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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/u...&gwh=C15A16CE74CB24C2C7DFFC2C02BC0798&gwt=pay

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats, divided and struggling for a path from the electoral wilderness, are constructing an agenda to align with many proposals of President-elect Donald J. Trump that put him at odds with his own party.

On infrastructure spending, child tax credits, paid maternity leave and dismantling trade agreements, Democrats are looking for ways they can work with Mr. Trump and force Republican leaders to choose between their new president and their small-government, free-market principles. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, elected Wednesday as the new Democratic minority leader, has spoken with Mr. Trump several times, and Democrats in coming weeks plan to announce populist economic and ethics initiatives they think Mr. Trump might like.

Democrats, who lost the White House and made only nominal gains in the House and Senate, face a profound decision after last week’s stunning defeat: Make common cause where they can with Mr. Trump to try to win back the white, working-class voters he took from them, or resist at every turn, trying to rally their disparate coalition in hopes that discontent with an ineffectual new president will benefit them in 2018.

Still, there will be areas of bright-line disagreement. Democrats are speaking out against Mr. Trump’s appointment of Stephen K. Bannon as his chief strategist, and will oppose his promised tax cuts for the wealthy and his vow to deport millions of illegal immigrants.

What is not clear is whether Mr. Trump will hew to his stated agenda or turn it over to Republican lawmakers who seek a far more traditional conservative program.

“There is an acknowledgment that it is very shortsighted to blame this loss on a letter from the F.B.I. or what states Hillary went to,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota. “We need to do a better job having a bold sharp focus on the economy,” she said, like the cost of prescription drugs and predatory pricing on foreign steel.

“It is not just being a collection of groups,” she added. “It’s talking about policies in a serious way and talking about them in a way that touches all Americans.”

But Mr. Schumer’s immediate challenge will be to meet the often competing imperatives of those senators, who reflect the Democrats’ larger struggle of whether to try to tailor an appeal to the working-class white voters who defected to Mr. Trump or to try to increase the so-called Obama coalition anchored by minority and younger voters.

Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, long a critic of trade deals, said in an interview that he had spoken extensively with Mr. Trump’s trade adviser and would work with him on issues concerning steel workers. “We can work with him on things we agree on,” Mr. Brown said. “On Bannon, no.”

Mr. Brown sent a letter to Mr. Trump urging him to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, make changes to the trade relationship with China and fight currency manipulation, which is also a pet issue of Mr. Schumer. Mr. Sanders put out a statement after the election saying he too would work with Mr. Trump on areas of populist agreement.

At the same time, they remain his adversary on other matters. For example, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, now the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement on Wednesday that “the committee will pay very close attention to proposed nominees to ensure the fundamental constitutional rights of Americans are protected.”

Republicans will not like many of these proposals, but they have been fulsome in their praise of Mr. Trump since his election. Speaker Paul D. Ryan, for instance, has repeatedly said that he expects Mr. Trump to work with Republicans on their agenda of rolling back the Affordable Care Act and making large-scale changes to the tax code and entitlements.

While Mr. Trump’s policies are one matter, his nominations to his cabinet and other senior positions are another, and there, Senate Republicans who will vote on their confirmations are in a quandary. Just as they were asked to comment on Mr. Trump’s more incendiary statements during the campaign, they are now being asked to weigh in on contentious names being floated for high positions. Republican senators like John McCain of Arizona also have been implicitly critical of Mr. Trump’s cozy views toward Russia.

On one area, though, Democrats and Republicans agree: Most of them strongly oppose Mr. Trump’s proposal for congressional term limits.

 

[Frozenprince]

So in essence they all learned the absolute worst lesson from getting skullfucked.

Grand. Look forward to our country falling apart.

 

[rokkerkory]

Trump really isnt a true republican so some of this makes sense

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

Sounds like they are trying to promote infighting between the Congress GOP and Trump.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

If they can find ways to work with him, why not? Obstruct when needed, but not when the policy aligns with what Dems would want

 

[Takamura-San]

So much for blocking Trump's policies....

 

[Grym]

The ol' "if you can't beat em, join em" strategy huh? Fabulous

 

[Zukkoyaki]

Sounds like they are trying to promote infighting between the Congress GOP and Trump.

That's what it sounds like to me as well. Also you never know, some actually good stuff may end up getting passed as a result of this. I have no issue personally.

Edit: Pretty obvious who is and isn't actually reading the article

 

[davepoobond]

Sounds like they are trying to promote infighting between the Congress GOP and Trump.

i think this is precisely it.

they can't do anything on their own because their minority is very small.

they have to drive the wedge between the president and the republicans

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Not really surprising considering the constituency already did-_-

 

[WedgeX]

Sounds like they are trying to promote infighting between the Congress GOP and Trump.

The GOP has real fissures between the Tea Party, old fashioned GOPers, and the new Trumpers.

Its a bold strategy.

And this has been one weird ass year.

 

[Ferrio]

So in essence they all learned the absolute worst lesson from getting skullfucked.

Grand. Look forward to our country falling apart.

Sounds like you didn't read the article. It's not a bad strategy as long as they don't compromise with any of the horrible shit along the way. Side with Trump on anything that traditionally falls to the left, oppose anything else.

 

[SDBurton]

Sounds like they are trying to promote infighting between the Congress GOP and Trump.

That's what I'm getting from it.

 

[LUFTRAUSER]

It sounds like the Democrats may have found a way to split the GOP in half; this could work out pretty great.

 

[The Llama]

I was mad when I read the headline, but the story actually makes sense. Try to actually do things which Democrats have been pushing for anyway, push back on everything else. Maybe it'll work, who knows.

 

[Cipherr]

On one area, though, Democrats and Republicans agree: Most of them strongly oppose Mr. Trump’s proposal for congressional term limits.

Probably the only fucking case in existence where someone can honestly say "Both sides are the same on this issue" and not be wrong.

Neither political party is going to vote for term limits.

Fucking assholes....

 

[Hyperactivity]

Sounds like they are trying to promote infighting between the Congress GOP and Trump.

Yup

 

[MogCakes]

So in essence they all learned the absolute worst lesson from getting skullfucked.

Grand. Look forward to our country falling apart.

Looks to me like they're getting down and dirty in the game. They seem to have abandoned the 'high road' that the DNC was espousing during the election. Fine by me - politics is never an honorable affair, especially in this country.

 

[Escape Goat]

Obama has been trying to get infrastructure spending through for years. GOP has obstructed.

 

[VendettaRed07]

I'm honestly surprised people here are saying, if senate dems get child care bills and massive infrastructure bills put in front of them, they are supposed to vote no because "fuck trump"

Yeah fuck trump... but helping the country and economy should come before that.

 

[JustenP88]

So in essence they all learned the absolute worst lesson from getting skullfucked.

Grand. Look forward to our country falling apart.

So much for blocking Trump's policies....

The ol' "if you can't beat em, join em" strategy huh? Fabulous

Some real short-sighted, "I'm gonna take my ball and go home" bullshit here.

 

[Steel]

I was mad when I read the headline, but the story actually makes sense. Try to actually do things which Democrats have been pushing for anyway, push back on everything else. Maybe it'll work, who knows.

I've got the feeling that a lot of people won't actually read the article.

 

[johnsmith]

This is fucking stupid. New York had a good long piece about this

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligence...pelosi-have-a-plan-to-make-trump-popular.html

Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi Have a Plan to Make President Trump Popular

In the disorienting wake of Donald Trump’s election, Democrats in Congress grasped for some normality. To them — being Democrats reared for decades in a lawmaking culture — this meant some reassurance that they would participate in legislation. They quickly settled on Trump’s proposal for infrastructure spending as a promising venue through which they could trade cooperation for policy leverage. Charles Schumer, the incoming Senate minority leader, sounded excited about the prospect of passing a bill he has worked for years to enact without success. “As President-elect Trump indicated last night, investing in infrastructure is an important priority of his,” announced Nancy Pelosi. “We can work together to quickly pass a robust infrastructure jobs bill.”

How and where to cooperate with Trump presents many dilemmas for the opposition, pitting the Democrats’ self-interest against the need to safeguard the welfare of the country’s political institutions. There are certainly venues where Americans alarmed by the incoming president ought to consider working with him for the sake of preserving the welfare of the country. But infrastructure is not one of those dilemmas. Supporting a Trumpian infrastructure bill would be to cooperate with the subversion of American government and an act of political self-sabotage. It is an idea so insanely bad it disturbingly suggests the party utterly fails to grasp the challenge before it, or the way out.

...

Giving Trump and his party such a valuable gift, and weakening Democrats’ own chances for regaining power, is worth doing in the case of a vital humanitarian interest. But for some highways? And to give bipartisan cover to what may well have grants to contractors who will be giving kickbacks to Trump and his family? From the standpoint of Democrats like Pelosi and Schumer, the end of the Obama-era legislative boycott and a return to the old Washington, where they can sit with colleagues and hash out funding formulas and hold ribbon-cutting ceremonies, probably feels like sweet relief. They appear to be in the grips of a dangerous myopia.

 

[dr3upmushroom]

People forgot that presidents make both bad and good decisions. Hey Nixion brought us the EPA, and LBJ expanded the saftey net for the poor while both particupated in a bloodly needless war.

 

[Ferrio]

I'm honestly surprised people here are saying, if senate demands get child care bills and massive infrastructure bills put in front of them, they are supposed to vote no because "fuck trump"

Exactly, that's the same as the Republicans voting no to Obamacare just because they weren't the ones to inact it. If it benefits us, turning our nose up to it just because it's Trump is bullshit.

 

[Skatterd]

It's not too crazy to be honest
Trumps so out there that the right voice could probably convince him of anything

 

[sphagnum]

There's little they can block because they are in the minority, so why not take what they can get and try to fracture the GOP.

Makes sense to me.

 

[Kickz]

Sounds like they are trying to promote infighting between the Congress GOP and Trump.

I like it, I look forward to McConnell crying from the massive troll job about to take place

 

[Reptars Revenge]

"In case you haven't caught on, I just slid my dick down your throat and you thanked me for it."

 

[Mortemis]

They're walking a very fine line. Don't fucking compromise on the horrible shit, and this may not turn out so bad.

I don't have much faith in the Dems strength tho

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Sounds like they are trying to promote infighting between the Congress GOP and Trump.

Agreed. This sounds like it might actually be a good strategy.

They're walking a very fine line though. Don't fucking compromise on the horrible shit, and this may not turn out so bad.

I don't think this'll do much tho.

I also agree on this being a very fine line.

 

[RedAssedApe]

did some of you guys just read the headline?

 

[Muppet of a Man]

This is smart for them to try to leverage trumps support on populist economic issues. This was part of Bernie's and Elizabeth Warren's platform after all (Fair Trade...not trade without stipulations).

 

[Ogodei]

If you get good policy, it's still a win. Infrastructure and maternity leave would be great, even if Donald fucking Trump is the one that gets credit for them.

What absolutely cannot be the case is that these things are part of a grand bargain where other things are destroyed. But i think Senate Dems are savvy enough to know what they're doing in that regard.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Err they do realize that if all that progressive stuff passes, then those white working class voters will credit Trump and not House Democrats, right?

 

[BlackLagoon]

A president's most limited resource is time, so if they can keep him busy with sane, workable projects he won't be say, repealing, the ACA. Also getting him at odds with GOP small government budget hawks is a nice bonus.

 

[fluffydelusions]

BTW, posted?
http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/310078/trump-21-club-get-taxes-down-dont-worry-about-it-video/

 

[Speely]

This is actually a great strategy. Fuck whining and crying when that won't change anything. Mitigate and pick your battles. Make the most of it.

As much as it sucks, Trump is our President now. Better to realistically address that by doing what you can until 2020 than to just fling shit because outrage.

 

[Rentahamster]

Well, they already caved on TPP, didn't they?

 

[Hexa]

Sounds like it might actually lead to some good stuff.

You know, Trump has been incredibly lucky. Gets born rich. Tries to run for president despite having absolutely no experience with anything related. But the primary turned out to be the perfect storm in getting him the nomination. And then going against a Hillary who made all the right mistakes got him elected. And now even the democrats in congress are planning on working with him to get shit done that'll make him popular.

 

[entremet]

Chuck Schumer with that New Yorker solidarity lol.

 

[Brinbe]

Worth it to see true conservatives lose their damn minds.

 

[StoveOven]

When you have a minority in both houses you have to resort to strategies like this. I think it's pretty clever and might actually work.

 

[Finalizer]

Edit: Pretty obvious who is and isn't actually reading the article

No kidding. May as well get what little good out of the next four years they can rather than fold their arms and let it all be completely terrible. Bonus points if it pisses off the conservatives in Congress.

 

[Savitar]

Considering Trump has a massive ego and easily swayed by words and praise I could see them getting him to do a few things if they were smart about it. But it could easily back fire if they are seen as nothing but kissing ass after a major defeat.

 

[EatinOlives]

Congrats on the normalization. Get back to me in four years to see how well it worked out for you.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Last time Democrats tried to create infighting between Trump and Republicans, was during the election. And we all saw how that went.

Yeah, nah, Democrats have to stop this Xanatos Gambit bullshit since it's not working for them.

 

[Somnid]

This is fucking stupid. New York had a good long piece about this

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligence...pelosi-have-a-plan-to-make-trump-popular.html

Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi Have a Plan to Make President Trump Popular

I'm not sure scorched earth obstructionism will get Dems out for the midterms. At least that seems like a risky bet. It makes sense to me to use what they have available and get some things passed.

 

[BronsonLee]

Somewhat unrelated; has a President ever switched parties mid-term?

Cause if anyone was gonna do it

 

[Frank Underwood]

Has anyone seen my landmark jobs program America Works? Putting Americans back to work should garner strong bipartisan support. The pilot program in Washington D.C. created over 40,000 jobs.

FU2020