Democrats, and voters, must halt Trump’s threat to our democracy

Republicans and President Trump are promoting the idea that the GOP must hold onto its majority in Congress to save the president’s agenda and prevent his potential impeachment. Democrats need something just as powerful to motivate voters — something in addition to bread-and-butter issues that have resonated in recent elections such as good jobs, heath care, education and support for the middle class. Is there a commanding message that can motivate Democrats to overcome the party divisions on how to deal with Trump?

Currently, we hear all sorts of calls — ignore him; confront him; impeach him; focus on local issues; move to the left, or to the center. Each strategy has pitfalls for the Democratic Party and its candidates. But there is one important point on which Democrats, many independents and even some Republicans can agree: President Trump is a threat to our democracy.

{mosads}More important than simply combating him is ensuring the survival of our democracy as we know it — and this can be preserved only by electing Democrats. Luckily for Democrats, a recent poll revealed a strong preference of voters to elect candidates who would be a check on the president.

What are the threats that Trump poses to our democratic system of governance and to a strong civil society that Democrats can highlight? He views a free, unbiased news media as an enemy to be derided and tamed. He displays a disdain for facts, a predilection for lies, and a disregard for scientific expertise and knowledge. He has acted contrary to the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution; for example, he has tried to influence criminal investigations. He undermines government institutions such as law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Moreover, he has alienated and confused America’s allies, while showing affinity for enemies personified in Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. He wants churches to become partisan organizations, threatening the separation of church and state. His colleagues, even if not Trump himself, have been involved in nefarious foreign ventures tied to the Russia investigation and attacks on our democracy.

With his immigration crackdown and other policies, the president has fostered a climate of fear among the populace, sowing division rather than unity. He has failed to address either the appearance or the reality of economic conflicts of interest for himself or those around him. He has not drained the swamp, as he promised during his campaign, but instead flooded it with incompetent or corrupt, scandal-ridden cabinet or other administration members.

His lawyers, in a recently made public memo, suggested the possibility of an imperial presidency — that Trump can pardon himself, should the need arise, and is incapable of obstructing justice. Decision-making too often is based on loyalty, rather than on competence or doing what is right. In his defense, even his abettors on the House Intelligence Committee have undermined democratic practices.

By defeating Republican candidates in the coming midterms, voters can help save our threatened democracy and civil life. Democrats in Congress could then counter the Trump administration’s threat by promoting legislation that upholds our democratic principles and blocking that which does not. They could investigate corruption and illegal practices, and display more oversight over the administration’s actions. And from positions of leadership, they could speak out publicly against the subversion of our democracy and let their Republican colleagues know that if they do not do so as well, they might be targeted in the next election.

Neil Wollman is a senior fellow with the Bentley Alliance for Ethics and Social Responsibility at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and has done research on political issues for many years. He is the previous co-director of the National Prevention Science Coalition and a former faculty member at Manchester University in Indiana.