OPINION: What's the Democrats' plan?

What’s the Democrats’ plan going forward?

Many people have asked me this question. They want to know: How will Democrats confront, defend, and ultimately overcome the Trump administration’s efforts to strip us of our rights, curtail our freedoms, destroy our economy, and more, in the next four years?

Trump is unpredictable and unclear about his intentions. Will he actually stop birth-right citizenship, use the military to deport Dreamers, sign a brutal national abortion ban? 

We just don’t know yet. It seems that Trump is, as Susan Glasser recently wrote, a “unique blend of incendiary hyperbole and actual menace.” Until he does the terrible things that he promised on the campaign trail, it’s perhaps best for Democrats to wait and watch. Trump knows he could cause a huge backlash and spell the end of his own career.

So, it’s hard to say now what the Democrats’ plan is.

But that is not to say Democrats are “in disarray.” Far from it.

Democratic governors are “playing nice,” figuring out how to cooperate with his administration while fighting judiciously over important and long lasting issues. In other words they are waiting for him to make his first moves before picking their battles — conserving resources to score some wins.

State Democratic Party Chairs are strategizing as well. One example is in Wisconsin, a state where the Democrats are very well organized. The Chair of the State Democratic Party, Ben Wikler, is credited with flipping its governor’s office, legislature and supreme court from Red to Blue. That’s a big deal, and Wikler is now a leading candidate for Chair of the DNC. If elected, we can look forward to his smart unflinching leadership bringing greater emphasis to state-level politics. That, in my view, would be a good thing.

But Idaho is not Wisconsin. Flipping our state back to Blue is a long-term project. We have a brilliant party Chair, Lauren Necochea, and an extraordinary and competent executive director, Jared De Loof. They complement one another very well. Not all states are so fortunate.

Lauren and Jared increased our fundraising three-fold and turned the lights on in all the counties where there were no Democratic Central Committees. They recruited candidates in every legislative district this past year. These are the building blocks for getting more Democratic votes, and ultimately effecting political change.

So what can voters who care do now in Kootenai County?

Part of the answer is get back to basics: Get involved. Start with what is comfortable, like post card writing. Email Contact@kootenaiDemocrats.org to get started. 

But then, resolve to climb the ladder of involvement. Find out who your Precinct Captain is by visiting https://kootenaidemocrats.org/central-committee-roster. Have coffee with your Precinct Captain. Offer to make phone calls, knock on doors. Better yet become a precinct captain yourself. We have several vacancies.

Focus on something you can reasonably hope to change. The County Commissioners are right now trying to stop funding for CityLink, our local bus service. Why would they do this, knowing that CityLink serves the most needy who cannot drive themselves around our sprawling county? Find out for yourself and tell your friends, neighbors and the Commissioners what you think.

In whatever capacity you choose, reach out to all voters (not just the Dems). Refuse to be intimidated. Speak and listen to people, let them know that you support affordable quality health care for all people, affordable housing, human rights, environmental preservation/conservation, an economy that works for ALL of us (not just for Trump and Musk), fully funded public education, and the separation of church and state.

These are fundamental American values. The Democratic Party is a large tent coalition. We embrace folks on the left and right so long as they subscribe to those values that elevate us all.

The best answer to the question about what we will do going forward is that 2025 will be a challenging year for us. But we are up to the challenge. We’ve done it before. And we can do it again.

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Evan Koch is chairman of the Kootenai County Democrats.