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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSlate - "What the Hell Is Wrong With Senate Democrats?"
(Great question, by the way)...
By Osita Nwanevu
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/01/27/what_the_hell_is_wrong_with_senate_democrats.html
Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii won his race in November with nearly 74 percent of the vote. He had the biggest margin of victory of any senator on the ballot in 2016, in a state that gave Hillary Clinton her biggest margin. He is ensconced. By all rights he should be, if not a leader, at least a foot soldier in the Democratic resistance to President Trump.
It was perhaps with these things in mind that the Huffington Post interviewed him on Tuesday over his votes in favor of Donald Trumps nomineesfive in all thus far. The Democratic Party, Schatz explained, should work to approve reasonable Trump appointments. The door swings both ways in Washington, he said. At some point were going to want a Democratic president to stand up a Cabinet. So were trying to be reasonable when the nominees are reasonable.
Leave aside for a moment Schatzs evident willingness to support as reasonable the nomination of Mike Pompeo, a man who thinks the CIAs torturers are patriots, as the agencys director. As anyone who has been awake for the past eight years should be well aware, the notion that the Republican Party will reward Democrats in the future for their deference now is utterly laughable.
So just what the hell is going on in the Senate?
One can understand, perhaps, the ease with which Defense Secretary James Mattis won the support of Senate Democrats given the possibility that hell be a moderating influence on Trumps foreign policy. The same is true, for similar reasons, of Nikki Haleys confirmation as ambassador to the United Nations. Wilbur Ross and Elaine Chaos fairly uncontroversial nominations sailed through the Senate Commerce Committee on voice votesone can also understand, perhaps, Democrats having a hard time getting worked up over those two. But 37 Democrats in the Senate voting to confirm John Kelly as secretary of Homeland Security, even though he has pledged to go after sanctuary cities and declined to give a clear answer as to how he would deal with DREAMers? Fourteen Democrats voting to confirm Mike Pompeo, a man who said that Islamic leaders in America were generally complicit in terrorism, as CIA director? All 11 of the Senate Banking Committees Democrats voting unanimouslyunanimouslyto advance the nomination of Ben Grain Silo Carsona man who has stated that he could not, in good conscience, vote for a Muslim president and is, by his own reported admission, unqualified to run any federal agency? What gives? The answer, as always, is the Democratic Party.
snip
and my favorite line
"The broader truth is this: the Democrats, unlike the Republican Party, havent a clue how to build and wield power"
Worktodo
(288 posts)Apologies if that sounds harsh, but I too get tired of watching the minor unacceptable candidates go though (and think OK they'll stand up against so-and-so) and then when the time comes nobody's organized. Elected Democrats need to stop being the Unorganized Opposition and rise to the threat level posed by gerrymandering and voter suppression.
triron
(22,028 posts)I may vote independent from now on. Very disappointed in dems. sorry
Initech
(100,118 posts)Blue_true
(31,261 posts)LePage won a second term in Maine because Democrats and an Independent split the overwhelming majority vote. We can't win for stepping on our own feet. Why not get involved in vetting Democrat candidates in your state? Rally people that think like you to pack your local and State Democratic Party leadership. When you vote independent, you insure a republican win office - why not insure a solid Democrat wins the primary and then support that person in the general?
I am truly disappointed in the Senator from Hawaii. Republicans have shown us that they won't reciprocate to govern, for them, it is all or none. If those nominees were sent up by Hillary, you can bet Ted Cruz and Mike Lee would have put holds on most, if not all of them.
doc03
(35,416 posts)Cha
(297,888 posts)NRaleighLiberal
(60,028 posts)bagelsforbreakfast
(1,427 posts)The door swings both ways in Washington, he said. YEP - and it's payback time now!
Crash2Parties
(6,017 posts)spanone
(135,915 posts)holy shit
DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)Qutzupalotl
(14,340 posts)Ben Carson said himself that he was not qualified. That should be an automatic NO vote!
JDC
(10,137 posts)In the Democratic Party. Very few of our "representatives" carry the will of the people to Washington. Time to Primary these folks.
yardwork
(61,737 posts)They need to hear from us.