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Democrats bracing for town hall protests directed at them ask Bernie Sanders for help

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M

Macam

Banned
Excerpts from the Washington Post piece, with more interesting bits in the original piece.

Senior Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday sought to stave off town hall protests from their own party, asking Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to reach out and urge activists to redirect their anger at Republicans instead of at moderate Democratic lawmakers.

The request came in a weekly meeting of top Democratic senators, according to a senator in attendance, ahead of a congressional recess next week when lawmakers in both parties are expected to face large crowds stirred in recent weeks by President Trump’s early executive actions and ongoing Republican attempts to revamp the Affordable Care Act.

Over the past two weeks, crowds — and conflict-hungry media crews — have swarmed town halls and protested at congressional offices. Republicans have gotten the brunt of it, with several members escorted by police through lines of shouting protesters, and some caught scrapping or rescheduling public events or leaving out back doors to dodge angry activists.

But protesters have also gathered in blue states, marching to Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s home in Brooklyn to demand the obstruction of Trump nominees, and showing up at the offices of safe-seat Democrats to demand that they filibuster Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.

Such episodes spurred Democrats to ask Sanders for help, according to Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who attended the meeting on Tuesday.

“They basically explained to Bernie, it looks like you could be the person that could calm down and make sure their energy and all this enthusiasm is directed in all the right proper channels,” Manchin said. “Bernie has a voice, and if [protesters] want to be active, then direct them to where the problem may be or where they anticipate a problem.”

The intraparty drama puts top party leaders like Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a tricky political position. He can either fully embrace the far left and its rejuvenated activism — and risk alienating moderate lawmakers and voters — or push back too hard against the new activity and anger the party’s base of support.

The request to Sanders came during a meeting with Schumer and a leadership team that stretches the ideological spectrum of his caucus. In addition to Sanders, a self-described socialist, and the moderate Manchin, the group included Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), among others.

...

On Tuesday, a group of protesters in Maryland delivered “valentines” to the office of Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), who is up for reelection in 2018, with questions about why he was agreeing to meet with Gorsuch, after many Republicans refused to meet with blocked Obama nominee Merrick Garland. They handed out candy hearts with slogans like “Filibuster Me” and “Be My Accountable Democrat,” and a sign that read “Roses are red, violets are blue, supporting Trump’s cabinet makes you guilty too.”

After Monday night’s vote to confirm Steve Mnuchin as treasury secretary, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee urged its members to complain to Manchin, the one Democrat who supported Trump’s nominee.
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Keep calling, keep showing up, keep protesting.
 
I

InfiniteBento

Member
We won't stop until you shitheads get it together and get back in the game

Now is not the fucking time to be apathetic to Trump's bullshit
 
R

Retro

Member
PRO TIP: Do your fuckin' job like people elected you to do and people won't protest your town hall meetings.
 
M

Makonero

Member
bernie help we don't understand all these people are mad at us and want us to actually represent their policies and positions
 
George Washington

George Washington

Member
We need new inspirational faces in the DNC. Very shameful that they are asking Bernie for help after what he's been through. They need to grow a backbone otherwise Trump will steamroll them in 2018 and 2020.
 
S

soundscream

Member
Volimar said:
Those aren't Bernie stans. They're members of your own party begging you to grow a backbone!
Click to expand...

There has to be caution at the same time. They can do nothing to stop any Republican plans if they have partasin support aside from the filibuster. And the Republicans have the abillity to kill the filibuster. Dont want to waste it on something that isnt worth it in the grand scheme of things.
 
S

sangreal

Member
Bernie has shown no ability to do this (remember the DNC?)

But maybe they should consider that their constituents might have a point instead. It seems Democrats are the only ones the Democratic Party is willing to stand up to
 
W

whyamihere

Banned
On Tuesday, a group of protesters in Maryland delivered ”valentines" to the office of Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), who is up for reelection in 2018, with questions about why he was agreeing to meet with Gorsuch, after many Republicans refused to meet with blocked Obama nominee Merrick Garland. They handed out candy hearts with slogans like ”Filibuster Me" and ”Be My Accountable Democrat," and a sign that read ”Roses are red, violets are blue, supporting Trump's cabinet makes you guilty too."
Click to expand...

Guys. Cardin is going to meet with Gorsuch but he's not going to vote for him. There's no harm in meeting with Gorsuch (even though Republicans shirked their responsibility with Garland). But meeting ≠ voting for. Even Sotomayor and Kagan met with every Senator, iirc.

sugarhigh4242 said:
If Bernie capitulates to this, it will be one hell of a betrayal.

BTW, Ben Cardin literally said "I support charter schools within our public school system" diring the DeVos confirmation hearing:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?42360...inue-hold-floor-devos-vote-looms&start=83078#
Click to expand...

How did Cardin end up voting on DeVos?
 
T

Toxi

Banned
soundscream said:
There has to be caution at the same time. They can do nothing to stop any Republican plans if they have partasin support aside from the filibuster. And the Republicans have the abillity to kill the filibuster. Dont want to waste it on something that isnt worth it in the grand scheme of things.
Click to expand...
The problem with this logic is that there's no reason why Republicans wouldn't be willing to kill the filibuster for more important issues. You don't "waste it" when they'll kill it anyway.
 
F

Feep

Banned
Genuine question: in what capacity did Democrats have the ability to stop anything that's happened in the last three weeks? I don't understand. They grilled the shit out of everyone, but they don't have the numbers.
 
S

soundscream

Member
Toxi said:
The problem with this logic is that there's no reason why Republicans wouldn't be willing to kill the filibuster for more important issues. You don't "waste it" when they'll kill it anyway.
Click to expand...

Use it when you might be able to pull a few votes over, not on issues that are guaranteed to pass.
 
M

Miletius

Member
Feep said:
Genuine question: in what capacity did Democrats have the ability to stop anything that's happened in the last three weeks? I don't understand. They grilled the shit out of everyone, but they don't have the numbers.
Click to expand...

True. But with the Trump administration falling apart will there be any reason not to oppose his every move from this point forward? At this point it seems like a political no brainier to just say, "I don't work with the Kremlin" and vigorously oppose even if it gets you nowhere for a bit.
 
K

kame-sennin

Member
latest
 
S

sugarhigh4242

Banned
xtrasauce said:
It sucks that the US political system is such that the left is chained to the Democratic party.
Click to expand...

It doesn't have to be this way. We can build a new party if we reject easy solutions and commit to doing real work at the municipal level. Take a look at Kshama Sawant's example in Seattle:

Ci9rwNe.png


http://www.newyorker.com/news/benja...-minimum-wage-movement-entered-the-mainstream

More recently, she led the effort to get Seattle to divest from Wells Fargo for their support of the Dakota Access pipeline:
http://www.king5.com/news/local/sea...s-fargo-over-dakota-access-pipeline/395337991
 
W

whyamihere

Banned
Miletius said:
True. But with the Trump administration falling apart will there be any reason not to oppose his every move from this point forward? At this point it seems like a political no brainier to just say, "I don't work with the Kremlin" and vigorously oppose even if it gets you nowhere for a bit.
Click to expand...

There was an idea by allowing Mattis or Kelly in, maybe they'd be a moderating influence, especially since Trump was still surrounded by Flynn. Also, like, Elaine Chao is fine? I guess?
 
S

soundscream

Member
Feep said:
Genuine question: in what capacity did Democrats have the ability to stop anything that's happened in the last three weeks? I don't understand. They grilled the shit out of everyone, but they don't have the numbers.
Click to expand...

Besides the filibuster, NONE!

Which is infuriating when reading people screaming against acting strategically.
 
M

MrNelson

Banned
But protesters have also gathered in blue states, marching to Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s home in Brooklyn to demand the obstruction of Trump nominees
Click to expand...
Has nobody been paying attention? There was fuck all the Dems could do without support from a handful of Republicans. Sessions and DeVos were the only questionable ones, but all of the others were going to happen no matter what Democrats did.


and showing up at the offices of safe-seat Democrats to demand that they filibuster Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.
Click to expand...
At this point I think the Republicans would be crazy enough to nuke the filibuster.

Such episodes spurred Democrats to ask Sanders for help, according to Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who attended the meeting on Tuesday.
Click to expand...
I don't know what dream world these people are living in that they think a more progressive candidate than Manchin is going to work in West Fucking Virginia.
 
M

Miletius

Member
whyamihere said:
There was an idea by allowing Mattis or Kelly in, maybe they'd be a moderating influence, especially since Trump was still surrounded by Flynn. Also, like, Elaine Chao is fine? I guess?
Click to expand...

True. I actually also believe in being strategic with your choices. But I think that we'll see over the next couple of weeks that a strategic calculus to stand united in opposition to Trump will be beneficial to the party in the long run. They should be welcoming the chance to explain their political calculus to their constituents, rather than running from them.
 
C

Cipherr

Member
Fuckem, go wild and let the moderate feel the heat. Its true the Dems dont have much power if any at all right now, but that never stopped the right from making noise and making themselves heard for YEARS. And Im not seeing that on the left at all. So let them feel the heat right now, because we have to patch up and be ready in 2018.
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
soundscream said:
Besides the filibuster, NONE!

Which is infuriating when reading people screaming against acting strategically.
Click to expand...

You can't filibuster cabinet picks. The Democrats have literally been powerless to stop the GOP from doing any of what it's done since Trump took office.

The number of people who don't understand this simple fact is staggering. Even on GAF, people make it sound like any of what's happened so far could have been stopped by Congressional Democrats.

Guess what? We did have a chance to stop it in November but people stayed home or voted third party.

HariKari said:
Maybe the Democrats should go along with the enthusiasm this time instead of fighting it.
Click to expand...

They did. As it turns out people show their enthusiasm by voting.
 
S

soundscream

Member
Cipherr said:
Fuckem, go wild and let the moderate feel the heat. Its true the Dems dont have much power if any at all right now, but that never stopped the right from making noise and making themselves heard for YEARS. And Im not seeing that on the left at all. So let them feel the heat right now, because we have to patch up and be ready in 2018.
Click to expand...

Because they had the house and Senate for the majority of that time. And when the Democrats had control it was fleeting because they had a good chunk of unsafe seats.
 
R

reckless

Member
Yeah attack your own party for not doing dumb and/or impossible things. Can't wait for the super majority in 2018...
 
M

MrNelson

Banned
Cipherr said:
Fuckem, go wild and let the moderate feel the heat. Its true the Dems dont have much power if any at all right now, but that never stopped the right from making noise and making themselves heard for YEARS. And Im not seeing that on the left at all. So let them feel the heat right now, because we have to patch up and be ready in 2018.
Click to expand...
But that was back when Obama was willing to work with Republicans during those two years the Democrats had control of the House and the Senate, and even after that those fucking Tea Party assholes came out of it.

Now we have a president with zero interest in reaching across the aisle, and a Congress that is willing to put party before country. The situation is much different that it was 8 years ago.
 
W

whyamihere

Banned
Bam Bam Baklava said:
The only reason this is true is because of short-sighted thinking in 2013. The same type of thinking being thrown around now.
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This was probably the right decision in 2013, because the rules would've just been changed with a bare majority this year. And we ended up getting a lot of federal judges.
 
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