Okay, folks, I know you are unhappy with yesterday’s column. I put up a piece that showed him in a bad light. I have *nothing* against him. He made a poor showing in the interview, and it was embarrassing. If someone goes live, they need to be prepared for *any* question.
I am WELL AWARE that we are in the MINORITY and that nothing gets accomplished without Republican help, which is extremely rare. I know we are caught between a rock and a hard place. Is it leadership or wimping out? It’s not known until the specific person tells us. When someone comes out and does not do well in a live presentation, we don’t come out covered in roses.
If you really think I hate Minority Speaker Jeffries, you are incorrect. He’s a great guy and tries very, very hard. But it’s frustrating. We need to account for both sides of the equation. I do not like writing negatively about Jeffries and Democrats in general. But it has to be considered. I will write negative things about “the other side” all day. That’s rude. But they are coming off even worse. There isn’t much positive to find.
We have a narrow line to walk here, and it’s a balancing act. We need positive things and what we are accomplishing (like No Kings). There’s still frustration. I know of one senator who started fundraising last year. He happens to be one of “mine”. I have *not* seen much about anyone else, and we need to do all we can *now* so there is a base to build on in the future. We can’t just ride the coattails of the state seats that have been flipped. But they are a start.
Since all I know about politics is pretty much what I’ve learned since coming on board Pz, I don’t exactly have all the knowledge in the world to understand them. I know that, and you know that. It’s all a matter of opinion. I try very hard to write about things and get them out there to you. It doesn’t mean that I’m always correct. It doesn’t mean that I know everything. *ALL* of you have been so helpful with your comments and information. I’ve learned just as much from you as I’ve learned from the news.
I do my best with all of my columns. Some of them flop. It happens. Sure, it’s disappointing, but then it also tells me what I did wrong so I can work on it. That’s part of why I stray off the beaten track when writing. I’m not experienced enough to really dig into major stories. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to. It means the other writers of Pz are much better than I am. So why not look elsewhere for other stories?
We need to support our democratic Congresspeople with everything we have. One small thing added to other small things turns into a big thing. Nothing is wasted. Speaking to your neighbor. Sending a $5 donation. It all counts, and it means we try.
I will say that I could have presented it better. But we need to keep the rose-colored glasses *off*. If we can’t see both sides of something, that’s a potential problem. We are all human. We are all good and bad. Effort counts. So does admitting mistakes. Minority Leader Jeffries has a lot pushing against him because, well, Republicans and their sycophantic slavish devotion. That means he has to put way too much effort into something because he’s fighting against the current. He’s still *trying*. When it comes down to it, that’s what counts.
Susan
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise that among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest-working. We’re a group of elderly, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
jefferies is a week leader, definitely not up to task in these time. I turn off radio, tv, or scroll away when I see him — shumer and jefferies must go and that is the reality.
Susan, I hope and trust that none of your readers suggested that you “hate Jeffries.” Those of us who took issue with some of your opinions or judgements did so on the basis that the skewed power within Congress makes Jeffries’ task nigh onto impossible, and would be that way no matter who was in the job. Trump has guaranteed that there will be NO co-operation twixt Dems & Repugs, thereby stymying any efforts by the minority, regardless of its leadership. It’s a rotten situation and is destroying our country, while the GOP spouts meaningless slogans like Make America Great Again. We’re all angry, and frustrated, and are in this shit together, so please carry on as you see fit. We know your heart’s in exactly the right place.
jarvis, I put a lot of thought into this before replying. No one suggested but it was implied. It hurt.
I most *certainly* know that there’s only a small amount in terms of what Minority Speaker Jeffries can accomplish. I was disconcerted by how poorly he did in that interview. Now admittedly, MS NOW did completely and totally blindside him. But nevertheless, someone was bound to ask that question at some point. Minority Speaker Jeffries is doing what he can with what he has. The part I keep stubbing my toe on is our *presentation*. We need toi show we are better than Republicans. Hem and hawing doesn’t do that.
I’m just staying away from Minority Speaker Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Schumer from now on. It’s not worth it.
One can steongly disagree with the jefferies clown show without hating him personally. When he said “God is still on his thrown” he jumped the shark.
I have no reason to believe his faith is real, but the bible clearly said “Faith without work is dead” and this means that shrugging your shoulder at what is literally killing large numbers of people and proclaiming, “God blah blah blah blah.”
maybe with another leader stronger than Shumer, his fickleness and hypocracy would not undermine us. Jefferies = Trump lackeye. He cares more for AIPAC than US interests allies, and citizens.
Nothing to like about him as long as he says in power.
Dude, NO *minority* leader–no matter how strong he may be–can really accomplish much of anything in the House of Representatives. There’s NO filibuster procedure allowed in the House (unlike the Senate where a minority leader–even a relatively weak one as long as he can control *his* caucus–can thwart pretty much anything) so the ONLY thing a minority leader can do is HOPE that enough of the majority party is willing to break off from the majority (and we’ve seen that happen on a few occasions even in this Congress).
Now. Putting that issue aside, name me ONE member among the House Democrats who can accomplish the following points:
First, achieve a majority vote of the Democratic caucus to become the Minority Leader.
Second, manage to find and work WITH a dozen GOP members to stop Mike Johnson’s agenda (and, by extension, Drumpf’s).
All I want is ONE name. NOW. And, remember, this person MUST be able to accomplish both prongs I laid out above.
AOC? No. She’s not going to find a single member of the GOP MAJORITY that’s going to work with her even if the Democrats unite behind her. She’ll do no better and achieve no more than what Jeffries has done.
Are there any other names out there that ANYONE knows of? When Pelosi stepped aside and Jeffries took the job, the “progressive left” was thrilled that some “new blood” was in charge. That now, the progressive cause was going to set the stage for the next Congress. In just a couple of years, the same folks who cheered on Jeffries’ accession to the leadership post have now turned on him, complaining he’s useless and isn’t doing enough. This reminds me so much of 2010 when Obama’s “freshness” had worn off; he hadn’t achieved all the miracles that progressives just knew he could do (single-handedly with absolutely no need for Congress) and a very vocal minority of the “progressive” movement were already calling to primary Obama’s “establishment” Dems and, if THEIR candidates didn’t win, then just sit out the elections and let Congress be taken over by the GOP for the next decade, by which time the country as a whole would turn on the GOP and never elect another Republican. Fortunately, enough progressives didn’t buy into that ploy but just enough did so we got the TEAbaggers and then Drumpf as a result.
Progressives are their own worst enemy. They are almost NEVER satisfied with what they get; they want more. They KNOW they’ll never get 100% but they’ll never be willing to accept even 95%. In their own way, they’re as bad as MAGAts.
Susan, my earlier comment (on the earlier article) was by no means intended as a slam against YOU. My whole outrage was intended to be directed at the beeyotch MSNBC host who treated Jeffries as if he were Drumpf or some other MAGAt-brain. She was behaving WORSE than a Fox “News” host would have in the same interview because Jeffries would’ve been expecting that kind of shitty attitude from someone at that propaganda channel. But MSNBC (I’m going to need some time before I accept that insipid new name they’ve chosen–just like Twitter will be Twitter, never the pornographic name the Muskrat selected) pulling that kind of crap?
Joseph, I also put some thought into replying to you on this one. It *felt* like you were laying into me, and it hurt.
We have discussed time and time again how ridiculously the Democrats in Congress are hamstrung. As I just mentioned to jarvis, Minority Speaker Jeffries was caught flat-footed, when in every appearance, press conference, anything, we need to sound like reasonable people instead of all the rhetoric of Republicans. Going with the odds you stated, we won’t have a chance at flipping the Senate. That’s depressing. So even if we flip the House, our chances of controlling Congress are extremely miniscule. Yet even if we “only” *improve* our numbers in the Senate, we still might be able to get some things done. No, I would not have expected that from a non-Fox network.
It’s disheartening to try and present an opposite viewpoint and then get jumped on for it. So, I’m just not going to do that anymore. I’m going back to my side stories and stay away from the big ones.
I appreciate the clarification. The MS NOW host did not come out covered in roses either. She certainly *sounded* like Fox News. I wish it had been Jen Psaki or Rachel Maddow talking with him. It would have improved the conversation a vast amount. I would expect questions from them, not attacks. What the host said was right at the edge of an attack and that’s unbecoming.