The Democrats should create a “shadow government” to “fight back against the worst excesses of a second Trump administration,” according to Democrat Rep. Wiley Nickel.
Nickel puts forward his idea in an op-ed for The Washington Post. He says the Democrats should draw inspiration from the British system, in which the main opposition party forms a shadow cabinet of ministers.
“Last week stung, Nickel writes.
Democrats could form a “shadow cabinet” to oppose Trump’s agenda. 🤡 pic.twitter.com/4ZVGROdSEB
— cerwinlive (@cerwinliveIG) November 15, 2024
“As Democrats, we simply failed to convince the American people we have better ideas to solve their problems. Now, we need to dust ourselves off and get ready to fight. We can’t let Donald Trump’s radical agenda go unanswered or unopposed.”
He continues:
“The special relationship between the United States and Britain extends not just to our strength on the world stage but also to our shared belief in democracy. Across the Atlantic, the British have something we don’t: a team from the opposition that mirrors the government’s cabinet members. They watch the cabinet closely, publicly challenging, scrutinizing and offering new ideas. It’s another form of checks and balances—a quiet guardrail that keeps power accountable.”
Nickel describes the proposal as “another form of checks and balances” and “democracy’s insurance policy.”
He suggests a senior role in this “shadow government” could be filled by Adam Schiff.
“If Trump attempts to weaponize the justice system against his political opponents with Matt Gaetz at the helm, we can see incoming Senator Adam Schiff as our shadow Attorney General, arguing against replacing our independent prosecutors with Trump loyalists,” he said, ignoring the great irony that Democrats have used the justice system to target their political opponents—Trump and his supporters—throughout the entirety of the Biden-Harris administration.”
Other potential picks included Jahana Hayes as shadow Education Secretary, Greg Meeks as shadow Secretary of State and Adam Smith as shadow Defense Secretary.
“New times require new solutions,” Nickel adds.