Democratic reps just got hit as hard as GOP reps did. I would bet they weren’t expecting that. Democrats are the “good” party, right? Uh, no. They aren’t. Not anymore. And the constituents aren’t holding back. They have compounded their fury with tRump over deep frustration for what is seen as a feckless Democratic response. Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego were told to “fight dirtier” and “get in the mud with Republicans”. We have given them enough leeway on losing the presidential race and it is time for them to DO something.
“We want you to show some of the backbone and strategic brilliance that Mitch McConnell would have in the minority,” a man told Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey. “They should try actually fighting for once. They should try to actually be the opposition party,” an attendee groused to CNN at a town hall held by Illinois Rep. Sean Casten.
The tension between Democratic lawyers and their voters spilled into public view days after the latest CR bill avoided a shutdown – because of Minority Leader Schumer and NINE other Democrats who cleared the pathway for the bill. So that’s TEN Democrats screwing over their people. TEN Democrats who should have fought harder and longer. TEN Democrats who dropped the ball so badly it shattered. And they wonder why we’re pissed. What the hell, folks? Eager to avoid embarrassment, Republican leaders told their reps not to do in-person town halls. A few did and *really* got their ears pinned back. BUT, I have to give them points for doing so. They likely had a good idea of what they’d face and they did it anyhow.
Well, Democratic reps, your turn. They took most Republican reps retreating from public view as an opportunity. They wanted to meet with their people and drive a forceful argument about how Republican government funding plans would slash Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. It’s hard for a Democrat to argue that we can work this to our advantage when they are met with rage. They are returning to Washington without having gained any momentum during their time at home. Unfortunately, that one goes in the “fail” column.
Democrats had no idea this was going to happen. There wasn’t a way for them to prepare for this happening. If they had looked at the approval rating of 29%, they probably would have had a chance, but didn’t. And there are deep divides within the party itself. “We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us too,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “But what that means is that we as a community must choose and vote for Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class.”
Czerwinski, a Democrat who owns a rock-climbing gym in the area, had called Kelly’s office multiple times since the start of the Trump administration. And when Kelly told the audience to leave voicemails to senators as a way to make their voices heard, she shouted: “Yours is full!”
It’s hard to keep up the fight when you feel your party is disregarding you. It’s hard to keep up the fight when you feel alone and that no one’s listening. We are doing our best to keep up the fight through Politizoom. And sometimes when I feel I’m at rock bottom with the people who represent us, I remember I have a voice through Pz and I am, by god, going to keep using it.
*****And now, please read a very special request from our awesome boss******
Zoomers, if you can hunt through the sofa cushions for spare change, we could use it. We are in month five of depressed traffic while a depressed nation tunes out. I have every belief that the disenchanted will tune back in and some point and return to the fight but until that happens, the bills keep coming and we need help. Thank you. Ursula
Look, I know everyone wanted the Dems to fight Drumpf and his Capitol Hill lackeys but let’s just look at things from another, slightly different perspective: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.
Do ANY of these “angry Democrats” happen to remember the last threatened government shutdown attempt? The Dems had a slim minority in the House and a very slim majority in the Senate but with the GOP being in the majority in the House, it was up to THEM to make the final decision about working to give the Dems enough reason to save the GOP’s hide and avoid a government shutdown–and the GOP *alone* had to take the heat of that threat, knowing that if the GOP caused (or, was at least seen as causing) the whole shutdown just before the election, the GOP would LOSE in November. Now, there were a lot of GOPers who were outraged at the concessions but not one of them was willing to actually risk their own seats if the government did shut down, even temporarily. So, they did their usual grumbling and then they got reelected.
Now, we’re here. And the Democrats do NOT have enough power to put the brakes on the GOP’s slim Congressional majorities, except in the Senate. But, what EXACTLY would filibustering this budget do? Oh. It could lead to a government shutdown. Do ANY of these “outraged” Democrats in Congress (many of whom are in *safe* districts, I might remind you) think that a SHUTDOWN–CAUSED BY THE DEMOCRATS–do the party any good? There are a handful of special elections coming up in the next couple of months and those GOP candidates (many of whom could lose their special election races) would be out there crowing that “the Democrats shut down the government so you can’t trust my Democrat [sic] opponent.”
Am I happy that Schumer and the others gave up? No. But I really have not heard or read a single word from any of the “outraged” Dems in Congress stepping up and telling us what the alternative is. WE on this side have long criticized GOPers who love to criticize the ruling party but offer no REAL solutions of their own (that’s why they’ve been labeled the “Party of No” by our side) but we can’t just turn around and become a “left-wing” version of the “Party of No” either.
Please. TELL US WHAT YOUR SOLUTION IS, Ms Ocasio-Cortez. Don’t just get out there and scream “We need people who listen to the middle class” especially when so many in that same middle class are DIRECTLY responsible for putting all these right-wing nuts in Congress and who voted for Drumpf to be in the White House. GIVE US SOLUTIONS. We can’t retroactively change the 2024 elections. Drumpf is doing exactly what Drumpf said he would do (albeit most of us had no idea he was bringing a Muskrat along to the White House) and while we Dems warned people about it, while our candidate Kamala Harris had real plans laid out to help the middle class (those same folks that Ms Ocasio-Cortez says are being ignored and left behind because of Schumer’s rolling over), we can’t change what happened. And Ms Ocasio-Cortez could be laying out some solutions of what the Party should do to stop Drumpf and the GOPers in Congress but she isn’t. She’s just playing into her (party) minority status in Congress to cry “Resistance!” without giving us a workable playbook.
I’d also like to remind folks that most of these people so outraged at Schumer’s rolling over and playing dead are also some of the folks who were most demanding at dumping Biden after that terrible debate performance. They screwed up then but we’re supposed to take them seriously now?
Give us answers. Give us solutions. Don’t just stand there and wah-wah-wah “Bad Schumer.” Tell us HOW the Dems were supposed to spin a possible government shutdown as a GOOD thing, especially when Drumpf is currently doing that on his own (with the Muskrat’s assistance, of course). We’ve been hearing how tough it’s been on all the people that have been fired because of DOGE but how exactly would a government shutdown go for them? Hmm? They’ll still be out of a job while the shutdown happens (and you can damn well be assured their legal cases would NOT be considered high-priority during the shutdown). Drumpf would simply get out there and hammer the Dems for the shutdown. It would be ENTIRELY on us–especially with the scared, complicit media parroting pretty much every single word coming out of Drumpf’s frontal anus. And, assuming we get to have elections next year (still not putting it past Drumpf to decide there’s a “national emergency” that would “force” the government to “postpone” any elections), you can damn well be sure that the government shutdown would get used against any incumbent Democrat (even against AOC) because OUR SIDE has been using the threat of a possible government shutdown to terrify voters (and, to a lesser extent, to intimidate GOP members of Congress). But now, when *WE* are on the “our way or government shutdown” side, our “revolutionary” members of Congress WANT a shutdown? Or are willing to attack members who decided against a possible shutdown when THEY didn’t have to vote on the matter?
Joseph,
I have been thinking about this since I first read it.
Well, screaming at me isn’t going to do any good. I’m just the messenger.
My intent was to show how BOTH parties have angry constituents. With the videos I have seen, the people are going to expect *real* change. I did not expect that for the Democrats, too, but when it did, I wrote about it. The question is, will this work? For either side? Who knows?
Yes, when I found out the government shutdown would have been worse for people, and Republicans could use it for months or years, I better understood why Schumer and 9 others chose to vote FOR the CR. I do not *like* it but it was a choice between bad, and hell, so yes they made the right call on it. I’m not sure I will *ever* LIKE it, but it was the correct choice. I can, however, hope that other Democrats understand that after they calm down, the sooner the better. Will *that* ever happen? Again, who knows? We can hope.
I have reached out to “my” members of Congress, and will continue to do so. I have emailed others with the hope they will see it, or at least be told about it. Even one voice can be heard. I am one voice.
“…our candidate Kamala Harris had real plans laid out to help the middle class (those same folks that Ms Ocasio-Cortez says are being ignored and left behind because of Schumer’s rolling over), we can’t change what happened. And Ms Ocasio-Cortez could be laying out some solutions of what the Party should do to stop Drumpf and the GOPers in Congress but she isn’t. She’s just playing into her (party) minority status in Congress to cry “Resistance!” without giving us a workable playbook.”
The Democratic Party provided those solutions. AOC supported VP Harris during the election.
Workable Playbook? You’re asking the wrong question.
It’s been all of 60 days since Jan. 20th. Although most of us were aware of Project 2025, as well as the history of the past 40-50 years of RWNJ scheming, I doubt anyone foresaw the rapidity of the amount of destruction that has occurred.
What IS happening as a result of this wanton cruelty is people waking up and responding IN PUBLIC in various ways. Often political parties follow their constituents. Well now, their constituents are telling them what they DO WANT.
Remember, PROGRESSIVE policies gave us SOCIAL SECURITY. Along with child labor laws, clean air and water, etc., all those things Project 2025 is trying to take away.
It’s been only 60 days. Give the Resistance some time.
APRIL 5 !!!!!
Thank you!!!!
I.just want them.filibuster the SAVE Act. This bill will leave married women who took their husband’s name when they married unable to.register to.vote. Women usually just inform.their bank and employer that they have taken their husband’s. name, so there is no nice people of judicial paper to prove that Mary Smith is now Mary Jones. They are trying to.nullify the 19th amendment.
Thank you for the information! I’ll look into it.
Susan, one rule of journalism is to give a person’s full name on the first reference in a story. You did not do that in this story when you referenced “Czerwinski, a Democrat who owns a rock-climbing gym in the area.” That was your first mention of her. I know to say “her” because you later said, “she shouted.” Not only did you not give her full name on first reference, but you never gave her full name at all.
I am no longer curious as to Czerwinski’s first name. After I wrote the preceding paragraph, I searched online for “Czerwinski and Democrat and Kelly.” If anyone else cares, her first name is “Jacie,” as I learned in this link to The Atlanta Voice:
https://theatlantavoice.com/democrats-town-halls-angry-trump-criticism/
You are correct, of course. My apologies.