141 Comments

Dems need fighters and do not have them sadly. Exceptions are Bernie, Warnock, Murphy, AOC, Crockett, King, Warren♥️

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There are plenty of democratic leaders who are speaking up boldly--but the "leaders" of the party, Schumer, Jeffries, the new DNC chair? I am seeing no leadership from them.

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I wouldn't give up on Ken Martin. His job is not to be the face of the Democratic Party. His job is to organize and win races. Check out this interview with Politics girl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbLYjvUsa5I

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Well, Martin should focus himself on either stepping up as a spokesperson or finding more dem leaders to do so because at this rate, I’d say the prospects for future free and fair elections are growing dim unless they can meet this moment right now.

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watch the video, please. There are many. many different aspect to this battle. We all bring what we got. Ken is an organizer first, and he needs to raise money to win races. I am fine with him sticking to his job, mostly behind the scenes from the general maelstrom.

But I totally agree with you that Shumer and Jeffries are not doing their jobs and as Anand suggests, need to step up or get out of the way.

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I’m uniquely underwhelmed by Ken Martin and if he is the future of the Demcoratic Party we’re well and truly screwed. He is god awful tv communicator!! The guy Ben Wikler of Wisconsin!!! He isn’t Obama level communicator but he is damn good and the money I sent him the last time they had to achieve the swing vote on Wisconsin Supreme Court I sent $500 & I never felt better about any contribution!! They won and WisDems are holding the line!! Hakeem Jeffries is blah …..milquetoast!! Not a leader for the crisis we are in….hopefully someone will step up but…from the crew that stood by and paid homage to Joe Biden and his world class hubris as he lectured and hectored us in to this dark hole I’d say it’s time for a new crop of leaders!! Check out Cong Richie Torres for one!!

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Rep. Ayanna Pressley

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Exactly!!! While watching the interview, I was shouting at the tv. Thank you for giving us voice!!

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ooh, ooh, How'd I miss this one? Guess I got lulled to sleep by Joe's little parlor trick of saying the same thing several times in a row, using slightly different words and pressed mute, then went back on substack. You know, as this is our community I will risk a confession, no, two confessions: One, I am a retired therapist who worked a lot with women who have been gaslit, raped, and otherwise abused, and Two, in my remote past I was gaslit, and abused, and more than once threatened with death by my cretin of a first husband, to whom I stayed married for something like a year and a day. So I get the 'psychology' thing, and what happens when people are scared, don't believe in themselves, and have been reduced to quivering blobs of protoplasm. I've been there, BUT NEVER AGAIN. Today, I'm going to be hard to beat, impossible to bullshit and dodgy as hell if anyone comes at me. In fact, I've trained now, and know how to eliminate an attacker in a fight. I offer my experience and my fighting spirit (another word for the psyche in psychology) to anyone who needs a boost. Come on, people, as Tracy Chapman tells us in a song, quoting her mother, "All that you have is your soul."

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Thank you so much for your confession. It helps me know I am not an alone in how I am feeling right now. I like your rallying cry! I refuse to be reduced to a blob of protoplasm. I know what that is like and you are right NEVER AGAIN.

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Brilliant! Thanks so much for making women’s trauma part of the conversation.

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Senator Schumer: Be McConnell or be gone!

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That was amazing. Jeffries has been so disappointing so far - I expected better from him.

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It is disappointing. He should take a few lessons from Bernie Sanders and even Jasmine Crockett. I hope he comes back on Rachel's show, because she pushed him pretty hard.

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This this this. Thank you for saying it out loud.

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Very accurate about Jeffries. His habit of using "triplets" reveals that he plans his comments but never having the spontaneity to say something important. For example, his three "C's" with Rachel last night -- courts, congress, community (cute, eh?) as description of the Dems plan. His halting speech drives me up a wall but it may be his way of being careful to get in his triplets-laded message that he thinks is somehow powerfully delivered. However, he dropped all pretense when he got defensive as Rachel pushed him and shared a bit about his background. He spoke faster and with emotion. Now if only he had that fire when taking on the assault on our civilization. The reports from last week that he and others were mad at being pushed by their constituents was probably true as his two-part appearance last night suggests. Dump Jeffries. Dump Schumer (a Harry Reid reincarnation). And today I see Connelly in the House said that federal workers should just comply with Musk TraitorTots' demands for listing accomplishments. Fuck him, too. AOC was the choice, despite Pelosi's lobbying against her. When will the Dems learn?????

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Exatcly what I thought listening to Maddow interview that limp bisquit last night,

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I saw that last night! Ugh. I kept hoping Jeffries would say something, anything... that would make me feel like- yeah, let's go! He was.. meh. That is not going to work.

Thank you for saying what you said!!

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Many thanks for stating what needs to happen with the Democratic leadership and the GOP - I continue to be horrified at how they are all forgoing their oath to the Constitution. The intellectual ineffective verbal gymnastics they show us means nothing to me and it just reinforces the trauma impact of Trump - Musk and their bedfellows …. Who are trying to push us into fear - the freeze/flight/faint phase of the fight - flight trauma reactions. I am all for fighting and it is on all of us to join organized groups to fight …. I know I have when I don’t fully embrace the group’s agenda but can join to fight this threat …. So take action to join a group that is fighting this very real and present danger.

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I agree! And I am not donating any more money until I see a reason to!

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One problem is that because the majority of Americans no longer receive or never had a civics/government education, they do not understand how little power the Democrats have. The minority party cannot pass legislation let alone veto-proof legislation; they cannot hold hearings or set the rules for questioning witnesses (e.g., 5 minutes to interview cabinet officials!); cannot subpoena people (these new cabinet officials/the administration/Musk) or documents—cannot investigate/hold accountable. But what they MUST do is explain that to the people who do not understand that, and lead us to the tools we do have to fight, as so many did during the ACA battle.

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Thank you, Anand. As a lifelong left activist who's lived in the Mojave Desert for a coupla decades I've felt pretty isolated in the last few months. The last couple of weeks have been better: people in my neighborhood roasted our useless Congressional representative Jay Obernolte rather mercilessly, and seeing others do the same in other places has been heartening. And your work with the bullhorn that you have reinforces that energy.

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I was so excited to see that! I'm out in the wilderness of CA-27. It's a real mixed bag of aerospace and the rest of us, who are united mostly in having been priced out of LA.

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I want a Democratic Party that fights as hard for us as Trump fights for maga racists. Is that too hard an ask? 🤔

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I really appreciate you saying what I was thinking watching that interview with Jeffries. Thank you Anand.

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17hEdited

Thanks for calling it out! 🔥We need an organized lineup of powerful speakers to continuously make the rounds: Bernie, Warnock, AOC, Crockett, Warren, Robert Reich and others who are fiery in calling it like it is!

Bernie is doing his tour of duty seemingly alone 😳 The dreamteam of speakers needs to rotate throughout all media (legacy and new).

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Thank you Anand.♥️

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