August, 2019
Washington -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is boxed in on two sides by both Republicans and Democrats. For the good of the country, she needs to break out.
On one side, she cannot move ahead on impeachment of the President because of the near certainty that the Senate, in Republican control, will not convict. Impeachment with no conviction would seem to hand Trump a victory, another claimed exoneration. Moreover, many Democrats in her own caucus, who won their elections in districts won by Trump in 2016, do not want to vote for impeachment for fear it will hurt their re-election chances.
Some Democrats argue to the contrary: ethics, not politics, must dictate the impeachment decision. They say the House has a duty to abide by the Constitution in the face of the President's high crimes and misdemeanors, come what may politically. They say if Democrats don't impeach, that is itself an exoneration argument. Likewise, some argue that this president is such a danger both domestically and internationally that the sooner an impeachment action is put before the Senate, the better. He may do something so egregious that even the Senate may decide enough is enough, and convict.
Nevertheless, the forces for slowing down impeachment are currently carrying the day. Speaker Pelosi understands that any missteps on impeachment could actually cause Democrats to lose the House and hand Trump control over all of the government in 2020. Her calculus right now is that it's better to make the case against Trump in the election, not through impeachment.
Speaker Pelosi is also boxed in by a faction within the Democratic Party that thinks the 2020 elections can be won with a bi-coastal strategy, essentially abandoning much of the middle of the country to Trump. The argument is that by taking both coasts, and by increasing Democratic turnout in key cities like Philadelphia, Detroit, and Milwaukee, the Democrats can take back the presidency. This is a risky strategy, given that it counts on unprecedented GOTV efforts and is doubly risky in an age when election tampering, even by foreign adversaries, is something that must be expected.
The bi-coastal faction nevertheless has dominated Democratic strategy to date. This is due in part to intense pressure within the party not to reach out to Trump voters, even in the face of electoral realities. A locus for such thinking is located in the House office buildings, amid staff who have gone so far as to criticize elected members on social media if they do not adopt the bi-coastal strategy.
The way Speaker Pelosi can break out of the confining box entirely is to launch a high-profile offensive directly against Trump where he must win, but where he has been weakened by his own foolish deeds, such as his misguided tariffs that have struck hard against the American heartland. This would not be an anti-Trump offensive, but an all-out effort to win over voters with a positive Democratic message, about what Democrats are FOR, not just against.
But what exactly are Democrats for, in areas where Trump is vulnerable? Indeed, that is a large part of the Democrats' problem in the toss-up states, where Democrats appeal to urban populations but have been AWOL when it comes to those states' rural issues and needs.
Speaker Pelosi should remedy this immediately, and very publicly, by appointing a task force to produce an Emergency Rural Policy Initiative, within 60 days. It would be made up of selected House members who have already given this thought, like Marcia Fudge, Chellie Pingree, Cheri Bustos, and Tim Ryan, plus governors who would volunteer their expertise, like Tim Walz and Steve Bullock.
Their charge would be to develop a House Democratic Leadership Emergency Rural Policy to announce, boldly, what Democrats are for:
• Enhancing foreign trade by restoring Congressional authority over tariffs and working with allies to set trade rules;
• Mitigating climate change by immediately re-writing the Farm Bill to encourage carbon capture and to protect topsoil;
• Tackling obesity and diabetes epidemics through better production and distribution of fresh, local, healthy food;
• Creating and preserving jobs by strengthening local and regional food markets, expanding high speed Internet, and saving rural hospitals.
The "emergency" aspect of this cannot be over-emphasized. People are hurting and are looking for alternatives to Trump policies, and soon. The policies should be translated into legislative language, passed by the House yet this calendar year, and sent to the Senate. The House must demand Senate action.
Note that on the suggested task force are two Democratic presidential candidates. The sooner the candidates start talking about what Democrats are for, and can unite around, the better. This is one area where it is not only feasible, but urgent.
Boxes have four sides. Speaker Pelosi is boxed in on two sides but going on the offensive would take her out of the box by knocking down a third side.
As to impeachment, there is a fourth side of the box Speaker Pelosi should consider knocking down as well, and that is the use of censure to respond to Trump offenses. Although his offenses are worthy of impeachment, censure would put the House on record ethically and morally. An "H. Res." vehicle would accomplish this and stand on its own; an "H. Con. Res." would invite the Senate to join in the censure. Speaker Pelosi should do both and, as a consequence, move media cameras over to Republican senators' offices, to put them on the spot on the question of censure.
For the good of the country, Madam Speaker, please knock down the walls that box you in. Go on the offensive exactly where Trump is most vulnerable and lay the groundwork for 2020 election success. And help save the planet in the process.
