Trump has spent the first seven weeks promoting unpopular public policies. He is "underwater" in the polls on nearly all of his initiatives. Democrats are still floundering, with many voices attacking with less than successful messaging, diffused and uncoordinated. Voters know what Democrats are against but not what they are for. Repeating the Biden administration's gains and losses is fair game but not central to a message. It may fuel buyers' remorse but humans do not like to admit they were wrong. Instead, look to the future and see what you will do better than what the GOP, Trump, and Musk are doing now.The Trump negatives need to be taken and reshaped into pushbacks that are positives with a focus on themes that affect both red and blue partisans, such as cost of living, corruption, and improving government services. The public are consumers of government services; treat them like customers. Seeking efficiency is the goal. It is not the same as replacing government with deficiencies or no service at all. Trump is promoting corruption; we should restore independent watchdogs. Fear and favor have been replaced by adhering to the rule of law; we should abide by the rule of law; Trump promised to reduce your cost of living, and instead, he wants to increase your costs..Let's get rid of tariff wars. Corrruption must not be tolerated and the rule of law is the most fair system for all. Restore watchdogs and respect the rule of law. On Ukraine: Democrats support rule by the people system we call Democracy, not rule over the people by a strong man and tyrant, at home and abroad
Timing is everything: The time clock has not started running on the 2026 midterms, but Trump has given Democrats the gifts of economic downturns, billionaires running amock, and more. Guardrails against corruption have been removed. The power belongs to the ones with the money. However, the messages I have been hearing are still speculative and not yet felt by the voters. Trump's gift to Democrats should not be wasted when voters still do not feel the pain. The sympathy should be shifted to the voters who lose services they need for their health and financial well-being, not just for the hardships facing those who lost their government jobs. Voters will need to feel the pain of chainsaw Musk before it is truly an effective approach. The sky will be falling sounds like so much political oratory and does not mean much until shards hit them in the head. I told you so, we warned you, is not enough of a message.
Calling out the other side for gaslighting needs more than just calling something that is obfuscating. Gaslighting...standard procedure for many in politics, is the overuse of "gas lighting", taken from a movie where the victim is confused into inaction due to slow realization as gaslights are dimmed.
Fleshing out some of this:
On the cost of living, the impact of tariffs has not yet been felt, but that may be the issue that determines the 2026 midterms. The Trump administration has not set lowering the cost of groceries and living expenses as a priority or even is it a goal anymore. On the cost of living, the impact of tariffs has not yet been felt, but that may be the issue that determines the 2026 midterms. A pushback plank: Get rid of the trade wars and tariffs.
On corruption: restore independent watch dogs, I G's, ethics requirements and oppose conflict of interests. Restore the protection of whistle blowers. https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/when-it-comes-to-corruption-trump-is.html https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-only-whistleblowers-left-is-free.html
Instead of ust criticizingTrump's obsession with kneecapping Zelensky and his bromance with Putin, Democrats could stand for a positive, such as a pledge to support Ukraine to remain independent of Russia, restore the mid-Atlantic alliances with our friends (we know the difference between friends and enemies)
On government efficiency: Deficiency is not efficiency, Musk. Making the government more deficient is not the same as making it deficient. The focus should be on providing improved customer service for programs that American taxpayers support and need: veterans services and making them more efficient in their delivery instead of eliminating or limiting their services, consumer and environmental protections, affordable access to health care including Medicare and Medicaid, and social security. Merit should be rewarded and be the standard for hiring instead of loyalty to Trump and the size of political contributions. 3/13/25 Two federal judges ruled that probationary personnel fired by DOGE and OPM are to be rehired. Left are those who were fired who were not probationary. The impact on the ability of these agencies to function is yet to be determined. Making government efficient is not the same as making government deficient. The chainsaw massacre of government services continues.
On justice: the goal is fairness for all. It is not an instrument of disciplining those not loyal to Trump or his allies. It is not an instrument to promote one race over any other or to carry out the agenda of any one religion or ideology, or to promote fear and favor. Restore freedom of the press and speech, free of retribution and revenge from the all-powerful president.
On budget and deficit: The standard needs to include payfors for any new programs either to raise taxes or provide offsets elsewhere to expenditures. Oppose tax cuts for the very rich. They never have paid back what they cost the treasury in loss of income.
On mass firings of government employees, the Trump administration lost a big one and got caught lying about the reason employees were fired: There is a process to firing workers and we should adhere to that process. Trump administration ordered to reinstate tens of thousands of fired probationary workers
Privatization of "entitlements" is not a good thing for ordinary citizens and so far no one has made much of an issue of that. The government is for the taxpayers who voted for the services and need them. Government services should not be for those who seek profit. Government services should not be private sector profit centers. Do not privatize; instead, improve their functions. Privatization just puts more money in billionaires' pockets who want to take a cut of investing your money as they invest it in the casino of Wall Street or in turning access provided by machines they supply instead of someone on the other end of the phone for those who are either too young or older computer illiterates. Those programs are for the public benefit, not for the benefit of profit-seeking businesses who only see you as a profit center. People sought these government programs because the private sector had failed them in the first place.
Asking the right questions is also an approach. The polls of public opinion and the courts are turning against the Trump initiatives in the first 7 weeks of the administration. 3/13/25 - Voters' Ratings On Economy And Trump Dip, Trade And Russia - Ukraine War Weigh On Trump's Numbers, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Majority Disapprove Of Trump's Handling Of Zelensky Meeting | Quinnipiac University Poll The response from Trump and his supporters is yes, it will be a little rocky for a while, but you will like what it will be when we are done. What is that? Who will benefit? Who is "you".How will we get there with the crises manufactured by Trump himself and Musk, who thinks making government services more deficient is the same as making them more efficient.
An answer: It will not be good for those who hoped grocery prices would be lowered and who benefit from continued affordable access to healthcare or who hope interest rates will fall enough they can buy a home. The only people who will like what is happening are the very rich and billionaires who want no constraints on their greed to become richer or to privatize every government service so they can get a cut of the taxpayer-funded administration. Those in need of such services as Medicare, Social Security, and Medicare to make ends meet should not be treated as a profit center for billionaires. They do not feel your pain or walk in your shoes (common definitions of empathy). In fact, some billionaires even view empathy as a weakness. Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy | CNN Politics
Tariffs, recession fears: Americans lose confidence in the economy
