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Boston Globe

Slovakia's situation offers lessons for resisting Trump

Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up William Miller Advertisement Roslindale Jay Rumas's Ideas pieces set off a lively debate among online readers. Following is an edited sampling of their comments on Agree [with Rumas] that Democrats have no strategy and no energy. The people are ready, but leadership is largely absent. Americans are not proving themselves to be courageous, and the 'opposition' party is doing little more than waiting for the next election, which Elon Musk and Donald Trump will almost certainly rig in favor of the GOP. (SAD04) Advertisement Democrats don't have a sense of humor either. When was the last time you heard a national Democrat say a funny thing? (Hanscome) Political leadership that begins on the farthest fringe of either party is concerning. The current direction is not about leadership [but] about taking total control and telling all that any opposing opinion is wrong. In today's two political parties there is no leader who represents the growing group of independent voters. (olderbutwiser1) Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multiparty system. The prime minister needs to form a majority coalition in the parliament. Compared with the two-party system in our country, forming a governing coalition is much more difficult. (winterleaf) Rumas writes, 'The more time Fico spends putting out his party's own fires, the less time he has to purge institutions.' The problem here is that Trump doesn't have to spend time putting out his party's own fires since he has the Republican Party completely cowed. The few who have stood up to him have been rejected. (sbrooks103) The few who have stood up to him need to become the many who stand together. They ought to be embarrassed to be afraid of this tin demigod. What good is it to avoid being primaried if it means you have to continue to submit the Trump? (Sandy68) A detail question: How much of the media in Slovakia is owned by corporations with other, bigger units that have priority over news? The Democratic Party could certainly stand to improve their messaging about Trump's drive for autocracy, but Trump's ability to get news organizations to bend over for him by threatening their corporate parents is not something Democrats have any control over. (NER_MCFC) Advertisement Dems need to have a financial message that can reach independents and people from red states and rural areas. Their message can't just be they are against Trump and the MAGAS. Got to be for something, not just against something. (bigguymass) Democratic initiatives pour hundreds of billions of federal tax dollars annually into red states and rural areas, The Democrats don't have a vision, a solution, or any leaders. Kamala Harris, the worst presidential nominee ever, is still the leader in the clubhouse, according to What policies do the Trumpets have? Wreck the government, forcibly expel anyone who doesn't look right, punish everyone who disagrees with Trump, destroy Social Security, education, health care, villainize the media. Name one positive policy. The Dems do have leaders (Josh Shapiro, Gavin Newsom, AOC, Gretchen Whitmer). You may disagree with some of the politics but they get positive things done. (outside-lookin-in) This is two months into Trump's presidency. People are still processing, and in many ways it's like going through the stages of grief. On top of that, this administration has been throwing so much mud at the wall to see what sticks that it's virtually impossible to see the wall anymore. Bottom line is: I would expect the Democrats to be a mess right now. But time heals all wounds and things will get sorted out. (NorthHollywood) Advertisement