Letter on Strategy

At no point does Trump or his operation prioritize governing or responsible policymaking; not in the past, and not between now and November.  White House officials go out of their way to bolster the idea that Republicans have transitioned into a post-policy party.

Republican politicians take action based on three values:

1. Personal Responsibility
2. Individual Rights
3. Private Authority

However, GOP limits their governing strategy to support only those values.  Once in office GOP politicians do not govern and make policy to serve all Americans.  They focus on implementing their values exclusive of any collective responsibility or rights.  They focus on using public authority to force their values on everyone.

Governing and responsible policymaking require a different set of values.  Democrats take action based on these three values:

1. Collective Responsibility
2. Collective Rights
3. Public Authority

Democrats do not limit their governing strategy to support only these values. Democrats in office govern and make policy to serve all Americans. 

• That includes supporting individual rights defined in the Constitution, and federal and state law.  
• That includes supporting laws that define personal responsibility.  
• That includes supporting laws that balance private authority, states rights and federal authority.

GOP tactics win elections in states where they have suppressed voting and approved gerrymandering.  Trump does not have a strategy or tactics.  Trump’s actions represent simple transactions.  With Biden sequestered, Trump’s daily focus on transactions to help his re-election leave him vulnerable to imploding without Biden engaging directly with him a debate.

GOP and Trump do not have a strategy. Democrats have an emerging strategy that, when successful, in retrospect might be called a Grand Strategy.  That strategy includes making sure voters turnout, voters are allowed to vote and their votes are counted.

America is fighting a multi-front war.  First, there was over 30 years of Climate Crisis denial that now requires significant action.  Second, the Pandemic arrived just in time to create chaos and expose America’s vulnerabilities.  Third, the resulting Economic Recession will leave 30% of the workforce vulnerable to not being able to pay for food nor pay rent.  America won’t be returning to "normal".  We have crossed the Rubicon.

As described by author John Lewis Gaddis in his book On Grand Strategy:

• A Leader must have the enduring strategic focus of a hedgehog while retaining the tactical flexibility like a fox to adapt to changing environments that unfold over time, space and scale.
• Align potentially unlimited aspirations (hedgehog) with necessarily limited capabilities (fox).  This means matching capabilities with expectations in the context of the campaign.
• The worst leaders neglect situational awareness and seek to force events to fit their preconceived designs and worldview (hedgehog).
• The best leaders acknowledge and capitalize on the paradoxes as they unfold over time, space and scale.  They continuously adjust plans and constantly look for new opportunities by reviewing experiences and feedback from past actions.  They use self-reflection and self-criticism to improve their plans over time, space and scale.  The best leaders become strategic learners: they learn about learning.