Democrats Should Definitely Keep Picking Fights They Can’t Win

Democrats seem to have decided that instead of proposing policies that might actually benefit Americans, they will simply oppose everything President Trump does and hope for the best. This strategy is proving to be remarkably ineffective, further highlighting their growing irrelevance.

The latest example occurred on Saturday when James Boasberg, a D.C. district judge appointed by Obama, attempted to challenge the administration’s authority to deport alleged foreign gang members residing illegally in the U.S. Boasberg ordered deportation flights to return, prompting the White House to push back.

“A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrying foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from U.S. soil,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

As of Monday, the outcome remains uncertain, but the incident raises the question: When will Democrats start contributing something useful? Their habit of opposing the president for the sake of it is getting them nowhere, as seen in the recent government funding fight. Some Democrats ultimately voted to keep the government open, much to the frustration of their colleagues.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi voted against the funding bill, calling it a “false choice,” though what she really meant was “a choice I didn’t like.” In reality, Democrats had only two options: vote to keep the government open or don’t. Either outcome would have benefited the White House, as a shutdown would have allowed Trump to zero out certain federal agencies.

Democrats are the ones turning routine government operations into unnecessary drama. Their actions also highlight the limits of judicial authority over the executive branch. As Leavitt pointed out, court orders are only valid to the extent they can be enforced, and the D.C. district court lacks the means to enforce its rulings.

This pattern of picking unwinnable fights or forcing the country to confront the fragility of its institutions is becoming tiresome. Democrats seem more interested in testing the limits of the republic than in governing effectively.

Eddie Scarry is the D.C. columnist at The Federalist and author of Liberal Misery: How the Hateful Left Sucks Joy Out of Everything and Everyone.