the Republican POTUS

The silence from them is deafening.

If this holds til November, they're good to go. They don't want to do anything to upset the apple cart, ding the fundraising, nor undermine any of the extensive list of fine candidates they have recruited. They themselves don't want to become the problem. So they're going timid. Explain to us all how that is not a sound strategy. Viewed another way, Democrats don't need to take on political risk and blowback. They just need to trudge forward and let the mass of what they've banked pay off.

SO I find criticism of them ill-informed.

Sure thing.

At this point, I'd settle for a little public outrage from Democratic leadership. Is that just too much to ask for, as our country devolves into a Goddamned police state?

Jeffries in particular could become speaker any week or month as the GOP implodes and retires.

Making loud noises and alienating everyone is not sound strategy. Dems need to peak in November, not win a shouting contest in February.

They are executing sound strategy, and have some considerable basis for its effectiveness in polling and past performance.

How is making a lot of noise working for Trump? He keeps plummeting in the polls.

Well guess what? We can plummet to and help Trump if we act that way. It goes both ways.

The people are deciding. We'll be out front leading them on Election Day. For sure.

All Democrats are "targets for MAGA and FauxNoise," no matter what any if us say or do. That is no excuse. Fear and weakness is not a winning strategy. It is what caused this nightmare to a large extent.

A "shouting contest?" Is that how you see this?

And I think they might be paying too much attention to pollsters. People are PISSED about Ice and the horrible things they’re doing, about the economy and healthcare and Greenland and Donvict and so much more. They want and NEED to see and hear action from the Dems snd all they’re getting is crickets. It’s not a good thing. If the pollsters are recommending this course of (what looks to the voting public as) inaction and impotence, they should probably be kicked to the curb. Now is the time for Dems to step up and take advantage. Folks want fire and fight and the Dems need to bring it now and keep it stoked till November.

I was about to say the same thing.

has caused our whole electoral system to reek of corruption and legalized bribery. dominated by the wealthiest corporations and individuals. SCOTUS wanted it that way because they clearly wanted in on it too. This ruling encourages or nearly forces some candidates to accept donations and make compromises they would otherwise reject. But Jeffries taking money from the Kushners should have been a bridge too far for him. Don't let me get started on Schumer.

The next time our party holds power, we have to, impeach Thomas, Alito, and any other judge who we know has accepted money and gifts. If that can't be done, we must enlarge the court and install Democratic or progressive judges to balance the SC. Other reforms, including no lifetime terms, strict ethical rules with congressional oversight are badly needed and long overdue.

Real electoral reform would also require a return to the Fairness doctrine for public airwaves. Primary and election funding must be public financing or limited individual citizen contributions only. No more bullshit about a company being a person too. Penalties for election finance violations would need to include large fines and mandatory jail time for repeated or egregious acts. It is also necessary to eliminate stock trading for members and family of the House and Senate, and anyone working in or for the White House.

But I'm just kidding myself. None of that can or will happen when states can redraw their districts whenever they want and make laws to limit and restrict voting. What I'm saying is we have a shit ton of work to do, starting with winning the upcoming midterms.

second term. The average person voting Republican has the attention span and memory of a gnat. They forgot how bad it was under him and with him constantly telling people how great his administration was they kind of went along with it.

And the Democratic tendency to wait until after Labor Day (the official start of the election season) to about the talk about what great things Dems have done and how horrible Republicans have been almost guarantees a loss. By that time they are so far behind the 8 ball they barely make a dent until just before the election.

This is a 24/7/365 day effort. It doesn’t have to be in your face but it does require regular reminders to the populace in the moment.

The OP is right, sorry!

Risk is a required. People follow strength.
Most people don't pay attention to anything outside their own little daily bubble.
The more voices there are standing up and saying this is wacko, un-American shit going on, the more of a possibility that someone who's not paying much attention will hear it and say "yeah it seemed strange when i heard something like that last week, that's messed up".

Being in congress gives them a louder voice than average people, It's their duty to speak up and lead.

And we thought Kamala was going to win in 2024. No way should the Dems sit on their asses and do nothing, unless you want the same thing to happen in 2026.

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Woodrow Wilson once said “Never attempt to murder a man who is committing suicide”..

Schumer and Jeffries are savvy enough to know when to stay out of the way of a party (Republican), a movement (MAGA), and their psychotic dementia-addled leader are in the process of’ “committing suicide”..

Fear and denial, masquerading as caution.

MAGA is not "committing suicide," they are committing murder. "“Never attempt to stop a man who is committing murder” would be a more accurate description of that strategy.

There should be zero wonder the Dems approval is at 29%!
And Trump is marauding thru this country like a mad, lawless T-Rex.

Dem leadership is doing the exact proper thing- give the bastards enough rope to hang themselves.
When the enemy is self destructing- LET THEM!

I trust them to stay quiet until the repukes, emboldened by lack of resistance, inevitably go to far with their overreach.
THATS when we can lay all the cards on the table and say the emperor has no clothes!

The Republicans have had more than enough rope to hang themselves for decades.

The Republicans always go too far with their overreach. Yes, that can result in some wins for Democrats, but the Republicans keep working and keep gaining in strength and come roaring back with a vengeance.

"THATS when we can lay all the cards on the table?"

Why would we ever hide our cards at all?

"...and say the emperor has no clothes!"

Why not say that now? Actually, why say it ever?

1. Although polls are showing Repubs losing support, there's no evidence or valid analysis so far showing that this will result in electoral gains for Dems in the upcoming election. We're assuming that gripes over Greenland, ICE and authoritarian insanity will mean a Dem landslide in November, but polls are snapshots and voters are fickle.

2. Rocking the boat a little won't sully Dems and throw independents into Republican arms. I think that highlighting the authoritarian behavior with frequent press conferences and public statements keeps these issues on the front burner and tells the public that we're watching.

Snark/sarcasm symbol.

They can't believe what good luck they're having?

That's the problem. The worse things get for us us, the better it is for them. Our misfortune is their good fortune.

That is true for a small army of people - politicians, consultants, pod casters, MSM pundits. Fascism is good for business.

What was it Carville recommended? Playing 'possum?

That approach is what brought us to where we are.

"If this holds til November". It won't. The tangerine toddler is in a second term because of timidity. If folks perceive a political party as doing nothing, then they won't vote for them. The lesson of "anyone but W" is that folks will give another term to W and reject the vague "anyone." That lesson is as old as DU.

We're in this fix because Republicans won the war of income taxes. They exempted their rich donor class to a great degree which put responsibility for the federal budget further and further down the income scale until it divided the middle class base into those who pay for, and those who receive, the social safety net. Gen Z is even in an uproar over Social Security.

We need more than a "peak."

A massive campaign of lying is what "divided people into those who pay for, and those who receive, the social safety net," and failure by the Democrats to fight back strongly against that is why it succeeded. No, they were playing it safe, pussyfooting around with the Republicans, and waiting for Nixon Reagan Bush to self-destruct.

"Gen Z is even in an uproar over Social Security," to the extent that people are, because ignorant people are being deceived by malicious actors. Playing it safe is what allows that sort of crap to fly. Yet that is what you are advocating.

current fascist times.

. . . NOT!

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‘When your enemy is shooting themself in the foot, let them and don’t get in the way’. And frankly there are democrats who are better spokespersons than either of them.

I do not agree. They have already 'shot themselves in the foot' enough. If people cannot see how dangerous and insane he and his cronies are, then there is nothing we can do about them and they will just have to go down with their ship of choice.

So how many lives are worth the sticking to your adage and just waiting around until our broken system is used to try and fix our broken system?

10? 100? One percent of the population? (That's three million people, btw.)

I'm open to any constructive ideas.

Play it safe is not exactly a "constructive idea," in my opinion, but if we accept that it is, the obvious alternative "constructive idea" would be don't play is safe.

The general approach that Democratic leadership should be taking?

that’s not just blaming democrats for everything.

They should be the ones in charge. We have been hearing the “keep the powder dry” since Bush. That sure has worked out tremendously.

The job of minority leader in either house is not to be the top spokesperson. It's more of an organizational job. Too many confuse our system for parliamentary systems where the leader of the minority is the top spokesperson and who becomes Prime Minister if they win back the majority.

When your enemy is weak and faltering press the advantage.

Fixed it for you.

Please be specific.

Nope, not playing that game. Been down that road too many times. You well know the specific policies that Progressives have been advocating for decades.

Let's look back to the 1850s. Critics: "the Whigs should more aggressively oppose slavery." Whig leadership response - "What's your alternative? Be specific."

The Whigs thought that the pro-slavery forces would go too far, and that would then lead to Whig electoral wins. Ff they just played it safe, the opposition party would self-destruct - "commit suicide" - if "we got out of their way." But that didn't happen. It was the Whigs who self-destructed with their timidity and compromises.

Invading people's homes without warrants? Shitting all over every clause of the Constitution? Doing their best to destroy our Democracy?

If they were shooting themselves in the foot, I'd be fine with letting them continue.

This is not that. This is a war.

This is not republicans destroying each other or shooting themselves in the foot. They are killing Americans.

Please be specific.

You’re the one who said:

Did you think that was some kind of gotcha to point out that I can't solve this mess we're in? Really?

This OP talks about something that can be done. Why do you fight so hard against every suggestion of things that can be done against this crisis? Every single one. Every single time.

Whatever you think it's achieving, this weird little attempt at a gotcha question you have been asking throughout this thread has nothing to do with the subject at hand, and it's just dippy. And it certainly isn't the flex you seem to think it is.

instead of blaming Trump and republicans. Sort of like if FDR blame the British when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

So do you have an actual effective solution that is not just blaming democrats?

...they're afraid of our fearless leader...

...what else could it be...?

...

are suddenly going to pay attention to Schumer and Jefferies ?

I think Schumer needs to retire but these posts make no sense.

And Those strongly-worded letters don’t write themselves, you know

Give him enough rope to hang himself

- so why is he still in office?

And he’s still in off because Trump keeps al the Republican’s spines in a closet in the White House.

How’s that been working for us?

Answer: it hasn’t.

That “powder” dry. If bad things ever happen, they will be ready…but , apparently what is happening now is not enough to even be particularly upset about.

I mean, what evidence have we seen that tells us these guys are in the top 1% of leaders/fighters/strategists, or even the top 25%?

it could be that they aren't all that smart, it could be what their large donors are telling them to do...who knows?

I'm certainly not wealthy enough to understand why congresscritters do what they do...I don't have enough money to matter.

I can't say for certain about any individual's motives or ethics. But there are many people who see D.C. as a game and if you play by the rules, you can do very well for yourself. And this game often involves telling your constituents the opposite of what you tell your donors. We should not make the mistake of assuming that only Republicans do this. And Democrats will rationalize that with the argument that they have to raise money in order to compete.

Our system is a mess -- intentionally.

I tend to look at the Open Secrets page for various politicians.

It is about 90% predicative of what they will vote for and against. For some, more, for a very few, less.

And Citizens United made it so that donors and PACs are FAR more important than constituents.

I don't fully blame the elected officials, they have to play the game the way it is set up and Republicans have the advantage as they are, generally speaking, not hampered by ethics or human decency.

"This time for sure, Rocky!!!!"

Maybe they are getting fan mail from a flounder. Or maybe they are just floundering?

They should be out in the streets in Minneapolis and then Maine.

EVERY member of Congress should speak up. It’s a matter of principles to me, not political calculations.

Imagine if there were grave problems in our family and someone suggested we just sit back and wait. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t make waves.

Because where we must because we won't have any choice but I will use the primary season to advocate for an other Democrat than a Democrat can calling to abolish ICE.
There is no fixing this. There is no smaller budget. It's abolish or out the door. Just like I will advocate against ANY candidate that votes to approve this latest budget that funds ICE.
I am more than willing to shut down the government to abolish ICE
If you find ice you support them kicking down doors without a warrant and shooting innocent people in the face with no consequences.

There is no other interpretation or opinion.

Of course everyone here will vote Democratic. There is no other option. The leadership depends upon that, they take us for granted.

The debate here is between those who think the rank and file should represent and fight for the interests of the leaders, and those who think the leaders should represent and fight for the interests of the rank and file.

"If we all get in lockstep behind the leaders, we win" is the thinking. But the opposite is true. When the leaders get behind the have-nots, then we win.

Of course a lot depends upon whom one sees as this "we" who will be doing the winning. When the wealthy, when the consultants, fund raisers, media moguls and talking heads, pod casters, pollsters, et al win, the rest of us lose. Unless one is waiting for that "trickle down" idea to finally take hold.

Leaders. In the age of TicToc clips, you need a charismatic leader that is good at 30 second sound bits. Democrats need to find and get those people out. They don't need to be house or senate leadership, but they sure should be your number 2. And they need to be our there constantly. Trump is a daily circus.

Too many stick to Tik-Tok or Bluesky.

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Take heart, thousands of peasants in concentration camps!

I'm not about to hold my breath to get him to come down off his fucking throne to help American and the immigrants they are killing.

needs to do another filibuster. But it shouldn't all be on him.

Until someone does something. Or when god steps down off his throne.

cool heads are always appreciated, but absence is not.

one would think, as leaders of the dems they would have a few things to say to counter the orange asshole, but alas.

time for fresh outlooks and energy.

will all see and believe and be inspired by and finally, finally, Trump and the GOP will be exposed and stopped.

There WERE the "Pentagon Papers" that a hero like Daniel Ellsberg could replicate today with the "Epstein Files."

But faint heart ne'er won democracy.

I'm not going to share what I really think.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope-a-dope

In my opinion, when the democrats retake the house and maybe senate? Not sure on senate, but anyway, when this happens, the new majority should NOT elect Jefferies speaker and Schumer as minority leader. These two leaders have shown that they are NOT leaders when we need them to be NOW. Not when it’s convenient. AOC would make a phenomenal leader, and I’d like to see Mark Kelly or Amy Klobuchar as minority lead in the Senate. Time for change….

Democratic messaging has to get better, but remember, and I tend to forget this, the progressive caucus in the house hold press, conferences almost every day, and it is never covered by the mainstream media.
Republican press conferences almost always get covered.

Cover the Democrats! Say into the microphones, "Hey, networks! Televise THIS! What are you afraid of? Has Trump 'grabbed' you?"

Time to vote out these two and vote in leaders with fire in their blood. I'm disgusted with both of these men. JFC

More whining and bashing of Democrats on a Democratic website.

There is a legitimate disagreement being discussed here, and calling the opinions of those with whom you disagree "whining and bashing" is divisive.

Bernie Sanders and AOC. If I say one word against them, I get all sorts of pushback. I have had posts deleted because I criticized them. But turnabout is not fair play, I guess. I see too much groupthink here. When I see it, I am going to point it out.

Apply the golden rule and all will be well.

This is not the place to come to learn about the Democratic Party.

Where are they? How about former leaders? Where are they? I used to hear that Ds were feckless and I didn’t think that. Now? I’m so disappointed in anyone coming up and speaking out. I have to see Adam Mockler or Leigh The Politics Girl make great points instead. Come on! Our best voices are influencers? Sheesh. What have we done?

Milquetoast doesn't win a lot of elections.

Gallego has the right approach--call the insane MFer an insane MFer. All that our current leaders will be able to muster is bland admonishments, at best.

I love Nancy Pelosi, she was a rock star, but Jefferies? WTF, woman?

"I'm sure it feels good for some people to have convenient targets to blame for everything."

That is exactly what you are doing.

I appreciate the invitation, but in this case past results definitely do predict future performance. Good faith would be necessary.

Okay, see you, bye.

winning them hand over fist all the time. I think they should be out there more but I also don’t think they are capable of it. It is not in their political DNA.

As proof I’m reminded of Schumer standing at a podium not too long ago chanting “We will win, We will win!”

Please….

They are failing us miserably.