Ah yes, the well-known ability of the party to command voters what to do. As proven in 2024 when, apparently, for reasons known only to itself, it told Democratic voters to stay home.
Btw, you might want to acquaint yourself with the 2016 New York Democratic primary when, on the Friday before the following Tuesday's vote, Bernie abandoned campaigning, rented a 737 jet, and flew to Rome for the weekend, along with family members and some friends.
Was "the party" responsible for his subsequent primary loss in his home state?
for heaven's sake, this and the comments following it: exactly what I mean by thumbtacks. Pay attention to the panzer unit bearing down on us and don't turn on each other!
Too bad you still don't see how the DNC purposefully scuttled Bernie's real chance at the nomination. To accuse him of misogyny because he dared run against a woman? Really? Who knows what would have happened of he had been allowed to run a fair campaign in the primaries? We'll never know.
With past statements like these, Bernie scuttled his own chances:
“My own feeling is that the Democratic Party is ideologically bankrupt.”
“You don’t change the system from within the Democratic Party.”
“The current model and the current strategy of the Democratic party is an absolute failure. The Democratic party needs fundamental change.”
“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Why should we work within the Democratic Party if we don’t agree with anything the Democratic Party says?’”
Not saying he's wrong, just that he can hardly expect to be embraced by the party he pretends to join only whenever he wants to run for the Presidency.
Respectfully, the title of the piece was "The Best of Congress". It was not the best of the democratic party! Which was why I nominated a truly "best of", the Massie (R) and Khanna (D) PARTNERSHIP that led to the release of the Epstein files (assuming DOJ fulfills the law).
It is great that Massie and Khanna formed this partnership. However, that does in NO way make Massie "the best of" Congress. Did he speak out about GOP bigotry, about ICE cruelty, about T's daily lies and expressions of hate, ....? NO. One right step does not make up for all the ugly stuff he supported.
Your comment reflects a naïveté on how politics work in the USA. The DNC is a large, extensive apparatus with offices all over the country. To ask all those people who have devoted their careers to the advancement of the policies of the Democratic Party to work to elect a man who is NOT a member of their party is a bridge too far. However, if we want to place blame here let's put it on the DNC Leadership who foolishly made it clear years in advance that they would select Hillary Rodham Clinton as their presidential candidate. This gave the GOP far too much time to coordinate oppo research & strategies. And did they even check to see if she was TRULY electable??? It's the same (rotten) DNC Leadership who didn't forcefully inform Joe Biden that would not and could not be their candidate until FAR TOO LATE into the 2024 election cycle. This was incredibly irresponsible on the part of the DNC. Sadly, I don't see this new Chairperson, Ken Martin as a great improvement. Martin spoke a good game in the run up to his selection - but since then? Bubkis.
HRC was an excellent candidate - far better than Bernie. Are you aware that the GOP started bashing her after she came up with a HC plan for all while BILL was president. They KNEW she would make a good candidate. They wouldn't let go of Benghazi for the same reason. The news media were increasingly in the pockets of GOP after Reagan ended the Fairness Doc. Instead of basing news articles on facts & evidence, they wrote persuasive articles with innuendo & speculation.
Yup, same reason they went after a frosh rep from NYC. The GOP recognized AOC as a future threat, and are "inoculating" their base against ever listening to anything she says or does.
Gayle the FACT that the GOP started demonizing HRC since the mid-1990's is the reason she was NOT a good candidate. I've worked, and studied politics for decades now. It IS a terrible thing that the GOP demonized her for so long; but it was a blunder by the DNC to INSIST that NONE OF THAT MATTERED. Traditionally, candidates slugged it out in the primaries and the best candidate rose to the top. THAT is not what the DNC did in 2016. They let every Democrat know that they WERE NOT welcome to challenge Hillary. Gayle, with the exception of incumbents, the only time I could ever recall that happening in US presidential politics is when Teddy Roosevelt hand picked Taft to run as the Republican nominee. Teddy was extremely popular but wanted to stay true to his promise to only serve one term b/c he did 3 year's of McKinley's term. So he "groomed" Taft to take up his baton upon Teddy's recusal from politics. (And we all know how that worked out!) In a competition the element of surprise is CRUCIAL.
Well, I cannot argue with your evaluation of the DNC's shortsighted shenanigans to put Clinton in as candidate. But I think the bridge too far is the lack of imagination to give anyone else a chance to put forth an argument. I gave up on voting major party candidates when they re-elected Nixon, so I'm an anachronism anyway.
So, you aided in the elections of every GOP admin that followed Nixon. For many POC, elections have been a challenge, since they knew they needed to vote for the president least likely to hurt their progress. They didn't have the luxury of not voting or voting for 3rd party because both of these choices could possibly give the presidency to the worst candidate. Reagan, the 2 Bushes, and T were all bad presidents who used trickle down, cutting taxes for the rich, deregulation for their economic policies, blamed the poor (POC) for their poverty and cut social programs that aided the needy and elderly. White people, on the other hand, don't pay attention to these issues and believed all the lies about HRC spread by the GOP and the media. PS: the mainstream news media has been in the pockets of the GOP since Reagan ended the Fairness Doc. Journalists no longer needed to use facts & evidence for news articles. They cited opinions as if they were true. They repeated every lie the GOP mentioned.
No, I accuse him of persistent misogyny throughout his career. Inform yourself. Your and others' elevation of "Bernie" to sainthood overlooks his vote against the assault-weapons ban and against the Frank-Dodds Amendment.
I think you meant to reply to one of the Bernie "bros" which I am certainly not. I totally agree with your comment. I didn't support him for many reasons including the two you mentioned: anti assault weapons ban and anti Dodds- Franks amendment.
very unlikely that the parts of the country that would not vote for a well-spoke, articulate former Senator and Secretary of State (and first lady, and Watergate inquiry staffer), would have voted for an old democratic socialist with a New York Jewish accent.
No, they did not. Too many people were turned off by how Bernie acted. They did not listen to the ideas he was pushing. Due to GOP connecting communism & socialism for decades and Bernie's inability to find a better way to communicate. He was not going to win the nomination because of his own faults. HRC is far more intelligent and competent. (I personally like progressive ideas and knew Bernie was not really helping the cause.)
Unfortunately, Bernie's rants & other commentary hurt the advancement of progressive ideas (which I DO believe in). He blamed capitalism for all our economic woes. I knew who Bernie was when he became popular. But still did research about him when he became a candidate. His Congressional record showed nothing of significance. He refused to recognize that using the word socialism frightened a large segment of the population since GOP had used it in a threatening way - connecting it to communism since the 70's. When anyone is speaking to an audience, it is necessary to know how best to explain one's ideas so true understanding can develop.
THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS we were having when he became popular were caused by the economic policies of the GOP since Reagan. Tax cuts for the rich, trickle down, & deregulation created an increasing wealth gap that is approaching that of the Great Depression.
After the Great Depression, FDR et al, established regulations which prevented monopolies and kept rich business owners from controlling all of the markets, enabled small businesses, encouraged growth of unions, established the minimum wage, required work & product safety. Ike was the last good GOP president. Nixon was the first to suggest that citizens create their own savings for retirement instead of relying on SS. From that point forward, GOP admins have blamed people for their poverty and restricted/eliminated every social program that provides assistance.
Too many believed GOP accusations and chose to blame rather than have empathy for others. They NEVER sought facts.
The TRUTH is that REGULATED capitalism with proper social programs for those in need provide the best economy. UNREGULATED capitalism ONLY enriches the rich.
WHY are so many ignorant of these facts? Because our news media has been increasingly in the pockets of the rich since Reagan ended the Fairness Doc. Facts were no longer tequired in the media. They told you the GOP was better for the economy. FALSE. They said the GOP & DEMS were the same. FALSE. Are there some dems who have been guilty of bad stuff? Yes, but that is NOT equal to an entire party & its rich owners moving further & further right until NOW, FINALLY, people see the nazis in our streets.
I appreciate your well articulated thoughts, Gayle, and for taking the time to share them with the community here.
Unfortunately, it seems that there are too many others here who choose to just share their negative comments in short, critical, impulsive "blasts" . It does cause me concern when people just want to spout their opinion, with no attempt to explain their reasoning behind it, or leave space for other people's perspectives. It causes me to wonder if they are really Democrats.
I would like to believe that we, Democrats, are a party of respecting other's opinions; being open-minded and making an effort to see things from a different perspective; acknowledging that our strength is in working *together* & utilizing everyone's strengths!!! *This* is how we are so very different from the current maga-republicans; and why, ultimately, we *will* overcome this horrible, fascist, authoritarian administration!!!
In addition, yes, Bernie is a genuine good person/politician. He is passionate about making a positive difference for our country. However, Bernie "champions", you've just got to Let. It. Go. re: the 2016 presidential campaign. That was 10 years ago!!! It's far more important to Be. Here. Now!!! Be in the present!!! Let your resentments go....it's negative energy, which does no one any good.
Put your energy into the positives, now, which is what Jen Rubin has done in her column. She is reminding us of our really courageous, passionate, dedicated Democrat leaders who *are* standing up and speaking out: Sen. Cory Booker....literally *stood* on his feet and spoke for 25 fucking hours!!!! 👏 Who, of any of you critics, has ever done something like that?!!! This man needs to be celebrated!!! And we, all, need to be god-damn grateful to him!!!
Then there is Sen. Jeff Merkley who spoke for 22 hours!!! Sen. Alex Padilla who had the courage to try asking a question, only to be slammed down onto the floor & handcuffed, for god's sake!!! And Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Rep. Chris Deluzio, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, had courage & stood up together to encourage military to honor their pledge to support the Constitution!!!
Then there's Rep. AOC who is not afraid to speak out for the under-paid, under-appreciated hard workers!!! Let's *celebrate* her efforts combined with Bernie Sanders!!! We've also got Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Rep. Robert Garcia, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren!!! All of them using their best, most positive & passionate energy to Make. A. Positive. Difference. in our country!!!!
Let's celebrate all of these courageous Democrats!!! And, seriously, quit whining about how unfair it was that Hillary was our elected Presidential candidate, in 2016, instead of Bernie!!! It's water that is way under the bridge and already out into the ocean by now!!!
And, lastly, use your energy to Make. A. Positive. Difference. In. 2026!!!
You are both so on target. I just wish more people took the time to read the comments to the article. It would be great if their words were put into a letter to the editor so that more people could read them. Maybe they have opted to do that.
BUT truly, thank you ladies for telling the whole story so clear and bold.
I appreciate this very much. So often it feels like speaking into the wind. I posted something similar in my town’s local group and the negative or uninformed responses to facts is disheartening. It’s long been a town that leans Republican, but tough when they cannot see who they are even now. Thank you for taking the time to make this comment.
There are zero GOP left who can be trusted. The GOP has been moving further & further right since Reagan. Think Kochs' controlled group of conservatve House GOP, Tea Party, Gingrich's demand that Every GOP vote as told or be primaried. AND THEY DID! Only a very few balked at doing this with T who SHOULD have been impeached. And NONE of them who were threatened by GOP have spoken out or filed a lawsuit. If Ike were alive today, he would be furious with what has happened. We need a new party to take its place. Til then, Dems are the only choice.
I will never forget or forgive Chief Justice Roberts for holding the Trump empeachment trial without any witnesses.
Really.
And a dangerous thought for all of you --- do we need a third party to break the deadlock between the Democrats and Republicans. In my view the Republicans only want power. They do not want to share the responsibllity to govern the country. They want the total pie and the result is nothing happens.
Just remember that President Biden had gotten the Republicans to the table with a solution to the immigtant issues and Trump told his pawns that they
had to stop that vote. He needed immigration issues for his campaign for
president. He used the immigrants the way Hitler used the Jews, to get
behind him to blame someone else for anything wrong.
Consider Obamacare. Trump has hated it from the beginning...[Maybe cause it wasn't callee Trumpcare] but the truth is Trump never ever or the Republicans never ever came up with a healthcare plan. They take the easy way out and just
complain. Republicans want power but they have no smarts to govern. They are followers.. and just look at who they are following.
I think we need an I.Q. Test for anyone running for president. DJT obviously has no understanding of what he edicts are doing to the whole world.
What has Auchincloss done???? Haven't seen anything significant from him until he decided to run for Senator. AOC has far surpassed Bernie because she explains ideas better. Bernie still rants.
Nope. I like progressive ideas and have believed in them long before it was a word in the political vocabulary. I would have voted for Mamdani if I lived in NYC. When someone is a candidate, I research their background. I don't just vote for them because of what they say. Their character matters and their past actions matter. Bernie had done NOTHING significant in his career.
True, but AOC is a far better speaker and explains issues clearly. My commentary regarding Bernie stands. Had progressive ideas been explained better (and the news media hadn't been in GOP pockets), it would have been harder for GOP to use their nasty commentary about those ideas.
Fair question. I've been impressed with him during interviews because he always puts forth solutions to fix the country's problems. He does have a substack.
It’s good to be reminded that we have so many powerful and relentless forces for good- and there are many more- in a time when it’s so easy to get discouraged. Thank you!
And I would add Ro Khanna for his bipartisan effort re Trumpstein. So naturally an honorable mention to Republican Thomas Massie for agitating the MAGAts by acting like a congressman and not a cultist
Thank you for this stellar article! To be reminded of what these 10 have done is encouraging and soothing. And the list doesn't even include Bernie, Chris Murphy, Elissa Slotkin, Jasmine Crockett, Melanie Stansbury, and more. What's alarming is the spotlight this shines on how many ways the Republicans are complicit in dismantling all that is good about our government. I hope in the new year for a tidal wave of support for these folks from the citizens across the country!!
Conspicuously missing from your top ten is Dem leadership. Rightfully so. They’re not leading. I’ve been pleading with Senate Minority Leader Schumer to step down for the better part of this year. It’s time for the rest of us to do the same. Having an effective leader is going to play a pivotal role leading up to the midterms, if we actually get there. Let’s do this together. If you feel as I do, call your Senators and tell them so. (202) 224-3121
Thank you for this, we need all the positivity we can get. I’d like to offer another Senator who has also shown leadership in fighting the evil regime. Sen. Chris Murphy of CT has spoken forcefully against the abuses of the felon and his henchmen.
This is an opinion piece, celebrating 10 exceptional lawmakers and/or their acts of courage. We encourage everyone to write their own list and share. Let’s celebrate these women and men, feel emboldened by the fact that there’s competition in the field of forward-looking leadership, then celebrate another batch in 2026. Onwards 🙌
It's good to recognize those in Congress who are speaking out, but for this democracy to survive we also need people from state government. The Attorney Generals are doing a fantastic job of rolling back illegal executive orders. The Governors are another important line of defense, some quietly and others like Pritzker and Newsom doing so more publicly. My thanks to all of them as well as the journalists, historians, and retired military who are shining a light on the atrocities so that we, the people, aren't just frogs slowly boiling to death.
Our small state of Maryland has two of these distinguished Members. Many thanks to Ms. Rubin for calling them out. It's so easy to forget, as we are subjected to a massive flood of byproduct from the current Administration, that people are capably and effectively pushing back.
We the ordinary people must continue to get in the streets in large numbers! We are the small cogs that run the machinery of government. We must not get complacent. We uplift our fellow Americans and push our elected officials!
Don’t forget Bernie—the grand old man of them all.
Yes! He has never relented. He and Ocasio-Cortez have been a fearless duo.
Exactly! He should be at the top of the list!
The article is about "Congressional Democrats"
Bernie is not and never has been a Congressional Democrat.
He still should have been mentioned. He votes with the Democrats . He’s more of a REAL Democrat than the rest of them.
Democratic voters disagree with you. If in any doubt check the outcomes of the Presidential primaries where Bernie ran as a Democrat.
The ones where the thumb was so heavily on the scale the whole party apparatus is now spoken of in the same tone as a midden?
Ah yes, the well-known ability of the party to command voters what to do. As proven in 2024 when, apparently, for reasons known only to itself, it told Democratic voters to stay home.
Btw, you might want to acquaint yourself with the 2016 New York Democratic primary when, on the Friday before the following Tuesday's vote, Bernie abandoned campaigning, rented a 737 jet, and flew to Rome for the weekend, along with family members and some friends.
Was "the party" responsible for his subsequent primary loss in his home state?
It's about the best members of Congress not just Democrats.
First sentence of article: "We have spent the year commiserating with you over the shortcomings of most congressional Democrats."
Almost needless to say, every politician then named is a Democrat.
Shame on you, Jennifer Rubin, for ignoring the major spokesperson for sanity in the government follies.
for heaven's sake, this and the comments following it: exactly what I mean by thumbtacks. Pay attention to the panzer unit bearing down on us and don't turn on each other!
There we go again. Democrats love to prove their independence by
bashing other Democrats. When are we going to learn we just give
more amunition to our enemies.
We have to learn to stand together. Really. It will not hurt us to support each other.
She is one of the people who truly understands the importance of Democracy,
Seventy percent don’t of Americans understand what Democracy is. If we lose Democracy,my friends, will be in dire strait.
.
Shame on you for promoting a man in part responsible through his misogyny to the election of drumpf in 2016.
Too bad you still don't see how the DNC purposefully scuttled Bernie's real chance at the nomination. To accuse him of misogyny because he dared run against a woman? Really? Who knows what would have happened of he had been allowed to run a fair campaign in the primaries? We'll never know.
With past statements like these, Bernie scuttled his own chances:
“My own feeling is that the Democratic Party is ideologically bankrupt.”
“You don’t change the system from within the Democratic Party.”
“The current model and the current strategy of the Democratic party is an absolute failure. The Democratic party needs fundamental change.”
“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Why should we work within the Democratic Party if we don’t agree with anything the Democratic Party says?’”
Not saying he's wrong, just that he can hardly expect to be embraced by the party he pretends to join only whenever he wants to run for the Presidency.
He's not a Democrat. He's an Independent, therefore should not get the nomination for the Democratic Party.
Respectfully, the title of the piece was "The Best of Congress". It was not the best of the democratic party! Which was why I nominated a truly "best of", the Massie (R) and Khanna (D) PARTNERSHIP that led to the release of the Epstein files (assuming DOJ fulfills the law).
First sentence of article: "We have spent the year commiserating with you over the shortcomings of most congressional Democrats."
Almost needless to say, every politician then named is a Democrat.
It is great that Massie and Khanna formed this partnership. However, that does in NO way make Massie "the best of" Congress. Did he speak out about GOP bigotry, about ICE cruelty, about T's daily lies and expressions of hate, ....? NO. One right step does not make up for all the ugly stuff he supported.
I was replying to rSF's lament that the Democratic National Committee scuttled Bernie's chance of getting the Democratic nomination.
Your comment reflects a naïveté on how politics work in the USA. The DNC is a large, extensive apparatus with offices all over the country. To ask all those people who have devoted their careers to the advancement of the policies of the Democratic Party to work to elect a man who is NOT a member of their party is a bridge too far. However, if we want to place blame here let's put it on the DNC Leadership who foolishly made it clear years in advance that they would select Hillary Rodham Clinton as their presidential candidate. This gave the GOP far too much time to coordinate oppo research & strategies. And did they even check to see if she was TRULY electable??? It's the same (rotten) DNC Leadership who didn't forcefully inform Joe Biden that would not and could not be their candidate until FAR TOO LATE into the 2024 election cycle. This was incredibly irresponsible on the part of the DNC. Sadly, I don't see this new Chairperson, Ken Martin as a great improvement. Martin spoke a good game in the run up to his selection - but since then? Bubkis.
HRC was an excellent candidate - far better than Bernie. Are you aware that the GOP started bashing her after she came up with a HC plan for all while BILL was president. They KNEW she would make a good candidate. They wouldn't let go of Benghazi for the same reason. The news media were increasingly in the pockets of GOP after Reagan ended the Fairness Doc. Instead of basing news articles on facts & evidence, they wrote persuasive articles with innuendo & speculation.
Yup, same reason they went after a frosh rep from NYC. The GOP recognized AOC as a future threat, and are "inoculating" their base against ever listening to anything she says or does.
Gayle the FACT that the GOP started demonizing HRC since the mid-1990's is the reason she was NOT a good candidate. I've worked, and studied politics for decades now. It IS a terrible thing that the GOP demonized her for so long; but it was a blunder by the DNC to INSIST that NONE OF THAT MATTERED. Traditionally, candidates slugged it out in the primaries and the best candidate rose to the top. THAT is not what the DNC did in 2016. They let every Democrat know that they WERE NOT welcome to challenge Hillary. Gayle, with the exception of incumbents, the only time I could ever recall that happening in US presidential politics is when Teddy Roosevelt hand picked Taft to run as the Republican nominee. Teddy was extremely popular but wanted to stay true to his promise to only serve one term b/c he did 3 year's of McKinley's term. So he "groomed" Taft to take up his baton upon Teddy's recusal from politics. (And we all know how that worked out!) In a competition the element of surprise is CRUCIAL.
Well, I cannot argue with your evaluation of the DNC's shortsighted shenanigans to put Clinton in as candidate. But I think the bridge too far is the lack of imagination to give anyone else a chance to put forth an argument. I gave up on voting major party candidates when they re-elected Nixon, so I'm an anachronism anyway.
Stop picking on ourselves... BUT the real issue is that during the
last election Democrats stayed at home and didnl't vote.
For whatever reason, either a reason or the assumption that no one
would be dumb enough to vote for Trump.
we proved the statement that All we have to do for evil to triumph, is to do nothing... and TRUMP took over.. so nothing and evil wins.
So, you aided in the elections of every GOP admin that followed Nixon. For many POC, elections have been a challenge, since they knew they needed to vote for the president least likely to hurt their progress. They didn't have the luxury of not voting or voting for 3rd party because both of these choices could possibly give the presidency to the worst candidate. Reagan, the 2 Bushes, and T were all bad presidents who used trickle down, cutting taxes for the rich, deregulation for their economic policies, blamed the poor (POC) for their poverty and cut social programs that aided the needy and elderly. White people, on the other hand, don't pay attention to these issues and believed all the lies about HRC spread by the GOP and the media. PS: the mainstream news media has been in the pockets of the GOP since Reagan ended the Fairness Doc. Journalists no longer needed to use facts & evidence for news articles. They cited opinions as if they were true. They repeated every lie the GOP mentioned.
The DNC did not scuttle his chance. His personality just didn't play very well in some areas of the country.
No, I accuse him of persistent misogyny throughout his career. Inform yourself. Your and others' elevation of "Bernie" to sainthood overlooks his vote against the assault-weapons ban and against the Frank-Dodds Amendment.
I think you meant to reply to one of the Bernie "bros" which I am certainly not. I totally agree with your comment. I didn't support him for many reasons including the two you mentioned: anti assault weapons ban and anti Dodds- Franks amendment.
OK, thanks for your input. Go back to sleep now.
DNC ran hillary because it was her turn.....Bernie would have won
very unlikely that the parts of the country that would not vote for a well-spoke, articulate former Senator and Secretary of State (and first lady, and Watergate inquiry staffer), would have voted for an old democratic socialist with a New York Jewish accent.
She was the best candidate! And no BERNIE had zero chance. He was not as smart or as accomplished as HRC.
No, they did not. Too many people were turned off by how Bernie acted. They did not listen to the ideas he was pushing. Due to GOP connecting communism & socialism for decades and Bernie's inability to find a better way to communicate. He was not going to win the nomination because of his own faults. HRC is far more intelligent and competent. (I personally like progressive ideas and knew Bernie was not really helping the cause.)
Unfortunately, Bernie's rants & other commentary hurt the advancement of progressive ideas (which I DO believe in). He blamed capitalism for all our economic woes. I knew who Bernie was when he became popular. But still did research about him when he became a candidate. His Congressional record showed nothing of significance. He refused to recognize that using the word socialism frightened a large segment of the population since GOP had used it in a threatening way - connecting it to communism since the 70's. When anyone is speaking to an audience, it is necessary to know how best to explain one's ideas so true understanding can develop.
THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS we were having when he became popular were caused by the economic policies of the GOP since Reagan. Tax cuts for the rich, trickle down, & deregulation created an increasing wealth gap that is approaching that of the Great Depression.
After the Great Depression, FDR et al, established regulations which prevented monopolies and kept rich business owners from controlling all of the markets, enabled small businesses, encouraged growth of unions, established the minimum wage, required work & product safety. Ike was the last good GOP president. Nixon was the first to suggest that citizens create their own savings for retirement instead of relying on SS. From that point forward, GOP admins have blamed people for their poverty and restricted/eliminated every social program that provides assistance.
Too many believed GOP accusations and chose to blame rather than have empathy for others. They NEVER sought facts.
The TRUTH is that REGULATED capitalism with proper social programs for those in need provide the best economy. UNREGULATED capitalism ONLY enriches the rich.
WHY are so many ignorant of these facts? Because our news media has been increasingly in the pockets of the rich since Reagan ended the Fairness Doc. Facts were no longer tequired in the media. They told you the GOP was better for the economy. FALSE. They said the GOP & DEMS were the same. FALSE. Are there some dems who have been guilty of bad stuff? Yes, but that is NOT equal to an entire party & its rich owners moving further & further right until NOW, FINALLY, people see the nazis in our streets.
I appreciate your well articulated thoughts, Gayle, and for taking the time to share them with the community here.
Unfortunately, it seems that there are too many others here who choose to just share their negative comments in short, critical, impulsive "blasts" . It does cause me concern when people just want to spout their opinion, with no attempt to explain their reasoning behind it, or leave space for other people's perspectives. It causes me to wonder if they are really Democrats.
I would like to believe that we, Democrats, are a party of respecting other's opinions; being open-minded and making an effort to see things from a different perspective; acknowledging that our strength is in working *together* & utilizing everyone's strengths!!! *This* is how we are so very different from the current maga-republicans; and why, ultimately, we *will* overcome this horrible, fascist, authoritarian administration!!!
In addition, yes, Bernie is a genuine good person/politician. He is passionate about making a positive difference for our country. However, Bernie "champions", you've just got to Let. It. Go. re: the 2016 presidential campaign. That was 10 years ago!!! It's far more important to Be. Here. Now!!! Be in the present!!! Let your resentments go....it's negative energy, which does no one any good.
Put your energy into the positives, now, which is what Jen Rubin has done in her column. She is reminding us of our really courageous, passionate, dedicated Democrat leaders who *are* standing up and speaking out: Sen. Cory Booker....literally *stood* on his feet and spoke for 25 fucking hours!!!! 👏 Who, of any of you critics, has ever done something like that?!!! This man needs to be celebrated!!! And we, all, need to be god-damn grateful to him!!!
Then there is Sen. Jeff Merkley who spoke for 22 hours!!! Sen. Alex Padilla who had the courage to try asking a question, only to be slammed down onto the floor & handcuffed, for god's sake!!! And Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Rep. Chris Deluzio, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, had courage & stood up together to encourage military to honor their pledge to support the Constitution!!!
Then there's Rep. AOC who is not afraid to speak out for the under-paid, under-appreciated hard workers!!! Let's *celebrate* her efforts combined with Bernie Sanders!!! We've also got Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Rep. Robert Garcia, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren!!! All of them using their best, most positive & passionate energy to Make. A. Positive. Difference. in our country!!!!
Let's celebrate all of these courageous Democrats!!! And, seriously, quit whining about how unfair it was that Hillary was our elected Presidential candidate, in 2016, instead of Bernie!!! It's water that is way under the bridge and already out into the ocean by now!!!
And, lastly, use your energy to Make. A. Positive. Difference. In. 2026!!!
Sheri and Gayle,
You are both so on target. I just wish more people took the time to read the comments to the article. It would be great if their words were put into a letter to the editor so that more people could read them. Maybe they have opted to do that.
BUT truly, thank you ladies for telling the whole story so clear and bold.
I appreciate this very much. So often it feels like speaking into the wind. I posted something similar in my town’s local group and the negative or uninformed responses to facts is disheartening. It’s long been a town that leans Republican, but tough when they cannot see who they are even now. Thank you for taking the time to make this comment.
Excellent commentary. Hope you put this info everywhere.
Or Jasmine. Maybe the list should have included the top 12.
That was my first thought! How could Bernie not be on this list!
He is not a Democrat. These were listings of Democrats.
Please dont forget Chris Murphy! He has been laser-focused on corruption!
Surprised Murphy was left off the list.
I believe it was a top 10 list so she had to stop somewhere
And Chris Murphy, Eric Swalwell, Jake Auchincloss, Monica Ivers, Bernie Sanders, Sarah McBride.
Senators Wyden and Whinehouse.
Anyone who can convince Congressional Republicans (who happen to be the majority) to oppose MAGA!
There are zero GOP left who can be trusted. The GOP has been moving further & further right since Reagan. Think Kochs' controlled group of conservatve House GOP, Tea Party, Gingrich's demand that Every GOP vote as told or be primaried. AND THEY DID! Only a very few balked at doing this with T who SHOULD have been impeached. And NONE of them who were threatened by GOP have spoken out or filed a lawsuit. If Ike were alive today, he would be furious with what has happened. We need a new party to take its place. Til then, Dems are the only choice.
I will never forget or forgive Chief Justice Roberts for holding the Trump empeachment trial without any witnesses.
Really.
And a dangerous thought for all of you --- do we need a third party to break the deadlock between the Democrats and Republicans. In my view the Republicans only want power. They do not want to share the responsibllity to govern the country. They want the total pie and the result is nothing happens.
Just remember that President Biden had gotten the Republicans to the table with a solution to the immigtant issues and Trump told his pawns that they
had to stop that vote. He needed immigration issues for his campaign for
president. He used the immigrants the way Hitler used the Jews, to get
behind him to blame someone else for anything wrong.
Consider Obamacare. Trump has hated it from the beginning...[Maybe cause it wasn't callee Trumpcare] but the truth is Trump never ever or the Republicans never ever came up with a healthcare plan. They take the easy way out and just
complain. Republicans want power but they have no smarts to govern. They are followers.. and just look at who they are following.
I think we need an I.Q. Test for anyone running for president. DJT obviously has no understanding of what he edicts are doing to the whole world.
...and at least pass an exam on American History and the Constitution.
Check out the Epstein and the Obamacare petitions.
Check out the Jerry Weiss scenario. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
How are the petitions and his substack relevant to my comment?
Because some House Republicans voted with the Democrats.
What has Auchincloss done???? Haven't seen anything significant from him until he decided to run for Senator. AOC has far surpassed Bernie because she explains ideas better. Bernie still rants.
Bernie does not rant. You describe him that way so you can dismiss what he says.
Nope. I like progressive ideas and have believed in them long before it was a word in the political vocabulary. I would have voted for Mamdani if I lived in NYC. When someone is a candidate, I research their background. I don't just vote for them because of what they say. Their character matters and their past actions matter. Bernie had done NOTHING significant in his career.
He has been going around the country with AOC and holding town halls in place where the reps refuse to do so.
True, but AOC is a far better speaker and explains issues clearly. My commentary regarding Bernie stands. Had progressive ideas been explained better (and the news media hadn't been in GOP pockets), it would have been harder for GOP to use their nasty commentary about those ideas.
Fair question. I've been impressed with him during interviews because he always puts forth solutions to fix the country's problems. He does have a substack.
It’s good to be reminded that we have so many powerful and relentless forces for good- and there are many more- in a time when it’s so easy to get discouraged. Thank you!
💯
And I would add Ro Khanna for his bipartisan effort re Trumpstein. So naturally an honorable mention to Republican Thomas Massie for agitating the MAGAts by acting like a congressman and not a cultist
Massie truly is a "Profile in Courage."
Can’t leave Adam schiff off the list! Or Gov Newsome. Thank you for your attention to this matter
And Ro Khanna also of California.
Newsome is not on this list of members of Congress because he’s not one.
Good call, but he is a list of his own!
Gavin Newsom’s not in Congress
That’s why he’s got gov in his title
Headline: "The Best of Congress."
First sentence: "We have spent the year commiserating with you over the shortcomings of most congressional Democrats."
Every politician named? A congressional Democrat.
Did having "gov in his title" not provide a clue?
Nah. Clueless.
All too obviously.
Thank you for this stellar article! To be reminded of what these 10 have done is encouraging and soothing. And the list doesn't even include Bernie, Chris Murphy, Elissa Slotkin, Jasmine Crockett, Melanie Stansbury, and more. What's alarming is the spotlight this shines on how many ways the Republicans are complicit in dismantling all that is good about our government. I hope in the new year for a tidal wave of support for these folks from the citizens across the country!!
Conspicuously missing from your top ten is Dem leadership. Rightfully so. They’re not leading. I’ve been pleading with Senate Minority Leader Schumer to step down for the better part of this year. It’s time for the rest of us to do the same. Having an effective leader is going to play a pivotal role leading up to the midterms, if we actually get there. Let’s do this together. If you feel as I do, call your Senators and tell them so. (202) 224-3121
AMEN!
There are others worth mentioning, but a top ten list is a good start.
Thank you for this, we need all the positivity we can get. I’d like to offer another Senator who has also shown leadership in fighting the evil regime. Sen. Chris Murphy of CT has spoken forcefully against the abuses of the felon and his henchmen.
What a beautiful synopsis of the year. Thank for reminding us that there are people working toward good.
I love the list! Jeff Merkley is an unsung hero imo. I think Bernie also deserves to be on the list.
Proud to be an Oregonian w Merkeley and Wyden. Unfortunately Cliff Bentz is my neanderthal congressman 😝 so I call him and bug him a lot more
You need to vote that guy out next year. Salinas is my rep.
This is an opinion piece, celebrating 10 exceptional lawmakers and/or their acts of courage. We encourage everyone to write their own list and share. Let’s celebrate these women and men, feel emboldened by the fact that there’s competition in the field of forward-looking leadership, then celebrate another batch in 2026. Onwards 🙌
It's good to recognize those in Congress who are speaking out, but for this democracy to survive we also need people from state government. The Attorney Generals are doing a fantastic job of rolling back illegal executive orders. The Governors are another important line of defense, some quietly and others like Pritzker and Newsom doing so more publicly. My thanks to all of them as well as the journalists, historians, and retired military who are shining a light on the atrocities so that we, the people, aren't just frogs slowly boiling to death.
And the courageous judges of the lower courts!
💯💯💯
Check back in tomorrow morning for Jen's next top 10 list!
Our small state of Maryland has two of these distinguished Members. Many thanks to Ms. Rubin for calling them out. It's so easy to forget, as we are subjected to a massive flood of byproduct from the current Administration, that people are capably and effectively pushing back.
We the ordinary people must continue to get in the streets in large numbers! We are the small cogs that run the machinery of government. We must not get complacent. We uplift our fellow Americans and push our elected officials!