For Democrats, strategic and bipartisan cooperation is necessary

With President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans soon assuming control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, Democrats find themselves at a crossroads: Resistance at all costs or adopt a policy of strategic cooperation with the Trump administration. 

For the good of the Democratic Party, and indeed the country, Democrats must choose the latter.  

Quite simply, after an election that saw Americans reject Democrats’ approach to key issues such as the economy, immigration, crime, government waste, and social issues, across-the-board resistance is simply bad politics.  

This is not to say that Democrats need to abandon their principles. They should be clear that there are certain policies they will fight to protect if the administration veers to the extreme. 

Rather, it is to argue that the party will be best served by working with the administration to forge bipartisan compromise on the most important issues facing the country. 

Positively, there are clear areas where compromise can — and should — be reached, particularly on the economy, immigration, crime and cutting government excess.  

On the economy, there are middle-ground approaches to keeping taxes low, stimulating growth and ensuring American workers can provide for their families without being crushed by soaring costs of living.  

Part of this entails cooperating with Republicans on education and job training. A compromise can be reached on supporting vocational training and school choice as well as increasing education opportunities for groups that have historically been disadvantaged.  

In that same vein, Democrats need to work with Republicans to rein in government spending and the country’s growing debt, both key concerns for voters.  

During my time in the Clinton administration, then-President Bill Clinton prioritized cutting spending and balancing the federal budget. Not only did this reclaim the mantle of fiscal responsibility from Republicans, but it also produced the last budget surplus in American history. 

Yet slightly more than two decades later, runaway spending — under both parties — has contributed to an ever-growing debt and inflation.  

While Democrats have traditionally championed expansive social programs, they should now work with the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency to demonstrate a commitment to rooting out waste and inefficiency. 

To be clear, Democrats do not need to completely surrender on issues like social security and Medicare, but there are targeted spending cuts in other areas that can and must be made.  

Aside from the economy, immigration and the chaos at our southern border had the largest negative impact on Democrats in the 2024 election.  

For too long, Democrats have allowed the left wing to dictate the party’s policy, but as the 2024 election demonstrated, Americans on both sides of the aisle want action taken on the border.  

Indeed, a majority (56 percent) of Americans say they’re concerned that illegal immigration increases crime (21 percent), raises costs on taxpayers (18 percent) and is a threat to national security (17 percent), per Axios polling. 

What’s more is that Democrats’ base is increasingly concerned and demanding action.  

The same poll revealed that nearly 6 in 10 (59 percent) Democrats feel that “illegal immigration is a problem” and a slightly smaller majority (53 percent) agree that there is a real crisis at the border. 

Democrats should recognize these concerns and commit to working with Republicans to pass bipartisan immigration reform without surrendering to Trump’s plans for mass deportations. 

For his part, Trump recently signaled support for the H1B visa program for high-skilled workers. Democrats should cooperate with the administration to protect or expand that program while taking steps to address uncontrolled, illegal immigration. 

The focus should be on strengthening the border, ending sanctuary cities and making it harder for illegal migrants to enter the country, while also providing a pathway to citizenship for those already here who work and pay taxes.  

To that end, ending support for sanctuary cities should be an obvious area for compromise.  

Well-intentioned but misguided, sanctuary cities have become a political lightning rod as well as a genuine safety concern.  

This is particularly so following high-profile incidents, like in New York City where an illegal immigrant — shielded by sanctuary laws — lit a woman on fire in the subway in late December. 

Finally, on crime, Democrats should look to compromise with the GOP in order to roll back the soft-on-crime policies voters continue to reject.  

Calls to “defund the police” and soft-on-crime laws allowing violent criminals back onto the streets will continue to hurt Democrats across the country absent a reorientation of the party’s approach to crime. 

Even in deep-blue California, voters overwhelmingly voted to pass (68 percent to 32 percent) Proposition 36 toughening penalties for various offenses. And voters in the state rejected soft-on-crime mayors and district attorneys in cities like San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles.  

Strategic cooperation with Republicans on strengthening law enforcement and introducing tough-on-crime laws should be a priority in the new Congress. 

Socially, Democrats should be able to recognize that they protect the rights of transgender Americans while compromising on the issue of biological men playing in women’s sports.  

It need not be all or nothing on this hot-button issue. 

A policy of strategic cooperation would demonstrate to Democrats’ base that they stand for what mainstream Americans want for themselves and their families.  

Conversely, resistance at all costs in order to virtue signal only increases perceptions of Democrats as the party of the “elites” and will do nothing to improve their political viability going forward. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-N.Y.) seems to understand that strategic cooperation is the best route. He recently said, “House Democrats will work to find bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible … But we will also vigorously defend the common good.” 

Recognizing that there are areas where compromise can — and should — be reached while also understanding that Democrats should protect certain core principles is a good first step.  

If Democrats can follow Leader Jefferies’s words, rather than oppose Trump at all costs in favor of a “take it or leave it” approach, the country and the Democratic Party stand to be the biggest winners. 

Douglas E. Schoen is a political consultant and the founder and partner at Schoen Cooperman Research. His latest book is “The End of Democracy? Russia and China on the Rise and America in Retreat.”