It’s safe to say that the Trump Presidency has been great for MSNBC. Ratings have boomed, and on-air talent gets to “hold power accountable” while validating the rage of their Democratic viewers. Anchors ranging from left-wing activist Chris Hayes to George W. Bush staffer Nicolle Wallace admonish President Trump for his “violation of norms” and “threats to democracy and the free press.”
This line of attack, that Trump doesn’t follow Washington’s usual processes and way of speak, unites the Establishment Left and Establishment Right. This is why MSNBC is a welcome place for GOP political operatives like Steve Schmidt and Bill Kristol, who would never associate with left-leaners in the past. Both the Establishment Left and Right can unite over love of existing power structures, and by driving Trump out, they can go back to a world where the Establishment rules again.
On the other hand, MSNBC struggles to cover politicians like Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang. This is because both of them are Anti-Establishment Left, and threaten existing power structures used by Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi.
Even though Sanders and Pelosi may have the same policy goals, MSNBC cannot legitimize the Anti-Establishment Left because it would threaten the seats of many Democratic politicians. For example, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are in safe Democratic districts, and they can only be removed from office from the left-wing activist base. Therefore, they would rather legitimize a John Kasich than validate those activists in their district.
However, Democrats have to learn that Trump isn’t just a fluke win due to Russian hacking, Hillary’s emails, and the Comey letter. Trump spoke to legitimate anger and anxiety, issues over free trade, and the feeling that the middle class is falling behind. As Andrew Yang said, Trump is a “symptom of a disease” – not the disease itself. If Democrats don’t create middle class jobs and focus solely on social issues, there will be another Trump that comes along. And this time, that person will be smarter and more effective.
Ironically, one reason that Trump isn’t doing well is that he gave up populism once he got elected. His signature legislation is a tax cut for corporations, and he has kept free trade agreement essentially the same. If Trump had raised taxes on the rich and helped the middle class, he would have won re-election in a heartbeat.
Both parties must resist the “norms” trap and avoid going back to establishment ways. They must speak to the middle class and fight power. That’s how they will win going forward.