It’s not surprising that almost every other Republican on the Judiciary Committee spent the better part of four days trying to humiliate Judge Jackson, trying to impeach her character. But in the process they only humiliated and impeached themselves because she is unimpeachable.
It was a foregone conclusion that Republicans would resort to racism, that they would attempt to misrepresent Jackson’s record, to cast doubts upon her character. It’s all they had. She is infinitely stronger, smarter, and more accomplished than any of the mediocre Republicans who alternately questioned, attacked, and maligned her.
We need to remember the position Judge Jackson was in—not impossible but unconscionable. Brett Kavanaugh, credibly accused of sexual assault by more than one woman—charges that were never even investigated—whined and snarled his way through his hearing. He didn’t just push back against his interlocutors, he treated them with sneering contempt. Even if Judge Jackson had the luxury of behaving the same way, it’s impossible to imagine any circumstances in which she would have--she is too fine a person. But the point is that she does not have this luxury. Even though the attacks on her were completely specious and launched against her with breathtaking disrespect, as a Black woman she had to remain measured, calm, respectful.
Elie Mystal wrote an excellent column for The Nation in which he described what I believe was one of the most poignant and pivotal moments of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s hearing.
“During Tuesday’s opening round of questions, Senator Ted Cruz went into full racist smear mode. . . “Do you agree…that babies are racist?”
Jackson started to answer. She said, “Senator.” And then she sighed. And then she paused. For a long time. As the silence filled the room, I felt like I could see Jackson make the same calculation nearly every Black person and ancestor has made at some point while living in the New World. It’s the calculation enslaved people made before trying to escape to freedom, or activists made before sitting down at the white lunch counter. . . It’s the calculation when black people try to decide: “Am I gonna risk it all for this?”
Finally, towards the end of Wednesday’s session, Democratic Senator Cory Booker gave Judge Jackson the props she deserved:
"You got here how every Black woman in America who's gotten anywhere has done, by being like Ginger Rogers: 'I did everything Fred Astaire did but backward, in heels. . . It's hard for me not to look at you and not see my mom, not to see my cousins -- one of them who had to come here and sit behind you. She had to have your back. I see my ancestors and yours. Nobody's gonna steal that joy. Nobody's taking this away from me."
While it’s true that Booker is the only person on that committee who could genuinely empathize with what it must have taken for Judge Jackson to reach the pinnacle of her profession, with what she had to withstand in that very room, his gesture shone a glaring light on something that had been bothering me almost since the hearings began: Where the hell were the other Democrats? Jackson didn’t need their compliments, she needed them to throw their bodies on the line. I’m not suggesting she needed to be protected—she did an exemplary job of protecting herself. But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have used some allies who were willing to shout down those who slandered her.
How is it possible that Dick Durbin stood on ceremony while his colleagues verbally abused the Democratic nominee? Was he worried that the Republicans would scream bloody murder that they weren’t being treated fairly, the they were being prevented from asking their questions?
Who fucking cares? They act like victims even when, especially when, Democrats make the weak choice to play by rules that the Republicans clearly demonstrate they feel no need to follow.
The Democrats needed to have Judge Jackson’s back. Her attackers should have been stopped, silenced, sanctioned, and, if need be, removed from the chamber. Democrats cling to a sense of decorum and fairness while their Republican colleagues steamroll over them. Maybe they deserve it, but Judge Jackson does not. She deserved to have every single Democrat on that Committee—every Democrat in the Senate—fight for her, and they failed.
Republican Senators interrupted Judge Jackson, they tried to paint her as a pro-crime, pro-pedophile Black woman. They flew the flag of white nationalism openly, unabashedly and they needed to be punished for it. But they were not.
I’ve said many times that I have no interest in criticizing the Democrats or President Bidenwhen it came to policy decisions. Even if I disagree with the policies themselves or the administration’s approach to getting them passed, we are still infinitely better off than we would have been under a second Trump administration or, indeed, with any other Republican in the Oval Office.
When it comes to strategy, however, we need to offer constructive criticism if it seems the Democrats are 1) acting as if they don’t understand the threat facing us from the Republicans and 2) failing to use every means at their disposal to increase our changes of heading off that threat in November.
On the latest episode of The Mary Trump Show my guest, Allison Gill of “Mueller She Wrote” and “The Daily Beans Pod”, about all of this. You can listen to the show here or watch it on YouTube:
There are a lot of moving parts at the moment—more by the day—most recently the revelations that Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, sent at least two dozen emails to then-chief-of-staff Mark Meadows between the 2020 election and Joe Biden’s inauguration. They are damning and should result, at the very least, in her being hauled in front of the January 6th Committee and his resigning. There are the soon-to-be-televised hearings of that committee; the numerous criminal investigations into and lawsuits against Donald (despite New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s seeming malpractice, I haven’t given up on New York yet); Donald’s breathtakingly absurd lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and practically everyone else against whom he has a grievance (except me); the increasingly reactionary and anti-American rulings of the illegitimate Supreme Court; the brazen attempts by the GOP to make sure people of color can’t vote; and so ,much more.
If you could pick one thing that you think will have the most impact on whether or not Democratic voters rise to the challenge this November—one thing that will spur them to vote—what is it and how can we make sure it has the desired impact?
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The one thing that will mobilize many Dem/Independent voters to get out to the polls is if President Biden cancels up to $50,000 of student debt per borrower (that he can legally do with the stroke of a pen) and does it before the moratorium is lifted on May 1. This would be a winner for the Dems across the board if every one of them who is up for election in November thanks Biden for doing this. The fact that people haven't had to pay their student loans for about two years is one of the reasons why the economy has done well.
Also, Biden should sign other executive actions that House Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal has called for since the BBB social spending reconciliation bill was killed by the despicable Manchin and Sinema.
Absolutely and it's a great PR move. On Dean Obeidallah's show he asked callers to weigh in on this a few times and he commented that the amount of people who spoke out in favor of this surprised him. He didn't realize how important of an issue student debt cancellation was for people.
I still own $30,000 for my Masters of Arts in Teaching degree (grades 6-12 Social Science specialization) and I've already left the teaching profession due to the overall stress of the job and constant scrutiny teachers face. There are so many people like me with debt from degrees that we aren't utilizing due to many factors. Our ranks are only growing due to this two calendar years and counting pandemic.
Both great ideas, and I don't have student loans, but see the hardship it presents to so many. Education is not just something that only the student benefits from, the country needs educated people so the burden shouldn't be so much on them
I agree. Im hoping it calculated and he is waiting to do it closer to the election to have the maximum impact on turnout. Voters could be on to the next crisis by then.
Same. Maybe he should move the May 1 date back to Oct. 1 and then right before it's about to go into effect, cancel the debt as people are getting ready to early vote. I've been reading reports in recent weeks that he's considering moving the date back.
I had a friend who was forced to drop out of grad school during her last year due to medical problems, for which she then qualified for SSDI. 15 years after being on SSDI, the university was still hounding her, making her fill out forms every year to qualify for loan deferrment - for one year. Her income at the time of her last deferrment was $945.00/month. I don't know if the school ever did forgive the loan permanently or not.
Those 46 million voters (about 20 percent of the adult population) can make all the difference in the world at the polls. We need to do everything we can to save democracy and that should include removing this specific debt from many of those 20 percent (some will still have debt because they owe more than $50,000) of the population.
I’m more concerned about all the voters who will perceive it as an unfair giveaway and will turn away from voting for Democrats. I’d rather see the interest rate dialed back to 1%. Or even 0%. Allow the debt to be discharged in bankruptcy. But why eliminate loans that people willingly took on instead of eliminating medical debt that burdens 50% of the population?
I want medical debt to be erased too but Biden doesn't have that executive action power. This issue is VERY popular and remember college has gotten WAY MORE expensive over the past 20 years for no reason at all. My parents could afford to pay the $8,000 a year (for tuition, room and board) when I went to college from 1989 to 1993. Our society punishes people economically who don't go to college with lower-wage jobs.
Also, bankruptcy affects your life for 10 years with lower credit scores and a ding on your record. We shouldn't want that for anyone. I'm 18 months away from that 10 year mark because I had to file for bankruptcy due to credit card debt (that started with predatory credit card companies on college campuses that are now banned from doing this).
Our entire system is designed to punish people economically. We need to take every opportunity to remove these barriers when we can.
Thank you for this post, Mary. This afternoon I sent an email to Senator Durbin to share my thoughts about basically what you wrote because my reaction was the same. Why was the verbal abuse allowed? Why did he not intervene? It was just a lot of bullying. Asking a question and then continually talking over her?
My biggest concern is that the Dems are ineffective in dealing with this behavior. Wish they'd find some Ukrainian fierceness and bring consequences to the cruelty and nonsense. That's what will energize voters.
It's particularly frustrating because Democrats are the only pro-Democracy party. They are on the right side of almost every issue that's important to the American people. I see no need to pull punches when dealing with fascists.
Agreed. I regularly call my members of Congress with the message that Dems need to be tougher in dealing with the fascists. What if everybody reading this post and comments did the same? I often start with, "While we still have democracy, I have an opinion to share..."
While the Dems are often weak in response, I do wonder how many folks on Twitter, etc, who speak about these concerns actually take action. I hope people here will do so. Let's start something! :)
Thank you Nella. I need to call Durbin's office and tell his people the same thing. As his constituent, I keep saying he needs to do better especially since Duckworth is up for re-election this year. He's not helping Dem Senators like Duckworth with his folksy nonsense.
I encourage everyone reading all the comments to call or email Sen. Durbin. I'm not a constituent of his, but I still contacted him. I plan to contact all of the Dem members of the Judiciary Committee. I regularly call my members of Congress. It's good for my mental health in that I'm taking action instead of just getting depressed by all of the insanity. I think that it does make a difference; what if they got thousands and thousands of calls about this? I believe that they do pay attention.
I am a constituent and have emailed him several times with the same message:
talk about the issues in plain, clear language, and call out Repubs for being anti-American and anti-democratic. Despite clicking the box that I want a reply, I've never gotten one that addresses this issue. Are Dems just afraid that the Repubs will verbally beat them up for what they say? Hell, they do that anyway, so where's the loss if they speak up? I'm 62, have been voting straight Dem since I started voting, (because the alternative was awful), and they've been piss-poor at getting their message out ever since I can remember.
Yes, Thank You Mary for your beautiful photo and post raising real concerns about the horror of what Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson just went through...Wow!
Sorry, my writing got a bit long...
In terms of messaging, some people think we need to disclose & hammer, hammer, hammer all the CORRUPTION we see everywhere, the UNFAIRNESS & stealing we know is happening in people's own back yards; how BIG CORPs are getting away with murder; FASCISM also needs to be repeated over and over (or some form that people understand) -- so yes, how do we tie this all together?? We know "All politics is local". I care about the Climate Crisis, but to make that resonate we have to find real crises in people's lives -- maybe find all the pollution, contaminated air and water in West VA -- in Manchin's back yard -- he's (WE) got to break from fossil fuels; droughts in AZ & elsewhere -- we need to find real ISSUES/examples in the Swing States, make them tangible and keep repeating them so people understand how all these bad things are affecting them -- and hopefully show how the Dem Candidates are working to make people's lives better.
This question makes me wonder if INDIVISIBLE or the DEM PARTY can coordinate these messages/examples better so we can all get out our HAMMERS to make a greater impact. At the moment everything still seems really high level, too generic, fragmented and not grabbing people's attention.
The destruction of Ukraine grabbed the world. We need to find a similar message.
The organization "Working America", affiliated with the AFLCIO, is doing a lot of deep canvassing across the country, focusing on white non-college educated working people, building relationships over time, getting them registered and eventually to the polls. They have been doing this work for a long time & have measured their impact in getting more Democratic votes. Check them out. I found them through a connection to Focus for Democracy, which does great fundraising to Get Out the Vote.
There is so much going on that I think it is really important to keep the message simple--you're voting for democracy (Democrats) or for fascism (Republicans). The rest is about people's lives better--which, unfortunately, the Republicans are trying very hard to block Democrat's from doing.
I think the Democrats should make the midterms about the GOP being anti-women, anti-POC, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigrant, anti-voting, anti-history, anti-free speech, anti-healthcare (and anyone or anything else I've missed) policies. The GOP is the "anti" party. They simply hate but have no coherent policies of their own. If you belong to any one of these groups you cannot vote for any of them. They stand together in Congress and in their state legislations.
Dems need to stand up and be as loud as Three Names and Boebert and all the rest of the GQP. If they sit quietly they’ll never get the support they need
Agreed. It's way past time for the Democratic Party to take off the gloves and fight them with their own play book. It's clear that following the rules doesn't work anymore.
Sometimes I think the Republicans are doing the Democrats work for them. Seriously, the best thing the Democrats can do at times is just replay quotes form Republicans over and over. Of course, that isn't the only thing. They have to go out and proudly talk about their accomplishments and what they still want to see done. And call out Republicans who try to take credit for projects coming out of the infrastructure bill they didn't vote for.
What they can't do is act like the Democrats in 2010 who ran away from the ACA and acted like they were scared of the Tea Party.
One minor quibble with something you wrote. You wrote "Even though the attacks on her were completely specious and launched against her with breathtaking disrespect, as a Black woman she had to remain measured, calm, respectful." Actually, that would apply to any woman, particularly a liberal woman. As a Black woman, she had to remain extra measured, extra calm, extra respectful.
You're right--the Democrats absolutely have to get better at touting their many significant accomplishments AND they have to hold the Republicans to account for the horrors they've been afflicting on us. They can't make the same mistake they made in Virginia when they let Youngkins racist rhetoric about CRT go unchallenged.
Yes, any liberal woman would have been treated badly by the Republicans on that committee but it would be nothing like what Judge Jackson had to endure.
Touting Democratic Accomplishments is My Top Priority, Prosecuting and Getting Justice for Jan 6th #2, BLUE WAVE 2022 #3 Bringing as Many Democratic Registrations Nationwide #4, Mary, Lets Be Real, A HUGE COMPONENT OF YOUNGKINS WIN was Terry McCauliffe Dropping The Ball By "Singularly Tying Donald to Youngkin" AND not elaborating on other Decisive Issues. WE MUST REMEMBER TO DIVERSIFY OUR CAMPAIGN POLICY ISSUES, Im Not Saying "Forget" Donald but rather make him an accessory to THE DEMOCRATIC PLANS OF NEXT FOUR YEARS like an ad rather than the PRIME TIME ISSUE of the campaign. We Have To Keep our eyes on the Ball 2022, Your Fan John
Thank you, Mary, for the beautiful picture and insightful post.
I think if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as they have in Texas, then, hopefully, it will galvanize the Democrats and Republicans, who believe abortion should be legal, into voting for the Democratic candidate which would be a vote for Democracy.
I agree that that will inspire people to vote. I worry about all of the people who will suffer in the meantime. I think voters would also be motivated if the administration added seats to SCOTUS thereby restoring its legitimacy.
As a child I recall believing in the importance of voting. My parents took me with them and had me wait outside while they voted in the gym where I went to school. I heard them discuss candidates and important issues. If I asked a question about what they were doing they stopped everything and told me. It has stuck with me to this very day like a celebration.
Caroline, this is what I predicted, but even if Scotus hedges and simply allows Tex Miss And Now Idaho And AZ laws to stand it will make women & men who support reproductive rights go to the polls in far greater numbers!
Governor Kathy Hocul, Please Give Criminal Authority to AG James and allow her to finish what Cy Vance Started, Dont Be NYs Accidental Government, If You Are Running For Re-Election Gov Hocul, Please Give Criminal Authority To AG James, We Shouldnt Lose All Compiled Evidence Cy Vance Discovered Because of Bragg, A lazy New DA who specifically highlighted his experience prosectuting Public Officials, Then Dropped Ball The Minute He Was In DAs Office
Mary, As always, loved everything you wrote above, especially: "Who fucking cares? They act like victims even when, especially when, Democrats make the weak choice to play by rules that the Republicans clearly demonstrate they feel no need to follow." This is so spot on.
I also love reading all the amazing, well thought out replies to your posts! Very happy to be a part of The Good In Us crowd. Reading the replies gives me hope that all is not lost. We must defeat the Repubs!
These repugnant repulsive republicans must all be voted out of office😡 Where the hell is the humanity? I would like to wake up just one day and none of them were relevant at all! They are the example of what is wrong with politicians. Forever the legacy handed down to their family and supporters. History will acknowledge the dark mark their bombastic, ignorant display portrayed during these hearings! SHAME ON YOU
Unfortunately, polarization is built into the current system. Practically none of these Republicans will be voted out--unless it's to be primaried by politicians who are even more extreme.
Eternal gratefulness, hearty applause and loud hurrahs for your brilliantly worded cathartic communique! Yes, you have flawlessly depicted the shocking debacle of Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing! The ugly vile posture, facial expressions and sneering dialogue exhibited towards Judge Jackson, while she exhibited unfaltering grace and flawless communications! The surreal nonstop horror was often too painful to watch and many times I turned away from looking at my tv screen! I kept expecting, hoping, silently pleading for others on the committee to move through and beyond whatever was causing their mute and resigned to helplessness demeanors. Cory Booker was the only committee member who demonstrated a fearless demeanor and vigorously revelatory dialogue!
It was very hard to watch and I confess, after Graham started asking her about her faith, I couldn't watch the other Republicans in real time. I literally don't know how Judge Jackson did it.
VOTING RIGHTS! The malfeasance of the Republican onslaught of voter suppression and election interference effects every citizen! It is our most precious fundamental right of participation in our government by the people.
I think the strongest message Dems could amplify is how GOP lawmakers in multiple states (and would push for the same nationally) are passing legislation that cuts away individual rights — unless it’s gun ownership. Abortion limits, parents controlling educators’ teaching of science and American history, to name just two: Talk about effective scare tactics to get me out to vote Blue!
Contempt of court ! If I were Judge Jackson, I would have been tempted to say: If imitation is a form of flattery, I'd like to answer you in the same tone as you have questioned me.
It has been a losing strategy for twenty-two years for the Democrats to run against the GOP by bringing up how awful it is going to be if the GOP is in control. Nancy Pelosi ruined the Democrats' chances when she sent one email after another decrying the consequences of voting red. That strategy was made worse when the Great Orange Ego was at the top of the list. Independents do not see GOP control as the end of the world. They blame Democrats as much as Trumpublicans for the divisions tearing the country apart because the Democrats campaign on a platform of "everyone should hate the GOP." The Democrats need to pull out all the stops informing voters about the successes that have resulted from their policies and the greater successes that will come if the Democrats have good majorities in both houses of Congress. Every issue that affects the financial circumstances of the 99% must be owned by the Democrats. And they need to be clear that they are not talking about socialism. They are talking about programs that Richard Nixon promoted for dog sakes! Stick with being positive about what can be accomplished and bury the negativity.
"The Democrats needed to have Judge Jackson’s back. Her attackers should have been stopped, silenced, sanctioned, and, if need be, removed from the chamber. Democrats cling to a sense of decorum and fairness while their Republican colleagues steamroll over them. Maybe they deserve it, but Judge Jackson does not. She deserved to have every single Democrat on that Committee—every Democrat in the Senate—fight for her, and they failed."
I love your sunset view and your curses.
You are absolutely right. Only Leahy gave it a mild go to demonstrste some respectful guardrail boundaries in the face of that fucking hideous behavior. What are they thinking when they go home at night, that they were a good imitation of a wasp that day? I watched very little because I am focussed on the war and it's pretty overwhelming.
Now it's nutjob ginny with her seditious emails. Kudos to the investigative reporters. I'd like to see that sexual predator off the court and replaced with Hillary Clinton or another black woman.
I'm not even asking what next. I'll dance in the street when Jackson is sworn in.
The one thing that will get 98% of all women to vote Democratic is to get the senate to pass the bill removing the deadline for ratifying the Equal Rights for Women Amendment to the fundamental law of the land, the US Constitution and getting it recognized.
Before the 2018 elections I was upset that the democrats seemed so passive. I thought they should take the gloves off & fight for our country. Now I believe more strongly. Surely they realize the threat to America. Everything we love & cherish could be gone in a few years. What will it take?
American media gives the camera to the most divisive; the pay to play politicians who also serve as the insurrectionists. The media is monopolized. Look for Indy media.
Meanwhile, great work is going on around these war horses, around the world.
If they didn't have dark money, they couldn't win the popular vote, they have to facture the rules to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
A. Most of us want ongoing universal programs, they are much cheaper to administrate: a child tax credit, free preK-college education, well paid and trained teachers who determine curriculum.
KBJ is great. I hope to see another Biden Supreme Court pick, soon.
The one thing that will have the most impact on whether or not voters rise to the challenge this November is the example that has been set by the President of the Ukraine, that we can and should fight back when confronted with evil.
I believe what would prompt Democratic voters, of all stripes, rich or poor, Caucasian or non-Caucasian, to *VOTE*, would be to focus on how incompetent the Republicans are and have been on national defense. Remember: it was the Republicans who were were non-interventionist before Pearl Harbor (and they fought FDR every step of the way before December 7, 1941), it was the Republicans who did not have the imagination to counter effectively the Soviets’ moves in the Cold War during Vietnam, and it’s the Republicans today who utterly failed to check North Korean nuclear weapons development and Putinist aggression in Ukraine.
The United States simply cannot afford to have the party of tax cuts and deregulation at the helm at this pivotal moment in our history.
The judicious use of old fashioned as well as cutting edge social media is one of the most important things Democrats need to do to energize thoughtful people of all ages and levels of personal investment in our democracy. As a Veterans' advocate I was told years ago by members of a very influential service organization that petitions are fine but if every person who signed a petition realized that is still only ONE PIECE OF MAIL, we would be much more effective. They told me 100 pieces of U.S. Mail can change the attitude and often the vote of a local or state legislator. 1,000 emails or postcards - excellent economical choice during the age of inspection which delays delivery - can change the vote of a U.S. Representative or Senator. Let the voices be heard across the land! The Grass roots organizing shows every person how easy it is to communicate with those who can vote on legislation and those who set policy. Using whichever avenue is most appealing to the individual voter or the particular advocacy group, we must inform and educate legislators on three points1. What we insist upon 2. When it must be accomplished and 3. What the results of failure to address this issue will be Stand up and speak out - daily!!!
THE Republicans are soulless, Using every byte to attack, as Jude Juckson called a "subset" of all her Rulings and she was correct. The Republicans like spoiled children could care less about her body of work rather EXAMINE her "subset" of cases that I understand attempt to malign her. Judge Jackdon will be a modern different Scotus Justice as Breyers Replacement. JUDGE JACKSON RULES!
I wrote a 4 point set of tweets to you called convergence on Twitter Mary. The Four Went around Twitter and my own followers really liked The Covergence I Predicted Coming, Gini Thomas Wasn't In That Calculation. We must Go Back And Review all Clarence Thomas Decisions and examine "How Many Conflict of Interest" Rulings that Elevated and Endorsed his wife's causes, Make A Compilation Of it, Then Attack the Timeline off Clarence-Gini Thomas Alliance. SCOTUS Ethics Law can be passed IF WE HAVE BLUE ENOUGH MAJORITY after This November!
I just sent the following email to Senator Schumer to request that standards of behavior be established in Congress. I'm staying in the mode of "feels good to state these thoughts while we still have democracy," as in, speaking up feels good for my mental health(!), rather than falling into "nothing will ever change" mode.
The text of my email follows. Feel free to copy it or any portion if you share any of my thoughts on this matter and would like to share similar sentiments with any member of Congress.
Dear Senator Schumer,
Thank you for your hard work and service to our nation.
The recent confirmation hearings for Judge Jackson had a profound impact on me. While I am not an African-American woman, I am a 62-year-old woman who has endured her share of verbal abuse from men over the years. It is through this lens, knowing that African-Americans have been expected to endure far more abuse than any of us who are white, that I chose to share my thoughts with Senator Durbin about his failure to intervene in any meaningful way during the most abusive lines of "questioning" of Judge Jackson.
I am so tired of the exhausting expectations that women are supposed to endure such abuse, all the while staying composed and poised, never letting on how horribly the behavior may be impacting us.
I am so tired of seeing the insanity and abuse that certain Republicans spew out on a daily basis, rarely, if ever facing any consequences for their behavior. I cannot imagine a workplace in which the behavior of the likes of Ted Cruz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebart, and Madison Cawthorne would be allowed. Having spent decades as an educator, I would never in a million years ever allow the behavior of the most abusive lines of "questioning" in those hearings in any classroom of mine.
I simply do not understand why there do not seem to be any standards of personal conduct for Members of Congress. I do not understand why there do not seem to be consequences for the nasty conversational style, namely asking Judge Jackson a question and promptly loudly interrupting her every time she spoke. I do not understand why other Democrats did not speak up about this. What Senator Booker did was eloquent and appreciated, but it did not address the behavior itself.
I do not understand why this behavior is allowed to occur with no consequences. It is unfair to expect those on the receiving end to constantly just accept it. The behavior is bullying. Why do Democrats not call it out vociferously and consistently?
I respectfully request that this issue be taken seriously. I connect this directly to the most pressing and dangerous issue we face, which is the threat to our democracy. The behavior of bullies only escalates when it is never confronted. This will only continue unless Congressional leadership takes it seriously. I respectfully request that some standards of behavior be enacted and adhered to in Congress. What an example that would set.
I wish that Democrats would find the level of fierceness about this issue that President Zelensky and Ukrainians exude on a daily basis.
Strategy and messaging. You listen to Jamie Raskin talk today at the committe meeting to refer Navarro and Scavino for prosecution, and wonder why the rest of the dems can't talk passionately and plainly about the issues at stake. It's like they're addicted to passivity, or some sense of antiquated decorum and politeness. Dick Durbin is my senator, and I am glad he is. But you hear he and Schumer and some of the others, and they talk like they were at a formal debate where they have to be quiet and polite. Not that they should be bombastic and insulting like repubs, but jeez - show a little energy and enthusiasm. Talk like you mean it. Sometimes I feel that the only way to get a lot of the dems more assertive and clear about what's at stake is to force them to do a line of coke before they talk. And Durbin should stop limiting his TV appearances to "I'm a Reagan Republican" Morning Joe - in addition to Joe being the most conservative of the MSNBC shows, lots of people aren't even up at that hour, so nobody much hears him.
Someone with some balls also needs to talk - a lot - about the destructive influence of Christian religion and ideology on our politics; they are the main purveyors of the move to move the US culture back to the 1800's. But it's likely no one will because apparently you can only get away with talking smack about religious influence if it's anti-Muslim.
Also, Biden wasted a year on "unity" - the Repubs have declared themselves to be against everything that Biden wants. You can't have unity when the other side declares outright that you are their enemy.
I think Dick Durbin is probably the most decent person in Congress and I don't understand the criticism he is getting. He repeatedly rebutted the GOP lies and excoriated them for the rude and tasteless attacks hurled at Judge Brown Jackson. What was he supposed to have done?
The one thing I would choose that would motivate democratic voters to the polls would be aggressive prosecutions of all facets of the Trump regime. When Biden was elected I heard many democrats say heads had better roll. So far it has been crickets. I personally have said I will not support democrats unless there are prosecutions. At this point everyone is sitting on there hands. The clock is ticking away. We are about to lose all opportunity.
The hypocrisy that particularly urks me is to see the pictures of Republicans smilingly shaking KBJ's hand, then treating her like dirt in the hearings.
The one thing that will mobilize many Dem/Independent voters to get out to the polls is if President Biden cancels up to $50,000 of student debt per borrower (that he can legally do with the stroke of a pen) and does it before the moratorium is lifted on May 1. This would be a winner for the Dems across the board if every one of them who is up for election in November thanks Biden for doing this. The fact that people haven't had to pay their student loans for about two years is one of the reasons why the economy has done well.
Also, Biden should sign other executive actions that House Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal has called for since the BBB social spending reconciliation bill was killed by the despicable Manchin and Sinema.
I don't know why this hasn't been done. It seems like a no-brainer. Not doing leaves an opening for Biden to be attacked from the Left.
Biden should do as much as much as is within his power to off-set the damage done by all 50 Republicans and Manchin and Sinema.
Absolutely and it's a great PR move. On Dean Obeidallah's show he asked callers to weigh in on this a few times and he commented that the amount of people who spoke out in favor of this surprised him. He didn't realize how important of an issue student debt cancellation was for people.
I still own $30,000 for my Masters of Arts in Teaching degree (grades 6-12 Social Science specialization) and I've already left the teaching profession due to the overall stress of the job and constant scrutiny teachers face. There are so many people like me with debt from degrees that we aren't utilizing due to many factors. Our ranks are only growing due to this two calendar years and counting pandemic.
Both great ideas, and I don't have student loans, but see the hardship it presents to so many. Education is not just something that only the student benefits from, the country needs educated people so the burden shouldn't be so much on them
Great Point Carrie
I agree. Im hoping it calculated and he is waiting to do it closer to the election to have the maximum impact on turnout. Voters could be on to the next crisis by then.
Same. Maybe he should move the May 1 date back to Oct. 1 and then right before it's about to go into effect, cancel the debt as people are getting ready to early vote. I've been reading reports in recent weeks that he's considering moving the date back.
I had a friend who was forced to drop out of grad school during her last year due to medical problems, for which she then qualified for SSDI. 15 years after being on SSDI, the university was still hounding her, making her fill out forms every year to qualify for loan deferrment - for one year. Her income at the time of her last deferrment was $945.00/month. I don't know if the school ever did forgive the loan permanently or not.
So many people have college debt for degrees they are no longer using for a variety of reasons. This is untenable going forward.
Only a small percentage of the voting age population has a student loan.
Those 46 million voters (about 20 percent of the adult population) can make all the difference in the world at the polls. We need to do everything we can to save democracy and that should include removing this specific debt from many of those 20 percent (some will still have debt because they owe more than $50,000) of the population.
I’m more concerned about all the voters who will perceive it as an unfair giveaway and will turn away from voting for Democrats. I’d rather see the interest rate dialed back to 1%. Or even 0%. Allow the debt to be discharged in bankruptcy. But why eliminate loans that people willingly took on instead of eliminating medical debt that burdens 50% of the population?
I want medical debt to be erased too but Biden doesn't have that executive action power. This issue is VERY popular and remember college has gotten WAY MORE expensive over the past 20 years for no reason at all. My parents could afford to pay the $8,000 a year (for tuition, room and board) when I went to college from 1989 to 1993. Our society punishes people economically who don't go to college with lower-wage jobs.
Also, bankruptcy affects your life for 10 years with lower credit scores and a ding on your record. We shouldn't want that for anyone. I'm 18 months away from that 10 year mark because I had to file for bankruptcy due to credit card debt (that started with predatory credit card companies on college campuses that are now banned from doing this).
Our entire system is designed to punish people economically. We need to take every opportunity to remove these barriers when we can.
Thank you for this post, Mary. This afternoon I sent an email to Senator Durbin to share my thoughts about basically what you wrote because my reaction was the same. Why was the verbal abuse allowed? Why did he not intervene? It was just a lot of bullying. Asking a question and then continually talking over her?
My biggest concern is that the Dems are ineffective in dealing with this behavior. Wish they'd find some Ukrainian fierceness and bring consequences to the cruelty and nonsense. That's what will energize voters.
It's particularly frustrating because Democrats are the only pro-Democracy party. They are on the right side of almost every issue that's important to the American people. I see no need to pull punches when dealing with fascists.
Agreed. I regularly call my members of Congress with the message that Dems need to be tougher in dealing with the fascists. What if everybody reading this post and comments did the same? I often start with, "While we still have democracy, I have an opinion to share..."
While the Dems are often weak in response, I do wonder how many folks on Twitter, etc, who speak about these concerns actually take action. I hope people here will do so. Let's start something! :)
Thank you Nella. I need to call Durbin's office and tell his people the same thing. As his constituent, I keep saying he needs to do better especially since Duckworth is up for re-election this year. He's not helping Dem Senators like Duckworth with his folksy nonsense.
I encourage everyone reading all the comments to call or email Sen. Durbin. I'm not a constituent of his, but I still contacted him. I plan to contact all of the Dem members of the Judiciary Committee. I regularly call my members of Congress. It's good for my mental health in that I'm taking action instead of just getting depressed by all of the insanity. I think that it does make a difference; what if they got thousands and thousands of calls about this? I believe that they do pay attention.
I am a constituent and have emailed him several times with the same message:
talk about the issues in plain, clear language, and call out Repubs for being anti-American and anti-democratic. Despite clicking the box that I want a reply, I've never gotten one that addresses this issue. Are Dems just afraid that the Repubs will verbally beat them up for what they say? Hell, they do that anyway, so where's the loss if they speak up? I'm 62, have been voting straight Dem since I started voting, (because the alternative was awful), and they've been piss-poor at getting their message out ever since I can remember.
I'm with you and I'm also 62 and have always voted Dem. :)
Yes, Thank You Mary for your beautiful photo and post raising real concerns about the horror of what Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson just went through...Wow!
Sorry, my writing got a bit long...
In terms of messaging, some people think we need to disclose & hammer, hammer, hammer all the CORRUPTION we see everywhere, the UNFAIRNESS & stealing we know is happening in people's own back yards; how BIG CORPs are getting away with murder; FASCISM also needs to be repeated over and over (or some form that people understand) -- so yes, how do we tie this all together?? We know "All politics is local". I care about the Climate Crisis, but to make that resonate we have to find real crises in people's lives -- maybe find all the pollution, contaminated air and water in West VA -- in Manchin's back yard -- he's (WE) got to break from fossil fuels; droughts in AZ & elsewhere -- we need to find real ISSUES/examples in the Swing States, make them tangible and keep repeating them so people understand how all these bad things are affecting them -- and hopefully show how the Dem Candidates are working to make people's lives better.
This question makes me wonder if INDIVISIBLE or the DEM PARTY can coordinate these messages/examples better so we can all get out our HAMMERS to make a greater impact. At the moment everything still seems really high level, too generic, fragmented and not grabbing people's attention.
The destruction of Ukraine grabbed the world. We need to find a similar message.
The organization "Working America", affiliated with the AFLCIO, is doing a lot of deep canvassing across the country, focusing on white non-college educated working people, building relationships over time, getting them registered and eventually to the polls. They have been doing this work for a long time & have measured their impact in getting more Democratic votes. Check them out. I found them through a connection to Focus for Democracy, which does great fundraising to Get Out the Vote.
My message: Our Democracy is Dying.
There is so much going on that I think it is really important to keep the message simple--you're voting for democracy (Democrats) or for fascism (Republicans). The rest is about people's lives better--which, unfortunately, the Republicans are trying very hard to block Democrat's from doing.
Thanks for the information re Working America.
I think the Democrats should make the midterms about the GOP being anti-women, anti-POC, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigrant, anti-voting, anti-history, anti-free speech, anti-healthcare (and anyone or anything else I've missed) policies. The GOP is the "anti" party. They simply hate but have no coherent policies of their own. If you belong to any one of these groups you cannot vote for any of them. They stand together in Congress and in their state legislations.
Good point. They are an entirely policy-free party.
Dems need to stand up and be as loud as Three Names and Boebert and all the rest of the GQP. If they sit quietly they’ll never get the support they need
Yes--they need to be screaming from the rooftops.
New Democrat slogan suggestion: 'we're loud, we're proud, we're popular, get used to it.' (kidding)
Agreed. It's way past time for the Democratic Party to take off the gloves and fight them with their own play book. It's clear that following the rules doesn't work anymore.
I've been feeling this way Back to President Jimmy Carter!
Pretty much.
True Michael
Sometimes I think the Republicans are doing the Democrats work for them. Seriously, the best thing the Democrats can do at times is just replay quotes form Republicans over and over. Of course, that isn't the only thing. They have to go out and proudly talk about their accomplishments and what they still want to see done. And call out Republicans who try to take credit for projects coming out of the infrastructure bill they didn't vote for.
What they can't do is act like the Democrats in 2010 who ran away from the ACA and acted like they were scared of the Tea Party.
One minor quibble with something you wrote. You wrote "Even though the attacks on her were completely specious and launched against her with breathtaking disrespect, as a Black woman she had to remain measured, calm, respectful." Actually, that would apply to any woman, particularly a liberal woman. As a Black woman, she had to remain extra measured, extra calm, extra respectful.
You're right--the Democrats absolutely have to get better at touting their many significant accomplishments AND they have to hold the Republicans to account for the horrors they've been afflicting on us. They can't make the same mistake they made in Virginia when they let Youngkins racist rhetoric about CRT go unchallenged.
Yes, any liberal woman would have been treated badly by the Republicans on that committee but it would be nothing like what Judge Jackson had to endure.
Touting Democratic Accomplishments is My Top Priority, Prosecuting and Getting Justice for Jan 6th #2, BLUE WAVE 2022 #3 Bringing as Many Democratic Registrations Nationwide #4, Mary, Lets Be Real, A HUGE COMPONENT OF YOUNGKINS WIN was Terry McCauliffe Dropping The Ball By "Singularly Tying Donald to Youngkin" AND not elaborating on other Decisive Issues. WE MUST REMEMBER TO DIVERSIFY OUR CAMPAIGN POLICY ISSUES, Im Not Saying "Forget" Donald but rather make him an accessory to THE DEMOCRATIC PLANS OF NEXT FOUR YEARS like an ad rather than the PRIME TIME ISSUE of the campaign. We Have To Keep our eyes on the Ball 2022, Your Fan John
Agreed John. All that harassment in quotes will boomerang on Republicans this election year!
I hope you're right.
Thank you, Mary, for the beautiful picture and insightful post.
I think if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as they have in Texas, then, hopefully, it will galvanize the Democrats and Republicans, who believe abortion should be legal, into voting for the Democratic candidate which would be a vote for Democracy.
I agree that that will inspire people to vote. I worry about all of the people who will suffer in the meantime. I think voters would also be motivated if the administration added seats to SCOTUS thereby restoring its legitimacy.
As a child I recall believing in the importance of voting. My parents took me with them and had me wait outside while they voted in the gym where I went to school. I heard them discuss candidates and important issues. If I asked a question about what they were doing they stopped everything and told me. It has stuck with me to this very day like a celebration.
Caroline, this is what I predicted, but even if Scotus hedges and simply allows Tex Miss And Now Idaho And AZ laws to stand it will make women & men who support reproductive rights go to the polls in far greater numbers!
Governor Kathy Hocul, Please Give Criminal Authority to AG James and allow her to finish what Cy Vance Started, Dont Be NYs Accidental Government, If You Are Running For Re-Election Gov Hocul, Please Give Criminal Authority To AG James, We Shouldnt Lose All Compiled Evidence Cy Vance Discovered Because of Bragg, A lazy New DA who specifically highlighted his experience prosectuting Public Officials, Then Dropped Ball The Minute He Was In DAs Office
Exactly. James should have been given that authority the second Pomerantz and Dunne resigned.
Mary, As always, loved everything you wrote above, especially: "Who fucking cares? They act like victims even when, especially when, Democrats make the weak choice to play by rules that the Republicans clearly demonstrate they feel no need to follow." This is so spot on.
I also love reading all the amazing, well thought out replies to your posts! Very happy to be a part of The Good In Us crowd. Reading the replies gives me hope that all is not lost. We must defeat the Repubs!
Thank you, Diana. And I agree--we have the best commenters!
These repugnant repulsive republicans must all be voted out of office😡 Where the hell is the humanity? I would like to wake up just one day and none of them were relevant at all! They are the example of what is wrong with politicians. Forever the legacy handed down to their family and supporters. History will acknowledge the dark mark their bombastic, ignorant display portrayed during these hearings! SHAME ON YOU
Unfortunately, polarization is built into the current system. Practically none of these Republicans will be voted out--unless it's to be primaried by politicians who are even more extreme.
Sad but true!
Republicans don't care about history
👆🏼
2nd This
Eternal gratefulness, hearty applause and loud hurrahs for your brilliantly worded cathartic communique! Yes, you have flawlessly depicted the shocking debacle of Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing! The ugly vile posture, facial expressions and sneering dialogue exhibited towards Judge Jackson, while she exhibited unfaltering grace and flawless communications! The surreal nonstop horror was often too painful to watch and many times I turned away from looking at my tv screen! I kept expecting, hoping, silently pleading for others on the committee to move through and beyond whatever was causing their mute and resigned to helplessness demeanors. Cory Booker was the only committee member who demonstrated a fearless demeanor and vigorously revelatory dialogue!
It was very hard to watch and I confess, after Graham started asking her about her faith, I couldn't watch the other Republicans in real time. I literally don't know how Judge Jackson did it.
VOTING RIGHTS! The malfeasance of the Republican onslaught of voter suppression and election interference effects every citizen! It is our most precious fundamental right of participation in our government by the people.
And the 6 on the Supreme Court keep helping Republicans with their voter suppression efforts.
I think the strongest message Dems could amplify is how GOP lawmakers in multiple states (and would push for the same nationally) are passing legislation that cuts away individual rights — unless it’s gun ownership. Abortion limits, parents controlling educators’ teaching of science and American history, to name just two: Talk about effective scare tactics to get me out to vote Blue!
You and Patricia are on the same page. I agree. Voters need to understand that these are not normal times.
Contempt of court ! If I were Judge Jackson, I would have been tempted to say: If imitation is a form of flattery, I'd like to answer you in the same tone as you have questioned me.
If only that were an option open to her.
Great Reply Constructed Judith
It has been a losing strategy for twenty-two years for the Democrats to run against the GOP by bringing up how awful it is going to be if the GOP is in control. Nancy Pelosi ruined the Democrats' chances when she sent one email after another decrying the consequences of voting red. That strategy was made worse when the Great Orange Ego was at the top of the list. Independents do not see GOP control as the end of the world. They blame Democrats as much as Trumpublicans for the divisions tearing the country apart because the Democrats campaign on a platform of "everyone should hate the GOP." The Democrats need to pull out all the stops informing voters about the successes that have resulted from their policies and the greater successes that will come if the Democrats have good majorities in both houses of Congress. Every issue that affects the financial circumstances of the 99% must be owned by the Democrats. And they need to be clear that they are not talking about socialism. They are talking about programs that Richard Nixon promoted for dog sakes! Stick with being positive about what can be accomplished and bury the negativity.
"The Democrats needed to have Judge Jackson’s back. Her attackers should have been stopped, silenced, sanctioned, and, if need be, removed from the chamber. Democrats cling to a sense of decorum and fairness while their Republican colleagues steamroll over them. Maybe they deserve it, but Judge Jackson does not. She deserved to have every single Democrat on that Committee—every Democrat in the Senate—fight for her, and they failed."
I love your sunset view and your curses.
You are absolutely right. Only Leahy gave it a mild go to demonstrste some respectful guardrail boundaries in the face of that fucking hideous behavior. What are they thinking when they go home at night, that they were a good imitation of a wasp that day? I watched very little because I am focussed on the war and it's pretty overwhelming.
Now it's nutjob ginny with her seditious emails. Kudos to the investigative reporters. I'd like to see that sexual predator off the court and replaced with Hillary Clinton or another black woman.
I'm not even asking what next. I'll dance in the street when Jackson is sworn in.
The one thing that will get 98% of all women to vote Democratic is to get the senate to pass the bill removing the deadline for ratifying the Equal Rights for Women Amendment to the fundamental law of the land, the US Constitution and getting it recognized.
Ossoff did try at one point to be the adult in the room...Durbin should have followed through on his call for respect
Before the 2018 elections I was upset that the democrats seemed so passive. I thought they should take the gloves off & fight for our country. Now I believe more strongly. Surely they realize the threat to America. Everything we love & cherish could be gone in a few years. What will it take?
American media gives the camera to the most divisive; the pay to play politicians who also serve as the insurrectionists. The media is monopolized. Look for Indy media.
Meanwhile, great work is going on around these war horses, around the world.
If they didn't have dark money, they couldn't win the popular vote, they have to facture the rules to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
A. Most of us want ongoing universal programs, they are much cheaper to administrate: a child tax credit, free preK-college education, well paid and trained teachers who determine curriculum.
KBJ is great. I hope to see another Biden Supreme Court pick, soon.
The one thing that will have the most impact on whether or not voters rise to the challenge this November is the example that has been set by the President of the Ukraine, that we can and should fight back when confronted with evil.
I believe what would prompt Democratic voters, of all stripes, rich or poor, Caucasian or non-Caucasian, to *VOTE*, would be to focus on how incompetent the Republicans are and have been on national defense. Remember: it was the Republicans who were were non-interventionist before Pearl Harbor (and they fought FDR every step of the way before December 7, 1941), it was the Republicans who did not have the imagination to counter effectively the Soviets’ moves in the Cold War during Vietnam, and it’s the Republicans today who utterly failed to check North Korean nuclear weapons development and Putinist aggression in Ukraine.
The United States simply cannot afford to have the party of tax cuts and deregulation at the helm at this pivotal moment in our history.
The judicious use of old fashioned as well as cutting edge social media is one of the most important things Democrats need to do to energize thoughtful people of all ages and levels of personal investment in our democracy. As a Veterans' advocate I was told years ago by members of a very influential service organization that petitions are fine but if every person who signed a petition realized that is still only ONE PIECE OF MAIL, we would be much more effective. They told me 100 pieces of U.S. Mail can change the attitude and often the vote of a local or state legislator. 1,000 emails or postcards - excellent economical choice during the age of inspection which delays delivery - can change the vote of a U.S. Representative or Senator. Let the voices be heard across the land! The Grass roots organizing shows every person how easy it is to communicate with those who can vote on legislation and those who set policy. Using whichever avenue is most appealing to the individual voter or the particular advocacy group, we must inform and educate legislators on three points1. What we insist upon 2. When it must be accomplished and 3. What the results of failure to address this issue will be Stand up and speak out - daily!!!
THE Republicans are soulless, Using every byte to attack, as Jude Juckson called a "subset" of all her Rulings and she was correct. The Republicans like spoiled children could care less about her body of work rather EXAMINE her "subset" of cases that I understand attempt to malign her. Judge Jackdon will be a modern different Scotus Justice as Breyers Replacement. JUDGE JACKSON RULES!
I wrote a 4 point set of tweets to you called convergence on Twitter Mary. The Four Went around Twitter and my own followers really liked The Covergence I Predicted Coming, Gini Thomas Wasn't In That Calculation. We must Go Back And Review all Clarence Thomas Decisions and examine "How Many Conflict of Interest" Rulings that Elevated and Endorsed his wife's causes, Make A Compilation Of it, Then Attack the Timeline off Clarence-Gini Thomas Alliance. SCOTUS Ethics Law can be passed IF WE HAVE BLUE ENOUGH MAJORITY after This November!
I just sent the following email to Senator Schumer to request that standards of behavior be established in Congress. I'm staying in the mode of "feels good to state these thoughts while we still have democracy," as in, speaking up feels good for my mental health(!), rather than falling into "nothing will ever change" mode.
The text of my email follows. Feel free to copy it or any portion if you share any of my thoughts on this matter and would like to share similar sentiments with any member of Congress.
Dear Senator Schumer,
Thank you for your hard work and service to our nation.
The recent confirmation hearings for Judge Jackson had a profound impact on me. While I am not an African-American woman, I am a 62-year-old woman who has endured her share of verbal abuse from men over the years. It is through this lens, knowing that African-Americans have been expected to endure far more abuse than any of us who are white, that I chose to share my thoughts with Senator Durbin about his failure to intervene in any meaningful way during the most abusive lines of "questioning" of Judge Jackson.
I am so tired of the exhausting expectations that women are supposed to endure such abuse, all the while staying composed and poised, never letting on how horribly the behavior may be impacting us.
I am so tired of seeing the insanity and abuse that certain Republicans spew out on a daily basis, rarely, if ever facing any consequences for their behavior. I cannot imagine a workplace in which the behavior of the likes of Ted Cruz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebart, and Madison Cawthorne would be allowed. Having spent decades as an educator, I would never in a million years ever allow the behavior of the most abusive lines of "questioning" in those hearings in any classroom of mine.
I simply do not understand why there do not seem to be any standards of personal conduct for Members of Congress. I do not understand why there do not seem to be consequences for the nasty conversational style, namely asking Judge Jackson a question and promptly loudly interrupting her every time she spoke. I do not understand why other Democrats did not speak up about this. What Senator Booker did was eloquent and appreciated, but it did not address the behavior itself.
I do not understand why this behavior is allowed to occur with no consequences. It is unfair to expect those on the receiving end to constantly just accept it. The behavior is bullying. Why do Democrats not call it out vociferously and consistently?
I respectfully request that this issue be taken seriously. I connect this directly to the most pressing and dangerous issue we face, which is the threat to our democracy. The behavior of bullies only escalates when it is never confronted. This will only continue unless Congressional leadership takes it seriously. I respectfully request that some standards of behavior be enacted and adhered to in Congress. What an example that would set.
I wish that Democrats would find the level of fierceness about this issue that President Zelensky and Ukrainians exude on a daily basis.
Kind regards,
Grace Wood
Strategy and messaging. You listen to Jamie Raskin talk today at the committe meeting to refer Navarro and Scavino for prosecution, and wonder why the rest of the dems can't talk passionately and plainly about the issues at stake. It's like they're addicted to passivity, or some sense of antiquated decorum and politeness. Dick Durbin is my senator, and I am glad he is. But you hear he and Schumer and some of the others, and they talk like they were at a formal debate where they have to be quiet and polite. Not that they should be bombastic and insulting like repubs, but jeez - show a little energy and enthusiasm. Talk like you mean it. Sometimes I feel that the only way to get a lot of the dems more assertive and clear about what's at stake is to force them to do a line of coke before they talk. And Durbin should stop limiting his TV appearances to "I'm a Reagan Republican" Morning Joe - in addition to Joe being the most conservative of the MSNBC shows, lots of people aren't even up at that hour, so nobody much hears him.
Someone with some balls also needs to talk - a lot - about the destructive influence of Christian religion and ideology on our politics; they are the main purveyors of the move to move the US culture back to the 1800's. But it's likely no one will because apparently you can only get away with talking smack about religious influence if it's anti-Muslim.
Also, Biden wasted a year on "unity" - the Repubs have declared themselves to be against everything that Biden wants. You can't have unity when the other side declares outright that you are their enemy.
I think Dick Durbin is probably the most decent person in Congress and I don't understand the criticism he is getting. He repeatedly rebutted the GOP lies and excoriated them for the rude and tasteless attacks hurled at Judge Brown Jackson. What was he supposed to have done?
The one thing I would choose that would motivate democratic voters to the polls would be aggressive prosecutions of all facets of the Trump regime. When Biden was elected I heard many democrats say heads had better roll. So far it has been crickets. I personally have said I will not support democrats unless there are prosecutions. At this point everyone is sitting on there hands. The clock is ticking away. We are about to lose all opportunity.
Co-sign.
I agree this whole complex going on is De-Evolution
That Democrats keep pulling punches is deeply worrisome.
As for Donald's ludicrous new lawsuit, he's clearly in need of attention.
The hypocrisy that particularly urks me is to see the pictures of Republicans smilingly shaking KBJ's hand, then treating her like dirt in the hearings.