Yes, this is going to be a touchy topic. It seems folks are unhappy with Democratic leadership in Congress, and they are saying the quiet parts out loud. This was completely unexpected. *Completely*. Now, sure, we’ve been a bit unhappy, tempered by the knowledge that there are only a limited number of actions they can take. But these organizations are being much more blunt. With acknowledgement to Jake Johnson of Common Dreams via Raw Story:
A coalition of peace groups on Wednesday launched a new national campaign calling for the top Democrats in Congress—Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—to resign from their leadership roles, citing their failure to sufficiently fight back “against a war-crazed Trump administration.”
The coalition, which includes Peace Action and RootsAction, launched a petition declaring that it is “time for congressional Democrats to replace Schumer and Jeffries with leaders who are willing and able to challenge the runaway militarism that has dragged our country into launching yet another insanely destructive war,” this time against Iran.
YIKES. Wow, that’s laying it all out there in no uncertain terms. You can’t misinterpret it. And they do have a point. Oof. Will this be a call to arms for Jeffries and Schumer? Maybe. I’ve been hoping for Schumer to step down because I felt we needed some new blood and a whole lot less indecision. But hoping and saying are two very, very different things. I have absolutely nothing against either gentleman. I like them.
“Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries have not acted to prevent war on Venezuela or the current war on Iran,” the petition reads. “They worked to delay a vote on Iran until after the war had started, while failing to clearly oppose it before or after the launch of the war. Schumer and Jeffries have shown that they cannot be trusted to prevent more wars, more threats of wars, or the transfer of another half a trillion dollars a year into the war machine.”
And:
Kevin Martin, president of Peace Action—the largest grassroots peace network in the US—said in a statement that he doubts “at this point whether many people look to Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries for ‘leadership’ in Congress, but we would settle for them getting with the program and representing their base, and the majority of Americans, who want them to stand strongly against Trump’s illegal wars and domestic terror campaigns against the American people.”
OUCH. A lot of people would likely be happy if they got the picture. We’re definitely going to need strength when we take over Congress this year. (Do you think Speaker Johnson will be relieved? He’s under a ton of pressure.) And domestic terror campaigns. That’s a rather ‘nice’ phrase for DHS. Noticed how quiet it’s been since Minneapolis and Krispi getting kicked to the curb? Is this good or bad?
Since the start of the illegal US-Israeli assault on Iran, Schumer and Jeffries have focused largely on procedural objections to the war, the Trump administration’s incompetence, and the president’s failure to clearly articulate his objectives, rather than explicitly opposing the military onslaught.
Sarah Lazare and Adam Johnson wrote for The Nation last week that “it’s not enough to check the box, to do the bare minimum, to reinforce every argument for war only to balk at the process and ask whether there’s a ‘plan’ for after the myriad war crimes have already been committed.” “The only way to read this half-hearted response from the Democratic Party leadership,” they argued, “is de facto support.”
And WHAM. That last sentence is a bitch. It *seems* true, but as to whether it actually is or not, that’s a matter of opinion. We all have opinions. I am NOT judging. Unless I spoke directly with Schumer or Jeffries, I simply don’t have enough information to make the slightest guess. And I won’t. I think they could be doing more. But I don’t *know*. That’s as far as we can go.
See you soon!
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 old, 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
God DAMN these assholes! For years I’ve been pissed at Schumer for not stepping aside. Jeffries is Minority Leader and has marshalled his forces awfully well but the minority in the House doesn’t have the kind of leverage it does in the Senate. There are limits on what either can do at the moment.
As a veteran I’m furious about this war. I’ve articulated some of it here on PZ and also on FB, and while I haven’t checked I’m sure the reaction from my hometown and former friends is ripping me to shreds. But this PURITAN attitude is why we are in this godawful war in the first place.
Think back on progressive’s reaction to how Biden/Harris dealt with Israel in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. DEMANDING that ALL aid to Israel be cut. That was every bit as dumbass and self-defeating as Defund the Police. But a petulance grew and Harris inherited it when she became our candidate. Not just Americans with Palestinian or even middle eastern and Muslim heritage but plenty of others.
The by god we’ll show HER (and Biden) was more than enough to tip the balance in a close election. To every Muslim or person with middle eastern (especially Palestinian) heritage and all those who supported them by REFUSING to publicly support, or even vote for Harris “on principle” my question is “How’s that been working out ASSHOLES!”
Politics is and always has been the art of the possible. Sometimes taking most of a loaf rather than demanding the whole fucking thing is what we have to do. We don’t have to like it. We do however have to accept it even though sometimes it sucks some. Sometimes when you have a lot of what you want it’s best to grab it, solidify it and THEN go for more.
But nooooooooo! We’ve got ourselves a movement of Puritans ready and willing to blow the Democratic ship to the bottom of the ocean. My hatred of people like this is second only to that of Trump and his ardent MAGAs. And not by much.
To these people I say fuck all y’all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OOOFFFF Denis you blew my hair back with this one!
I am hoping you are not referring to the people who started the petition.
Otherwise, I have no idea what to say, except yes, Chuckie Schumer, even Nancy Pelosi knew when it was time to step down, and he should do the same. He’s stuck in the mud of the past 🙁
All I know is when Jeffries starts talking, my eyes glaze over. It’s blah blah blah time, just repeating the same tired rhetoric he’s said every time before, the same thing we’ve heard for years. He says nothing new, nothing inspiring. We need more firebrands in our party! It’s one of the reasons I like Newsom, Walz, AOC. They can think on their feet, respond effectively. We need more of that kind of energy.
Hello Carol! Apologies for the delayed reply. Yes. I understand what you mean about Jeffries. And I love the ones you listed, Newsom, Walz, AOC. I’ll add Senator Kelly to that list. We need energy, period.