Among other existential battles, Democrats are fighting the appearance of having cried wolf when it comes to portraying Donald Trump as a “threat to democracy.” Many of their constituents, especially those who believe Trump does represent that danger, are enraged by cowed Democrats who are proceeding as if it’s business as (almost) usual in Washington.
Perhaps no moment illustrates this frustration about “normalizing” Trump more than the image of Trump and Barack Obama chatting without any apparent animosity during the memorial service for the late American President Jimmy Carter.
As Obama was seen to laugh at something Trump said, liberals who have already had to deal with photos of Bill and Hillary Clinton at Donald Trump’s third wedding, now had to shake their heads in disbelief at the Obama Trump chumminess. Who chuckles, they ask indignantly, with a wannabe dictator?
The frustrating answer, in this case, is Barack Obama.
The MAGA right saw those images and said, essentially, well I guess Trump isn’t so threatening to the Republic after all — otherwise why would he be treated without the enmity due to a lawbreaking fascist?
Told you so became the tenor of most MAGA posts surrounding the Obama-Trump moment, which illustrated the Democratic dilemma: how does the party respectful of protocol and governmental norms confront a party that is proudly not respectful of, or constrained by, either?
Now as Trump embarks, by his own declaration, on numerous executive branch challenges to constitutional order and precedent, without any notable resistance from any GOP legislators, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) is trying to sound an alarm that — Obama’s geniality notwithstanding — American constitutional rule faces a very serious threat.
“We need to act like a real opposition party,” he says, “in the middle of a constitutional and democracy crisis.”
I laid out this morning what a real opposition can look like at this moment of crisis. We still have the power to stop this billionaire power grab, but Democrats need to act like our democracy is weeks away from disintegrating – because it is. pic.twitter.com/XSxX05QXVR
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 5, 2025
Murphy is calling for Democrats to obstruct Trump’s plan to radically reorder the government, and to obstruct it using every tool at their disposal. To meet the moment, Democrats need to let go of the old Obama-era illusion that common ground can be found between Trump’s MAGA and the Democratic Party. Between them is a chasm, not an aisle.
“I’m not voting for a single nominee while this crisis over federal spending persists, and I don’t think we should proceed to any legislation until Republicans stand up and start helping us protect democracy,” Murphy pledged as Trump’s DOGE chief Elon Musk started hacking the federal workforce and agencies, cutting and closing them, and as Trump tried to freeze all congressionally authorized spending.
(Murphy’s “nay” on cabinet confirmation votes won’t do much to stop Trump’s MAGA momentum, as the Senate majority has shown little will to object even to the likes of nominees like Pete Hegseth, considered a highly controversial and challenging choice before winning unanimity among Senate Republicans. Blocking legislation may be a more realistic option for dissent, given fissures on the GOP side.)
Murphy then hit on the Democrats’ biggest problem, which is reaching people with a message that the situation really is dire as Trump is moving quickly to enact numerous constitutionally questionable and largely unpopular recommendations of Project 2025, even if people mainly voted for him because he promised to bring down grocery prices and act on immigration.
“I do not think that we will be able to convince people that this is a serious, grave moment,” Murphy said addressing the confirmation process, “if [Democrats] are helping [Republicans] populate a deeply corrupt government and helping them pass legislation here.”
Why is this a “serious, grave” moment for the republic, as Murphy asserts? Murphy claimed plainly: “Elon Musk is trying to steal our money, is trying to steal our data.”
Murphy’s concerns are echoed in a statement by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, who is trying, against the objections of Republicans, to subpoena Musk. Connolly in a statement released Friday:
“Elon Musk’s hostile takeover of the Office of Personnel Management, sanctioned by Donald Trump, is putting Americans in danger. Since Trump handed Musk the keys to our government, it’s been reported that Musk has set up private servers that risk a cybersecurity nightmare, sent out unsanctioned and untrustworthy resignation offers, and locked career officials out of agency systems. And that’s just in the past few days. The actions of Co-Presidents Musk and Trump will have disastrous consequences not just for the civil servants whose lives they are upending, but for the American people who will suffer as a result.”
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