I'm not seeing the kind of resistance to Trump by Democratic party leaders that I expect. What's everyone else think?

[lees1975]

Maybe I'm just too much activist and not enough politician, but it seems to me that Mitch McConnell was the most aggravating, menacing, threat to getting things done when the GOP had minorities in the Senate, sometimes smaller that the one we have now, blockading everything, coming out almost daily with some kind of public statement defining the opposition and their plan and why they were right. He had 47 Senators during one of those stretches.

Where are we and where is our leadership? Schumer seems content to just be there, get on camera occasionally and throw up his hands in an "oh, well, not much we can do at this point" attitude.

Everything Trump is trying to do is either unconstitutional or bad for the country. I expect a lot more out of our leadership. I've written as much to my two Senators. Duckworth was in agreement, and said so. Durbin explained away the lack of apparent opposition with the old "politics as usual" statements.

Frankly, unless we go straight up against this demagogue, we lose everything we don't fight for. I think we need more that we're seeing and it's not going to be long before the frustration that's already pouring over into the streets, will get ahead of where most of our politicians are. That might not be the best way to go, since we're going to have to win elections quickly and we need to stick together.

So how do we get some of these party line, old school Democrats off their rear ends? We need leaders who are concerned about the country, and about the people, not about feathering their own political nest and preserving their own turf.

[JCMach1]

1. The game shifted, the techno fascists are in charge

And 99% our Dems haven't a clue what that means,.or how dangerous their philosophy is.

Mind you they are colluding.with the Xtian Dominionists and Alt-Right held together through the strongman figurehead, Trump.

[leftstreet]

12. +1

[mymomwasright]

2. The Repubs have sold their souls, so there's no use "working with" them.

Politics as usual seems to be causing our downfall with almost half of our population ignorant AF! Chances are slim, but maybe a few can save "us" from ourselves.

[ratchiweenie]

3. Seems to me they are totally flummoxed by it all and fiddling while Rome burns. Where are the leaders? I mean

what leaders? I would be making more noise than any of them are right now.

[Midnight Writer]

4. Democrats are behind. While Trump turns the country upside-down, issuing his nonsensical edicts,

the Democratic Party is doing what they always do. They are having meetings, they are planning actions, they are having philosophical discussions about Constitutional powers, they are scoping out contingencies, they are consulting with lawyers and scholars about what to do. As Karl Rove put it "When we act, we create our own reality. And while you are studying that new reality, judiciously, as you will, we will create another new reality, which you can study, too."

Meanwhile, the Trump Team doesn't care about any of that. They don't care if their capricious leader destroys our Constitution, or tanks our economy, or obeys our laws, kills millions, or destroys our alliances. They are making their own reality, where everything they do is "right" and anyone who disagrees is a traitor.

[flvegan]

5. I fear that too many of them

are too busy getting their trade orders in before the market opens/closes each day.

[DeepWinter]

6. Classic quote

"I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat."
~ Will Rogers

I'll reiterate what's been said on DU and hundred times over since the election. We need new leadership.

[Hotler]

7. Not a single one tried to use their oath of office or military oath as leverage to declare the orange convict

and his henchmen as domestic enemies. If they did, I think we would have heard about it. I wonder if Biden could have signed an EO declaring them domestic enemies?

[Silent Type]

8. Not sure what they can/should do, but Schumer reading a boring statement in an empty Senate Chamber ain't it.

Or someone yelling about injustice. Don't think that helps us.

I sure hope the party rallies soon and takes advantage of mid-terms coming up shortly.

[jalan48]

9. And after all that cheerleading for them. Very disappointing.

[newdeal2]

10. Whatever they are trying, it's ineffective

I get that we are in the minority and all. But here's some things I'd like changed:

1) Put up a united front (no more voting for cabinet members or to advance R bills)
2) Use whatever archaic rules in the House and Senate, statehouses, lawsuits, etc. to slow things down and fight back
3) Pick younger spokespeople who are camera ready to deliver a simple, clear message. Have simple clips, graphics, memes that can go viral and are simple enough for the average voter. Promote that on all social media, not just the Sunday morning shows
4) That message has to be both anti-MAGA but also pro-something better. Explain how these changes and cuts are going to impact the average person and set America back. Explain how the cost of living is increasing under Trump and how we have a better plan

Most importantly, in the future, if we do regain power it cannot be politics as usual or focusing on bipartisanship. We (liberals) are falling way behind and will be squashed if we go back to caution and saying we can't do anything because we don't have XYZ. Just do it like Trump and Elon are doing whatever they want.

[Hekate]

11. It's terrific you say you are an activist & I appreciate that. So what are you doing? What do you recommend ...

…the rest of us do to be activists?

As for members of Congress, seems to me our Dems have been pretty vocal. They’ve rallied outside federal buildings that Muskrat has invaded with his teen tech army — and our Dems have been refused admittance.

If you think speaking in Congress doesn’t have a big enough audience — well, there are certainly some regulars over on MSNBC with plenty to say about the situation, and you could tune in when they’re on. My Senator makes himself available there, and he was very involved in the impeachment and the insurrection investigation when he was in the House. My Congressman has been doing electronic town halls — two that I know of already and trump hasn’t been in office a whole month yet.

Neither my Senator nor my Congressman is what you’d call a super-exciting speaker, but they are both intelligent and hard-working as hell. Not everybody can be AOC in front of a crowd.

Not sure what you want them to do that’s not “boring. “ Thanks to the so-called will of the people, the Dems are in the minority, or as one DU OP put it, the American people neutered them.

I’m all ears for your ideas.

[lees1975]

16. Activist, not politician, and I don't mind describing myself that way.

I am constantly calling, sending emails and when they're in town, dropping by the offices of my Congresswoman and Senators, and of course, not surprisingly, finding them at work is rare.

My contribution record isn't anywhere near Elon Musks, and dollar amounts seem to get a lot of attention, but according to their own info, the amount I contribute, as a working class American, is in the top 5% of contributions. I point that out when scheduling phone calls or asking for a visit.

I suggested to Senator Durbin last year not to let opportunities go by when Republican members of the judiciary committee were absent from the proceedings on some kind of publicity tour, to go ahead and schedule committee sessions, meet, and speed up the process of getting judges on the federal bench, faster, in the absence of some GOP members. He pointed out that would be discourteous, violating a protocol respected in the senate. I did not get a response back when I pointed to the number of times the GOP took advantage of Democrat committee absences to shove their agenda through. His staffers in his Illinois office must recognize my number, because they let it go to voice mail a lot now when I call.

I have no qualms about protesting. I intent to make my voice heard, and get some of these people up off their ass. I am contemplating running for office, just because I think the Democratic field is wide open now and we need people who are committed to represent the will of the people, not the party status quo. I will vote for those who are willing to take risks, even risking potential electoral defeat, in order to make a point, than for those who go about like it is business as usual.

[SheilaAnn]

13. I so agree with you and Schumer is getting on my last frazzled nerve. n/t

[yellow dahlia]

21. I feel the same way.

When they were out in front of the Treasury a couple of weeks ago, he was chanting "We Will Win" while holding hands w/ Maxine Waters. I thought he looked like an idiot. I thought - this is not a pep rally, this is a fight for our Democracy. His actions don't meet the moment. I have said it often on this forum, and some have criticized me.

[yellow dahlia]

14. I agree with you. I have commented on this topic often.

Last edited Sat Feb 15, 2025, 06:45 PM - Edit history (1)

I have many observations.

I think many of the Dems in Congress are not meeting the moment, and a few are.

I think the key issue is they need to know how to deliver the message. It needs to be strong and powerful, but not vitriolic.

They need to address the wrongs that are going on, not just deliver a bunch of buzz - word laden catchy phrases and platitudes. People need to understand that what is going on is in violation of the Constitution and the Separation of Powers. A little Civics lesson context wouldn't hurt - Article 1; appropriations; Appointments Clause. This is not a partisan debate, or a Democratic talking point - it's the law.

People need to know how this will affect them, and how dangerous it is. Egs; the data breaches; information websites being down at CDC, and elsewhere; how the decimation of agencies will hurt us, etc.

I think it is good to deliver a clear sound bite, so it reaches the public. The messaging needs to be informative and memorable. I have been critical of some of the rhetoric Dems have delivered, particularly at rallies. I do not believe nasty rhetoric is effective.

I have been critical of messages like "Elon Musk is a Nazi Nepo Baby", as delivered by Ayanna Pressley at a recent rally. I also think it is a distraction for Ayanna Pressley to be introducing a reparations bill, right now. Are you kidding me? Is that where the focus should be right now? Right now the only focus should be saving Democracy and re-establishing Constitutional order.

I agree with you. I think Chuck Schumer has been ineffectual. I know we try not to criticize Dems on this forum, but it is difficult not to, right now. When they make mistakes right now, we are all going to pay the price. Schumer and Waters like to put themselves in front of a microphone - they aren't doing us any favors by doing so.

There are some who are doing a great job of delivering the message in different ways - Chris Murphy, Jamie Raskin, Maxwell Frost, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Van Hollen, Eric Swalwell, to name a few. Elizabeth Warren knows her stuff, and she is working hard. However, her delivery doesn't always work, IMHO. I don't think it works when she tries to "casual it up" to reach the regular folks. AOC is good at messaging, but her style is crafted for a certain audience. Jasmine Crockett is really smart, but I think her messaging could be tweaked to be more informative, and less punchy buzz words.

I know - no one asked me to be a Democratic strategist, but it is torture to be watching the take over, without the ability to be part of the solution.

I agree with you. I think the Party needs to figure out where their strengths are, and use them. The future of this country is at stake. They asked us to elect them to represent us, we need them to do so the best they can. I believe they are capable of doing better.

And they need to stop running for the next election. If "we" don't save this Democracy, there will be no next election.

I have been writing and calling Congress critters, regularly.

Thank you for letting me add my rant to your observations.

[Bettie]

18. So, did you mean to put only male Democrats as effective communicators?

Is your suggestion that only men should be delivering messaging for Democrats?

You call out AOC, Elizabeth Warren, Ayanna Presley, and Jasmine Crockett as 'not quite good enough'. Paraphrasing there, you use different terms to say that they should sit down and shut up.

So, should we become a party where men are the face of the party? Or was it a coincidence that the examples of people who shouldn't be doing messaging included one man (Schumer) and the rest women?

I certainly don't think we should demand silence from the women in the Democratic party, nor do I think they should be told not to speak out.

[yellow dahlia]

19. No.

I can give you names of other men who I think are not communicating well. Al Green is grandstanding, and I thought his speech on the floor for articles of impeachment came off as silly.

Melanie Stansbury is a representative who isn't as well known, but she has been doing an excellent job of communicating in Committee, of late. I think she should be out front more. Patty Murray and Amy Klobuchar are both pretty good communicators, but haven't been in front of the cameras as much lately.

My list was not intended as an analysis of every member of Congress. There are several Congress critters who are putting themselves in the spotlight right now who could use some public speaking pointers, IMHO. Unfortunately women sometimes think they have to come across as tough in order to come across as strong. Some of the male reps are emphasizing being "fired up", rather than emphasizing the message.

I never said women should be told not to speak out. I think women and men should have an equal voice. And I am old enough to know what it was like when that was not the societal norm.

I never implied we should be a party where the men are the face of the party. If that's what you heard, then you didn't get the point of my comments. Communications is something I pay attention to, and about which I have strong opinions.

Any of the Reps, who are putting themselves in front of the camera right now, should think about their message, and how they are coming across. When I emailed numerous Senators, I made that point to several of the Democratic Senators, one of them being Chuck Schumer.

[tritsofme]

15. I see platitudes suggesting we do "more" but no meaningful suggestions about what that means.

[lees1975]

17. I think we're doing plenty. But we need to light a fire under some leaders to get them to break out the message,

and point out what's different between them and us.

[Thrill]

20. I blame the media more than Democratic Party Leaders

The media is a big problem in this country

[senseandsensibility]

22. Yes, I agree

with you. When Dems do strive to show more opposition (protests, their own hearings) it is barely covered, even on MSNBC,

[Daleuhlmann]

23. I'm Not, Either!

Many Democrats don't seem to understand that appeasing or trying to negotiate with a bully like Trump, who is not interested in bipartisan compromise, never works: it just further encourages and emboldens the bully.