Democratic Shadow Cabinet
Submit your Shadow Cabinet Nominations here
Purpose: To create a shadow cabinet capable of responding to actions of the Trump administration to highlight the differences between Democratic and Republican approaches to governing.
Why this is necessary: The Democratic party must rebuild trust with Americans. Americans are no longer satisfied hearing from the party once every four years but instead need ongoing communication and engagement. This engagement must not be endless fundraising requests but instead should inspire hope and action.
A shadow cabinet composed of subject area experts who are aligned with the party’s platform and principles can speak to Americans and show them a different way, and it can do that in a consistent manner that builds credibility.
We have seen since Donald Trump’s inauguration a complete disregard for tradition, etiquette, the Constitution, and human decency. The shadow cabinet can bring those back to the table.
What this cabinet will do: This cabinet will regularly respond to both administration actions and current events through the dual lenses of “what we would have done” and “what the administration should do.” The cabinet members will use both formal and informal means of communication.
What this can achieve: This can give Americans a different view of what is possible and, if done correctly, drive the public discussion about issues. News outlets will have a single source of truth for issues instead of finding a member of Congress.
How will the cabinet be selected: There are two options.
The appointment way: Some high-ranking Democratic body names a shadow cabinet. Done.
The elected way: There are no set rules for this, but we should be careful so as to do this in a way that is sustainable and that can build structure along the way.
I propose a method in which self-organized slates of candidates, after meeting a set of defined technical criteria, are put forth to the state parties for a vote.
Forcing the candidates to self-aggregate will serve as a structure test. If these candidates cannot organize themselves, they cannot unify a country. Each candidate slate can have a “chief of staff” that is responsible for creating the slate and campaigning for it. The individual members can be anybody, elected official or not.
The chaos elected way: Just open the sucker up to the Internet and let anyone vote. I fear that without the vetting of local organizations, such a vote could be brigaded. See the top of this document for my nomination form!
What this cabinet will actually do: The slate should cover at least state, treasury, defense, attorney general, interior, agriculture, commerce, labor, health and human services, housing and urban development, transportation, energy, education, veterans affairs, and homeland security. Each slate can also have a chief of staff. Each shadow secretary will play close attention to the actions of their assigned department, using both the news media and the federal register as sources of information. A website will be maintained that lists current agency actions, agree/disagree indicators, alternative policy proposals, and calls to action.
The shadow cabinet will either directly or through its chief of staff create weekly video briefings to be shared with the American public. These briefings will encapsulate much of the work on the website but will do so in a more easily understood fashion.
The cabinet will also act as a de facto speakers bureau for the national media.
How to make this happen: Contact your local and state Democratic parties. Put pressure on the DNC and its new leadership to make a plan for this.
To join the discussion, go to https://groups.google.com/g/democratic-shadow-cabinet and join. You need to be logged into a google account. You can also contact me on bluesky @afowles.bsky.social
And now a discord server: https://discord.gg/EFt8jBCW
And on Telegram: t.me/demshadow
Resources:
Doug Shortridge’s Timothy Snyder-Related Substack
House Democratic Policy and Communication Committee
Senate Democratic Policy and Communication Committee
The People’s CDC ← an idea similar to a shadow cabinet
Hakeem Jeffries’s Dear Colleague Letter - in which he spells out priorities, including communication
BlueSky Starter Pack of all the Alt accounts ← more like government-in-exile
Is this a coup? ← the meter itself is cute, but it has lots