Now That The Dog Caught the Frog, What’s He Going to Do With It
ACCORDING TO LIZ - When I was young, my family had a dog who spent his summers stalking the frogs and toads that abounded at the lake where we had a cabin. He quickly learned that the slower toads secreted a brown liquid that tasted yucky.
The frogs were faster and slipperier.
For years he tried in vain to catch one. Then one day he did.
I don’t know which was more surprised, dog or frog.
As a poodle, bred for centuries to retrieve waterfowl undamaged, he carefully carried the struggling amphibian.
I praised him, “Good dog!” and encouraged him to let the frog go. The last we saw of him was a leap into the lake and the widening ripples from his plop.
Back then we were all relieved.
But we can’t be so blasé about Tuesday’s tsunami of an election night for Democrats, particularly of the progressive ilk.
Yes, decency won. Yes, we hit the ball out of the park by caring about how fellow Americans feel.
Yes, progressive voices were all-inclusive with James Talarico affirming: “We just showed that a politics of division is no match for a politics of love.” and Abdul El-Sayed announcing: “America is big enough for all of us.”
But Democrats will have a very short time to prove themselves to the voters or it will all go to hell in a handbasket in November 2028.
More than a tsunami, this is a blue earthquake leveling the field for foundational change in the Democratic Party.
What it needs to do is to double down on a message of empathy instead of injustice, starting with focusing on low-hanging fruit and proving their worth to all constituents, not only those who voted them into office.
To reinforce a foundation of inclusion and openness without pushing away any of its component parts, reimagining itself with welcoming in its newest winners, the better-quality candidates grown from the grassroots, bringing energy and vision.
To further the repudiation of the tech bros, of Wall Street’s greed, and the perverted capitalism Trump brought to Washington.
The Congressional class that will start serving in January of 2027 will have to earn voters’ trust by delivering. And delivering big.
Not by engaging in the MAGA-Republican vengeance and vindictiveness game by attacking Trump. That is a war that cannot be won and, like all recent wars the United States has instigated, will suck assets and energy while achieving nothing more than resentments.
Buying into Trump’s blame games will only give him opportunities to counterattack. Ignore him. He won’t know what to do.
What happened on Tuesday is not just a repudiation of Trump and Trumpism, of the wars, of AIPAC and Big Oil, of Big Tech and Musk. Of rejecting the reckless alienation of allies both politically and economically. Of the spectacular cruelty of ICE, and the incessant incitement to hatred by the president and his coterie.
It’s a desperate cry for a more encouraging future.
But, as Bernie Sanders said, “the Democratic Party must undergo fundamental and immediate reform. Status quo politics and status quo policies are no longer good enough. The Democratic Party must respond to the urgent needs of the working people of this country, not wealthy campaign contributors. With a return to power, it can no longer continue to ignore the major economic and political crises facing the majority of our people... or that return to power will be short-lived.”
Democrats must do is seize the opportunity to reverse the worst of the past two years and set America on a more sustainable path to the future.
Not just by bandaging the open wounds caused by the current administration but by starting to build something far better. Public integrity. Fairness in politics. Better wages, lower costs, fairer taxes. An economy where one job is enough. A representative republic that actually represents its people.
There is so much that it will take up as many column inches as I and others have used to attack Trump over the same two years. There will be time to explore and prioritize in the weeks leading up to noon on January 3, 2027, when newly elected Congress and Senate begin their terms.
When the new year dawns, everyone with a voice – this means you – needs to ensure our leaders have their marching orders, the infrastructure in place, and the movement in place to actually deliver.
First and foremost, the Democrats must fix a broken political system and stop corruption – at all levels. Including within their own party.
Next, as polling prior the election showed seven in ten voters wanted the Iran war to end, the House and Senate must take immediate action to wind it down and repurpose military funding to help people, not the military-industrial complex. And not Netanyahu’s Israel.
The latter must include slashing Section 219 of the NDAA, which would all but fuse the American armed services with those of Israel.
We need to exchange MAD for MAC, mutually assured co-operation.
Most Americans – Democrats, Republicans, or independents; whether they are Black, white, or Hispanic; men or women; poor or middle class – want the same basic things: fairness, an economy that rewards work, communities where people can afford to live, and a government that treats them with respect.
Shared hopes like these are the foundation of any lasting majority.
One that builds something better for all Americans: better schools, better roads and bridges, better jobs, and political structure that brings people in rather than shutting them out.
Following is a short list of some goals to be discussed, and a well-thought-out and an aggressive timetable laid out so resources can be sourced, and alliances built by the end of the year. So action can be taken on Day one of the new Congress.
The Democrats need to deliver the big wins constituents were promised:
* rein in inflation
* make energy affordable again
* make housing affordable again
* restore the most egregious of the Trump/Musk/Kennedy cuts including those in Medicaid, NOAA, and environmental protections
* deliver affordable healthcare to all Americans
* end Trump’s tariffs and their horrendous impact on American businesses and jobs, and restore congressional power over trade policy
* protect the people from A.I. seizing jobs, and expanding their air-fouling, water poisoning, noise-polluting data centers by instilling and enforcing strict guardrails
* ensure good careers for all with paychecks that cover what families need
* insist employers act as employers and stop avoiding obligations by claiming the gig economy works for all; while it may add to corporate bottom lines, it certainly doesn’t work for the rest of us
Much of what people experience today isn’t working for them. but change can feel threatening, especially after all the demagogic attacks on programs that would actually improve the lives of so many.
Our new leadership must explain proposed changes in ways that make people feel both safe and excited rather than fearing for their lives, families and futures.
Allow them to engage with and believe this new crop of leaders will take marching orders from we-the-people, not from party bosses or corporate donors. It means those leaders must listen to and grasp what’s making life hard and take big swings at improvements.
Being ready for 2027 means doing the work now. It means organizing, showing up, and making sure that promise-makers are held accountable.
Hold Hakeem Jeffries, who’s in line to be the next House speaker, to his planned shock-and-awe legislative sprint to quickly pass broadly-popular bills that could unite the Democratic Caucus along with both Republicans and Democrats, and undo Trump’s most disliked policies.
In the first 100 hours.
Whether much would become law immediately, since Senate Republicans still have the ability to filibuster legislation, and Trump will certainly wield his red veto pen with gusto, it will let the country see exactly who is at fault. Who not to vote for in coming elections.
We have a lame-dog president and an administration that is less a frog than a toad spewing yucky stuff. We must become the frog, leaping for the future.
It won’t be easy, but we must try to ensure our new leaders hit the ground running.
(Liz Amsden is a former Angeleno now living in Vermont and a regular CityWatch contributor. She writes on issues she’s passionate about, including social justice, government accountability, and community empowerment. Liz brings a sharp, activist voice to her commentary and continues to engage with Los Angeles civic affairs from afar. She can be reached at [email protected].)
