‘Never-Trump’ won’t help Democrats in the next election — here’s what will 

Democrats have taken a political beating in recent years because they have failed to articulate an agenda that inspires voters, especially those in the struggling middle class. In short, they have lacked a unifying vision for the nation. 

President Trump may be their best hope in the next two elections, as he is creating multiple issues for Democrats, some of which are of historic importance. While accusing Democrats of ignoring the middle class, Trump has focused on helping the rich. Americans in the lower 90 percent of income and wealth see the rich getting richer while the middle class struggles with affordability. Families find again, as they have in previous Republican administrations, that the rising tide only lifts the boats of those who can afford them. Everyone else drowns. 

In January, the Federal Reserve reported that low- and middle-income households are falling further behind. In the third quarter last year, the top 1 percent of households held assets totaling $55 trillion, equal to the combined wealth of all households in the bottom 90 percent. It was the highest imbalance since record-keeping began in 1989. While wealth stalled for the rest of the population, it grew three times faster for billionaires last year than the average over the previous five years. 

Vast economic inequality won’t fix itself. Trump’s policies aren’t fixing it either. He can’t keep blaming past presidents — the federal government created the middle class after World War II, and it can do so again now.

The goal is a revitalized opportunity society in which all Americans have access to the basic tools for success. Whether and how they use the tools would be up to their own initiative and hard work.  

Quality education through college or trade school is one tool. More than 40 countries offer free or nearly free post-secondary education. Not ours. More than 42 million Americans are weighed down by student loan debt today. The average one owes $43,000; the total is more than $1.8 trillion. One study shows that 85 percent of adults who dropped out of college or never enrolled did so because of the cost.

Good health and affordable care are fundamental. At last count, more than 27 million Americans lacked health care. Two-thirds of them worry about their ability to pay for it. It is the most expensive health-care system in the world.  

Other policies that equip people for success include affordable child care, equal pay for equal work, and a livable minimum wage.

Enlightened national policies can also help protect families from setbacks. Half of Americans can’t breathe without endangering their health, and their largest investments — their homes, on average — are at growing risk of violent weather and unaffordable or unavailable hazard insurance. Congress could minimize these risks by restoring the nation’s investment in clean energy and by reforming rather than abandoning FEMA. Lawmakers could use statutes to replace the critical regulations the Trump administration is repealing. They should also codify the “polluter pays” principle into law. 

Public confidence in government has tanked. This is predictable when the government represents special interests rather than voters. Congress should institute a mandatory public financing system for political campaigns, making the case to the Supreme Court that ubiquitous social media allow political candidates and corporations to exercise free speech at low cost. 

Trump has revealed many loopholes and cracks in the rule of law. Congress should require stricter enforcement of rules against conflicts of interest, and formally establish the independence of the Justice Department and other agencies that should be insulated from presidential manipulation. 

Democrats may be confused about whether voters want a more activist government. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) drew rock-star crowds last summer on their Fighting Oligarchy tour. Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral election in New York City. At the same time, centrist Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who once admonished her party not to use the words “socialist” or “socialism,” won Virginia’s governorship. Some say the party must win a large majority of moderate voters in November if it hopes to take back the Senate.

The party may be conflicted about whether to risk a bold policy platform or remain silent and let Trump defeat himself. But a “Not Trump” strategy will not persuade the American people that the government is finally ready to fight for them. 

William S. Becker is co-editor of and a contributor to “Democracy Unchained: How to Rebuild Government for the People,” and a contributor to Democracy in a Hotter Time, named by the journal Nature as one of 2023’s five best science books. He previously served as a senior official in the Wisconsin Department of Justice. He is currently executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project.

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