“What Lies Ahead in 2017” [Jan. 5 cover] underestimates the dire circumstances that a Trump presidency poses for teachers, workers and many other Americans. 

The Democrats in Congress will be unable to provide effective opposition to the fake populism and reactionary policies of the Trump administration and its Republican Party allies. The Democratic leadership, including Obama, Clinton, Pelosi, Reid and, now, Schumer, has presided over the marginalization of the party. Republicans now control the Senate, the House of Representatives and the executive branch, and will soon regain a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. To make matters worse, only five states have a Democratic governor and control both legislative chambers. 

Given the unfortunate two-party monopoly, the Democratic Party must be strengthened electorally if public education, civil liberties and social services are to be protected. This means that the UFT, NYSUT and the AFT should not endorse candidates who favor trade deals that hurt workers and unions; support de-regulation of the economy with its increased inequality; accept millions of dollars in political contributions from plutocrats on Wall Street and in corporate America; or back bloated defense budgets and unnecessary foreign interventions that not only result in lost lives but also waste billions of dollars, which could be spent each year on vital domestic programs such as education.

The Democratic Party needs to return to its progressive economic legacy that took shape during the New Deal. This shift would expand the voter base and attract young people, as well as working-class voters in the battleground states who determined the outcome of the 2016 election.

Howard Elterman, retired