Atop the dome of the United States Capitol, there is a small structure called the tholos. Few know of its existence, but the little lamp it houses can be seen for miles across D.C. and, when lit, signifies that Congress is in session.
This past Monday, I watched the lantern shine throughout the night from the sidewalk in front of my hotel. Through my all-night paper-writing session, I squeezed every last drop of creativity out of my brain and routinely stepped outside to find some energy in the cool night air. As I looked down the street, the lantern was dim, and at times, with my drowsy eyes, I couldn’t be quite sure it was still lit. Yet, it shone for Sen. Corey Booker, whose speech on the Senate floor looked like it would go into the early morning hours.
Looking toward the lantern, I let out a yawn, thinking of how much more writing I had to do and how much longer Booker could speak into the night. To the shock of few, I could not finish my paper that night. However, to the surprise of a nation, Booker’s speech would go on for 25 hours, shattering segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond’s record for the longest ever Senate floor speech.
As I reflect on the light I saw on the top of Capitol Hill and the light America saw in Sen. Booker’s superhuman endurance, I thought of our party. With plummeting approval ratings and a base hungry for action, Democrats needed a break from the status quo. For 25 hours, he put his body on the line: no food, no water, no rest. Booker broke stride with congressional Democrats in a move so dramatic that it had never been done before. This is the energy Democrats across the United States need to adopt, regardless of their position. That night, Sen. Booker kept the light of the Capitol bright with his fiery speech.
I thought, too, of the famous American sermon by pilgrim John Winthrop, when he said, “We shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.” Trump’s politics is one of deep darkness. America is still that shining city, but Democrats must be the shining light enduring on the top of the Hill.
This past Wednesday, Republicans celebrated Trump’s “Liberation Day”, in which he unilaterally announced the largest tariff hikes in decades. This included a 10% tariff minimum on any good entering the country. These seemingly indiscriminate tariff formulas, which were allegedly determined using AI chatbots and some of which were placed on uninhabited islands, have sent the American stock market into spiral. This includes the worst day on the market since 2020. As the cost of tariffs is passed on to the consumer, these Trump tariffs will single-handedly create the most significant tax hike on the middle class since World War Two.
Amid this economic darkness and uncertainty, Democrats cannot sit idly by. Criticism of the Trump administration is not enough. Democrats in power have to be a light, fighting to make life easier for everyday Americans and reduce the cost of living.
Last week, in the group chat heard around the world, top Trump officials inadvertently leaked highly sensitive war plans to the editor in chief of The Atlantic via a private messaging software. This scandal raised concerns about the types of unfriendly actors that may have had access to this top-secret information and how the Trump team placed American soldiers at risk. Worse still, it was later revealed that national security adviser Mike Waltz had created at least 20 different nonsecure groupchats to handle classified matters.
While the Trump administration puts Americans abroad at risk and darkens the global standing of the United States, Democrats must act. In these confusing times of Trump’s national security world, where our allies are our enemies and our enemies are now our allies, Democrats need to be a light.
On Wednesday, the Trump/Musk agenda faced a brutal challenge in the Badger State. In a special election for the state Supreme Court, liberal judge Susan Crawford whopped Musk-supported conservative Brad Schimel by 10 points. This result was significant because it went against the unprecedented sums of money ($21 million) and social media influence flexed by Musk in an effort to influence the race for his own gain.
While Trump relies on the dark money of the world’s richest man and his virtual control of the internet, Democrats succeeded in this first major referendum on Republicans. Liberals cannot just rely on the shortcomings of Musk’s schemes, like offering legally dubious cash payouts to people for voting. Rather, they need to make voters believe that going to the ballot box is worth enough to them personally that it merits getting off the sofa. As the Crawford campaign demonstrated this week in Wisconsin with effective organizing and capitalizing on America’s growing dissatisfaction, Democrats have to be a light.
If Democrats can be a light over the next four years, then when voters return to the ballot boxes, America may be free of this political darkness. In the meantime, Democrats must follow the lead of leaders like Sen. Cory Booker who are not afraid to buck the status quo to keep our city on the hill shining.
Jack is a proud Michigander, a small-towner, a man of Fisher, a senior and a licensed boat captain in that order. He enjoys gritty Midwestern football, planespotting and speechwriting. If you are in urgent need of his consultation or would like to berate him, he can be found frolicking about campus or via email at jsirian2@nd.edu.
