Democrats are still wandering in the wilderness | Andrew D. Hayes

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To paraphrase the great American poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “How do I love the Democrats embracing poor optics. Let me count the ways.”

Donald Trump riles them up so profoundly they come across as the party of joylessness and misery. Before the 2024 election, their Nazi and Hitler monikers for Trump didn’t really register with independent voters as he won all seven swing states. And the threat to democracy trope, still being exhorted from the halls of Congress and legacy media, smacks of the “Chicken Little syndrome.”

Extreme rhetoric used constantly eventually falls on deaf ears, unless one is predisposed to believe it. More importantly, true evil (Hitler and Nazis) is diminished to a cheap political catchphrase.

So while the Trump administration goes about its agenda, the Democrat clown car continues to roll along.

Remember Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, aka Senator Spartacus, protesting President Trump’s budget proposals from the Senate floor, calling it a “moral moment” in a “sacred civil space.” He spoke for 25 hours, and nobody remembers anything he said. No memorable phrases or inspiring words, just grandstanding for which he is known.

He got the Spartacus nickname during Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings when he declared he was having a “I am Spartacus” moment by threatening to defy Senate rules and release confidential documents about Kavanaugh. That prompted more than a few head scratches.

And where’s Waldo? I mean Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland. He’s turned into a ghost since his taxpayer-funded trip to El Salvador to check on Kilmar Abrego Garcia with three other Democratic members of Congress lost its fizz with the media. Probably the revelations that Garcia’s wife sought a protective order against him in 2020 took the shine off the “Maryland man” image.

At least Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York drew big crowds for their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. It didn’t matter that most in attendance probably couldn’t pronounce or define the term and that Sanders and Cortez flew on a $15,000-an-hour private jet (just like oligarchs do) all the while castigating the wealthy in their populist speeches.

And whatever happened to the congresswoman’s Green New Deal ideal of reducing one’s carbon footprint?

However, my favorite is what I like to call the “Storming of the Bastille” (actually an ICE facility in New Jersey) by the mayor of Newark along with three Congress members from the state’s delegation.

They went to Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed immigration detention facility, to conduct lawful Congressional oversight. Interestingly, they never bothered to do so during the Biden administration, but apparently felt the timing and optics were right with Trump’s aggressive deportation plans for criminal illegal aliens.

And while members of Congress can inspect ICE facilities unannounced, they are still required to show identification and go through security screening before entering, which they did not do.

Instead, they rushed the open gate as a bus carrying detainees was entering and then all hell broke loose. The mayor was arrested for trespassing (since dismissed) and U.S. Rep. La Monica McIver has been charged with assault. The others may possibly have charges brought against them also. But not to worry, AOC and House leader Hakeem Jeffries have warned DHS to “not lay a finger on them.”

Secretary Noem has been put on notice. So, another Democrat spectacle regarding criminal undocumented migrants goes awry.

Meanwhile, President Trump has, as he always does, dominated the news cycle. Trade deals are starting to happen (Great Britain) and trade war fears are lessening (90-day cooling off period with China). All of which has allowed financial markets to bounce back to near all-time highs. So much for the hole in everyone’s 401(k) accounts. Equity markets go up and they go down, just not in a straight line.

And Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East was such a success that even a few Democrats made positive comments. U.S. Rep. Jim Hines of Connecticut praised Trump for doing “pretty darn well” on his trip. And U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut (no friend to Trump) as well as former Obama CIA director Leon Panetta gave the trip a thumbs-up.

What’s not to like in securing hundreds of billions of dollars in trade deals with countries in that region, lifting sanctions off Syria to give that new government a chance to succeed, seeming to be on a path to a nuclear deal with Iran and directly dealing with Hamas to bring the last American hostage home from captivity alive.

This administration’s new mantra is “peace through commerce.” No more nation building as a foreign policy tool. It worked after World War II with Germany and Japan but has been a 21st century failure in the Middle East.

That Browning poem I mentioned ends with “I shall but love thee better after death.” Not so with the Democratic Party. We need it to recover to maintain a healthy two-party political system.

Yes, Democrats will find their footing, by rallying around messaging that doesn’t solely demonize the opposition but offers a vision a majority of Americans can embrace.

And Democrats should actually take solace in Donald J. Trump’s comeback. Ten years ago, who would have believed the various outcomes of his political odyssey were possible. In politics, anything can happen.

Columnist Andrew D. Hayes of East Longmeadow writes twice a month.