The Daily Escape:
Professor Timothy Snyder has a great suggestion that could help Dems win in the midterms and beyond. He suggests we adopt the “Shadow Government” used by the opposition in England.
“Shadow meant follow. The shadow ministers “shadowed” the actual ministers, in the sense of following their every move, criticizing policy and offering alternatives. Importantly, the shadow minister was always available to offer commentary to the press on his or her area of expertise…. Shadow ministers did not always become real ministers after the next elections, but often they did.”
Think Pete Buttigieg as a shadow minister on Fox criticizing his counterpart’s every move. More:
“In Great Britain, the shadow cabinet represents “the loyal opposition.” The loyalty in question is to the state and to its head, the monarch. In the United States, a “loyal opposition” would be loyal to our Constitution — and, indeed, that could be the basis of its activity…..By beginning from the principle that we have a government of laws, not men, a shadow cabinet would reinforce the American way of politics. It would be a very good thing to have a constitutional lawyer or two on the shadow cabinet.”
A shadow cabinet would remind us of how much better things could be. The regular reactions of its members to Musk/Trump would flow from a different sense of politics, priorities and policy. That is material that the press wants to be fed every day and that we all need to hear.
Think about it: When Trump does something outrageous, the government always gets to set the tone. It’s hard for journalists to be ready for every shocking moment. Without recourse to readily available opposition, the press is reduced to writing that “critics say”. But what if “the critics” had names and faces and expertise and ambitions and political responsibility? Members of a shadow cabinet would be there to comment, not just with expressions of outrage or warnings, but with specific knowledge and plausible alternatives.
More:
“Candidates to be chair of the DNC should be talking about how this could be done. I mention the relevant issues because I believe this institution of opposition is something that Americans need and deserve. Only a minority voted for Trump. Harris’s policies, not Trump’s, were more popular. “
How would the DNC build and fund the Shadow Cabinet? Robert Reich assigned Labor or Commerce, Kamala Harriss for DOJ, and Mayor Pete being assigned Transportation, would be a start.
It’s time for fresh approaches to crafting an opposition: Today the Dems roll out some senior Party head (Chuck Schumer) to give the standard policy response. By design, it is high level and vague because the politicians lack the depth to talk about all issues. There are some in the House and Senate that are both young and have built some expertise. Think Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) covering Constitutional issues. He would be a good Shadow Governor.
Imagine the response coming from someone with expertise and a stake in the outcome. Over time, the Shadow would offer a “go-to” person for the press and the public who were looking for an official Democratic position on the specific matter at hand.
The midterms are in front of us, and we don’t need to pick up many seats to control the House and thereby emasculate the Trump government.
From Roll Call:
“The sitting president’s party has lost House seats in 17 of the last 19 midterm elections going back to 1950, with the two outliers, 1998 and 2002, largely explained by the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”
Only three Republicans — Nebraska’s Don Bacon, New York’s Michael Lawler and Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick — represent congressional districts carried by Harris in November. But it’s also good to remember that Trump’s one midterm election didn’t do so well, losing 42 GOP House seats in 2018.
The House, like the country at large, is almost evenly divided. That’s not necessarily a prescription for dramatic change in 2026. But an effort like the Shadow Government could help sharpen the issues and focus on individual House members. Possibly enough to bring about the small gains next year to make House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York the Speaker.
Wrongo also thinks Jefferies should be the leader of the Shadow Government experiment. He’s articulate, unscripted and has the most to gain with its success.
Not to be confused with the radio play from the 1930’s, The Shadow:
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows…” – The Shadow
Excellent suggestion! This would enable all of us to consider alternative approaches from experts in the field, but also to (perhaps) insert some common sense into the dialogue.