[But the Democratic Party has disappointed me. Like the Trumpsters, I’m looking for change
and action – however I’m looking for measured change and acts of compassion by
the Democratic Party.]
The following are quotes from an editorial in the Washington
Post with my additional comments in brackets.
WHY I STILL CRITICIZE DEMOCRATS MORE THAN TRUMP
Washington Post February 17, 2025 by Shadi Hamid
I’m more critical of Democrats precisely because I expect
more from them. When Trump disregards human rights abroad or undermines
democratic norms at home, he’s not being hypocritical — he’s being exactly who
he has always claimed to be. The man who called for a “Muslim ban” in 2015
and praised
strongmen throughout his first term hasn’t suddenly changed his
stripes in 2025.
As much as moral condemnation might make us feel good, what
does it accomplish? More than enough journalists and commentators are already
documenting Trump’s abuses of power and holding him to account.
Democrats. They claim to be the party of values — of fair
competition, freedom, tolerance and pluralism.
Yet Democrats consistently fall short of the very ideals
they profess to champion. Under the Biden administration, party leaders —
including President Joe Biden himself — spoke of the “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza while refusing to do
anything to stop it. Instead Biden said, chillingly, that “we’re not going to do a damn
thing other than protect Israel.” But it’s not just Gaza. The Democratic Party
has long preached tolerance and inclusion while marginalizing pro-life Democrats, talking down to Black and brown voters, ignoring
religious conservatives and dismissing the growing
ranks of Americans who felt the party had become too radical on issues
such as gender identity. On policy, what was once the working-class party chose
to prioritize things such as college debt relief, which
disproportionately benefits
the wealthy.
[What has the Democratic Party done to help the educational
system in the poor black South? What has
the Democratic Party done to help the people in Puerto Rico? The Government has agreed to build a network
of 500,000 electrical charging stations, yet has only built 37 stations with a
total capacity of 226 charging ports.
The reason for this low number is “it takes time”. What has the Democratic Party done to make it
take less time? What has the Democratic
Party done to make sure that nothing happens to Medicare and Medicare? What has the Democratic Party done to assure
the operations of Head Start?]
The hypocrite, unlike the purely cynical actor, at least
acknowledges the existence of moral standards — and in failing to meet them
illustrates the gap between the ideal and the reality.
It isn’t enough — and it surely wasn’t enough on Election
Day — for Democrats to merely be the anti-Trump party and hope for the best.
None of this is to downplay the dangers Trump represents.
But we’ve reached a point where reflexive Trump criticism has become a form of
virtue signaling — a way to demonstrate one’s allegiance to the “right side” of
history without engaging the harder question of why Trump grows
more popular rather than less, including with Americans younger
than 30.
And understanding is crucial. With four years still of
Trump, we must wrestle with the fact that millions of our fellow Americans
apparently disliked the status quo so much that they now seem indifferent to
its dismantling. This isn’t about legitimizing the GOP’s burn-it-down approach
to governance but rather trying to grasp why it came to this. Because it did
come to this. Only in confronting these realities can Democrats rebuild and
reposition themselves in the coming years to win back voters they alienated.
[What has the Democratic Party done effect “change in
government” in accordance to the wishes of the people?]
Because I’ve calibrated my expectations accordingly, Trump
has lost the ability to disappoint or really even shock me.
