Resistance alone is just not enough
Resistance is the appropriate and necessary impulse of Democrats at this strange and raucous inception of the Trump administration. It is also woefully insufficient to address the monumental existential threats Democrats confront.
Resistance alone will not defeat the Republicans’ stranglehold on political power in 30 states, will not affect redistricting in 2020, will not defeat Republican congressional majorities and will not advance an affirmative progressive agenda.
That is because President Donald Trump is not the cause of Democratic travails. Rather, he is the unfortunate consequence of Democrats’ failure to build the modern political machinery necessary to compete effectively with Republicans in key battleground states. Until that happens, Republican dominance will continue.
As Republicans have understood and acted on for years, it simply is not possible in these times to consistently win elections and advance policy without wellmanaged and well-financed statebased efforts, particularly in states with diverse populations distributed throughout rural, urban and suburban communities.
Sophisticated state-based electoral operations mobilise the resources and intelligently align the functions of state political parties, independent expenditure organisations and movement groups.
Republicans and their allies most notably the network of wealthy donors organised by the Koch brothers - have created formidable political operations that execute these functions with great skill and precision in more than 30 states.
This dire political imbalance contributed to the Trump victory last year. He did not need his own ‘‘ground game’’ in 2016. He rode to power on the voter mobilisation coat tails of the Republican right’s multi-state political juggernaut, which maximised Republican voter turnout in every key battleground state.
Even more ominous, this state machinery further solidified remarkable Republican dominance in such key states as Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, Georgia and Iowa. Republicans now have majorities in all state legislative chambers in more than 30 states and have elected 80 percent of the governors, 77 per cent of senators and 73 per cent of House members from 30 states.
This machinery was not built in one election cycle or for one candidate. It is not owned and operated by the Republican Party but exists outside that institution. It existed before Trump ascended to power and is getting stronger each year.
Beginning immediately, Democrats and our progressive allies must focus on constructing, in as many places as possible, effective state-based capacities dedicated to winning elections.
The exciting political reality of 2017 is that Democrats know precisely how to build such highperforming, state-based political alliances and capabilities. We know, because we are doing it in states such as Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico and, more recently, North Carolina.
These are state leaders who are not controlled by national political organisations, are not dependent primarily on national donors and are not wowed by national pollsters, consultants and ‘‘experts’’ who parachute in. They form alliances among Democratic activists, strategists and donors. They efficiently pool their resources and share their information. They are committed to the planning and operating disciplines necessary to win elections.
What these pioneering state leaders have built can provide invaluable road maps for Democrats in every state. Now, Democrats must apply these lessons. Otherwise, our protests, however insistent and heartfelt, will be in vain.
Stein, a former senior strategist for the Democratic National Committee, is the founder and board member emeritus of the progressive advocacy organisation Democracy Alliance.