Wimps and Oatmeal

By and large, the Democrats are letting us down

I noted in a column last week that Geoffrey Fieger once referred to his fellow Democrats as “the party of wimps and oatmeal” when he was running for governor of Michigan back in 1998.

As it turned out, that description was exactly right. For more than two months, Donald Trump, his main sidekick, Elon Musk, and their corps of jackals have been systemically attempting to destroy our democracy, our system of alliances, the social safety net, and everything else that made America a beacon of hope.

And what have the Democrats done? Mainly, snivel a bit, mumble and whine, and cave in to Trump, as institutions like Columbia University just did. They are, I suppose, counting on the midterm elections in 2026 to give them back the House. What they are too afraid or blind to realize is that by then we may not have a country worth saving, and millions of people now are starting to normalize this behavior, which is the scariest thing of all.

There are exceptions, such as U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and especially, Bernie Sanders and “AOC’” Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who have been rallying Democrats to grow a spine, speaking out forcefully against the treason committed against us all and drawing enormous crowds.

Meanwhile, in Michigan we have two senators, Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, who voted to confirm monsters like Kristi Noem as cabinet members, and too often, have been too quiet as our country is being ruined.

This isn’t a normal administration, these aren’t normal times, and unless we resist, we really are doomed, and I am no alarmist; just an old man in a comfortable suburban house. So far, the only meaningful opposition to Trump’s illegal behavior has come from the federal courts. But these heroic judges can’t do it by themselves, and we all need to resist, and reward and support those elected representatives who are willing to fight for democracy, and for us.

And when we see a politician like Gretchen Whitmer, who says she is seeking an accommodation with the Trump regime and gleefully signed a bill taking benefits and sick time away from restaurant workers, well, you should know exactly which side they are on, and call them out for it.