Quo Vadis, Democrats?

[Iormlund]

None of that stuff meaningfully improved the life of Americans.

Healthcare overhaul, education reform, worker rights (say maternity leave), bringing some sanity to electoral and judicial systems.

That's the sort of legislation I'm talking about.

Healthcare overhaul was attempted by Obama, and the courts, after Trump nominated his cronies, rescinded most of the act.

Education is primarily a State responsibility.  They don't intervene directly in the way you suggest:
https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview/federal-role-in-education

Workers rights is shared between States and Federal. 
https://uniontrack.com/blog/federal-and-state-labor-laws
It's unclear up to where can the Federal govt legally go without the Supreme court backing.  But Kamala Harris did promise to raise the minimum wage to 15$.  There's only so much things you can do in 2 years of a congressional session.

Excuses.

It took fundies almost 50 years to overthrow RvW. It seemed impossible, but they did it.

What have the Democrats done that is comparable in investment, planning and impact in the past 30 years?

[viper37]

None of that stuff meaningfully improved the life of Americans.

Healthcare overhaul, education reform, worker rights (say maternity leave), bringing some sanity to electoral and judicial systems.

That's the sort of legislation I'm talking about.

Healthcare overhaul was attempted by Obama, and the courts, after Trump nominated his cronies, rescinded most of the act.

Education is primarily a State responsibility.  They don't intervene directly in the way you suggest:
https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview/federal-role-in-education

Workers rights is shared between States and Federal. 
https://uniontrack.com/blog/federal-and-state-labor-laws
It's unclear up to where can the Federal govt legally go without the Supreme court backing.  But Kamala Harris did promise to raise the minimum wage to 15$.  There's only so much things you can do in 2 years of a congressional session.

Excuses.

It took fundies almost 50 years to overthrow RvW. It seemed impossible, but they did it.

What have the Democrats done that is comparable in investment, planning and impact in the past 30 years?

The Affordable Care Act was a lifetime achievement. From this, the US could have evolved toward universal health care.

Undone by stupid voters who considered Clinton worst than Trump, mostly.  Helped by Russian propaganda and complacent social networks, but mostly stupid voters from the left who decided to snub their candidate.  And the re-did it with Harris leading to the current situation.

The left expect perfection.  If it's not perfect, they're angry and they reject their candidate, either not voting or voting for worst.

The right is often very patient and willing to compromise.  Best example is probably Trump.  Don't tell me the Christian Right voted for him because he's God's chosen.  He got them the Judges to repeal Roe v. Wade.  He wasn't perfect but he could get them there.  He was morally and financially corrupt, he would destroy the US, but he would bring forward their Christian conservative agenda with the Justice they wanted.

When did the leftwing voters acted this way?  Never, they just keep whining that their candidat is flawed.

[The Minsky Moment]

Roe was under siege from the day it was handed down until the day it was struck down.  There were a number of close calls but some conservative justice would always switch at the last minute.  With Trump, the fundies finally found someone willing to put in enough true believers who wouldn't flinch.

[Neil]

Roe was under siege from the day it was handed down until the day it was struck down.  There were a number of close calls but some conservative justice would always switch at the last minute.  With Trump, the fundies finally found someone willing to put in enough true believers who wouldn't flinch.

There were a number of decisions from that time that were heavily opposed.  Obviously Roe, Bakke has been under fire forever, and probably most profoundly Swann. 

[Valmy]

It took fundies almost 50 years to overthrow RvW. It seemed impossible, but they did it.

What have the Democrats done that is comparable in investment, planning and impact in the past 30 years?

I guess. They came close but failed time after time after time.

And due to cruel fate, or maybe God's will, virtually all Supreme Court Justices since 1968 have been appointed by Republican Presidents. Jimmy Carter appointed zero. Clinton appointed two. Obama appointed two. Biden appointed one.

Five. Five in 57 years. That is some pretty remarkably shitty luck.

Whereas Nixon appointed 4, Ford appointed 1, Reagan appointed 4, HW Bush appointed 2, W Bush appointed 2, and Trump got 3.

So 16-5. Just on pure luck. The Republicans had it handed to them.

So unless the Democrats should have sent out specially trained Supreme Court justice assassins I am not sure what they could have done about that. It was a damn miracle Roe held on as long as it did.

What the Democrats should have done was what they ended up doing on Gay marriage and codify Roe into law. But oh well.

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/09/democrats-aggressive-stand-against-trump

US Democrats call for more aggressive tactics against Trump and Musk: 'We're going to be the opposition'

As Trump aims to dismantle large swaths of US government, growing outcry from Democrats appears to be having an effect

When organizers announced a "Nobody Elected Elon" protest at the treasury department's headquarters in Washington – in response to the revelation that Elon Musk's "department of government efficiency" (Doge) had accessed sensitive taxpayer data – not a single Democratic lawmaker had agreed to attend.

But as public outrage mounted over Donald Trump's brazen assault on the federal government, the speaking list grew. In the end, more than two dozen Democratic members of Congress including Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, spoke at the event, which drew hundreds of protesters outside on a frigid Tuesday last week. In speech after speech, they pledged to do everything in their power to block Trump from carrying out his right-wing agenda.

"We might have a few less seats in Congress," Maxwell Frost, a Representative from Florida, thundered into the microphone. "But we're not going to be the minority. We're going to be the opposition."

In the weeks since Trump took office, Democrats in Washington have been under increasing pressure from the left to get tougher as the president, with Musk at his side, defies Congress and possibly the constitution. Their phone lines have been inundated with angry callers imploring the opposition party to "do something". And on Wednesday, progressive activists staged protests outside of their Congressional offices, demanding Democrats in Washington "treat this as the constitutional crisis it is".

"Nobody is going to hear your boring message about the price of tomatoes when a coup is going on," said Ezra Levin, co-founder of the activist group Indivisible, which helped organized the treasury department action. "You've got to fight back."

Relegated to the minority in both chambers of Congress, Democrats have limited powers to stop Trump. But Levin said there is more they could be doing to stand in the way, especially in the Senate.

He has urged Democrats to channel Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader who built a reputation as a ruthless tactician by stonewalling much of Barack Obama's agenda.

"Mitch McConnell was the leader of a much smaller minority than Chuck Schumer leads today. And you know what, he never said, 'I'm in the minority. I'm powerless. What do you want me to do?'" he noted, challenging Democrats to "pretend you're Mitch McConnell ... and use the powers that he would use."

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats held the floor in an all-night protest against Russell Vought, Trump's nominee to lead the White House budget office and the architect of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump's second term. The office was behind a now-rescinded Trump administration order freezing all federal loans and grants, which drew legal challenges and united Democrats in opposition. Vought was ultimately confirmed along party lines, but activists were pleased to see Democrats jolted into action.

"What we are seeing from members is a very strong desire for Democrats to show some resolve and meet the moment," said Britt Jacovich, spokesperson for MoveOn, a progressive group that helped organize Tuesday's protest. "They want Senate leadership and House leadership to use every tool at their disposal to fight back."

Some Democratic senators – Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware – have said they will vote against all of Trump's nominees, citing the president's "unacceptable and dangerous" actions. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii said he will put a "blanket hold" on all of Trump's state department nominees until the administration restores funding to USAid, which Musk moved to eliminate.

"We should not be complicit in approving Trump's nominees or Trump's legislation," Murphy told the Guardian, arguing that doing so sends the wrong message to Americans whom Democrats are asking to rise up against the Trump administration's "dangerous slide towards corruption".

In the House Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, has vowed to use Democrats' leverage in the narrowly divided chamber to protect federal programs that Trump has tried to defund. On Thursday, he introduced legislation that would shield taxpayers' personal data from the Doge team, denouncing Musk as an "unelected, unaccountable, out-of-control billionaire puppet master".

Democrats are also attempting to seize the spotlight. Last week, groups of House and Senate Democrats turned up at government agencies targeted by Doge. On Monday, they protested outside of USAid's headquarters in solidarity with fired and furloughed workers, after being denied entry from the agency's building. Similar standoffs unfolded at the treasury department and the education department.

Trump, with Musk's help, has acted with astonishing speed. The president's blitz of executive actions is part of a deliberate effort to "flood the zone" – a tactic that former Trump administration strategist Stephen Bannon said was designed to overwhelm the opposition and the media.

"It's important for you to understand that the paralysis and shock that you feel right now is the point," Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told followers during an Instagram live last week. "They are trying to induce a state of passivity among the general public."

But she said Democrats could flood the zone as well, and encouraged supporters to keep making calls to members of Congress, including to Republicans in vulnerable districts who may be persuaded to vote against the president's agenda if they fear a political backlash in their district.

While Democrats in Washington adjust to a new political reality, many on the left are placing their hopes in local and state leaders.

"On everything from immigration to climate change to abortion access and education, they are going to be able to do so much, whether it's harm mitigation or actually advancing progressive policies that we're just not going to get in DC," said Amanda Litman, the executive director of Run For Something, a progressive group that helps young people run for local office.

One of their recruits, Alyshia Dyer, was elected in November to serve as sheriff of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Last month Dyer said her office would not assist federal immigration authorities.

There are also early signs that the next four years could yield a new class of Democratic leaders, as happened during Trump's first term. Since election day, Run for Something has had more than 17,000 people express interest in running for office, Litman said, including 4,000 since inauguration day.

Shocking power grabs by Trump and Musk have rekindled the anti-Trump resistance. Democratic attorneys general, liberal groups and non-profits have already brought dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration and Doge, notching a series of favorable rulings. Meanwhile, thousands joined demonstrations across the country this week, stretching from Los Angeles city hall to the US Capitol in Washington.

Protesters carried signs denouncing everything from Trump's crackdown on immigrants to his attack on transgender people and his proposal for the United States to take ownership of Gaza. Motivating many of the actions was the fear that American democracy was in peril.

"These are not normal times," said Isabel Storey, a member of Indivisible Westside LA, who helped organize a protest outside of California Senator Alex Padilla's office this week. "Our message to them was that they need to shut down business as usual."

Since Trump took office, Storey said she has been "swamped" with inquiries from people asking how they can get involved and make a difference. She even had someone who had joined a letter-writing event at her house years ago during Trump's first administration knock on her door to ask: "Are you doing anything now?"

That is the same question progressive activists are posing back to their party's leaders in Washington. Storey said she is a strong supporter of both of California's Democratic senators but on Wednesday she and her daughter stood outside Padilla's office demanding he and his colleagues "do everything they can to impede this coup that is happening".

At one point, she nearly became emotional as she considered the stakes if they do not succeed. "I almost started crying because I'm looking at my daughter thinking, I don't want her to grow up in a dictatorship."

[Tamas]

Healthcare overhaul, education reform, worker rights (say maternity leave), bringing some sanity to electoral and judicial systems.

Socialism, wokeism, socialism, tyranny.

[Barrister]

Excuses.

It took fundies almost 50 years to overthrow RvW. It seemed impossible, but they did it.

What have the Democrats done that is comparable in investment, planning and impact in the past 30 years?

Gay marriage.

[Oexmelin]

And due to cruel fate, or maybe God's will, virtually all Supreme Court Justices since 1968 have been appointed by Republican Presidents. Jimmy Carter appointed zero. Clinton appointed two. Obama appointed two. Biden appointed one.

No. Not just fate. Political ineptitude as well. Bader Ginzburg may have been a great jurist, but her political acumen during her last few years was terrible, and no one thought it important enough to put pressure on her to retire.

Republicans blocked the appointment of milquetoast supreme Garland, though one has to wonder if that would have made a difference - still, it may have given the US someone more competent as Attorney General.

Then, there was also the possibility of treating the corruption of the Supreme Court seriously, and pack the courts - but of course, that never happened either - holding on to the nonexistent chance that Republicans somehow would come to their senses, or for fear that it would discredit the institution. Thank god that institution's reputation is preserved...

[crazy canuck]

You are being overly critical of RBG. She held on because she was certain that the Republicans would bloke her replacement in the Senate.  She was waiting for a Dems to be able to do that.  And assuming she had the knowledge that Trump would win, when every poll said otherwise, is not fair.

[garbon]

I thought that was the prevailing thought. Her legacy is tarnished by current generations. Perhaps later history will be more kind.

[crazy canuck]

I thought that was the prevailing thought. Her legacy is tarnished by current generations. Perhaps later history will be more kind.

That was certainly a narrative the cropped up, despite all the facts to the contrary.

But I recall a past in which everyone was cheering her on as she went to the gym to stay in shape, because we all realized it was not politically possible to replace her.  Now that she is gone, she is a convenient scapegoat.

[Oexmelin]

I did not expect her to know that Trump would win, but to know that she would eventually die. I would have expected her to at least get a reading on the changing political climate - or, at least, for others to get it, and push her aside. Gently, preferably; forcefully, if need be.

I had the chance to hear her speak. I have tremendous respect for what she did, but her political acumen struck me as being stuck in the 90s. Somewhat like Biden.

[crazy canuck]

I did not expect her to know that Trump would win, but to know that she would eventually die. I would have expected her to at least get a reading on the changing political climate - or, at least, for others to get it, and push her aside. Gently, preferably; forcefully, if need be.

I had the chance to hear her speak. I have tremendous respect for what she did, but her political acumen struck me as being stuck in the 90s. Somewhat like Biden.

We all die, and what reading of the changing political climate did you expect her to read?  How is it logical for you to suggest both that she should not have realized Trump would win and she should have somehow have sensed that the political climate was changing?  Up until election night it looked certain that the Dems would win not just the white house but congress, and then it would have been an easy thing to replace her.

It is a folly of hindsight to suggest that RBG should have been able to see otherwise.

[Jacob]

The important thing when your democracy is under siege is to point fingers and lay blame at the people who may have been imperfect. Don't get distracted by trying to figure out how to fight back, you have to focus on what actually matters - that is, tearing down allies and compatriots who are insufficiently pure or were insufficiently wise in the decisions they made in the past.