Honestly, Van Hollen’s trip was morally necessary. Good on him. But having every representative head on down to El Salvador seems like piling on to goodwill. It seems disingenuous, like the not-so-cool girl trying to get in with the mean girls- awkward.
This is why the trumplicans are running the show. Dems need to grow a spine or move out of the way and let the younger ones give it shot because what the dems are doing now, clearly is NOT working.
If Jeffries is worried about the mid-terms, perhaps he should try to lead the Party to a position where they support causes that are recognized and supported by major portions of the electorate. You work only to appeal to the fringe, then you lose elections.
I'm gonna buy some gum, take it to Leader Jeffries' office, pop it in my mouth, chew it, and start walking.
I want to make sure he understands that we can fight dictatorship and call attention to disastrous economic policy at the same time and not trip over our own feet.
And besides, they're part of the same issue: Congress is supposed to control trade policy, not a mad king. Courts are supposed to adjudicate extraditions and deportations, not a mad king.
The problem in both cases is a lumbering, megalomaniacal ignoramus-tyrant leaving a trail of destruction across our government and country.
I think we can make that case. I think we have to.
Good grief, just when you think the Democrats couldn't cower any lower they break out the jackhammers. They avoid talking about immigration for years because why? "It's a Republican issue, doesn't poll well for us, blah, blah, blah...."
And here we are, due process out the window. And they're still thinking that way.
Wow. Dem leadership is so disappointing. Keep these egregious moral failings in the media!!! It was working to drive down his approval ratings. It was working to educate people on why due process matters. Why can't this "opposition party" walk and chew gum at the same time???
I agree. As much as I see the necessity of voting Republicans out of Congress, any idea that the Democratic party will save us is practically delusional. Unless they start to fear their own voters the same way the Republicans fear MAGA, they're not going to change their tune.
“This is not the right issue to talk about due process. This is not the right case. This is not the right person to be saying that we need to bring him back to the United States,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the party’s more conservative members, told Fox News Radio.
This is completely the wrong take on the subject, and is a clear and frank example of the problem with the Democrats. The issue is simple and does not require nuance. Under your Constitution, backed up by SCOTUS precedence, all persons on American soil whether citizen or not are entitled to due process. It matters not whether the person is guilty or innocent, how imperfect the person is or what their immigration status is. Whatever the issue it's supposed to be decided in court on the merits with the accused given access to legal counsel. That is the beginning, the middle and the end of the story - nothing else is material to the fight.
Looking for the perfect case to fight for actually gives the administration ammunition for the future, and allows them to disappear people at will. They will know that Dems will be gun-shy as to which case to fight for, wasting time looking into the background of each person disappeared, and when they finally get their ducks in a row it will be too late.
As for Hakeem Jeffries' denial of discouraging travel, it would be more believable if his office had stated it was untrue when approached, instead of no comment. Another thing is the last paragraph where a Democratic lawmaker talks about a party needing to be disciplined. Two problems with this attitude is that the midterms are an eternity away in your current situation (and that's assuming they are free & fair which is not guaranteed). The second problem is that normal politics should be out the window for now, the fight should be Everything Everywhere All At Once. Elected Representatives should be expected to be able to walk & chew gum at the same time. They should also be fighting the issues that are big in their districts. Have a lot of Federal workers in your district then you fight hard on DOGE. Have a high proportion of retired residents or those approaching retirement then you go hard on Social Security. Every district will have an issue and every Representative or Senator should be fighting for their constituents.
These are not normal times for your country. Stop trying to massage the messaging & be angry like your voters are. Don't be a Schumer and write a strongly worded letter that will probably be framed and laughed at, show your people you have courage and are willing to stand up & fight for them and their issues! Follow the example of some of your fellow Dems that are out there doing something. There's 213 Dems in the House & 45 in the Senate, which means there are a lot of silent voices currently missing from the fight!
Democrats going to El Salvador is the equivalent of republicans going to the border. Except one concerns a constitutional right to due process and one concerns cruelty and hypocrisy.
Lifetime liberal and Democrat. Fuck Jeffries! Stand on principle man! What is wrong with you? Arresting random people and sending them to foreign concentration camps without due process is not acceptable and is unconstitutional. Did you not swear to uphold the constitution?
Not to throw shade on anyone but I generally follow the news pretty closely and I had no idea that any of these other people went. And still, I know nothing about it other than that they went. If it's not accomplishing anything, is there any reason to do it?
The El Salvadorian government is ignoring their requests to meet with prisoners and have no intention of paying attention to any of their requests. So, at this point, going there is performative rather than substantive.
Being performative might be of some value, but not if nobody even sees it. And it's not just me. There was another pod where this came up and JVL wasn't aware of it either - and it's literally his job to follow political news.
True enough, but so what? The entire federal government is a 24/7 display of ugly performance art. And why? Because it gets attention. It shapes the way the average voter is seeing things. Again, the Democrats are just ceding the stage to MAGA for the sake of their self-image. I think the world of Michelle Obama, but "when they go low, we go high" is terrible political advice, especially now
thank you for this reporting. What's it going to take to get the Democratic Party leaders to understand it's time for standing up to this nasty and brutish Trump administration? People want action!
Honestly, Van Hollen’s trip was morally necessary. Good on him. But having every representative head on down to El Salvador seems like piling on to goodwill. It seems disingenuous, like the not-so-cool girl trying to get in with the mean girls- awkward.
This is why the trumplicans are running the show. Dems need to grow a spine or move out of the way and let the younger ones give it shot because what the dems are doing now, clearly is NOT working.
If Jeffries is worried about the mid-terms, perhaps he should try to lead the Party to a position where they support causes that are recognized and supported by major portions of the electorate. You work only to appeal to the fringe, then you lose elections.
There will never be a "Perfect" deportee (well, maybe the kids with cancer, but aside from them). Due process is for everyone - not just for saints.
Shameful.
I'm gonna buy some gum, take it to Leader Jeffries' office, pop it in my mouth, chew it, and start walking.
I want to make sure he understands that we can fight dictatorship and call attention to disastrous economic policy at the same time and not trip over our own feet.
And besides, they're part of the same issue: Congress is supposed to control trade policy, not a mad king. Courts are supposed to adjudicate extraditions and deportations, not a mad king.
The problem in both cases is a lumbering, megalomaniacal ignoramus-tyrant leaving a trail of destruction across our government and country.
I think we can make that case. I think we have to.
Good grief, just when you think the Democrats couldn't cower any lower they break out the jackhammers. They avoid talking about immigration for years because why? "It's a Republican issue, doesn't poll well for us, blah, blah, blah...."
And here we are, due process out the window. And they're still thinking that way.
Wow. Dem leadership is so disappointing. Keep these egregious moral failings in the media!!! It was working to drive down his approval ratings. It was working to educate people on why due process matters. Why can't this "opposition party" walk and chew gum at the same time???
Miranda was not a Boy Scout either.
Correct, and neither was Gideon.
The entire party needs to be replaced.
I agree. As much as I see the necessity of voting Republicans out of Congress, any idea that the Democratic party will save us is practically delusional. Unless they start to fear their own voters the same way the Republicans fear MAGA, they're not going to change their tune.
“This is not the right issue to talk about due process. This is not the right case. This is not the right person to be saying that we need to bring him back to the United States,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the party’s more conservative members, told Fox News Radio.
This is completely the wrong take on the subject, and is a clear and frank example of the problem with the Democrats. The issue is simple and does not require nuance. Under your Constitution, backed up by SCOTUS precedence, all persons on American soil whether citizen or not are entitled to due process. It matters not whether the person is guilty or innocent, how imperfect the person is or what their immigration status is. Whatever the issue it's supposed to be decided in court on the merits with the accused given access to legal counsel. That is the beginning, the middle and the end of the story - nothing else is material to the fight.
Looking for the perfect case to fight for actually gives the administration ammunition for the future, and allows them to disappear people at will. They will know that Dems will be gun-shy as to which case to fight for, wasting time looking into the background of each person disappeared, and when they finally get their ducks in a row it will be too late.
As for Hakeem Jeffries' denial of discouraging travel, it would be more believable if his office had stated it was untrue when approached, instead of no comment. Another thing is the last paragraph where a Democratic lawmaker talks about a party needing to be disciplined. Two problems with this attitude is that the midterms are an eternity away in your current situation (and that's assuming they are free & fair which is not guaranteed). The second problem is that normal politics should be out the window for now, the fight should be Everything Everywhere All At Once. Elected Representatives should be expected to be able to walk & chew gum at the same time. They should also be fighting the issues that are big in their districts. Have a lot of Federal workers in your district then you fight hard on DOGE. Have a high proportion of retired residents or those approaching retirement then you go hard on Social Security. Every district will have an issue and every Representative or Senator should be fighting for their constituents.
These are not normal times for your country. Stop trying to massage the messaging & be angry like your voters are. Don't be a Schumer and write a strongly worded letter that will probably be framed and laughed at, show your people you have courage and are willing to stand up & fight for them and their issues! Follow the example of some of your fellow Dems that are out there doing something. There's 213 Dems in the House & 45 in the Senate, which means there are a lot of silent voices currently missing from the fight!
Democrats going to El Salvador is the equivalent of republicans going to the border. Except one concerns a constitutional right to due process and one concerns cruelty and hypocrisy.
Lifetime liberal and Democrat. Fuck Jeffries! Stand on principle man! What is wrong with you? Arresting random people and sending them to foreign concentration camps without due process is not acceptable and is unconstitutional. Did you not swear to uphold the constitution?
Not to throw shade on anyone but I generally follow the news pretty closely and I had no idea that any of these other people went. And still, I know nothing about it other than that they went. If it's not accomplishing anything, is there any reason to do it?
The El Salvadorian government is ignoring their requests to meet with prisoners and have no intention of paying attention to any of their requests. So, at this point, going there is performative rather than substantive.
Being performative might be of some value, but not if nobody even sees it. And it's not just me. There was another pod where this came up and JVL wasn't aware of it either - and it's literally his job to follow political news.
True enough, but so what? The entire federal government is a 24/7 display of ugly performance art. And why? Because it gets attention. It shapes the way the average voter is seeing things. Again, the Democrats are just ceding the stage to MAGA for the sake of their self-image. I think the world of Michelle Obama, but "when they go low, we go high" is terrible political advice, especially now
This was disgusting. Politicians. They are pretty much useless.
thank you for this reporting. What's it going to take to get the Democratic Party leaders to understand it's time for standing up to this nasty and brutish Trump administration? People want action!