Congressional Democrats received the Trump speech mostly by engaging in a form of theater that was juvenile and ineffective. The Slotkin response speech, on the other hand, was centrist and sensible. What is going on with this mixed message?
Two observations are pertinent here. First, the base and moderates want to hear different things; it is hardly unusual for the party to feed both of them. In the end, it is the latter group that matters. Second, it is difficult to make a compelling political case against Trump as long as the only apparent victims of his power grab are public officials and employees. When America starts to feel the pain–the pain that was apparently predicted by Slotkin–that will change; the message will become clearer and more persuasive to the voting public.