#Coalition for Democratic Congress

[morganablenewsmedia]

PDP Will Collapse If Atiku Wins 2027 Ticket – Bode George

Bode George: PDP will collapse if Atiku wins 2027 ticket as Dele Momodu suggests the governors rebuffing coalition for Tinubu Former Aviation Minister and A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Bode George has cautioned the party over allowing Atiku represent the Party in 2027. Chief Bode George states that the party will collapse if Atiku Abubakar secures the ticket to represent…

[suetravelblog]

Cloverlly South Africa

Clovelly Houses – Cape Town Moving from familiar Hermanus to a new area near Cape Town was a good idea. Getting outside of your comfort-zone bubble is important, if you want to experience new things firsthand. I arrived in Cloverlly a few days ago, and like other aspects of South Africa and this trip in general, it was a surprise. I’m still getting my Cloverlly “ sea legs ,�� so these are…

[thenewdemocratus]

The New Democrat Coalition: U.S. Representative Ron Kind: The American Prosperity Agenda

Source:The New Democrat Coalition There’s a faction in the Democratic Party that I’m and this blog is part of that I believe at least represents most of America. We represent most Americans because we believe in things that tend to unite us as a country. The New Democrat Coalition and most of the Democrats that make it to the leadership of the party in and out of Congress and who tend to get…

[grison-in-space]

Has Biden actually done anything at all? There's evidence going around and I think it's compelling, the alternate to voting is instead doing actual social work and participating in protests and organizing political action, which is a good idea i think

1) Yes. Inarguably this has been the most effective progressive domestic administration since I have been alive, and I'm in my thirties. What in the fuck are you talking about? It's not perfect, but it's better than we've seen in fifty years: Obama tried, but Democratic Congressional organization was just not yet used to working with a completely obstructionist GOP Congress in the wake of the tea party.

Even in terms of foreign policy, this is also pretty much as good as US involvement gets. Sorry. Our foreign policy has been shaped by monsters for decades, and that's even without dealing with our huge and active branch of Christian doom cultists. There ain't a candidate in the world that could stop the entire accumulated momentum of geopolitics with a snap of the finger, and I'm not really willing to pretend that Biden is particularly notable for not managing to fix Israel/Palestine relations.

2) In your own words, anon, what precisely does organizing political action entail without participating in the political process? Do you think that abstaining from the part of the gig where you, the citizen, get to say which official gets the job somehow makes your opinions matter more to your elected public officials? Have you ever organized to get so much as a municipal one-time library project budget expanded? Are you perhaps only skilled at political argument with people who already agree with you on the Internet?

What is your leverage, and could it reasonably be described as "extortion" or "blackmail" or "political corruption?" Because those are pretty much the only things on the table that can work more effectively to drive an elected official than a disciplined coalition of political allies (who can be purchased with, you guessed it, votes) or a reliable bloc of voter support. Your vote matters less than the ones you bring with you, sure. Do you think that not voting yourself somehow helps people organize to drive more votes? Have you perhaps replaced your complex reasoning skills with a rapidly dying jellyfish?

3) Holy passive vagueness, Batman! "Evidence is going around." What a masterpiece of a sentence! How it suggests everything while providing nothing! What evidence? Who collected it? Who is talking about the evidence "going around?" Who is listening? How many of them are there? What did they think before? The more I think, the more questions I have, and damn if they ain't predisposing me to be even less charitable.

Like, this is so catastrophically poorly supported that I have to confess that I not only believe this is probably an ask in bad faith (i.e. by someone who is expecting to piss me off or otherwise engage with me adversarially, probably spammed to a whole host of blogs at once with no expectation of response) but I actively hope that it is. The alternative is to have to grapple with the reality that some people are so uncomfortable with the responsibility of moral agency that they're willing to release useful levers of legal and social power just so that they never do anything problematic with that power. Much better, of course, to wash one's hands of anything that might have the stink of responsibility clinging to it. Might fall from the membership of the Elect if you actually get yourself all muddy by doing things, I reckon.

I don't even believe that voting is the only lever we have when it comes to our elected officials or that votes are necessary to secure change, and I am certainly not talking about the presidential ticket alone when I talk voting. What I do believe is two things: one, that voting is a potential lever of power on the emergent chaos of the society in which we live. And two, that anyone telling me to leave a lever of power on the ground without a damn good reason is either incompetent, malicious, or both.

[batboyblog]

This year’s Trans Day of Visibility hits differently than in years past. This is a frightening time for trans people. I know many of you are scared. Truthfully, I am, too.

Since day one of this administration, they have pursued a crusade of cruelty against trans people – hurting us for the sake of hurting us. They’re requiring our forced outing on several identity documents. They’re summarily firing qualified federal workers who are disproportionately LGBTQ, Black, women, and veterans. They’re trying to purge patriotic transgender servicemembers. They’re trying to insert government between patients, parents, and providers to stop medically necessary care and support. They’re targeting students for bullying and invasive inspections. And they’re trying to make it harder for us to participate in public life by making it difficult and dangerous to use necessary facilities.

The stakes couldn’t be higher and, because of that, we need allies now more than ever before. We’re understandably worried and vigilant for any evidence that our defenders won’t be there when we need them. After a lifetime of pushing progress, from passing nondiscrimination protections in Delaware to helping to draft the Equality Act federally, I won’t stop fighting for the dignity of every person I represent, including my trans constituents. I've been trying to fight hard and smart since taking office in January. I won’t always be perfect. But from joining my trans constituents at rallies in Delaware to joining my colleagues in DC in opposition to this administration’s anti-equality actions, it’s going to take all of us speaking out publicly and speaking with people one-on-one to meet this moment.

Those conversations, sometimes uncomfortable, can lead to critical solidarity precisely when we need it most. In this Congress, nearly every House Democrat voted against the only anti-trans bill that has come before us – laying the foundation for the Senate Democrats to block its passage. I’m grateful for the allyship of my colleagues.

We must remain firm in our values and our vision in this moment – and, just as importantly, we should never give up on our ability to win over more people to more fully see our humanity and support our rights. It’s not always fair work, and it’s certainly not always easy work, but through the power of our proximity we can still open the hearts and change the minds of imperfect or unlikely allies.

It has been through the power of our proximity that we find our superpower. We exist in families and communities across every region and race, across every income and ideology. We are organic changemakers when we live lives of joy, humor, brilliance, and kindness in view of — and for some of us, in difficult conversation with — people who have more to learn. And while we won’t win everyone over, when we both build community among ourselves and forge a coalition beyond us, no amount of progress is impossible.

That’s what we celebrate on this Trans Day of Visibility. Our visibility not only has the ability to inspire one another. It also has the capacity to push past the caricatures to invite more people in, to grow the tent of allies, to defeat the hateful attacks, and to lay the foundation for freedom and safety for trans people in every corner of our country and every part of our globe.

-Congresswoman Sarah McBride Democrat, Delaware 3/31/2025

[mariacallous]

In 2024, wealth concentration rose to an all-time high. According to Forbes’ Billionaires List, not only are there more billionaires than ever—2,781—but those billionaires are also richer than ever, with an aggregate worth of $14.2 trillion. This is a trend that looks set to continue unabated. A recent report from the financial data company Altrata estimated that about 1.2 million individuals who are worth more than $5 million will pass on a collective wealth of almost $31 trillion over the next decade.

Discontentment and concern over the consequences of extreme wealth in our society is growing. Senator Bernie Sanders, for instance, stated that the “obscene level of income and wealth inequality in America is a profoundly moral issue.” In a joint op-ed for CNN in 2023, Democratic congresswoman Barbara Lee and Disney heiress Abigail Disney wrote that “extreme wealth inequality is a threat to our economy and democracy.” In 2024, when the board of Tesla put to vote a $56 billion pay package for Elon Musk, some major shareholders voted against it, declaring that such a compensation level was “absurd” and “ridiculous.”

In 2025, the fight against rising wealth inequality will be high on the political agenda. In July 2024, the G20—the world’s 20 biggest economies—agreed to work on a proposal by Brazil to introduce a new global “billionaire tax” that would levy a 2 percent tax on assets worth more than $1 billion. This would raise an estimated $250 billion a year. While this specific proposal was not endorsed in the Rio declaration, the G20 countries agreed that the super rich should be taxed more.

Progressive politicians won’t be the only ones trying to address this problem. In 2025, millionaires themselves will increasingly mobilize and put pressure on political leaders. One such movement is Patriotic Millionaires, a nonpartisan group of multimillionaires who are already publicly campaigning and privately lobbying the American Congress for a guaranteed living wage for all, a fair tax system, and the protection of equal representation. “Millionaires and large corporations—who have benefited most from our country’s assets—should pay a larger percentage of the tab for running the country,” reads their value statement. Members include Abigail Disney, former BlackRock executive Morris Pearl, legal scholar Lawrence Lessig, screenwriter Norman Lear, and investor Lawrence Benenson.

Another example is TaxMeNow, a lobby group founded in 2021 by young multimillionaires in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland which also advocates for higher wealth taxation. Its most famous member is the 32-year old Marlene Engelhorn, descendant of Friedrich Engelhorn, founder of German pharma giant BASF. She recently set up a council made up of 50 randomly selected Austrian citizens to decide what should happen to her €25 million inheritance. “I have inherited a fortune, and therefore power, without having done anything for it,” she said in a statement. “If politicians don’t do their job and redistribute, then I have to redistribute my wealth myself.”

Earlier this year, Patriotic Millionaires, TaxMeNow, Oxfam, and another activist group called Millionaires For Humanity formed a coalition called Proud to Pay More, and addressed a letter to global leaders during the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Signed by hundreds of high-net-worth individuals—including heiress Valerie Rockefeller, actor Simon Pegg, and filmmaker Richard Curtis—the letter stated: “We all know that ‘trickle down economics’ has not translated into reality. Instead it has given us stagnating wages, crumbling infrastructure, failing public services, and destabilized the very institution of democracy.” It concluded: “We ask you to take this necessary and inevitable step before it’s too late. Make your countries proud. Tax extreme wealth.” In 2025, thanks to the nascent movement of activist millionaires, these calls will grow even louder.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Like her or not, we're now on the same side and this woman knows what she's talking about. She suggests actionable steps steps we must take to win ourcountry back from the fascists.

From Liz Cheney

Dear Democratic Party,

I need more from you. You keep sending emails begging for $15,while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time. This administration is not simply “a different ideology.” It is a coordinated, authoritarian machine — with the Supreme Court, the House, the Senate, and the executive pen all under its control. And you? You’re still asking for decorum and donations. WTF. That won’t save us. I don’t want to hear another polite floor speech. I want strategy. I want fire. I want action so bold it shifts the damn news cycle — not fits inside one. Every time I see something from the DNC, it’s asking me for funds.

Surprise. Those of us who donate don’t want to keep sending money just to watch you stand frozen as the Constitution goes up in flames — shaking your heads and saying, “Well, there’s not much we can do. He has the majority.” I call bullshit. If you don’t know how to think outside the box… If you don’t know how to strategize… If you don’t know how to fight fire with fire… what the hell are we giving you money for? Some of us have two or three advanced degrees. Some of us have military training. Some of us know what coordinated resistance looks like — and this ain’t it. Yes, the tours around the country? Nice. The speeches? Nice. The clever congressional clapbacks? Nice. That was great for giving hope. Now we need action.

You have to stop acting like this is a normal presidency that will just time out in four years. We’re not even at Day 90, and look at the chaos. Look at the disappearances. Look at the erosion of the judiciary, the press, and our rights. If you do not stop this, we will not make it 1,460 days. So here’s what I need from you — right now:

⸻

1. Form an independent, civilian-powered investigative coalition.

I’m talking experts. Veterans. Whistleblowers. Journalists. Watchdog orgs. Deputize the resistance. Build a real-time archive of corruption, overreach, and executive abuse. Make it public. Make it unshakable. Let the people drag the rot into the light. If you can’t hold formal hearings, hold public ones. If Congress won’t act, let the country act. This isn’t about optics — it’s about receipts. Because at some point, these people will be held accountable. And when that day comes, we’ll need every name, every signature, every illegal order, every act of silence—documented. You’re not just preserving truth — you’re preparing evidence for prosecution. The more they vanish people and weaponize data, the more we need truth in the sunlight.

⸻

2. Join the International Criminal Court.

Yes, I said it. Call their bluff. You cannot control what the other side does. But you can control your own integrity. So prove it. Prove that your party is still grounded in law, human rights, and ethical leadership. Join. If you’ve got nothing to hide — join. Show the world who’s hiding bodies, bribes, and buried bank accounts. Force the GOP to explain why they’d rather protect a war criminal than sign a treaty. And while you’re at it, publicly invite ICC observers into U.S. borders. Make this administration explain — on camera — why they’re terrified of international oversight.

⸻

3. Fund state-level resistance infrastructure.

Don’t just send postcards. Send resources. Channel DNC funds into rapid-response teams, legal defense coalitions, sanctuary networks, and digital security training. If the federal government is hijacked, build power underneath it. If the laws become tools of oppression, help people resist them legally, locally, and boldly. This is not campaign season — this is an authoritarian purge. Stop campaigning. Act like this is the end of democracy, because it is. We WILL REMEMBER the warriors come primaries. Fighting this regime should be your marketing strategy.

And let’s be clear:

The reason the other side always seems three steps ahead is because they ARE. They prepared for this. They infiltrated school boards, courts, local legislatures, and police unions. They built a machine while you wrote press releases. We’re reacting — they’ve been executing a plan for years. It’s time to shift from panic to blueprint. You should already be working with strategists and military minds on PROJECT 2029 — a coordinated, long-term plan to rebuild this country when the smoke clears.

You should be publicly laying out:

• The laws and amendments you’ll pass to ensure this never happens again• The systems you’ll tear down and the safeguards you’ll enshrine • The plan to hold perpetrators of human atrocities accountable • The urgent commitment to immediately bring home those sold into slavery in El Salvador You say you’re the party of the people? Then show the people the plan.

⸻

4. Use your platform to educate the public on rights and resistance tactics.

If they’re going to strip us of rights and lie about it — arm the people with truth. Text campaigns. Mass trainings. Downloadable “Know Your Rights” kits. Multilingual legal guides. Encrypted phone trees. Give people tools, not soundbites. We don’t need more slogans. We need survival manuals.

⸻

5. Leverage international media and watchdogs.

Stop hoping U.S. cable news will wake up. They’re too busy playing both sides of fascism. Feed the real stories to BBC, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Reuters, Der Spiegel — hell, leak them to anonymous dropboxes if you have to. Make what’s happening in America a global scandal. And stop relying on platforms that are actively suppressing truth. Start leveraging Substack. Use Bluesky. That’s where the resistance is migrating. That’s where censorship hasn’t caught up. If the mainstream won’t carry the truth — outflank them. Get creative. Go underground. Go global. If our democracy is being dismantled in broad daylight, make sure the whole world sees it — and make sure we’re still able to say it.

⸻

6. Create a digital safe haven for whistleblowers and defectors.

Not everyone inside this regime is loyal. Some are scared. Some want out. Build the channels. Encrypted. Anonymous. Protected. Make it easy for the cracks in the system to become gaping holes. And while you’re at it? Stop ostracizing MAGA defectors. Everyone makes mistakes — even glaring, critical ones. We are not the bullies. We are not the ones filled with hate. And it is not your job to shame people who finally saw the fire and chose to step out of it. They will have to deal with that internal struggle — the guilt of putting a very dangerous and callous regime in power. But they’re already outnumbered. Don’t push them back into the crowd. We don’t need purity. We need numbers. We need people willing to burn their red hats and testify against the machine they helped build.

⸻

7. Study the collapse—and the comeback.

You should be learning from South Korea and how they managed their brief rule under dictatorship. They didn’t waste time chasing the one man with absolute immunity. They went after the structure. The aides. The enforcers. The loyalists. The architects. They knocked out the foundation one pillar at a time — until the “strongman” had no one left to stand on. And his power crumbled beneath him. You should be independently investigating every author of Project 2025, every aide who defies court orders, every communications director repeating lies, every policy writer enabling cruelty, every water boy who keeps this engine running. You can’t stop a regime by asking the king to sit down. You dismantle the throne he’s standing on — one coward at a time.

⸻

Stop being scared to fight dirty when the other side is fighting to erase the damn Constitution.

They are threatening to disappear AMERICANS. A M E R I C A N S. And your biggest move can’t be another strongly worded email. We don’t want your urgently fundraising subject lines. We want backbone. We want action. We want to know you’ll stand up before we’re all ordered to sit down — permanently. We are watching. And I don’t just mean your base. I mean millions of us who see exactly what’s happening. I’ve only got 6,000 followers — but the groups I’m in? The networks I touch? Over a quarter million. Often when I speak, it echoes. But when we ALL speak, it ROARS with pressure that will cause change. We need to be deafening. You still have a chance to do something historic. To be remembered for courage, not caution. To go down as the party that didn’t just watch the fall — but fought the hell back with everything they had.

But the clock is ticking.

And the deportation buses are idling.

* * * *

UPDATE AND NOTE:

I have received (what seems like) several hundred copies of a document allegedly authored by Liz Cheney entitled, “Democrats, I need more from you.” The “letter” was not authored by Cheney, but by someone who does not appear to have a readily identifiable profile as a pro-democracy activist. The purported author, “Dr. Pru Lee,” may not be the real identity of the author.

Setting aside the mysterious source of the letter, it has struck a chord with many Democrats. Indeed, many of the copies forwarded to me are accompanied by emails that express some sense of satisfaction that the author has criticized the Democratic Party for its failures and laid out a sensible plan for a path forward.

I suspect the letter was written by a Democratic consultant or insider who is upset with the progressive wing of the party and/or the grassroots movement. The author says, in part,

Yes, the tours around the country? Nice. The speeches? Nice. The clever congressional clapbacks? Nice. That was great for giving hope. Now we need action Don’t just send postcards. Send resources.

Many of the “recommendations” in the letter aren’t realistic—either in a reasonable timeframe or ever. For example, the letter demands the Democratic Party

Form an independent, civilian-powered investigative coalition. Deputize the resistance. Join the International Criminal Court. Fund state-level resistance infrastructure. Stop campaigning. You [the Democratic Party] should be publicly laying out: • The laws and amendments you’ll pass to ensure this never happens again • The systems you’ll tear down and the safeguards you’ll enshrine • The plan to hold perpetrators of human atrocities accountable.

I endorse the author’s passion and understand how the author has managed to channel the anger of rank-and-file Democrats toward their party. But it simply isn’t productive or helpful��during this moment of crisis to devote our resources to attacking the Democratic Party.

Here’s a thought experiment: If you have forwarded the above letter to your closest one hundred friends and relatives, try drafting a sequel that begins, “Dear Republicans, I need more from you . . . .”

The virtue of the “Dear Republicans” version of the letter is that it shifts the focus to where it belongs: On those who are enabling Trump, rather than on those who are resisting him.

Is the resistance perfect? No. Is the Democratic Party perfect? No. Are congressional Democrats perfect? No. But compared to their Republican counterparts, Democrats look like heroes of democracy, warts and all.

Democrats aren’t the problem. They are the solution. Be part of the solution. We can sort out the credits and debits after we reclaim democracy!

[Robert B. Hubbell]

[afloweroutofstone]

Republicans vote against the policy preferences of their voters more often than Democrats, but are not punished for it at the ballot box to the same degree that Democrats are. One theory for why is that Republicans are more motivated by ideological identity than Democrats are.

When a Republican voter identifies a policy they dislike that is nonetheless considered "conservative," they are more likely to approve of a politician supporting it than a Democratic voter would be with a policy they dislike that is nonetheless considered "liberal."

[Free PDF version here]

Drawing on research from political psychology, we argue that past scholarship on roll-call voting and representation has incorrectly conceptualized constituency preferences by dismissing symbolic attachment to ideological labels as a source of real attitudes used to evaluate legislative position taking. Indeed, political psychology research has shown that operational policy preferences and symbolic ideology are distinct dimensions of ideology that are not necessarily strongly correlated with one another (Converse 1964; Ellis and Stimson 2012). Mason (2018a) calls these two dimensions “issue-based ideology” and “identity-based ideology.” We argue that both dimensions of ideology—issue/policy and identity—influence public evaluations of elected representatives’ roll-call votes. Moreover, because people often hold policy preferences that do not match their symbolic, identity-based attitudes, a lawmaker’s roll-call decision can create internal conflict in how constituents evaluate their performance. A single roll-call vote can either satisfy both dimensions of a constituent’s preferences, neither dimension, or only one. When these two preferences diverge, we argue that rank-and-file Democrats reliably prioritize policy preferences over symbolic attachments, but rank-and-file Republicans tend to reconcile the conflict in favor of their symbolic attachments to their ideological identity. These differences in the behavior of Democrats and Republicans, we argue, are a function of the “source cues” that citizens receive from political elites—cues that help structure the opinion of rank-and-file partisans. Due to the ideological composition of each party’s coalition, the elite cues differ systematically between Democrats and Republicans. On the one hand, Republican identifiers overwhelmingly also identify themselves as conservatives—i.e., they embrace a conservative identity—but they hold diverse operational policy preferences. On the other hand, Democrats are a diverse coalition of ideological identities, but all largely endorse liberal policy positions. As a result, Republican and Democratic lawmakers face different incentives when it comes to the way they frame political issues and engage in roll-call behavior. Republican lawmakers are more likely than Democrats to cast roll-call votes that are incongruent with district opinion on high-profile policy issues because their constituents often value symbolic loyalty to “conservatism” more than they care about the content of the public policy being advanced, while the opposite is true for Democratic lawmakers. As a result, lawmakers of both parties are following their electoral incentives, but they serve districts that demand different patterns of representation. Our argument ultimately stands in contrast to recent work depicting Republicans as more motivated by ideology and Democrats by identity (see Grossmann and Hopkins 2016). ...We show that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to approve of representatives who cast votes in line with their specific policy preferences. Conversely, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to approve of representatives who vote in line with their ideological identity, even if they sometimes vote against their preferred policy outcome. In other words, Republican identifiers reward support for in-group loyalty to the conservative team but Democratic identifiers reward support for their individual policy positions. ...Among districts represented by Republicans, though, operational opinion has a weaker association with roll-call decisions than it does among districts represented by Democrats, while the reverse is true for symbolic, identity-based attitudes. The district’s symbolic attitudes predict roll-call voting for Republicans in Congress more than they do for Democrats.

[visenyaism]

why was lbj right for doing it, hypothetically?

Civil Rights Act of ‘64 and Voting Rights Act of ‘65 were not going to pass themselves. And JFK sure as hell could not get them through Congress Jack was washed he did not have the juice and while he spoke in favor of civil rights he was real scared of losing white Southern Democratic support with his coalition.

In contrast LBJ was a rat bastard ruthless motherfucker who ran the Senate like the navy. Literal days after JFK was killed Johnson was fully capitalizing on the tragic murder of the president and telling Congress and the American people there was going to be no better memorial to JFK than passing the civil rights act, something that Kennedy only kind of wanted to do.

LBJ then spent months going door-to-door in both the house and the Senate to get people to pass civil rights legislation by any means necessary. He was calling people at 4 AM, threatening to blackmail them, cutting deals on an individual and coalition building basis, and really waving JFK’s bloody shirt until enough people came together. He got those two bills through without any insane concessions and won the rights of literal millions of people in America to vote and live free of Jim Crow era segregation. Would not have happened under JFK.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Morgan Stephens at Daily Kos:

Since President Donald Trump was sworn in, blue state attorneys general have banded together to oppose the White House’s many unlawful actions. Their latest push: defending fired federal employees. A coalition of 20 attorneys general filed a lawsuit Thursday against numerous federal agencies for conducting mass layoffs of federal probationary employees without giving the lawfully required 60-day notice to state governments. They are asking a Maryland court to reinstate unlawfully fired employees, stop further similar terminations, and identify impacted employees.  “​​These large-scale, indiscriminate firings are not only subjecting the plaintiff states and communities across the country to chaos. They are also against the law,” the complaint states. Democratic attorneys general, the Democratic Party, and labor unions are tying the White House up in the courts with lawsuits—and they have already scored two victories against a draconian federal funding freeze and an unconstitutional birthright citizenship ban.  The latest lawsuit is in reaction to thousands of federal employees being fired, including those who served our country and their relatives. The firings have been so sweeping that they have reportedly overwhelmed the unemployment benefits system. Workers have faced degrading demands from co-President Elon Musk at the risk of losing their jobs, or had to deal with MAGA relatives celebrating their career demise.  After Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency instituted indiscriminate layoffs across federal agencies including the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. experienced commercial plane crashes and a surge in measles. The White House responded by having agency supervisors beg fired employees to come back. Democratic lawmakers have also resisted​​ the DOGE-directed firings, introducing legislation that reinstates fired veterans. Some Democrats invited laid-off employees as their guests during Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday to highlight their plights. 

Democratic AGs across the USA are continuing to sue the lawless senile megalomaniac occupying the White House.

[beardedmrbean]

Transgender advocates are pushing back on activists who resort to “unreasonable” tactics, with some admitting they “cannot vilify” critics — as support among Americans for their biggest issues plunges.

Transgender rights came in dead last in a Gallup poll that asked 2024 voters to rank the 22 issues that factored into their ballot decision, with 36% of survey respondents rating them “not important.”

Drilling down into polling on specific issues — such as transgender bathroom policy, trans athletes competing in female sports and laws allowing gender-questioning youth to procure medical sex change treatment — reveals support from many Americans is waning.

Some LGBTQ activists recently told the New York Times they believe the worrying dip in support is attributable to the zealotry of the movement, which emphasizes shame and forced compliance while discouraging any critical debate.

“We have to make it OK for someone to change their minds,” Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of Advocates for Transgender Equality, told the outlet.

“We cannot vilify them for not being on our side. No one wants to join that team.”

Advocates cited tactics — such as stripping distinctions of “male” or “female” from abortion and childbirth topics, being fanatical about pronoun use and likening even unintentional misidentification of a trans person to an act of violence — has not helped grow their coalition of allies.

“No one wants to feel stupid or condescended to,” Heng-Lehtinen acknowledged.

Rethinking how the issue is advocated has also become a part of the Democrats’ ideological reckoning following their decisive loss in this year’s election.

The Trump campaign seized on Vice President Kamala Harris’ past support for taxpayer-funded sex change operations for prisoners, and turned her pushing of LGBTQ issues into one of the most effective campaign ad slogans of the election: “Kamala is for they/them. I am for you.”

Even a small group of Democratic members of Congress have started testing the waters in defiance of the trans lobby.

“Here we are calling Republicans weird, and we’re the party that makes people put pronouns in their email signature,” said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.).

His office was protested by trans activists after he suggested transgender athletes competing against biological females could have an advantage or even injure other competitors — which has happened and continues to happen.

Tufts University’s science department chair purportedly claimed that the school would be cut off internships with Moulton’s office over his concerns, but the Boston institution quickly clarified that was not the case.

Mara Keisling, founder of the National Center for Transgender Equality, pointed the finger at activists for devoting so much energy to debating losing issues.

Among them, she told the Times, were the demonization of “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling for her stance against the encroachment of biological males into female spaces, and pretending that any objections to transgender women in sports are invalid and rooted in discrimination.

The issue of sports, in particular, Keisling noted, was an instance where Americans moved away from sympathizing with trans activists.

“We looked unreasonable,” she told the outlet. “We should be talking about the 7-year-old who just wants to play soccer with her friends.”

[saywhat-politics]

WASHINGTON (AP/AZFamily) — Arizona’s attorney general joined a coalition of Democratic-led states in challenging the Trump administration’s sweeping layoffs across the Education Department, saying it amounts to an illegal dismantling of an agency created by Congress.

In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Massachusetts, 20 states and Washington, D.C., say the layoffs are so severe that the department “can no longer function, and cannot comply with its statutory requirements.”

[ometochtli2rabbit]

BREAKING: The gangs of L.A. brokered a truce and just did more for injustice against innocent immigrants than the entire U.S. Senate has done since they discovered C-SPAN doesn’t have commercials.

Yeah, you heard me. Street crews… yes, those same folks your racist uncle thinks are the final boss in a Fox News fever dream… are now escorting immigrants to court like chivalrous vigilantes in Nike tech fleece. Because when the state decides the Constitution is optional and ICE turns into a roaming death squad with a mask and a clipboard, sometimes the only due process you get is five dudes in matching hoodies telling the feds, “Nah, bro. Not today.”

And guess what? It works. Because ICE agents will happily snatch a grandma from a church picnic if she makes a good deportation stat… but put them near anyone who doesn’t say “yes, sir” with a trembling voice and suddenly they remember they have “other priorities.” These federalized cosplay commandos without badges (but definitely daddy issues) don’t go after the dangerous… they go after the docile. Why? Because they’re not enforcers of law… they’re mall cops with militarized toys and the moral compass of a broken Etch A Sketch.

So of course ICE targets “assimilated immigrants with families.” Because God forbid we deport a white-collar CEO laundering cartel money in Miami… nah, better to rip a kid from his dad in front of the school, then call it “border security.” These aren’t agents… they’re cowards in windbreakers playing hide-and-seek with the American Dream.

And meanwhile, the gangs… yes, gangs… have done what Congress won’t: form a coalition to protect vulnerable people from a government that thinks “compassion” is a foreign threat. These guys just unionized against fascism faster than the Democratic Party could agree on brunch.

So let’s be real. If you’re more outraged that gang members are helping immigrants than you are that the government is hunting them like they’re Pokémon with poor English, you’re not patriotic… you’re complicit. You’re the spiritual lovechild of George Wallace and a Ring doorbell, screaming “law and order” while your empathy dies in 4K.

ICE isn’t about safety. It’s about optics. It’s about keeping middle America scared shitless so they don’t realize who’s actually robbing them blind: it’s not José from Oaxaca, it’s Jeff from JPMorgan.

So props to the homies rolling deep to immigration court. Because while Congress filibusters itself into irrelevance and ICE roleplays as apartheid cosplay, someone’s actually showing up for justice.

You call it gang violence. I call it community defense.

And if that scares you? That’s not fear. That’s your conscience trying to escape the prison you built out of denial. Let it out. Or stay silent… and history will remember you the same way it remembers the cowards: not at all.

If your biggest concern is how uncomfortable this rant made you, congrats… you’re officially less useful than a wet napkin at a house fire. But hey, keep scrolling. I’m sure there’s a cat video somewhere that’ll let you pretend the world isn’t burning.

Wake the hell up.

[tanadrin]

One of Biden's strengths as a politician who has been around since forever is that he seems to be very good at low-key/behind-the-scenes dealmaking and negotiation. In an era where Congress is uniquely dysfunctional and the Democrats have had to depend on marginal coalition members like Joe Manchin, he got the IRA passed, and that's quite impressive.

But that trait is the opposite of the kind of attention-grabbing charisma that's needed to sell people on your (very real and very important!) political accomplishments, and unfortunately he is kind of old, he is quite prone to sticking his foot in his mouth, and he is a member of a party that seems to have really weird and bad political instincts. So it would be ironic if the thing that makes him good at his job is the thing that also keeps him from getting reelected.

[mariacallous]

To all of you — our incredible supporters and donors — your unwavering support has been truly heartening. Since President Zelensky's visit last week, we have received an outpouring of kindness from you — through messages, comments, phone calls, and generous contributions. Here are just a few messages we've received in recent days:

“We respect you for your strength, leadership and love for your country. God bless you and the Ukrainians.”

“Don’t despair. Many people in the U.S. support you.”

“My support and prayers are with Ukraine. The U.S. must never side with a dictator against a democratic country.”

Your dedication reminds us why we do what we do: to help those in need, provide lifesaving aid, and stand firmly in support of Ukraine. We remain steadfast in our mission, and because of your generosity, we can continue delivering critical aid to those who need it most. Just as we are committed to the people of Ukraine, we are equally committed to you — our community.  We will continue to keep you informed, engaged, and connected to the impact of your support.

In this critical time, raising awareness and making our voices heard is more important than ever. One of the most impactful things you can do right now is contact your elected officials and urge them to continue supporting Ukraine. The American Coalition for Ukraine — co-founded by United Help Ukraine — has created an easy-to-use tool to help you quickly email or call your Representative in Congress and Senators. It only takes 5 minutes — take action now and share the link: bit.ly/StrongerWithUkraine.

Join us tomorrow (Tuesday, March 4th) at the Russell Senate Office Building & Constitution Ave from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM as we rally to show Congress that the American people stand with Ukraine! Capitol Hill closes to the public in the evening, so arrive early for maximum impact. If we have enough people, we may also demonstrate at Longworth and Independence Ave — so bring your friends and make your voice heard! For the latest updates, follow the Facebook event page below. Let’s show up, speak out, and stand strong for Ukraine!

Whether you're donating, advocating, or rallying in support, your actions are having a profound impact. Your generosity directly funds lifesaving aid — medical supplies, protective gear, and humanitarian relief — reaching Ukrainians on the front lines and those affected by the war. Thank you for standing with Ukraine. Together, we are making a real difference!

[zvaigzdelasas]

[TimesOfIsrael is Israeli Private Media]

The Knesset early Thursday voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The resolution was co-sponsored by parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition together with right-wing parties from the opposition and even received support from Benny Gantz’s centrist National Unity party.

Lawmakers from Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s center-left Yesh Atid party left the plenum to avoid backing the measure, even though he has spoken in favor of a two-state solution. The only ones to oppose the resolution were lawmakers from the Labor, Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al parties.

The initiative was passed just days before Netanyahu’s visit to the US to address a joint session of Congress and meet with President Joe Biden at the White House.[...]

Already in February, the Knesset passed a resolution sponsored by Netanyahu rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, but that motion specifically addressed the unilateral establishment of such a state amid reports that countries abroad were considering recognizing a Palestinian state absent a peace agreement with Israel.

This resolution — passed 68-9 — altogether rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, even as part of a negotiated settlement with Israel.[...]

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said in response to the vote that there is “no peace or security for anyone without the establishment of a Palestinian state” with East Jerusalem as its capital, noting that numerous UN member countries have already recognized it.[...]

He further accused the Israeli government of “pushing the entire region into the abyss” with Washington’s support and labeled Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza as “terrorism” for the civilian deaths it has caused.

Another senior PA official, Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and a top aide to Abbas, wrote on X that the Knesset’s decision confirms Israel’s “racism,” “disregard for international law,” and “policy of perpetuating the occupation forever.”

Al-Sheikh urged countries that are hesitant to recognize a Palestinian state to do so “immediately” in order to protect the two-state solution and called on Arab states to “respond appropriately” to the resolution passed in the Knesset.

18 Jul 24