Democrats berated for flat-footed Trump response

Since Donald Trump's election, many ordinary voters have been desperate for an effective resistance to his aggressive drive to downsize the US government and recalibrate its foreign policy.

But they are bristling at what they have seen so far -- Democratic lawmakers waving paddles in Congress and appearing in much-mocked dance videos, and staid press conferences outside the gray buildings of Washington institutions.

"Democrats need a plan. Not placards on the House floor, not screaming at the president, not silly videos," said top strategist Richard Gordon, who has advised politicians and candidates at all levels for more than 35 years.

"They need a plan on how to improve the lives of everyday Americans. Until they do, all the screaming and protesting in the world will fall on deaf ears."

In the latest in a series of missteps ripped apart on social media, Democrats protested against Trump's speech to Congress with a variety of stunts that were largely missed by TV audiences.

Texas Congressman Al Green was ejected for interrupting the president, but for the most part the Democrats were ignored by the cameras as they waved anti-Trump slogans, some "protesting" in pink, in a display that almost no one at home would have noticed.

- Theatrics -

For critics of the Democratic response to Trump's first weeks in office, the episode demonstrated the party's lack of discipline and a clear strategy to oppose the Republican leader.

In a whirlwind first six weeks in office, Trump has issued a torrent of contentious executive orders, given allies cause to fear America has switched sides in the Russia-Ukraine war and unleashed tech billionaire Elon Musk to fire thousands of federal workers and begin dismantling government agencies.

Meanwhile Democratic senators have responded with gestures of cooperation, voting to confirm Trump cabinet appointees, doing little to slow down his breakneck agenda and even voting with Republicans to pass immigration legislation.

Opposition can be tough for any party effectively leaderless after losing Congress and the White House -- but analysts see pitfalls that Democrats could be avoiding.

Brad Chase, who has worked in communications and crisis management for more than 20 years, says Democrats are not speaking the language of voters with their focus on nuance and "high-minded ideals."

"Trump and the (Republicans) go extremely basic -- 'The Bidens are a crime family.' That is memorable and easy to understand," Chase told AFP.

"The Dems act like lawyers and bend over backwards to explain what is 'alleged' or to explain things rather than just tell people."

- Too many issues -

Those protests during Trump's speech to Congress highlighted another problem, says Chase -- a lack of message discipline.

"Dems all went off on different topics. Al Green was so itching for a fight that he jumped up... over the mundane issue of Trump's so-called 'mandate' -- not over some blatant lie about Russia or economics," he said.

"The American people don't want 50 issues. They want one or two."

For Mike Fahey, who ran an independent candidate's 2024 presidential campaign, Democrats' insistence on practicing pre-Trump politics is leaving them trailing in his wake.

"It's not about an all-night debate in Congress. People want to see action now. And frankly, they're not," he said.

So what would that action look like? For many Washington-watchers, it's the economy, stupid.

"If the last election was primarily about inflation and grocery prices, there's an opportunity for Democrats to reclaim this issue," said Andrew Koneschusky, a former aide to the party's leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer.

"Groceries prices aren't going down, they're going up. Every Democrat in front of a camera should have a giant poster next to him or her with the current price of eggs."

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© Agence France-Presse