Progressive politics are popular but perhaps even more than this average progressive people are popular. Voters are tired of wealthy polished people making decisions that impact their livelihoods when they haven’t a clue what it’s like to live how we do. Voters are done with no accountability for the powerful and slick politicians who say what they think we want to hear.
Democratic leadership can decide to rush through impeachment focusing on Ukraine and allow the conditions for the corrupt yet powerful to get away with everything AGAIN (at our expense). They can refuse to deal with the train wreck having Biden as the nominee would be and continue to push the false notion that moderate “centrists” win elections. It’ll destroy the party but I’m beginning to think that’s not only not the worst thing that could happen but may be inevitable.
I believe in coalitions and big tents. I’m invested in moving forward with everyone on the left working together. But respect is a two way thing and if some who identify as on the left refuse to even consider Democratic leadership might not be right on certain issues then they’re, imho, taking a position that’s more in line with the right’s pro authoritarian perspective where top authorities say what reality is and even if it’s not true it must be believed (& those who disagree be bullied into submission).
When the history books are written Nancy will have a few pages for herself and will have an A+ in leadership. One characteristic of EFFECTIVE leadership is modesty. She has never tooted her horn for her successes. Successful leadership is the ability to get people to put aside their normal competitive instincts and work toward a common goal. She can herd cats. Try that sometime.
I have to admit I’ve gone back and forth on Nancy and have been completely frustrated at times that impeachment wasn’t on the table. I guess, I should have had more confidence that trump would eventually, hopelessly, fuck everything up. I don’t know if it hadn’t been for this obvious example of presidential extortion Nancy would have eventually got behind impeachment ot not but right now she looks like the best chess player in Congress. She waited for the most opportune moment and reached out and snatched that ring.
Chrystia Freeland still has yet to weigh in on the expanding Ukraine/Russia mess, but I found this tweet relevant to all Democrats campaigning in this cycle.
This is what Conservatives do. They cut taxes for the wealthy, and to pay for it, they cut services for everyone else – including cuts to our schools. https://t.co/VMGo5YlEA2
I heard an interesting excerpt on The Gist this morning from a Slate interview with Jeff Flake that will be published tomorrow or Monday.
The basic idea in one of Flake’s statements is that if the impeachment vote in the Senate were held in secret, there might be as many as 35 Republicans who would support impeachment. I take him at his word, and this does not surprise anyone who has paid any attention to how Trump has abused, bullied and mocked the people in his own party since he started his run for president. He is much hated in his own party, and for good reason. Not only is he abusive, he is dumb enough to jump right back into the exact same scandal he just escaped from. He is arrogant and stupid, which is often noted to be a fatal combination - as fatal to the people around one as it is to oneself. He might as well have dynamite strapped around his body - he is a walking time bomb for the Repubs and they all know it (except maybe Nunes).
So who are the real cowards in this rolling fiasco that has been going on for the last 3 years? I vote for the 35 Republicans who keep swallowing their own vomit and marching out to defend the indefensible day after day.
Alas, everybody does not.
The slackjaw MAGATs firmly believe the “libtard Dims” hate the USA and are out to destroy our freedoms. Rightwing media have convinced them that any media coverage that is critical of Trump, or even gives a centrist view, is illegitimate “fake news.”
These trumpsters stand by their man, and the rest of the saps in the GOP are held hostage, fearing their wrath on election day.
This bunch is impervious to facts.
This is the golden chance for democratic leader to publicize all the horrible crimes Trump has committed. I hope they take it.
I don’t see the need for a speedy impeachment, I see a need for a thorough one that doesn’t focus only on the Ukraine Shakedown, but publicizes the other dangerous crimes of Trump’s administration.
The concentration camps on our border, the devastation of Puerto Rico, the ‘open-secret’ meetings with Putin, Trump’s admiring & excusing of Kim even when he launched missiles. Dear God, there are so many crimes, so many of them deadly dangerous.
I can’t understand how the democratic leaders rationalized their lukewarm response. Perhaps they were waiting for someone else to take charge, like a whistleblower from the Intelligence Community.
Start by renting a largish, run-down hotel in DC. Then exercise the rule of inherent contempt against the shit-bags who refuse to show up for hearings or who defy subpoenas. Send the Sergeant at Arms, accompanied by DC police (who are under the rule of Congress), to arrest the shit-bags and take them to the run-down hotel that will be used to house shit-bags found in contempt under the inherent contempt rules. When it fills up, double them up in the hotel rooms. When that fills up, rent another one.
Use the ^$:|@ inherent contempt rules. Lock them up until they agree to testify truthfully. Trump can’t pardon them out of the run-down hotel, and Barr can’t block it.
