Since Trump reassumed the presidency, the rank and file of the Democrats have been busy criticizing, for good reason, Trump’s unhinged exercise of power. Given Trump’s onslaught on just about every norm of America’s political, cultural, and economic way of life, the Democrats cannot possibly exhaust the range of criticism they can level at Trump and the Republican Party that has enabled him. As they gear up for the midterm elections, it would be natural for the Democrats to continue exhibiting disgust about Trump’s outrageous transgressions and engage in acrimonious narratives against the Republicans and threaten to impeach Trump should they win the House in the midterm election.
That would be the wrong and absolutely counterproductive strategy.
Unity of Purpose
Instead, the Democrats must strive to galvanize issue-based political and economic support of every ethnically, politically, socially, and racially diverse American who has grown deeply disenchanted with Trump’s outrageous policies. The Democrats must stop at nothing to mitigate the dangerously worsening polarization that is consuming the country, encouraged by Trump, who is following the dictum of divide and conquer.
In particular, the Democrats must de-escalate acrimonious rhetoric, condemn political violence across the country, promote cross-partisan citizen dialogues, town halls, and deliberative forums nationwide, and reframe polarizing media content.
The Democrats must challenge Trump’s failed economic and social policies and focus on developing a concrete, actionable agenda (bipartisan when possible) that addresses all segments of the Democratic Party, appeals to independents, and resonates with an increasing number of right-of-center Republicans in Congress, many of whom seek to be reelected and are markedly dissatisfied with Trump’s chaotic performance. Together, they can find common ground and address the most critical issues facing the nation, provided they think outside the box to tackle the issues that matter most.
Economic Disparity
Most Americans are hurting economically. The Democrats need a clear, actionable economic plan to tackle the cost of living. There must be an automatic child benefit, including expanding the child tax credit to directly cut child poverty and provide housing stability by preventing evictions.
The US economic disparity is worsening, and affordability has become a national outcry. It is crucial to pursue a bipartisan solution, whenever possible, to address the cost-of-living crisis. It will be necessary to cut corporate welfare, enact fair taxation, and make efficient tax expenditures.
The Democrats must champion policies that directly invest in public education and student debt relief. They should provide targeted tax credits for low-income families while preserving work incentives; crack down on price gouging; protect Social Security and Medicare; and boost good-paying jobs through infrastructure and clean energy projects in every community.
The most important thing is that the Democrats should lay out this economic agenda alongside Trump’s disastrous economic policy to provide a clear comparison for the public to discern and to demonstrate a credible, actionable process toward tangible public benefit.
Immigration Reform
Comprehensive immigration reform is overdue. This nation was built by immigrants and continues to need them to grow and prosper. Irrespective of past experience, Democrats and moderate Republicans can develop a bipartisan immigration bill based on a two-track system: first, skills-based visas and streamlined farm/service visas. This would modernize legal immigration to match labor shortages across fields, regardless of country of origin, race, or ethnicity.
Second, securing the border with innovative technology and fair enforcement must be at the top of the agenda. Developing a framework covering qualifications, housing, and processes for asylum seekers should be established, along with a permanent solution for DACA. They should develop a carefully constructed deportation process that prohibits human rights abuses while tackling the need to create an earned path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants.
Healthcare Restructuring
Healthcare is not a privilege; it is a human right. Democrats should propose establishing a bipartisan technical board to build on the Affordable Care Act, depoliticizing its structure and focusing bargaining on measurable performance. This should protect Medicaid and guarantee women’s and rural access to essential care.
Other proposals should establish state-run “choice compacts” that allow states to opt into different coverage models—regulated private competition, a public option, or spending growth — so long as they meet common national coverage targets for everyone. Capping out-of-pocket costs, especially for drugs and premiums, and continuing to protect coverage for preexisting conditions, are critical.
Climate Change
Democrats must propose creating an energy race-to-the-top agreement among states. Any state that voluntarily meets a mutually agreed carbon-intensity benchmark unlocks automatic tax incentives for clean manufacturing and local fossil fuel job transition funds. While only a few red states deny the severity of climate change, from which millions of Americans are suffering, they cannot refuse such an economic boost.
Conservative states can prioritize nuclear energy, carbon capture, and small modular reactors, while progressive states can lean into renewables, and both report standardized emissions data dashboards. Investing in home energy efficiency, expanding clean energy jobs by offering subsidies to solar and wind users, and supporting farmers and small towns in adapting to climate impacts will all help lower utility bills, a current significant concern.
Mitigating Systemic Racism
The Democrats must develop formulas that target both historically discriminated groups and persistently disadvantaged zip codes, blending race-conscious and race-neutral criteria to broaden buy-in programs in policing and housing lending. Community-based violence-reduction and mental health services must be expanded, as well as investment in disadvantaged neighborhoods and schools across all races. The Democrats must intervene to narrow racial gaps, strengthen voting rights, enforce anti-discrimination policies, and be ready to encounter any effort by Trump to interfere in the election.
Trump’s chaotic, counterproductive domestic and foreign policy and his dimming popularity give the Democrats a definite advantage in the mid-term election. That, however, will not be enough to win the election, especially in the House.
The Democrats must listen carefully to the public’s needs for economic stability and a better, more prosperous, and secure future, and rebuild trust in government, which Trump has badly squandered.
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.
