Originally published at: Senate Democrats Cave, Giving Up Only Real Point Of Leverage Until The Fall - TPM – Talking Points Memo
Hello it’s the weekend. This is The Weekender 
Much to the base’s chagrin, a handful of Senate Democrats voted to advance the House Republican continuing resolution to passage Friday — which Republicans could not have done without Democratic support. The vote ended a turbulent week, with Democrats tense and tight-lipped as they fought intense, internecine…
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Every one of these Democrats is more responsible for what happens next than the rest of congress. They could have stopped this, but their love for TRUMP pushed them to do his will. TRAITORS… MAGAt-lite
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And now, this….
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Today is the Ides of March, so I remain hopeful.
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I was furious about this most of the week, but woke this morning with a different take … and it is not resignation.
I believe there were genuine concerns, as expressed in reporting on TPM and elsewhere, that Trump and his regime would logistically and politically pummel democrats in a shutdown and put our governmental processes at even greater risk from the DOGE chainsaw, without legal grounds to fight it since they would in effect pick and choose what parts of government they restored given that there was no approved funding for anything.
As for this tidbit –
" In a surprising twist, the Senate was able to pass a standalone bill unanimously on a voice vote to shield Washington D.C. from the massive budget slash written into the House GOP CR. The House would also need to pass the bill upon its return."
While it remains to be seen if the House will pass the bill, early signs indicate they might. This is a vital need for DC, and by extension MD and VA, economically in an already devastating environment. I tend to suspect, given how DC oddities get handled by Congress, that the passing of that vote was part of the reason Democrats withdrew their plans for the alternative 30-day extension amendment … which would have failed. To me it shows Senators, even some Republicans, were working to secure what little they could from a shit-show situation, attempting to salvage one piece.
I also don’t think what happened this week is evidence of what will play out next autumn. By then the rotting corpse of the recent gutting of agencies will be a sickening stench. Right now, though anger is rising across the country, the real-life impacts are just starting. These will only grow worse as systems falter and fail, along with the economy. More Americans will be hit directly, giving Democrats more leverage, as even Republicans in ruby red districts will be feeling the rage from their constituents.
There are so many things to be enraged about these days. Frankly I’m relieved to not have new and more destructive bombs exploding this morning. Instead the government is operating, including the legal cases underway.
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No. Do not absolve the GOP.
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I suspect the House of Reprehensibles will pass the DC funding bill. They have to live there at least part of the year during session and their staff members all live in the area. Cutting that much money from the District will directly affect them.
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British authorities have charged the Russian captain who rammed his ship into a tanker carrying jet-fuel for the US military.
The US has been hit by a Russian hybrid warfare operation, but off the coast of Holland. Seems like Hegseth could pull himself away from macho warrior happy hour to say something. This was an American vessel.
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Senate Democrats now brace for backlash.
If we had a decent media there would be no backlash on the Democrats, this is all on the GOP, period!
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“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength”
… … …
That phrase comes to mind when I read about trump. The phrase is from the novel 1984" by Orwell.
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“I am not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
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Eternally hopeful, but yesterday was pie day and the GOP did not get its just desserts.
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Nonsense. I asked my senators to oppose cloture on the CR (which they did) but the idea that anyone voted for it out of “love for Trump” is ridiculous. Sorry, but you sound like a troll.
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Russians know it’s a paper tiger now. They will just send Hogsbreath a nice bottle of vodka.
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That’s total idiocy. Nobody, but nobody, has ever “loved” Trump, least of all any Democrat. There are other motivations. Open your mind, or read more.
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Speaking as a resident of DC, I am happy this went through.
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Can we say Climate Change!? You can pretend, but you can’t hide.
Extreme weather
Experts say it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.
“What’s unique about this one is its large size and intensity,” said Bill Bunting of the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. “And so what that is doing is producing really substantial impacts over a very large area.”
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“Much to the base’s chagrin, a handful of Senate Democrats“
For the record, 10 is 2 handfuls.
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Fingers crossed.
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