The Democrats are depressed. Ross Douthat thinks they can get over it by going to church. Ezra Klein thinks they should focus more on finding ways to build stuff. Is either of them right?
The truth is, the Democrats are depressed for two reasons. First, the combination of the McConnell Project and the markets have made it impossible for them to accomplish very much in Washington. The federal system and gerrymandering make it difficult for them to win majorities in both houses; the filibuster makes it almost impossible to move legislation through the Senate; and the judicial system strikes down most of what they do actually accomplish. If you don’t believe me, just ask Joe Biden, whose ambitious plans to uproot the dollar store economy ultimately failed for these reasons. The second reason is that the system is letting Trump do virtually everything he wants. How can the left stop him without overthrowing what is left of the Constitution?
The bottom line here is that the Democrats will unite around opposition to Trump in 2026, but they will have to choose among three options for a better future in 2028. They can: limit themselves to a promise to roll back Trumpism; take advantage of the new Trump version of the Constitution by ignoring legal constraints to promote growth and equality; or restore and respect the McConnell system, but work within it to make government more effective. That’s Klein’s agenda, and it has a lot going for it.