Ever painted yourself into a corner? I have. Literally. It happened on my deck. I started with the steps. Then I rolled deck boards with dark red stain, carefully moving the paint can and roller tray. When I arrived at the sliding glass door I pulled the handle.
It was locked.
I tapped the glass, looking for my wife. “Honey?” I called. “Honey?” a little louder. No answer. She had gone to the grocery store.
The Democrats, as they prepare for the next election, are doing the same thing. They have embraced a total hatred for Donald Trump. Trade, tax cuts, foreign policy, it’s all bad. It has to be, and there’s no way out. They are cornered.
Take tax cuts. These are popular among wage earners. The Democratic position is either:
The tax cut amounts to nothing, which is demonstrably false. It’s right there on my pay stub.
Or, The rich are also getting a tax cut. Which elicits the combined response: Who cares?
Democrats could endorse some of the tax cuts. Those for working folk. Admit Trump is right in this one narrow area. But they can’t. We are talking about Trump. There can be no good.
The same is happening with trade. Restructuring trade, especially with China, is an extraordinary endeavor. Both parties since Reagan have given it lip service, but done nothing. Trump did it. The Democratic response is predictable. The deals are bad. They have enraged our “partners”.
The working person’s response? Good. They watched their jobs sold off to the highest bidder. Or lowest, to be more accurate. They watched their neighborhoods gutted. Telling us we can all be computer programmers is silly. No, we can’t.
Opposition to troop withdrawal is probably the saddest development in this Never-Trump game. A staple of progressive policy, removing troops is now is now seen as bad. Even ultra-progressive Bernie can’t commit to Trump’s America-first policy. Yes, he admits. Foreign entanglements must be addressed.
“But,” he says. “I don’t know that you can pull out tomorrow.”
Yes, you can.
The Dems could sweep to victory in November. A big chunk of the electorate is just waiting for them. They could embrace the good Trump has done, and promise to get rid of the bad. Yet they can’t. Trump is evil personified. Nothing can be conceded. Ever. They have painted themselves into a corner.
I’ve been there. There’s only one way out. Over the rail. And take it from me, brother. It’s a long way down.
Richard Donnelly lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Classic flyover land. Which makes us feel just a little… superior. He publishes a weekly column of essays on the writing life at richarddonnelly.substack.com