In Virginia, the Democratic Party victory margin for governor was a whopping 9 points.
In Alabama, of all places, the Democratic Party candidate, Doug Jones, won the recent U.S. Senate election.
In nationwide polling, post the #GOPTaxScam and in the face of Trump’s kakistocracy, the notional ballot has Democratic Party up an historic, almost-unprecedented 18 percentage points for the November 2018 election.
Meanwihle, in Congress, the Democratic Party has very limited power in the face of Trump-ista Republican disdain for democracy, rule of law and longstanding American precedent. For now, perhaps the most powerful tool the Democrats have at their disposal is the ability to say NO WAY to legislation requiring 60 votes in the Senate.
With the above in mind, perhaps it is time for the Senate minority party to listen to the latest from Pod Save America:
“Hey Democrats, on CHIP and the Dream Act, please fucking stand up for once.”
The Democratic Party leadership should pull together the caucus and seek agreement to a clear set of “this will happen or else the GOP shuts down the Federal Government for Christmas.”
Here is a recommendation for a four-part list for a Democratic Party Christmas/New Year’s gift to Americans — clean legislation…
- Providing Dreamers’ a legalized status with path toward citizenship.
- Funding CHIP for three years.
- Establishing a ($90B?) disaster relief fund, including a substantial “Caribbean Marshall Fund” for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
- Restricting Trump’s ability to cavalierly fire Robert Mueller.
There are legislative drafts for all four of these sitting in the wings — every one of them more substantively thought through and prepared than the error-filled, economy-busting, uber-wealthy-enriching GOP tax scheme/scam.
And while some might deride the Dreamers’ disruption of Tim Kaine’s event last night in Arlington, those young people represented true passion in the face of a desperate situation. The millions of knocked doors in Virginia and Alabama, etc. are another sign of that passion in the face of a desperate situation. The polling showing an 18 percentage point Democratic Party advantage over Republicans is an expression of that true passion in the face of the desperate situation for all Americans created by the Republican and Trump kakistocracy.
Senator Tim Kaine — and the rest of the Democratic Party Senators — should pay attention to that passion and act with similar passion to reduce the damage of this desperate situation. They need to follow Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats lead — simply ‘say no’ to signing off on the GOP budget unless there is substantive value in the deal.
Like the absurdity of Senators Susan Collins and Jeff Flake saying they have “promises” for action on key issues, surrendering this opportunity with the vague hope of being able to have another chance sometime in the future is beyond risky; it’s absurd.
Let’s be clear: the majority of Americans are fearful of what is happening in the country and are passionate about acting to forestall the damage. They will have your back, Democratic Party Senators, if you show — via your actions — similar passion and similar understanding of how desperate the situation is in Trump’s America. Thank you.
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https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/943890727418855424
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