As I watched President Donald Trump’s speech last night, I felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
It was not because I had seen a similar political moment before. No, it reminded me of something more personal: my oldest daughter when she was three. Like many toddlers, she had a flair for the dramatic. When she got mad, she would not just cry—she would sob so intensely that she exhaled every bit of air in her lungs while her head turned into a very pretty magenta.
But instead of pausing to take a breath, she would keep pushing through until she physically could not anymore. Then, for a few terrifying moments, she would pass out. It scared me the first time it happened: I thought something was seriously wrong.
I took her to the doctor, expecting urgent medical advice, only to be told that this was not an unknown childhood phase. “She’s not hurting herself,” the doctor assured me. “The best thing you can do is act like it’s no big deal. The less attention you give it, the faster she’ll grow out of it.”
Easier said than done, right? But he was right. I stopped reacting, and sure enough, the tantrums eventually disappeared.
I thought about that last night as I watched Democratic lawmakers react to Trump’s speech. It was all so familiar—the emotional outbursts, the refusal to accept reality, the dramatic performances that, in the end, accomplished nothing except exhausting the person throwing the fit and creating some embarrassing performance art.
Let’s start with the most blatant example: Rep. Al Green, D-Texas. Early in the speech, he stood up and started yelling that Trump had “no mandate” to cut social programs. The chamber filled with rumbles as Green’s voice grew louder, his outrage boiling over in a scene that felt more like a street protest than a congressional address. Eventually, security had to escort him out.
This is crazy. I have never seen anything like this. Al Green was just removed for being disrespectful and refusing to sit down and be quiet after being warned multiple times. Then the crowd chants na na hey hey hey goodbye as he is being removed. 🤣
— Dylan (@Dylan_Madden10) March 5, 2025
Then there was the group of Democrats who decided that simply listening to the speech was too much to bear. So, in a coordinated demonstration, they stood up and walked out. As the president spoke about border security and economic policy, at least six members of Congress turned their backs to the podium and left the chamber.
Of course, there were those who took a more passive-aggressive approach. Some Democrats held up signs with messages like “No King!” and “Save Medicaid,” ensuring that even in their refusal to engage, they still demanded attention.
Theatrics like these may excite their most dedicated supporters, but they do not change the fact that Trump remains the major force in American politics. Like his presidency, his speech was about setting the agenda and controlling the conversation. The Democrats resorted to gestures that amounted to little more than stomping their feet instead of challenging him with reasoned arguments or a compelling counter-vision.
The problem is that this kind of behavior is not just ineffective—it’s counterproductive. It reinforces every stereotype that Trump supporters hold about the left: that they’re emotionally driven, incapable of handling disagreement, and more interested in making a scene than in governing.
Imagine if, instead of walking out, those Democrats had stayed and engaged. Imagine if, instead of shouting over Trump, they had responded with sharp, well-reasoned rebuttals afterward. That would have been an actual challenge to his presidency. But they played right into his hands, giving him yet another opportunity to cast them as unserious and out of touch.
When my daughter threw a major tantrum, she was trying to communicate something. She wanted control, attention, and sometimes, just to test the boundaries of what she could get away with. I learned that the best way to handle it was not to give in. If that behavior had received any attention, it would have continued. It is not very comforting to imagine that dramatic flair occurring during junior high English in a full classroom. But as long as we remained calm and refused to play into it, she quickly realized it was not worth the effort if.
Democrats could take a lesson from this approach. Rather than turning their outrage into spectacles, they would be better served by focusing on what truly matters: winning arguments, winning elections, and demonstrating to the American people why their plan is the better choice. At the very least, they should communicate with the maturity of an adult.
Right now, they’re doing the political equivalent of holding their breath until they turn blue. And just like my daughter’s tantrums, it will not get them what they want.
Eventually, she grew up.
Let’s hope Washington does the same.
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Mr Manney wrote:
Objection! Assumes facts not in evidence, namely that the Democrats are capable of maturity and anything well-reasoned at all.