Now that Trump has won, what should his opponents do?

[Cheval 61]

I believe it is fair to say this particular election has transcended the two party system typical of the United states. At this point in the evening (2:20 a.m. EST), it appears as though Mr. Trump will preside over a Republican House and Senate.

 

Regardless of your party allegiance or political ideology, how should his opponents conduct themselves in the coming 4 years? 

 

Should they obstruct his policies?

 

Should they seek compromise?

 

Should they concede?

 

What would be appropriate and civil? How can the American people prove we are a good and reasonable people to the rest of the world?

 

If you can, refrain from discussing the merits of the candidates. The conclusion has been made and we ought to respect it. The question here is "what now?"

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,177]

I  say move to Canada, become a male prostitute, and wait for the next 4 years to be over. But hey, thats just me.

[Concerned Bystander 2,903]

The opposition in government should do their job and represent the people.  When the policies are good, they should support them, when they are bad they should oppose them, and where they could be improved they should work towards that.  Behaving like spoilt children and trying to block everything is not what these people were elected to do.

 

The rest of the population that backed the loser should just accept that democracy happened, and that the will of the majority may differ from their own preferences.

 

In other words, everyone should just get on with doing whatever they do.

Edited November 9, 2016 by Concerned Bystander

[AaronMk 280]

What will Hillary should do as every lost candidate before her has: concede defeat and go quietly into that soft night.

 

After this, the real games begin.

 

There will be three possible outcomes I foresee from this election, which I shall lay out.

 

The first scenario is going to be the most generous towards Trump, in that he will be successful in creating a period of traditional European-style nationalism and etch that into the Republican identity in much the same way Ronald Reagan capped off several generations of Republican evolution seen throughout the 20th century. The Party post-Trump will not be the party of pre-Trump, as the part pre-Trump was not the Party of Lincoln or Ulysses S. Grant in anything but name (really, it was more the Party of Reagan).

 

Politics, being a competitive affair will then imply if the DNC is to survive an evolved RNC they will need to shift positions in accordance to the Republican's successes or failures. Nothing in politics says they need to be 100% cooperative, and even cooperation is something done in competition. The parties in the US have been clawing at each other's throats since the time of Hamilton's Federalists and Jefferson's Republican-Democrats. But they may not be completely obstructionist. In all reality, per this scenario and the next there may be a modest practice of all-three so long as suitable and so long as each party keeps themselves complacent with each other.

 

The second option is Trump's radicalism starts a rift in the Republican party as the more radical Tea Party elements get their messiah and moderate Republicans find themselves besieged by individuals on a political witch-hunt for establishment figures. There may be enough anti-establishmentarinism in the Trump idea, the Trump Meme that any attempts to stir the Republican party on a new course will cause dissent in the ranks as fellow Republicans seek to block Trump's plans on their own personal or philosophical grounds.

 

Through to the 2018 mid-terms Trump's actions will probably be enough of a galvanizing factor for the Democrats to make a revived push for the legislative and take back a majority or enough of one if they form a bipartisan alliance with the non-Trump Republicans they can soften any impact he might want to make or continue from off of his last two years. Full-rotation to 2020 and the democrats are back in control, Trump relegated to the realm of the pariah and the DNC having learned if they need an establishment candidate, it better be one with an actual message and purpose besides a random collection of loosely presented ideas, put forward like the features on a microwave oven. It would be like a Bernie Sanders 2.0, someone to take control of and ride the popular wave of dissatisfaction with a Trump line that never delivered as they thought it would.

 

The third is the DNC surrenders to full-scale progressiveness and learns necromantic magic to revive Earl Browder, or at least his spirit so it might possess the DNC to begin sailing the ship of state out of waters of self-perpetuating capitalist crisis.

 

 

In any case, I think Hillary fans and democrats need to do some god-tier soul searching. And I say this as a democrat. And a socialist.

Edited November 9, 2016 by AaronMk

[cider float 2,538]

Congratulations Trump and Trump supporters you won.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyTpn11CbUY

 

I do worry though. Trump may not be involved with KKK but that isn't stopping white supremacist groups from taking this opportunity to rise and raise a stance harder than they ever did. I feel KKK isn't going to be silent anymore. That goes for more of the more radical rightists.

Edited November 9, 2016 by cider float

[zerox 1,144]

they can't do anything expect to concede. it's quite sad that trump won.

[ARagY 1,152]

Hillary to prison. Long time in the making.

[-Nobody- 519]

I think it's time for Hilary to give up. It's time for her to realize she isn't going to be President.

 

As for her party, I think they should use these next four years to start planning for the next election, look at who they have, and try to be unified the next go around.

[AaronMk 280]

I think it's time for Hilary to give up. It's time for her to realize she isn't going to be President.

 

As for her party, I think they should use these next four years to start planning for the next election, look at who they have, and try to be unified the next go around.

 

Two years*

 

We have congressional mid-terms yet to do before 2020. Those mid-terms in 2018 when another third of Congress goes up for re-election will  be a time for some laying the foundations for what should ultimately be some quality soul searching, or tactical planning. I believe I explored some options I see happening for them in my first post.

[EpicEnergy 23,224]

Wait for the next election and hope for the best.

[DubWolf 17,365]

Maybe try to objectively push themselves as a better candidate on facts and solutions to existing problems (and not pushing them under the rug) than just going with identity politics and attempting to sound like the "nicer" party....

You can take your platitudes and shub them up your

[Evil Pink One 13,507]

Maybe try to win for starters