(ThyBlackMan.com) Following the 2024 presidential election, Democratic leaders seem to have lost their will to fight against Donald Trump, MAGA, and the Project 2025 agenda. As a result, the American people—including Trump voters, will suffer due to not having a political party in the ring fighting on their behalf. Democratic leaders have exhibited a notable reluctance—even fearful to vocally oppose President Donald Trump’s actions—even actions that are clearly illegal and unconstitutional. Four factors may have contributed to this hesitancy:
- Leadership Vacuum: According to Elaine Godfrey, staff writer for The Atlantic, the defeat in the 2024 election has left the Democratic Party contending with a lack of clear leadership and internal divisions. Prominent politicians such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Wes Moore of Maryland, and Kathy Hochul of New York have been perceived as passive leaders. This has led to frustration among grassroots activists who demand a more assertive and aggressive stance against Trump’s dictatorial agenda.
- Strategic Caution: Some Democratic leaders are taking a more measured approach. They are choosing to avoid direct confrontations with Trump. This strategy aims to prevent being drawn into reactive cycles that could detract from their policy objectives. For instance, when Trump pardoned individuals involved in the January 6 coup attempt, many potential 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls refrained from public comments, possibly to sidestep amplifying Trump’s attack against them. According to Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, Democrats are “being more measured because people are just so tired, so there isn’t the energy to stay at an 11 for the next four years. My advice is, call it out, be blunt, but don’t shriek about it.”
- Internal Divisions: The party is experiencing internal debates regarding its direction and messaging. Politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders have criticized the party for “abandoning working-class people,” suggesting that this disconnect contributed to their electoral defeat. Such internal disagreements can impede a unified and robust opposition to Trump’s policies. Some argued that the party should stop using surrogates like Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen as crutches that end up backfiring by making Democrats look like the party of the elite. A political strategist argued that Democrats, “need to stop holding rallies with Beyonce and caring about a Taylor Swift endorsement, because it only enhanced the belief that the Democratic Party has become the party of Hollywood.” One prominent Democratic strategist who has worked on recent presidential campaigns said, “We have to burn the house down and begin anew.”
There are party members who believe that Democrats must face the reality that America is not anytime in the near future going to elect a woman for President—especially a woman of color. During a PBS News interview Kelly Dittmar, of the Center for American Women and Politics of Rutgers University, while speaking about whether America is ready to elect a woman for president and white women’s voting patterns stated:
“We need to kind of shift away from the question of, is America ready for a woman? I mean, the majority of women voted — or the majority of voters voted for a woman in 2016 (Hilary Clinton won the popular vote in the 2016 election). But to really understand both white women’s voting behavior and voting behavior across the board is to look at, what are the racism and sexism in our electorate that is allowing us to continually vote for somebody who’s proven that he is misogynist in both his own personal behavior, but also in his policy priorities, has tapped into racial resentment within our communities, and that these things aren’t disqualifying? And for white women, in particular, we have seen time and again, it’s not disqualifying enough in part because they have a racial privilege that is being protected by this brand of politics. And we’re going to have to grapple with that, I think, continually to get to the point not only where we can elect a woman, but where we can elect candidates who are trying to move us forward when it comes to racial and ethnic inclusion, gender progress and gender equity.”
- Fear of Political Repercussions: There is a concern that aggressive opposition to Trump might alienate certain voter segments or provoke political backlash. This apprehension can lead to a more subdued response, as leaders weigh the potential risks of outspoken criticism of President Trump.
A Lone Voice Crying In the Wilderness
When it comes to calling out Donald Trump and his MEGA disciples, Democratic congresswoman from Texas, Jasmine Crockett seems to be a lone voice crying in the wilderness. While many Democratic elected officials are in their political boxing ring corners sitting on their stools nursing the wounds from the beating taken in the last election round, Rep. Crockett seems to be the only one who has gotten off her stool, out of her corner and has started the next round by punching back—and hard!
In a recent interview with Alex Witt on MSNBC, Crockett did not hold back her punches in expressing her opinion about President Donald Trump. She accused Trump of being a “criminal” and a “thug” who is attempting to dismantle governmental checks and balances. “The problem is that Americans thought that it was okay to take a full-fledged criminal and make him the president of the United States, and then they want to act aghast when he does criminal things. Let me tell you, we have a thug in charge of the United States. And if we don’t wake up, we may not have a United States,” said Crockett.
Rep. Crockett, like a Muhammad Ali figure, is back in the center of the political ring “float(ing) like a butterfly and sting(ing) like a bee.” She is landing rope-a-dope punches, not only on Donald Trump but also on Elon Musk and the entire Republican Party in Congress.
Musk is serving as co-president in the Trump administration as head of the new Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He has been given the task of eliminating the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID is an independent agency of the United States government. Its primary responsibility is to administer civilian foreign aid and development assistance to some of the poorest countries in the world. This includes mostly food and medical assistance. Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is working to take away food and needed medical supplies from the poorest people in the world. He has called USAID a criminal organization.
Musk’s history is that he was born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa, and is of British and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. However, his facial features are more Asian—perhaps Chinese in appearance. Growing up in apartheid South Africa may have influenced his worldview on people living in poverty, USAID, minorities, immigration, and DEI.
Crockett has recently voiced significant concerns regarding Musk’s involvement in federal government operations. She criticized the Treasury Department’s decision to grant Musk and his aides access to the federal payment system, which manages approximately $6 trillion. Crockett questioned the necessity of such access for individuals not elected to public office, stating, “The people that worked in those positions could have only distributed money per the law, so why is it that the DOGE committee would have to have access?” She called Musk out for being able to work for the government while at the same time benefiting from government contracts—a privilege granted to no other American and a violation of federal law. “It’s really awful. There is no reason for any political appointee, if you can even call him that, to have this kind of access. There’s none.”
Crockett has urged her Republican colleagues to publicly express the criticisms of Trump and Elon Musk that they share privately, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability in political discourse. “Republicans want to see Elon go down. Will they come out publicly and say that? No, because they’re concerned about whether or not he’ll spend money in their next elections,” said Crockett.
Crockett also revealed that some Republicans privately express apprehension about Trump and Musk’s actions—and their mental competency. However, they refrain from public criticism due to concerns about potential impacts on their future election campaigns and physical acts of violence against them or their family from the MAGA faithful.
In her fight for the American people, Crockett continues to bob-and-weave in the political ring like a heavyweight prizefighter. She is hoping to land a knockout punch against Trump and his anti-democratic forces of the Republican, MAGA, Project 2025, and the far-right Christian Nationalist leaders now controlling the U.S. government—even if she has to fight them alone.
RJW is a retired Professor of Education. He is a prolific writer and the author of 12 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher.
