By provoking an insurrection, Donald Trump may have accomplished what none of his previous actions could: splitting the Republican Party. This creates a major opportunity for Dems, and the latest Washington Monthly explains how they can seize it. /1

Sizable minorities of GOP voters believe Trump incited the siege—28 % according to YouGov, 41 percent according to Morning Consultant. And an astonishing 25 % of those who voted for Trump in November want him removed from office now, according to an Avalanche Insights poll. /2
To capture at least a small share of these Republicans, Dems need ideas that can help these voters feel welcome. Their current platform, a logical progression of platforms past, wasn't enough to win decisively in 2020 and probably won’t be enough to save their majority in 2022./3
In the latest issue of the Washington Monthly, we outline three ideas that can help Democrats convert erstwhile Republicans without abandoning progressive principles. 4/
First, Daniel Block argues that Joe Biden should prioritize liberating local governments from a variety of state and federal restrictions imposed on them by Trump and the GOP. Doing so will have policy advantages.../5 https://t.co/4IFtxUii0V
..like helping progressive cities carry out climate plans that Republican state governments have stonewalled. But it will also have political advantages. Poll after poll shows that most Americans trust local governments far more than the federal government. /6
That includes an overwhelming majority of Republicans. By becoming the party of local power, Democrats can attract disillusioned members of the GOP. /7
Second, Barry Lynn explains how Biden can remake U.S. politics and economics through antitrust enforcement. Antitrust may not seem like something Republicans would endorse, but there are plenty of conservatives who do./8
https://t.co/bQYMTchqQ3
Third, Colin Woodard shows how Democrats can craft a civic national narrative for America that displaces Trump’s ethno-nationalist one. /9
https://t.co/5QuFJV9naO
After seeing rioters march a Confederate flag through the halls of Congress, plenty of center-right Americans may be willing to embrace the party that finally ends the Lost Cause. /9

More from Politics

My piece in the NY Times today: "the Trump administration is denying applications submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services at a rate 37 percent higher than the Obama administration did in 2016."

Based on this analysis: "Denials for immigration benefits—travel documents, work permits, green cards, worker petitions, etc.—increased 37 percent since FY 2016. On an absolute basis, FY 2018 will see more than about 155,000 more denials than FY 2016."
https://t.co/Bl0naOO0sh


"This increase in denials cannot be credited to an overall rise in applications. In fact, the total number of applications so far this year is 2 percent lower than in 2016. It could be that the higher denial rate is also discouraging some people from applying at all.."

Thanks to @gsiskind for his insightful comments. The increase in denials, he said, is “significant enough to make one think that Congress must have passed legislation changing the requirements. But we know they have not.”

My conclusion:

You May Also Like