Senator Booker is protesting actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration. He has touched on some pretty major actions, one of which I’ll bring to you here. The Democratic senator vowed Monday evening that he would keep going as long as he was “physically able,” continuing his remarks through the night.
Let me just say I have *so* much respect for this Democrat. I‘ve been begging my reps to stand up, even though they are *currently* in the minority, and think and plan. Senator Booker is doing exactly that and has done so for 23 hours. TWENTY-THREE HOURS. This is a dedicated gentleman who is standing up for his constituents. Why can’t others follow his lead and at least speak up, even if not with a marathon speech?
Booker, who is a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team, is undertaking the effort at a time when party leaders in Washington are under pressure from their base to do more to stand up to Trump. He has castigated Trump’s efforts with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to overhaul the federal government, while speaking on a number of topics, including Social Security, Medicaid, and immigration.
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” Booker said at the outset of his remarks. “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.” “In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability,” Booker said. “These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
Booker has warned of cuts to Medicaid, even though they said they’re not going to touch it. Sure, they’re not going to touch Medicaid. (Right.) They’re not going to touch Social Security. Republicans are saying they are going after “waste, fraud, and abuse”. I don’t know about you folks, but I’m tired of hearing that totally BS reason. Republicans are looking to make “deep spending cuts,” but they’re not telling anyone where the cuts are going to be made. I think Social Security and Medicaid are *highly* at risk of having cuts to them. And that may finally be the reason for the American *people*, ALL of them, to rise up and fight back.
Senator Booker thanked each of his Democratic colleagues for their help and support as he continued speaking. Senator Chris Murphy stayed with him *all* night and through today. Murphy has seemingly smoothed out the process by discussing the effort with senators as they arrive on the floor and arranging speakers to ask Booker questions. And for a bit of humor, Booker and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer briefly sparred over New York sports teams during their exchange, though they could agree that they both support the Giants.
I am so amazed at how long he’s been doing this. That’s some serious willpower. That’s many serious concerns. That’s standing up and telling the Senate that we need to fix things, not break more of them, like what happened with USAID. That’s a man who truly believes in himself, who sees a nation broken, and wants to do something about it. Thank you, Democratic Senator Booker. You’re amazing.
*****And now, please read a very special request from our awesome boss******
Zoomers, if you can find some spare change in the sofa cushions, we could use it. April starts soon, and that is month six of this depressed media climate we now live in due to Trump Depression Syndrome. We thank you for any help you can give, and most of all, we thank you for coming here to read. Ursula
Kudos to Booker. He’s going to break Strom Thurmond’s record. The Guardian has a live feed of Booker’s ongoing speech. Go look!
I’m actually listening to it on CNN because I’m way behind on my writing 🙁 He’s done it!
Some jackass bloviating on. the senate floor is what impresses you? You said that Republicans are making deep spending cuts but aren’t saying where they’re cutting from. Have you not been paying attention? Musk & his team have been doing interviews directly showing the American people where they’re cutting & why. The majority of people WANT THIS. We understand that cutting waste and fraud will enable us to keep social security, Medicaid. Currently, it is unsustainable.
GO AWAY, YOU TROLL.
“WE” did NOT vote to let the Muskrat and his little toy-boys do ANYTHING. And the REAL MAJORITY of people did NOT vote for Drumpf at all–to do anything. Drumpf won (again) with a MINORITY of the popular vote (and even then, it was by less than 1.5 percentage points) but not even the MAJORITY of idiots that voted for the liar and adjudicated rapist to do any of this nonsense. They voted for him to LOWER PRICES and STOP THE WAR IN UKRAINE ON DAY ONE.
What could REALLY enable us to keep Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare is MAKE THE BILLIONAIRES PAY. They pay withholding on Social Security up to $176,000(ish) and that’s it. If they make $1,000,000 a year, they pay on $176,000 of it–the rest doesn’t exist for withholding purposes. Just imagine if they paid 12.4% on the full million instead of the $150,000. (It would likely be 12.4% since they most likely would be paying the equal 6.2% employer and employee shares. Medicare withholding constitutes the remaining 1.25% FICA withholding.) Instead of a millionaire paying out a little under $22,000 (at the 12.4% rate), he’d be paying out $124,000 (nearly 6 times the withholding. But here’s the thing, troll: Currently that millionaire is paying just $22,000; even someone “earning” a billion pays only $22,000–if he were paying FAIR into Social Security, it’d be $124 MILLION and the system would be fully solvent for decades.
But what the Muskrat and his buddies want is to privatize the system and EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY that has privatized their social safety nets (their equivalents of Social Security) and forced the people dependent on those safety nets into the stock market has seen those “private” accounts collapse into nothingness when there’s a recession or a full-blown depression. Hell, in THIS country, back during the 2007-2008 financial crisis, millions of people with TSPs and IRAs that were largely “investments” (most of those programs involve stock market participation to varying degrees) saw those investments COLLAPSE as the Stock Market teetered.
And I CHALLENGE you to show how much REAL “waste and fraud” Muskrat and his little toy boys have uncovered. The REAL numbers aren’t even close to what they’ve claimed (they were even forced to admit that some of their numbers double-counted programs and some of the numbers were just made up).
I’m sorry. When I read your first line I thought you were talking about your moronic bs. Musk and Trump are deliberately screwing with the system causing issues so they can finally steal the money for the richest to get their tax cuts LIKE THE ONES HE HAD PASSED IN HIS PREVIOUS TERM. Then they can privatize it for profit. Joseph’s reply gives you the facts comrade. Or…you can go back to believing faux news which was forced to pay almost a billion in penalties for LYING.
Hey comrade mark…when are we going to see any of the following Trump promises that have been hanging since 2015? When does he produce the “explosive evidence” that Obama was not born in America. When does he build the wall and where’s the goddamn check from Mexico? He promised egg prices and all prices would drop. Hasn’t happened. He promised to end the Ukraine war “day one”. NOPE! There’s a thousand other lies I could smear your face in but let me ask you…THIS LIAR IS WHO YOU SUPPORT??? If so, I’ve got some bad news…if you’re not a Russian bot…then you are one CLUELESS SOB. Now that is a fact.
Good evening squatty. Glad to see you’re thinking about me, how nice. Who cares where Barry hussein was born? Old news. The wall will be worked in slowly I’m guessing but the important part is done, ending biden’s open borders & beginning the deportations. Egg prices are dropping & peace talks are happening.
You were a biden supporter right?
hahahahaha
Important to note that this filibuster was for the positive purpose of highlighting Republican malfeasance in government whereas the Democrat racist Strom Thurmond stood negatively to oppose Eisenhower’s Civil Rights Act. If there is to be a record, it should be as a beacon for something worthwhile. As above, kudos to Cory Booker. He outshone and outstood Thurmond. May he hammer home his superiority by serving living longer than the centenarian Thurmond