be shutdown due to all the layoffs, so what are Dems fearing? Why don't they use the shutdown to show the American people what it will feel like if we allow Musk/Trump to continue their bulldozing of federal agencies.
Thing is, Trump can drown out even a perfect message.
I wonder whether it’s possible for Democrats to coalesce around an overarching message. The party is a loose and uneasy coalition of siloed interest groups, activists, and politics. What message can AOC and Mark Warner coalesce around?
I have vacillated on this issue but ultimately have come down on not supporting the CR. My reasons are varied and of no interest to most. But seriously what do Democrats have to lose? The GOP doesn’t play fair, has no respect for rules, exploits Democrats’ commitment to principles, is hell bent on destroying the New Deal and so many other contemptible things.
Commit to a daring strategy, accept who the enemy is, throw a punch and be willing to fail.
How are the Democrats going to back up any demand that they make? As Steve notes, they're the minority party in both houses. In addition, the far right controls the Supreme Court. It's also worth noting that DOGE isn't the only problem here. The billionaires that Trump has appointed to cabinet positions, along with the ones more or less in the background, seem to be all in with gutting the federal government -- which is the only entity capable of countering their economic power.
Enough of this shit. The ball is not in the Senate Democrats court. It's the job of the majority to convince the minority when they need them. And not through promises that mean nothing and "trust me" you have my word until I'm told you no longer don't. Make your needs as clear as you can. Let the noise be the noise. And don't move a fucking inch.
Sometimes, there is more than just playing politics. There is having principles and sticking to them. This is one reason Trump wins over Democrats. People don’t agree with what he stands for, but “at least he stands for something.” It’s a lot easier to say, “Trump isn’t in it just to get into power” when he says things that his advisors say he shouldn’t say; when at the same time, Democrats are trying to figure out the perfect message rather than just doing something they believe in.
I’m at a point that if Democrats try to win the politics game and stay in their individual seat instead of doing something that’s rooted in deep-seeded principles, I’m liable to give up on them. I think Democrats have already lost a lot on the far-left, and they’re close to losing those of us “kinda-far left” if they play politics instead of having principles and sticking to them.
Your lips to Ken Martin's, Chuck Schumer's, and Hakeem Jeffries' ears.
What I wouldn't give to hear Dem leadership fight for fundamental values: liberty and justice for all, no exceptions; and government of the people, by the people, and for the people, not the billionaires.
It is sometimes difficult to stay true to your principles while also managing to get elected as a majority. I think many—maybe most—of our Dem elected officials find that ethical sweet-spot. Most Republicans at the federal level ignore it. Can you imagine a Lindsay Graham or a Josh Hawley agonizing over an ethical dilemma?
So to give up on Democrats is the same as accepting the MAGA right. “Winning the politics game” is necessary to being in power and displacing a truly feckless GOP.
Not sure what you're saying. trump has no principles. Dems obviously have principles but the reality is that politicians have to be political in order to get things done. And principles are pretty much meaningless if you don't win elections and have an opportunity to effect change. If Dems have lost people on the far-left it's because those on the far-left who the Dems have lost tend to be single-issue voters, who end up shooting themselves in the foot, because if you don't vote Dem then you're supporting MAGA. The single-issue Gaza voters are a good example. Biden wasn't great on Gaza (is any President perfect?), but now Gaza has someone much worse in the Oval Office.
Tell me how Democrats voting for à Republican bill without putting up a fight gives you faith in them and makes you super excited to keep them in their elected seats.
What do you even mean by "far left"? So-called "moderate," mostly white Democrats use that and similar terms to marginalize Dems who talk about economic justice, many of whom are people of color but let's not omit Elizabeth Warren and a handful of others, not to mention Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Dems.
True, Democratic voters who are disgusted by the U.S.'s uncritical support for Israel (which goes back decades) overlap with those who support economic justice, so they've got reasons to be less than enthusiastic about the Democratic Party. But it's not clear at all how big a role this played in the 2024 election. The Harris-Walz ticket did an amazing job under difficult circumstances, and it came very, very close to pulling it off.
They’re not winning any elections anyway, so why not be principled and at least have some moral authority. Democrats haven’t been winning elections; Republicans have only lost them.
Dems won a lot of important races last year, despite the odds being against them. We just (barely) lost the big one, under suspicious circumstances. But in red Montana, for example, we broke a Republican supermajority in the legislature.
But many Trump voters *do* agree with what he stands for, or strongly implies that he stands for: rolling back the advances made by people of color and women of all colors since the 1960s. They may say (and actually believe) that they support him because of inflation, aka the cost of eggs and gas (etc.), but most USians -- not just Trump voters -- know very little about how the economy works or what affects prices and wages.
It would clarify things if, instead of generalizing about "people," as in "People don't agree with what he stands for," we specified what "people" we're talking about. Trump voters are overwhelmingly, though definitely not exclusively, white. People of color are affected by inflation and high gas prices and the price of eggs, but they aren't making a beeline for Trump. Put some thought into why that might be.
I hope the overlong meetings the Democratic Senators have been in yesterday help to band them together for the long haul. We need to see them demonstrate strength! The outrageously corrupt & treasonous behavior of the Trump administration has put our citizens at risk and left Ukranian blood on our hands, not to mention the effects on vulnerable people in our country & abroad who lost agricultural and medical aid through the shredding of USAID.
It’s time to focus on the base, not the independents and certainly not the MAGAts. And the base deserves a fight. We need to know the Democrats in Congress have a spine and care about the issues. My hope is a revolution is fomenting but so far it’s leaderless. Time to take a stand!
Make it about Musk. Hatred for him is growing by the day. He already has majority disapproval. And Musk inevitably implicates the wider issues. A major part of the messaging should be his attacks om agencies investigating him for "waste, fraud, and abuse."
DemLabs mapped the nine wavering Democratic Senators and the harm the Republican CR does to farmers, veterans and children in their states. There's also a free app which lets you call them (and any other Senator or Congressional rep) with one click. Time to give them a call!
Republicans steal $22 billion from veterans’ Toxic Exposures Fund to give billionaires another tax cut: We map the casualties
Thank you Deepak. The hemming and hawing Dan does in this article is precisely the problem the dems have all the time. Fuck the gop shut it down and say until you guarantee Medicare Medicaid social security Ukraine etc, this is all on the party that has all the power. Oh and demand president musk be removed from office since he isn’t appointed and has never had a hearing for senate approval. Sorry, gotta go or no votes. Grab a pair and quit waffling
What you may see as hemming and hawing, others may see as an intellectually honest attempt to understand the current situation, acknowledging that Dem senators have divergent views come by honestly, trying to discern the result of the shutdown in voters’ minds, and debating how Dems (and the country) could materially benefit from a shutdown.
Somehow the notion that “grabbing a pair” precludes thought and analysis seems very Cruzian.
And this is why no one voted for us last time. Right now everything in politics is solely about power. They use it and we don’t have a clue how to get it or when we have even a tiny bit of it what the hell to do with it. We are at war and you want to debate the edges.
No, I am acknowledging that Dan’s analysis of the situation is not hemming and hawing, as you put it.
Decisive action is great. I am all for it. I am also very much for thinking through a situation before taking that action. I am also very much for NOT sharing that thought process with voters (an acknowledged fault of many Dems).
Not sure if the current situation has you frustrated and just looking for an argument with anyone, or if you truly see thinking before you act and indecision as synonymous.
Nice summary. Bernie has been very effective with his rallies and Chris Murphy is spot on. The key is consistent messaging. We are going to fight for ordinary Americans. We will not allow Trump and billionaires to steal from us and our way of life. Stay consistent and add more voices and rallies. The general public is with us. And how can Republicans complain about shutting down the government with a chainsaw in hand???
Here's the thing. Everyone - EVERYONE - knows that Trump and the GOP at large are lying liars who lie. So any "deal" Democrats wring out of them to secure their votes is not much better than a sheet of toilet paper sitting in a puddle of water. I say that the Dems in Congress should have one, single, unifying mantra, and that's to obstruct anything and everything the GOP attempts to do. Full stop.
If the Republicans try to blame Democrats, then Dems can retort with Oh now they like government and want to keep all these agencies and government jobs? It wont be hard to still paint the Republicans as the villain. Plus there should be a massive billboard campaign with Trump owning all the bad news. Bourbon sales down in Ky? Plaster a "Trump I Did That" across the state. Farmers losing sales? "Trump I Did That" with Musk celebrating by his side. People who are beginning to regret voting for Trump want to hide their head in the sand and not pay attention. A billboard in their face every day keeps them from hiding from the truth.
Word is Schumer won’t shut it down. Fuck the Dems if they don’t use the only power they have right now to demand things like eliminating musk or supporting Ukraine or better yet insuring social security and Medicare Medicaid. If Schumer runs away from using the only power he has right now then the Dems are done as a party. I e never voted anything but dem but I may just stop voting if this happens. Fuck the right. Make them give up something for your votes Schumer. Don’t you dare fold to these assholes
The government will ostensibly be
be shutdown due to all the layoffs, so what are Dems fearing? Why don't they use the shutdown to show the American people what it will feel like if we allow Musk/Trump to continue their bulldozing of federal agencies.
Agree that this how a shutdown will be perceived no matter what Democrats say it is about. I’m less certain that this is a winning issue nationally.
It depends on how well it's messaged.
Democrats have yet to find s compelling message.
Thing is, Trump can drown out even a perfect message.
I wonder whether it’s possible for Democrats to coalesce around an overarching message. The party is a loose and uneasy coalition of siloed interest groups, activists, and politics. What message can AOC and Mark Warner coalesce around?
It will be actually, even if not ostensibly.
I have vacillated on this issue but ultimately have come down on not supporting the CR. My reasons are varied and of no interest to most. But seriously what do Democrats have to lose? The GOP doesn’t play fair, has no respect for rules, exploits Democrats’ commitment to principles, is hell bent on destroying the New Deal and so many other contemptible things.
Commit to a daring strategy, accept who the enemy is, throw a punch and be willing to fail.
Why can’t the Democratic senators’ demand be that DOGE gets out of the government?
They can't even get Musk to testify in front of congress about what he does, because they are the minority.
How are the Democrats going to back up any demand that they make? As Steve notes, they're the minority party in both houses. In addition, the far right controls the Supreme Court. It's also worth noting that DOGE isn't the only problem here. The billionaires that Trump has appointed to cabinet positions, along with the ones more or less in the background, seem to be all in with gutting the federal government -- which is the only entity capable of countering their economic power.
Enough of this shit. The ball is not in the Senate Democrats court. It's the job of the majority to convince the minority when they need them. And not through promises that mean nothing and "trust me" you have my word until I'm told you no longer don't. Make your needs as clear as you can. Let the noise be the noise. And don't move a fucking inch.
Hear, hear!
Sometimes, there is more than just playing politics. There is having principles and sticking to them. This is one reason Trump wins over Democrats. People don’t agree with what he stands for, but “at least he stands for something.” It’s a lot easier to say, “Trump isn’t in it just to get into power” when he says things that his advisors say he shouldn’t say; when at the same time, Democrats are trying to figure out the perfect message rather than just doing something they believe in.
I’m at a point that if Democrats try to win the politics game and stay in their individual seat instead of doing something that’s rooted in deep-seeded principles, I’m liable to give up on them. I think Democrats have already lost a lot on the far-left, and they’re close to losing those of us “kinda-far left” if they play politics instead of having principles and sticking to them.
Your lips to Ken Martin's, Chuck Schumer's, and Hakeem Jeffries' ears.
What I wouldn't give to hear Dem leadership fight for fundamental values: liberty and justice for all, no exceptions; and government of the people, by the people, and for the people, not the billionaires.
It is sometimes difficult to stay true to your principles while also managing to get elected as a majority. I think many—maybe most—of our Dem elected officials find that ethical sweet-spot. Most Republicans at the federal level ignore it. Can you imagine a Lindsay Graham or a Josh Hawley agonizing over an ethical dilemma?
So to give up on Democrats is the same as accepting the MAGA right. “Winning the politics game” is necessary to being in power and displacing a truly feckless GOP.
They’re not winning the politics game, though, and giving up on their principles to play the game is a big reason why.
Not sure what you're saying. trump has no principles. Dems obviously have principles but the reality is that politicians have to be political in order to get things done. And principles are pretty much meaningless if you don't win elections and have an opportunity to effect change. If Dems have lost people on the far-left it's because those on the far-left who the Dems have lost tend to be single-issue voters, who end up shooting themselves in the foot, because if you don't vote Dem then you're supporting MAGA. The single-issue Gaza voters are a good example. Biden wasn't great on Gaza (is any President perfect?), but now Gaza has someone much worse in the Oval Office.
Tell me how Democrats voting for à Republican bill without putting up a fight gives you faith in them and makes you super excited to keep them in their elected seats.
What do you even mean by "far left"? So-called "moderate," mostly white Democrats use that and similar terms to marginalize Dems who talk about economic justice, many of whom are people of color but let's not omit Elizabeth Warren and a handful of others, not to mention Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Dems.
True, Democratic voters who are disgusted by the U.S.'s uncritical support for Israel (which goes back decades) overlap with those who support economic justice, so they've got reasons to be less than enthusiastic about the Democratic Party. But it's not clear at all how big a role this played in the 2024 election. The Harris-Walz ticket did an amazing job under difficult circumstances, and it came very, very close to pulling it off.
They’re not winning any elections anyway, so why not be principled and at least have some moral authority. Democrats haven’t been winning elections; Republicans have only lost them.
Dems won a lot of important races last year, despite the odds being against them. We just (barely) lost the big one, under suspicious circumstances. But in red Montana, for example, we broke a Republican supermajority in the legislature.
But many Trump voters *do* agree with what he stands for, or strongly implies that he stands for: rolling back the advances made by people of color and women of all colors since the 1960s. They may say (and actually believe) that they support him because of inflation, aka the cost of eggs and gas (etc.), but most USians -- not just Trump voters -- know very little about how the economy works or what affects prices and wages.
It would clarify things if, instead of generalizing about "people," as in "People don't agree with what he stands for," we specified what "people" we're talking about. Trump voters are overwhelmingly, though definitely not exclusively, white. People of color are affected by inflation and high gas prices and the price of eggs, but they aren't making a beeline for Trump. Put some thought into why that might be.
More people of color voted for Trump than previously. Put some thought into why that might be.
"More" is not many, and the support for Trump among young Latinos has been much discussed.
I hope the overlong meetings the Democratic Senators have been in yesterday help to band them together for the long haul. We need to see them demonstrate strength! The outrageously corrupt & treasonous behavior of the Trump administration has put our citizens at risk and left Ukranian blood on our hands, not to mention the effects on vulnerable people in our country & abroad who lost agricultural and medical aid through the shredding of USAID.
The way this is a balm to my armchair strategist’s soul, Dan Pfeiffer.
They should make this fight about protecting veterans and veterans' services.
agreed
It’s time to focus on the base, not the independents and certainly not the MAGAts. And the base deserves a fight. We need to know the Democrats in Congress have a spine and care about the issues. My hope is a revolution is fomenting but so far it’s leaderless. Time to take a stand!
This isn’t complicated. What Elon Musk and Trump are doing is hugely unpopular and democrats can’t just fold and let it happen.
Make it about Musk. Hatred for him is growing by the day. He already has majority disapproval. And Musk inevitably implicates the wider issues. A major part of the messaging should be his attacks om agencies investigating him for "waste, fraud, and abuse."
DemLabs mapped the nine wavering Democratic Senators and the harm the Republican CR does to farmers, veterans and children in their states. There's also a free app which lets you call them (and any other Senator or Congressional rep) with one click. Time to give them a call!
Republicans steal $22 billion from veterans’ Toxic Exposures Fund to give billionaires another tax cut: We map the casualties
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/03/12/republicans-steal-of-22-billion-from-veterans-toxic-exposures-fund-we-map-the-casualties/
Mapping the Senators ready to sacrifice your Social Security and the families that will be ruined https://thedemlabs.org/2025/03/12/senate-democrats-block-republican-spending-bill-senators-map-of-victims/
Call your Congressional Rep or Senator With One Click. Tell them to STOP THE REPUBLICAN CONTINUING RESOLUTION.
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/03/12/call-your-congressional-rep-or-senator-with-one-click/
Thank you Deepak. The hemming and hawing Dan does in this article is precisely the problem the dems have all the time. Fuck the gop shut it down and say until you guarantee Medicare Medicaid social security Ukraine etc, this is all on the party that has all the power. Oh and demand president musk be removed from office since he isn’t appointed and has never had a hearing for senate approval. Sorry, gotta go or no votes. Grab a pair and quit waffling
What you may see as hemming and hawing, others may see as an intellectually honest attempt to understand the current situation, acknowledging that Dem senators have divergent views come by honestly, trying to discern the result of the shutdown in voters’ minds, and debating how Dems (and the country) could materially benefit from a shutdown.
Somehow the notion that “grabbing a pair” precludes thought and analysis seems very Cruzian.
And this is why no one voted for us last time. Right now everything in politics is solely about power. They use it and we don’t have a clue how to get it or when we have even a tiny bit of it what the hell to do with it. We are at war and you want to debate the edges.
No, I am acknowledging that Dan’s analysis of the situation is not hemming and hawing, as you put it.
Decisive action is great. I am all for it. I am also very much for thinking through a situation before taking that action. I am also very much for NOT sharing that thought process with voters (an acknowledged fault of many Dems).
Not sure if the current situation has you frustrated and just looking for an argument with anyone, or if you truly see thinking before you act and indecision as synonymous.
Thanks for these great resources!
Nice summary. Bernie has been very effective with his rallies and Chris Murphy is spot on. The key is consistent messaging. We are going to fight for ordinary Americans. We will not allow Trump and billionaires to steal from us and our way of life. Stay consistent and add more voices and rallies. The general public is with us. And how can Republicans complain about shutting down the government with a chainsaw in hand???
Here's the thing. Everyone - EVERYONE - knows that Trump and the GOP at large are lying liars who lie. So any "deal" Democrats wring out of them to secure their votes is not much better than a sheet of toilet paper sitting in a puddle of water. I say that the Dems in Congress should have one, single, unifying mantra, and that's to obstruct anything and everything the GOP attempts to do. Full stop.
If the Republicans try to blame Democrats, then Dems can retort with Oh now they like government and want to keep all these agencies and government jobs? It wont be hard to still paint the Republicans as the villain. Plus there should be a massive billboard campaign with Trump owning all the bad news. Bourbon sales down in Ky? Plaster a "Trump I Did That" across the state. Farmers losing sales? "Trump I Did That" with Musk celebrating by his side. People who are beginning to regret voting for Trump want to hide their head in the sand and not pay attention. A billboard in their face every day keeps them from hiding from the truth.
Word is Schumer won’t shut it down. Fuck the Dems if they don’t use the only power they have right now to demand things like eliminating musk or supporting Ukraine or better yet insuring social security and Medicare Medicaid. If Schumer runs away from using the only power he has right now then the Dems are done as a party. I e never voted anything but dem but I may just stop voting if this happens. Fuck the right. Make them give up something for your votes Schumer. Don’t you dare fold to these assholes