Cat

Dems Reportedly Angry That Progressives Are Pushing Them to Act Like an Opposition Party.

https://ponder.cat/post/1613522

Dems Reportedly Angry That Progressives Are Pushing Them to Act Like an Opposition Party. - Ponder.cat

> House Democratic lawmakers reportedly used a closed-door meeting earlier this week to vent their frustrations with progressive advocacy groups that have been driving constituent calls and pressuring the party to act like a genuine opposition force in the face of the Trump administration’s authoritarian assault on federal agencies and key programs.

Feb 12, 2025 at 8:03pmWeb
Show threadinfinitevalenceFeb 12, 2025
Or… Just act at all…
Show threadevenglowFeb 12, 2025

“Forcing recorded votes is possible. Frequent quorum calls are possible. A wide variety of dilatory motions are possible. In short, harassing the majority is possible. If they think it’s a bad idea, say so. If they say it’s not possible, they’re lying.”

I like how politicians voting is considered a time out. It’s their job, jfc.

Show threadBilliamFeb 12, 2025
“But if our votes are recorded, our voters corporate donors will know we voted against them!”
Show threadthemeatbridgeFeb 12, 2025
Right? This is about providing political cover to centrists who take money from the same oligarchs as conservatives.
Show threadSnowcloneFeb 12, 2025
Hay man, they’re on our side! When it hardly matters.
Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025
They actually can’t force votes though, so we’d be getting the same votes and we already knew whenever Republicans stepped out from the ranks such as the Hegseth confirmation where 3 of them abstained but he got appointed anyways. Recorded Votes doesn’t stop the Trump admin. The Dems are effectively powerless without 13 Ind + Gop to impeach and remove him or his cabinet members or corrupt federal judges.
Show threadKeeponstalinFeb 13, 2025
Dems have plenty of options available even as a minority party, they just aren’t doing so.
Why Aren't Democrats DOING Anything??

YouTube
Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025

Leeja is cool but her opinion was that they’re running their tiktok accounts wrong and they were born in the wrong year.

What specifically would YOU do to stop what the Trump admin is doing?

Show threadKeeponstalinFeb 13, 2025
Lmao, I can’t believe that’s what you got from the video. That was not remotely her point. Her entire point is that the Democrats should be using everything within their polical power to obstruct and delay everything the Trump Admin is trying to do. She gave multiple examples of exactly how they can do that. That’s the bare minimum the Democratic Party should be doing. I already participate in local community organizations.
Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025

What is it YOU think is in their political power?

People didn’t vote dems into power and that is why we are in the situation we have now.

Show threadKeeponstalinFeb 13, 2025

Here’s an entire comprehensive list. Which was, again, discussed in Leeja Miller’s video…

indivisible.org/…/explainer-how-senate-democrats-…

The Democrats are responsible for losing this election to an unpopular fascist by failing to represent the demands that the majority of their constituents were demanding. Start demanding more from your representatives.

EXPLAINER: How Senate Democrats Can Delay & Defy Trump's Agenda with Procedural Hardball

Indivisible
Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025

So you want them to do the things they’re already doing to delay votes that will happen in short matter regardless of what they do?

Reminder that only simple majority of 51 breaks filibuster for cabinet and judge confirmation hearings. The DNC stalled for 30 hours because they were allowed to by the GOP, and the hearing still went through as planned. Nothing can stop this.

Show threadTrainguyromFeb 13, 2025
The Republican party has used every dirty tactic they can to advance their agenda regardless of their current count of votes in the house or Senate. Remember how they refused to confirm a Supreme Court pick for over a year on the off chance that they’d win the 2016 election? Remember how they stonewalled and blocked anything and everything every way they could during the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations? There is no “they go low we go high” because all that gets is more incrementalism
Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025
“Every dirty trick” is having actual majorities without independents to caucus. That is exactly why Republicans were able to deny the Obama appointee.
Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 14, 2025

“Every dirty trick” is having actual majorities without independents to caucus.

Don’t blame the independents. They weren’t the fucking turncoats who voted with Republicans.

Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 14, 2025
Sometimes they did. Thats kind of what it means to be Independent, you dont vote with the party. One of them is the reason we don’t have public healthcare and instead only medicaid expansion.
Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 14, 2025
And now you’ve pivoted from 2020-2022, which is the useless neoliberal majority we were talking about to 2008-2010, which is the useless neoliberal supermajority that kept the filibuster around just to make sure that the public option died.
Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 14, 2025

After 2011 actually, specifically the most productive and progressive US congress in modern history when Dems had 58 for 72 days in the 111th congress.

When we came up 1 independent vote short of socialized healthcare.

2013 was over a decade ago. 2014 was over a decade ago.

Show threadMonumentFeb 13, 2025
You have incredible patience.
Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025
It sure is neat how powerless the minority has suddenly become.
Show threadCarbonBasedNPUFeb 13, 2025
Remember when the democrats had everything for a few years and did basically nothing and kept blaming the republican minority apparently that was bullshit and actually the minority has no power. So either the dems are liars or damned liars.
Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025
I certainly don’t remember it. We gave them 58 over a decade ago and less than 50 ever since.
Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025
We gave them a majority in 2020. Don’t pretend that the two independents that caucused with democrats don’t count. The independents didn’t vote with republicans. Democrats did.
Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025

  • Nope~ we gave them 48 Dem + 2 Ind, they only picked majority leader with VP tiebreaker.

  • If Independents counted as Democrats then we would have singlepayer healthcare a decade ago. Face it, those Ind were as likely to fuck us all over on votes as they were to help us.

    • Idk why you refuse to believe we haven’t given Democrats a chance. Just look at the last presidential election: voters chose literally Hitler over the Dems.

    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    Idk why you refuse to believe we haven’t given Democrats a chance.

    Because we gave them the means to pass legislation without a single Republican vote. That was their chance. They used that chance as you wanted, and so you’re making excuses for them.

    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025
    If you can’t break filibuster then you can’t pass anything without the opposition’s graces. The thing about progressives vs conservatives is the progressives have to pass things but conservatives win when nothing happens, and conservatives have been winning for many years.
    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    If you can’t break filibuster then you can’t pass anything without the opposition’s graces.

    You could change the senate rules with 50. Stop using the filibuster as an excuse.

    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025
    The DNC didnt even have 50 in the last decade.
    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 14, 2025
    Keep splitting hairs and making excuses.
    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025
    Democrats have had less than 50 for over a decade, nothing sudden about it.
    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    Their coalition had a majority from 2022-2024. During which time Republicans were all-powerful.

    Stop pretending that we didn’t give your party a majority that they squandered.

    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025

    Um akshually

    We gave them 48 + 2 Ind and VP tiebreaker gave them the speaker position. They literally did not even have a simple majority even with the Independents.

    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    Their coalition

    Stop making excuses.

    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025

    Stop pretending that we didn’t give your party a majority

    Stop blatantly lying, then?

    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 14, 2025
    Who was the senate majority leader from 2020-2022?
    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 14, 2025
    The Senate majority leader selected by 48 Dem 2 Ind, and VP Tiebreaker? While the Republicans had exactly 50?
    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 14, 2025
    Gee, those numbers add up to a majority unless you’re making excuses.
    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 14, 2025
    lmao it literally doesn’t. 50 !> 50
    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 15, 2025
    50 plus Harris was enough to pass anything they wanted without a single Republican vote. It was a majority. Chuck Schumer was the majority leader, but Democrats continued to behave as though McConnell was.
    Show threadEugene V. Debs' GhostFeb 13, 2025

    Remember all the times people said “Push for bills so when Republicans vote no it’s on the record for election season?”.

    As if Republicans can see anything but the Republican next to the first person’s name in a ballot.

    Show threadgAlienLifeformFeb 12, 2025

    Simultaneously,

    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025
    Wow I can’t believe those fake congresspersons on that parody news site would say that. Thank you for bringing this into real political discussions. /s
    Show threadSeducingCamelFeb 13, 2025
    Vote a little harder next time it’ll save us
    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025
    It would have saved us, yeah.
    Show threadSeducingCamelFeb 13, 2025
    I feel bad for if you truly believe that. At best we’d get democrats kicking the can for 4 years, making 0 progress, then trump or another ghoul gets elected in 2028 and all this still happens
    Show threadfinitebanjoFeb 13, 2025

    My idea of voting harder is more than 50 Dems, which hasn’t happened in many years, then they could consider taking the Filibuster off for a while.

    Ideally 60 Dems, enough to pass all of their platform without being filibustered and without giving Republicans a chance to fight back.

    We haven’t even tried that but everybody in here is so ready to blame Dems for not being in charge.

    Show threadSeducingCamelFeb 14, 2025
    “we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out ideas”
    Show threadinbeeseeFeb 13, 2025
    They just want money and plausible deniability. Any one of these Dems can just be bought like a repub
    Show threadSatansMaggotyCumFartFeb 12, 2025
    People who didn’t vote ask the democrats to do something to fix it.
    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 12, 2025
    You just say that everyone to your left is a nonvoter as a pretext for ignoring them.
    Show threadSatansMaggotyCumFartFeb 12, 2025

    Eighty million people chose not to vote.

    Now they’re surprised that Trump is doing exactly what he said he would and they’re all asking someone to fix it for them.

    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    Eighty million people chose not to vote.

    And you assume anyone that contacts their legislators is one of them.

    It’s neat “Voting isn’t enough! You need to get involved!” become “Not like that!” when people start holding democrats accountable for their complicity.

    Show threadSatansMaggotyCumFartFeb 13, 2025
    You’re right if enough people get involved maybe they can do something… in two years.
    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    Until then, they’re going to register their disapproval. I hope they only get louder forever.

    You want them to shut up.

    Show threadSatansMaggotyCumFartFeb 13, 2025
    I wish they spoke up when it mattered.
    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    BULLSHIT.

    You wanted them to shut up during the election too. You don’t care what happens as long as anyone to your left and only your left shuts up.

    Show threadSatansMaggotyCumFartFeb 13, 2025

    I wanted them to speak up and keep Trump out to keep this from happening.

    Besides that whatever you think you know about me I’m afraid you don’t.

    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    I wanted them to speak up

    Uh huh. What did you say to people that wanted Biden to stop supporting genocide?

    Show threadSatansMaggotyCumFartFeb 13, 2025

    Biden ran in 2020 but he didn’t in 2024.

    2024 was Harris vs Trump.

    Show threadEnsign_CrabFeb 13, 2025

    As of the final few months of the campaign, and Harris made it clear that she wasn’t going to differ from Biden on the issue.

    What did you say to people that wanted Biden/Harris to stop supporting genocide?

    Dodge the question harder.