Latimer Lays out Challenges Ahead for Americans

By Claudine Hutton

Congressman George Latimer says that even if he and his fellow Democrats don't like today’s no-rules "mixed martial arts” style of politics, they’re going to have to figure out how to land punches better if they want to stop President Trump.

"Trump has redefined — and I have to give him credit — the way people pay attention to politics, and it has thrown off kilter those who were not ready to engage in that kind of public display," Latimer said.

In a standing-room-only gathering of elected officials and constituents at the April 14 Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit, Congressman Latimer spoke about the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections and what Democrats need to do to win back majorities in one or both chambers of Congress.

"This is, without question, the most daunting period of time, perhaps in our lifetime," he said.

With Republicans in control of both the House and Senate, Democrats have had little ability to slow the administration's aggressive policy rollout. Latimer said some of its consequences — from the human toll of mass deportations, to the cost of the war in Iran, to Medicaid cuts in the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" — have yet to be fully felt by the American public..

Beyond the procedural protection of the 60-vote filibuster, he said Democrats have had few tools at their disposal to oppose or modify legislation, policies, or appointments. Given the strict loyalty of Republicans in Congress and in Trump's cabinet, calls to impeach the president or invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office have been, in Latimer's view, largely futile — though he stopped short of dismissing the idea entirely. "Do I think he's committed impeachable offenses? Yes, but they have to be researched, they have to be proven," he said.

There is always pressure on the opposition party to pick up seats in a midterm election, but perhaps never more so than this coming November. Democratic control of Congress would dramatically slow — or even freeze — the President's agenda, as well as open the door to various oversight investigations. A Democratic-majority Senate could also block what is expected to be a wave of conservative judicial appointments.

To win in November, Latimer says his party needs to present a clear and viable alternative to Trump. "Sensible policies," he said, would "gain back the faith that people vote for you for a reason — not just because they're against him." Making a strong economic argument will be especially critical to winning back African-American and Latino voters, he added.

But first, he said, Democrats will have to figure out how to break through the noise without alienating the voters who are already put off by the toxicity of this political moment.

"We have to fight fire with fire and get outside of our normal comfort zone — and our base has wanted to see that — but we also have to figure out what the people in the middle want," he said.

While predicting that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will remain in his position, Latimer acknowledged that he and others at the top of the party still have significant work ahead of them.

"We have to learn how to be more assertive and more visibly aggressive, but we can't go so far that it looks like you're insane too," he said. "That's a balance that I don't think the leadership has fully assessed yet."

The Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit is an informal community council that seeks to make a better life for the community by keeping it informed of major issues of concern. Our next meeting, on May 12 at 8 am at the Nautilus Diner in Mamaroneck, will discuss Community Planning. For more information: https.//www.localsummitlm.org/. To view recorded programs on LMC Media: https.//lmcmedia.org/.