Like everyone else in the country, I am overwhelmed by the stupendous success of the Democrats’ efforts to get out the vote and turn the tables on the events of the past two years by taking back the legislature. It is, as all news media are now shouting, a referendum on the heinousness that is Donald Trump. And I wish to spend the day enjoying the fact that Texas now has a blue governor and a blue senator; that there are now 14 female governors, eight of them Democrats; that there are four Black governors; that Susan Collins finally met her match and was defeated (and he wasn’t even that appealing a candidate!); and that a lot of new, in some cases youthful, senators and representatives have prevailed in this blue tsunami.

But as I watch the coverage and hear the leaders of the Democratic Party speak, I have a sneaky desire to slap them upside the head for being arrogant, presumptive, and maybe even dead wrong about why they received this astounding mandate from so many Americans.

Chuck Schumer, the new/old Senate Majority Leader, went on TV and pontificated for awhile about how effective the Party was in promoting its candidates, and my response to that was, “Really?” Because that wasn’t my experience at all. For myself, I sought out candidates and their campaigns who seemed like the right fit for the post, and made personal donations to them while assiduously avoiding making generic financial contributions to “the Party.” That’s because I don’t trust the Party to make the kinds of decisions that I trust individuals who are defining their role in government to make.

Party leadership has been notoriously hands-off when it comes to addressing the needs of the constituents. They have been arrogant, they have been paternalistic, and they have demanded money without offering any specific plans for how they will use it to keep our country operating in a way with which we could agree. Even though this is being touted as a referendum on a failed government, the Democrats also have a lot for which they, too, need to answer; having spent the past two years campaigning to get them back their leverage, it is now our duty to continue with our activism by holding their feet to the fire in the interests of good government.

Schumer himself and also some of the news media are giving him credit for choosing and fostering bright new candidates, but I saw none of that. The person who did that was Bernie Sanders. While other senior senators refused to bring new people on board and, in some cases, actively fought against them or refused to support them, Sanders has been a shining light, illustrating what it means to look ahead to the next generation, intuit what is needed, and find people to fill those roles. He has ensured his legacy in the process as he has campaigned with Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and has endorsed and variously supported 21 other candidates for federal office. He is the one who deserves praise for looking out for this country’s needs, at a national, state, and county level. At 85 years old, he has campaigned tirelessly for people less than half his age who will pick up his baton when he is done (if that ever happens). Other seniors in Congress need to hasten to do likewise, rather than jealously clinging to power and then leaving a vacuum.

Hakeem Jeffries, presumptive Speaker of the House, got up on the podium this morning and said to the American people (I’m paraphrasing), “We hear you, and we know that your primary and foremost concern is affordability.” Again, for some of us—perhaps for many of us—this is so wide of the mark that I feel the need to forcefully call it out. Sure, it would be nice not to spend almost $100 for a single bag of groceries or more than $7 for a gallon of gas (I live in California), and yes, as a person on a fixed income that consists primarily of my Social Security check, I have been worried by the idea that if the Republicans prevailed, I would be getting a 25% “pay cut” next year so billionaires could get tax breaks. But the hike in prices due to tariffs and war is a fairly recent development, and honestly, the affordability issue seems to be a lot more important to the people who voted Republican in 2024 and have felt betrayed because their expectations have not been met.

The reasons I became so involved (people close to me would say over-involved!) these past two years are based on ethical beliefs in rights, equality, and yes, diversity, equity, and inclusion. So I would like to provide a list to Mr. Jeffries and all those he will be leading—a list of all the things I believe they should prioritize the moment they get into office.

It’s hard to figure out what should come first, because the depredations of Trump, Musk and DOGE, the do-nothing Republican House, and the disastrous appointees of this administration are legion. Some of these come before others for me, and some have equal weight, but all of them come before me thinking about my grocery bill! (I do, however, hope they can somehow re-legislate the so-called Big Beautiful Bill and save Medicaid, among other things.)

ICE
I feel like the first thing that must be put right is immigration policy. No, not policy, but the immediacy of how many people have been incarcerated for no good reason, how their lives and those of their families have been blown up, how they have not received their simple rights as an inhabitant of America—citizen or not—and the horrific situations that have been created by this President and his minions forming what is essentially a mercenary company that follows no laws and only takes direction from people acting illegally. The number of people who have been killed in cold blood, deported to other countries, injured for no reason, detained without cause, threatened, and frightened is truly appalling—especially when you consider the lack of consequences for these acts. So for me, the first call is to shut down the detention centers, free everyone who has been illegally detained, and set up a process by which they can all be sorted out in a humane and ethical way. And the second item on this particular agenda is to fire every ICE agent, deny them the right to work for the government again in any capacity, and set up a completely different paradigm for qualifications and training for whoever takes their place. The Department of Homeland Security has far outlived its usefulness and descended into corruption and tyranny and needs to be gutted or, perhaps, eliminated. For those who say this is unrealistic, fine—come up with a better creation, then. And no, I don’t expect that this can all be achieved by Congress with 47 in office; but they can start, and they can try, and they can legislate some changes.

CORRUPTION
It is time for Congress to begin the onerous and lengthy task of rooting out every shady deal, every padding of pockets, every individual who has taken advantage of his office—starting at the top with Trump. We’re not just talking all the ways in which he has managed to enrich himself to the tune of billions of dollars, including insider trading, profiteering, and the taking of bribes, but also his association and extremely questionable dealings with the heads of foreign countries with enmity towards our country and our (some of them former) allies (I believe this is called treason). Then it needs to proceed down the ladder to the perks delivered to his family, his associates, his appointees, members of Congress…the list is long enough to keep this Congress busy for the next six years, at least. But more than anything else, Congress needs to address the corruption of government in order to keep the trust of the governed. Some goals would be to ensure members of Congress cannot enrich themselves while in office by using that office as a bargaining chip; and the elimination of Citizens United. The latter will unfortunately be a function of the Supreme Court and perhaps not doable at the present moment, but making a plan and making some noise would be a positive step.

BENEFITS AND ALLIANCES
This administration has let people down in every way possible, and I’m not just talking about the American people. The elimination of such programs as USAID cost lives all over the globe, as did the crippling of SNAP here at home. The gutting of such departments as Health and Human Services and Education under 47’s appointees has to be walked back somehow. Professionals need to be enticed back to other departments that suffered extreme attrition due to either capricious dismissals or resignation under protest. Much of this may have to wait until the advent of a new President, but the Democratic Congress should at the very least try to mitigate the worst effects and come up with a plan for the future. And they can certainly be effective by refusing to approve any future appoint-ments of deeply unqualified people for important roles!

Similarly, there may be no way back to alliances destroyed by that man and his Fox-host lackeys, but at the very least the Congress needs to do its best to undermine the ties he has formed with tyrants and fascists and cultivate better relations with the other countries ours has betrayed during this regime, again in preparation for the future. And we need to quit sending money or giving aid to countries who are warring illegally on other countries, as well as putting an end to the unwarranted and utterly idiotic war that our country has pursued against its collective will (with the exception of Trump and Hegseth).

Yes, these are big expectations, and some of them may take years or even decades to set right. But the Democrats now in office need to realize that they won’t stay on top without convincing the American people of their sincerity about bringing our country along to a new, open, positive, ethical, empathetic stance with regard to ourselves and all other former or potential allies in the world. They need to realize that those of us who fought for them are an idealistic bunch who want all of us to hold ourselves to higher standards. We have suffered an egregious blow and it will be extremely hard to regain the trust that has been squandered, so it is particularly important that these new and continuing legislators begin now.

They can work on affordability too, of course. But let’s cultivate a little perspective by recognizing all the things for which we are fighting.