Big public and political fights often have the dynamics of military confrontations. The ongoing backlash and outcry over the ICE murder of Alex Pretti is one such example. Over the first days of this week, the Trump White House lost its footing on the whole issue of ICE wilding sprees in Blue cities. As we discussed yesterday, they’re trying to manage what amounts to a live-action rebranding, telling the public they’re getting things back into line without, if possible, changing anything. But the White House’s public line on ICE and its Blue state wilding sprees has been so categorical and over-the-top it’s a really tough pivot. It’s hard to get your footing when you’re rapidly going from “ICE is our warrior force against immigrant-befouled hellholes run by domestic terrorists” to “we need a real investigation and ICE probably shouldn’t be murdering this many people.”
Once you’re not framing the situation with a mix of taunting and eschatological drama, there are a lot of questions that are hard not to ask: Why are they wearing masks and driving in unmarked cars? Why are they operating in a 4th amendment free zone with American citizens? Why aren’t they operating within the normal constraints that apply to every metro police department in the U.S. as well as the FBI?
The opposition needs to help matters along by asking all those questions right now.
When an army is in retreat its highly vulnerable. It’s usually moving from one entrenched position to — hopefully — another. When it’s on the move it’s not well defended. It’s usually also moving under duress and operating under strained morale. If you’re the advancing army, it’s almost always best, if it is at all possible, to pursue and harry the retreating army as aggressively and as rapidly as possible. Because an organized retreat under pressure can often become a disorganized one in which the retreating army can lose much more territory than it otherwise would have and may disintegrate altogether. That’s exactly where Trump’s ICE-fluffing MAGA army is right now. They will get their footing. But they don’t have it yet. So it’s just critical for opposition elected officials and really everyone who cares about America’s future to be applying maximum pressure right now — as in tonight and tomorrow — because the White House and MAGA have not yet found their footing here and more pressure will make it harder for them to find it.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the range of demands Democrats are currently making to get their votes. But I’m not even sure specific demands are even the right approach (though perhaps they are). I saw Bill Kristol saying earlier this week that Democrats were struggling to coalesce around a specific list of proposals or demands. That’s not what’s important, he said. What’s important is simply to say, No! I’d expand on that by saying that I’m not sure it’s a good idea to get forced into being the side that comes up with a proposal. If I were up there I’d say, we won’t stand for any of this. We don’t want a masked secret police preying on American communities. You want our votes. You solve it. You tell us how you’re going to clean up your mess and the chaos and bloodshed you’ve caused. The public really, really doesn’t like this. Republican politicians are looking for ways to get out from under it. I don’t think Democrats need to do Republicans’ work for them. It’s a moment when the job of the opposition is simply to say, No!
The point right now is not only to force big reforms or put limits on ICE. It’s to lock in public positions during a moment of flux and uncertainty. Get as many Republican politicians as possible to agree that specific ICE tactics are beyond the pale while they’re groping around for a new position. The ICE murders in Minneapolis have galvanized public opinion. But these “surges” and wilding sprees haven’t been popular for months. There’s plenty of room in public opinion for Democrats to lean into.