PRESSING FORWARD: Play Dead Long Enough and You Will Be
Rann Miller poses for a photograph in his office at Camden Promise Charter School in Camden, New Jersey, October 27, 2021. Miller is the head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for his Camden charter school district, and is reshaping curriculum to include important perspectives from the BIPOC community once left out.
COLUMN
BY RANN MILLER | For AC JosepH Media
Dear Democrats,
I read the other day an opinion piece where James Carville, a relic of a Democratic party of times past, suggested that you do the following:
“With no clear leader to voice our opposition and no control in any branch of government, it’s time for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead.”
His thought is to let Republicans fall under the weight of their scorched-earth tactics so that the American people will run back to you, seeing they have no other alternative. If that were true, Kamala Harris would have become president because Trump, Musk, and their congressional enablers’ scorched-earth approach was easier to forecast than a snowstorm in the middle of a snowstorm, but I digress.
The truth is that strategy won’t make Americans miss you. Striving to be more moderate, because of an opinion poll, may facilitate the ascent of a viable third party when you consider that the same poll expresses that those identifying as liberals in the party want a more liberal party. Do you think those liberals will remain part of a political party that ignores them? Your actions over the past few days may foreshadow their departure.
Last week when Donald Trump gave his first joint address to Congress since becoming president, many of us wishing for you to fight back were teased by the protest of Texas U.S. Rep. Al Green. But it was an (unwanted) smoke-screen to your actual “protest.” Your idea of a protest was wearing pink and holding up signs.
Boy, that really showed Donald Trump who’s boss guys.
What would have shown power was disrupting the speech… That’s what Rep. Green attempted to do. Had you done that together, consecutively, you could have forced Trump to postpone the speech. But you didn’t want that because you’re too fixated on civility and decorum. So much so that some of you criticized Rep. Green; ten of you voted for his censure and explained why on the Sunday morning shows… because ‘the office of the President means something.’
If it meant anything, then the actual President would be in charge, not Elon Musk.
Those who support Rep. Green elected to sing We Shall Overcome on the House floor, but I saw no police dogs or fire hoses. I don’t know what was worse: that or Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer kneeling for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in Kente cloth with the Congressional Black Caucus, in “protest” of George Floyd’s murder.
You praised your response to Trump’s address by Sen. Slotkin, and I can see why. The senator’s words were safe, and held up America as the standard bearer of democracy and justice, as she sought to use her words to bring us all together. The response wasn’t revolutionary or transformative by any means; just a call to reform and a return to the status quo:
“… Whether you’re in Wyandotte or Wichita, most Americans share three core beliefs: That the Middle Class is the engine of our country. That strong national security protects us from harm. And that our democracy, no matter how messy, is unparalleled and worth fighting for.”
Now, I am no James Carville (thankfully). But I have a few recommendations to help you turn this thing around. If winning in 2026 and 2028 matters to you at all, please consider the following:
- Stop fixating on the white voter. Whether you’re in Wyandotte or Wichita sounds good. But the Midwest doesn’t represent the country. Both those towns are primarily white and white voters don’t vote for Democrats in the majority. The most likely Democratic voters are Black, Latino/a, and Asian. White voters leaned Republican in every election since 1994; they’ve leaned Republican in every presidential election since 1976. Fixate on people of color, particularly Black people who are the base of your party.
- Stop fixating on the middle-class voter. The phrase middle class is code for (white) suburban single-family homeowners who are not on public assistance because they’re “hard workers.” Working-class folks work hard. So, do the poor. The working class and the poor are deserving of relief because they’re human, but they can win elections for you. Don’t be afraid of championing what matters to them. Abandoning them is what helped get you where you are. They’re not a drain on the system. The recipients of corporate welfare are a drain on the system: defense contractors, BIG Pharma, and Elon Musk.
- Regard American imperialism as the threat to national security that it is. It’s imperialism, not Russia, China, and Iran, that is America’s biggest threat to national security. American imperialism funds war with America’s thousands of military bases all over the world and billions spent to fund wars and genocide. But it also harms (Black and brown) workers worldwide due to economic instability, worker exploitation, and job displacement. Rather than initiating policies that secure hegemonic aims of political and economic dominance, abandon imperialist aims to be friendly to workers around the world; particularly Black and brown workers in the global South. The shift in policy will likely benefit your voter base at home.
- Lastly, stop telling Americans to fight back. That’s what you should be doing. Carville tells y’all to play dead. Hakeem Jefferies says there’s nothing you can do. So, the answer is to tell people to organize. That’s your Democratic response? Sen. Slotkin shared “Some of the most important movements in our history have come from the bottom up.” But as a friend of mine political strategist Imani Oakley shared on IG, Democrats are always asking those most vulnerable to risk life, limb, and livelihood to save democracy, as you hold signs in your pink to post on social media. YOU fight back. YOU take the risk on behalf of your constituents. Do something that isn’t performative or symbolic. Do something disruptive, because the most important social movements in our history WERE A DISRUPTION.
You can do this or take Carville’s advice. Just know that if you play dead long enough, people will believe you are and there will be no resurrection. You’ll be the ghost of who you once were; repeating incessantly, Yes We Can.
BIO: Rann Miller is a writer, author, and educator. A graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Rann teaches AP United States History, is the author of Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids, and is an opinion columnist, featured in various news outlets exploring the intersections of race, education, politics, culture and history. You can follow on “X” @RealRannMiller, on IG, and TikTok @realrannmiller.
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