First, this assumes that Dems work, you know, at least 5 days a week like the rest of us do. Not like Congress does now. There ought to be a pledge or something like that. Do it or you aren't getting re-nominated. And keep score.
Second, please don't let retribution against Trump get in the way of showing voters that Dems have ideas for addressing affordability, immigration law reform, health care, reform of the military budget which is out of control, help for working women, and other voter priorities. I would like to stick it to Trump and his family too, but if we get carried away with that and don't address what voters are looking for from government, it won't go well for us.
There is nothing in this piece of writing about “retribution” and sticking “it to Trump and his family.” Your comment suggests otherwise. The piece is entirely about Democrats using the power of the purse granted to Congress by our Constitution. As a voter, I want to see Congress using this power. No kings—no unitary executive. Please read the last paragraph for a succinct summary.
And we need to keep in mind that the wider public wants "retribution" which is only accountability. I've see others also cower in fear and say a Democratic Congress should ONLY focus on bread-and-butter economic issues. Not reining in Trump would only leave the cancer to fester and break out in the future. Our side is very divided in our thinking: some people insisting Democrats are too cowardly and not turning over enough tables (all the baseless attacks on Hakeem Jeffries!) and others saying "Don't go after a lawless president and his illegally grifting cronies and families because it might look bad."
This is key: do not message retribution. Funding has always been used to message priorities, so this isn’t really new strategy. What’s in the pbud is a message about what the president’s priorities are, and then Congress can either fund those in whole, in part, or not at all. Re-aligning funds to restore free speech, fund deferred maintenance at our national parks, healthcare, cancer research, etc. They have been unlawfully spending appropriated dollars this whole time. All the gold leafing and construction was money diverted from national parks. Every dollar available to spend in 25 and 26 was planned, budgeted & authorized in 22, 23, etc. They have violated appropriations law this whole term. Americans better wise up to how their government funds its operations to benefit its citizens, because the not knowing how everything works allows the message to be hijacked. Clever accounting IS waste, fraud, and abuse, it warrants investigation and should be messaged as such.
The message needs to be ACCOUNTABILITY not retribution. And it must be pursued. The lavish corruption of this administration at every level is COSTING average Americans millions.
Democrats always do. When Pelosi took over the gavel, she announced the House would be working 4 days a week instead of the previous 1 1/2under Paul Ryan. One Republican congressman had a meltdown, screeching that she hated "family values" because congresspeople would be forced to spend less time with their families. The only reason they are not working is because poor Liddle Mikey Johnson is terrified that if Congress was working it might do something to earn Trump's ire and that is Liddle Mikey's greatest fear.
I worry that I'm now seeing people say things like "don't investigate, don't go after Trump, it will look bad, the voters will get mad." We cannot afford to walk on eggshells this time, timid and afraid that the mainstream media will restyle accountability as "retribution." The public wants this "retribution," the formal definition of which is "deserved punishment or payback for a wrong action." Corruption is a leading issue among all voters, as much as "affordability" and frankly, we can't have affordability (or immigration reform or stopping the war in Iran or anything else on your list until we have "retribution" — accountability for Trump, his family and allies. This is popular. Let's not sabotage ourselves with timidity. and fear.
"First, this assumes that Dems work, you know, at least 5 days a week like the rest of us do. Not like Congress does now."
Well, a GOP-controlled Congress doesn't have to work very much when all it does is rubber stamp everything Trump suggests.
But I assume that your point is that Dems will need to work more than 40 hours a week to halt/reverse/do whatever it can to thwart the Trump agenda. And while retribution maybe shouldn't be the primary focus, there should be some kind of accountability for Trump's et al behavior. If Ford hadn't pardoned Nixon, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess.
Exactly. And Democrats always work hard. Many of them are working in the districts while Liddle Mikey has recessed the House so it doesn't do anything to make Daddy Donnie made. My congresswoman hosts town halls, meetings, events on housing and small business — she's always working when she's back in the district. I was just reading some Instagram posts from Melanie Stansbury, who I love, and she has been spending her in-district time going to fairs, festivals, city and tribal council meetings, art shows, "meet the congresswoman" events and more. AND still talking about the Epstein files, which she'll never let go of.
Meanwhile, in the GOP districts to the east and west of me, most people wouldn't know their congressman if he sat next to them. OK, maybe not in the district west of me anymore since his face has been slathered all over the news for being a woman-abusing, arrogant creep (Max Miller). But, fingers crossed, he could be gone in November. Things don't look good for him in this red district.
Dems need to be REALISTIC about what congress can actually deliver in the way of legislation while Trump holds the White House. There's a real danger in over-promising and then failing to deliver.
Accountability is one thing that a Dem congress CAN deliver without the cooperation of the White House. And it's something that MUST be pursued. Especially with Trump's threats against our elections and the very real possibility that he'll once again refuse to leave office at the end of his term.
Yes, but that's my point. Project 2025 was not supposed to get out into the wild. When it did and people read it and freaked out, they said oh this is just an academic speculation not meant for the real world. Except it was the blueprint for mass destruction. They did not intend it to get out. unfortunately not enough people read it and acted and voted upon what it said.
"Democrats will need to rally public opinion, already hostile to ICE and CBP, when Trump hollers that they are protecting “dangerous criminals.” (The response: Democrats will fund focused, law-abiding enforcement actions that are actually against dangerous criminals)."
And, on an adjacent but very relevant note: let's overturn Trump's push to allow White Collar criminals to rip off American taxpayers carte blanche.
Put them (back) in prison and impose huge fines that are distributed as restitution to their victims.
I live in hope of seeing the Day of Jubilee you envision, Jen. Let us also hope that our majorities are solid enough to foreclose the emergence of Manchins and Sinemas (e.g., Fetterman) to monkey-wrench our best-laid plans.
We'll need 52 in the Senate to avoid a tie. I've already been mentally calculating that. North Carolina is a gimme, Ohio and Maine look good, and I hope we can take Texas (looking very good! You can tell the GOP is panicking and the voter turnout plan they're running is really key) and Alaska. I thought we'd lose Michigan but now I'm not so sure. The Canadian tariffs may have turned things around for Democrats. That has such a massive impact on Michigan's economy.
What Democrats need to do is reform the federal judiciary. There needs to be a Code of Ethics imposed on the corrupt supreme court. Term limits need to be implemented and finally, expansion of the corrupt court.
Great idea! But, it would require the absence of a tRump veto to become law. Same for Jen's great ideas... And, tRump has shown that he will take money out of one account to fund something else he wants out of another account... As long as he remains untouchable, we have very limited resources and are living in a dictatorship. It will take a boatload of Constitutional Amendments to prevent this happening again.
They already have a plan and are prepping it. You can read about it on the Brennan Center site. Hakeen Jeffries is already laying out what most of us are asking for and best of all, has tasked the brilliant constitutional scholar Jamie Raskin with taking the lead.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel. There is aready a code of ethics for lower courts and all federal employees. Strengthen that, put some enforcement teeth in place, and assign it to the supreme court as well. Are they not federal employees? Equal justice should exempt no one.
I fully endorse the to-do list Jen suggests. Do we have Democratic leadership willing to take bold action, though? Jeffries and Schumer do not seem to have the political will to sincerely serve the American electorate. A vast majority of Americans question our country’s allegiance to Netanyahu’s government for example, and the relationship between these leaders and continued support for the State of Israel is a point of contention.
Jeffries is already working on much of it, and we need to get over this empty demonizing of both Jeffries and Schumer because they haven't done things they currently have no power to do. We can be our own worst enemies.
I'd put this on the back burner as something to be aware of but not screaming hair-in-fire concerned. That's when it becomes voter suppression. And we're very good at promoting doomsday scenarios that discourage people.
What should be defunded? The rogue agencies like ICE and DHS and yes we can add the FCC as well. This is not an all inclusive list here , but it’s a start. The Democratic Party, if they’re able to take both houses of congress as Jen states here must act swiftly and methodically in taking back control of the run away executive branch. Impeachment might be difficult since partisan politics is what it boils down to these days unless there’s a group of Republicans who will actually take him on and end his menacing mayhem, but I don’t see that happening.
They should defund the Supreme Court, too! Of course, ......the Supine Court is funded by private Oligarchs, anyways. So......we need to defang the Supine Court.....rather than defund. I won't hold my breath on that one. What a TRAVESTY the Roberts Court is! SHAME on him......and them! They are TRAITORS to our Country!
It would also be a good idea to revive the EPA with people who actually want can can protect the environment. It was the first agency to go, remember. Have you noticed our air quality? And water quality? Hmm? Anybody? Calls for "rare earths" for batteries will result in some nasty chemicals being dumped where the financial geniuses want to dump them. So, please add EPA to the list of agencies in need of resurrection.
Funding, and turning off funding is a significant way Congress makes our voices heard, when they do their job. I'm all for there finally being some accountability. And investigations all day every day, along with legislation to address affordability, healthcare, housing and the minimum wage.
Add defund any military operation that kills noncombatant—suspected smugglers—on boats without any attempt to stop and search them for contraband; restrict that stop and search mission to the coast guard or domestic police functions. Prohibit the military and national guard from participating in any domestic civilian police action for more than 24 hr without notice to Congress and for more than 7 days without a supporting resolution passed by both houses of Congress. Prohibit DHS, and DOD[W?] from expending any funds or operating within 200 yd of any local, state, or federal election poling place and prohibit any role for the post office in elections other than it’s traditional role in investigating lost or fraudulent mail. With this administration—moto: there is no government function we cannot subvert and misuse—the list grows long. Before that can happen we need to find candidates of strong moral character, elect them and reinforce the somewhat quaint idea that voters will only support them if they show good behavior before and in office.
First, this assumes that Dems work, you know, at least 5 days a week like the rest of us do. Not like Congress does now. There ought to be a pledge or something like that. Do it or you aren't getting re-nominated. And keep score.
Second, please don't let retribution against Trump get in the way of showing voters that Dems have ideas for addressing affordability, immigration law reform, health care, reform of the military budget which is out of control, help for working women, and other voter priorities. I would like to stick it to Trump and his family too, but if we get carried away with that and don't address what voters are looking for from government, it won't go well for us.
There is nothing in this piece of writing about “retribution” and sticking “it to Trump and his family.” Your comment suggests otherwise. The piece is entirely about Democrats using the power of the purse granted to Congress by our Constitution. As a voter, I want to see Congress using this power. No kings—no unitary executive. Please read the last paragraph for a succinct summary.
And we need to keep in mind that the wider public wants "retribution" which is only accountability. I've see others also cower in fear and say a Democratic Congress should ONLY focus on bread-and-butter economic issues. Not reining in Trump would only leave the cancer to fester and break out in the future. Our side is very divided in our thinking: some people insisting Democrats are too cowardly and not turning over enough tables (all the baseless attacks on Hakeem Jeffries!) and others saying "Don't go after a lawless president and his illegally grifting cronies and families because it might look bad."
This is key: do not message retribution. Funding has always been used to message priorities, so this isn’t really new strategy. What’s in the pbud is a message about what the president’s priorities are, and then Congress can either fund those in whole, in part, or not at all. Re-aligning funds to restore free speech, fund deferred maintenance at our national parks, healthcare, cancer research, etc. They have been unlawfully spending appropriated dollars this whole time. All the gold leafing and construction was money diverted from national parks. Every dollar available to spend in 25 and 26 was planned, budgeted & authorized in 22, 23, etc. They have violated appropriations law this whole term. Americans better wise up to how their government funds its operations to benefit its citizens, because the not knowing how everything works allows the message to be hijacked. Clever accounting IS waste, fraud, and abuse, it warrants investigation and should be messaged as such.
The message needs to be ACCOUNTABILITY not retribution. And it must be pursued. The lavish corruption of this administration at every level is COSTING average Americans millions.
Democrats always do. When Pelosi took over the gavel, she announced the House would be working 4 days a week instead of the previous 1 1/2under Paul Ryan. One Republican congressman had a meltdown, screeching that she hated "family values" because congresspeople would be forced to spend less time with their families. The only reason they are not working is because poor Liddle Mikey Johnson is terrified that if Congress was working it might do something to earn Trump's ire and that is Liddle Mikey's greatest fear.
I worry that I'm now seeing people say things like "don't investigate, don't go after Trump, it will look bad, the voters will get mad." We cannot afford to walk on eggshells this time, timid and afraid that the mainstream media will restyle accountability as "retribution." The public wants this "retribution," the formal definition of which is "deserved punishment or payback for a wrong action." Corruption is a leading issue among all voters, as much as "affordability" and frankly, we can't have affordability (or immigration reform or stopping the war in Iran or anything else on your list until we have "retribution" — accountability for Trump, his family and allies. This is popular. Let's not sabotage ourselves with timidity. and fear.
"First, this assumes that Dems work, you know, at least 5 days a week like the rest of us do. Not like Congress does now."
Well, a GOP-controlled Congress doesn't have to work very much when all it does is rubber stamp everything Trump suggests.
But I assume that your point is that Dems will need to work more than 40 hours a week to halt/reverse/do whatever it can to thwart the Trump agenda. And while retribution maybe shouldn't be the primary focus, there should be some kind of accountability for Trump's et al behavior. If Ford hadn't pardoned Nixon, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess.
Exactly. And Democrats always work hard. Many of them are working in the districts while Liddle Mikey has recessed the House so it doesn't do anything to make Daddy Donnie made. My congresswoman hosts town halls, meetings, events on housing and small business — she's always working when she's back in the district. I was just reading some Instagram posts from Melanie Stansbury, who I love, and she has been spending her in-district time going to fairs, festivals, city and tribal council meetings, art shows, "meet the congresswoman" events and more. AND still talking about the Epstein files, which she'll never let go of.
Meanwhile, in the GOP districts to the east and west of me, most people wouldn't know their congressman if he sat next to them. OK, maybe not in the district west of me anymore since his face has been slathered all over the news for being a woman-abusing, arrogant creep (Max Miller). But, fingers crossed, he could be gone in November. Things don't look good for him in this red district.
Dems need to be REALISTIC about what congress can actually deliver in the way of legislation while Trump holds the White House. There's a real danger in over-promising and then failing to deliver.
Accountability is one thing that a Dem congress CAN deliver without the cooperation of the White House. And it's something that MUST be pursued. Especially with Trump's threats against our elections and the very real possibility that he'll once again refuse to leave office at the end of his term.
The first rule of fight club is , there is no fight club! Don’t telegraph your punch. 🤛. Get elected
I would agree with you but still, Project 2025 was a pretty clear telegram.
Yes, but that's my point. Project 2025 was not supposed to get out into the wild. When it did and people read it and freaked out, they said oh this is just an academic speculation not meant for the real world. Except it was the blueprint for mass destruction. They did not intend it to get out. unfortunately not enough people read it and acted and voted upon what it said.
"Democrats will need to rally public opinion, already hostile to ICE and CBP, when Trump hollers that they are protecting “dangerous criminals.” (The response: Democrats will fund focused, law-abiding enforcement actions that are actually against dangerous criminals)."
And, on an adjacent but very relevant note: let's overturn Trump's push to allow White Collar criminals to rip off American taxpayers carte blanche.
Put them (back) in prison and impose huge fines that are distributed as restitution to their victims.
How do you get elected if you don't campaign on anything?
I live in hope of seeing the Day of Jubilee you envision, Jen. Let us also hope that our majorities are solid enough to foreclose the emergence of Manchins and Sinemas (e.g., Fetterman) to monkey-wrench our best-laid plans.
We'll need 52 in the Senate to avoid a tie. I've already been mentally calculating that. North Carolina is a gimme, Ohio and Maine look good, and I hope we can take Texas (looking very good! You can tell the GOP is panicking and the voter turnout plan they're running is really key) and Alaska. I thought we'd lose Michigan but now I'm not so sure. The Canadian tariffs may have turned things around for Democrats. That has such a massive impact on Michigan's economy.
What Democrats need to do is reform the federal judiciary. There needs to be a Code of Ethics imposed on the corrupt supreme court. Term limits need to be implemented and finally, expansion of the corrupt court.
Great idea! But, it would require the absence of a tRump veto to become law. Same for Jen's great ideas... And, tRump has shown that he will take money out of one account to fund something else he wants out of another account... As long as he remains untouchable, we have very limited resources and are living in a dictatorship. It will take a boatload of Constitutional Amendments to prevent this happening again.
That is not an excuse to do nothing.
They already have a plan and are prepping it. You can read about it on the Brennan Center site. Hakeen Jeffries is already laying out what most of us are asking for and best of all, has tasked the brilliant constitutional scholar Jamie Raskin with taking the lead.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/supreme-court-reform-gathers-momentum
There is no need to reinvent the wheel. There is aready a code of ethics for lower courts and all federal employees. Strengthen that, put some enforcement teeth in place, and assign it to the supreme court as well. Are they not federal employees? Equal justice should exempt no one.
I fully endorse the to-do list Jen suggests. Do we have Democratic leadership willing to take bold action, though? Jeffries and Schumer do not seem to have the political will to sincerely serve the American electorate. A vast majority of Americans question our country’s allegiance to Netanyahu’s government for example, and the relationship between these leaders and continued support for the State of Israel is a point of contention.
Jeffries is already working on much of it, and we need to get over this empty demonizing of both Jeffries and Schumer because they haven't done things they currently have no power to do. We can be our own worst enemies.
Everyone should read this by Heather Cox Richardson. Please pass along:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-12-2026?r=1kncci&utm_medium=ios
Yes, this is a very important read
I'd put this on the back burner as something to be aware of but not screaming hair-in-fire concerned. That's when it becomes voter suppression. And we're very good at promoting doomsday scenarios that discourage people.
What should be defunded? The rogue agencies like ICE and DHS and yes we can add the FCC as well. This is not an all inclusive list here , but it’s a start. The Democratic Party, if they’re able to take both houses of congress as Jen states here must act swiftly and methodically in taking back control of the run away executive branch. Impeachment might be difficult since partisan politics is what it boils down to these days unless there’s a group of Republicans who will actually take him on and end his menacing mayhem, but I don’t see that happening.
Win the elections first! Get out the vote!
"Democrats will need to rally public opinion... when Trump hollers that they are protecting “dangerous criminals.”
And as an adjudicated rapist and 34-times convicted felon, Trump would know what a dangerous criminal is.
They should defund the Supreme Court, too! Of course, ......the Supine Court is funded by private Oligarchs, anyways. So......we need to defang the Supine Court.....rather than defund. I won't hold my breath on that one. What a TRAVESTY the Roberts Court is! SHAME on him......and them! They are TRAITORS to our Country!
Agree entirely. Now, what to do about the Department of UNJUSTICE? Warrants a separate post.
Democrats need to be loud and proud about returning checks and balances to government.
It would also be a good idea to revive the EPA with people who actually want can can protect the environment. It was the first agency to go, remember. Have you noticed our air quality? And water quality? Hmm? Anybody? Calls for "rare earths" for batteries will result in some nasty chemicals being dumped where the financial geniuses want to dump them. So, please add EPA to the list of agencies in need of resurrection.
Funding, and turning off funding is a significant way Congress makes our voices heard, when they do their job. I'm all for there finally being some accountability. And investigations all day every day, along with legislation to address affordability, healthcare, housing and the minimum wage.
I would claw back the 2 reconciliation bills DHS funding and tax reductions and give the money back to health care and food assistance.
Add defund any military operation that kills noncombatant—suspected smugglers—on boats without any attempt to stop and search them for contraband; restrict that stop and search mission to the coast guard or domestic police functions. Prohibit the military and national guard from participating in any domestic civilian police action for more than 24 hr without notice to Congress and for more than 7 days without a supporting resolution passed by both houses of Congress. Prohibit DHS, and DOD[W?] from expending any funds or operating within 200 yd of any local, state, or federal election poling place and prohibit any role for the post office in elections other than it’s traditional role in investigating lost or fraudulent mail. With this administration—moto: there is no government function we cannot subvert and misuse—the list grows long. Before that can happen we need to find candidates of strong moral character, elect them and reinforce the somewhat quaint idea that voters will only support them if they show good behavior before and in office.