On the, you know, move

Locally, San Mateo County Democrats are planning to rally at noon at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and El Camino Real in Redwood City.

I am no cynic — really — and I understand the need of many to feel like they are not spectators. Or victims. Then there is this from UCLA basketball legend John Wooden: “Never mistake activity for achievement.”

If all it took to stop Trump was for enough people to tell him to stop, he would have stopped a long time ago.

I also recognize that marches and protests and mobilizations reflect a profound level of frustration with the leadership of the Democratic Party, which, to date, has reached a state of incompetence unseen in my 50-plus years covering national, state and local politics.

Lately, they seem more intent on inundating me with fundraising emails and texts (“I’m reaching out personally.” This hands me a laugh.)

Their time and energy might be better spent formulating a coherent message that speaks to the problems of the American people and focuses on the cost of living, jobs. Politics is always about controlling the agenda. It would be helpful if the Dems had one.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, at a recent town hall meeting, met that frustration with a response that angry constituents found quite unsatisfactory: Not much can be done unless, and until, the Dems gain a majority in at least one house of Congress.

And there you go. For those who want a news conference a day denouncing President Trump in the strongest terms possible, this could amount to little more than another social media posting, the modern version of shouting into a cave.

Not to rain on Saturday’s Day of Action. Undoubtedly, it will provide some psychic benefit to those who feel outrage, disenfranchisement, fear and loathing. Misery loves company, but so does solace.

The local Democratic announcement read: “This isn’t just a protest. It’s a movement. One that we build together — with our voices, our presence, and our power.”

Yes, well. About that power.

Perhaps this will force the Dems to do something. They may not “hold the gavel,” as Mullin, an unhesitating institutionalist, told his constituents. At some point that devolves from reason to excuse.

Meanwhile, there are things that can be done, and the model for this comes from the Republicans — radical, anti-government conservatives — who spent decades building to this moment.

Trump and the Reeps are preparing a tax cut that will dwarf all others. Why wait to react to it, and let them frame the debate? The Dems can offer their own plan and label it as fair, as impactful, as anything they want.

In 1994, just ahead of the first midterm elections of the Clinton administration, the Reeps issued the Contract With America, which the Dems glibly labeled the Contract On America. It focused on reducing the size of government and cutting taxes. Nearly every GOP congressional candidate signed the contract. The Reeps gained 54 seats in the House and eight U.S. Senate seats and flipped both houses of Congress.

Where is the Dem plan? It could be called anything — The Promise of America, A Commitment to Fairness, The Pledge of Allegiance, The Treaty of Ghent.

The time is ripe to issue a pledge that every Democratic officeholder and candidate would sign: a promise that there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and education funding. And a commitment to focus on the cost of living, jobs, safety, security and a sense of integrity and urgency that these will be pursued.

At the end of every presidential election, I have found it a useful exercise to sum up in as few words as possible the central message of the two major candidates. The Democratic message seemed to be: “We’re not him, and he’s terrible.” Trump, on the other hand, was all about the cost of living, jobs, safety and security. In other words, the Dems had no central message that spoke to the concerns of American voters.

This is the time to change that, while a growing number of people are dismayed or disgusted and are up for grabs. There is no need to adopt the Republican tactics of steamrolling any dissent. But as they demonstrated 30 years ago, the Republican strategy is sound: Set the agenda, and frame the debate.

Mark Simon is a veteran journalist, whose career included 15 years as an executive at SamTrans and Caltrain. He co-hosts a podcast/videocast that can be found at TheGamePeninsula.com, and he can be reached at marksimon@smdailyjournal.com.