I will leave you with this assignment for EVERYONE: You MUST watch Lawrence O's show tonight.

[Sogo]

And then STOP bashing Dems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all.

[Lifeafter70]

1. I did and it was very informative

[CentralMass]

2. No thanks, I don"t need to listen to an apologist.

[Ninga]

5. Kinda sorta like my Fox watching neighbor refusing

to listen to an alternative view…..

[gab13by13]

10. You have to admit,

what the 8 Democrats did was contrary to the vast majority of Congressional Democrats.

Lawrence is a nice guy but his goal in life is to out-scoop Rachel or Nicolle.

[Ninga]

19. Really? His experience and perspective is totally

different from Maddow and Wallace. He knows the inner workings of the Senate from many angles.
I thought his analysis was interesting and plausible. You?

[electric_blue68]

36. Doesn't mean what he says doesn't have some relevance

[BannonsLiver]

44. And saying that he has some special insight doesn't mean he actually has it, either.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

42. Lawrence has been in the room where decisions for the Senate were made

Last edited Tue Nov 11, 2025, 09:51 AM - Edit history (1)

[W_HAMILTON]

34. And here we go with the conspiracy theories!

Tell me, is Lawrence owned by Big Airline too?

[electric_blue68]

37. Oh, please, don't insult the intelligence, and empathy of the man

[Ninga]

16. Oh my. A bit touchy are you? You thrust your

spear into the turf and declared no way would you watch.

[iemanja]

57. Watching cable entertainment is now a requirement

For loyalty to the party? Some of us choose to get our news through print journalism rather than TV talking heads. That is our decision. I know that I’m far better off for it.

[yaesu]

6. I'm sure he will have zero problems paying for his healthcare while millions lose theirs. nt

[Ninga]

23. I take it you didn't watch.

[BannonsLiver]

24. Maybe you can give me the Cliff Notes.

Last edited Tue Nov 11, 2025, 01:20 AM - Edit history (1)

What’s his plan to get protections for pre existing conditions back when the ACA ends? What’s his plan to get 60 seats in the senate again to pass a new ACA after it’s gutted given the inherent advantages the GOP has with the senate?

[Ninga]

33. The bill expires in Jan. ACA vote is in December.

[ancianita]

38. Except unlike "everyone else" he gets 1.4 million viewers every night.

[W_HAMILTON]

35. He also will be able to eat and get paid while millions of others could not.

Your point?

There was no good outcome here.

People need to stop expecting Democrats to work miracles when they give them absolutely no power in the federal government.

WE WOULD NOT EVEN BE HAVING THESE DEBATES IF DEMOCRATS WERE IN CHARGE RIGHT NOW -- PERIOD.

[Cirsium]

45. Work miracles?

Like McConnell has done for years, even when in the minority and despite the fact that his party's policies are extremely unpopular? Those sort of miracles?

Yes, I fully expect Democrats to do exactly that.

[W_HAMILTON]

49. He didn't work miracles -- he just obstructed until Republicans won.

Democrats don't get to do that because we have to """give people a reason to vote FOR someone, not just a reason to vote AGAINST your opponent!"""



What a crock of horseshit that still is.

Also, none of this makes mention of how McConnell's plan all along was to reshape the judiciary, whereas we had dumbass so-called allies on the left telling us not to threaten them with the Supreme Court in 2016.

[soldierant]

53. So providing facts qhich

the rest of the media will not touch is notw the drfinition of an apologist,

You learn something new every day.

[Ninga]

3. He knows of what he speaks. Experience matters.

[yaesu]

4. lol, thanks for the laugh after the Sunday Night slaughter. nt

[gab13by13]

8. Only 8 Democrats voted for the CR

I'm not about to congratulate them. Every Congressional Democrat that I have listened to today called the agreement horrible.

Such as;

“Make no mistake, if this bill passes, it will lead to New Jerseyans paying far more for their healthcare, when they are already paying more and more for everything,” “Making this deal is malpractice.” Mikie Sherrill.

Should I bash Mikie for calling what the super 8 did, malpractice?

[CentralMass]

11. The 8 did with the approval of the party leadership.

[Silent Type]

21. Maybe at leadership's request.

[choie]

29. That I believe.

[Demsrule86]

31. This makes me sick.

We need fresh blood. No I am not saying anything about voting. We vote for Democrats always. But we can use the primary election to assemble good teams

[fujiyamasan]

46. Yep, it didn't seem ideological

I saw condemnation across the democratic spectrum — many liberal and centrist dems see this for what it is.

[Cha]

9. I'll try to catch it in Liberal youtubes.. sounds

like a Fresh Perspective instead of the Doom and Gloom.

Lawrence O'Donnell is Not an "apologist". He's a brilliant Liberal Political Commentator, who doesn't deserve to be Insulted.

TY

[Silver Gaia]

14. Agree.

[Cha]

22. Mahalo, Silver Gaia

[LetMyPeopleVote]

62. Here is the clip

Last edited Tue Nov 11, 2025, 09:51 AM - Edit history (1)

[Cha]

65. I saw it and So Glad I did!

Mahalo, LMPV

[Silver Gaia]

13. We watched.

It was not apologist. It was refreshingly truthful and full of O'Donnell's usual common sense approach.

[elleng]

20. RIGHT,

refreshingly truthful and full of O'Donnell's usual common sense.

[ancianita]

40. Right, and full of O'Donnell's history & numbers on what the Senate 5 actually did for the 4,000 workers

who got their jobs back with back pay, along with more SNAP, both of which are not nothing. And the historical fact that absolutely no minority party has ever won all its demands to end a government shutdown, not once.

[dflprincess]

17. I didn't agree with him 100%

but he did present some arguements I hadn't considered & he did calm me down.

[elleng]

18. THANK YOU!!!

You MUST watch Lawrence O's show tonight.

[Celerity]

26. He was in full gaslighting mode, it was nauseating. He was the one actually engaged in 'Dem bashing', as almost every

Dem (except for the 8 cavers plus Spanberger) is and was against the cave-in, including those in our leadership, in the House, in the Senate, Governors, etc, and also most all Dem candidates running in 2026, yet Lawrence's posturing yields the stance that they all are the ones who are wrong.

The Dem resistance against the cave-in spans our entire ideological spectrum as well, from left to our furthest to the centre and centre right members.

Hard pass on Lawrence's cleverclogs revisionist attempts.

[iemanja]

27. I wasn't going to watch it anyway,

and you just confirmed my decision.

[BeyondGeography]

28. Haven't watched since he told everyone who didn't want Biden to run for reelection

that we were out of our fucking minds.

Don’t miss him one bit.

[patphil]

30. Lawrence O'Donnell has been on the inside of our government for decades.

His comments and prospective is always worth listening to. I would have liked a better outcome of the shutdown, but it still isn't the final result. The House has to agree to it, and Trump has to sign it.
It could change again.
In any event, I'll withhold my judgement until I see how this all plays out.
No condemnation of Lawrence here.

[Rhiannon12866]

32. Here's Lawrence, for those who missed it:

Lawrence: With Trump's shutdown ending, Dems are closer than ever to forcing Epstein files release - The Last Word MSNBC
https://www.democraticunderground.com/132160257

[Cha]

51. Yikes.. you read my mind.. Mahalo Rhiannon!

I'll be watching soon

[Rhiannon12866]

54. Thanks, my friend. Looks like Lawrence saved the day for Democrats tonight

[Cha]

55. I can't wait to watch it.. having

supper now.

TY again!

[ecstatic]

63. Those files will be released when the heritage group is ready

for tRump to be replaced by their hand picked puppet jd it's maybelline vance (and not a moment sooner). Likely after the midterms.

[Cirsium]

39. Which Democrats?

You say we should "STOP bashing Dems!" Which ones? The ones apologizing for the surrender or the ones criticizing it like Newsom and Pritzker?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

41. Lawrence was amazing

Last edited Tue Nov 11, 2025, 09:52 AM - Edit history (1)

Unlike others, Lawrence has been in the room where it happens. I trust Lawrence in this

[MorbidButterflyTat]

43. THANK YOU.

I trust Lawrence and I respect him.

I don't trust or respect podcasters, talking heads, MAGAt sources, or others who sound off half assed, uninformed, and disrespectful.

[Pas-de-Calais]

47. 8 Dems crossed the line

NONE are up for re-election upcoming
2 have already announced their retirement
They bent the knee
Shutdown accomplished squat!

House giving Congresswoman what she should have received 50 days ago?
How many others have flipped negating the one vote in releasing said files?
Chicken counting before eggs hatched scenario

Sorry, but I Will believe when I see it.

[IronLionZion]

48. Can we bash Republicans?

How about getting voters to blame Republicans and throw those bums out of office?

[walkingman]

50. I understand what he is saying, I just believe we would have gotten our demands had we been unified.

I seriously doubt the ACA subsidies will pass and I would not be surprised if Trump fires those brought back again after the dust settles.

Next Feburary this will happen again....

[betsuni]

52. It's EXCELLENT! Some people are really working hard and long to trash Democrats.

[iemanja]

56. You are defending 8 Democrats

And by extension disrespecting the 39 who did the right thing. You choose the collaborationists over those who represent the people.
You want to silence the majority of Democrats who oppose Trump, while defending those who bent the knee to him. Those are your values but not the values of the Democratic Party. I stand with the majority of my party, not Trump and his enablers.

[quakerboy]

58. Im sure there are many pundits who can tell us

Why we should enjoy the yellow rain coming from the sky.

Maybe we should go watch Fox and hear why Democrats finally made a good choice in surrendering to trump. That will surely also help us feel better.

[Ilikepurple]

59. I'm trying to figure out which Dems are Dems so I don't go bashing the wrong side on this issue?

Sometimes I’m not sure what No Bashing Dems Crew has as their endgame. Do we just passively digest what the Party, its representatives, and its pundits put in front of us? If so, I often find myself at a loss as to which Dems to side with. Or is the challenge not to challenge any Dem decision?

[iemanja]

60. Our job is to pay fealty to all Democrats

We exist to pay homage to every single Democrat, and if we expect them to represent us, as the Constitution mandates, we are out of line. If we must choose between the majority or the few that side with Trump, it is the latter that always have priority. They serve the King, and so must we.

[Jbraybarten]

64. Yeah, leaders need to be accountable for their decisions

[LetMyPeopleVote]

61. Lawrence was great last night

Last edited Tue Nov 11, 2025, 09:51 AM - Edit history (1)

[LetMyPeopleVote]

66. Lawrence was great again last night

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

67. What Democrats say they won in the 43-day government shutdown

These Democrats did get three things: (i) funding of the food assistance program known as SNAP for the rest of the fiscal year through September 2026, (ii) the Trump administration agreed to reinstate federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown through reductions in force, or RIFs and (iii) a “minibus” of three appropriations bills, which will fund some parts of the government through next fall including the FAA. There is likely to be another shutdown after this deal expires on Jan. 30, 2026 and so these concessions are meaningful to some groups..

What Democrats say they won in the 43-day government shutdown www.nbcnews.com/politics/con... /jmho we , dems, didn’t win 😐we would have won IF we didn’t fold /cave give up 🤷🏽‍♀️ but here we are 🙇🏽‍♀️ is it too much to ask that we stop being cowards & get some f’ing steel in our spine FFS 🤦🏽‍♀️

— Nikki (@varivergirl.bsky.social) 2025-11-12T11:34:26.853Z

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-wins-shutdown-fight-health-care-obamacare-subsidies-trump-rcna243211

Among the eight Senate Democrats who struck a deal with the White House and Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., four were former governors — pragmatists used to working across the aisle who argue you don’t always get what you want in legislation.

The agreement includes a “minibus” of three appropriations bills, which will fund some parts of the government through next fall. The rest of the government will be funded through Jan. 30.

The deal includes funding of the food assistance program known as SNAP for the rest of the fiscal year through September 2026, meaning families will be fed and food stamps can’t be used as leverage in any funding fight in the coming months.

The group of eight also got some wins for federal workers, who have been under siege since Trump’s inauguration, facing aggressive Department of Government Efficiency cuts and the consolidation of some agencies, like the U.S. Agency for International Development.

They got the Trump administration to agree to reinstate federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown through reductions in force, or RIFs. And they secured language barring future mass firings for the duration of the resolution that keeps the government open through January.

It’s a win for “federal employees who are not going to be traumatized by RIFs going forward,” said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, the former governor of Virginia, a state home to nearly 150,000 civilian federal workers.

“I’ve got some folks who didn’t like the vote, but I’m going to have a whole lot of federal employees who are going back to work and they’re getting their paychecks, and they can live through the holidays without worrying that they’re going to get a bad email at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning that they’re laid off.”

“They have been living under a cloud of anxiety since Jan. 20, and we’ve lifted that cloud to some degree,” Kaine added.

Again, the ACA issue is not going away and I believe that there will be another shutdown in February. These concessions are helpful for some key groups if there is another shutdown in February.

[blue_jay]

68. Started this reply days ago but held off due to the intense discourse (not specific to you Sogo)

I have a FT and job and life and don't have time to read or respond to each and every post so hesitate to write at all. Probably no one will see this but here's what I started the other day. It kind of freaked me out how similar it was to LD's words were on his show...
---
I'm still POd about the cave in, get POd about every cave in, but am open to idea that this isn't the end. Can't wallow in anger or self-pity forever. Been there, done that. Keeping my focus on winning the long term war for our country even if we have some disappointing losses and delays. Show me the war or game that never has a lost battle or inning, yard, etc. I'm sure you all know there are many variables in a war and you have to monitor, manage and accommodate all of your assets to make it to the end. Too many voters still blame dems despite the reality of the situation. The media deficit on the left is vast and feeds the propaganda plus dull minded misguided info from many other sources all the time. Maybe it needs to affect people more in person to change stubborn or apolitical/unaware/oblivious minds and break through the social media and fake news wall of lies. I would have preferred "the 8" didn't cave and the Senate at least held out longer, but no guarantee the other side would have budged. For now, the head idiot signed the document. We have to move on and we have a little time to regroup. It would probably help to band together to protect everyone where we can and except for some deserved moments of rage, study our lessons learned so we're smarter in the next round and never stop the fight. To me prolonged infighting can be/is as bad (and potentially dangerous) for our goals as the caving in of a small faction of our representatives (who I remind you were known liabilities and will ideally be replaced, however long it takes and time marches on). We could are amongst ourselves for years and that's lost time. We are starting to have more of the people with us and we are playing catch up. These guys have been poisoning minds and philosophies and systems of power for decades. We have some hard work still to do and need the synergy of all of our collective ideas, experiences and insights to get it done.

Okay, clearly I'm a bit more of an angry bird than a blue bird these days, night have to change my name.

Just grateful for you all for being here and try to remember, we all share essentially the same primary goal.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

69. The next shutdown is coming