What are Democrats Doing?

Perhaps the most frequently asked question I hear is: what are Democrats doing? When I respond pointing out the actions that Democrats are taking, I am usually met with the response: why didn’t I know about that?

I believe there are a couple of things about the media’s coverage that are clear. First and foremost, President Trump dominates the media. Having worked in the White House during President Clinton’s Administration I can state unequivocally that we would have loved to be able to capture the media’s attention for any of President Clinton’s work. Second, the media covers what “Democrats” are doing largely in Washington, DC where the Democrats are the minority party in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate and the actions the leadership is taking may be effective but not exciting enough for the press to cover.

As a result, there is little coverage of the procedural and other moves that Democrats are taking, except for the tactics they employed to put the Jeffrey Epstein files center stage. That Democratic Party tactic resulted in the Republican Speaker of the House having to recess the House much earlier than planned.

Even with these successful tactics, I am frequently asked: is there anything that can stop the “bad things” that are happening. The answer is mixed but here are a couple of strategies that have been successful. The legal strategy is, for the most part, working. Norm Eisen, former Obama White House attorney, gathered attorneys nationally in 2024 to evaluate legal actions that could be successful. Among the 100+ lawsuits that Eisen filed is a lawsuit to release the Epstein documents. Eisen also put together a press, stakeholder, and outreach plan that would support the demand to release the Epstein documents. And here we are today with 217 signatures on a House petition that needs just one more signature to demand the full release of the Epstein files.

Since President Trump’s inauguration there have been 384 lawsuits filed, resulting in 130 orders stopping the White House in part, or in whole, from taking actions, with 148 lawsuits awaiting final decisions. These actions did not come about without planning and strategy. Beginning in 2023, the legal organization, Democracy Forward, and its 130 staff members including attorneys believed democracy was backsliding in the U.S. and was concerned that if President Trump were elected democracy would slip away. They also knew that President Trump would move quickly to consolidate power. Focusing on Project 2025, Democracy Forward filed lawsuits to stop the institutional actions President Trump was taking through Executive Orders that threatened to undermine the U.S. Constitution and our nation’s separation of powers.

This legal strategy was complemented by grassroots organizing and an awareness strategy so that the public would understand exactly what was happening and its impact. Norm Eisen, Democracy Forward, and other organizations knew that a legal strategy alone would not be successful. They understood that people have busy lives and have little time to follow the details of court proceedings and decisions. So Eisen, Democracy Forward, and others partnered with many local organizations such as Indivisible and trade unions to ensure that information about President Trump’s actions and the steps taken to stop or at least slow them down was shared in communities large and small.

Sharing this information resulted in communities engaging their elected representatives to ask what they were doing to stop the harm. In turn, people attended town hall meetings, rallied at events such as Hands Off Our Communities and No King’s Day. Millions of people across the country have spoken out against President Trump’s actions against universities, immigrants, students, and farmers and they have spoken out against the President’s trade tariffs.

Hundreds of lawsuits and public awareness strategies have kept President Trump’s actions and their impact in the public domain to ensure that people know what is happening. Moreover, combining these complementary activities not only makes people aware of the efforts to stop or thwart the President’s actions, but also informs people about how they can join local efforts to tell their elected representatives how they feel about the current state of American democracy.

Given the polling numbers, it appears that this strategy is having an impact on President Trump. As of today, President Trump’s approval rating stands at 42%; but 56% of Americans disapprove of President Trump. His approval rating on handling the economy is much lower at 36% and managing the cost of living is at 30%.

Even though the media is not covering the many actions that Democrats are taking, there is indeed a strategy and steps being taken, both legal and non-legal, across the United States. To answer whether this strategy will stop the “bad things” for happening: we must wait. In November, there are “off year” elections and those results may tell us whether people believe the country is going in the “right” or “wrong” direction.