Few people are as controversial in Democratic circles as Elon Musk and the young team spearheading DOGE. But for all the outrage Democrats have directed at the Department of Government Efficiency, what they have not done is offer an alternative vision for making government work better. 

Their response so far can be summed up by the visual of lawmakers holding a protest outside of USAID, one of DOGE’s first targets. But symbolic gestures like these do not add up to a governing vision.  

Democratic strategist James Carville argues that Democrats should wait for Republicans to implode rather than offer an alternative. According to that line of reasoning, doing nothing while the country faces a government shutdown later this month actually works to benefit America (and, coincidentally, Democrats) in the long run.  

In classic Carville fashion, it is a provocative argument. But it is also the wrong one. As one commenter noted in response to his piece, “The Democrats have a responsibility to their constituents. They have to plan their own agenda, regardless of what the Republicans do.” 

The debate over DOGE is really about the future of governance itself. What kind of government should the American people expect and deserve in the 21st century? It is a conversation we need to have. 

That is why this Thursday, March 6, at 4 PM ET, we are hosting a conversation with Jeffrey Rosen, President of the National Constitution Center, to discuss DOGE, Trump’s sweeping use of executive action, and the legal battles already unfolding. More than 90 lawsuits have been filed challenging the administration’s actions. How many have merit, and what does the Constitution say about them?