Drain the Swamp
The (only) part of Trump’s campaign that I liked what the concept of cleaning up the morass in DC, which I interpreted as meaning: stopping the pay for play ethos whereas the big lobbies and contributors influence the regulations and votes of our federal government. Of course, as with virtually all of his claims, he had no intention of doing this — and, in fact, his seeking money from Mercer et al and then following the wishes and people of this evil empire was the clearest sign during the campaign that Trump was the master of the big lie.
Trump has gone even further by bringing in a group of rich swamp people and then has breached virtually every ethical standard of the Presidency, except (perhaps) direct bribes. So, the success of his campaign indicates a real appetite for a change in business as usual. And, I can only hope that the Democrats grab leadership in this regard.
I suggest the party let the Russian investigation reach its legal conclusion without piling on. Mueller and the media seem quite capable of following the multiple crimes that Trump, his family and/or campaign committed; and, even if he is impeached, that leaves the country with Pence and the Democrats without the target of all their energy.
If the Democrats can focus on breaking the pattern of the influence of money, they will have a solid platform that will work against Pence and all Republicans who do not support whatever proposed legislation the party can propose. Of course, the first proclamations will be easy: the government must enforce its own ethical rules and contracts (such as the one that on its face bars Trump as President from owning the hotel on the post office land; or the clear violations inherent in Icahn’s brief tenure in an official unpaid position). They can tighten the rules against nepotism to include unpaid roles, and require complete financial records, tax returns and ownership interests of all US legislators and executive branch office holders. They can demand details on all White House visitors and disclosure of all meetings by legislators as well. This last point is important. The Democrats need to hold Congress to the same standards as they want to hold Trump (if not future Presidents).
What has become clear is that the swamp really does exist. The elected Democrats are behaving with Trump just as the Republicans did under Obama — and, of course, what McConnell did with the vote on Gorsuch is exactly what Reid did with lower level judges. The voters support for Bernie and Trump in the ’16 primaries proved the desire for a new way in Washington. Of course, Trump has betrayed his voters (even though only about a quarter of them seem to care) and he has made the swamp even murkier. By focusing all their fire on Trump and Russia, the Democrats will not move forward any more than the Republicans have. The fact that they (and Trump) had no popular plan to replace Obamacare is perhaps the best example. I hope the Democrats will have a complete progressive platform to replace Trump, starting with an ethical foundation.