I Thought You Were Democrats, Not Decorum-Crats
Stand on business or don't stand at all
Recently we have seen an absolute onslaught of awful behavior and policy from the republican majority in not only the Iowa state house but nationally. In each case the republicans have acted deplorably while democrats seem to think that the proper way to respond to deplorable behavior is to adjust their monocle, straighten their suit jackets, and have a respectable and demure silent protest before tut tutting on the drive home. Now, I am not one for immediately going from zero to pissed in a way that is counterproductive, but I am also not one to say that “When they go low, we tuck our tails and do nothing”. The way you deal with bullies isn’t to immediately cave and cede the entire ground to them, but to stand up and make them do the bad things they threaten to do. You don’t comply in advance and you actually have a chance to stop them if you stand up.
This is what the democrats very much appear to be doing in many arenas. If they are working on some master plan, some 4d chess, some massive organizing initiatives, it absolutely isn’t getting through to the folks who are counting on them to preserve democracy. Regardless of how you feel about the party as it currently functions, on paper Democrats are supposed to stand for labor, for the citizen, for democracy, for fairness and equality under the law.
Anymore they seem to care more about appearing a certain way or appearing to care than actually addressing what their opposition is doing.
We can just look at some of the recent behavior of republicans and compare them to the democrats responses. In Iowa, republicans recently passed legislation that removed gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights code. While activists and experts as well as trans people gave passionate speeches citing data and experiences to oppose the bill, republicans laughed and played bingo. Democrats ensure they divest themselves from any perception of conflict of interest while republicans openly collude with foreign and domestic influencers and flaunt any semblance of ethical behavior. We see this locally with the Polk County supervisors right here in Iowa, the republicans will happily take two salaries, and two pensions, but the democrats divested themselves right away. In 2024 at President Bidens final state of the union address, republicans literally interrupted the speech with foul language and boorish behavior and were not only given their few minutes of fame but were politely asked to chill out. In 2025, one sole democrat stood up and had an outburst yet was literally censured – by some of his own party no less! - for engaging in similar but less severe behavior as his republican counter parts. He was even removed by the sergeant at arms.
How dare he break decorum.
At least he felt and did SOMETHING about the lies the president was spewing about his fellow citizens and plans to harm the most vulnerable Americans.
What democrats do not seem to understand about decorum is that it is only useful if its universally accepted and agreed upon. When it is an agreed upon value it is very conducive to reasoned debate and fact-based discussions. Decorum is what actually allows democracy and peaceful transfers of power to even exist. It is not an empty value, nor is it a useless aspiration.
But, when it is not an agreed upon value, but a tool to be used by a dishonest interlocuter to undercut their opponents, it becomes a horrible vulnerability to the discussion even occurring at all. Its like going into a boxing match where only one side believes in non-weighted and regulation gloves. Sure, it will appear to the uninformed viewer that both are boxing fairly, but one is going to have a lot easier time of it.
Republicans have made it abundantly clear that they do not value decorum because they value the honest exchange of ideas. Republicans value decorum because it is a useful tool to undermine honest discussion and destroy any semblance of truth or consistency.
This is a useful tactic, to be sure. On one hand its used to remove opposition with legitimate critiques from engagement if decorum is broken. On the other, it’s a way to protect bad actors because it would be “unbecoming” to accurately describe the results of bad policy.
The things here are not new ideas that have just come up with the recent republican policy proposals across the country. Its literally one that the nazi’s specifically wrote about abusing to get their way in the Reichgtag: “The big joke on democracy is that it gives its mortal enemies the tools to its own destruction”, said by Joseph Goebbels when describing the best way to undermine democracy. He was speaking of the need for decorum and cultural norms of allowing awful policy to be accepted so long as it was delivered “respectably”.
You see they aren’t taking civil rights away from trans folks, they are “protecting women”. Oh no, they aren’t defunding Medicaid, they are “creating efficiencies”. And they are absolutely in no way against voting for people, they just want “election security”.
It wasn’t by convincing everyone to agree with the nazi agenda, just as the republicans are not about convincing most Americans to support their agenda. Its about convincing their opponents that decorum is the only thing protecting them from destruction or public shame which has the effect of freezing them into inaction. If they get their opposition to stand on decorum and not on business, it’s a helluvalot easier to erode folks’ rights and normalize unilateral action.
The moderate Germans of the 1920s had the excuse of under estimating their opponents and with limitations of technology of the time. The democrats of 2020 do not have such an excuse.
I am not saying democrats need to become the pants-poopers that republicans so often turn in to when faced with public pushback, ethical accountability, or basic scientific inquiry. But they should try doing SOMETHING. They should be shouting to the sky about the harms being done to federal workers and the continuity of government. Why not schedule public meetings, not with just constituents in town halls, but with our foreign allies showing a commitment by the minority party to stand by American values? Instead of silently sitting at a State of the Union, why not leave or face away from the liar in chief when this occurs. The public KNOWS this isn’t normal, but all your behavior indicates that YOU think it is.
Democrats should be eschewing the old politics of yesteryear of an honest opposition because one, “normal decorum” is what got us here, and two, there is no such thing as an honest opposition to something like democracy or a functioning federal government. The fact that any democrat voted for some of the least qualified candidates for cabinet position is a damning indictment of how absolutely lost these decorum-crats are.
Children in West Texas and beyond are dying of preventable diseases, millions of Americans are at risk of losing their healthcare access, the FBI is being weaponized openly against perceived political enemies, and the United States is literally joining up with the 21st century axis powers very loudly and very publicly to secure a kleptocracy for the ruling class and their foreign benefactors. Do we get we get angry democrats rallying around science communicators and historians and flooding the airwaves with data and empathy and passion?
No, we get fund raising emails reminding us that there are some “good billionaires” out there, and gee golly shucks if we just put our hair just right, follow the rules, and say the right words (and throw our trans neighbors under the bus) well you know, we might get a seat in the house next time. We’re supposed to be happy to give money to a party that literally voted in favor of these awful appointees because it “looked nice”.
Stop being decorum-crats. You’re the opposition party that has a very real mandate by your constituents to oppose fascism infesting the seats of power both locally and nationally.
Do not be complicit in your own destruction.
Act like it, or you won’t be around to ask the where you went wrong when you had a chance to stop it.
Excellent analysis! Both parties need to let go of petty grievances and be for the people, not just themselves and their agendas. We must also understand that the President has more inside information that we do not have access to. Bad behavior is never acceptable.