Fighting Democrats' setbacks by Reagan, Gingrich, and Bush required resolve; Trump shutdown is no different

"As a and lifelong political junkie, and for the last six years as a journalist, I've seen my party stumble before. I've watched us weather humiliating losses, recover, and reinvent ourselves. But rarely have I felt as demoralized as I do now. These past eight months under Trump's second (failed) attempt to be president, with his reckless presidency, a far-right and compliant , and a rubber-stamping Supreme Court all against us, have been among the darkest periods in modern Democratic history."

"If there's one lesson that I've witnessed from decades of political gut punches, it's that survival depends on unity and message discipline. Right now, through this government shutdown, that means Democrats must stay strong, stay together, and stay on message. This is perhaps one of the most consequential come-to-Jesus moments for the party. The stakes couldn't be higher, and in more ways than one."

"In a few instances, we've been here before, kind of, because nothing is like the Trump curse. In 1980, when Ronald Reagan was swept into office, Republicans took the Senate for the first time in decades. Reagan and a Republican Senate passed all of his tax cuts for the rich (sound familiar?) in order to implement his failed "trickle-down" economic policies that gutted the middle class and the poor."

The past eight months under Trump's second presidential attempt produced a reckless presidency, a far-right compliant force, and a rubber-stamping Supreme Court, creating one of the darkest periods in modern Democratic history. Survival from political setbacks depends on unity and message discipline, especially during the current government shutdown. Democrats must stay strong, stay together, and maintain a disciplined message. Historical parallels include the 1980 Reagan sweep with tax cuts and failed "trickle-down" policies that harmed the middle class, followed by a Democratic rebound that regained congressional control, passed a bipartisan minimum wage increase, and ultimately returned Democrats to the presidency.

Read at Advocate.com