Story highlights Democrats try to slow Trump's nominees with procedural moves

Emboldened by their base, Congressional leaders take more aggressive posture

Democrats look ahead to 2018 and 2020

(CNN) Democrats are spending the opening weeks of the Trump administration trying to flex their muscle any way they can -- boycotting confirmation hearings, refusing to work with Republicans on Obamacare and pondering a filibuster of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick.

But as Democrats throw every procedural hurdle they can think of at Trump, they're facing a bleak reality: they have virtually no power in Washington.

The party has no clear successor to Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton who can speak with one voice for the party. And there is no consensus yet on a strategy to thwart Trump's legislative agenda -- or even how to prioritize the issues they plan to challenge him on.

There's one thing giving them comfort: Trump himself. The President's initial actions in office have been so breathtaking in their scope and breadth that frustrated Democrats say their base is galvanized in ways they haven't seen in a long time. That could make it easier for Democratic groups to gear up for a more forceful effort to sway the balance of power in 2018 and 2020.

Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist and CNN contributor, said there was lull after the November election, in part because many Democrats were legitimately shocked at Trump's win. At that time, Democratic congressional leaders were still debating whether it was more advantageous to try to work with the President on some areas, rather than to risk appearing obstructionist by trying to block him at every turn.

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