republicans in Congress and President Trump.
Rather than taking an introspective look at why they lost the presidential election and failed to regain control of the House and Senate, Democrats are spending their time obstructing, protesting, and creating chaos inside the halls of Congress and in major U.S. cities.
Democratic members of Congress have confidently stated they will win back seats in the House, hoping that the GOP promise to repeal and replace Obamacare will fail and that the president’s executive orders will get bogged down in legal challenges.
The Congressional leadership has criticized every single effort or action taken by the president, including his executive orders and Cabinet nominees, and they are not looking to back down any time soon.
This week Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was anointed the poster child for the Democrats after arguing that Republicans “silenced” her on the Senate floor during the debate on Sen. Jeff Sessions’ nomination as Attorney General. The liberal media fed the fury, and Ms. Warren was compared on social media to Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. Forget the fact that she was breaking Rule 19 of the Senate, which does not allow senators to disparage their colleagues.
The mainstream media is comparing the Democrats opposition of efforts to the Tea Party. Some GOP congressman recently have faced protestors on the issue of dismantling Obamacare during their town-hall meetings, ironically reversing the issue that put them in power in the Tea Party era.
This dramatic and rebellious behavior by the Democrats is quite the opposite of the GOP when it lost in 2012. Then, the Republican National Committee produced an autopsy that concluded they needed to be more inclusive and reach out to more minorities and women. They blamed themselves for not connecting to the American people.
The Democrats are blaming not themselves but President Trump and his supporters for their loss. Their liberal base is telling them to stop Mr. Trump at all cost.
The GOP and the White House need to up their game and expose the Democrats as the party of stale ideas and a far left agenda that is unwilling to work with the other side.
The days of camaraderie, unity, and civility in Congress are over. The damage will be lasting if members can’t get along and find common ground, and the liberal Democrats refuse to even listen to the other side. The only saving grace will be moderate Democrats, such as Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who have been willing to sit down with President Trump.
The stakes are high for Republicans, while the Democrats have nothing to lose. The liberal Democrats’ anger is visible and their determination to place party over country is evident. The Republicans face their own challenges of supporting a president who is unconventional and at times politically unfriendly.
They are unaccustomed to a president who freely speaks his mind on a vast range of topics. They are begging him to become more focus on the issues affecting the American people and leave behind the sideshow of his daughter’s merchandise and the ratings for “The Apprentice.”
With a focused president and a solution-driven Republican Party, much of the president’s agenda can be accomplished. The American people want results not obstruction and so far Mr. Trump is willing to work with the Democrats, yet the liberal Democrats might be too busy protesting outside the White House.
• Mercedes Schlapp can be reached at mschlapp@123washingtontimes.com.
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