I don't spend much time thinking about how the Democrats in Congress should respond to this, because I'm not sure they have any more power than I do, and I am more focused on what I should do right now than I am on what I want other people to do on my behalf. Ask not, etc.
But if Keith Ellison is looking for suggestions - and I honestly think he has plenty of really good ideas on his own - here's what I would like to see.
The DNC should create a clear, strong platform, one based on principles and not realpolitik, and Democratic members of Congress should introduce legislation to enact those principles. Affirm human rights protections. Regulate the energy industry. Raise taxes on the rich. Provide relief for the poor and for displaced workers. Repeal Obamacare and enact single-payer. (We can stop defending Obamacare now. Regardless of all of the good things it accomplished, it was corporate welfare for big insurance companies, and that was why it failed.) That none of this legislation will pass is of no relevance. What is important is that we clearly show what we believe and that we are willing to act on it given the opportunity.
