GOP silence vs. Democratic heartland savvy

The silence of the lions of the once-Grand Old Party is deafening, a leadership emptiness that echoes through the Capitol’s corridors of power.

It is matched by the silence of the GOP’s lambs, the once-heralded freshmen flock who, it turns out, are just sheep.

Noiseless nothingness has been their only combined response to speeches by four prominent Republicans who warned us about the unpresidential unfitness of President Donald Trump.

News-watching historians might have assumed (according to normal arcs of history) that any such cluster of powerful speeches would ignite a party revolution. But not in this party.

Also, you might have assumed the Democrats would take swift advantage of this uncivil Republican war, sound new themes and begin their political comeback. But not that party. At least not yet. Even though we’ve just seen a new promising path savvy Democrats should pursue. More on that later.

But we must begin by exploring how and why this odd epidemic of political laryngitis muted today’s congressional Republicans—after their prominent pals bluntly warned them of the president’s unpresidential conduct.

First, the Trump critics were end-of-the-line Republicans whose futures are all past, no prologue. They have no residual clout: Ex-president George W. Bush; ex-presidential nominee John McCain, now battling terminal brain cancer; retiring (fed-up!) Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker; and retiring freshman (who saw he’d be defeated by his well-financed primary opponent) Sen. Jeff Flake. They separately warned us Trump is dangerously uninformed, has dangerously goaded North Korea’s nuke-boasting Kim Jong Un, willfully lies, willfully divides, willfully inflames, etc.

Second, every Republican in Congress knows Trump is combative and never lets an attack go unavenged.

Third, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan head a rare phylum of political invertebrates. They mainly fear ending up like Jeff Flake—facing a powerfully financed primary challenger.

Meanwhile, the clamor of all that Republican silence was hardly disturbed by a newsbreak on Tuesday. Even though it turned out to be news that Democrats need to make a central theme of their recovery. For it should help them regain the trust—and votes!—of blue collar, middle class workers who were formerly Democrats but voted for Trump (or against Hillary) in 2016.

With Vice President Mike Pence voting to break a 50-50 tie, the Senate voted to scrap a major new rule that permitted millions of Americans to unite in class-action lawsuits against big banks and other financial institutions. The rule was a major initiative of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, established by Congress during President Barack Obama’s presidency to help ordinary people combat aggressive and harassing actions in the wake of widespread mortgage abuses. The House had already approved the same measure in July, and Trump is expected to quickly sign it into law, forcing millions of middle class homeowners back into private arbitration, which banks greatly prefer.

Oddly, the news was covered most unevenly. It was barely mentioned by 24/7 cable news networks. Wednesday’s Washington Post reported it in a small, eight-paragraph article at the bottom of page A15. But The New York Times recognized it as big front page news, with this headline atop column one: “Sparing Banks, Senate Repeals Litigation Rule.” The Times reported:

“‘Tonight’s vote is a giant setback for every consumer in this country,’ Richard Cordray, the director of the consumer bureau, said in a statement. ‘ As a result, companies like Wells Fargo and Equifax remain free to break the law without fear of legal blowback from their customers.’ Added Sen. Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio: ‘By voting to take rights away from customers, the Senate voted tonight to side with Wells Fargo lobbyists over the people we serve.’”

But so far, few Democrats have been at the cutting edge of making this case. An online search turned up one who is— Florida’s Democratic candidate for Attorney General, Ryan Torrens.

A Tampa attorney, Torrens specializes in consumer protection law and announced his candidacy on public property in front of a Wells Fargo Bank. Last June, the Tampa Bay Times reported Torrens won a foreclosure reversal for the family of Luis and Tina Lopez, who lost their home after a misunderstanding that began with a mere $150 homeowner’s association fee.

Locally and in Washington, Democrats need to seize the significance of this week’s big break for bankers and once again let voters see them fighting for middle class workers who were victimized by big banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions.

Only then will the Trump voters who need help remember it’s the Democrats who will champion their cause.