Why Dems Should Feel Good about Trump's First 100 Days

Has President Trump's first 100 days been a success?  By any reasonable historical measure, it has not. Add in the fact that Republicans hold majorities in both houses and the first 100 days have been an unmitigated disaster for the new administration. Aside from selecting and placing a new Supreme Court Justice, there hasn't been much to celebrate for President Trump. And let's not forget that was much less of a victory for the President than last year's Senate which took a big gamble in the unprecedented move to stonewall a seat that President Obama had every right to fill.

So let's take a look at why Democrats should feel good about Trump's first 100 days:

1. The First Amendment is alive and well. The exercise of free speech and right to assembly has been on massive display from the first week of the Presidency. From planned events around the Women's March and Earth Day celebrations to spontaneous demonstrations over the travel plan, the peaceful and powerful right of the people to protest and have their voice heard has never been stronger. In short, it has been amazing to see -- and it is yielding results. The failure to repeal Obamacare was due in no small part to the partipation of the people in the Democratic process. 

2. Trump is doing harm to the GOP brand. A whole generation of younger voters and voters who will be newly eligible to vote in 2020 are being exposed to a disjointed and dysfunctional Presidency with an often incoherent message -- and that's the positive spin for the Trump administration. When policies targeting science, women and minorities are advocated, things go downhill fast. His unfavorable approval rating for the first 100 days is unprecedented.  

3. The Republicans have made large gains politically over the last 8 years in large part by their ability to stay united in their message. Their unwavering ability to put party over country not only helped them stonewall the Obama administration but control the message. Now, they face two problems. First, their hypocrisy shines through loud and clear when they support Trump's bombing of Syria (without congressional approval) after they denied Obama congressional approval. Next, they are having a harder time staying united on message while Trump struggles to find a consistent idealogy. The American Health Care Act debacle was a shining example that the skill set to obstruct is much different than the skill set to lead. 

4. Obamacare remains the law of the land. This may change in the future, but right now, the Republicans have failed to repeal and replace Obamacare which has been their biggest political selling point in the last few election cycles. 

5. Rallies seem to be turning into votes. While Democrats may ultimately lose the congressional race in the 6th district of Georgia, the Democratic votes in a safe Republican stronghold has been remarkable. There is a long way to go until the 2018 mid terms and even longer to the 2020 general election. Democrats have a history of not turning out in mid term elections and the Senate seats up for grabs in 2018 don't bode well for Democratic gains. They would do well to avoid losing seats.

All of the positive signs for the Democrats won't mean anything if they don't turn it into votes. Momentum is a fickle thing and 18 months is a long time to wait for the next big election. The other problem Democrats face which may prove even more difficult is the lack of clear leaders emerging and a real division between the traditional and progressive wings of the party. It's hard to imagine Trump will continue to stumble this poorly. Victories will come around tax reform and potentially infrastructure spending. Infrastructure spending in particular could be a signature success that has broad appeal across party lines and could garner significant Democratic support. While there's a lot of Democrats to like about Trump's first 100 day stumble, there's a long way to go.