Conspiracy Theory

I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but I have formed one that potentially explains the behavior of the Trump administration. What if their goal is to undermine the ability of the establishment Republicans from fulfilling their campaign promises. By fomenting division and creating a side-show atmosphere, the Republicans have been unable to pass a single piece of significant legislation since the election. Their horrendous "repeal and replace", the "Muslim ban", immigration, it's all gone down to failure. By adding "repeal but not replace" to the tax bill, that might fail also. And Steve Bannon has announced he's planning to run primary races against all the establishment Republican candidates. Several establishment Republicans have already said they aren't going to run.

Normally, one might assume that the Democrats would sweep these races. But the Democrats have singularly failed to distinguish themselves with a message that identifies themselves as anything other than the establishment. They didn't cause the housing collapse, but didn't hold the ones who did cause it accountable. The stimulus the Democrats passed prevented a total collapse of the system, but left millions jobless and homeless and without prospects for years. Obamacare was a compromise that insured millions of people, but cobbled together out of the existing pieces, satisfied no-one. Democrats are just a kind of Republican-Lite: a kinder, gentler neoliberalism.

Too many Deemocrats believe they can point a finger at Trump and say "We're not him" and that people will vote Democratic. I'm concerned that, instead of voting for Republican Lite, when given a choice for a new Republican, that isn't part of the establishment, many will vote for the new Republican. If Democrats want voters in red states to vote for them, they need to clean house. They need to articulate a vision that explains how to shift power back into the hands of ordinary people.