Tag Archives: Sen. Chuck Schumer

Where Is Democratic Leadership?

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As I’ve previously written, CBP and ICE have deployed 3,000 masked, heavily armed bullies to Minnesota, including the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and their suburbs. For weeks, they have been terrorizing residents by making arrests using illegal and unconstitutional tactics, often brutally ripping innocent citizens from their homes and cars. In the process, they are using an array of internationally banned chemical agents to punish onlookers who are hoping to hold the bullies accountable.

People – citizens and noncitizens alike – are understandably frightened. Businesses are suffering and many will not survive the siege.

During this assault, what have we heard from Democratic leadership? Crickets.

Minnesota state and city leaders have forcefully spoken out, even filing a lawsuit against DHS. Members of Minnesota’s Democratic caucus in Congress have spoken out. But Jeffries and Schumer? They seem unfazed by the unconstitutional actions of Trump’s personal assault team. No press conferences to denounce the situation. No media appearances. Indeed, it has been reported that neither Jeffries nor Schumer tried to convince their colleagues to block additional funding for ICE and CBP!

Why?

Why are Democrats not using every available parliamentary technique to block funding? (Perhaps Schumer should consult Mitch McConnell to learn how to fight the opposition party’s agenda.) Why are they not using every available opportunity to speak to the media? Why are they not screaming from the rooftops?

From the beginning of the Trump regime, Democratic leadership has conceded issue after issue to MAGA without so much as a stern speech on the floors of Congress in the middle of the night. All I see from national Democrats are emails asking for more money.

Meanwhile, the situation in Minnesota could not be more dire!

There are now hundreds, if not thousands of Anne Franks – legal immigrants afraid to leave home who are protected and supplied by neighbors. And, while Minnesota is suffering the brunt of the regime’s brutality, unless they are stopped, they will soon invade other cities and states with the same cruel tactics.

The regime’s disdain for our Constitution and the rule of law is not in question. It is not a matter of political conjecture. It is real. And the very future of our democracy is at a tipping point!

Yet our Democratic leaders seem unfazed. They seem to be content to wait for the midterms. But there is absolutely no certainty that Democrats will take control of Congress as the result of the elections. It’s possible, almost inevitable, that Trump and his regime will steal the elections. Trump has even talked about invoking the Insurrection Act and having the military seize ballot boxes.

We cannot allow that to happen. We must demand that our leaders speak up and fight back. If they won’t, we need new leaders!

The Inequities Of Our Political System.

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We’ve heard a lot about wealth inequality and how it’s destroying the United States. But it’s merely a symptom – a symptom caused by the growing disparity between the parties in our two-party system. Consider the following:

• Since the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, more than 90 percent of talk radio has been controlled by right-wing conservatives.
• The conservative Sinclair corporation now controls the largest number of local TV stations, forcing its stations to air conservative talking points within local newscasts.
• The guests on network Sunday morning news shows are disproportionately Republican.
• Republican-controlled states have instituted repressive voter ID laws, reduced voting hours in minority districts, reduced polling places in Democratic districts, purged voter rolls, and gerrymandered districts to minimize Democratic votes.
• The majority of Americans now live in large cities, which mostly vote Democratic. But, thanks to the Electoral College, Republican-controlled rural areas have disproportionate representation. For example, based on population, an Electoral College vote from Wyoming counts 4 times as much as an Electoral College vote from California.
• The structure of the US Senate also disproportionately benefits red states. And the disparity is growing worse. By 2040, about 70 percent of Americans will live in the 15 largest states. Yet they will be represented by only 30 senators while 70 senators will represent 30 percent of the population.
• The Supreme Court decisions in Buckley v Valeo and Citizens United v FEC have unleashed billions in dark money for election campaigns which mostly benefits Republican candidates.

The GOP has used all of these advantages to divide our nation and to redistribute wealth upward to corporations and billionaires – taking money from the poorest among us and funneling it upward. This point was made all too clear by the GOP’s latest tax scam.

The greed and cynicism of the GOP is only made worse by the continuing failures of Democratic Party leadership.

For many years, the Democratic Party could count on two things: Its voter turnout operation and its superior data operation designed to target those voters most inclined to support its candidates. Though a majority of Americans have long supported Democratic policies or, at very least, leaned toward those policies, the party has lost its previous political advantages. And it has failed to effectively energize voters to turn out to the polls, especially during mid-term elections. It has failed to create a “brand” – a coherent message that concisely explains why people should vote for Democratic candidates.

The party’s failures were on full display this week when Sen. Chuck Schumer appeared on Late Show with Stephen Colbert. When asked what the Democratic Party stands for, Schumer sidestepped the question and simply referred to the failures of the Trump administration. No one should settle for that answer. Schumer’s dodge was made even more painful when Schumer’s interview was followed by a performance by the Black Eyed Peas with their new song, Street Livin’, which details many of the problems faced by black communities – one of the largest groups of Democratic constituents.

Seriously, Democratic leaders, it’s long past time to tell voters what you’re for. Not just what you’re against.