Charles Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries both need to be replaced as leaders of the Democrats in their respective legislative bodies. Both have failed abysmally in leading and organizing a united and strong opposition to Trump's authoritarian takeover.
What we get instead are endless 'strongly worded letters' and capitulation.
Both of these leaders (along with many, but not all, other Democrats, to be fair) voted for the lionizing and sanctifying of Charles Kirk last week, despite his history as a white supremacist, misogynist, divisive provocateur. This was just a more recent cowardly move by these two leaders.
It is amazing that both of these New York elected leaders had no problem voting for the hagiography of Kirk, while neither has yet endorsed the Democratic choice for New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
I see some other people below mentioning they will call their Democratic reps to voice their opposition, or concern, or disgust, about their votes supporting those resolutions last week.
We are a minority party and need a few Congressional Republicans to come to their senses.
"Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) pitched a framework Saturday for breaking the government funding stalemate. Her proposal would tie three full-year funding bills — agriculture, veterans affairs and military construction, and the legislative branch — to funding through Nov. 21 for the rest of the government. It also proposes a one-year extension of the credits and extending funding the administration recently tried to claw back unilaterally.
"But Republicans are also trying to jam Democrats into accepting their bill — something Democrats have vowed not to do without a bipartisan negotiation. Schumer and Jeffries reiterated in their letter that they are “ready to work toward a bipartisan spending agreement that improves the lives of American families and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis.”
The House is currently out of town until after the shutdown deadline, meanwhile the Senate will return with less than 48 hours to go. [Majority leader] Thune said he intends to bring the GOP bill back up for another vote.
Point one - of course the resolutions very much do matter. The House resolution is enshrining Kirk into the official government record as a near-MLK like figure, calling him 'one of the most prominent voices in America' who was 'always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding, and strengthen the Republic' with 'honor, courage, and respect for his fellow Americans'.
Every word of this is not only nonsense but is pure radical authoritarian propaganda. It is disgraceful that anyone voted for this, let alone the many Democrats who did.
It is also very telling that nearly every Democratic vote against this resolution was from a Democrat of color.
The Congressional Black Caucus has this to say:
'“The resolution introduced in the House to honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy is not about healing, lowering the temperature of our political discourse, or even ensuring the safety of members of Congress, staff, and Capitol personnel,” they wrote. “It is, unfortunately, an attempt to legitimize Kirk’s worldview — a worldview that includes ideas many Americans find racist, harmful, and fundamentally un-American.”
The Senate resolution proposes to make his birthday a 'day of remembrance', an act not so different than erecting monuments to Confederate leaders.
And besides, even if these resolutions 'mean nothing', why did all these Democrats support them?
Why are we arguing about Charlie Kirk? How many people care? Sure, don't vote for the resolutions. That's easy. Now stop being diverted and start taking our points to them. Health care. The economy. Free speech. Public safety.
As I explained above, the votes in the Senate and House to lionize a white supremacist are very important. It is their fault for voting for them and causing further division within their party. The discussion of Kirk's legacy is also very much a 'free speech' issue, one topic that you mention above.
Besides that, Schumer's and Jeffries's votes on the Charlie Kirk resolutions are only a more recent example of their cowardice and fecklessness. Their non-endorsement of the candidate decisively chosen by Democratic voters in New York City is another. Many other examples are discussed in other responses in this thread, including their weak comments on the upcoming budget.
It's not Charlie Kirk PER SE... it's the reaction to his death and what is being made of it! Talking about everything but this BASIC evidence of what we are dealing with politically, Kirk mania being a symptom, and scolding people about being diverted and ignoring THIS is ignoring the basic problem. Kirk mania is bending the knee to those MAGA in power. They are the roadblocks to everything else. We need to work towards impeachment, making sure people understand what is happening to the country. Right now that means spreading information *to the people*, these talking points you mention. We need to make sure we can vote and that our votes are counted. And then get out there if you can.
I still believe it’s not where the votes will come from. Free speech? Sure. But arguing about whether Kirk is good or bad is not going to sway an election. Health care, inflation, the cost of housing, unemployment… we have strong arguments on our side. We’re getting diverted from our strengths. We did the same thing in 2024
Groaner, all right. But I can only guess that the Dems involved were ‘choosing their battles’ carefully, wishing not to put more wind in Trump / MAGA sails on this issue by fighting it. Those not admiring Kirk before will not admire him after either.
Point two - the last thing the Democrats should do is kick the can down the road, again, with another lame stopgap..let alone keep giving lip service to 'bipartisanship' that has not existed for some time.
Schumer again showed his cowardice on CNN when he said '“I hope and pray that Trump will sit down with us and negotiate a bipartisan bill,”' ... practically begging Trump to be nice to the Democrats, which he will only laugh at.
This is precisely the wrong language and wrong approach...but it is par for the course for the middling Schumer, who still lives in some dream world where 'bipartisanship' actually exists in some meaningful form, and where the GOP are good-faith negotiators, and not the party of open fascism it has now become.
That quote you give above is exactly what I mentioned in my first comment. In another 'strongly worded letter', Schumer and Jeffries plead that ' it is now your obligation to meet with us directly to reach an agreement to keep the government open and address the Republican healthcare crisis,”'
Health care, that's it? Seriously? That is all they have to say? This would be comical if it weren't so serious and enraging.
The article you linked goes on to say the GOP Senators are straight ignoring Schumer, while the OMB correctly calls this pathetic letter 'desperate'.
I think the Dems need to be talking non-stop about health care, the economy, tariffs and other issues that people experience in their daily lives. The loss of democracy, Trump's character--those kind of issues are important--but they don't resonate with enough people. We tried the character issue and the importance of democracy in 2024. It didn't work. The constant outrage isn't as powerful as a united message pounded on over and over again about issues that hit people where they live. How many people know that the holdup on the budget is health care?
It's worth noting that the attacks on the free speech of activists protesting Israel's genocide laid the groundwork for the further attacks on anyone criticizing Trump or his supporters.
Teachers, professors, students, journalists, actors, musicians, and many others have been fired, doxxed, de-funded and de-platformed left and right for defending Palestinian rights, let alone the many who have been detained or deported.
Stalwart supporters of Israel like Schumer and Jeffries have had very little to say about this.
Great comment, especially the part about Mamdani. I fully agree on Schumer and Jeffries. After preaching against both of them at least since 2022 for their lack of backbone, I have now written emails to both of them demanding they not fold this time, especially Schumer.
What is the matter with Democrats in both the Senate and House to allow to such useless individuals to be their "leaders?"
The totally limitless coverage of the Kirk killing and its aftermath until yesterday makes me sick. Where was this kind of coverage when the killings of Minnesota Democrats Melissa Hortmann and her husband, as well as the serious wounding of Minnesota state senator Hoffman and his wife, took place on the same day?
Solidarity starts with strong, focused and courageous leadership.
There is no chance of solidarity when the leadership are middling cowards who live in a make-believe bubble of 'bipartisanship' that the GOP only laughs at.. Both Schumer and Jeffries are part of the problem, not the solution.
ps - Schumer never should have been re-elected as the Dem Senate leader in the first place. Any leader that presides over losing both the Presidency and the Senate, especially to someone has uniquely awful as Trump, should have been replaced right then.
That has been the tradition in the past for the most part, the losing party elects new leadership in Congress.
Jeffries is a different case, but he is no more suited to be the House Dem leader during time than Schumer is.
Schumer was elected because he was not the Republican. If a better candidate is not found, he would be elected once again, because he is not the Republican. I know. It's why I voted for him.
As I said above, I was referring to his election as the Senate Dem minority leader specifically, which is what this thread is about. Of course I would still rather have him as a NY Senator than whatever fascist clown the GOP might find here.
Still, in NY, where I live also, he needs to be primaried. I really hope AOC runs against him. If not her, someone else who is a true fighter and who is better suited for the current moment.
Yes, they do. But they also need to be reminded when they are not doing their jobs. I will continue to "snip" at Chuck (I call him Chuck because he addresses me by my first name) that he is not. His response is generally along the lines of "I have written a strongly worded letter...." Senator Gillibrand (who addresses me properly as Ms Lastname) responds, but usually 3 - 4 months after I have written. Hardly timely.
Just because we need to be united doesn't mean we don't have to poke each other to make sure we are all paying attention (in Chuck's case, to something other than the bottom line).
Are you paying attention to the latest news? Schumer and Jeffries are united this time in getting concessions or shutting down the fascists. Applaud instead of "reminding" them.
If I wasn't paying attention to the news, and reading the responses I get to my communications with the Senator's office, I would not have written what I did.
Well, I'm beginning to think that a majority of the Democrats in Congress need to be replaced. They should be out there marching, holding signs, holding press conferences and encouraging Americans who believe in our Constitution to protest.
Instead, I get emails asking me for money in a guise of supporting Jimmy Kimmel.
I do think it is important to support those who have ben really fighting , and have to constantly fend off attacks not just from Republicans but from 'moderate' Democrats.
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib immediately come to mind..so does Jasmine Crockett, Summer Lee...and also AOC, Ayanna Pressley, Pramila Jayapal....some others....I don't agree with each one 100% of the time but all of these reps fight hard and aren't afraid of the tough positions - they all voted against that horrible House resolution 'honoring' the white supremacist that was assassinated last week, and have all been at the forefront of condemning the US support for Israel's genocide in Gaza.
(ps - of course he's not in Congress, but I would add mayoral candidate and NY Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani to the list of Democrats worth defending - as a New Yorker, his campaign and his decisive win over Cuomo in the primary is giving me hope.)
I agree. Schumer especially has to go, step down. And how about a resignation call for Stephen Miller. He 's the evil force behind Trump's real goal: to overturn the Constitution.
One thing people can do is get the app “Goods Unite Us” which shows you which political party you support when you purchase something. Imagine if we all did this.
I'm waiting for the Robert's Supreme Court to rule that accepting bribes is OK so long as 1) the recipient is a Republican, and 2) so long as it less than $100K.
But Justice Thomas (as well as others) have accepted money, gifts and travel greatly exceeding $100,000. Let's assume the Roberts court is just as corrupt as Homan.
I'm not sure where you get the $100,000 limit from, but it seems clear that reality has left that line far behind. The number is at least $400 Million, perhaps as high as $2 Billion and even Supreme Court justices blithely accept gifts that aggregate into the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.
It should be mentioned early and often that the great folks of Substack, including Ms. Rubin, are leading the way in support of We The People, as opposed to much of the mainstream media, who are too busy bowing down to the dictator. The rise of Substack is one of the positive outcomes of these terrible times!
Because it has not trickled down, yet, to the level of the ordinary citizen, they really haven't processed that we have lost our democracy. The US we all grew up in has been transformed into an autocracy with the Orange Menace at the top. Sitting here looking at the damage he and his goons have produced in 9 months time I cannot get my head around what he has time to accomplish before 2028. We really need to find a few brave Republicans who will promise to vote against him so he loses his supine majority in both houses of Congress, or the Republic is over with. 2026 is likely too late.
Democratic delegation are such wimps. I will be on the phone to office of my Rep Keating, Massachusetts!! to threaten to primary him for voting to honor Charlie Kirk. I may not run 😎 but I will vote for anyone who does oppose him.
"They (the media) could have rejected the MAGA script treating Charlie Kirk’s funeral as a state funeral and instead spent time covering Trump’s overthrow of the Constitution"
What's up with the media's massive coverage of the funeral forcing people to listen to Hegseth, Vance, Rubio, etc, (I did not)? Kirk's non-acceptance of people who are not like him could not be further than Jesus' teachings. Turning his assassination into full-fledged propaganda to bolster Christian Nationalism is truly sickening....
Horst Wessel. A martyr to rally the "faithful." Things are getting more dangerous all the time. Once this is accomplished, what they do with that will be bad for all of us. Very bad.
As a retired lawyer (43 years of litigation) I would like to mention that NONE of Trump's prosecutions and lawsuits presents close questions of fact or law. They are frivolous. His 60 dud civil actions to overthrow the 2020 election were thrown out on the pleadings and/or the preliminary offers of proof by Trump's stooges. No discovery, a fortiori, no trial. He didn't have enough basis in fact or law to get in the courtroom door. His prosecutions in EDVA, DNJ and DC are being declined by his own prosecutors or the Grand Jury. His suit against the Times was thrown out sua sponte by a GOP judge with unprecedented alacrity. Until, he manages to sustain a viable claim against someone, everything in his court papers should be presumed, not only false, but an insult to the intelligence of a pre-law studnet.
Frivolous or not, as others here have pointed out, the lawsuits are funded by the deep pockets of the federal government and so can be prosecuted without limit. The frivolous lawsuits do serious harm to the victims who must defend. It costs money to defend any lawsuit and some of these lawsuits against individuals interfere with jobs and certainly mental health. So I take them as a serious threat.
“Deep pockets of the federal government” in reality emanates from hard-earned taxpayer money. Trump regards this rapidly leaking spigot with little discrimination - after all, his accumulating personal wealth is undiminished. The performative harm is multifocal—compromising his lawsuit victims and US taxpayers…and a worrisome trajectory of oligarchic authoritarianism.
Beautifully framed and stated, Jen! For the first time in my life, I am deeply grateful for popular media because it has provided the basis for popular outrage. The steps you outline for congressional, legislative, and popular action are sane, sober, and likely highly effective.
Popular ourtrage can hardly be mentioned in the 'comments' to Washington Post articles anymore. Bezos and publisher William Lewis and AI have some stern moderators these days. If it looks and smells like censorship, it is. Free press - phooey.
Glad finally to see a recognition that we already are in a constitutional crisis—after so many warnings that we “could be” when the crisis has been unfolding all around us in real time. This isn’t merely an outlaw regime; it’s an anti-law, anti-Constitution, anti-America gang hellbent on fully taking over this country.
For Trump, whatever follows is an anti-climax. Whether filing a law suit against the New York Times, Letitia James, The Wall Street Journal, or others who have been brave enough to challenge him, the results years down the road are of little concern or care to Donald Trump. It's all about front-loading his voluminous vituperative attacks and flashes of rage to attempt to deter, if not destroy his victims in the press. In short, it's all about revenge in thrashing his victims and causing them to spend millions in legal fees to defend themselves against his vicious outbursts which he has ordered his functionaries to convert into legal lingo as a masquerade for his attacks.
This country is slowly but inexorably rolling out all the oppressive instrumentalities of a dictatorship. While there are many displays of judicial courage by lower court federal judges, once these acts of bravery to defend our democratic ideals percolate up to the Supreme Court, Trump's admirers there routinely grind them down and toss them into the dumpster.
There is an old anecdote attributed to Chief Justice John Marshall that goes along the lines of "This is my decision. Justice Story will furnish the authorities." And so it is with "The Trump Justices" on the Supreme Court. They first decide upon the decision they want the Court to reach and then sick their law clerks on ferreting out cases that they twist and contort to give them the appearance of supporting their preconceived decisions.
Democrats need to step up and slow down the madness, akin to what that oaf from Alabama, Tommy Tuberville, did when he blocked military personnel promotions and appointments during Biden's term. Decorum has left the building—long ago—and now should be replaced by bare-knuckle brawling. Lord knows The Grifter has provided plenty of material. He doesn't care about making America great again. It already was great until he got his hooks into it. We CANNOT let a two-bit wannabe dictator destroy what millions have laid down their lives to protect. All who are complicit, including GOP members of the House, Senate and SCOTUS, are complicit in this assault on democracy, which—and there's no other way to describe this—makes them all traitors .
"While purely performative, Trump also pronounced that he would designate “ANTIFA,” a non-organization, as a domestic terrorist group, a label that does not legally exist."
So I guess he'll be going after the fragile, shrinking group of elderly veterans, who were quite clear about their ANTI-FASCIST mission during World War II.
Idiotic Behaviour……is the only way an Idiot is capable of behaving. He can’t help it. The real question…..asked around the world: What’s wrong with the American people——given free choice, they elected the WORST amongst them?! TWICE!? Trump’s not the only one capable of Idiotic behavior—-he’s just the end product!
I’m furious about the tax-dollar millions spent, and of democratic support for honoring a Nazi. Is there anyway we can stop this corrupt to the core administration from bleeding our money into their corruption? The insane orange one will continue to sue because it’s not his money he is spending. Our leaders appear to be helping us less and less. Norm is out there everyday fighting, we can vote, but I’m worried it’s not enough.
I agree, Kathy. What person or persons in the Congress, Media, Think Tanks etc.can investigate, and put a number on the tax- payer monies being griffithed by Trump to pay for his various vendettas. Someone came up with the figure of a million dollars a day for troops in DC. Americans do not like being played for fools when it comes to their money.
Charles Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries both need to be replaced as leaders of the Democrats in their respective legislative bodies. Both have failed abysmally in leading and organizing a united and strong opposition to Trump's authoritarian takeover.
What we get instead are endless 'strongly worded letters' and capitulation.
Both of these leaders (along with many, but not all, other Democrats, to be fair) voted for the lionizing and sanctifying of Charles Kirk last week, despite his history as a white supremacist, misogynist, divisive provocateur. This was just a more recent cowardly move by these two leaders.
It is amazing that both of these New York elected leaders had no problem voting for the hagiography of Kirk, while neither has yet endorsed the Democratic choice for New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
I see some other people below mentioning they will call their Democratic reps to voice their opposition, or concern, or disgust, about their votes supporting those resolutions last week.
I plan to do the same, I hope you all do too.
Resolutions mean nothing.
When Dems speak up it's not reported.
We are a minority party and need a few Congressional Republicans to come to their senses.
"Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) pitched a framework Saturday for breaking the government funding stalemate. Her proposal would tie three full-year funding bills — agriculture, veterans affairs and military construction, and the legislative branch — to funding through Nov. 21 for the rest of the government. It also proposes a one-year extension of the credits and extending funding the administration recently tried to claw back unilaterally.
"But Republicans are also trying to jam Democrats into accepting their bill — something Democrats have vowed not to do without a bipartisan negotiation. Schumer and Jeffries reiterated in their letter that they are “ready to work toward a bipartisan spending agreement that improves the lives of American families and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis.”
The House is currently out of town until after the shutdown deadline, meanwhile the Senate will return with less than 48 hours to go. [Majority leader] Thune said he intends to bring the GOP bill back up for another vote.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/20/trump-democrats-shutdown-meeting-00574336
Point one - of course the resolutions very much do matter. The House resolution is enshrining Kirk into the official government record as a near-MLK like figure, calling him 'one of the most prominent voices in America' who was 'always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding, and strengthen the Republic' with 'honor, courage, and respect for his fellow Americans'.
Every word of this is not only nonsense but is pure radical authoritarian propaganda. It is disgraceful that anyone voted for this, let alone the many Democrats who did.
It is also very telling that nearly every Democratic vote against this resolution was from a Democrat of color.
The Congressional Black Caucus has this to say:
'“The resolution introduced in the House to honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy is not about healing, lowering the temperature of our political discourse, or even ensuring the safety of members of Congress, staff, and Capitol personnel,” they wrote. “It is, unfortunately, an attempt to legitimize Kirk’s worldview — a worldview that includes ideas many Americans find racist, harmful, and fundamentally un-American.”
The Senate resolution proposes to make his birthday a 'day of remembrance', an act not so different than erecting monuments to Confederate leaders.
And besides, even if these resolutions 'mean nothing', why did all these Democrats support them?
Why are we arguing about Charlie Kirk? How many people care? Sure, don't vote for the resolutions. That's easy. Now stop being diverted and start taking our points to them. Health care. The economy. Free speech. Public safety.
Because it keeps the Epstein files off of the front page or the news cycle.
As I explained above, the votes in the Senate and House to lionize a white supremacist are very important. It is their fault for voting for them and causing further division within their party. The discussion of Kirk's legacy is also very much a 'free speech' issue, one topic that you mention above.
Besides that, Schumer's and Jeffries's votes on the Charlie Kirk resolutions are only a more recent example of their cowardice and fecklessness. Their non-endorsement of the candidate decisively chosen by Democratic voters in New York City is another. Many other examples are discussed in other responses in this thread, including their weak comments on the upcoming budget.
The Epstein files.
It's not Charlie Kirk PER SE... it's the reaction to his death and what is being made of it! Talking about everything but this BASIC evidence of what we are dealing with politically, Kirk mania being a symptom, and scolding people about being diverted and ignoring THIS is ignoring the basic problem. Kirk mania is bending the knee to those MAGA in power. They are the roadblocks to everything else. We need to work towards impeachment, making sure people understand what is happening to the country. Right now that means spreading information *to the people*, these talking points you mention. We need to make sure we can vote and that our votes are counted. And then get out there if you can.
I still believe it’s not where the votes will come from. Free speech? Sure. But arguing about whether Kirk is good or bad is not going to sway an election. Health care, inflation, the cost of housing, unemployment… we have strong arguments on our side. We’re getting diverted from our strengths. We did the same thing in 2024
Call it what it really is - Communism dictatorship!
Groaner, all right. But I can only guess that the Dems involved were ‘choosing their battles’ carefully, wishing not to put more wind in Trump / MAGA sails on this issue by fighting it. Those not admiring Kirk before will not admire him after either.
Point two - the last thing the Democrats should do is kick the can down the road, again, with another lame stopgap..let alone keep giving lip service to 'bipartisanship' that has not existed for some time.
Schumer again showed his cowardice on CNN when he said '“I hope and pray that Trump will sit down with us and negotiate a bipartisan bill,”' ... practically begging Trump to be nice to the Democrats, which he will only laugh at.
This is precisely the wrong language and wrong approach...but it is par for the course for the middling Schumer, who still lives in some dream world where 'bipartisanship' actually exists in some meaningful form, and where the GOP are good-faith negotiators, and not the party of open fascism it has now become.
That quote you give above is exactly what I mentioned in my first comment. In another 'strongly worded letter', Schumer and Jeffries plead that ' it is now your obligation to meet with us directly to reach an agreement to keep the government open and address the Republican healthcare crisis,”'
Health care, that's it? Seriously? That is all they have to say? This would be comical if it weren't so serious and enraging.
The article you linked goes on to say the GOP Senators are straight ignoring Schumer, while the OMB correctly calls this pathetic letter 'desperate'.
Yes, Schumer, “hopes and prayers” are what Republicans offer when children are gunned down. Weak in the extreme.
seriously.
oh pretty please, we pray you sit with us and negotiate!
"...the middling Schumer..."
Your parents must have brought you up to be very kind.
haha - well this is a public forum.
If only the US president would keep that in mind before he speaks his vulgarities.
I think the Dems need to be talking non-stop about health care, the economy, tariffs and other issues that people experience in their daily lives. The loss of democracy, Trump's character--those kind of issues are important--but they don't resonate with enough people. We tried the character issue and the importance of democracy in 2024. It didn't work. The constant outrage isn't as powerful as a united message pounded on over and over again about issues that hit people where they live. How many people know that the holdup on the budget is health care?
NO. More is needed. Dems are being ignored trying to get along. People need to be alarmed.
.Jeffries took a whole lot of AIPAC money.
He certainly has (and so has Schumer).
It's worth noting that the attacks on the free speech of activists protesting Israel's genocide laid the groundwork for the further attacks on anyone criticizing Trump or his supporters.
Teachers, professors, students, journalists, actors, musicians, and many others have been fired, doxxed, de-funded and de-platformed left and right for defending Palestinian rights, let alone the many who have been detained or deported.
Stalwart supporters of Israel like Schumer and Jeffries have had very little to say about this.
Great comment, especially the part about Mamdani. I fully agree on Schumer and Jeffries. After preaching against both of them at least since 2022 for their lack of backbone, I have now written emails to both of them demanding they not fold this time, especially Schumer.
What is the matter with Democrats in both the Senate and House to allow to such useless individuals to be their "leaders?"
The totally limitless coverage of the Kirk killing and its aftermath until yesterday makes me sick. Where was this kind of coverage when the killings of Minnesota Democrats Melissa Hortmann and her husband, as well as the serious wounding of Minnesota state senator Hoffman and his wife, took place on the same day?
100%
Just STOP it! Democrats need to unite, not snip at each other. Try to read about and understand solidarity!
Solidarity starts with strong, focused and courageous leadership.
There is no chance of solidarity when the leadership are middling cowards who live in a make-believe bubble of 'bipartisanship' that the GOP only laughs at.. Both Schumer and Jeffries are part of the problem, not the solution.
ps - Schumer never should have been re-elected as the Dem Senate leader in the first place. Any leader that presides over losing both the Presidency and the Senate, especially to someone has uniquely awful as Trump, should have been replaced right then.
That has been the tradition in the past for the most part, the losing party elects new leadership in Congress.
Jeffries is a different case, but he is no more suited to be the House Dem leader during time than Schumer is.
Schumer was elected because he was not the Republican. If a better candidate is not found, he would be elected once again, because he is not the Republican. I know. It's why I voted for him.
As I said above, I was referring to his election as the Senate Dem minority leader specifically, which is what this thread is about. Of course I would still rather have him as a NY Senator than whatever fascist clown the GOP might find here.
Still, in NY, where I live also, he needs to be primaried. I really hope AOC runs against him. If not her, someone else who is a true fighter and who is better suited for the current moment.
Yes, they do. But they also need to be reminded when they are not doing their jobs. I will continue to "snip" at Chuck (I call him Chuck because he addresses me by my first name) that he is not. His response is generally along the lines of "I have written a strongly worded letter...." Senator Gillibrand (who addresses me properly as Ms Lastname) responds, but usually 3 - 4 months after I have written. Hardly timely.
Just because we need to be united doesn't mean we don't have to poke each other to make sure we are all paying attention (in Chuck's case, to something other than the bottom line).
I have written them both many times and have pretty much given up on it. I call now.
Are you paying attention to the latest news? Schumer and Jeffries are united this time in getting concessions or shutting down the fascists. Applaud instead of "reminding" them.
Schumer said ''“I hope and pray that Trump will sit down with us and negotiate a bipartisan bill,”'
I am supposed to applaud that statement?
Both of them voted for resolutions praising Charles Kirk as some beacon of justice and democracy...applaud that too?
If I wasn't paying attention to the news, and reading the responses I get to my communications with the Senator's office, I would not have written what I did.
Well, I'm beginning to think that a majority of the Democrats in Congress need to be replaced. They should be out there marching, holding signs, holding press conferences and encouraging Americans who believe in our Constitution to protest.
Instead, I get emails asking me for money in a guise of supporting Jimmy Kimmel.
Seriously?
I don't think I am far from you on that.
I do think it is important to support those who have ben really fighting , and have to constantly fend off attacks not just from Republicans but from 'moderate' Democrats.
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib immediately come to mind..so does Jasmine Crockett, Summer Lee...and also AOC, Ayanna Pressley, Pramila Jayapal....some others....I don't agree with each one 100% of the time but all of these reps fight hard and aren't afraid of the tough positions - they all voted against that horrible House resolution 'honoring' the white supremacist that was assassinated last week, and have all been at the forefront of condemning the US support for Israel's genocide in Gaza.
(ps - of course he's not in Congress, but I would add mayoral candidate and NY Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani to the list of Democrats worth defending - as a New Yorker, his campaign and his decisive win over Cuomo in the primary is giving me hope.)
You see? The Dem ‘perfect’ must always be the enemy of the ‘good’.
This is partly why trump is in power.
I agree. Schumer especially has to go, step down. And how about a resignation call for Stephen Miller. He 's the evil force behind Trump's real goal: to overturn the Constitution.
Sure, Trump and all of his staff should resign.
One thing people can do is get the app “Goods Unite Us” which shows you which political party you support when you purchase something. Imagine if we all did this.
Did this awhile ago and check it everyday. ✊
Done!
Goods Unite Us is a great tool, easy to use and provides the kind of information we all need as consumers ♥️♥️
I like that app.
I'm waiting for the Robert's Supreme Court to rule that accepting bribes is OK so long as 1) the recipient is a Republican, and 2) so long as it less than $100K.
But Justice Thomas (as well as others) have accepted money, gifts and travel greatly exceeding $100,000. Let's assume the Roberts court is just as corrupt as Homan.
They have already ruled that if the bribe is paid after the criminal deed, it isn’t a bribe. It’s a GRATUITY. And aren’t they making tips tax exempt?
I'm not sure where you get the $100,000 limit from, but it seems clear that reality has left that line far behind. The number is at least $400 Million, perhaps as high as $2 Billion and even Supreme Court justices blithely accept gifts that aggregate into the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.
I just doubled what it appears was accepted (and on video) just before joining this administration
It should be mentioned early and often that the great folks of Substack, including Ms. Rubin, are leading the way in support of We The People, as opposed to much of the mainstream media, who are too busy bowing down to the dictator. The rise of Substack is one of the positive outcomes of these terrible times!
Jennifer Rubbin for President - a real Patriot !!
Because it has not trickled down, yet, to the level of the ordinary citizen, they really haven't processed that we have lost our democracy. The US we all grew up in has been transformed into an autocracy with the Orange Menace at the top. Sitting here looking at the damage he and his goons have produced in 9 months time I cannot get my head around what he has time to accomplish before 2028. We really need to find a few brave Republicans who will promise to vote against him so he loses his supine majority in both houses of Congress, or the Republic is over with. 2026 is likely too late.
Well, the organizations behind him have been preparing at least since Nixon.
Rethuglicans have been trying to undo the New Deal since it was first enacted.
Democratic delegation are such wimps. I will be on the phone to office of my Rep Keating, Massachusetts!! to threaten to primary him for voting to honor Charlie Kirk. I may not run 😎 but I will vote for anyone who does oppose him.
"They (the media) could have rejected the MAGA script treating Charlie Kirk’s funeral as a state funeral and instead spent time covering Trump’s overthrow of the Constitution"
What's up with the media's massive coverage of the funeral forcing people to listen to Hegseth, Vance, Rubio, etc, (I did not)? Kirk's non-acceptance of people who are not like him could not be further than Jesus' teachings. Turning his assassination into full-fledged propaganda to bolster Christian Nationalism is truly sickening....
Goebbels couldn’t have done better
Horst Wessel. A martyr to rally the "faithful." Things are getting more dangerous all the time. Once this is accomplished, what they do with that will be bad for all of us. Very bad.
And to think that we have three years to go....
I'm not sure we'll be that lucky.
I’m calling too!
As a retired lawyer (43 years of litigation) I would like to mention that NONE of Trump's prosecutions and lawsuits presents close questions of fact or law. They are frivolous. His 60 dud civil actions to overthrow the 2020 election were thrown out on the pleadings and/or the preliminary offers of proof by Trump's stooges. No discovery, a fortiori, no trial. He didn't have enough basis in fact or law to get in the courtroom door. His prosecutions in EDVA, DNJ and DC are being declined by his own prosecutors or the Grand Jury. His suit against the Times was thrown out sua sponte by a GOP judge with unprecedented alacrity. Until, he manages to sustain a viable claim against someone, everything in his court papers should be presumed, not only false, but an insult to the intelligence of a pre-law studnet.
Frivolous or not, as others here have pointed out, the lawsuits are funded by the deep pockets of the federal government and so can be prosecuted without limit. The frivolous lawsuits do serious harm to the victims who must defend. It costs money to defend any lawsuit and some of these lawsuits against individuals interfere with jobs and certainly mental health. So I take them as a serious threat.
Who said they weren't "a serious threat"?
“Deep pockets of the federal government” in reality emanates from hard-earned taxpayer money. Trump regards this rapidly leaking spigot with little discrimination - after all, his accumulating personal wealth is undiminished. The performative harm is multifocal—compromising his lawsuit victims and US taxpayers…and a worrisome trajectory of oligarchic authoritarianism.
Agreed!!!
Agree Wendy--I hired a lawyer to defend my rights as a government employee. It's expensive and hard on mental health for sure.
It may be true that we will "win in the end" but before that happens its hard as a private citizen to tolerate this.
I am so sorry for you.
Really.
It breaks my heart not to be taking care of "my Veterans" anymore but the VA in many states is so toxic now.
But he has the best lawyers, bless their hearts (in the best Southern way).
Beautifully framed and stated, Jen! For the first time in my life, I am deeply grateful for popular media because it has provided the basis for popular outrage. The steps you outline for congressional, legislative, and popular action are sane, sober, and likely highly effective.
Popular ourtrage can hardly be mentioned in the 'comments' to Washington Post articles anymore. Bezos and publisher William Lewis and AI have some stern moderators these days. If it looks and smells like censorship, it is. Free press - phooey.
Glad finally to see a recognition that we already are in a constitutional crisis—after so many warnings that we “could be” when the crisis has been unfolding all around us in real time. This isn’t merely an outlaw regime; it’s an anti-law, anti-Constitution, anti-America gang hellbent on fully taking over this country.
For Trump, whatever follows is an anti-climax. Whether filing a law suit against the New York Times, Letitia James, The Wall Street Journal, or others who have been brave enough to challenge him, the results years down the road are of little concern or care to Donald Trump. It's all about front-loading his voluminous vituperative attacks and flashes of rage to attempt to deter, if not destroy his victims in the press. In short, it's all about revenge in thrashing his victims and causing them to spend millions in legal fees to defend themselves against his vicious outbursts which he has ordered his functionaries to convert into legal lingo as a masquerade for his attacks.
This country is slowly but inexorably rolling out all the oppressive instrumentalities of a dictatorship. While there are many displays of judicial courage by lower court federal judges, once these acts of bravery to defend our democratic ideals percolate up to the Supreme Court, Trump's admirers there routinely grind them down and toss them into the dumpster.
There is an old anecdote attributed to Chief Justice John Marshall that goes along the lines of "This is my decision. Justice Story will furnish the authorities." And so it is with "The Trump Justices" on the Supreme Court. They first decide upon the decision they want the Court to reach and then sick their law clerks on ferreting out cases that they twist and contort to give them the appearance of supporting their preconceived decisions.
Democrats need to step up and slow down the madness, akin to what that oaf from Alabama, Tommy Tuberville, did when he blocked military personnel promotions and appointments during Biden's term. Decorum has left the building—long ago—and now should be replaced by bare-knuckle brawling. Lord knows The Grifter has provided plenty of material. He doesn't care about making America great again. It already was great until he got his hooks into it. We CANNOT let a two-bit wannabe dictator destroy what millions have laid down their lives to protect. All who are complicit, including GOP members of the House, Senate and SCOTUS, are complicit in this assault on democracy, which—and there's no other way to describe this—makes them all traitors .
"While purely performative, Trump also pronounced that he would designate “ANTIFA,” a non-organization, as a domestic terrorist group, a label that does not legally exist."
So I guess he'll be going after the fragile, shrinking group of elderly veterans, who were quite clear about their ANTI-FASCIST mission during World War II.
Outrageous that we now can be arrested for opposing fascism.
History does repeat. People fail to learn from it. What happened in Germany in the 1930s is happening here now.
Of course Trump and his flunkies are against Antifa. They hate anyone who is against Fascism.
I wonder how they actually conceptualize their own endeavors?
— If they do so at all.
Trump wd call it simply being ‘Top Dawg’ in a capitalist system.
— the most polite term I have is ‘Crony Capitalism’.
Rump’s soul was completely revealed at the service for Kirk: “I HATE my opponents”. OMG.
He said that in order to stir up MAGA hatred towards Dems & ‘others’.
He just had to counteract the widow’s message of Forgiveness & inspire/harness the Hate.
Idiotic Behaviour……is the only way an Idiot is capable of behaving. He can’t help it. The real question…..asked around the world: What’s wrong with the American people——given free choice, they elected the WORST amongst them?! TWICE!? Trump’s not the only one capable of Idiotic behavior—-he’s just the end product!
So Christian of Donald J Trump!
Yes, how much more evidence would you need after a POTUS declares anyone fighting the Nazis in World War II (a.k.a. 'antifa') as domestic terrorists?
I’m furious about the tax-dollar millions spent, and of democratic support for honoring a Nazi. Is there anyway we can stop this corrupt to the core administration from bleeding our money into their corruption? The insane orange one will continue to sue because it’s not his money he is spending. Our leaders appear to be helping us less and less. Norm is out there everyday fighting, we can vote, but I’m worried it’s not enough.
I agree, Kathy. What person or persons in the Congress, Media, Think Tanks etc.can investigate, and put a number on the tax- payer monies being griffithed by Trump to pay for his various vendettas. Someone came up with the figure of a million dollars a day for troops in DC. Americans do not like being played for fools when it comes to their money.
JR AS ALWAYS LEADS THE WAY. Hear hear…