Trump’s speech should seek bipartisanship — and dare Democrats to refuse it
A prime-time address to Congress is the most-watched speech a president delivers. About 52.4 million
tuned in for President Barack Obama’s first address in 2009, more than
any other he delivered during his eight years in office. So when
President Trump steps up to the rostrum of the House of Representatives
for the first time on Tuesday night, he will address what could very
well be the biggest audience of his entire term.
How
will Trump use that once-in-a-presidency opportunity? He should use it
to make the Democrats own their strategy of obstruction by reaching out
his hand in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation — and daring them to
refuse it.Since Trump took office, Democrats have adopted a single theme: Resist! They have refused to support the majority of his Cabinet nominees, much less cooperate with him on any legislative priorities. This is the Democrats’ Achilles heel. They are so blinded by hate that they cannot bring themselves to work with Trump even on the areas where they could forge agreement.
President Donald Trump on Feb. 27 said he
would propose a budget that would ramp up spending on defense, but seek
savings elsewhere to pay for it. "We're going to do more with less and
make the government lean and accountable," Trump said in a meeting with
governors.
(Reuters)
Trump should use his
address on Tuesday to make this fact crystal clear for the American
people. He should lay out a positive, hopeful vision for how he plans to
“make America great again.” He should not shy away from the many areas
where they will disagree but should point out that there are also many
areas where they can work together to improve the lives of those
forgotten Americans who sent him to Washington — and then challenge the
seething Democrats before him to join him in that effort.
Trump
should declare that he will repeal Obamacare, but he should also point
out that the reason Obamacare failed was that it was pushed through
Congress without any effort to win bipartisan support. He should say he
wants to replace Obamacare with bipartisan reform that includes the best
ideas from both parties. If Democrats refuse, it will expose the fact
that they want Republicans to repeal Obamacare without a replacement so
that they can win political points when the system collapses and
millions lose their health-care coverage. Trump should call them on it
by asking them to join him in a bipartisan effort to protect those
Americans. Let the Democrats say no.
Trump should make
clear that he can pass tax reform without Democrats but that it would be
better for the country if they were to do it together. He should point
out that there are many areas of bipartisan agreement with mainstream
Democrats, invite them to work with him on a bipartisan plan — and tie
it to his plan to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over 10
years. Let Democrats say no.
Trump
should ask Democrats to join him in a bipartisan effort to revitalize
our inner cities. He should ask Democrats to work with him to increase
funding for programs to train and assist local police, reform and
strengthen the social safety net, improve educational opportunities by
expanding vocational and technical education, and give poor parents the
same right as wealthy parents to choose where to send their children to
school. Let the Democrats say no.
Trump
should ask Democrats to work with him to support working mothers by
allowing Americans to deduct child-care and elder-care expenses from
their taxes and by creating tax-free Dependent Care Savings Accounts
with matching contributions for low-income families. Let the Democrats
say no.If Trump lays out a positive agenda and asks for support from Democrats, it will put them in a bind. Their base will not countenance any cooperation that “legitimizes” Trump. But refusing to cooperate could backfire, especially for the 10 Senate Democrats who are fighting to retain their seats in states Trump won. But to do that, Trump must sound a hopeful, optimistic tone — something that, to date, he has declined to do.
If Democrats want to resist everything, fine — then make them resist bipartisanship.
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