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Dems search for a strategy to defeat the modern Philistine... [1]
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Date: 2025-04-20
five smooth stones
40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 41 — 1 Samuel 17, King James version
The biblical tale of David and Goliath is especially relevant to our national politics today. The story of a young and plucky shepherd boy defeating the Philistine warrior-giant armed with only five smooth stones and a sling is a parable about the limits of power. The underdog possesses the element of surprise, which makes him so appealing and deadly. The Democratic Party nicely plays the part of the underdog, meanwhile, the Philistine bully sits in the White House.
The story of David and Goliath is found in the Old Testament Book of Samuel. The Philistines were known as the “sea people” because they migrated to the area that is now Gaza from their homeland, which many historians cite as the island of Crete. They were the mortal enemies of the Israelites, and the battle described in Samuel was a kind of winner-takes-all, with each army choosing its hero. Goliath looks at his opponent and scorns:
And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” — 1 Samuel 17, King James version
Our modern word “philistine” is derived from the Israelites’ view of the sea people. They regarded them as uncultured and rude because, unlike the Israelites, the Philistines worshipped many gods. Today, philistine is defined as one who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, an anti-intellectual, a boor. I have referred to Donald Trump using this word, and every day he says or does something to earn the epithet. For all his wealth and opportunity, the man lacks couth.
Democrats are looking for their David to face off against the modern philistine who inhabits the White House and threatens the nation. The MAGA army of like-minded vulgarians supports his every whim despite his apparent disdain for them as well. The recent economic fiascoes in the form of tariffs he has unleashed against the world will surely boomerang and affect them as well. He tries to convince them that the pain is temporary and that the rewards will come sometime in the future. The excuse resembles a form of faith-peddling, promising an afterlife of abundance to the poor while explaining away their desperate lives on earth. Meanwhile, his billionaire friends enjoy life before death without interruption. For Christians, Easter is about hope and faith. The current philistines possess little of either.
Booker, sanders, and cortez, Oh my!
The stirrings among Democrats over the past few weeks suggest they have embraced their status as political underdogs and are gathering a few smooth stones in preparation for the coming battle. While Corey Booker’s 25-hour marathon may appear to be more gesture than stratagem, his speech laid out the parameters of a Democratic counteroffensive and a tactic that can change minds:
Since Booker’s speech, the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the administration’s choice to double down on what it has characterized as a mistake that cannot be rectified has made their incompetence national news and offered the public a choice between the administration’s poorly played campaign using the president and his acolytes’ indefensible explanations and the clear and convincing pushback by the courts. The vignette set up by the White House with El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, and Donald Trump only emphasized Trump’s comfort level among the world’s dictators. In this case, Bukele had rendered Trump powerless to correct his administration’s self-proclaimed error in identifying Garcia as a gang member, boldly declaring that he would not release the Baltimore native, to which Trump weakly folded:
Trump is trying to convince us all that Bukele wields power over him that not even $6 million can leverage.
Another sign that Democrats are finding their footing is apparent in the successful tour undertaken by the unlikely duo of AOC and Bernie Sanders. One a senator, the other a representative; she, a young progressive Democratic firebrand, and he, an octogenarian Independent democratic socialist, have been drawing record crowds in some of the ruddiest strongholds. They are fearless and armed with a populist message that resonates because it cuts through the MAGA arguments that rely on voter indifference and gullibility. The gruff senator and the political prodigy have taken a card from the MAGA deck by naming their effort the Fighting Oligarchy Tour. The title offers an alternative to the tired right-wing perversion of socialism to name-call Democratic progressivism. Oligarch, with the help of Elon Musk serving as the embodiment of the word, sounds like something no one wants to be called. Bernie has been fighting against Musk and the 1-percenters who want even more of the unwarranted privileges given to the ultra-rich. He has finally found a better label to make his point.
patience, grasshoppers
This week, Senator Chris Van Hollen piqued Donald Trump's ire by traveling to El Salvador and meeting with Garcia. Again, the split screen comparison with Trump childishly calling Van Hollen’s trip grandstanding sits beside the news reporting of the Maryland legislator going through great lengths to correct an injustice done to a constituent. While Republicans in Congress clutch pearls, worrying about how their careers will be affected by the administration’s admitted error and their leader’s callous disrespect of Constitutional protections, Hollen’s fellow Democrats are planning to increase the pressure to release Garcia by visiting El Salvador’s CECOT prison in defiance of Trump’s proclamation that Garcia will never be released.
Some critics accuse the party of not doing enough to combat the administration's autocratic moves during its first days. The weak responses early on by leaders like Jeffries and Schumer only indicate the party’s lack of power to fight in the House and Senate. Their inaction mirrors the advice of Chinese philosopher and author of The Art of War, Sun Tzu, who wrote,
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting,.
James Carville, a Cajun version of Tzu, recently wrote an opinion piece in the NY Times giving similar advice. Democrats have been in a quandary trying to figure out the political jujitsu that would resonate among Americans. The mood outside of Washington is unsettled and grumpy. The answer may be found in the 1970s television program, ‘Kung Fu.’ Blind Shaolin priest, Master Po, trained his favorite student, Kwai Chang Caine, in the traditional Chinese martial art used for self-defense. Among Po’s imparted words of wisdom were "Patience, young grasshoppers."
But, is that enough?
Democrats needed to wait for the corruption and incompetence of Trump’s gut-informed governance to permeate the landscape. Tariffs, a market crash, immigration overreach, and a spate of lawsuit losses may have finally provided the impetus for Democrats like Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders to respond by orchestrating a return to the Democratic Party brand. In a recent Meet The Press interview, Senator Michael Bennet made the case for his disillusionment with Washington and the Senate. He attributes their ineffectiveness to our “losing touch” with the American people who were once the party loyalists:
Bennet called on his party to center working-class and middle-class people again, saying it has “lost touch with working people in our country at a time when 50 years of trickle-down economics has meant that most Americans feel like no matter how hard they work, their kids are not going to live a life better than the life they led.” “I think the Democratic Party needs to use this moment of having been repudiated at the national level to figure out a creative and imaginative agenda for the 21st century that’s going to lift the fortunes of working people and the middle class all across this country...” — NBC News, “Sen. Michael Bennet says the Democratic Party's brand is 'problematic',” by Alexandra Marquez
Bennet has announced that he is leaving the Senate to run for Governor of Colorado in 2026, sounding much like a potential presidential candidate for the future.
Democrats, like David in his battle with Goliath, are currently underappreciated and underestimated— and that may prove to be an advantage. While David shunned armor and more traditional weaponry, Goliath dressed for a fight. His arrogance in dismissing the shepherd boy was unfortunate. With all the paraphernalia for battle, the giant left exposed his ample forehead. David took aim, and his first stone found its target. Goliath fell, and David finished him off with a flourish:
Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
Easter is a time of renewal, and that should be a harbinger for Democrats to regain their mojo. Trump personifies the definition of philistine. He is rude, fiercely anti-intellectual, uncultured, and vulgar. Five smooth stones and a sling were all it took to end the terror that had paralyzed the Israelites.
Democrats are like David, the classic underdogs— and like David, what they need is to find the stones to fell their oversized Philistine.
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