It is telling that the more recently elected Dems are opposing it, as they all should, without resolving the Dreamers. The GOP terminated that program. It was not a failed strategy by itself. It failed because Veteran Dems have terrible messaging and have shown themselves trying too hard to please everyone, and people don’t want a mushy middle. This is proven again and again over the past decade.
Some other veteran Democrats — some of whom said holding the budget deal hostage to action on Dreamer immigrants had already proven to be a failed strategy — appeared more likely to support the agreement than junior progressives elected in recent years.<<<<
If you believe this, what makes you think it will be different if this falls through and there is a shutdown ?
All the talk about leverage makes Dems sound like Repubs in the Obama years. GOPs kept searching for leverage and never found it. They tried to use the debt ceiling as leverage. Ask John Boehner about “leverage”.
Yeah, and while you’re at it, send that Elon Musk guy back to Africa. Right, conservatives? He’s taking jobs away from Americans.
Heck, I could build a rocket, just like he can. I’d follow the teaching of my mentor Donald Trump. I’d find somebody and say, “Build me a rocket.” See? I’m a genius too. Or “Give me a billion dollars to find someone to build a rocket.”
An American.
Uh, anybody know math?
Even with Dreamers taken care the bill would not be worth supporting. Millenials— this is your credit card the rest of us are using right now. Gen X’ers— the increase in interest rates is the tax you will begin to pay almost immediately. Boomers— as soon as everyone else figures out what is going on here your Medicare and Social Security benefits will be in the crosshairs, something Paul Ryan and the freedom caucus wants. The country did this in the 1960’s, paying for the Viet Nam War and the Great Society without raising taxes, causing 15 years of misery. It would not take much of a tax adjustment to help things either, but I do not think I will live to see it happen, given the fiscal illiteracy of most Americans.
Well yes that fight would happen anyway, SS and Medicare have been in the cross hairs for many years. It is a fight we would have anyway. Raise Taxes or cut spending. Where is their argument when they cut taxes and increase spending?
“…shower the Pentagon and domestic programs with an extra $300 billion over the next two years”
If one red cent goes to Cadet Bone Spurs parade, there will be hell to pay.
First, any so-called “Fiscal Conservative” or “Deficit Hawk” who complains about this bill on the heels of supporting the giant $1.5 TRILLION tax giveaway to millionaires, billionaires and outsourcing, transnational corporations can immediately go fuck themselves. You. Have. NO. Credibility.
Second, Democratic “Leadership” once again throws Republican’ts a lifeline instead of an anchor. Chuck Schumer has me pining for the days of Harry “Punt on First Down” Reid…
He got a Democratic President to offer up cuts to Social Security and Medicare on a Silver Platter, with the only thing saving us was the Republican’t caucus’s inability to take Yes for an answer.
That said, the issue isn’t whether or not Democrats should use chaos to extract goodies; the issue is that Democrats should stop bailing out the Republican’ts demonstrated inability to govern. They have the majority! Let them own whatever may come and then answer to the voters in the fall.
I believe in being pro-active.
I consider myself a moderate Democrat, socially liberal, fiscally moderate, politically realistic. I have my questions about Schumer though, I understand we’re the minority party in all branches and maybe this is the best we can do, maybe Schumer is playing chess while we’re all playing checkers and some grand scheme is going to reveal itself, but I can’t forget this is the guy who said Dems wasted an opportunity when they had all 3 branches by doing health care. Harry Reid was a fighter, Schumer hasn’t shown me that yet. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now, but if what I saw from him in the shut down is any indication, Then I think we’re going to be rolling over a lot, which I understand may be necessary given our minority status, but please God at least try and make it look like we’re fighting.
Of course the bottom line is, if all the people out marching and protesting and outraged had ACTUALLY VOTED DEMOCRAT then we wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.
There seems to be money for most of the hot ticket items, unless you’re an immigrant that is.
Opioid issues gets more than veterans, that’s two surprises in one. #1, that they are even pretending to care about helping the drugged out Republican base. Legalizing marijuana, a cure for the opioid addicts and taxing it nationally would fund the whole thing whilst helping to cure the problem. Is that too easy or too smart??
And that the veterans always seem to be an afterthought if not a great talking point. Not starting stupid wars in unwinnable places means far less injured vets and far less long term care, and that’s a no-brainer unless war for the sake of war is the plan.
The military budget is so ridiculous. They don’t need more money, they need less military. Trim the fat and downsize, that’s the ticket.
And, apparently its time to break out the old, No Nukes, posters. Not starting new wars is a great way to make the military affordable, as is, not building WMD or preparing for foolish, impetuous pissing matches.
IOW, we don’t need to budget for unnecessary waste and foolishness. In fact, where’s the schooling money because educated people don’t do dumb things.
How exactly do you know that they didn’t?
You do if there is a military contractor in your district, which is why there is a military contractor in a majority of districts…
Schumer’s head is so far up Wall Street’s ass, he can’t see a damn thing.
Want it harder = we’ll get it! Even though we’re out of power in every branch of government!
Never make the mistake of thinking it’s only the Republican party that has to deal with magical cargo-cult thinking.
I wish Firedoglake still existed, to sequester these people.
So, I know memory is short, but can someone remind me how Schumer’s strategy during the shutdown led to the deal on DACA he just negotiated?
@bdtex Ask McConnell about leverage, not Boehner. The reason we’re in this situation with DACA is that Obama couldn’t get anything done through legislation and so did DACA by executive order, making it easily undone by Trump.
And we will continue being out of power in every branch of government if we continue throwing Republican’ts lifelines when we should be throwing them anchors. Besides, the lunatics on the other side are now running their asylum, and for the most part getting their agenda passed and seeding the judiciary with nightmares that will haunt us for the next two generations. And now that they’ve gerrymandered the fuck out to the country they will likely not pay the political price for their insanity. So why not let our lunatics run our asylum for a while? The so-called adults sure as hell haven’t done shit beyond losing over 1000 elected offices, making Donald Trump president and putting Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme court during their time in power…
They won the Senate midterms in 2014 after their shutdown in 2013. It wasn’t about repealing Obamacare, it was about showing their voters that they are willing to fight.
These are less about achieving legislative victories, and more about engaging the base ahead of elections. And in this case, we dropped the ball. We have had months to message and drive home on DACA, and we have failed to do so.
This might not pass, but in regards to legislation to keep the DREAMERS here, that isn’t going to happen. We never even got into that debate in the House, despite Pelosi’s heroic efforts yesterday. Ryan isn’t going to let any DACA bill see the floor, under any circumstances.
The deficit problem was created by the Trump Family Tax Cut Act. Improved infrastructure and disaster recovery are investments in the future.