Partisanship Has Worked for Democrats Before. It Can Again.

Julian E. Zelizer
January 14, 2025

Democrats don’t want to replicate the hyper-partisan style that has characterized the GOP. But there’s a lot of space between that and caving.

Starting on January 20, congressional Democrats must be ready to fight Republicans with hammer and tongs.

In late December, a budget battle offered a template for Democrats to act with some partisan spine. Democrats saw the way that partisan unity can cause immense problems for President-elect Trump. After the dynamic duo of Trump and Elon Musk attempted to subvert the bipartisan budget deal that would keep the federal government afloat until March, House Democrats refused to agree to Trump’s alternative, which included a temporary extension of the debt ceiling (conveniently set to expire when his term ended). Even as some Democrats nervously spoke about making concessions to avoid political and financial disaster, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stood firm. Chants of “Hell no!” were heard from the room where they caucused. By the end of the next day, GOP Speaker Mike Johnson pushed forward a version of the original legislation, without Trump’s support, opening the first major rift within the GOP. With Trump starting his second term, and Republicans feeling that Trumpism has been legitimated, this is not the time to focus on illusory bipartisanship and conciliatory centrism.

Instead, Democrats need to embrace the power of partisan polarization. Over the next two years, the party will have one shot to block the radical retrenchment of core government policies, the erosion of cherished American values, and the aggressive exercise of presidential power. They will need to use all the procedural and financial weapons available to keep their own members in line and to reward those who stand firm in their opposition all the while communicating a compelling message through new media to win back voters before 2026.

Ironically, Democrats can look to Republicans for some guidance. Through the first two decades of the twenty-first century, the GOP has never struggled with acknowledging the reality of our 50-50 nation and the virtues of partisanship. During the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, most Republican leaders focused on maintaining a united front against Obama and then in favor of Trump. Refusing to yield on key issues, Congress wielded procedures and rules to attack their opponents. Rather than running away from Tea Party and MAGA activists, the GOP worked with them to build a formidable partisan infrastructure that had deep roots in the electorate.

Democrats certainly don’t want to replicate the destructive, hyper-partisan style that has characterized the GOP. As a party that is committed to the continued role of government in American life and the imperative of governance, Democrats must rightly insist on maintaining guardrails that contain their own fiercest instincts. They don’t want to become a second party willing to send the nation into financial default simply to score partisan points; nor do they want to undermine the integrity of democratic institutions in the short-term pursuit of power.
https://newrepublic.com/article/190162/democrats-partisanship-trump-gop