Those kinds of actions by the Trump administration would be fought in court, where organizations like Democracy Docket and Democracy Defenders are already prepared to take action.
If you'd paid any attention to the 2020 election challenges, as I did, you'd know those cases are taken up and decided quickly. That's how Trump ended up losing over 60 court cases post-2020 election and resorted to inciting an insurrection as a last ditch attempt to stay in office.
It's true. The state attorneys general are very good at this. (And let's not forget, the Constitution says states are in charge of the vote. Presidents can only use corruption to interfere, and states can overturn that and have.) Marc Elias's group and Norm Eisen's group are sharp and on point, and they are doing amazing, fast, and effective work to use the courts in every way possible. Let's not despair. There's a lot of grassroots work to GOTV that will help. My main concern now, that I fear is still unaddressed, is that satellite intervention in old voting machines is possible. I think the fifty-somethings are not technical enough to address this potential threat; they can't even "see" it. We need to put together a group of sharp 20-something hackers and turn them loose on safeguarding the machines. Or maybe AI could do it.
Precisely! The Elections Clause gives control over conducting elections to the states. And lots of groups, including Democracy Docket [Marc Elias] and Democracy Defenders [Norm Eisen] are already preparing - as are most state AGs.
I don't know which voting machines you're talking about, but the ones here in NC aren't connected to the internet.
I'm not technical... but I read on ElectionTruthAlliance that the voting machines used by ESS and Dominion use modems to tally and communicate results, and that satellites can affect modems. (?)
Plan for everything and then go with the flow. We all need to be ready for whatever they throw at us. I know a group of crotchety old ladies who can show up with their crocheting wherever the thugs go. Arresting old ladies is really a bad look : )
Yes, exactly, Christine. After J6th, I don't think ANYBODY isn't prepared and on guard ahead these very important midterms - and the next presidential race.
But NOT because the Dems weren't prepared for it. The ONLY reason it came as close as it did was because of MAGAs, not Dems. The Dems are ready for Trump, litigation is ready to go.
The Dems were not prepared for it, otherwise Congress would not have been hiding under their desks.
Trump failed Jan 6th because he backed down. What if he had succeeded and Congress hadn’t been seated? He had a 30,000 person army. Nothing prevented him from aiming it at SCOTUS.
Your responses are those of someone who fundamentally believes in precedence and norms. Trump is not constrained by either. And if he does not chicken out this time, filing lawsuits will have no more effect than a Russian filing suit against Putin or a North Korean filing suit against Kim Jong Il. It will be too late.
'2023'? That ship sailed, and 2032 (assuming digits transposed) would be a good idea, and a 2028 project for the election of a new democratic leadership would be a good idea too.
The article was reporting the scenarios being gamed out, not describing what Democratic leadership was going to do.
You're assessment of "we'll tell people videos are fake" was not the planned response, it was part of the scenario they are planning for which is a much more serious issue (emphasis added)
"Forensic experts discredit the videos quickly as synthetic in the given scenario, BUT RIGHTWING MEDIA - AND THE US PRESIDENT - AMPLIFY THE CLAIMS, NONETHELESS."
In other words, Democratic leadership is planning for what to do when right wing media and Trump keep presenting debunked AI videos as real. That's a worthwhile scenario to plan out in this post truth word.
Other scenarios include:
"Election workers begin receiving death threats."
"Planning a response to armed vigilantes in tactical gear at ballot drop boxes"
"Online license-plate doxxing, a midnight firebombing of an early voting site and a last-minute unilateral deployment of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents and the national guard to polling stations."
Yes, I'd like to know more about what their planned response is, but Democratic Leadership is not like Trump where everything gets posted to Truth Social. And let's remember the "wargaming" is not merely a term in this scenario. Think of this as an actual war for democracy where the last thing a good strategist wants to do is let the opposing force get a preview of the plans.
War gaming is important. Actual preparation is far more important. I think it is likely to fall to blue state governors and legislatures, and I believe it has to include a mobilization of both local law enforcement and the national guard. We have 75 days. I want to see the bills and executive orders.
Fair enough. That is beyond what know how to find, though I believe the Democratic Governors Association might be a place to look, and I think there is a group of state Democratic AGs which may have info.
It needs to go much further than that. If there is not a game plan for dealing with the trifecta of SCOTUS, the Senate’s cloture rules (aka the filibuster) and the smoking ruins of executive branch functions like DOJ, DOD, Homeland Security, Treasury etc. it will be brutally difficult to accomplish anything of consequence. Given that we know the electorate is very impatient and is willing to “throw the bums out” every two years, the Dem’s plan has to start executing the minute the new President’s hand lifts off the Bible on Inauguration Day 2029. Planning now can save a lot of time and heartache a couple of years down the road.
For bold change, we want/need bold leadership AND bold media. Thanks for pairing the two, Jen. Enough of legacy media’s milquetoast as it normalizes weird, cruel and destructive leadership. Democratic candidates need to make a break with THAT pairing to reach the many people who know/feel it’s wrong, false and not in their interests.
“…Democrats’ greatest risk is skittish failure to convey that leadership has internalized the base’s demand for bold change.”
“If Dems want to reach persuadable voters, they should recall a crucial 2024 election lesson: independent media, podcasts, and candidates’ own social media accounts offer a reach as large as — if not larger — than legacy media’s, allowing access to critical swing voters.”
Exactly right, Lisa, as I've been saying for a while now. And in the Guardian today is an article by Robert Reich that beautifully explains this in detail:
Voters have seen the billionaires right out in the open now and working with Trump. They are looking for candidates who will stand up for regular Americans, and they DON'T CARE whether those candidates are called "socialists" or "communists" or "progressives" or "centrists." They are looking for candidates who will ACT. They want change and they want representation for regular folks.
Exactly. No more use of abstract words as socialists, communists, center left, etc. Specify concretely what they will do, including Stop the Iran War, Restore SNAP and Medicaid, Impeach some key cabinet secretaries, etc.
I disagree. The trump regime and magas hurl those terms at Democrats and use them to scare voters. Use those terms, but point out why, with examples, they apply to trump and his regime, NOT to Democrats. The words are abstract, but they scare people into disliking the wrong side because they don't know what they mean.
Thank you. If there’s any question about the legacy media, check out the Peter Baker article on Trump “befriending “ his “”enemies” like Putin and Kim. Who thinks that Putin and Kim are Trump’s “enemies”? Did Baker somehow miss Helsinki?
Democrats need to present their campaign as a place “for everyone who craves sanity, competence, [and] quality public service.” Anyone irate that the Trump regime and its MAGA enablers make you “pay more for everything and took us to war on lies and spent most of last year trying to cover up for the world’s most famous pedophile while the crook president and his crook family rake[d] in billions” should feel right at home. - Sen. Jon Ossoff being quoted
A complete message in a nutshell! I especially like "quality public service" because we sure are not getting any of that now.
Democrats running for office should indeed find a way to incorporate all of this.
Can we please notice that someone (Ossoff) finally *said* something, and it is getting some coverage? We constantly complain that corporate media doesn't "tell our story." But we give them nothing to cover! Thank you, Sen. Ossoff! I write my senator once a week and tell him to do something too.
Schumer has got to go. Jeffries has got to go. Today I read that 13% fewer Americans (5 million people?) have Obamacare, because Democrats refused to stand up for what is right. Eight Quislings--Shaheen of NH, Durbin of IL, Kaine of VA, Hassan of NH, King of ME (an Independent who caucuses with Dems), Jacky Rosen and CC Masto of NV, and (well, okay) Fetterman voted--for some unfathomable reason (pressure from Schumer?)--to cut Obamacare, along with all the Republicans. (And Hassan (although I do not live in NH) had the GALL to send me a fundraising text recently asking for more money.) They gotta go. Some on that list are retiring--all the more reason to have stood up for what was right. I am disgusted with most of the Democrats. It's not just me, right? The anger is growing.
It's my impression that some ARE saying something, Mark Kelly recently for instance, and others quite frequently as per HuffPost and MSNow among other outlets. But it took Ossoff's crack about Natalie Harp to get him wider media coverage.
Thank you for finally outing Jeffries as a timid hack afraid to confront realities. But we still have a problem with so many Dems tied to corporate and lobbying interests who won’t take one for the team and reject money flowing in because they are addicted to the goodies they get from the likes of tech bros, insurance companies, and Big Pharma.
We still also have a problem with Democrat voters who still want THEIR issues to take the stage and fight anyone else who doesn’t support their issue. Just look at some of these comments. I agree with Jennifer Rubin in that most of our big issues and priorities that we argue about now won’t get to be resolved until 2028 ( like Medicare For All) if we flip Congress now and elect a Dem President in 2028. The main thing now is to put a serious wrench in the fascist assault on Social Security and Medicare, National Forests and Parks, the Cabinet positions, etc. But FFS stop the infighting! Enemy of our enemy is our friend!
To be fair, the National DSA has outed itself as being the proverbial "Useful Idiots" benefiting Trump and MAGA.
The National DSA co-chair, Megan Romer, went on Fox News and the interview had this exchange (focusing on the most severe):
"Fox News Host: So we’re gonna put up on the screen a few of the things that are part of your platform, and I want to ask you, just give me sort of a true or false on these.
...
Host: Abolish borders and give amnesty to anyone currently in the US illegally.
Romer: As a long term plan, yep
Host: Defund the Pentagon.
Romer: Absolutely.
Host: Abolish prisons, at least in large part?
Romer: Yeah, again, as part of a long-term program, yeah.
Host: Okay, so no prisons. Government or public ownership of most large corporations?
Romer: Yeah, absolutely."
So if you're wondering Democrats are being asked these questions and aren't able to brush them off, this is why.
Read the attached breakdown of the problems with the DSA that get lost in the vibes of "insurgent progressives"
If increasingly irrelevant groups like Third Way and No Labels can't get on board with the Big Tent Pro-Democracy Movement, they need to be shoved aside. Hard. The time for 'punching left' is DURING the primaries, not after they've been decided. Once VOTERS have chosen their preferred candidate, everyone's job is to get behind that candidate and beat the hell out their MAGA opponent. If Third Way can't do that, they can take their ball, go home to mommy, and sulk, leaving the adults to win elections.
Onboard with Linda Mitchell’s comments. The corporate dems see the writing on the wall and fear losing their power and money. The DNC and corporate dems (Debbie Wasserman Schultz etc) have failed in representing the democratic social justice swell that is building. Lead, Follow, or Get out Of The Way you corporate hacks!
Absolutely - most of the negative reports are GOP propaganda, but we can't deny that we have sellouts and timid leaders who have *repeatedly* failed to resist the MAGATs, even when they had serious opportunities to do so. Every organization reflects its leadership and with the national Democrats, the weakness sits at the top,
Historically, that is true, but I sense something new afoot in the present—outside of Congress. It’s cross-generational, and it wants the end of the current regime. That may just be wishful thinking, but I don’t really think so.
We are being unfair when we “highlight the moral cowardice of Republicans such as Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who couldn’t bear to oppose his (Blanche’s) nomination”. 50 Republican Senators were moral cowards, voting to confirm the grossly unfit Blanche. We single out Cassidy because he at least publicly thought about casting a “no” vote. To be fair, we should be attacking every Republican Senator that voted “yes”. They are all guilty.
Trump is also the first president in my lifetime to institute massive government ownership of private businesses, and Republicans, whose latest buzzword is “communist,” are hypocritically allowing federal corporate ownership, which actually is communism!
“Republicans warning that communists are taking over the Democratic Party might first ask why their own administration is so eager to have the government acquire pieces of private companies.”
True. HCR and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Ma) have both called out Republicans’ false “communist” smear and identified the Trump government as fascist.
Below are links to an excellent floor speech by McGovern—wish more Dems would speak this plainly!—and a terrific discussion between HCR and Rep. McGovern.
That's the Trump progression. When hurling 'socialists' lost its punch, the reversion was, of course, to 'communism', which was clear projection as it's what Trump and his administration have already been doing. The legacy media just forgot to mentiion it.
Yes, I agree with everything that has been said here, but once Dems have control of the House they need to take action against all these Trump puppets and liars. Todd Blanche, Pete Hegseth, and RFK Jr. especially. Hopefully in 2026 they will make headway in the senate. The focus needs to be on what really matters not how the individual Democrats choose to define themselves politically. They must keep their eyes on the prize. It’s all about the strategy right now.
Jeffreys and Schumer are utterly Milquetoast and inept. Both need to be replaced in January. I think the Democratic Governors and AGs are already planning to deal with the election shenanigans. There is going to be a lot. They may have to put the State National Guards between the ballots as they are counted - and the FBI and DOJ.
It would be good if we had names for who we want to replace them with.
The thing that always scares me about the National DSA types is they would push someone who was performative, more interested in fighting anyone labeled "establishment," than someone who has progressive values and a track record of competent leadership.
Yes!!! A divide and conquer strategy will NOT work on us! Just focus on the goals at hand, to be accomplished in however gradual a way, but accomplished! And then, make sure we get out the vote in droves, while watching Trump&Co every second of every damn day to make sure they're not successful in election interference.
I was not familiar with Angie Nixon from Florida (I live in Michigan, there is enough to keep me busy here) but saw her interview with Tim...and was quite impressed with the scrappy mother of five and her varied experiences. Go get 'em, Angie!
MAGA treatment of DEI discriminates against all minorities, and that includes Cuban Americans. Many of the former JEB variety opposed Trump in 2024, including at least one former Florida Republican chair. Hope she appears on Spanish language radio and TV to take on the accusation that she supports the current Cuban government.
True enough, sadly. Fingers crossed there are some House Dems becoming sufficiently fed-up with the current (lack of) leadership that they push harder -- whether that's pushing him into action or pushing him to step aside doesn't matter. Bottom line: lead or get out of the way.
Yes, it's past time for that expression to be called upon. We need leaders who will serve people, not corporations. Even Democrats got lulled into doing more good for businesses then for their constituents. It's time to get big money out of politics, and it's beginning to happen. Money doesn't always win elections.
No. They need a Project November 2026. An action plan for when Trump subverts the election. If anyone has that plan, please, share it!
Those kinds of actions by the Trump administration would be fought in court, where organizations like Democracy Docket and Democracy Defenders are already prepared to take action.
The problem is, it takes time to work through the justice system. By then, it will be too late.
If you'd paid any attention to the 2020 election challenges, as I did, you'd know those cases are taken up and decided quickly. That's how Trump ended up losing over 60 court cases post-2020 election and resorted to inciting an insurrection as a last ditch attempt to stay in office.
It's true. The state attorneys general are very good at this. (And let's not forget, the Constitution says states are in charge of the vote. Presidents can only use corruption to interfere, and states can overturn that and have.) Marc Elias's group and Norm Eisen's group are sharp and on point, and they are doing amazing, fast, and effective work to use the courts in every way possible. Let's not despair. There's a lot of grassroots work to GOTV that will help. My main concern now, that I fear is still unaddressed, is that satellite intervention in old voting machines is possible. I think the fifty-somethings are not technical enough to address this potential threat; they can't even "see" it. We need to put together a group of sharp 20-something hackers and turn them loose on safeguarding the machines. Or maybe AI could do it.
Precisely! The Elections Clause gives control over conducting elections to the states. And lots of groups, including Democracy Docket [Marc Elias] and Democracy Defenders [Norm Eisen] are already preparing - as are most state AGs.
I don't know which voting machines you're talking about, but the ones here in NC aren't connected to the internet.
I'm not technical... but I read on ElectionTruthAlliance that the voting machines used by ESS and Dominion use modems to tally and communicate results, and that satellites can affect modems. (?)
YES, Kandarohe.
Plan for everything and then go with the flow. We all need to be ready for whatever they throw at us. I know a group of crotchety old ladies who can show up with their crocheting wherever the thugs go. Arresting old ladies is really a bad look : )
Yes, exactly, Christine. After J6th, I don't think ANYBODY isn't prepared and on guard ahead these very important midterms - and the next presidential race.
And it almost succeeded.
But NOT because the Dems weren't prepared for it. The ONLY reason it came as close as it did was because of MAGAs, not Dems. The Dems are ready for Trump, litigation is ready to go.
The Dems were not prepared for it, otherwise Congress would not have been hiding under their desks.
Trump failed Jan 6th because he backed down. What if he had succeeded and Congress hadn’t been seated? He had a 30,000 person army. Nothing prevented him from aiming it at SCOTUS.
Your responses are those of someone who fundamentally believes in precedence and norms. Trump is not constrained by either. And if he does not chicken out this time, filing lawsuits will have no more effect than a Russian filing suit against Putin or a North Korean filing suit against Kim Jong Il. It will be too late.
That is a great idea. Has anyone written a democratic project 2026 or project 2023?
'2023'? That ship sailed, and 2032 (assuming digits transposed) would be a good idea, and a 2028 project for the election of a new democratic leadership would be a good idea too.
Democratic leaders have been wargaming scenarios such as Trump declaring a national emergency, sending troops to polling locations, and others.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/09/democrats-election-disruption-planning-exercises
The responses written here are milquetoast. We’ll tell people videos are fake? 🙄
The article was reporting the scenarios being gamed out, not describing what Democratic leadership was going to do.
You're assessment of "we'll tell people videos are fake" was not the planned response, it was part of the scenario they are planning for which is a much more serious issue (emphasis added)
"Forensic experts discredit the videos quickly as synthetic in the given scenario, BUT RIGHTWING MEDIA - AND THE US PRESIDENT - AMPLIFY THE CLAIMS, NONETHELESS."
In other words, Democratic leadership is planning for what to do when right wing media and Trump keep presenting debunked AI videos as real. That's a worthwhile scenario to plan out in this post truth word.
Other scenarios include:
"Election workers begin receiving death threats."
"Planning a response to armed vigilantes in tactical gear at ballot drop boxes"
"Online license-plate doxxing, a midnight firebombing of an early voting site and a last-minute unilateral deployment of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents and the national guard to polling stations."
Yes, I'd like to know more about what their planned response is, but Democratic Leadership is not like Trump where everything gets posted to Truth Social. And let's remember the "wargaming" is not merely a term in this scenario. Think of this as an actual war for democracy where the last thing a good strategist wants to do is let the opposing force get a preview of the plans.
War gaming is important. Actual preparation is far more important. I think it is likely to fall to blue state governors and legislatures, and I believe it has to include a mobilization of both local law enforcement and the national guard. We have 75 days. I want to see the bills and executive orders.
Fair enough. That is beyond what know how to find, though I believe the Democratic Governors Association might be a place to look, and I think there is a group of state Democratic AGs which may have info.
Her are my thoughts, which I gave to to NC political candidates and the governor.
https://stevenerick.substack.com/p/a-view-from-the-cheap-seats-584?r=bmogg&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
It’s spot on! Message me when the first governor signs that executive order.
I am not holding my breath but I will do so if it happens. I will post it on my Substack if I get a response.
I don’t disagree. There needs to be an immediate plan for November and a Project 2029. And they need to start NOW.
It needs to go much further than that. If there is not a game plan for dealing with the trifecta of SCOTUS, the Senate’s cloture rules (aka the filibuster) and the smoking ruins of executive branch functions like DOJ, DOD, Homeland Security, Treasury etc. it will be brutally difficult to accomplish anything of consequence. Given that we know the electorate is very impatient and is willing to “throw the bums out” every two years, the Dem’s plan has to start executing the minute the new President’s hand lifts off the Bible on Inauguration Day 2029. Planning now can save a lot of time and heartache a couple of years down the road.
Thank you Jen. No room for subtlety in 2026.
For bold change, we want/need bold leadership AND bold media. Thanks for pairing the two, Jen. Enough of legacy media’s milquetoast as it normalizes weird, cruel and destructive leadership. Democratic candidates need to make a break with THAT pairing to reach the many people who know/feel it’s wrong, false and not in their interests.
“…Democrats’ greatest risk is skittish failure to convey that leadership has internalized the base’s demand for bold change.”
“If Dems want to reach persuadable voters, they should recall a crucial 2024 election lesson: independent media, podcasts, and candidates’ own social media accounts offer a reach as large as — if not larger — than legacy media’s, allowing access to critical swing voters.”
Exactly right, Lisa, as I've been saying for a while now. And in the Guardian today is an article by Robert Reich that beautifully explains this in detail:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/20/corporate-democrats-decline
Voters have seen the billionaires right out in the open now and working with Trump. They are looking for candidates who will stand up for regular Americans, and they DON'T CARE whether those candidates are called "socialists" or "communists" or "progressives" or "centrists." They are looking for candidates who will ACT. They want change and they want representation for regular folks.
Exactly. No more use of abstract words as socialists, communists, center left, etc. Specify concretely what they will do, including Stop the Iran War, Restore SNAP and Medicaid, Impeach some key cabinet secretaries, etc.
I disagree. The trump regime and magas hurl those terms at Democrats and use them to scare voters. Use those terms, but point out why, with examples, they apply to trump and his regime, NOT to Democrats. The words are abstract, but they scare people into disliking the wrong side because they don't know what they mean.
"use them to scare voters." That is a good point.
Thank you. If there’s any question about the legacy media, check out the Peter Baker article on Trump “befriending “ his “”enemies” like Putin and Kim. Who thinks that Putin and Kim are Trump’s “enemies”? Did Baker somehow miss Helsinki?
Democrats need to present their campaign as a place “for everyone who craves sanity, competence, [and] quality public service.” Anyone irate that the Trump regime and its MAGA enablers make you “pay more for everything and took us to war on lies and spent most of last year trying to cover up for the world’s most famous pedophile while the crook president and his crook family rake[d] in billions” should feel right at home. - Sen. Jon Ossoff being quoted
A complete message in a nutshell! I especially like "quality public service" because we sure are not getting any of that now.
Democrats running for office should indeed find a way to incorporate all of this.
Can we please notice that someone (Ossoff) finally *said* something, and it is getting some coverage? We constantly complain that corporate media doesn't "tell our story." But we give them nothing to cover! Thank you, Sen. Ossoff! I write my senator once a week and tell him to do something too.
After Jon Ossoff wins his Senate re-election, he NEEDS to replace Schumer as Senate MAJORITY Leader. We need that powerful leadership!
Schumer has got to go. Jeffries has got to go. Today I read that 13% fewer Americans (5 million people?) have Obamacare, because Democrats refused to stand up for what is right. Eight Quislings--Shaheen of NH, Durbin of IL, Kaine of VA, Hassan of NH, King of ME (an Independent who caucuses with Dems), Jacky Rosen and CC Masto of NV, and (well, okay) Fetterman voted--for some unfathomable reason (pressure from Schumer?)--to cut Obamacare, along with all the Republicans. (And Hassan (although I do not live in NH) had the GALL to send me a fundraising text recently asking for more money.) They gotta go. Some on that list are retiring--all the more reason to have stood up for what was right. I am disgusted with most of the Democrats. It's not just me, right? The anger is growing.
It's my impression that some ARE saying something, Mark Kelly recently for instance, and others quite frequently as per HuffPost and MSNow among other outlets. But it took Ossoff's crack about Natalie Harp to get him wider media coverage.
Didn't hear anything Kelly said after the viral video about not obeying illegal orders. What did he say, and how was it covered, do you remember?
Thank you for finally outing Jeffries as a timid hack afraid to confront realities. But we still have a problem with so many Dems tied to corporate and lobbying interests who won’t take one for the team and reject money flowing in because they are addicted to the goodies they get from the likes of tech bros, insurance companies, and Big Pharma.
We still also have a problem with Democrat voters who still want THEIR issues to take the stage and fight anyone else who doesn’t support their issue. Just look at some of these comments. I agree with Jennifer Rubin in that most of our big issues and priorities that we argue about now won’t get to be resolved until 2028 ( like Medicare For All) if we flip Congress now and elect a Dem President in 2028. The main thing now is to put a serious wrench in the fascist assault on Social Security and Medicare, National Forests and Parks, the Cabinet positions, etc. But FFS stop the infighting! Enemy of our enemy is our friend!
AMEN!
To be fair, the National DSA has outed itself as being the proverbial "Useful Idiots" benefiting Trump and MAGA.
The National DSA co-chair, Megan Romer, went on Fox News and the interview had this exchange (focusing on the most severe):
"Fox News Host: So we’re gonna put up on the screen a few of the things that are part of your platform, and I want to ask you, just give me sort of a true or false on these.
...
Host: Abolish borders and give amnesty to anyone currently in the US illegally.
Romer: As a long term plan, yep
Host: Defund the Pentagon.
Romer: Absolutely.
Host: Abolish prisons, at least in large part?
Romer: Yeah, again, as part of a long-term program, yeah.
Host: Okay, so no prisons. Government or public ownership of most large corporations?
Romer: Yeah, absolutely."
So if you're wondering Democrats are being asked these questions and aren't able to brush them off, this is why.
Read the attached breakdown of the problems with the DSA that get lost in the vibes of "insurgent progressives"
https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/notes-on-the-dsa
Whattt???
Yep
Excellent! We need the biggest pro-democracy tent imaginable.
If increasingly irrelevant groups like Third Way and No Labels can't get on board with the Big Tent Pro-Democracy Movement, they need to be shoved aside. Hard. The time for 'punching left' is DURING the primaries, not after they've been decided. Once VOTERS have chosen their preferred candidate, everyone's job is to get behind that candidate and beat the hell out their MAGA opponent. If Third Way can't do that, they can take their ball, go home to mommy, and sulk, leaving the adults to win elections.
The Joe Liberman wing is gone time to fire up a new, new deal.
Onboard with Linda Mitchell’s comments. The corporate dems see the writing on the wall and fear losing their power and money. The DNC and corporate dems (Debbie Wasserman Schultz etc) have failed in representing the democratic social justice swell that is building. Lead, Follow, or Get out Of The Way you corporate hacks!
Democratic social justice is NOT democratic socialism and those candidates with ties to the DSA need to untie themselves.
Flood the Zone, impeach and prosecute, protect the election. All hands on deck!
My understanding is that most of the reports of divisive Democratic factionalism is coming from the Right.
Absolutely - most of the negative reports are GOP propaganda, but we can't deny that we have sellouts and timid leaders who have *repeatedly* failed to resist the MAGATs, even when they had serious opportunities to do so. Every organization reflects its leadership and with the national Democrats, the weakness sits at the top,
Historically, that is true, but I sense something new afoot in the present—outside of Congress. It’s cross-generational, and it wants the end of the current regime. That may just be wishful thinking, but I don’t really think so.
We are being unfair when we “highlight the moral cowardice of Republicans such as Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who couldn’t bear to oppose his (Blanche’s) nomination”. 50 Republican Senators were moral cowards, voting to confirm the grossly unfit Blanche. We single out Cassidy because he at least publicly thought about casting a “no” vote. To be fair, we should be attacking every Republican Senator that voted “yes”. They are all guilty.
Trump is also the first president in my lifetime to institute massive government ownership of private businesses, and Republicans, whose latest buzzword is “communist,” are hypocritically allowing federal corporate ownership, which actually is communism!
“Republicans warning that communists are taking over the Democratic Party might first ask why their own administration is so eager to have the government acquire pieces of private companies.”
https://www.cato.org/blog/government-ownership-stakes-companies-becoming-routine-under-trump
True. HCR and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Ma) have both called out Republicans’ false “communist” smear and identified the Trump government as fascist.
Below are links to an excellent floor speech by McGovern—wish more Dems would speak this plainly!—and a terrific discussion between HCR and Rep. McGovern.
https://youtube.com/shorts/ccylSHAyA6Y?si=DHDD2WbH7amrj5db
https://substack.com/@hrichardson/note/p-208150008?r=77igri&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
https://substack.com/@heathercoxrichardson/note/p-210028181?r=77igri&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
That's the Trump progression. When hurling 'socialists' lost its punch, the reversion was, of course, to 'communism', which was clear projection as it's what Trump and his administration have already been doing. The legacy media just forgot to mentiion it.
"Every accusation from a Republican is a confession."
Yes, I agree with everything that has been said here, but once Dems have control of the House they need to take action against all these Trump puppets and liars. Todd Blanche, Pete Hegseth, and RFK Jr. especially. Hopefully in 2026 they will make headway in the senate. The focus needs to be on what really matters not how the individual Democrats choose to define themselves politically. They must keep their eyes on the prize. It’s all about the strategy right now.
Jeffreys and Schumer are utterly Milquetoast and inept. Both need to be replaced in January. I think the Democratic Governors and AGs are already planning to deal with the election shenanigans. There is going to be a lot. They may have to put the State National Guards between the ballots as they are counted - and the FBI and DOJ.
It would be good if we had names for who we want to replace them with.
The thing that always scares me about the National DSA types is they would push someone who was performative, more interested in fighting anyone labeled "establishment," than someone who has progressive values and a track record of competent leadership.
We have a deep bench in both houses of Congress. People with the necessary skills will step up to the plate after November 3rd.
The predicate is to win.
You keep repeating the other team's bullshit. Yellow Dogs support ALL Dems.
Sorry, but I support effective fighters. I want Fetterman primaried.
Yes!!! A divide and conquer strategy will NOT work on us! Just focus on the goals at hand, to be accomplished in however gradual a way, but accomplished! And then, make sure we get out the vote in droves, while watching Trump&Co every second of every damn day to make sure they're not successful in election interference.
Hope you're right.
In key states, independents will make the difference. Need to motivate them to vote blue.
Agreed!
I was not familiar with Angie Nixon from Florida (I live in Michigan, there is enough to keep me busy here) but saw her interview with Tim...and was quite impressed with the scrappy mother of five and her varied experiences. Go get 'em, Angie!
How's her Spanish?
MAGA treatment of DEI discriminates against all minorities, and that includes Cuban Americans. Many of the former JEB variety opposed Trump in 2024, including at least one former Florida Republican chair. Hope she appears on Spanish language radio and TV to take on the accusation that she supports the current Cuban government.
In essence, this comment about Jeffries (from the third paragraph)
"And while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is among the most hesitant to get out ahead of his members,"
is basically making the observation that Jeffries is not a leader.
Either lead or get out of the way . . .
A problem there is that no obvious replacement is standing up.
True enough, sadly. Fingers crossed there are some House Dems becoming sufficiently fed-up with the current (lack of) leadership that they push harder -- whether that's pushing him into action or pushing him to step aside doesn't matter. Bottom line: lead or get out of the way.
Yes, it's past time for that expression to be called upon. We need leaders who will serve people, not corporations. Even Democrats got lulled into doing more good for businesses then for their constituents. It's time to get big money out of politics, and it's beginning to happen. Money doesn't always win elections.