Cory Booker gave not just a record-setting speech, but a truly excellent speech. That said, I am surprised he didn’t do this as a filibuster, but perhaps Senator Booker felt he needed to seize the moment – and the moment was now.
I am also glad to see Senate Democrats are using their power to place holds on Trump’s many and odious nominations. There should be holds on all of them!
And for each and every agency, those holds should remain in place until the Trump Regime spends funds according to the allocations made by Congress. This also means halting and reversing DOGE’s unlawful firings of our civil servants. Trump/Musk’s shuttering of USAID is blatantly illegal, and just one of many egregious examples.
Because SCOTUS gave Trump immunity, and because, incredibly, there aren't laws against Musk. No one ever envisioned a President ceding his authority to an unelected, unnominated, unconfirmed private citizen. Heather Cox Richardson cited the Nerd Reich substack in her March 27 column, and I think we all should be reading it, and acting accordingly.
And also because of Biden’s inappropriate appointment of Merrick Garland, who two years before a special prosecutor. that is why I call him Merrick Milktoast
Obama appointed Garland to the Supreme Court March 2016
In the last year of his term in office,..
The Republican controlled Senate led by majority leader Mitch McConnell, refused to hold hearings or vote on Garland‘s nomination asserting that the appointment should be made by the next president after the upcoming November election,.. Garlands nomination remained in limbo for 293 days the longest for a Supreme Court nomination,.. until it expire January 3, 2017 at the end of the 114th Congress
Filibusters exist to stop or slow down pending pieces of legislation. Cory was NOT trying to stop or derail a piece of legislation. Therefore, It.Is.Not.A.Filibuster.
Cory was asking the American people to wake up and fight for their country. To wake up and do something, to remember who we are and what we stand for. There was no actual legislation involved.
Stefanik was actually confirmed by the Senate, on Trump’s inauguration day, no less. But she never resigned from the House and thus never started her new job as UN Ambassador.
Now her would-be boss has rescinded the job offer, returning her to the House. Although you could argue he is still Stefanik’s boss – just like he is the boss of every Republican politician who lacks a spine.
And she doesn't have the self-worth to understand - or care - what a pawn she is. If she did, she would tell the don to find himself another candidate for her House seat.
While listening to Cory Booker's amazing speech on the Senate floor, I couldn't help but remember Ted Cruz's lame attempt to filibuster Obamacare by reading "Green Eggs and Ham." The difference between the two could not be more stark.
"In 1985, Don began his military career when he joined the U. S. Air Force and served nearly thirty years on active duty, culminating his military career at the rank of Brigadier General. During his career in the Air Force, Don specialized in electronic warfare and intelligence.
"His military career highlights include two tours as a Wing Commander, at Ramstein Airbase in Germany and Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska; squadron and group command at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona; and expeditionary squadron command, flying combat missions over Iraq. Don served 16 assignments with four deployments to the Middle East, including one to Iraq from 2007 to 2008 during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Don is a National War College graduate, Distinguished Graduate of Intelligence School, Navigator School, and Air Command and Staff College. He earned two master's degrees while serving in the Air Force."
Surrely he also can't tolerate SIGNAL, Musk, and the ire from his constituents and major donors. Nebraska farmers lost their crop subsidies.
A sane Republican president would have been lucky for the opportunity to nominate Bacon for SecDef. Notice I said "sane." Instead we get an unqualified alcoholic sex pest who seems to be running our military into the ground. My Navy husband and Marine son are not pleased.
There is a lot of time yet for the GOP to turn the tables on us, as they have excelled at doing in the past. Underestimate them at our peril.
Check out M Gessen's frightening article on the new US police state in today's NYT, along with Tom Friedman's provocative summary of his visit to a Huawei technology complex in China. We are losing our freedom AND our technological lead.
We can live well without our technological lead. It's largely a blow to our egos. But we can't live without the freedom provided by a stable society with the rule of law.
Actually reading constituents' letters was a masterful touch. If nothing else, it shows that people know what's happening and are beginning to react. With leadership like Senator Booker's, we will move forward. When the effects of the tariffs hit us in the wallet, the momentum will grow.
My husband will accompany me to the April 5th demonstration - the first time he has physically attended a protest since the Viet Nam War. The force is with us!
Momentum and success are well underway. Cory Booker was phenomenal. Susan Crawford was icing on the cake. Weil and Valimont in Florida were valiant and showed the way, again. Absolutely 🙌 for us (and US); onward and upward and don’t stop now!!!
There will be bad days: many of them, for as long as the Republicans are in power, and for as long as the Democrats fall short of the kind of action their country needs to see from them. The Republicans and their billionaire masters aren't finished with us: not by a long shot.
Nevertheless yesterday some very good people gave us a very good day indeed: among them Senator Booker, Judge Crawford, and, yes, the two losing Democratic candidates in Florida who gave it their all and came so much closer, in deep-red districts, than a smug, insular, profoundly vicious Republican Party had imagined possible.
Heartfelt thanks to them.
Meanwhile, Elon and his DOGIES, that little street gang of racist, hateful trust-funders, continue to rampage through our government, doing massive harm: not irreparable, perhaps, but profound and consequential, the scars of which will linger for years, maybe even decades. Russ Vought and Stephen Miller and Donald Trump continue to take a wrecking ball to our country, our people, and our constitution.
The fight is far from over: indeed, it has only just begun. But yesterday was a sign that there's still some fight in the old republic.
Agreed. Democrats, and anyone who loves democracy, can rejoice in the Wisconsin election, but we are in a marathon, not a sprint, and we forget that at our peril. I also agree that while Elon Musk gets the publicity as he destroys the government, Russell Vought and Stephen Miller are also destroying the government in their behind-the-scenes machinations and may actually be running the executive branch while Trump golfs and plays at running the Kennedy Center. So, I rejoice in yesterday while starting to plan for today and tomorrow.
Sorry, but Democrats do need a positive message, along with resisting Trumpism, and it’s not hard to frame one. Democrats are responsible for just about everything good the government has done for regular people over the last 90 years. The message also needs to include addressing economic issues which sometimes gets overlooked in favor of other issues (although they too are important). Running on sanity as a virtue shouldn’t be that hard either.
All that is true, but if people are only going on their "feelings" about the economy etc., they don't listen. You know, "price of eggs". I think the message was out there, but you know, "eggs".
The win by Susan Crawford was phenomenal! Wisconsinites had had enough of Elon Musk and his blatant bribery. It’s a great day today for democracy and the rule of law.
As a Wisconsinite in one of its reddest counties, I suspect that even some of my right-wing neighbors were so disgusted by Elmo’s vote buying attempt that they would not vote for the Shlemiel.
I don't believe that is allowed. It has to be one person. Some Democratic Senators such as Chris Coons did support him in resting his voice for a bit by asking him long winded questions - namely their own little speeches with a question at the end to meet the rules.
I heard a story about him. On the way to his inaug as mayor of Newark, NJ he witnessed a crime,stopped his motorcade and arrested the perp. This is entirely believable as Newark is one of NJ's not best cities !
This is a long process. It is almost good that Felony Musk is such a camera happy jerk. The more dangerous men are in the shadows pulling PINO'S strings. Thiel. Leo, the 2025 MAGAts. I long for a Lame Duck tRump always waffling on the golf course "winning!"
The millions that Musk has thrown into races have gone to waste. His dollars to Wisconsin were thrown away. His dollars to Tesla are being flushed down the toilet. Investors are fleeing him. His dollars to Trump will eventually be wasted.
KEEP COSTING HIM! Make it SO EXPENSIVE for Musk that he will finally quit.
Cory Booker gave not just a record-setting speech, but a truly excellent speech. That said, I am surprised he didn’t do this as a filibuster, but perhaps Senator Booker felt he needed to seize the moment – and the moment was now.
I am also glad to see Senate Democrats are using their power to place holds on Trump’s many and odious nominations. There should be holds on all of them!
And for each and every agency, those holds should remain in place until the Trump Regime spends funds according to the allocations made by Congress. This also means halting and reversing DOGE’s unlawful firings of our civil servants. Trump/Musk’s shuttering of USAID is blatantly illegal, and just one of many egregious examples.
They both, Trump and Musk, should now be in jail. Why aren't they??
Because SCOTUS gave Trump immunity, and because, incredibly, there aren't laws against Musk. No one ever envisioned a President ceding his authority to an unelected, unnominated, unconfirmed private citizen. Heather Cox Richardson cited the Nerd Reich substack in her March 27 column, and I think we all should be reading it, and acting accordingly.
Well….because Republicans
And also because of Biden’s inappropriate appointment of Merrick Garland, who two years before a special prosecutor. that is why I call him Merrick Milktoast
Obama appointed Garland to the Supreme Court March 2016
In the last year of his term in office,..
The Republican controlled Senate led by majority leader Mitch McConnell, refused to hold hearings or vote on Garland‘s nomination asserting that the appointment should be made by the next president after the upcoming November election,.. Garlands nomination remained in limbo for 293 days the longest for a Supreme Court nomination,.. until it expire January 3, 2017 at the end of the 114th Congress
Filibusters exist to stop or slow down pending pieces of legislation. Cory was NOT trying to stop or derail a piece of legislation. Therefore, It.Is.Not.A.Filibuster.
Cory was asking the American people to wake up and fight for their country. To wake up and do something, to remember who we are and what we stand for. There was no actual legislation involved.
Yes - except, I wish they had confirmed Elise Stefanic before Trump pulled her nomination!
Stefanik was actually confirmed by the Senate, on Trump’s inauguration day, no less. But she never resigned from the House and thus never started her new job as UN Ambassador.
Now her would-be boss has rescinded the job offer, returning her to the House. Although you could argue he is still Stefanik’s boss – just like he is the boss of every Republican politician who lacks a spine.
And she doesn't have the self-worth to understand - or care - what a pawn she is. If she did, she would tell the don to find himself another candidate for her House seat.
While listening to Cory Booker's amazing speech on the Senate floor, I couldn't help but remember Ted Cruz's lame attempt to filibuster Obamacare by reading "Green Eggs and Ham." The difference between the two could not be more stark.
I think the Wisconsin vote should be an object lesson for Congressional Republicans who represent majority Democratic districts like mine.
Cast your fate with Musk and you will LOSE. Bigly.
Still asking Contrarian to check out Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
E.G. Republican House member Don Bacon -- "Pro-Ukraine GOP rep ready to risk Trump’s wrath: ‘I feel so strongly about it, I just don’t care’" https://nypost.com/2025/03/31/us-news/pro-ukraine-gop-rep-don-bacon-on-risking-trumps-wrath-i-feel-so-strongly-about-it-i-just-dont-care/
"In 1985, Don began his military career when he joined the U. S. Air Force and served nearly thirty years on active duty, culminating his military career at the rank of Brigadier General. During his career in the Air Force, Don specialized in electronic warfare and intelligence.
"His military career highlights include two tours as a Wing Commander, at Ramstein Airbase in Germany and Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska; squadron and group command at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona; and expeditionary squadron command, flying combat missions over Iraq. Don served 16 assignments with four deployments to the Middle East, including one to Iraq from 2007 to 2008 during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Don is a National War College graduate, Distinguished Graduate of Intelligence School, Navigator School, and Air Command and Staff College. He earned two master's degrees while serving in the Air Force."
Surrely he also can't tolerate SIGNAL, Musk, and the ire from his constituents and major donors. Nebraska farmers lost their crop subsidies.
A sane Republican president would have been lucky for the opportunity to nominate Bacon for SecDef. Notice I said "sane." Instead we get an unqualified alcoholic sex pest who seems to be running our military into the ground. My Navy husband and Marine son are not pleased.
There is a lot of time yet for the GOP to turn the tables on us, as they have excelled at doing in the past. Underestimate them at our peril.
Check out M Gessen's frightening article on the new US police state in today's NYT, along with Tom Friedman's provocative summary of his visit to a Huawei technology complex in China. We are losing our freedom AND our technological lead.
I will be on the Mall April 5.
Not just technology, but medical research and innovation. Gutting an area in which we excel.
We can live well without our technological lead. It's largely a blow to our egos. But we can't live without the freedom provided by a stable society with the rule of law.
I’ll be in Deerfield Beach, protesting too
Better @ Mar a Lago.
President Biden should have built that wall Trump wanted – but around Mar-a-Lago! (And ideally, it should have been a Faraday Cage.)
Even our military defense technology will suffer without a competitive free education system.
Me too!
Cory Booker was absolutely inspiring. How refreshing the truth is! "The power of the people is stronger than the people in power."
Actually reading constituents' letters was a masterful touch. If nothing else, it shows that people know what's happening and are beginning to react. With leadership like Senator Booker's, we will move forward. When the effects of the tariffs hit us in the wallet, the momentum will grow.
My husband will accompany me to the April 5th demonstration - the first time he has physically attended a protest since the Viet Nam War. The force is with us!
Momentum and success are well underway. Cory Booker was phenomenal. Susan Crawford was icing on the cake. Weil and Valimont in Florida were valiant and showed the way, again. Absolutely 🙌 for us (and US); onward and upward and don’t stop now!!!
It was a good day.
There will be bad days: many of them, for as long as the Republicans are in power, and for as long as the Democrats fall short of the kind of action their country needs to see from them. The Republicans and their billionaire masters aren't finished with us: not by a long shot.
Nevertheless yesterday some very good people gave us a very good day indeed: among them Senator Booker, Judge Crawford, and, yes, the two losing Democratic candidates in Florida who gave it their all and came so much closer, in deep-red districts, than a smug, insular, profoundly vicious Republican Party had imagined possible.
Heartfelt thanks to them.
Meanwhile, Elon and his DOGIES, that little street gang of racist, hateful trust-funders, continue to rampage through our government, doing massive harm: not irreparable, perhaps, but profound and consequential, the scars of which will linger for years, maybe even decades. Russ Vought and Stephen Miller and Donald Trump continue to take a wrecking ball to our country, our people, and our constitution.
The fight is far from over: indeed, it has only just begun. But yesterday was a sign that there's still some fight in the old republic.
Agreed. Democrats, and anyone who loves democracy, can rejoice in the Wisconsin election, but we are in a marathon, not a sprint, and we forget that at our peril. I also agree that while Elon Musk gets the publicity as he destroys the government, Russell Vought and Stephen Miller are also destroying the government in their behind-the-scenes machinations and may actually be running the executive branch while Trump golfs and plays at running the Kennedy Center. So, I rejoice in yesterday while starting to plan for today and tomorrow.
Sorry, but Democrats do need a positive message, along with resisting Trumpism, and it’s not hard to frame one. Democrats are responsible for just about everything good the government has done for regular people over the last 90 years. The message also needs to include addressing economic issues which sometimes gets overlooked in favor of other issues (although they too are important). Running on sanity as a virtue shouldn’t be that hard either.
All that is true, but if people are only going on their "feelings" about the economy etc., they don't listen. You know, "price of eggs". I think the message was out there, but you know, "eggs".
I remember "the Democratic Party's for you and you and you..
It is for all the people and not for just a few."
___________________________________
Or "Happy days are here again...."
What?
Annie, those are all former campaign slogans,
The win by Susan Crawford was phenomenal! Wisconsinites had had enough of Elon Musk and his blatant bribery. It’s a great day today for democracy and the rule of law.
As a Wisconsinite in one of its reddest counties, I suspect that even some of my right-wing neighbors were so disgusted by Elmo’s vote buying attempt that they would not vote for the Shlemiel.
Elon Musk is history's fool.
Hope so....
Musk is the culmination of the intellectual, moral, and spiritual vacuum at the heart of our present view of capitalism.
Next time, senate democrats need to do a relay handoff. Booker starts to fade, someone else should take it up for 20+ hours and so on.
I don't believe that is allowed. It has to be one person. Some Democratic Senators such as Chris Coons did support him in resting his voice for a bit by asking him long winded questions - namely their own little speeches with a question at the end to meet the rules.
Booker was as strong at the end as the beginning IMO.
Jersey baby !
I heard a story about him. On the way to his inaug as mayor of Newark, NJ he witnessed a crime,stopped his motorcade and arrested the perp. This is entirely believable as Newark is one of NJ's not best cities !
This is a long process. It is almost good that Felony Musk is such a camera happy jerk. The more dangerous men are in the shadows pulling PINO'S strings. Thiel. Leo, the 2025 MAGAts. I long for a Lame Duck tRump always waffling on the golf course "winning!"
Along with Stephen Miller and Russell Vought.
The millions that Musk has thrown into races have gone to waste. His dollars to Wisconsin were thrown away. His dollars to Tesla are being flushed down the toilet. Investors are fleeing him. His dollars to Trump will eventually be wasted.
KEEP COSTING HIM! Make it SO EXPENSIVE for Musk that he will finally quit.
Work to vote these Republicans out of office:
SENATE: Dan Sullivan-AL, Joni Ernst-IA,
Susan Collins-ME, Thom Tillis-NC, John Cornyb-TX, John Husted-OH
HOUSE: Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-07),
Nick Begich 3. AL, Don Bacon ( NB-02), Max Miller ( OH-07), Ken Calvert (CA-41),
Mike Lawler (NY-17), David Schweikert (AZ-01), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06)
Gabe Evans (CO-08), John Hurd (CO-03), Tom Barrett (MI-07), John James (MI-10)
John McGuire (VA-05), Jen Kiggans (VA-02)
Ryan Bresnahan (PA-08), Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Scott Perry (PA-10)
Senator Booker showed us the kind of politics we should have in America.