Why wait until 2026 to win back the House? Help the three candidates running for special elections in NY-21 and FL-1 and FL-6. Those were traditionally red districts, but Trump has betrayed and harmed so many of his voters, those districts are in play. Donate to their campaigns at ActBlue. The two Florida candidates are conducting joint town halls and speaking to packed houses. We can help push them over the top.
Yes!!! 💯!! Do not wait until 2026! Let’s support the special election candidates even if you do not live there! Whatever you are able to do. Every bit helps! 👏🏻👏🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸
I've donated to each but can't afford any more. Everybody could do just a little because I'm willing to bet that a lot of people don't even realize that the House is not a done deal.
I've done all three. Indivisible demonstration on March 1, after which I was sick for two weeks but am ready to roll again and I've been calling and emailing Senators and Reps repeatedly. I feel as though I'm doing my part but also feel like I should be doing more!
I sent five but missed the mail pickup so I'm going to do five more. Given the vagaries of mail service from rural areas like mine, I figure the postcards will be trickling into the WH all week. Speaking of rural areas, the Indivisible group that represents Michigan's Upper Peninsula (a Trump voting area in general) , sent out 2,000 cards on Saturday!
This is exactly the kind of information I need. Living in Texas, with two awful senators and Chip Roy for my “representative,” there is little hope that my vote here making a difference. I want to support candidates in other areas who may have a good chance to flip a seat, but I get so many solicitations from candidates all over the country, I don’t know how to vet and choose them. Which of the two Florida candidates have the best chance in your opinion?
See Force Multiplier (link below) -- might not help you with special elections, but will help you with where to direct your contributions for 2026 elections. I learned about this organization from my sister who lives in Boston where it started. I already set up a monthly contribution to the DCCC, but may reconsider now that I know about Force Multiplier.
I'm holding off on donating to 2026 elections until after the elections for the 3 open seats. One is a long shot, but we've seen some long-shot wins in the recent past, so worth supporting. And the Fla seats are a real possibility. I'm not giving up on them.
One thing you can do: You can call your representatives and express your feelings about their sell out of our country to oligarchs and autocrats and betrayal of our constitution. Call frequently. You can leave messages. Keep the pressure up.
Sending $$$ to Texas Dem Party would spread your donation over several candidates.
You can call your representatives and express your feelings about their sell out of our country to oligarchs and autocrats and betrayal of our constitution. Call frequently. You can leave messages. Keep the pressure up.
I will donate time and labor, but not money, until I see some evidence that the Democratic Party has weaned itself from a corrupt and increasingly irrelevant consultant class. The consultants stifled the politicians by warning them about focus groups and polls and key words and what the press would do if they said X instead of Y, in consequence of which Democrats have forgotten how to speak simply, bluntly, and directly to ordinary working people about the things that frighten them. It doesn't help that so many Democratic politicians--Schumer among them---are so deeply beholden to the billionaires of Wall Street and Silicon Valley, whose interests many of the consultants also represent.
The best step now is volunteer, community based voter education: especially as voting rights are stripped away, draconian voter ID laws are enacted, vote-by-mail is vanishing in some places as an option, and a great many of the voters whose support is key to Democratic victories don't know their rights or even, increasingly, how to vote.
I get a lot of "asks" from James Carville: none of them mention doing those things, perhaps because it was Carville who, decades ago, derisively sneered away the Howard Dean "fifty state" approach to Democratic Party organization in favor of a Washington-based, consultant-driven, poll-dependent operation. They just tell me that if I don't send James Carville more money we might lose the next election.
I absolutely agree with you. I do send money, but to specific candidates and causes. As for James Carville... you got that right too. Not sure what he's trying to do.
Stefanik is out. Trump recruited her. The Republican "nominee" is no better, and the Dem running sounds like he might have a chance. Let's make it happen.
I love you guys but I suspect you’re dead wrong on Schumer. Please consider what a shutdown would have allowed Trump and Musk to do. It is true that - as of yet - we have few good options. Let’s find them together.
I am a former Hill and White House staffer with over 50 years of experience. This time is - of course- not like any other.
Nevertheless -
Stop the firing squad and get back to collaboration and creative problem solving.
Ah! FINALLY some wisdom in this comment section. You are absolutely right. It's utterly appalling to see that so many pundits, journalists, comedians etc. on the left are STILL not understanding how grave the situation actually is.
Trump and Musk WANTED a government shutdown, because that would make it LEGAL for them to destroy entire departments and agencies. Thanks to the fact that it has been avoided, we can continue to fight for the preservation of democracy in the courts, and that is vital to slow down the installation of fascism in the US.
In that case, why the heck didn't Schumer make that clear? Instead of being so blah about the matter and acting like all that needs to happen is for El Presidente's poll numbers to drop to the point where the Republicans will have no choice but to kick him out.
Sigh. How do you think I myself discovered his argument? Because he MADE IT CLEAR. Using all possible communication channels, including an op-ed AND live interview with the NYT.
And where do you get the idea that Schumer is "blah about the matter"? What does that even mean?
First of all, what makes you believe that he changed his mind? Secondly, since Citizens United ALL politicians need big bank donors. The only difference here is that Democrats already passed a bill that would fully repeal it and the GOP opposes it.
So with that, once again, why not try to come up with counterarguments against his main (and VERY, very good) argument? Why just skip it? How could we afford such irrational behavior in times as dangerous as these?
You might want to read Norman Ornstein's take on Schumer's vote. It was published here on yesterday or the day before, and presents a very different perspective.
What about installing a government BY AND FOR the people, in other words, people with a NORMAL speaking style? Because that is and has always been what democracy is all about.
Imho, the reactions today show precisely how we got here in the first place. So many Democratic voters don't know anymore how democracy is supposed to function and instead want a TV show...
I didn't mean anything extreme -- no screaming, drama, etc. -- but I don't remember any time when Schumer was a clear or dynamic speaker. That is a deficit with media and in the competition of other voices that makes his less heard. Similar to Biden in the debate where his answers were lucid but not delivered well. I would rather consider discussions as suggestions unless deliberately marked as altercations. There are people questioning what Schumer said which shows that they either didn't hear his complete pronouncements or didn't read enough about them. AOC is an example of a more dynamic speaker -- there are others like Bernie or Schiff or Whitehouse or King or.... That said, there's value in experience and perhaps greater depth of knowledge with seasoned politicians. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
That's not his job. He is not a television personality. He is a public servant whose job is to dig deep and try to understand all the ramifications of any decision. His job is not to entertain you. And as a citizen, it is your job to pay attention, even when it seems boring. Basically, the political process IS boring. It is tedious and drawn out because that's the nature of democratic decision-making. Or was, until Trump made it all about flash and (mis)infotainmet.
YES there is NO democratic equivalent of 47 in terms of rah rah-ing the average person. The Democrats need a very out- going personality with a superior speaking voice. And unfortunately, not a women b/c Kamala was such a person.
Sen. Schumer will never be a charismatic leader, and he tends to give the impression all is as usual. Not necessarily his fault, but does a certain amount of damage.
No he doesn't. He does his job well. Charisma is not necessarily a good trait in someone whose job is parsing details and thinking about long-term ramifications. I sure hope people start grasping that. Joe McCarthy was charismatic, and look what that got us.
Thank you for the confirmation that Schumer had to vote the way he did. A shut down would have been essentially made permanent. And yes, let’s not go low by name calling which only fuels anger, fear and despair but work collaboratively with clear minds.
I urge you to read Norman Ornstein's article that was published here yesterday or the day before. It presents a very different perspective. Also, you might be interested in the speech that Senator Patty Murray who is the Senate Vice Chair of Appropriations made on the Senate before the vote, calling for a "No" vote..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xefx8iV0_zM
I read a Rachel Bitecofer analysis that agreed with you about the shutdown. Just wish Schumer's messaging had been clearer and some leverage had been used.
When oh when will we STOP blaming Democrats for their "messaging"??
This is NOT how we'll ever obtain a thriving democracy. Governing is complicated. You cannot possibly reduce it to TikToks and reels. So the only way to keep a democracy is to have a solid fourth branch of government: the media. It's the MEDIA's core business to do the "messaging", in other words, to truly inform people of who's doing what why in DC. The job of politicians is to govern, which is already a more than fulltime job, if you take it seriously.
Please. It's all very well to say we're losing because we're better, more virtuous, and higher-minded than Those Bad Republicans, but messaging is key.
Great politicians understand about messaging, and have done going back to Lincoln and FDR. JFK understood. Clinton understood. Daniel Patrick Moynihan understood. Obama understood. AOC understands.
Biden didn't. Merrick Garland didn't. Chuck Schumer doesn't. Hillary tried, and in her best moments she talked authentically to people, but too often, because of the bad advice of her consultants, she repressed that authenticity.
FDR didn't give long, tangled, earnest analyses of working conditions or the impact of Depression or the rising fascist menace: he said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" and "When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike you do not wait until he has struck to crush him."
Donald Trump understands messaging. He gives a poison message, just like Newt Gingrich did thirty years ago, but it reaches people and changes outcomes. The failure of too many Democrats to learn that simple lesson may have doomed the republic. Schumer is one of the Democrats who failed to learn.
Unfortunately, the once powerful media is owned or controlled by oligarchs and trump supporters who have no interest or experience in the role of journalism that calls out fascists and defends democracy. That’s why we find Ruben and Krugman here and not in the Times or the Post.
I heard conflicting information as to whether a shutdown would have closed the courts. Much as I hate the way Schumer did what he did, it may be true that if the government had shut down, the MAGA-infested Republicans of the House and Senate would have been in no hurry to re-open it, as they appear to like giving away their power to Trump and Musk. Norms of political behavior do not exist anymore when it comes to Republicans.
Quite possibly so. But AOC is the soon to be leader of the party and she has earned that right. I hope she soon assumes leadership and leads the party on a new and far more aggressive approach to governance. There is no other choice, IMO. She is very smart and very articulate and we need her now.
Let's move on. The propaganda machine worked. There are people who are sorry they voted for Trump. Let's build on that and the increased numbers of people who will be looking for an alternative with us.
Schumer made the right decision, its a shame that his communication style made it difficult for us, and the liberal media to understand his logic. He saw what many did not see - its was the MAGA's Br'er Rabbit gambit that almost worked! DEMs "Shut down the government, that's our leverage". MAGA: "Oh no, please don't shut down the government, please, please don't". DEMs "See, MAGA doesn't want the gov to shutdown, so we need to have a shutdown". MAGA was echoing Br'er Rabbit's "Don't throw me into the briar patch - oh no, don't do it!"
I think the focus is on moving on. AOC is a better communicator. Too bad she and Schumer can't make a better team. But both are pro rule-of-law and democratic rights. That's what I mean when I say that 'we' are not the enemy -- We The People are not looking for a king or a despot or hatred & fear to rule us!
I so agree. I’m perplexed and disappointed to see the rhetoric, not only against schumer, but how vehement it is.
The insinuation that Schumer caved belies reality. Unless he, or his relatives had death threats, why would he do this? On the take, as some say? Preposterous. Intimidated? Nonsense.
This circular firing squad is not the way to win elections, and that must be our TOP priority. United we stand, divided we fall
It's the result of a neofascist propaganda machine. THIS is what "flooding the zone" does to people's minds, especially in the era of social media. The only thing the media do these days is stir up anger, panic and outrage. No more space for rational thinking at all. If this continues, so if the Contrarian and others fail to do their homework as journalists and cave to "public sentiment" too, sooner or later Democrats will HAVE to give in and propose an equally violent form of populism, and then things will get even worse...
The felons wanted a shutdown : a great opportunity to complete this macabre task of destroying the federal government. Check also what Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said about it.
I agree with you, Shelley. I was terrified of a shutdown, precisely because it would give the President (legally?) even more powers NOT to reopen any part of government he deemed "non-essential." I think Schumer ultimately did the right thing for millions and millions of people who depend on government services, though I grant anybody the point that he hardly prepared us for the 'Sophies' Choice' Republicans forced on him.
Lost in the shuffle is that once they voted, Speaker Bobblehead dismissed Republicans from the House -- -meaning that a compromise Continuing Resolution would NEVER have been a reality. Schumer seemed not to countenance that possibility -- I have no idea why.
Having said all that, newer, younger leadership in both Houses is essential. We have many strong, powerful voices. Let's hope we're wise enough to figure out how to make the best use of this defeat.
I too agree. Judging by Trump's actions since January 20th, his clear goal is to destroy US democracy and its economy. The fastest way to do that is to get a shutdown, and then keep it going for as long as possible. One by one, all government departments would close. When would it stop? When enough people woke up, objected, and the Republicans restored funding. But by then Trump would have achieved his goal.
While Schumer's position is unpopular, it's based on scenario analysis. He clearly explained this. In particular, he stated that a shutdown would give Trump and Musk "carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now".
“A shutdown would shut down all government agencies, and it would solely be up to Trump and DOGE and Musk what to open again, because they could determine what was essential,” he told The New York Times in an interview. “So their goal of decimating the whole federal government, of cutting agency after agency after agency, would occur under a shutdown.”
Yes! This is so true. The courts have been our only roadblock and under shutdown the courts would close down (lack of operating funds, etc.) Then what?
I see your point, it may possibly being the correct decision, but the fact remains Schumer needs to pass the torch to a Gen Xer. Democrats currently are dead in the water.
It did NOT. Ageism is what the legacy media and then also independent media decided to massively cultivate, while Biden was doing what all nonpartisan studies have shown was an exceptionally good job, compared to all previous US presidents.
Fact is, Biden has spinal arthritis (which affects his gait) and his speech impairment is in part back. But that didn't affect his cognitive abilities at all. And with his 50 years in government and a moral spine of steel, he actually got huge and bipartisan bills through Congress at a time when the GOP had become utterly dysfunctional. No newcomer would ever have had the experience and savvy needed to pull this off. So if anything, Biden and Harris absolutely deserved to be reelected (and that's without taking into account that the alternative was installing fascism in the US)...
As long as "we the people" evaluate our politicians in the utterly immoral and counterproductive way you're doing here, we will always be a weak nation, vulnerable to fascist attacks and attacks from abroad. Time to get our $hit together!!
Spin it how you want. Biden was a good guy yes. But when he was elected he and Garland should have been all over trumps ass for treason PERIOD. It should have been NUMBER ONE. how is it that this trump semi-human was allowed to run for president ???? Biden and Garland were past their abilities.
Again, ALL nonpartisan studies PROVE that Biden has delivered in an absolutely outstanding way, ranking him at the very top of all US presidents. That's not merely being a "good guy", that's being an extremely capable and effective president. If even Democratic voters like you STILL can't understand these basic facts, then it's only normal that the neofascists managed to take over the US government...
As to Garland: things are way more complicated than that. At the time, no one knew that (1) Trump would come back and try to run again, (2) Trump would be allowed to win the GOP nomination, and (3) neofascist ideologues would take over MAGA and concoct a roadmap to install fascism in the US. TODAY we know (it became clear last summer, actually), but even today the question remains: if the DOJ would have jailed Trump for treason (which he clearly committed) how would MAGA voters have reacted? The entire neofascist infrastructure was already built up, so they could as well have elected another neofascist BECAUSE of the perceived victimization of their beloved president...
Finally, please don't call Trump a "semi-human". Dehumanization is precisely what characterizes all forms of fascism. Don't fall into that trap. It never ends well, as history has shown.
Biden did a good job in office. He mostly appointed good people. (Yes, Garland was NOT the right person for AG. However, Buttigieg, Blinken, and others were excellent.) Had he been the same Biden he was at the start of his term in 2020, age would not have been an issue. I wish that he had focused on just serving four years and had chosen a VP who would not necessarily be running for president. That would have given other Democrats a chance to come forward for the 2024 election and to make the early start needed.
Too easy. No one knew, in 2021, whether or not Trump would run again. It was at least as likely that the GOP would finally get rid of him themselves. And that would have been a much better solution than allowing him to play the victim and falsely claim that Biden weaponized the DOJ. THAT is what Garland waited as long as possible. And then there is the fact that no one knew that MAGA 2.0 had become 100% neofascist, so now the people manipulating Trump were convinced pro-dictatorship ideologues (the tech billionaires and the Heritage Foundation), AND, we discovered last summer, they spent the last four years concocting a detailed plan for the destruction of US democracy and promotion of fascism both at home and abroad.
None of this was clear at the beginning of Biden's presidency. So it's too easy to blame Garland, now that, in hindsight, we know that IF he had acted faster, Trump may not have been reelected. Still, with so much preparation already done behind the scenes, another neofascist would have taken over MAGA and might well have won the 2024 elections anyhow, knowing that people were stuck in ageism and post-pandemic despair/outrage...
Why the h$ll would age suddenly become a negative instead of positive aspect??!! Biden has just PROVEN how you can - according to all nonpartisan studies - not only be in your 80s but also have spinal arthritis (affecting your gait) and a speech impairment (making you sometimes (falsely) sound cognitively impaired) AND, thanks to your 50-year experience in government and a moral spine of steel, be ranked at the very top of all US presidents in terms of productivity and achievements for the 99%.
Ageism in and of itself is already immoral and despicable, but ageism after what Biden, Pelosi and Schumer have proven to be able to do is outright scandalous and counterproductive! Now more than ever before we need people with a LOT of experience to fight back and slow down the installation of fascism in the US. Because the faster democratic institutions are dismantled, the longer it will take to rebuild them and the higher the chance that rebuilding will never happen.
Shelley thanks for this post! As much as I love Jen, she really didn't give us the alternative to a shutdown with the Monsters waiting in wings to rip down the whole place. Schumer and the others did the right thing and with perhaps more experience in politics AOC will mature to handle a crisis situation when the time comes for her.
Schumer let his knowledge of strategy overpower his knowledge of people. We needed him to lead the negative votes, not capitulate! That budget bill was our only leverage. If the ten had stood with the others voting no, the Republicans would have been forced to converse and find some compromises that would protect some essential government functions and vulnerable people. Now we’re on the outside and Trump is even flouting judicial decisions.
I completely agree with you about finding good options, and with your background, I would be interested in your ideas, and truly believe in collaboration and creative problem-solving. But, I strongly disagree with everyone who believes that Schumer had no other option. I am 75, have serious health problems, and don't have any more time to waste, hoping for strong leadership from the Senate.
Yes, I so appreciate the work that Jen and Norm are doing. They truly are my heroes. But, Schumer represents the worst of Democratic leadership. I am not rehashing this because I'm dwelling on the past, but because I'm thinking about the present, and the future. And, I believe we can no longer trust Schumer to represent us, and he must be forced to resign. The following is my argument.
Schumer not only lied to voters, but he lied to his colleagues, and to Hakeem Jeffries, so that House members spent the early part of last week convincing Senators who were waffling to vote "NO." On Wednesday night, all Democratic Senators, but one, had made that commitment.
The next morning, Schumer caved without notifying anyone, defended his position in the media, and worked hard to convince some Senators to join him. House members continued to try and change Schumer's mind. Democrats on political sites were outraged by the betrayal. Two Democratic governors spoke out. The next morning, Senator Patty Murray, Vice Chair of Senate Appropriations, gave a speech on the Senate floor, urging a "No" vote. I urge you to watch it. It may even change your mind about the shutdown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xefx8iV0_zM
But, Schumer wouldn't budge, even though he had gotten nothing in return. At the optimum moment for negotiation, when Republicans badly needed eight votes, and were undoubtedly afraid to go back to Trump without them; Schumer quit. Majority Leader John Thune laughed out loud, when he said something like, "We didn't have to give Democrats anything, and Schumer still caved." When Trump thanked Schumer, it was the final blow. And, Schumer still takes no responsibility for his actions.
One additional point is this: Last Wednesday, when Jen sent a video asking us to call Schumer, and tell him to change his vote back to "NO" because it was an outrage, and betrayal against everything we believe in and had been working for etc., she gave another reason that I wasn't aware of, which is that a "Yes" vote would jeopardize lawsuits that had been filed, but not yet heard.
Jen's brief rationale was that the basis for some upcoming lawsuits was that Congress controls the "purse strings, which Republicans had ceded to Trump. If Schumer voted "Yes," it would mean that the entire Congress had relinquished one of their most powerful components of checks and balances: "The power of the purse."
The longer explanation is that the "U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority over government financial decisions, allowing it to levy taxes, authorize spending, and control how government funds are used." The reason the founders included this in the Constitution was because they knew from experience, that without financial control, future presidents, like monarchs in England, could abuse their authority.
Thus, if Trump usurped the budget, it was against the law. But if Congress relinquished their authority, the question was whether Trump's lawyers could use that in court to counter the basis of these lawsuits. Only Jen and Norm can answer this.
Jamie Raskin has said that presidential immunity does not apply to those who work for the president and defy court orders — that they can be geld in contempt and be subject to civil actions (for which there ate no pardons). If this is true, can we hope judges will start taking action?
Ths is something I mentioned yesterday at a meeting and posted somewhere in substack. In addition to backing democracy-supporting candidates (I am and will forever be a registered Independent) in the upcoming elections (in 2025. No need to wait) how do we support the prosecutors who will hold Administration accountable? Let’s see how many of them remain “loyal” to CF Trump when they have time to reflect during a jail sentence and lose their wealth to fines. Norm, where are these lawsuits and prosecutors? I’d love to support them.
I wish I was hearing more about how bad a shutdown would have been. I don’t think Dems would have been able to battle the onslaught of Republican attacks and would have been labeled the party of the shutdown, which under these circumstances could have lasted months not weeks. The anger at Schumer et al is convenient given the frustration everyone is feeling but I think it is misplaced. This was a no win situation.
Exactly. I'm afraid that most pundits and journalists (and comedians) STILL don't get just how bad the current situation actually is.
The GOP is installing a dictatorship. To do that, and fast, they need a chainsaw approach to the executive branch: destroy as many agencies and departments as possible.
Obviously, that's entirely illegal, so Democrats are fighting back in court (and need a lot of donations to be able to keep doing so) AND winning, on behalf of "the people".
Schumer's main argument (that sadly no one addresses) is that attacking them in court would become impossible during a government shutdown, and he's 100% right, because that's the ONLY situation in which destroying agencies actually becomes LEGAL. All that the GOP has to do next, to succeed turning the US into a full-fledged dictatorship, is prolong the shutdown indefinitely.
So blocking the CR would have given the GOP a huge VICTORY twice: (1) they would be able to turn the government into a fascist regime much faster and now also legally, and, on top of it all, (2) they could have easily blamed DEMOCRATS for all the damage that the GOP wanted to inflict anyhow, but now "has" to inflict since the Democrats refused to pass a budget...
No more donations to the DNC people. Take that money and donate to the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, etc and support your favorite Substack Resistance writer.
I have come to the conclusion that the DNC is a political black hole - money flows in and nothing useful comes out. The tits-on-a-boar-hog useless Jaime Harrison stepped down, and I was so in hope that the new guy - Ken Martin would be out there in front, providing some visible leadership... Nope! Silent as the grave. I'm stopping my recurring donation and putting it directly to work getting Dems elected in unlikely places.
In other words, you have NO counterarguments to show why Schumer's arguments would be wrong either. You just FEEL enraged so you decided to do the ONLY thing that will allow the GOP to install a dictatorship faster, namely defunding the DNC so that they cannot pay the extremely expensive lawsuits that ARE slowing it down, at a moment when that's absolutely vital.
Actually Stephan has a point worth considering. It actually sounds as if you, EUWDTB, are the enraged one as you systematically go after every person whose viewpoint differs from yours. That's pretty sad, right there.
Democracy involves listening to other people and trying to understand where they are coming from, even if you disagree. You actually sound a lot like the self-righteous Dems who looked down on MAGAS instead of focusing on voters, and ended up losing the election for us. I'm a pro-democracy activist, heavily involved in several ways, and I tend to agree that so far, the new DNC is behind the ball. I have heard squat from them about what is going on. I do not think Martin was the best choice for Chair at all-his interview was all about doing things top down. He's too WaDC.
I get good info from other sources. For one, Ben Wikler makes a point of including news about national Dem status in his reach-outs, even as he focuses on Wisconsin races. I also pay attention to other Dem leaders at the state level, and some at the fed level, and a lot of local people. I actually heard a DNC staffer say something about " we need to get people at the grassroots level involved". No shit. Where has he been? Grassroots activism has been not only the foundation but the driving force in this fight.
I don't donate to the DNC anymore, and won't until I have the sense that they SEE US. So far Martin has talked about it, but where is the coordination that he talked about? Grass-roots organizations are tired of waiting for it, and we are openly and actively collaborating and coordinating a movement among ourselves, creating a big umbrella for all of us to win back the Congress and save our democracy.
I hear Wikler and Martin have been in touch. Hope something comes out of that. Martin could learn from Wikler, and maybe then the DNC will be functional. In the meantime I donate through my grass-roots groups, directly to ACLU and some other vital organizations that are helping to hold the line.
Hope to see you standing up in resistance on April 5th, at a location near you. HANDS OFF our rights!
"I don't donate to the DNC anymore, and won't until I have the sense that they SEE US."
I share the same opinion. The DNC and mainstream Dems are not blameless and have played a role in where we are now. I canceled my DNC donations after the election and until I see a change of course, I'm focusing my donations on individual politicians who are standing up (e.g., AOC and Chris Murphy) or on grassroots organizations. Until the DNC stops listening to the consultant class and starts listening to us, the people, and starts fighting for us, they won't get any of my money. We have to change the party if we can save the country.
Refuting someone's arguments is only possible AFTER you've listened to them. My main complaint here, however, is that no one even addresses Schumers' arguments. It's just sheer emotional reactivity. I'm sorry, but, aside from the fact that all emotions are by definition valid, in this case they are based on utterly irrational assumptions and the absence of real thinking. That is always terribly dangerous, in any type of democracy, and even more so now that we're transitioning into a dictatorship. The truth matter, whether people like it or not...
So with that, what are YOUR arguments against what Schumer proposed? Any idea?
OK - my arguments against Schumer's stance is you don't give comfort to the enemy to 'live to fight again another day'. There comes a point where where you say enough is enough and take your stand. This started with my rant against the DNC, who have been an ineffectual money sponge for years. All I was saying was I'm applying my donations elsewhere at points of my choosing, since I am not certain that donating to them is useful.
With all due respect, I don't understand your counterargument. How does it refute Schumer's argument more precisely?
It seems as if you didn't really understand it in the first place, so there it is once again:
- the GOP wants to destroy all democratic institutions and install a fascist regime in the US
- to do so, it uses a chainsaw approach: illegally defund as many programs as possible, and illegally close down as many agencies as possible
- the only power Democrats have to fight is to attack them in court (so that's what they're doing, and they're winning)
- keeping as many democratic institutions intact as possible is VITAL because the more destruction the GOP manages to inflict, the more decades it will take to build up these institutions from scratch, and during all that time, the government will NOT be able to provide any services to citizens, even not if Democrats would control all levels of power
- a shutdown makes it LEGAL for Musk/Trump to destroy all democratic institutions and do so MUCH faster than when the (horrible) CR is passed
- once it's legal, we lose the last tool to fight back against fascism: the courts
- conclusion: we HAVE to avoid a shutdown so that we prevent the GOP from installing fascism.
Notice how The Contrarian doesn't even TRY to address Schumer's arguments and refute them, nor are you giving any counterarguments. How can you so easily turn against the only ones fighting FOR democracy when the GOP installs a dictatorship, without even trying to THINK for a moment... ??!!
I agree that we need a discussion that looks at both sides of the argument. Those were not to be found before the vote on the Continuing Resolution, and that is a failing of our independent media. I just wish that Shumer had not allowed the House members to be set up if he planned to block the filibuster. A clear strategy is needed.
After all, the CR is horrible and, for the first time in US history, not even negotiated with Democrats. That alone is a good reason to vote against it as much as possible.
But "as much as possible" means: without risking that the bill doesn't pass.
Once it became clear that the GOP would have the votes needed to pass it in the House, Democrats in the House could safely vote against it.
The same thing goes for most Democrats in the Senate: once it was certain that Schumer had the handful of Democratic votes needed to pass the bill and stand up against Trump and his neofascists, the other Democrats could safely vote against it.
I prefer donating to individual candidates rather than the DNC, although I did make one donation there after an email from David Hogg that was not the usual boilerplate nonsense that insults my intelligence. I've never felt that the DNC puts money into the red states where I have lived and now live, so I donate to those candidates and bypass the DNC.
The DNC vitally needs donations right now, because it's the DNC and not individual candidates that needs to pay for the extremely expensive lawsuits against Musk and Trump, and only those lawsuits can slow down the installation of fascism, so keep the option open that when Democrats return to power, after a few election cycles democratic institutions are restored, and then the government can finally work "for the people" again.
Even under these circumstances, it will be very difficult to achieve, knowing how emotional and irrational most voters are (as the current rage against Schumer once again proves), and how impatient, so it is and remains possible that after one or two Democratic governments, they vote for the neofascist GOP again, only because they feel as if things don't get better fast enough... whereas, again, Democrats won't be able to improve anything, they'll have to spend the first election cycles mostly on restoring democratic institutions before the government can do its job again... . So to keep that restoration period as short as possible, we vitally need to slow down the installation of fascism right now.
Passing the CR bill was a crucial way to do so. Fighting them in court is equally crucial - and requires a LOT of money...
I admire and respect AOC, but she is wrong here. Schumer is right that if we had shut down the government it would most likely never reopen, and it would have allowed Musk/Trump to speed up their decimation of our government.
I believe that no matter the choice it was a lose lose. I also agree that Schumer made a difficult decision ( Maybe it was the right one, we’ll see). So now we need to buckle up and work to stop the dangerous territory we are in.
Where did you get disdain? Nothing I wrote expressed disdain for AOC, and I didn’t mention Bernie. I agree with your previous comment that we need to “buckle up” and work to stop the dangerous peril we are in. I think we’re on the same side.
Not speaking of you personally regarding disdain, just those who express it towards her because they feel she is too far… and I mentioned Bernie because the two of them are a force together and they bring folks together. We are on the same side.
They have been incredible. I believe that those who say AOC is too far left either don’t know her record or are misrepresenting it. Praying that we continue to join in this fight and emerge with our democracy intact.
I don’t much care for Schumer but he was faced with a Hobson’s choice. I also do not like the way Democrats are turning on each other. That is no way to win the war.
Mark Kelly, who voted against the CR called it a "shit sandwich," but he also said that the choice was not clearcut.
I agree that we need not to target individual Democrats but to focus on our purpose of re-capturing the House and some Senate seats. We also need to pay attention to state and local elections, especially the judicial election in Wisconsin, which would finally end the gerrymandered stranglehold that Republicans have had for years.
Jen, I have been a fan for a long time. As a Canadian, I was discouraged that in your first paragraph, you failed to mention Canada. We also want to remain sovereign, but Trump and Musk are trying to take a wrecking ball to our economy to force us to capitulate. Please spare just one thought for us.
I can't speak for Jen, of course, but in my circle of friends we are all appalled by how Canada is being treated. The country and individual Canadians have been stalwart friends. I feel there is very little I can do to show support but please know that there are many average individuals who are ashamed and apologetic.
I've started to do that. I wonder if there are Danish or UK products I need? 🤔 The shipping from the EU/UK is high. Maybe just buy high ticket items from them and concentrate on Canada?
Do not forget the small businesses and entrepreneurs in this country who are trying to hold on after being bombed by the pandemic and the weather. They are going to be the ones most affected by the disruptions in the supply chain that Trump is creating. Big corporations have the reserves to hold out, or will use loopholes (shipping to 3rd countries first) that small businesses don't have access to. Rather than spending your money by having things shipped (congratulions on being well-off enough to consider ordering cross-border) , please use that money to help keep our own small businesses going.
I do appreciate Canada and in the past have always been proud of the longest undefended border in the world. I mourn everything trump and his idiot americans are doing to ruin what we had.
Schumer had what sounded like reasonable reasons for his vote. How about covering that instead of a one-sided rant demonizing him. I'm looking for a more balanced approach from you.
A Town Hall is scheduled for Saturday March 22 at 6 pm in Athens Alabama for the 5th U.S.Congressional District. Rep Dale Strong is invited to attend. It is doubtful that he will be attending like many other GOP House members as they are all cowards. A central topic being presented is How will DOGE affect us in North Alabama.
Another thing we can do is It begin barraging Senators and Reps with questioning whether ignoring a court order is an impeachable offense. Of course this Congress won’t likely ever vote do that. BUT the repeated questions can begin building the drumbeat, seeding the idea and cornering those lapdogs who will squirm. (A much more useful question than whether Schumer should resign. )
If we must "win the battle for democracy in the courts of law and the courts of public opinion", wouldn't shutting down the government also shut down the courts?. Wouldn't we then be in a worse situation? I get the rock and a hard place andits horrible that we are where we are but I think I undestnad why Schumer did what he did. It was the lesser of two evils..
Let’s stop beating up Schumer and move along. Deciding on whether he blew it or not is unproductive. He was in an impossible position, and T/M have *not* been given carte blanche, which a shutdown would have effectively done. Onward and upward!
I hope the leaders of The Contrarian explain precisely what they believe Schumer and the other Senate Democrats who voted with him should have done. Step by step tells us what your winning strategy and action steps would have been. Would you have shut the government down???
You can’t just say “I won’t” and not have a strategic plan to deal with the fallout of a government shutdown that will be characterized as being caused by Democrats. And for EUWDTB - you say the Republicans know they only have two years to wreck their damage. How do you know that they don’t have more than two years. The three house races are crucial, but not a certain Democratic win in each district. And how do you think those district voters would respond to a government shut down caused by the Democrats. I am just as outraged as anybody else about what’s happening, but I don’t see you offering any effective strategic plans of what you would you do if you were actually an elected official serving in Congress on the Democratic side. What we all have to do is make sure we get the vote out. In too many cases, there were districts where Democratic and Liberal voters didn’t even vote in the last election.
There are 3 seats open in the House. They have good people running to fill in the near future. One may be a long shot, but two are potentially winnable (both in Fla). The other is in NY. And even a long shot is worth supporting. We saw several long-shots unexpectedly pull through recently. We may not have to wait until 2026.
There was no winning strategy here. All choices were bad. Nonetheless, visible cooperation with the rapists of our country does not discourage them from continuing their practices. When all you can do is stand up and say "I won't," that's what you do.
You don't get it. TRUMP IS A FASCIST. Musk, Vance, the Heritage Foundation, they are all neofascists. That means: people who sincerely AGREE with Putin's ideologue Dugin that democracy is bad and fascism good. Fascism (from the Latin "fasces", "bundle") means bundling the powers of Congress and the judiciary into the power of the executive branch, which no longer "faithfully executes" the laws and the Constitution but makes the law itself.
The GOP knows they only have two years, so they need a chainsaw approach: destroy as many departments and agencies as fast as possible. Risk: their own voters start noticing the damage and turn against them.
How can they avoid that risk and move forward even faster? THAT is what a shutdown would have given them. So "CAVING", in this case, would have meant giving them their shutdown, not passing a CR bill that legally FORCES the executive to keep all departments and agencies open and funded at a Biden level.
Obviously, Musk will continue to destroy them anyhow, but THE difference, with a CR bill passed, is that what Musk does will continue to be illegal (it would have become entirely legal under a shutdown) so Democrats (if we continue to donate) will continue to be able to fight them in court (and win, as they are doing).
Why is it so important that we continue to fight them in court, so why is the argument that we should just sit back and do nothing until MAGA voters "get it" a bad arguments?
Because as history has shown, when a shutdown fight is no longer about policy but democracy itself, by the time enough people realize that the governing party is installing fascism it will be too late to still revert course. Look at Poland for instance: after 8 years of neofascism, pro-democracy parties won the elections again. But their hands are tied, since the democratic institutions are gone. So now, their poll numbers are going down already again, and chances are that the people will once again elect... fascists.
The only way to prevent that from happening in the US is to massively slow down the destruction at the executive level. THAT is exactly what avoiding a shutdown means. So it was absolutely the wisest and most courageous thing to do.
The CR was horrible, in and of itself, so of course, as many Democrats as possible had to vote against it, but enough of them HAD to vote FOR it to get it passed, because if not, Democrats would have actively destroyed THE most effective way to fight back against fascism today, namely in court.
If the Dems blocked the CR, the GOP would simply use their once a year Budget Reconciliation Bill (requires only 51 in the Senate or 50 + Vance) to pass a budget and reopen government and blame Dems for a shutdown.
The Dems would have gotten nothing anyway and then the GOP would have blamed the Dems and shutdown for any weakness in the economy caused by Trumps tariffs and deportations.
The GOP just needed a bit more time to work on their BR to use instead.
Schumer is no dummy and I am tired of others attacking him.
EUWDTB, you sound so certain that you and only you "get it". Your screeds are full of absolutes, while the rest of us are trying to grasp the complexities of where we are. Plus you repeatedly go after people who don't agree with you. Why? You are apparently trying to drag us back into the same us against them strategy that didn't work before. Why? Who are you, really? Because something doesn't fit in what you are doing. What are you really trying to do? Tear us apart? Why?
I agree, Annie. I want an explanation. Not a long-winded lecture and additional plea for money, for the DNC or anyone else. A simple yes or no answer; *then* we can debate this issue, and others. My question? Actually, two questions. One, do you think something has to be done about the mess the illegitimate, felon president-in-name-only is trying to plunge us into? And two, do you believe something *can* be done about it?
Again, it's a yes or no question to both.
I'm suspicious, too, and in these times I have every right to be.
I'll wait for an answer. Long-winded monologuing will be tuned out.
I cannot believe that The Contrarian is taking the utterly populist version of what Schumer did too. How CAN you??!! And like all other populists, you don't even TRY to come up with counterarguments against his arguments, you basically just yell at him, like everyone else. WHAT a disappointment.
So let's start with Schumer's main argument. The key thing that all of you are missing is the fact that Musk and Trump are installing a NEOFASCIST GOVERNMENT in the US. How will they do so? With a chainsaw approach. That means: try to destroy as many departments and agencies as fast as possible, keep a few essential ones, populate them with pro-fascism sycophants.
Since, unfortunately, "we the people" voted Democrats out of all levels of political power, the only way we still have to fight back is basically in the courts. Because of course, in a democracy, it is unconstitutional for the executive branch of government to decide which departments/agencies to create or fund and which ones to end.
For two months now, Democrats have been GREAT, when it comes to attacking Trump in court. It costs tons of money, but they have been able to hire outstanding lawyers and obtained one win after the other "for the people".
Now here's Schumer's argument: the horrible CR bill mostly continues to legally force the executive to (1) keep all existing departments and agencies, and (2) keep Biden-levels of funding.
Is this what Trump and Musk wanted? No, not at all! What they wanted is precisely a shutdown! Because ONLY during a shutdown does it become LEGAL to destroy all non-essential agencies and departments, especially if the GOP decides to let the shutdown continue indefinitely (the time needed to get rid of all that they want to get rid of).
So it is PASSING the CR bill that means NOT caving to Trump, you see?
If Democrats would had not provided the votes in the Senate, the GOP could reasonably argue that the shutdown and ALL the damage they'd do to the government would from now on be the Democrats' fault. So they could basically argue that it's because of the Democrats and NOT because they vitally needed to destroy them all to install fascism, that all the "pain" during the "transition phase" was inflicted.
And then EVEN more importantly: as 8 years of neofascism in Poland have shown, once pro-democracy politicians finally win elections again and try to reinstall democracy, it's extremely difficult to do, because much of this kind of damage is pretty irreversible and takes DECADES to repair.
This is why Schumer bravely and wisely just saved US democracy. We shouldn't "forget about" him, we should THANK him wholeheartedly!!
Also, if the Dems blocked the CR, the GOP would have simply swooped in in a couple of weeks with a Budget Reconciliation bill that only requires a simple majority vote in the Senate.
They are saving it for their tax cuts (they also used it to pass their tax cuts in 2017 along party lines) so Trump's tax cuts and cut extensions would probably also be in there.
Then the GOP would claim to be heroes for reopening the government and the Dems would get nothing anyway. If the Dems blocked the CR they would still have no leverage to get anything from the GOP.
The GOP would then blame the Dems and a "Dem shutdown" for a weak economy, which will be caused by Trump's tariffs and erratic behavior.
Why wait until 2026 to win back the House? Help the three candidates running for special elections in NY-21 and FL-1 and FL-6. Those were traditionally red districts, but Trump has betrayed and harmed so many of his voters, those districts are in play. Donate to their campaigns at ActBlue. The two Florida candidates are conducting joint town halls and speaking to packed houses. We can help push them over the top.
Yes!!! 💯!! Do not wait until 2026! Let’s support the special election candidates even if you do not live there! Whatever you are able to do. Every bit helps! 👏🏻👏🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸
I've donated to each but can't afford any more. Everybody could do just a little because I'm willing to bet that a lot of people don't even realize that the House is not a done deal.
You main options are:
1) donate to legal and political fighters (you’ve done that)
2) go to or help organize rallies via Indivisible or others
3) call or email your representatives frequently to tell them how important these issues are to you.
I've done all three. Indivisible demonstration on March 1, after which I was sick for two weeks but am ready to roll again and I've been calling and emailing Senators and Reps repeatedly. I feel as though I'm doing my part but also feel like I should be doing more!
Resting is also important for lasting.
Which of the eight spinless Democratic Senators face reelection next year? I'm switching my meager DNC donations to their best primary opponents.
Good idea. Every time I write my senators and house rep I make a point of mentioning that I won't donate one more penny to the national party.
Not until I see some unity and genuine resistance coming from them.
My support is going to individual candidates.
There were nine spineless Dems and one spineless Indy.
Peters and Shaheen had already announced their retirements It would have been better if they just didn't vote.
No kidding! They should have just sat it out if they didn't want to vote NO. What a pair. >:(
Yep, let's eat our own. How the Democrats mess up again.
DONE 💙💙💙
You can write postcards join@tonythedemocrat.org
I sent out 10 postcards to PINO on the 15th. Did anyone else do the same? I hope mine weren't the only ones received there.
I sent five but missed the mail pickup so I'm going to do five more. Given the vagaries of mail service from rural areas like mine, I figure the postcards will be trickling into the WH all week. Speaking of rural areas, the Indivisible group that represents Michigan's Upper Peninsula (a Trump voting area in general) , sent out 2,000 cards on Saturday!
Oh my!! Sooooo good to hear that!!! Anyone else???
Thank you!! Thank you Michigan!! Keep those postcards coming!!!
Terrific! Keep it up! To save the United States, once and for all.
Wow. That's great. Go, Michigan!
We sent 5
I had lunch with my friends and we collectively sent 50 cards
I sent out eight. Good for you! Everyone I know was sending a bunch.
What is PINO?
President In Name Only
Thank you!
Right. The time is NOW!
Contrarian. Wake up. You are missing the big story. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/democrats-unite-we-have-a-coup-to?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=zc69i&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
This is exactly the kind of information I need. Living in Texas, with two awful senators and Chip Roy for my “representative,” there is little hope that my vote here making a difference. I want to support candidates in other areas who may have a good chance to flip a seat, but I get so many solicitations from candidates all over the country, I don’t know how to vet and choose them. Which of the two Florida candidates have the best chance in your opinion?
See Force Multiplier (link below) -- might not help you with special elections, but will help you with where to direct your contributions for 2026 elections. I learned about this organization from my sister who lives in Boston where it started. I already set up a monthly contribution to the DCCC, but may reconsider now that I know about Force Multiplier.
https://www.forcemultiplierus.org/copy-of-about-fm
I'm holding off on donating to 2026 elections until after the elections for the 3 open seats. One is a long shot, but we've seen some long-shot wins in the recent past, so worth supporting. And the Fla seats are a real possibility. I'm not giving up on them.
One thing you can do: You can call your representatives and express your feelings about their sell out of our country to oligarchs and autocrats and betrayal of our constitution. Call frequently. You can leave messages. Keep the pressure up.
Sending $$$ to Texas Dem Party would spread your donation over several candidates.
You can call your representatives and express your feelings about their sell out of our country to oligarchs and autocrats and betrayal of our constitution. Call frequently. You can leave messages. Keep the pressure up.
I will donate time and labor, but not money, until I see some evidence that the Democratic Party has weaned itself from a corrupt and increasingly irrelevant consultant class. The consultants stifled the politicians by warning them about focus groups and polls and key words and what the press would do if they said X instead of Y, in consequence of which Democrats have forgotten how to speak simply, bluntly, and directly to ordinary working people about the things that frighten them. It doesn't help that so many Democratic politicians--Schumer among them---are so deeply beholden to the billionaires of Wall Street and Silicon Valley, whose interests many of the consultants also represent.
The best step now is volunteer, community based voter education: especially as voting rights are stripped away, draconian voter ID laws are enacted, vote-by-mail is vanishing in some places as an option, and a great many of the voters whose support is key to Democratic victories don't know their rights or even, increasingly, how to vote.
I get a lot of "asks" from James Carville: none of them mention doing those things, perhaps because it was Carville who, decades ago, derisively sneered away the Howard Dean "fifty state" approach to Democratic Party organization in favor of a Washington-based, consultant-driven, poll-dependent operation. They just tell me that if I don't send James Carville more money we might lose the next election.
I absolutely agree with you. I do send money, but to specific candidates and causes. As for James Carville... you got that right too. Not sure what he's trying to do.
I keep asking this question and it can't be posed better than this:
Where are our slumbering leaders?
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/keNw6CtcGYE
She literally said in the article to contribute to current races like Crawford in MIchigan.
Crawford for Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin, I think.
Yes, I meant Wisconsin, thank you
You can edit your previous statement by dlicking on the three dots to the far right of your name, then clicking on "edit", and then editing.
NY 21 is Elise Stefanik's district so let's get the DEmocratic candidate in. She is a horrendous person.
Stefanik is out. Trump recruited her. The Republican "nominee" is no better, and the Dem running sounds like he might have a chance. Let's make it happen.
Thanks!
When are those elections?
April 1
I love you guys but I suspect you’re dead wrong on Schumer. Please consider what a shutdown would have allowed Trump and Musk to do. It is true that - as of yet - we have few good options. Let’s find them together.
I am a former Hill and White House staffer with over 50 years of experience. This time is - of course- not like any other.
Nevertheless -
Stop the firing squad and get back to collaboration and creative problem solving.
It fits you better than rage.
Ah! FINALLY some wisdom in this comment section. You are absolutely right. It's utterly appalling to see that so many pundits, journalists, comedians etc. on the left are STILL not understanding how grave the situation actually is.
Trump and Musk WANTED a government shutdown, because that would make it LEGAL for them to destroy entire departments and agencies. Thanks to the fact that it has been avoided, we can continue to fight for the preservation of democracy in the courts, and that is vital to slow down the installation of fascism in the US.
In that case, why the heck didn't Schumer make that clear? Instead of being so blah about the matter and acting like all that needs to happen is for El Presidente's poll numbers to drop to the point where the Republicans will have no choice but to kick him out.
Sigh. How do you think I myself discovered his argument? Because he MADE IT CLEAR. Using all possible communication channels, including an op-ed AND live interview with the NYT.
And where do you get the idea that Schumer is "blah about the matter"? What does that even mean?
Why did he change his mind in just two days? Here's one person's speculation:
https://wallstreetonparade.com/2025/03/four-megabanks-on-wall-street-hold-3-2-trillion-in-uninsured-deposits-which-may-explain-senator-schumers-pivot-to-the-gop-to-stop-a-government-shutdown/
First of all, what makes you believe that he changed his mind? Secondly, since Citizens United ALL politicians need big bank donors. The only difference here is that Democrats already passed a bill that would fully repeal it and the GOP opposes it.
So with that, once again, why not try to come up with counterarguments against his main (and VERY, very good) argument? Why just skip it? How could we afford such irrational behavior in times as dangerous as these?
Schumer says no to Republican funding bill as US shutdown risk intensifies
Senate minority leader says Democrats will not provide votes for stopgap measure and calls for bipartisan effort
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/12/schumer-republican-funding-bill-shutdown
That was Wednesday. This was Thursday:
Chuck Schumer to vote for Republican funding bill to avert shutdown
You might want to read Norman Ornstein's take on Schumer's vote. It was published here on yesterday or the day before, and presents a very different perspective.
He doesn't have the kind of speaking style that gets attention or memory....
Really? You want TV celebrity "speaking style"?
What about installing a government BY AND FOR the people, in other words, people with a NORMAL speaking style? Because that is and has always been what democracy is all about.
Imho, the reactions today show precisely how we got here in the first place. So many Democratic voters don't know anymore how democracy is supposed to function and instead want a TV show...
You are absolutely correct. The average person does want a TV personality. That is why they love 47 and still love him.
He gives them a show. The Dems need to do it in a meaningful way.
I didn't mean anything extreme -- no screaming, drama, etc. -- but I don't remember any time when Schumer was a clear or dynamic speaker. That is a deficit with media and in the competition of other voices that makes his less heard. Similar to Biden in the debate where his answers were lucid but not delivered well. I would rather consider discussions as suggestions unless deliberately marked as altercations. There are people questioning what Schumer said which shows that they either didn't hear his complete pronouncements or didn't read enough about them. AOC is an example of a more dynamic speaker -- there are others like Bernie or Schiff or Whitehouse or King or.... That said, there's value in experience and perhaps greater depth of knowledge with seasoned politicians. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
That's not his job. He is not a television personality. He is a public servant whose job is to dig deep and try to understand all the ramifications of any decision. His job is not to entertain you. And as a citizen, it is your job to pay attention, even when it seems boring. Basically, the political process IS boring. It is tedious and drawn out because that's the nature of democratic decision-making. Or was, until Trump made it all about flash and (mis)infotainmet.
YES there is NO democratic equivalent of 47 in terms of rah rah-ing the average person. The Democrats need a very out- going personality with a superior speaking voice. And unfortunately, not a women b/c Kamala was such a person.
Sen. Schumer will never be a charismatic leader, and he tends to give the impression all is as usual. Not necessarily his fault, but does a certain amount of damage.
No he doesn't. He does his job well. Charisma is not necessarily a good trait in someone whose job is parsing details and thinking about long-term ramifications. I sure hope people start grasping that. Joe McCarthy was charismatic, and look what that got us.
Thank you for the confirmation that Schumer had to vote the way he did. A shut down would have been essentially made permanent. And yes, let’s not go low by name calling which only fuels anger, fear and despair but work collaboratively with clear minds.
I urge you to read Norman Ornstein's article that was published here yesterday or the day before. It presents a very different perspective. Also, you might be interested in the speech that Senator Patty Murray who is the Senate Vice Chair of Appropriations made on the Senate before the vote, calling for a "No" vote..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xefx8iV0_zM
I read a Rachel Bitecofer analysis that agreed with you about the shutdown. Just wish Schumer's messaging had been clearer and some leverage had been used.
When oh when will we STOP blaming Democrats for their "messaging"??
This is NOT how we'll ever obtain a thriving democracy. Governing is complicated. You cannot possibly reduce it to TikToks and reels. So the only way to keep a democracy is to have a solid fourth branch of government: the media. It's the MEDIA's core business to do the "messaging", in other words, to truly inform people of who's doing what why in DC. The job of politicians is to govern, which is already a more than fulltime job, if you take it seriously.
Please. It's all very well to say we're losing because we're better, more virtuous, and higher-minded than Those Bad Republicans, but messaging is key.
Great politicians understand about messaging, and have done going back to Lincoln and FDR. JFK understood. Clinton understood. Daniel Patrick Moynihan understood. Obama understood. AOC understands.
Biden didn't. Merrick Garland didn't. Chuck Schumer doesn't. Hillary tried, and in her best moments she talked authentically to people, but too often, because of the bad advice of her consultants, she repressed that authenticity.
FDR didn't give long, tangled, earnest analyses of working conditions or the impact of Depression or the rising fascist menace: he said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" and "When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike you do not wait until he has struck to crush him."
Donald Trump understands messaging. He gives a poison message, just like Newt Gingrich did thirty years ago, but it reaches people and changes outcomes. The failure of too many Democrats to learn that simple lesson may have doomed the republic. Schumer is one of the Democrats who failed to learn.
Unfortunately, the once powerful media is owned or controlled by oligarchs and trump supporters who have no interest or experience in the role of journalism that calls out fascists and defends democracy. That’s why we find Ruben and Krugman here and not in the Times or the Post.
I heard conflicting information as to whether a shutdown would have closed the courts. Much as I hate the way Schumer did what he did, it may be true that if the government had shut down, the MAGA-infested Republicans of the House and Senate would have been in no hurry to re-open it, as they appear to like giving away their power to Trump and Musk. Norms of political behavior do not exist anymore when it comes to Republicans.
@Shelley I agree, Schumer picked the lesser of two evils. What is Jennifer Rubin thinking, when she attacks Schumer and praises AOC?
Quite possibly so. But AOC is the soon to be leader of the party and she has earned that right. I hope she soon assumes leadership and leads the party on a new and far more aggressive approach to governance. There is no other choice, IMO. She is very smart and very articulate and we need her now.
Yes, we have less than 2 years before the House votes, and Rubin wasn’t being helpful as to uniting democrats to defeat 47 et al then.
Let's move on. The propaganda machine worked. There are people who are sorry they voted for Trump. Let's build on that and the increased numbers of people who will be looking for an alternative with us.
Schumer made the right decision, its a shame that his communication style made it difficult for us, and the liberal media to understand his logic. He saw what many did not see - its was the MAGA's Br'er Rabbit gambit that almost worked! DEMs "Shut down the government, that's our leverage". MAGA: "Oh no, please don't shut down the government, please, please don't". DEMs "See, MAGA doesn't want the gov to shutdown, so we need to have a shutdown". MAGA was echoing Br'er Rabbit's "Don't throw me into the briar patch - oh no, don't do it!"
I think the focus is on moving on. AOC is a better communicator. Too bad she and Schumer can't make a better team. But both are pro rule-of-law and democratic rights. That's what I mean when I say that 'we' are not the enemy -- We The People are not looking for a king or a despot or hatred & fear to rule us!
I so agree. I’m perplexed and disappointed to see the rhetoric, not only against schumer, but how vehement it is.
The insinuation that Schumer caved belies reality. Unless he, or his relatives had death threats, why would he do this? On the take, as some say? Preposterous. Intimidated? Nonsense.
This circular firing squad is not the way to win elections, and that must be our TOP priority. United we stand, divided we fall
It's the result of a neofascist propaganda machine. THIS is what "flooding the zone" does to people's minds, especially in the era of social media. The only thing the media do these days is stir up anger, panic and outrage. No more space for rational thinking at all. If this continues, so if the Contrarian and others fail to do their homework as journalists and cave to "public sentiment" too, sooner or later Democrats will HAVE to give in and propose an equally violent form of populism, and then things will get even worse...
The felons wanted a shutdown : a great opportunity to complete this macabre task of destroying the federal government. Check also what Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said about it.
I agree with you, Shelley. I was terrified of a shutdown, precisely because it would give the President (legally?) even more powers NOT to reopen any part of government he deemed "non-essential." I think Schumer ultimately did the right thing for millions and millions of people who depend on government services, though I grant anybody the point that he hardly prepared us for the 'Sophies' Choice' Republicans forced on him.
Lost in the shuffle is that once they voted, Speaker Bobblehead dismissed Republicans from the House -- -meaning that a compromise Continuing Resolution would NEVER have been a reality. Schumer seemed not to countenance that possibility -- I have no idea why.
Having said all that, newer, younger leadership in both Houses is essential. We have many strong, powerful voices. Let's hope we're wise enough to figure out how to make the best use of this defeat.
I too agree. Judging by Trump's actions since January 20th, his clear goal is to destroy US democracy and its economy. The fastest way to do that is to get a shutdown, and then keep it going for as long as possible. One by one, all government departments would close. When would it stop? When enough people woke up, objected, and the Republicans restored funding. But by then Trump would have achieved his goal.
While Schumer's position is unpopular, it's based on scenario analysis. He clearly explained this. In particular, he stated that a shutdown would give Trump and Musk "carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now".
“A shutdown would shut down all government agencies, and it would solely be up to Trump and DOGE and Musk what to open again, because they could determine what was essential,” he told The New York Times in an interview. “So their goal of decimating the whole federal government, of cutting agency after agency after agency, would occur under a shutdown.”
Yes! This is so true. The courts have been our only roadblock and under shutdown the courts would close down (lack of operating funds, etc.) Then what?
I see your point, it may possibly being the correct decision, but the fact remains Schumer needs to pass the torch to a Gen Xer. Democrats currently are dead in the water.
It need not be a Gen-Xer. Please leave the agist comments out of it. The focus needs to be on who can do the job effectively.
Marliss, true but age did have a role in how we got here. Biden had aged out as had I believe Garland.
It did NOT. Ageism is what the legacy media and then also independent media decided to massively cultivate, while Biden was doing what all nonpartisan studies have shown was an exceptionally good job, compared to all previous US presidents.
Fact is, Biden has spinal arthritis (which affects his gait) and his speech impairment is in part back. But that didn't affect his cognitive abilities at all. And with his 50 years in government and a moral spine of steel, he actually got huge and bipartisan bills through Congress at a time when the GOP had become utterly dysfunctional. No newcomer would ever have had the experience and savvy needed to pull this off. So if anything, Biden and Harris absolutely deserved to be reelected (and that's without taking into account that the alternative was installing fascism in the US)...
As long as "we the people" evaluate our politicians in the utterly immoral and counterproductive way you're doing here, we will always be a weak nation, vulnerable to fascist attacks and attacks from abroad. Time to get our $hit together!!
Spin it how you want. Biden was a good guy yes. But when he was elected he and Garland should have been all over trumps ass for treason PERIOD. It should have been NUMBER ONE. how is it that this trump semi-human was allowed to run for president ???? Biden and Garland were past their abilities.
Again, ALL nonpartisan studies PROVE that Biden has delivered in an absolutely outstanding way, ranking him at the very top of all US presidents. That's not merely being a "good guy", that's being an extremely capable and effective president. If even Democratic voters like you STILL can't understand these basic facts, then it's only normal that the neofascists managed to take over the US government...
As to Garland: things are way more complicated than that. At the time, no one knew that (1) Trump would come back and try to run again, (2) Trump would be allowed to win the GOP nomination, and (3) neofascist ideologues would take over MAGA and concoct a roadmap to install fascism in the US. TODAY we know (it became clear last summer, actually), but even today the question remains: if the DOJ would have jailed Trump for treason (which he clearly committed) how would MAGA voters have reacted? The entire neofascist infrastructure was already built up, so they could as well have elected another neofascist BECAUSE of the perceived victimization of their beloved president...
Finally, please don't call Trump a "semi-human". Dehumanization is precisely what characterizes all forms of fascism. Don't fall into that trap. It never ends well, as history has shown.
Biden did a good job in office. He mostly appointed good people. (Yes, Garland was NOT the right person for AG. However, Buttigieg, Blinken, and others were excellent.) Had he been the same Biden he was at the start of his term in 2020, age would not have been an issue. I wish that he had focused on just serving four years and had chosen a VP who would not necessarily be running for president. That would have given other Democrats a chance to come forward for the 2024 election and to make the early start needed.
Too easy. No one knew, in 2021, whether or not Trump would run again. It was at least as likely that the GOP would finally get rid of him themselves. And that would have been a much better solution than allowing him to play the victim and falsely claim that Biden weaponized the DOJ. THAT is what Garland waited as long as possible. And then there is the fact that no one knew that MAGA 2.0 had become 100% neofascist, so now the people manipulating Trump were convinced pro-dictatorship ideologues (the tech billionaires and the Heritage Foundation), AND, we discovered last summer, they spent the last four years concocting a detailed plan for the destruction of US democracy and promotion of fascism both at home and abroad.
None of this was clear at the beginning of Biden's presidency. So it's too easy to blame Garland, now that, in hindsight, we know that IF he had acted faster, Trump may not have been reelected. Still, with so much preparation already done behind the scenes, another neofascist would have taken over MAGA and might well have won the 2024 elections anyhow, knowing that people were stuck in ageism and post-pandemic despair/outrage...
I knew trump would run in 2024
yes harris should have been elected
not an issue
Why the h$ll would age suddenly become a negative instead of positive aspect??!! Biden has just PROVEN how you can - according to all nonpartisan studies - not only be in your 80s but also have spinal arthritis (affecting your gait) and a speech impairment (making you sometimes (falsely) sound cognitively impaired) AND, thanks to your 50-year experience in government and a moral spine of steel, be ranked at the very top of all US presidents in terms of productivity and achievements for the 99%.
Ageism in and of itself is already immoral and despicable, but ageism after what Biden, Pelosi and Schumer have proven to be able to do is outright scandalous and counterproductive! Now more than ever before we need people with a LOT of experience to fight back and slow down the installation of fascism in the US. Because the faster democratic institutions are dismantled, the longer it will take to rebuild them and the higher the chance that rebuilding will never happen.
TIME TO WAKE UP!!
Shelley thanks for this post! As much as I love Jen, she really didn't give us the alternative to a shutdown with the Monsters waiting in wings to rip down the whole place. Schumer and the others did the right thing and with perhaps more experience in politics AOC will mature to handle a crisis situation when the time comes for her.
I do agree with you on Schumer. I think he made the only choice he could have made.
Schumer let his knowledge of strategy overpower his knowledge of people. We needed him to lead the negative votes, not capitulate! That budget bill was our only leverage. If the ten had stood with the others voting no, the Republicans would have been forced to converse and find some compromises that would protect some essential government functions and vulnerable people. Now we’re on the outside and Trump is even flouting judicial decisions.
Shelley,
I completely agree with you about finding good options, and with your background, I would be interested in your ideas, and truly believe in collaboration and creative problem-solving. But, I strongly disagree with everyone who believes that Schumer had no other option. I am 75, have serious health problems, and don't have any more time to waste, hoping for strong leadership from the Senate.
Yes, I so appreciate the work that Jen and Norm are doing. They truly are my heroes. But, Schumer represents the worst of Democratic leadership. I am not rehashing this because I'm dwelling on the past, but because I'm thinking about the present, and the future. And, I believe we can no longer trust Schumer to represent us, and he must be forced to resign. The following is my argument.
Schumer not only lied to voters, but he lied to his colleagues, and to Hakeem Jeffries, so that House members spent the early part of last week convincing Senators who were waffling to vote "NO." On Wednesday night, all Democratic Senators, but one, had made that commitment.
The next morning, Schumer caved without notifying anyone, defended his position in the media, and worked hard to convince some Senators to join him. House members continued to try and change Schumer's mind. Democrats on political sites were outraged by the betrayal. Two Democratic governors spoke out. The next morning, Senator Patty Murray, Vice Chair of Senate Appropriations, gave a speech on the Senate floor, urging a "No" vote. I urge you to watch it. It may even change your mind about the shutdown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xefx8iV0_zM
But, Schumer wouldn't budge, even though he had gotten nothing in return. At the optimum moment for negotiation, when Republicans badly needed eight votes, and were undoubtedly afraid to go back to Trump without them; Schumer quit. Majority Leader John Thune laughed out loud, when he said something like, "We didn't have to give Democrats anything, and Schumer still caved." When Trump thanked Schumer, it was the final blow. And, Schumer still takes no responsibility for his actions.
One additional point is this: Last Wednesday, when Jen sent a video asking us to call Schumer, and tell him to change his vote back to "NO" because it was an outrage, and betrayal against everything we believe in and had been working for etc., she gave another reason that I wasn't aware of, which is that a "Yes" vote would jeopardize lawsuits that had been filed, but not yet heard.
Jen's brief rationale was that the basis for some upcoming lawsuits was that Congress controls the "purse strings, which Republicans had ceded to Trump. If Schumer voted "Yes," it would mean that the entire Congress had relinquished one of their most powerful components of checks and balances: "The power of the purse."
The longer explanation is that the "U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority over government financial decisions, allowing it to levy taxes, authorize spending, and control how government funds are used." The reason the founders included this in the Constitution was because they knew from experience, that without financial control, future presidents, like monarchs in England, could abuse their authority.
Thus, if Trump usurped the budget, it was against the law. But if Congress relinquished their authority, the question was whether Trump's lawyers could use that in court to counter the basis of these lawsuits. Only Jen and Norm can answer this.
Thank you for allowing me to express my opinion.
Jamie Raskin has said that presidential immunity does not apply to those who work for the president and defy court orders — that they can be geld in contempt and be subject to civil actions (for which there ate no pardons). If this is true, can we hope judges will start taking action?
Since they have no immunity, why haven't they been arrested and arraigned?
@Jim Arrested and arraigned by whom? The DoJ, led by Pam Bondi, Ed Martin and Kash Patel? Hardly likely.
Ths is something I mentioned yesterday at a meeting and posted somewhere in substack. In addition to backing democracy-supporting candidates (I am and will forever be a registered Independent) in the upcoming elections (in 2025. No need to wait) how do we support the prosecutors who will hold Administration accountable? Let’s see how many of them remain “loyal” to CF Trump when they have time to reflect during a jail sentence and lose their wealth to fines. Norm, where are these lawsuits and prosecutors? I’d love to support them.
Lil Marco he’s laughed about it and it is foreign relations
I wish I was hearing more about how bad a shutdown would have been. I don’t think Dems would have been able to battle the onslaught of Republican attacks and would have been labeled the party of the shutdown, which under these circumstances could have lasted months not weeks. The anger at Schumer et al is convenient given the frustration everyone is feeling but I think it is misplaced. This was a no win situation.
Exactly. I'm afraid that most pundits and journalists (and comedians) STILL don't get just how bad the current situation actually is.
The GOP is installing a dictatorship. To do that, and fast, they need a chainsaw approach to the executive branch: destroy as many agencies and departments as possible.
Obviously, that's entirely illegal, so Democrats are fighting back in court (and need a lot of donations to be able to keep doing so) AND winning, on behalf of "the people".
Schumer's main argument (that sadly no one addresses) is that attacking them in court would become impossible during a government shutdown, and he's 100% right, because that's the ONLY situation in which destroying agencies actually becomes LEGAL. All that the GOP has to do next, to succeed turning the US into a full-fledged dictatorship, is prolong the shutdown indefinitely.
So blocking the CR would have given the GOP a huge VICTORY twice: (1) they would be able to turn the government into a fascist regime much faster and now also legally, and, on top of it all, (2) they could have easily blamed DEMOCRATS for all the damage that the GOP wanted to inflict anyhow, but now "has" to inflict since the Democrats refused to pass a budget...
This note helps to clarify the situation for me.
No more donations to the DNC people. Take that money and donate to the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, etc and support your favorite Substack Resistance writer.
I have come to the conclusion that the DNC is a political black hole - money flows in and nothing useful comes out. The tits-on-a-boar-hog useless Jaime Harrison stepped down, and I was so in hope that the new guy - Ken Martin would be out there in front, providing some visible leadership... Nope! Silent as the grave. I'm stopping my recurring donation and putting it directly to work getting Dems elected in unlikely places.
In other words, you have NO counterarguments to show why Schumer's arguments would be wrong either. You just FEEL enraged so you decided to do the ONLY thing that will allow the GOP to install a dictatorship faster, namely defunding the DNC so that they cannot pay the extremely expensive lawsuits that ARE slowing it down, at a moment when that's absolutely vital.
Sad. Utterly sad.
Actually Stephan has a point worth considering. It actually sounds as if you, EUWDTB, are the enraged one as you systematically go after every person whose viewpoint differs from yours. That's pretty sad, right there.
Democracy involves listening to other people and trying to understand where they are coming from, even if you disagree. You actually sound a lot like the self-righteous Dems who looked down on MAGAS instead of focusing on voters, and ended up losing the election for us. I'm a pro-democracy activist, heavily involved in several ways, and I tend to agree that so far, the new DNC is behind the ball. I have heard squat from them about what is going on. I do not think Martin was the best choice for Chair at all-his interview was all about doing things top down. He's too WaDC.
I get good info from other sources. For one, Ben Wikler makes a point of including news about national Dem status in his reach-outs, even as he focuses on Wisconsin races. I also pay attention to other Dem leaders at the state level, and some at the fed level, and a lot of local people. I actually heard a DNC staffer say something about " we need to get people at the grassroots level involved". No shit. Where has he been? Grassroots activism has been not only the foundation but the driving force in this fight.
I don't donate to the DNC anymore, and won't until I have the sense that they SEE US. So far Martin has talked about it, but where is the coordination that he talked about? Grass-roots organizations are tired of waiting for it, and we are openly and actively collaborating and coordinating a movement among ourselves, creating a big umbrella for all of us to win back the Congress and save our democracy.
I hear Wikler and Martin have been in touch. Hope something comes out of that. Martin could learn from Wikler, and maybe then the DNC will be functional. In the meantime I donate through my grass-roots groups, directly to ACLU and some other vital organizations that are helping to hold the line.
Hope to see you standing up in resistance on April 5th, at a location near you. HANDS OFF our rights!
"I don't donate to the DNC anymore, and won't until I have the sense that they SEE US."
I share the same opinion. The DNC and mainstream Dems are not blameless and have played a role in where we are now. I canceled my DNC donations after the election and until I see a change of course, I'm focusing my donations on individual politicians who are standing up (e.g., AOC and Chris Murphy) or on grassroots organizations. Until the DNC stops listening to the consultant class and starts listening to us, the people, and starts fighting for us, they won't get any of my money. We have to change the party if we can save the country.
Refuting someone's arguments is only possible AFTER you've listened to them. My main complaint here, however, is that no one even addresses Schumers' arguments. It's just sheer emotional reactivity. I'm sorry, but, aside from the fact that all emotions are by definition valid, in this case they are based on utterly irrational assumptions and the absence of real thinking. That is always terribly dangerous, in any type of democracy, and even more so now that we're transitioning into a dictatorship. The truth matter, whether people like it or not...
So with that, what are YOUR arguments against what Schumer proposed? Any idea?
OK - my arguments against Schumer's stance is you don't give comfort to the enemy to 'live to fight again another day'. There comes a point where where you say enough is enough and take your stand. This started with my rant against the DNC, who have been an ineffectual money sponge for years. All I was saying was I'm applying my donations elsewhere at points of my choosing, since I am not certain that donating to them is useful.
With all due respect, I don't understand your counterargument. How does it refute Schumer's argument more precisely?
It seems as if you didn't really understand it in the first place, so there it is once again:
- the GOP wants to destroy all democratic institutions and install a fascist regime in the US
- to do so, it uses a chainsaw approach: illegally defund as many programs as possible, and illegally close down as many agencies as possible
- the only power Democrats have to fight is to attack them in court (so that's what they're doing, and they're winning)
- keeping as many democratic institutions intact as possible is VITAL because the more destruction the GOP manages to inflict, the more decades it will take to build up these institutions from scratch, and during all that time, the government will NOT be able to provide any services to citizens, even not if Democrats would control all levels of power
- a shutdown makes it LEGAL for Musk/Trump to destroy all democratic institutions and do so MUCH faster than when the (horrible) CR is passed
- once it's legal, we lose the last tool to fight back against fascism: the courts
- conclusion: we HAVE to avoid a shutdown so that we prevent the GOP from installing fascism.
Now what is your counterargument, more precisely?
You sound like you’re projecting.
Your opinion. I (still) have mine.
ABSURD.
Notice how The Contrarian doesn't even TRY to address Schumer's arguments and refute them, nor are you giving any counterarguments. How can you so easily turn against the only ones fighting FOR democracy when the GOP installs a dictatorship, without even trying to THINK for a moment... ??!!
I agree that we need a discussion that looks at both sides of the argument. Those were not to be found before the vote on the Continuing Resolution, and that is a failing of our independent media. I just wish that Shumer had not allowed the House members to be set up if he planned to block the filibuster. A clear strategy is needed.
This was not set up; this IS the best strategy.
After all, the CR is horrible and, for the first time in US history, not even negotiated with Democrats. That alone is a good reason to vote against it as much as possible.
But "as much as possible" means: without risking that the bill doesn't pass.
Once it became clear that the GOP would have the votes needed to pass it in the House, Democrats in the House could safely vote against it.
The same thing goes for most Democrats in the Senate: once it was certain that Schumer had the handful of Democratic votes needed to pass the bill and stand up against Trump and his neofascists, the other Democrats could safely vote against it.
I prefer donating to individual candidates rather than the DNC, although I did make one donation there after an email from David Hogg that was not the usual boilerplate nonsense that insults my intelligence. I've never felt that the DNC puts money into the red states where I have lived and now live, so I donate to those candidates and bypass the DNC.
The DNC vitally needs donations right now, because it's the DNC and not individual candidates that needs to pay for the extremely expensive lawsuits against Musk and Trump, and only those lawsuits can slow down the installation of fascism, so keep the option open that when Democrats return to power, after a few election cycles democratic institutions are restored, and then the government can finally work "for the people" again.
Even under these circumstances, it will be very difficult to achieve, knowing how emotional and irrational most voters are (as the current rage against Schumer once again proves), and how impatient, so it is and remains possible that after one or two Democratic governments, they vote for the neofascist GOP again, only because they feel as if things don't get better fast enough... whereas, again, Democrats won't be able to improve anything, they'll have to spend the first election cycles mostly on restoring democratic institutions before the government can do its job again... . So to keep that restoration period as short as possible, we vitally need to slow down the installation of fascism right now.
Passing the CR bill was a crucial way to do so. Fighting them in court is equally crucial - and requires a LOT of money...
Same here. Direct donations.
So, then, we defeat trump, how? By electing people who work at the ACLU, or for indivisble. No wonder we keep losing elections.
My tactic for some months now! Thank you!
Thank you, Jen, for your tireless zeal. You are an inspiration.
… Those of us from the Vietnam know full well that protests ended the war.
Leader Hakeem Jeffries has the right of it. Hold together, do not be silent, stand up and bring truth to power. AOC speaks out and we need to listen:
Know that your vote matters. Speak out loud and clear. No more head in the sand. VOTE!
I admire and respect AOC, but she is wrong here. Schumer is right that if we had shut down the government it would most likely never reopen, and it would have allowed Musk/Trump to speed up their decimation of our government.
I believe that no matter the choice it was a lose lose. I also agree that Schumer made a difficult decision ( Maybe it was the right one, we’ll see). So now we need to buckle up and work to stop the dangerous territory we are in.
So let’s move on and fight like hell to stop this. AOC and Bernie need our support. Not our disdain.
Where did you get disdain? Nothing I wrote expressed disdain for AOC, and I didn’t mention Bernie. I agree with your previous comment that we need to “buckle up” and work to stop the dangerous peril we are in. I think we’re on the same side.
Not speaking of you personally regarding disdain, just those who express it towards her because they feel she is too far… and I mentioned Bernie because the two of them are a force together and they bring folks together. We are on the same side.
They have been incredible. I believe that those who say AOC is too far left either don’t know her record or are misrepresenting it. Praying that we continue to join in this fight and emerge with our democracy intact.
I don’t much care for Schumer but he was faced with a Hobson’s choice. I also do not like the way Democrats are turning on each other. That is no way to win the war.
Mark Kelly, who voted against the CR called it a "shit sandwich," but he also said that the choice was not clearcut.
I agree that we need not to target individual Democrats but to focus on our purpose of re-capturing the House and some Senate seats. We also need to pay attention to state and local elections, especially the judicial election in Wisconsin, which would finally end the gerrymandered stranglehold that Republicans have had for years.
Eyes on the prize, people.
Jen, I have been a fan for a long time. As a Canadian, I was discouraged that in your first paragraph, you failed to mention Canada. We also want to remain sovereign, but Trump and Musk are trying to take a wrecking ball to our economy to force us to capitulate. Please spare just one thought for us.
I can't speak for Jen, of course, but in my circle of friends we are all appalled by how Canada is being treated. The country and individual Canadians have been stalwart friends. I feel there is very little I can do to show support but please know that there are many average individuals who are ashamed and apologetic.
Hang up a Canadian flag?
Start supporting the Canadian economy by going online and buying Canadian products. They are happy to ship them to us.
I've started to do that. I wonder if there are Danish or UK products I need? 🤔 The shipping from the EU/UK is high. Maybe just buy high ticket items from them and concentrate on Canada?
Do not forget the small businesses and entrepreneurs in this country who are trying to hold on after being bombed by the pandemic and the weather. They are going to be the ones most affected by the disruptions in the supply chain that Trump is creating. Big corporations have the reserves to hold out, or will use loopholes (shipping to 3rd countries first) that small businesses don't have access to. Rather than spending your money by having things shipped (congratulions on being well-off enough to consider ordering cross-border) , please use that money to help keep our own small businesses going.
right now I am flying a bananna flag
I do appreciate Canada and in the past have always been proud of the longest undefended border in the world. I mourn everything trump and his idiot americans are doing to ruin what we had.
What's a banana flag? Something to do with banana republics?
Yes, nothing official mind you.
Black background with a large yellow banana
I believe it is an old Andy Warhol print
It expresses my thoughts about what is going on quite well !
Great idea--I actually have some stickers and souvenirs from trips a couple of years ago. I will dig them out and proudly sport Canadian swag.
Schumer had what sounded like reasonable reasons for his vote. How about covering that instead of a one-sided rant demonizing him. I'm looking for a more balanced approach from you.
A Town Hall is scheduled for Saturday March 22 at 6 pm in Athens Alabama for the 5th U.S.Congressional District. Rep Dale Strong is invited to attend. It is doubtful that he will be attending like many other GOP House members as they are all cowards. A central topic being presented is How will DOGE affect us in North Alabama.
So.... an empty chair at the front of the room? Maybe with a stuffed animal sitting on it?
Another thing we can do is It begin barraging Senators and Reps with questioning whether ignoring a court order is an impeachable offense. Of course this Congress won’t likely ever vote do that. BUT the repeated questions can begin building the drumbeat, seeding the idea and cornering those lapdogs who will squirm. (A much more useful question than whether Schumer should resign. )
If we must "win the battle for democracy in the courts of law and the courts of public opinion", wouldn't shutting down the government also shut down the courts?. Wouldn't we then be in a worse situation? I get the rock and a hard place andits horrible that we are where we are but I think I undestnad why Schumer did what he did. It was the lesser of two evils..
Let’s stop beating up Schumer and move along. Deciding on whether he blew it or not is unproductive. He was in an impossible position, and T/M have *not* been given carte blanche, which a shutdown would have effectively done. Onward and upward!
I hope the leaders of The Contrarian explain precisely what they believe Schumer and the other Senate Democrats who voted with him should have done. Step by step tells us what your winning strategy and action steps would have been. Would you have shut the government down???
You can’t just say “I won’t” and not have a strategic plan to deal with the fallout of a government shutdown that will be characterized as being caused by Democrats. And for EUWDTB - you say the Republicans know they only have two years to wreck their damage. How do you know that they don’t have more than two years. The three house races are crucial, but not a certain Democratic win in each district. And how do you think those district voters would respond to a government shut down caused by the Democrats. I am just as outraged as anybody else about what’s happening, but I don’t see you offering any effective strategic plans of what you would you do if you were actually an elected official serving in Congress on the Democratic side. What we all have to do is make sure we get the vote out. In too many cases, there were districts where Democratic and Liberal voters didn’t even vote in the last election.
As far as the next election goes, I don't think we can wait that long after seeing how much damage they've already done.
There are 3 seats open in the House. They have good people running to fill in the near future. One may be a long shot, but two are potentially winnable (both in Fla). The other is in NY. And even a long shot is worth supporting. We saw several long-shots unexpectedly pull through recently. We may not have to wait until 2026.
There was no winning strategy here. All choices were bad. Nonetheless, visible cooperation with the rapists of our country does not discourage them from continuing their practices. When all you can do is stand up and say "I won't," that's what you do.
You don't get it. TRUMP IS A FASCIST. Musk, Vance, the Heritage Foundation, they are all neofascists. That means: people who sincerely AGREE with Putin's ideologue Dugin that democracy is bad and fascism good. Fascism (from the Latin "fasces", "bundle") means bundling the powers of Congress and the judiciary into the power of the executive branch, which no longer "faithfully executes" the laws and the Constitution but makes the law itself.
The GOP knows they only have two years, so they need a chainsaw approach: destroy as many departments and agencies as fast as possible. Risk: their own voters start noticing the damage and turn against them.
How can they avoid that risk and move forward even faster? THAT is what a shutdown would have given them. So "CAVING", in this case, would have meant giving them their shutdown, not passing a CR bill that legally FORCES the executive to keep all departments and agencies open and funded at a Biden level.
Obviously, Musk will continue to destroy them anyhow, but THE difference, with a CR bill passed, is that what Musk does will continue to be illegal (it would have become entirely legal under a shutdown) so Democrats (if we continue to donate) will continue to be able to fight them in court (and win, as they are doing).
Why is it so important that we continue to fight them in court, so why is the argument that we should just sit back and do nothing until MAGA voters "get it" a bad arguments?
Because as history has shown, when a shutdown fight is no longer about policy but democracy itself, by the time enough people realize that the governing party is installing fascism it will be too late to still revert course. Look at Poland for instance: after 8 years of neofascism, pro-democracy parties won the elections again. But their hands are tied, since the democratic institutions are gone. So now, their poll numbers are going down already again, and chances are that the people will once again elect... fascists.
The only way to prevent that from happening in the US is to massively slow down the destruction at the executive level. THAT is exactly what avoiding a shutdown means. So it was absolutely the wisest and most courageous thing to do.
The CR was horrible, in and of itself, so of course, as many Democrats as possible had to vote against it, but enough of them HAD to vote FOR it to get it passed, because if not, Democrats would have actively destroyed THE most effective way to fight back against fascism today, namely in court.
If the Dems blocked the CR, the GOP would simply use their once a year Budget Reconciliation Bill (requires only 51 in the Senate or 50 + Vance) to pass a budget and reopen government and blame Dems for a shutdown.
The Dems would have gotten nothing anyway and then the GOP would have blamed the Dems and shutdown for any weakness in the economy caused by Trumps tariffs and deportations.
The GOP just needed a bit more time to work on their BR to use instead.
Schumer is no dummy and I am tired of others attacking him.
There was no good option here.
EUWDTB, you sound so certain that you and only you "get it". Your screeds are full of absolutes, while the rest of us are trying to grasp the complexities of where we are. Plus you repeatedly go after people who don't agree with you. Why? You are apparently trying to drag us back into the same us against them strategy that didn't work before. Why? Who are you, really? Because something doesn't fit in what you are doing. What are you really trying to do? Tear us apart? Why?
I agree, Annie. I want an explanation. Not a long-winded lecture and additional plea for money, for the DNC or anyone else. A simple yes or no answer; *then* we can debate this issue, and others. My question? Actually, two questions. One, do you think something has to be done about the mess the illegitimate, felon president-in-name-only is trying to plunge us into? And two, do you believe something *can* be done about it?
Again, it's a yes or no question to both.
I'm suspicious, too, and in these times I have every right to be.
I'll wait for an answer. Long-winded monologuing will be tuned out.
I cannot believe that The Contrarian is taking the utterly populist version of what Schumer did too. How CAN you??!! And like all other populists, you don't even TRY to come up with counterarguments against his arguments, you basically just yell at him, like everyone else. WHAT a disappointment.
So let's start with Schumer's main argument. The key thing that all of you are missing is the fact that Musk and Trump are installing a NEOFASCIST GOVERNMENT in the US. How will they do so? With a chainsaw approach. That means: try to destroy as many departments and agencies as fast as possible, keep a few essential ones, populate them with pro-fascism sycophants.
Since, unfortunately, "we the people" voted Democrats out of all levels of political power, the only way we still have to fight back is basically in the courts. Because of course, in a democracy, it is unconstitutional for the executive branch of government to decide which departments/agencies to create or fund and which ones to end.
For two months now, Democrats have been GREAT, when it comes to attacking Trump in court. It costs tons of money, but they have been able to hire outstanding lawyers and obtained one win after the other "for the people".
Now here's Schumer's argument: the horrible CR bill mostly continues to legally force the executive to (1) keep all existing departments and agencies, and (2) keep Biden-levels of funding.
Is this what Trump and Musk wanted? No, not at all! What they wanted is precisely a shutdown! Because ONLY during a shutdown does it become LEGAL to destroy all non-essential agencies and departments, especially if the GOP decides to let the shutdown continue indefinitely (the time needed to get rid of all that they want to get rid of).
So it is PASSING the CR bill that means NOT caving to Trump, you see?
If Democrats would had not provided the votes in the Senate, the GOP could reasonably argue that the shutdown and ALL the damage they'd do to the government would from now on be the Democrats' fault. So they could basically argue that it's because of the Democrats and NOT because they vitally needed to destroy them all to install fascism, that all the "pain" during the "transition phase" was inflicted.
And then EVEN more importantly: as 8 years of neofascism in Poland have shown, once pro-democracy politicians finally win elections again and try to reinstall democracy, it's extremely difficult to do, because much of this kind of damage is pretty irreversible and takes DECADES to repair.
This is why Schumer bravely and wisely just saved US democracy. We shouldn't "forget about" him, we should THANK him wholeheartedly!!
Also, if the Dems blocked the CR, the GOP would have simply swooped in in a couple of weeks with a Budget Reconciliation bill that only requires a simple majority vote in the Senate.
They are saving it for their tax cuts (they also used it to pass their tax cuts in 2017 along party lines) so Trump's tax cuts and cut extensions would probably also be in there.
Then the GOP would claim to be heroes for reopening the government and the Dems would get nothing anyway. If the Dems blocked the CR they would still have no leverage to get anything from the GOP.
The GOP would then blame the Dems and a "Dem shutdown" for a weak economy, which will be caused by Trump's tariffs and erratic behavior.
There was no win possible with blocking the CR.
Yes, and then there's that too... well said.
Thanks!
Thank you for stating it so well. I’d add that so much of the commenting as to anger at Schumer supposedly caving seems so illogical.