Off Message: There's Nothing Exciting Or Constructive About This

[Dennis Donovan]

Off Message - There's Nothing Exciting Or Constructive About This

The middle path between real opposition and appeasement leads nowhere.

Brian Beutler
Nov 20, 2024

/snip/

That’s why I wrote earlier this week about Hakeem Jeffries and his insistence on dismissing questions about Donald Trump’s most deranged cabinet nominees. He’s the leader, he chooses the approach, he bears ultimate responsibility. But one reason he chose this approach is that it strikes a balance between Democrats who want to do real opposition politics, and those who want to do Vichy “opposition” politics.

Here’s a sampling from the latter group:

Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO): “I’m excited by the news that the President-Elect will appoint @RobertKennedyJr to @HHSGov. He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA. I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health.” (Polis later hedged his support.)

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) similarly pretended RFK Jr.’s nomination has something to do with healthy food, rather than vaccine bans, quack science, and cuts to Medicaid.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) painted the Trump/Elon Musk plan to arrogate government spending power from Congress as a worthwhile exercise. “They could save tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars depending on how it is structured and what they do, this could be a constructive undertaking that ought to be embraced.”

Polis is a governor, and Booker and Coons are senators, so of course they don’t explain Jeffries’ position as House leader directly. But it’s safe to assume some House Dems feel similarly, and rather than lead them away from a poor approach, Jeffries has decided blithe dismissal of Trump’s cabinet ministers is the best way to unite fighters and quislings.

This is misguided for many reasons, not least of which is that it takes the heat off Senate Republicans, who should now face a difficult, binary decision, knowing Democrats won’t be there to provide them cover. Stopping Trump’s worst nominees isn’t simply about dealing Trump a setback (though asserting Congress’s coequal powers against an aspiring tyrant is important for obvious reasons). It’s to protect the country from incompetent people of low character who stand to assume enormous power.

/snip

[GoreWon2000]

1. It's the typical don't fight back strategy

that the dems have used since they abandoned Al Gore in 2000 and allowed W to steal the 2000 election. This don't fight back strategy is resulting in our country becoming a Nazi dictatorship.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Bingo

[keep_left]

3. It's also going to lead to ever-worsening political polarization...

...and even radicalization--not less. There is a tremendous amount of despair out there, and there are demagogues of every political stripe just waiting to take advantage. When the right time comes, they will. I don't care how many police or cameras or spy satellites the government has, they won't be able to control the chaos that the Trump regime will unleash.

[Hugin]

6. I'm not down with go-along-to-get-along...

Already, we’re way past that.

Face it, either one actively resists right now or they are complicit.

[Solly Mack]

4. Here's where I'm at with it...

Trump is or isn't a threat to America's democracy.

If he's a threat, being president only makes the threat more dangerous.

People should act accordingly.

If he's not a threat, then a lot of people need to get busy explaining why they lied - because if he is not a threat, then to say he is one is a lie.

No one gets to pretend he was a threat before the election but that the election somehow erased the threat he poses.

Because that just makes you look like a fool. You may as well claim that Bush II fooled you. (Oh, wait)

Making the best of a bad situation is being stuck in some town because your car breaks down and you have to spend a few days waiting for parts. Instead of grousing the entire time, you make the most of it and discover the local flavor.

Placating a threat to our democracy is not making the best of a bad situation - it's giving in to that threat.

So, is he or isn't he?

[intheflow]

5. SO disappointed with Polis.

As a gay man he should know better than to appease the loonies, but I suppose here he's acting as a white man and supporting nutcases in office. No. Just no, Jared.