this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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Summary

House Democrats are frustrated with progressive groups like MoveOn and Indivisible, which are pressuring them to oppose the Trump administration more aggressively.

In a closed-door meeting, lawmakers complained about grassroots activists driving constituent calls demanding obstructionist tactics.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer defended the party’s strategy, saying, “We are picking the most important fights and lying down on the train tracks on those fights.”

However, a CBS News/YouGov poll shows 65% of Democratic voters want all-out opposition to Trump’s agenda.

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[–] _chris@lemmy.world 9 points 1 hour ago

The Democrat party needs to end. We can't fight fascist activism by being nice to them. We also can't fight fascist billionaires with "nice guy" billionaires who ultimately benefit just as much, but just don't approve publicly of the methods.

The Democrat party needs to end.

[–] Jollyllama@lemmy.world 23 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

How many Democratic members of Congress (and their donors) are going to be richer thanks to Trump tax cuts?

[–] Belgdore@lemm.ee 9 points 2 hours ago

How many of them own stock in companies that are regulated by the institutions that musk is meddling in?

[–] trslim@pawb.social 20 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

We need a progressive party.

[–] sudo@programming.dev 6 points 2 hours ago

Hell just a real party that actually persues an democratically decided agenda would be a vast improvement. What we have instead is a coalition of career politicians.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 33 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

progressive groups like MoveOn and Indivisible

I've seen a lot of people asking how they can get involved and make a difference. Well, there's your answer. If those are the guys the Dems are mad at then they're the ones making the most impact.

[–] Theonetheycall1845@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago

I've been commenting this on every single YouTube video I watch. "America is in peril. If you're American and you're reading this we need to fight. Join or create a chapter of Indivisible in your area and get your community in on it. Doesn't matter if you're Republican or Democrat, fascism is good for neither. I love you all and we'll get through this. "

That's not all I'm doing either.

[–] cashsky@sh.itjust.works 13 points 5 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 8 points 2 hours ago

Also because they haven't tried to win since 2008.

Obama was the last election in which Democrats wanted the top seat. After which, they realized they can make just as much money with far less effort.

[–] itsonlygeorge@reddthat.com 39 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Spineless corporate shills. They don’t want to do the hard work of governing either. They just want a fat corporate paycheck from lobbyists and insider information for stock trades.

[–] cogman@lemmy.world 17 points 6 hours ago

Don't you see? They've earned it by being in Congress since the 80s and doing nothing but dismantling the government for kick backs. Now let them retire in office in peace, it's a lot to ask an 80 year old to put up a fight.

The Senate: the only tax payer funded nursing home that is suitably staffed.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 21 points 8 hours ago

“We are getting paid to lose elections.” Yeah, thanks for the update dickhead.

[–] mox 47 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Dear House Democrats,

Fascism is currently destroying the US system of government that you like to call democracy.
Given the influence on the world held by the US, this is a major threat not only to the people you were trusted to represent, but to practically everyone.
If it succeeds in taking over the United States, it will be in no small part your fault.

Kindly do your fucking jobs.
Now.
Before it's too late.

[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 10 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

What REALLY pisses me off is that feeling that I’m being fucked. My ass has been pulled around to the front like a fucking contortionist and they fucked it right in my face.

Every email with the “stop fascism” this “stop fascism” that with the goddamn donate button like they’re actually doing anything to stop it OR that they actually believe it in the first place. You know what? They don’t. It’s politics as usual for these people.

Trump skipped Joe Biden’s inauguration.

These assholes are always pretending to be the good guys, he gave them a free pass to skip his inauguration when he went on and on about the election being stolen. Or, I don’t know, when he had them all running for their lives on January 6.

Seeing all of the former presidents sitting there at his inauguration (including Bush, who by the way has said out loud that the man is a threat to democracy) legitimized his position and everything looked like no big deal to all of the people who aren’t paying attention.

It lends legitimacy to the claim that people are experiencing some derangement syndrome when everybody comes to the big party and it appears to be business as usual.

And you know what? It mostly is. At least to them.

These are a rare breed of people who are nasty enough to seek power in the first place. They get it by being two faced. They get it by exaggerating their feelings. They get it by calling a fellow human being whatever nasty name they can think of and then turn right around and shake his hand with their fake smiles and their suits that cost more than my car.

I. Am. Done.

I’m done responding to them with donations. I’m done being bombarded with cries of threats that they don’t take seriously except to say what they need to say to raise funds.

I’m staying out of it. I’ll vote for the lesser of two narcissists/egos when it’s time to do that.

As others have said. It’s time for a progressive party.

This isn’t the time of magazines and newspapers telling folks who to vote for. If the internet can’t make a viable third party stand a chance I don’t know what can.

[–] Ledivin@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

This isn’t the time of magazines and newspapers telling folks who to vote for. If the internet can’t make a viable third party stand a chance I don’t know what can.

You're trying to light a match underwater. A third part cannot survive in the current American electoral system.

[–] SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 2 hours ago

It has happened before, so it isn't impossible. But it would be so difficult that impossible is pretty much the only word that comes close.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 148 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

"We are picking the most important fights and lying down on the train tracks on those fights," Schumer told The New York Times earlier this month.

Bro is ineffectual in even his own metaphors.

[–] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 25 points 9 hours ago

Hilariously fucking accurate take

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 10 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Seriously. His idea is to lay down on train tracks with an train coming.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 52 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

Yeah dipshit we're not asking you to lie down on the tracks and die, we're asking you to do what russian anarchists do and rip out the the tracks entirely

[–] Uruanna@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Careful,people who don't understand the trolley problem are gonna complain again that there are only two options.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 3 points 3 hours ago

the trolley problem doesn't end by throwing the switch lever. you divert the trolley and then you work to stop the trolley.

the trolley didn't get diverted, so more people are in its way and chuck's performatively jumping on the rails "in solidarity" but unlike me, he's not tied up and will get up and leave when it gets close

[–] cogman@lemmy.world 14 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

Democrats have way more leverage than they're willing to use. The GOP is as fractured as ever and they have the house with a razor thin margin. Now is exactly the time to play hardball. The GOP will likely need their votes to do anything.

But instead I foresee Democrats making weak ass concessions at every turn because "we can't risk having the government shutdown!?!?"

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 8 points 6 hours ago

the chuck schumers and nancy pelosis act like they don't know what this is and like mitch mcconnel didn't hand them the blueprint

[–] ploot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 53 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

What a well-chosen photo at the top of this article. Two utterly uninspiring men with no ability or will to relate to ordinary people and their problems.

"We are picking the most important fights and lying down on the train tracks on those fights," Schumer toldThe New York Times earlier this month.

That's a more accurate metaphor than he intended. The fascist train will not even slow down as it runs over him.

Jon Stewart had an hour-long interview with Hakeem Jeffries the other day, and it's just painful to watch. Jeffries resolutely refuses to offer even a single hint of anything the Democrats intend to do beyond expressing vague sympathetic feelings towards unhappy voters. It becomes quite clear the Democratic leadership has no intention of even trying to take part in the resistance the USA needs, and would rather drain the energy of any such movement into their morass of vapid messaging, meandering non-promises and wearying inaction.

The senior Democrats have no intention of fighting for the people. Any effective resistance will have to come from elsewhere.

[–] metaldream@sopuli.xyz 26 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

At this point you have to wonder if they're actively complicit.

[–] ploot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Wittingly or not, it's quite clear they are.

[–] DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth 9 points 11 hours ago

They 100% are.

[–] LostWon@lemmy.ca 74 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

It's hard to understand how dismissive they're being when their own constituents are reaching out to them. Is this article leaving it out or have they given some sort of rationale for choosing their battles instead of going all out?

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 31 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

This is a repost from earlier today.
The top people in the Democrats party are career politicias. They don't accept that people are angry nothing is being done while they continue to make money for themselves.

You can find more discussion about it in the post from earlier today.

[–] LostWon@lemmy.ca 4 points 12 hours ago

Thanks for the heads up. Was it in this same community? (I'll check here for now.)

[–] Captainautism@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

Maybe I’m too cynical, but perhaps they’re being paid not to go all out.

[–] sudo@programming.dev 2 points 2 hours ago

More like they aren't being paid to care. Silicon valley used to be their donors. They will happily loose votes if they can get those valley bucks back.

[–] LostWon@lemmy.ca 8 points 12 hours ago

I'm sure we all have suspicions about them but I want to know what their excuse is, especially considering the dangerous (for them) possibility their jobs could come to an end if Trump solidifies the level of power he obviously wants to have.

[–] ShadowRam@fedia.io 49 points 13 hours ago (1 children)
[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 9 points 12 hours ago

This is amazing.

[–] MasterBlaster@lemmy.world 37 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

Sounds like our democracy is dead, if true.

[–] earphone843@sh.itjust.works 4 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

It was dead on January 20th. We're just witnessing it's death throes.

[–] metaStatic@kbin.earth 11 points 12 hours ago

No democracy has survived contact with neo-liberalism. Clinton couldn't roll over for his corporate overlords fast enough.

[–] ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip 24 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

"unnamed source" "unnamed Democrat"

Why don't these people grow a pair of tits and put their name to their quotes? They're complaining that the Dem leadership isn't being brave and fighting, yet they can't be brave and put their name to critiquing the leaders...? Figure it out.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 hours ago

Sometimes it's strategically necessary to not put a name to yourself if you want to actually be able to influence how things are happening within your organization.

These people are actually in the thick of it, you're not. Don't be so quick to assume you know better than them how things work.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 10 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Because they know if they do, they'll be blacklisted.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 3 points 11 hours ago

You can’t blacklist Spartacus.

[–] Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago

Poor guys. If they didn't like it, they should quit.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

That's fine. Elections have no relevance in America now that Republicans are in total control.

No one has explained to me why they would ever willingly relinquish power now that they have all of it on a federal level.

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 5 points 12 hours ago

Democrats "We're suppose to do something about this? Cause we weren't really planning on anything."

[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 3 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

This is news? It wasn't exactly a recent development that made voting a choice between picking a conservative party backed by interests or picking a conservative party backed by self-interests.

The former is better than the latter, but it's not much of a consolation prize, considering neither of them give a rat's ass about the people they claim to represent.