It's time for Democrats to stand down.
For 40 years, the Democratic Party has insulated Americans from the extreme promises of the Republican Party. Every four years, Republicans will run on deporting those living here illegally, overturning abortion laws, doing away with Social Security and Medicare through privatization, slashing the federal budget in half - if not more - so that we could be fiscally conservative as a nation and every time, it's the Democrats who act as a buffer and stop those policies from being implemented. They either do it at the federal level or the state level and that ultimately leaves the voter not experiencing what they actually voted for.
In 2004, George Bush ran on privatizing social security and in 2005 came close to doing it. What stopped him? Enough Democrats banded together to kill it. But that's what the voters voted for, right? Despite polls showing a majority of Americans opposed privatizing social security, that was one of the core tenants of Bush's reelection campaign - the one where he won the senior vote.
Imagine if Democrats hadn't stepped in and social security was privatized. Do you remember what happened shortly after 2005?
Yeah. The financial crisis and the collapse of the stock market. Had Bush been successful in delivering on his campaign promise, an issue many voters must have supported when they voted for him, in 2008 all those seniors would have lost their retirement in the stock market.
Just look at the damage 401ks faced in 2008 and imagine that now impacting social security!
It took years before the stock market recouped those losses.
Similarly, Trump ran in 2016 on repealing the Affordable Healthcare Act. Even though a majority of Americans didn't necessarily support the repeal, it was very much part of his overall campaign. Except it never happened. Once again, Democrats banded together (with a handful of Republicans, including McCain) to save the ACA.
To save the ability to get health insurance despite having a preexisting condition.
To save parents being able to keep their kids on their plan until they turn 26.
To open up health insurance opportunities for millions of Americans.
But that's what the voters wanted, right? I mean, that's what Trump promised to do.
We also saw it with his tariffs. Trump imposed crushing tariffs that devasted the American Farmer, who largely voted for him, and what happened? We had to bail 'em out or we'd lose most of our farming. $44 billion went to the American Farmer because Trump's tariffs nearly bankrupted the industry. Once again, voters voting for Trump being insulated from their own actions.
Trump now wants to deport every single person in this country illegally - regardless of their age or how long they've been here. I am guessing most Americans don't actually want that. But they voted for it!
Trump has also promised 150% tariffs - if not more - in Mexico alone. Again, an action that I doubt many voters have actually researched the consequences to.
It's time we give the voters what they want!
I am tired of Democrats being the responsible party having to clean up and protect Americans from Republican policies. They need to understand what they're voting for. This is what they agreed with and this is what they should get.
They need to understand the consequences of these policies because every time Trump, or another Republican runs on implementing them, they never are truly realized because the Democrats are there to say, "Wait a minute! If we deport every single undocumented immigrant...it'll wreck the economy!"
The Democrats have held the American peoples' hands for 40 years now and get burned every single time they do it.
It's time to step aside and let Trump do what he said he's going to do. Because that's the only way the voters will learn.
You want 150% tariffs on Mexico? Good. Don't complain when your Nissan Sentra, which is made in Mexico, now costs you $90,000.
You want more tariffs on goods imported from China? Cool. Don't bitch when you go to Walmart and that t-shirt that cost you $15 under Biden is now $40.
American voters are the most privileged voters in the world because they're never held to account when it comes to their own voting.
And what that does is create an environment where Trump can promise to overturn Roe v Wade, actually do it, and a woman at ASU telling MSNBC that she voted for Trump because he'll protect abortion.
We don't understand the ramifications of Trump's plans, or the Republican agenda, because the Democratic Party has been this country's safeguard. They've been the party that has fought the Republicans at every turn when it came to beefing up social security and Medicare. They've been the party that pushed for Medicaid expansion and VA benefits that Republicans always talk about cutting to balance that pesky budget (so they can send billions more money to the rich in tax cuts).
Well maybe the Democrats need to step aside and let the Republicans do what they've promised to do for decades now.
If this is what America wants, this is what America should get and deserves.
And if it works out? If a 150% increase in tariffs doesn't sink the economy? Cool. Then you've just built a lasting coalition.
But we all know it won't. Everyone knows massive tariffs kill the economy. We know this because anyone who ever took a basic history class that touched on the Great Depression read what led to it.
We know deporting every single undocumented person in this country is a bad idea that will wreck the economy and upend communities.
We know repealing abortion laws, and criminalizing abortion leads to a higher number of women dying as a result of it.
We know all this.
Yet we vote for it because we don't ever believe it'll actually happen.
Trump won't really do it!
Funny considering all I hear from Trump supporters is that he's a man of his word. Promises made, promises kept, right?
Well maybe it's time for Democrats to stand down and let Trump keep those promises so that every voter can experience the ramifications of them.
Maybe that's the only way this country will learn.
Let Trump be Trump. Let him be a dictator. Let him impose his tariffs and deport every undocumented immigrant. Let him sign into law that national abortion ban. Let him put Herschel Walker in charge of our missile defense. Let him surrender our foreign policy to Russia.
These are all things Americans want. Let's give it to them. No more coddling voters and saving them from the consequences of their actions.
= new reply since forum marked as read
people will die if we don't at least make an attempt to call attention to the wrongness and stop it.
Welcome to DU! 
