The election is over, and democracy won.
The troops didn't appear in the streets. Ballot boxes
weren't seized. Angry mobs didn't descend on county registrars' offices to stop
the counting. The things we worried about before the election didn't happen or
didn't get started.
And what an election! Democrats have won at least 252 seats
in the House and 54 in the Senate, and counting. In Mississippi, where
generations of Black citizens fought for the right to vote, and where federal
voting protections have been weakened, voters are close to electing the state's
first Black senator in 145 years. It seems the people of Mississippi had their
own an answer to voter suppression, they voted.
I can breathe now. But what's next?
It wasn't a Democratic victory. It was a rejection of MAGA,
of government by executive order, of incompetence and corruption, and of
political leadership that has grown old and entrenched.
The Democratic Party now has an opportunity to reconsider
where it stands and who it serves. This is no time to return to politics as
usual or to let arguments about the party's future distract us from governing.
The new Congress takes office January 3. That's less than
eight weeks away. There's plenty to do
between now and then.
First, put together a good team.
I'd like to see Chuck Schumer thanked for his years of
service and replaced by someone from the next generation of leadership. He's
done his job, but it's time to move on. Hakeem Jeffries, on the other hand, has
the experience and ability to lead the House. I'm not eager to replace him. Maybe later but Nancy Pelosi reminded us that
experience counts.
Committee chairmanships matter. So do experienced staff,
capable investigators, and legislators who understand the agencies they're
supposed to oversee. Congress should spend these weeks preparing to do its job.
And what is that job?
The Constitution established Congress as a coequal branch of
government, with the authority to make laws, control spending, and hold the
executive accountable. It was never intended to be subordinate to the
president, whatever theory of executive power they’ve chosen to practice.
For too long, Congress has surrendered its authority to the
White House under Democrats and Republicans. The Republican Congress under
Trump didn't merely surrender that authority. The Republican members endorsed
the president's efforts to take more of it.
That time is over.
I don't want the next two years consumed by revenge hearings
about everything Trump and his gang have done. Investigate wrongdoing,
certainly. But Congress cannot prosecute crimes, and criminal referrals to this
Justice Department won’t go anywhere.
Instead, concentrate on what's happening now.
Where is public money going? Who is benefiting? Are
government agencies protecting the public? Are qualified civil servants being
replaced by political loyalists? Are regulations being enforced?
Ask the questions. Hold the hearings. Bring the responsible
officials before Congress and make them explain their decisions. Put the
answers on the public record. Exposure alone can make corruption and
incompetence harder to get away with.
The Senate must exercise its constitutional power of advice
and consent, not simply approve whomever the president nominates. No more
Hegseths or Kennedys. No more federal judges who cannot acknowledge the
legitimacy of a lawful election. Competence, integrity, and respect for the
Constitution must be requirements.
Trump plays hardball. Congress can play hardball too, using
their own constitutional authority.
But there's another lesson to remember.
Trump will do everything he can to make the next two years
about himself. Congress shouldn't oblige him. It should choose its own battles,
set its own agenda, and let the President explain why he stands in the way.
Governing means more than opposing Trump.
Congress should begin examining health care, climate change,
housing, education, tariffs, and the federal budget. It should reclaim its
authority over spending and war powers. It should work with Republicans willing
to take their constitutional responsibilities seriously.
We won't get Medicare for All in the next two years. We
won't undo decades of economic policy overnight. But we can begin putting
alternatives before the American people, and do whatever practical work is
possible now.
This victory belongs to a broader alliance than the
Democratic Party alone. Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who rejected
MAGA have found common ground in defending democracy and constitutional
government. Let's make the most of that alliance. Liz Cheney and her friends
can be valuable allies, but they should be rebuilding their own party, not
telling Democrats what ours should become. America needs a responsible
opposition party, and I'd welcome their efforts to build one.
There will be time enough to decide what kind of Democratic
Party we want for 2028. Right now, let's put governing before campaigning. I'm
looking forward to the competition for the Democratic nomination, but for now
it's our turn, as voters, to listen rather than pick sides. Political junkies
like me can argue about the candidates all we want. We don't have to settle
anything yet.
For now, I want Democrats to prepare a Congress that works.
Not a Congress devoted to revenge, not one that spends all its time fighting
Trump, but one that begins restoring the legislative branch to its proper place
in American government.
The election proved that democracy can still defend itself.
Now let's prove that democratic government can work.
