Gabrielle Washington

Democrats need to change their tactics in order to stop the attack on the media, democracy, and fellow Americans.

As a freshman in high school, what do I think of when I hear the word Democrat? I think of politeness, respect, consideration, compassion, and understanding. I also think of sophistication, dignity, and civility. That is what I have seen from the Democratic party. However, these values are clearly not speaking to enough Americans as we have lost a crucial presidential election and the majority in the House and Senate. So, what can we do? 

Kristen Jordan, a pediatric respiratory therapist, explained what she thinks describes a Democrat. 

“I think of a political party who is striving for the opportunity to be heard in a world controlled by the wealthy. The common middle to lower class demographic is looking to find a way to be treated as equals,” Jordan said.

You might feel like we are fighting a losing battle and might just want to throw in the towel, but the fight is only just truly beginning. When you care about something, passionately believe in it, and are deeply connected to it, you fight for it. You don’t just lay down and accept defeat because that would mean giving up. And what you are fighting for is too precious to let go of. Don’t let your voice be drowned out by the loud minority and become part of the silent majority. 

The issue that the Democratic party has is that we always try to be the better person and take the high road. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being cordial. In fact, it’s one of the things I admire about my party. But our political climate is in such a state that we can not work together. It’s sad really, but we can not afford to sacrifice some of our ideals in order to appease the Republican party. We just can’t do it anymore if we want to get this country back on track towards progression. 

We need to actually take a page out of a Republican’s book and be more argumentative and combative. We need to show more confidence and assurance within ourselves because I know that we are capable of making America a better place. We just need to put in the work to counteract Republican policies because if you don’t want something to come to fruition, if you don’t want us to turn back the clock to the 1950s, then why not be that person who’s an integral part of fighting against it? Nonetheless, I know it’s going to be hard to truly become a part of a movement in a country that has lost the true meaning of activism. 

“I don’t think that Democrats are necessarily using Republican tactics, I think that they are using political tactics used by both parties in order to be heard and taken seriously,” Kristen Jordan said. “I think that Democrats ultimately want to be heard and are driving to be bipartisan on most issues.”

In spite of that, we still can’t abandon hope because what we stand for is something to be proud of, it’s something to be admired for generations to come. One day in the future, someone is going to look back at a history book and be amazed with what we were able to accomplish in the face of adversity and discourse. They will respect that we were able to stick to our ground and stay true to ourselves. 

We could also assess what made the Republican party successful in the past and try to emulate it. They have made it very clear who the face of their party is. We have had many great leaders and role models in the Democratic party but who is truly a symbol of what we value? I think that Kamala Harris is a great example of a Democrat. She shows compassion and understanding and since she came from humble beginnings, like most Americans, she is able to truly connect with the people. If America wasn’t prejudiced, she would have been our next president. 

“I think Barack Obama was a great example of a Democrat and in my eyes still represents the face of the Democratic party,” Kristen Jordan said. 

However, something that Democrats do have down is loyalty which is the exact opposite of what I have seen from the Republican party. I have seen several Republicans strongly oppose something but then are suddenly silent in the presence of Trump, and go along with whatever he is saying although it is against what they believe in. The thing is, I know that they know better than that, they have shown it in their previous actions and powerful speeches. But then they are somehow a part of his administration either because they are cowards who are too scared to stand up to Trump, or they are willing to sacrifice their morals in order to be in power. 

But let’s go back, why do Democrats need to change their tactics in the first place? What’s really at stake here because I think that we all need a refresher. Where do we even begin? 

Well, first of all, the entire structure of our very democracy is being dismantled by a tyrannical president. Watchdogs of the government have been fired as well as many people in federal jobs and the military that either disagree with Trump or are just from a variety of different minority groups. Also, injustice and bribery is taking place in our judicial system, and people with little to no qualifications and horrific allegations against them have been put in the highest positions of power and trusted with sensitive information. 

“Unfortunately, those in power were given that power by the people,” Kristen Jordan said. “All we can do is our best to make sure that we make different decisions, voting is important, and getting more participation the next time around so we aren’t put in this situation again.” 

Furthermore, immigrants have been arrested and put on C-17 jets that could carry tons as a political stunt, the Gulf of Mexico has been changed to the Gulf of America, and Trump took over the Kennedy Center and named himself chairman and had the nerve to call himself “cultured”. 

Additionally, the anarchic criminals from the insurrection on Jan. 6, have been freed from jail, been put on pedestals, and treated like heroes for just being loyal to Trump because nothing else matters right? The only thing Trump values in a government official is absolute loyalty and submission to him which is a prime example of a dictator. This was a fear tactic, a demonstration of power, and instilled a feeling of hopelessness within the American people. 

If you’re not convinced he’s a dictator yet, let’s look at his friends. Trump has been around many people who have dictatorship-like qualities and praised the efforts of people like Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping. But the most prevalent is Vladimir Putin who is currently engaged in bloody war with Ukraine, when they have already declared independence from Russia in 1991, just because he wants more land and power. This is the person who Trump publicly shows alliance to which is also the country America has been on the opposing side of for years and have actively fought against in the past. This is the exact opposite of what America stands for as a country. 

Another particularly ignorant moment was when Trump called the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a dictator and I can’t even begin to explain the hypocrisy in this claim. He also said that Zelenskyy started the war with Russia. This is completely untrue because if you check the facts you can clearly see that Russia is the one who invaded Ukraine and caused terror, chaos, and meaningless death in Ukraine. Trump also has scheduled a meeting with Russia to negotiate a peace treaty but didn’t invite Ukraine. Trump eliminated the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) as well which is a US program that provides aid to other countries in crisis and has given billions of dollars to Ukraine in particular. 

Trump has also said monarchical things on X including “He who saves his Country does not violate any law” and posted a picture of a fake magazine cover that depicted him wearing a crown, and in the corner it said “LONG LIVE THE KING” America fought against a king over two millennia ago and gained independence, that is what our very country is founded on. We value freedom and equal opportunity in what we call a democracy and right now that’s being attacked. 

Something that happened that is disheartening and frankly disgusting as well is that our DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) program has been dissolved. Essentially saying that there is no discrimination in America which is absolutely appalling to me because if anyone knows anything about discrimination it’s me, who has studied every type of discrimination there is in the workplace and have actively written about it, in the seventh grade. The elimination of this program is also the pinnacle example of white supremacy. But while this program did work to include African Americans, that is not what it’s all about. The DEI program protected the rights of many different groups of people including race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, veterans, and socioeconomic status. However, Americans are greedy and only care about what they think is best for them without any regard for anybody else. And it showed in the way they voted. Americans will only start to care when it starts affecting them, and let me tell you we’re in for a rude awakening. 

Amber Jordan, a Development & Special Events Manager, explained what can influence Americans’ votes. 

“People vote based on emotion and vote for who they think is the better person at that moment,” Jordan said. “But they actually don’t end up being the best option for them in the long run and they will feel the effects of that later. There’s also just a lot of finger pointing going on.”

Additionally, something that I am seeing that is very concerning is that everytime I turn around our president is surrounded by billionaires. I mean, I see Elon Musk as much as I see Trump and it makes me question, who is really the president? This is a classic example of oligarchy because a select few people that are rich, privileged, and powerful are controlling our government. 

Another thing that has happened since Trump has been in office is raised egg prices. There is currently an bird flu outbreak and that has led to a shortage of eggs and higher prices. According to News Nation, egg prices are predicted to rise more than 41% and in some places a carton of eggs costs more than $10. Let us remind ourselves that Trump promised in his campaign that he would lower the cost of groceries because it was something many people were concerned about. But now that there’s a crisis and people can’t afford simple groceries, what is he doing to lower prices? 

He is actually in fact doing the opposite and implementing policies that would raise the prices of the everyday items used by Americans. Trump has put tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China and what they have done in return is tax us back or raise their prices. But Americans are the ones that suffer from this, we have to pay these inflated prices.These policies could also start potential trade wars between multiple different countries. Not to mention the European allies that we are already losing because it seems like America is siding with Putin who is terrorizing Europe. Trump also recently said that Zelenskyy was “gambling with World War III” but Trump’s alliance to known dictators and him turning his back on American allies is what could potentially start World War III. 

Not only is our democracy being attacked, the humans of America are too. Trump has also eliminated American’s right to gender expression and identity by deeming it law that there should only be men and women. If Americans are surprised about this they shouldn’t be because Republicans’ hate for Nonbinary and Trans people is clearly outlined in Project 2025 and it has been put into full effect. I was recently asked to defend my stance on this topic and I was stunned for words because to me, this is not something that even needs to be justified. The best way I can think of to explain it is that not everyone can fit into the box that you define for them, not everyone can be labeled and that’s okay. And if you fear that or don’t understand that because of your religion then that’s fine but just don’t let that influence your vote and cause you to choose the person who’s not best for the country overall. There is a reason why we have a separation of church and state. However, actively wanting to discriminate against someone just for being who they are, says a whole lot more about you rather than them. 

What also makes this so concerning is that it starts with Trans people but then it will spread to other areas. Nine states are already trying to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges which legalized gay marriage and four states are trying to restrict or eliminate no-fault divorce where couples don’t to prove exactly why they’re ending their marriage. This would essentially make divorce more difficult which would trap even more women in their abusive marriages, effectively taking more rights away from them. Remember, we have already overturned Roe v. Wade which gave women the right to make decisions about their own bodies. 

So, what’s next? Will we bring back Jim Crow laws because that is the direction that it looks like this country is headed. I mean, if we’re going back why not go back even further? We are slowly taking away fundamental rights from people that have cemented great progress in our country and that’s scary. The next thing you know, everyone who isn’t white, a man, straight, able-bodied, christian, young, rich, and slim will have no rights in this country. We will have truly traveled back in time. Now, that a minute to ask yourself if you are in this group. Oh, you are? Well guess what, I am too. 

On top of that, something that is particularly concerning and disturbing to me, as a journalist, is the attack on the media. We already know that Trump can not answer the hard questions but now he is eliminating them entirely. He is picking and choosing which reporters can come and ask him questions at the White House, so that he only gets asked questions that he can answer. He is controlling the press which is conflicting with what is written in our Constitution. 

That seemed like a lot of different issues, right? Many different things happened in such a short amount of time since Trump took office. That’s because there have been a lot of events and this is purposeful because it’s actually a tactic used by Republicans where they bombard and confuse the citizens with lots of different information all at once. If they overload the media, you only see so many of the different bad things they are doing in government. You can’t remember all of the travesty they have caused, all of the things they have done that go against what you believe in to the very edge of your core because there’s just too much of it. 

“I feel like they try to do everything at once so that people get so worried over one specific thing and hone in on it, so that they end up missing the whole picture,” Amber Jordan said. “Their judgment gets clouded and Republicans do that on purpose.”