Josh Marshall: People should be mounting primary campaigns against pretty much every Democrat who is in a safe seat [View all]

[BeyondGeography]

So here are my current thoughts on how Democrats — voters and elected officials — can or should try to deepen opposition to Trump and translate that into legislative seat gains.

The first is obvious. To the extent Democrats are weakened by their reputation for not effectively fighting Trump, they should be taking every opportunity to do that now. Yes, this is kind of obvious. But give me a moment and I’ll connect it to a point I think makes the meaning more clear. They should take every opportunity to fight and draw attention to unpopular things. They shouldn’t be worried about the downsides of opposing a president who now routinely has 55% of the population in opposition him.

Second, the campaign message is obvious and is the one every successful midterm opposition makes. Put a check on Trump’s illegal, out-of-control, violent, stupid policies. There’s no check on him. Put a check on him. This is the ultimate “don’t overcomplicate it.” People are really, really opposed to the stuff Trump is doing now. Say you’ll rein him in. The catch, though, is that to make that credible you really need to show that you’re maxing out the limited power congressional Democrats currently have. So fighting harder and more effectively today doesn’t just address damage to the Democratic brand — it’s essential to underpin the best campaign strategy and message.

Third, people should be mounting primary campaigns against pretty much every Democrat who is in a safe seat. The greatest attention is on a few right-leaning Dems who’ve managed to win in Trump districts. That’s stupid. Democrats need those seats. But in safe seats, run primaries. I’m not saying everyone needs to go, but everyone needs to be put to some test. To deal with the Trump crisis you need caucuses made up only of wartime consiglieres. So make way for one or become one. I remain convinced this is not mainly about ideology, it’s about who’s willing to fight and who isn’t. That’s my prescription.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/how-is-it-going-for-the-democrats