Democrats are now moving hard against Elon Musk’s new “DOGE- Gut Job” in government cuts, both the cuts that have already been recommended or taken, along with those DOGE plans, and the cuts that are now set out in the House GOP’s budget blueprint as seen in the first look at the proposed budget that passed the Rules Committee Monday complete with $1.5–2 trillion in cuts, targeting HUD, NIH, and more. It’s a DOGE-aligned move, but with a razor-thin majority, of two to three seats (Depending on when the vote is taken), the GOP has a major fight on their hands. This is an extreme budget, which allows more moderate House Reps. (The ones that I have written should be kept close by Democrats, if they want to stop the bleeding, this is the only way, everything else is theatrics and high calorie junk food) to take a more aggressive approach. So Democrats must move to stop the DOGE process and budget as it is both the best thing – by far – for the country, as well as the politically smart move. Democrats in total aren’t doing enough in my opinion. The ones that are doing enough are doing amazing work that deserves the spotlight.
As I have previously written, we are more than competently led by our usual suspects of fantastic work in the House of Representatives, I again point to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez – our superstar, as well as the rising Dallas power Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the always rock-steady reliable Rep. Jamie Raskin, and a new light on the horizon in Rep. Dan Golden of New York. Together, they are working against what they have branded as the Musk-Trump “gut job.” I have used Grok to amass quotes as a sample of their leadership – so desperately needed:
Crockett’s been fiery—she’s calling the cuts a “cruel power trip” that screws over workers, especially Black federal employees who’ve leaned on those jobs for stability. She’s tweeted about “Musk’s wrecking ball” and hit the House floor yesterday, February 24, tying it to economic racial justice. AOC’s framing it as elitist chaos—on X, she’s blasted Musk and Trump for “torching services working people need” while shielding billionaire tax breaks, tying it to her inequality playbook.
This is where it is invaluable to have Black American representation and leadership through Crockett. How many white people like myself would have really concentrated on just how big a deal federal jobs were to the Black middle class? It is obvious when it is pointed out. When racism is cut out – as it is more so (Not completely, to be sure) in government work than private sector, Black Americans have the same shot as anyone at decent paying long-term work and have taken advantage, much to the country’s advantage. The federal government is one of the few entities that actually does get the best of “all” America by using its access to POC – thus expanding the pool of “the best” to actually get the best. Not just the “white best.” Crocket has been invaluable in that the importance of federal positions to the Black community in particularly wouldn’t have been front and center in my mind. Moving on:
Raskin’s going cerebral, arguing it’s unconstitutional—Musk’s DOGE isn’t Congressionally authorized, he says, and on CNN last night, he called it “a rogue operation usurping legislative power.” Goldman’s zeroing in on specifics—late yesterday, he flagged the reinstatement of two Veterans Crisis Line workers fired by DOGE, pushing a “veterans betrayed” narrative on MSNBC.
Veterans betrayed is a winning political strategy for one reason only and that is politics aside it is absolutely outrageous. The federal government has one and only one sacred duty, and that is to keep its word to the less fortunate or challenged people to whom it has made a deal, we are talking about veterans, Native American Tribes, the disabled, minorities – and so when an administration seeks to demolish one of those sacred agreements, it is time to come in as Democrats to shut it down.
Meanwhile, over in the Senate, this column has already praised the work being done by Senators Adam Schiff, Chris Murphy (The man has been everywhere), Mark Kelly (Is there anything he can’t do with energy and emphasis?) and Bernie Sanders – he will not tire. To this list we now add Tammy Baldwin, another bottomless talent, who has another good strategy. Make them have to put words to every cut, make them eat it:
Senator Tammy Baldwin’s “Vote-a-Rama” push last week (February 20) made Republicans vote on Medicaid cuts, per Fox News, exposing red-state vulnerabilities. It’s about cornering the GOP into defending DOGE’s mess.
No package deals. A vote for every cut, set them all out, and bring them all to the light of day. Grok sums up where the situation stands now beautifully and leads right into where I am going:
The messaging’s loud—X posts echo “Musk-Trump chaos” and “gutted services”—but it’s not a tight script. Crockett and AOC lean populist, Raskin and Goldman go legal-policy wonk. Posts on X praise their visibility, with some users calling them the “firewall” against DOGE’s “slash-and-burn.” Critics, though, say it’s reactive—Democrats aren’t offering a counter-budget yet, just slamming the cuts. Axios reports they’re betting on public anger (Reuters/Ipsos polls show most Americans worry about service disruptions) to flip the narrative, especially with a March 14 shutdown looming if Congress doesn’t fund the government.
For now it is only reactive and for now it remains true that – as I’ve written all week – I don’t see Democrats doing enough, though we certainly recognize the hard lifting that those named above doing. This is a moment in U.S. politics and every Democrat should be available at every minute. Find a way to be front and center in front of a wall of cameras with a message. It cannot just be reactive (Though, to be sure, there is nothing wrong with reacting to all this… ). There should be a “Project 2027” – the next Congress – put right in Americans’ minds with what Congress would be voting for if Democrats were in charge. They should be campaigning now. If Republicans saw themselves losing in swing districts already, especially because of Musk – one could bet that they’ll distance themselves from cuts like Medicaid and from Musk generally.
Now it is time for other Democrats to join. I like the branding. I like dumping the easy to dislike Musk in Donald Trump’s lap. I like forcing MAGA voters own both, together, never to be separated. And make sure that Conservative voters know what is being taken from them in the name of billionaire tax cuts.
God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter-X at @JasonMiciak and please follow me on Bluesky.
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“the easy to dislike Musk”
Understatement of the season.