I’m the first House Democrat elected since Trump. Here’s what my party should do. – Washington Post
By Jimmy Gomez By Jimmy Gomez June 20
Jimmy Gomez will represent Californias 34th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. A Los Angeles Democrat, he previously represented Californias 51st district in the state assembly.
Im Latino, progressive and I have deep roots in the working class my father was a bracero, a guest farmworker and cook, and my mom worked as a nursing home laundry attendant. This month, I became the first Democrat elected to Congress since Donald Trump became president. Like every other member of Congress, my top priority will be my district. And like every other freshman, Ill have to learn the ropes. But as the newest Democrat on the Hill, I plan to do my part to help steer my party in a winning direction.
Heres what we need to do:
First, lets get past the 2016 primary. We already know whatpollstell us, that Democratic voters increasingly want the party to head in a more liberal direction. But the voters I talk to arent interested in a Bernie-or-Hillary litmus test if they did, I never wouldve been elected to Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont carried my district in the primary last year but I supported Hillary Clinton from the start. Early in my campaign, mediaaccounts cast the race as a proxy fight, but even if Democrats in the race (California has open, multiparty primaries) didnt see eye to eye on every policy question, we agreed more than we didnt.
And when it comes to pushing back on the Trump-Ryan agenda, theres too much at stake for progressives to slice and dice ourselves into different factions. This month, House Republicans voted to gut the rules for Wall Street that were put in place to protect Americans from another economic meltdown. Meanwhile, a group of 13 Republican men is meeting in secret to craft the Senates response to the atrocious health-care bill, passed by the House, that isprojected to take away health coverage from millions despite polling that shows only 29 percent of Americans support the House GOP bill. To stop them, Democrats have to be united.
[Senate Democrats have the power to stop Trump. All they have to do is use it.]
I give credit where it is due; congressional Democrats have stuck together to oppose Republican policies that would devastate middle-class and low-income families. They havent won every legislative battle, but we would be in worse shape without a united Democratic caucus. Democratic campaigns and candidates should take note: Our voters and the American people want strong progressive leadership. Not capitulation. But if, after two years, all we can say to voters is that were the anti-Trump party, theres no reason to think well win enough congressional seats to change the calculus in Congress. Resisting isnt enough.
Next, Democrats must communicate in a way that directly appeals to peoples everyday concerns. Take climate change: Progressives often default to elite-speak on this issue publicly debating the impact of fractional increases in temperature and wind up ceding the argument to Republicans. But it doesnt matter whether youre from coal country, the Rust Belt or the Sun Belt, everyone wants and deserves clean air and water.
As a California state legislator, I supported our cap-and-trade law to force polluters to pay for releasing harmful greenhouse gases to combat climate change. But I also went a step further. I fought for and passed a bill to invest at least 35 percent of the revenue from polluters into low-income neighborhoods, the places that are disproportionately affected by climate change. My aim, in other words, was to fight for equity and environmental justice in a way that would provide real, direct benefits to working families. My bill was supported by both Republicans and Democrats; by members representing both urban districts and rural districts.
[Democrats keep looking for a hero. But only small wins can save them now.]
Third, some tactical advice: Throw out the old playbook for building grass-roots support by way of town hall meetings. With town halls, elected officials force voters to come to them. Many times, the folks who show up are passionate and informed about policy. Thats great, but youre not likely to reach working people who might not be able to devote their Saturday to an elected officials event, or people new to the political process who want to interact but havent figured out how to do it.
Lets spend less time taking questions from behind podiums and more time genuinely engaging in our communities. In my four years as a state legislator, I went to dozens of nontraditional events everything from bird watchings to tree giveaways, neighborhood cleanups to self-defense clinics for women going where people are instead of asking them to come to me. Its how I learned about their struggles and how legislative decisions affected their lives.
When we get to 2018 and 2020, Democrats shouldnt have to start from scratch to tell our story. We should have a united party behind us, and we should show up ready to communicate both how well fight the disastrous Republican agenda and how our ideas will benefit working families.
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I'm the first House Democrat elected since Trump. Here's what my party should do. - Washington Post