Counterpoint-it’s not sustainable for the Democrats to require an Obama-esque statesman in order to win elections by sufficient margin that they can pass legislation. Turning out current Democrats is not enough.
On another note, listened to Pod Save America on my morning run and they have mixed feelings on pegging the resistance around Obamacare subsidies and Medicaid cuts, as those have very noticeable harms that GOP congressional candidates should have to answer for, and that Dem representatives are either unlikely to save them or get credit if they do.
Also listened to Steven Pinker on the Dax Shepard podcast (long run), and he would remind us that power is purely perceptional and consensus based. This is Trump’s brilliance, in that he understands that he needs to keep the circus going and probably delights in a shut-down because of all the attention it brings. The Dems should, too, as they’ve been almost totally unable to promote any message outside of safe spaces.