WHY didn't every Democrat walk out with Al Green

[orangecrush]

When he got ejected?

Just sit there with your thumbs up your asses watching the repigs humiliate a brave man.

Disgusting.

[senseandsensibility]

1. Guts and unity do not seem to be their thing

to put it mildly.

[orangecrush]

3. Donating

Isn't going to be my thing either.

[Think. Again.]

80. Well said.

[Deuxcents]

2. I wonder what they have planned for a protest 🤔

[orangecrush]

6. Little signs

That way they don't make any noise while democracy gets raped.

[Maraya1969]

68. Check out these bird whistles. They stay in your mouth and people can't see thsm

This would be kind of hysterical. Listen to the different bird sounds and realise that no one can see you when you are making them. I think it take some practice but for simple ones it doesn't.

I have seen groups that take turns from around the room making some sort of interruption sound.

I might just get one and see how many songs I can learn how to make

EDIT TO ADD: Since the noises are coming from different parts of the audience it will be very hard to them to throw anyone out

[elocs]

92. feckless n/t

[kwolf68]

4. Good goddaman question

Decorum in the fuckng house? What did he do that was so much worse than the howler monkeys Boebert and Greene?

[elocs]

71. While Republicans engage in a street fight doing anything to win, ignoring rules,

Democrats remain proper and respectful to the end, our end as a free nation.
Republicans laugh. Will the last one out turn off the lights?

[Tim S]

5. Truth to Power?

They are forfeiting one of their few opportunities to directly speak truth to power in front of a global audience. Sad.

[FoxNewsSucks]

7. Yeah, when it happened I was hoping they planned to

one at a time speak up and get thrown out while delaying this bullshit all night.

It's so fucking discouraging to see this. I love the signs, but there needed to be more LIAR!!!!! YOU'RE A FUCKING LIAR!!!!!!

[orangecrush]

10. Trump is wiping his ass

With their signs.

[bigtree]

18. this is advocacy against Trump?

...to represent him as inviolable to our Democrats' political action?

You've gone too far here.

[IcyPeas]

11. This is what I was hoping.... that they'd disrupt one at a time.

[Raine]

56. Me too nt

[beaglelover]

96. I was hoping that was their plan as well. To keep interrupting one by one. You could tell Trump was pretty

rattled after being interrupted a few times. It took him a while to get back into his groove.

[Docreed2003]

8. EXACTLY THIS!!!

They let him be jeered and booed out of the room and they just stood there. They let him hang out to dry. What message does this send to the average American?

[NewHendoLib]

9. ...but the little signs! Just like strongly worded memos!

[orangecrush]

12. Toilet paper

For Dump.

[bigtree]

16. there has to be some acknowledgement of some advocacy, or else it looks a bit ridiculous

...just criticizing everything they do.

How do you know what effect that protest effort will have? How do you know how it will be received by the public. I thought it was a timely and brilliant way to make their points.

Al Greene had a moment, but these signs are getting picked up by the cameras and have made the news, as well.

I mean, what's tha actual value of stepping all over actual advocacy to just dismiss and belittle it?

You should know that everyone isn't going to politick the way you specifically want them to, and that does not represent cowardness or any other derision you can come up with to describe Democrats advocating against Trump.

[FoxNewsSucks]

20. Yes, the signs serve a purpose

but that alone is nowhere near enough.

[bigtree]

25. we will not only have a Democratic response

... but they will all politick off of this.

Let's not get caught up thinking this is anything more than Trump's moment to fail in front of the public.

In no way do I believe what he was saying was more consequential than protests of the Democrats who attended, and that reality seems to be lost in this projection game.

I'm lost on people claiming that this was some advantage to Trump. What a thing to spend time on, inflating his importance in relation to the Democrats there to oppose him.

Such speciosity.

[FoxNewsSucks]

28. It is an advantage,

You might not be influenced, neither are most of the people posting here.

But the inattentive public is a different story, and too many of them are weak-minded and fall for tRump's bullshit.

When there is no immediate forceful response, they think "must be right, no one objected".

[bigtree]

52. I'm pretty sure they'll know Dems objected.

...I think they'd have to be living under a rock not to.

[bluestarone]

90. I believe SIGNS left in their seat would have gotten MORE attention!

If they all walked and left their signs in their chairs!

[dpibel]

35. "everyone isn't going to politick the way..."

You do, I trust, understand the amazing irony of that.

Coming from someone who seems to wish to direct how other people "politick."

[bigtree]

49. support Democrats

...that's ostensibly what we're doing here.

That's not my personal edict. It's an aspiration of this message board, and most of the reason I bother to post here.

Others mileage may vary.

[Think. Again.]

82. And "others"....

....myself included, support (and call for) strong and effective Democratic Party action to resist fascism and NAZIsm.

[bigtree]

21. I can read them

I can't see what Al is saying because he's not there to confront Trump anymore.

People at home can read them, as well, because they're being broadcast. More than just one moment of protest.

Actual words confronting Trump, which most people can read and understand as opposition.

[NewHendoLib]

23. I'd much rather they all would have stood up and departed.

[bigtree]

26. why leave these halls of our politics to republicans?

...that's the people's house, not the republican house.

[NewHendoLib]

30. Staying there validates his lies. We need a different, tougher approach, in my view.

[bigtree]

50. it's untrue that Democrats staying there validated his lies

...why would anyone talk like that?

It's intellectually specious, and just a silly notion that only you know best what's politically sensible or effectual for 241 elected Democrats.

The shit that flies around here...

[dpibel]

36. Seriously?

Leaving seats filled is a show of power, as opposed to walking out?

How, exactly, does that work?

[bigtree]

51. leaving their OWN hall of authority en masse to Trump and republicans isn't power

...it would be a surrender of their own seat of authority.

[dpibel]

57. That is a huge stretch

You honestly think that a walkout is perceived as a surrender?

Please, as Charlie Pierce is wont to say, pull the other one.

[bigtree]

59. it's my opinion

...and we're done here.

So many good, hard-working, committed, dedicated Democratic legislators in that hall.

Just because you thought of some brilliant plan for them, doesn't make their decision to stay wrong in any way.

This assumes you care more about the political implications than these elected officials who are doing and practicing more effective politics than any of their unelected critics here.

None of this flak rings true to me, so I'm surprised people keep coming at me for my opinion like they've proven some definitive fault about 240 Democrats who stayed for the address.

This kerfluffle becomes more absurd with each minute wasted on this twaddle.

[dpibel]

61. Rubber, glue

Got it.

The essence of your argument.

BTW: Constantly redefining the terms of the argument actually is not that effective an argumentation technique, except against those who are not paying attention.

But, hey. Be just ever so mad as you want to be.

[summer_in_TX]

65. And then cede the arena to Trump and the Republicans?

That wouldn't have been a good look, IMO. Trump and the RW media can twist anything against the Dems. I think they'd have just jeered at them for "running away."

To me, the shirts with messages, the signs, Al Green making the point that Trump has No Mandate to cut Medicaid, the other actions the Dems took, were all better than a mass walkout and also a mass boycott. The media are talking about the various things Dems did tonight, and people could see them too.

Can you imagine how little effect various Dems boycotting or walking out en masse would have? What news coverage would there be? The fact that they walked out but not why, for the most part. Few would have been seen or heard at all. More saw and heard concerted action tonight than would have happened if they'd all walked out or boycotted.

I think it was actually very clever strategy, especially compared to the other two main choices for actions I'm reading here.

[FoxNewsSucks]

29. There should have been regular interruptions

along with the signs.

[PortTack]

41. Like boebert and green? Seriously?

[FoxNewsSucks]

47. That's not the same at all.

They were jackasses braying at the truth. How the hell can anyone be so insulting as to compare that to standing up and speaking the truth to a nonstop firehose of bullshit????????????????????

[Scrivener7]

70. Right? Apparently some here are thrilled at that response to this coup. Personally, I don't see it.

[FalloutShelter]

78. That was truly embarrassing.

This is not a high school assembly, FFS.

WTAF Democrats?

[Takket]

13. that's what i said. very disappointing. like, do we actually think we're scoring political points by sitting in there?

No one gives a fuck or will notice if Democrats sit there. but they will sure as hell notice if they all leave

[orangecrush]

31. They're acting

Like they're at a fucking cocktail party or something.

[hadEnuf]

89. Anyone remember in the 1990's when Newt Gingrich was yelling and scolding Democrats in the chamber -

but no Democrats or Republicans were there? C-SPAN was, and they just instinctively started filming Gingrich. It made it look like the Democrats were just sitting there taking his bullshit with no objections.

Last night wasn't all that dissimilar.

[Baitball Blogger]

14. I think some people may have left at some point.

But, remember they had guests with them.

[bigtree]

15. because they have their own plans to oppose Trump as he speaks

...no one there is sitting with a 'thumb up the ass.'

They do much more for this country than anyone throwing stones from the outside.



Al Greene had his moment, and it was a good one. There have been other moments of protest, as well., from those who bothered to stay and show him down for the rest of what he had to say.

So many people act as if these moments are cemented in memories, are so consequential, when the actual work of the opposition is much more than these performative projections and expectations.

[Polybius]

24. I think the signs are silly

Disruption works better, like what Al Green had the courage to do.

[dpibel]

38. "bothered to stay"?

Oh, that sitting with little signs is sooooo much more powerful!

Al Green just got bored, eh? (That's what "bothered to say" means in this context).

[planj07]

74. Casually holding some cringy pickleball board signs

That’s our resistance leaders.

[bigtree]

84. lying about their opposition efforts last night isn't actually opposition

...against republicans.

And stepping all over actual advocacy to attack Democrats isn't advocacy against republicans, either.

[gab13by13]

17. I think I am the only person

to believe that Congressional Democrats would have been more effective holding town halls today instead of attending a lie fest.

I watched the Curse of Oak Island instead. They found more wood.

My BP yesterday was 106/62 so I'm not about to do something to change that.

[dpibel]

39. Not the only one

I think that's spot on.

[mzmolly]

19. Because they can more effectively respond if they

listen to the bullshit speech.

[gab13by13]

33. I bet I know pretty much what Krasnov said without watching it.

In summary: Krasnov is going to privatize everything and put the money in his Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Did I miss anything?

[mzmolly]

37. I do too. But we're not expected to be present

for our constituents and respond to the bullshit.

[dpibel]

40. How?

Because the only way they can know what's in the bullshit speech is by sitting there?

You do know, I trust, that many of us who are not sitting in those chambers can listen to the bullshit speech.

[mzmolly]

44. We're not expected to be present

and represent a constituency.

[dpibel]

64. Which has what to do with it?

Your original premise was that people needed to be right there in chambers in order to know what was said.

How is being present representing a constituency when one can know what is said whether one is there or not?

Do you honestly think that the right-wing spin is going to be, "Democrats show huge strength by attending Important Address From Dear Leader"?

I'm thinking more like, "Fearful people show up lest Maximum Ruler punish them."

And there is the cogent point a lot of people have made: Showing up and being polite just reinforces the message that this is all perfectly normal politics.

[mzmolly]

75. No, that is not my premise.

Many Democrats walked out. Some stayed and held signs in protest. Others wore colors that demonstrated their resistance. One shouted and was removed from the chamber. Some wore clothing with messages.

Those who stayed and protested - however they chose to do so, have credibility critiquing the bullshit. They also refused to give up their place in our democracy. Walking away and walking out (as a whole) does not demonstrate power. Symbolically, it intimates giving up.

Stop helping Republicans by shitting on Democrats. We have enough people that advocate for the Green Party with bullshit.

Democrats were not polite, read the headlines today.

The cameras didn’t pan to every act of resistance.

[Scrivener7]

22. Why did any show up in the first place?

[bigtree]

32. it's more their territory than Trump.

...and it doesn't just beloing to republicans.

Why should Democrats leave the House of Representatives to republicans and Trump?

That's not a protest, it's a surrender of their legislative home to a crooked, dominating executive. But some people will present that retreat as a strength, all the while denigrating their own legislators for standing their ground in their own hall.

Go figure.

If Congress went to the WH and Biden left, allowing them to use the grounds for their politics, what kind of surrender would that be? Certainly wouldn't be seen as a protest.

Now, if Dems were in power and could deny him the audience at all, kept him home, that would be a protest that preserved their role in their own institution.

[gab13by13]

34. It used to be more their territory

Krasnov now controls the purse Strings not Congress.

Waiting on the Supreme Court to confirm it.

[dpibel]

42. Is there legislation going on?

You ask, "Why should Democrats leave the House of Representatives to republicans and Trump?"

Do you believe that not attending the State of the Union (let alone the ceremonial speech that this is) cedes legislative territory?

Do you somehow believe that, for the uninformed public, the fact that Democrats attended this shitshow means that they oppose it?

Seriously?

That's what you're arguing: "The best way to oppose this is to act as if things are all normal."

That's a pretty wild position.

[bigtree]

48. it's not outrageous to want our Democrats to stand their ground in their own house

...and people disagreeing with their approach doesn't make them 'cowards' or 'weak ' or any of the other shit that people like to say when they bash Democrats for their service.

What smears of good people who care about these issues and concerns as much as anyone here.

I hate to even be in the middle of this foolishness. It's dumbing to the extreme to ascribe such importance to our own projections for these politicians as if they don't have their own political sense of their own opposition.

So much arrogance in the second-guessing of these legislators. I don't operate that way. That's not 'wild' at all.

I trust them to know what they're doing in the interest of the party, politically, because they are decidedly and functionally more politically active than their detractors.

I have less regard for the political chops of stone throwers on the internet who can't be bothered to refrain from just trashing the party for something as innocuous as standing their ground in their own house of Congress against the president speaking there.

[dpibel]

58. Self-awareness can be a strength

Sez you: "So much arrogance in the second-guessing of these legislators. I don't operate that way."

No. You second guess everyone who disagrees with you.

Do you not see the irony?

Oh. Clearly not.

[bigtree]

60. I'm not an elected official. Not a member of the House.

...see the difference?

Enough.

[dpibel]

62. But you are saying what is right or wrong for them

See how that works?

"Enough" is what people say when they have nothing cogent to offer.

[mzmolly]

77. Thank you.

That chamber is the peoples house - not Trump’s house.

[OrlandoDem2]

27. Count me among the disgusted by the weak Democratic response to that!

[MorbidButterflyTat]

45. This is an ugly thread

Ugly and shameful.

[orangecrush]

66. You don't have to see it anymore

[Meowmee]

46. My brother said some D were yelling also, but they are seated so they did not get thrown out

He gave up it and went to bed was so nauseating.

Now it is the night watch. I'm watching now, it is making me ill but I want to see. None of the signs are shown on camera, I'm watching on a local semi op humper type of network so maybe that is why. I hear people yelling occasionally but I can't hear what they're saying. He just maybe made a child a secret service agent or something, wtf?? 😹

rfk jr is on camera now, something about how cancer increased. He said D should be cheering him, no let me correct that jeering him would be good. Now he is going on about autism... said "bobby" is going to figure out what is going on.

rfk jr. makes me puke more than any of them now except elunatic. Maybe I am becoming immune to orange psycho puke reaction. We need an orange psycho and R puke double vaccine. You can test me first to see if I've developed anti- bodies to the nausea reaction. 😹😹

I will change the channel to see if a different view is offered... CNN looks the same, MSNBC looks similar. No views I have seen of any democrats yet. I guess this must be close to the end maybe.

He said he bribed a military college so someone was accepted into their program. Just said the US will be reclaiming the panama canal. Said Rubio will be in charge so we know who to blame if anything goes wrong.

Greenland- we support your right to choose your own future, lol. I think we're going to get it... "one way or the other" Now going on about Afganistan, and P his boss. Talking about ME and Ukraine etc. He just said Pocahontas says yes to keep the war going, finally a view of Warren clapping, but shaking her head huh? Saying B has authorized more funding than Europe. Said he received a letter from Zelensky that they are ready for peace and so on.

Johnson has the same expression, clapping and nodding his head. The dunce JD looks stoned to me. Someone was brought home, his mother is there, Mark Fogel sorry I missed this part. Now he is going on about the assassination attempt in July. Daughters of 2 humpers who were injured but survived are there. Just said: "I was brought by god to save America" I think the word was something other than brought.

We are going to create the highest quality of life, conquer the vast ideas of science and go to Mars and beyond... huge applause.. renew the American Spirit. We sill stand up and fight fight fight and so on... The Golden Age of America has begun blah blah, god bless you.. nazi like chants after fight fight fight, I couldn't hear what they were saying. My brother thought go usa maybe.

I presume this will be noted somewhere... nothing much else to report.


There were no views of D here when I was watching except for one of Warren when he called her Pocahontas.

I will write more later, I need a br break 😹 Rachel is on now so I will watch after. My floofy cat just sat on me.
Several D did walk out according to Rachel and the orange psycho remarks were not prepared, he ad libbed on economic things, there will be disturbance, meaning the markets maybe?

* Adding- So- if you watched this you may not have seen any signs or d walking out other than AG being thrown out because on the three channels I watched, none of that was shown purposely we can guess. I am not sure who was responsible for filming it.

* He also repeated the lies about dead social security recipients/fraud etc. A sign it is coming under more attack, we know they have been trying to do that for many many years. Now it is getting really serious.

Maxwell Frost is on Rachel's show now, one D who walked out. He wore a t shirt that said "No Kings Here"

[H2O Man]

53. Recommended.

I agree.

[ibegurpard]

54. Walking out en masse

Or not showing up AT ALL would have created a dramatic statement far more effectively than sitting there holding up little individual signs. One more lost opportunity of solidarity.

[orangecrush]

67. Yup

It's starting to look more like Russia every day.

[Scrivener7]

69. They shouldn't have gone at all. And today they should each be holding a town hall in

Last edited Wed Mar 5, 2025, 08:49 AM - Edit history (1)

a district where the republican rep has refused to have a town hall, like Tim Walz suggested.

There are MANY things they can do to have a strong voice of opposition. Little signs and tweets do not make a strong voice of opposition.

[elocs]

72. As Will Rodgers said: "I belong to no organized political party. I am a Democrat."

And so it ends, not with a bang but a whimper. Well, we elected them.

[mzmolly]

79. It would've turned over the people's house to the

want to be be King. No thanks.

[ibegurpard]

98. Oh please

🙄

[proud patriot]

55. Rep Maxwell Frost walked out with a group

Wearing Shirts with "No Kings Live Here"
he's on with Rachel right now

[ecstatic]

63. i didn't watch, but rec

wow. They're like whipped puppies. Already surrendered, I guess.

[Emile]

73. That would have made a hell of a statement. They

could have walked out and looked for news reporter microphones.

[orangecrush]

85. If you want to see courage, solidarity and honor

Go to the movies, I guess.

[Emile]

97. Silent protest holding little signs was weak.

They really needed to all stand up and walk out. News reporters would have went crazy trying to interview them. Missed opportunity 😕

[Oopsie Daisy]

76. Boohoowearedoomedohnotheystayedforthespeechhowhorriblewhatwillwedo 🙄😂🤣

I figured it wouldn't take too long for people to start accusing Democrats of cowardice, or collusion, or laziness, or being "secret republicans" or "DINO's" ... and this morning, my suspicions have largely come true. This anti-Democrat and anti-Democratic party routine that I see on the Internet is so predictable and it accomplishes nothing useful. It just empowers the GOP and Trump and I wonder why anyone would want to do that.

[durablend]

81. Because they're right

That whole "show" was a sign of weakness from our side. "Well gosh we did something, what did you want us to do?"

[bigtree]

86. There were a lot of Dem protests in the House chamber last night. All need to be respected

...and not dragged with projections of people who have far less political chops than elected officials in office, legislators who ran and won actual political campaigns of opposition to Trump and republicans who have exercised far more opposition than their detractors.

I'm glad some walked out, and happy others stood their ground to call out Trump as he spoke, But so many have misinformed here about the opposition Dems waged last night, and just demagogued people for not filling out these critic's own projections.

It wasn't just Al Green that walked...

Jake Sherman @JakeSherman
Democrats now walking out in droves. Huffman, Omar, Jayapal, Raskin, Lofgren all just walked out.

Chris Van Hollen out now too.

Pocan and Doggett out now.

More Democrats are leaving as Trump talks about Ukraine. Takano, Castro.

Bernie Sanders just walked out of the House chamber.

House Democrats are now yelling "Jan. 6" as Trump talks about standing up for law enforcement.

...a number of House Democrats are now holding up signs that say "false"

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean has been in a number of conversations with sergeant at arms staff, pointing at the Republican side of the aisle.

Rashida Tlaib is holding up a whiteboard that appears to say "That's a lie"

...some Democrats are holding signs that say "Save Medicaid"

...now a number of House Democrats are standing with their back toward Trump. some are wearing tshirts that say "resist."

A number of them just left the House chamber.

... missed this earlier. Democrats did not join the escort committee to bring Trump into the chamber.


Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen 10h
The Democrats are now walking out of the chamber en masse.

Harry Sisson @harryjsisson 10h
Democrats are currently walking out of Trump’s speech en masse

Cassie Semyon @casssemyon 10h
.@RepKamlagerDove was one of the Democrats who walked out of the President’s address to Congress tonight. She was wearing this shirt as she walked out of the chamber in protest. In a statement, Kamlager-Dove said “there’s only so much bullshit that a person can tolerate.”

David Smith @SmithInAmerica 11h
Jasmine Crockett and several other Democrats walk out of the chamber in protest. Some have "Resist" written on the back of their clothes.

Maxwell Alejandro Frost @MaxwellFrostFL 10h
We just walked out of the state of the Union. My shirt showed Trump an important message: NO KINGS LIVE HERE.

In the spirit of student protestors from the Civil Rights Movement, I’m proud to have protested and walked out with many of my colleagues.

[Oopsie Daisy]

93. I get the impression that only an "Ides of March" event would have satisfied the folks *

* that I've seen on the internet who are taking great delight in shitting on Democrats. It seems that many online had a fantasy that the Democrats would tackle Trump as he entered, or that they would rush the podium in the House Chamber, and that anything less would be tantamount to collusion.

Uh... they should have know that's not going to happen. But it's an interesting fantasy, though.

Fantasy.

[orangecrush]

83. Sayanara

[mzmolly]

91. Well said.

[bluestarone]

88. THAT is what should have happened.

[Vinca]

94. I was watching MSNBC a little while ago and the topic of conversation was . . . wait for it . . .

how badly Democrats had behaved. WTF is happening to that network?????? Earlier, on "Morning Joe," they had a Republican Congresswoman on talking about how wonderful and uplifting and unifying Trump's speech was. Crickets! I'm was stunned.

[orangecrush]

95. ...

It's still cold out.

Wait till warm weather comes.

The lot of them are gonna get their world rocked.