The Republican budget is a document that worships tax-cut Jesus while cutting programs for the dirty poors:
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans released a budget plan Wednesday that sets the stage for advancing many of President Donald Trump’s top domestic priorities, providing for up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit so the U.S. can continue financing its bills.
The budget plan also directs a variety of House committees to cut spending by at least $1.5 trillion while stating that the goal is to reduce spending by $2 trillion over 10 years.
Budget resolutions are often considered statements of priorities. But the 45-page plan is more than just a policy blueprint as it provides specific directions to House committees to rearrange the federal money flow. GOP leaders are eyeing cuts to social services, and particularly Medicaid, as they seek massive savings.
CAP, where the graph above came from:
To finance these regressive tax cuts, Senate Republicans are considering additional enormous cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, student-loan programs, clean energy investments, and other programs Americans rely on in a second reconciliation bill later in the year. The House Republican plan includes these tax cuts and spending cuts in the budget resolution they released today. In each case, congressional Republicans are seeking to take away food and health care to help offset some of the cost of extending tax cuts that disproportionately go to the richest Americans.
Democrats have power and leverage here, if we have the will to use it. Josh Marshall (gift link):
Today, they formalized their decision to go with one bill. That bill includes extending the tax cuts as well as those massive spending cuts and — this is critical — a debt-ceiling hike for about two years. It is a big, big question whether they can pull this off. They are essentially caught between the Freedom Caucus, which wants even bigger cuts on the one hand, and basically anyone who wants to run next year in any kind of competitive state or district. Then there’s the debt-ceiling hike, which Republicans never want to vote for.
This amounts to a big, big all-or-nothing gamble. If they can do it it’s a big win and they rob Democrats of any debt-ceiling leverage. If they fail, the whole train breaks down in a really embarrassing and politically consequential way.
But there are two key points to note. The immediate leverage for Democrats comes next month when Republicans need to pass a new continuing resolution to prevent a shutdown. Indeed, the other option was to pile a lot of this in with a continuing resolution. Not taking that route makes clear they thought Democrats’ price would be one Trump wouldn’t accept. So this leaves the Democrats’ main near-term leverage intact. If they do pull this off, it will be with budget cuts which will be both devastating on every front but also a bill which Democrats will be eager to run on in 2026.
Will Democrats use their leverage next month? I don’t know.
schrodingers_cat
No matter what happens we know who to blame.
Shalimar
“Americans suck. Please kill 50 million of them.” — House Republicans
comrade scotts agenda of rage
The rebuttal that every Dem should be screaming (even if into the void) is from Congressman Greg Casar:
JerseyBeard
Democrats must use all their parliamentary power to slow this down as far as possible. I’m staring hard at you Blue State Dem Senators. Republicans either have to pass this misanthropy on their own, and own it in 2026, or Dems get guarantees that the lawlessness stops (I’m with Josh M on how to play that) and a budget that doesn’t defecate on Americans most in need.
Republicans are aiming the gun at our heads. Democrats have very little power, but not none. They need to use it or lose it. This is going to be a very long fight no matter what. Cleaning house on the Dem side is almost a given.
Kay
Democrats in Congress did a very good job making the first Trump tax cuts unpopular in 2017, leading to a good cycle in 2018.
If they say they can’t do that now that’s an excuse for lower performance compared to 2017. They used to be able to be effective advocates. If they’re not now they should stop whining about how much they hate their base (so demanding!) and do better work. Aspire to 2017 performance.
I expect Democrats to effectively make the case why these tax cuts are bad. I don’t think that’s a high bar.
Kay
We already know how to attack Republicans on cuts to entitlement programs – we’ve done it effectively in the past several times.
They don’t have to invent anything or come up with anything. Just mimic the 2002 Democrats.
Old Man Shadow
I know everything is horse race and all, but let’s try to also remember that between the time they pass this (if they do) and November of 2026 and January of 2027, a lot of innocent people (including children) are going to die for lack of food and health care.
People who are desperately poor, people who are desperately sick and cannot work, people who are disabled and cannot work, people too old to work, and children too young to work… they will die. Gone. Their families mourning. Probably begging for cash to bury them on the internet or offering car washes in parking lots. People who are loved.
I can’t believe that most Americans are okay with this if they are slapped in the face with the images and stories. I can’t… I know we suck, but I can’t believe that… I need to believe that most people give a fuck. I’m dying inside…
Belafon
Republicans are going to keep giving money to the rich.
Republicans are going to keep taking money from the rest of us.
Republicans are going to keep destroying government because it’s the only way they can keep qualified women and minorities out of the White House.
Belafon
@Old Man Shadow: Democrats would actually rather not have people die than have an issue to run on. That’s what makes them Democrats, and that’s what annoys people in the everything Democrats do is wrong camp.
Downpuppy
Percentage change in after tax income is a massive understatement. Given that the income of the rich group is about 10X that of the middle, the tax cuts are something like $1,000 vs $25,000
BaBSA is always worse the closer you look.
Quinerly
McConnell is the only Repug No vote on RFK Jr.
zhena gogolia
@Quinerly: Fuck them all.
ArchTeryx
@Quinerly: You have any vaccines to get, I’d get them right now if I were you.
Annie
This is off topic but I’m a longtime fan of Kevin Drum at Jabberwocking. And I know a lot of people here follow him too. He’s not doing well: jabberwocking.com
Dave
@Quinerly: What is he having the closest thing is capable of having to “I’m dying I should make right” moment. Of course because it is Mitch it won’t actually make anything right.
Eunicecycle
@Old Man Shadow: I have stopped trying to predict what the American people will put up with, as long as it affects only other people.
tobie
@zhena gogolia: Exactly. There are no profiles in courage among Republicans. Susan Collins is the worst because she always rushes to the cameras to present herself as a moderate. In terms of votes, there is no difference between her and Rand Paul or Ted Cruz or Mike Lee. She is a rank partisan.
Glory b
@Kay: Jeffrues sau weeks ago that this is virtually the only leverage they have and they plan on using it.
Once again, mistermix’s selective hearing and memory kicks in.
Old School
@Downpuppy: I was thinking along the same lines. A tax cut 2 1/2 times as big?
Someone making $100,000 per year: $1,300
Someone making $1,000,000 per year: $33,000
Geminid
@schrodingers_cat: I think there are really two questions here.
1) Will Democrats try to use their leverage next month? I think the answer to this one will prove to be yes.
2) How effective will that leverage be? I don’t think we’ll know that until this all goes down.
robtrim
Read about the scam that Medicare Advantage is. Because that’s the next move in Oligarchy 1.0
It’s basically the privatization of Medicare – corporate America gets paid to dispense health care to older Americans. United Healthcare, Humana, et al, will be the middle man between you and the medical services you need. Private equity, hospital monopolies, doctor-owned care facilities will be running the show. No real regulation…fat profit margins and greed, glorious greed!
UncleEbeneezer
This is the slippery slope of Anti-Zionist demonization that so many of us warned about.
oldster
@Downpuppy:
Exactly what I came here to say:
CAP is being far too kind to the Republicans by saying that the “tax cut” for the rich is two-and-a-half times as big as for the rest of us.
The percentage is far less relevant than the absolute dollar figure. What CAP should be saying is, “Republicans are going to give the wealthy tax-cuts of millions of dollars, and you peons get a tax cut of ten cents.”
Or however the numbers work out. But two-and-a-half time is nothing like the relevant multiplier.
zhena gogolia
@UncleEbeneezer: THIS is what they find to protest right now?
Another Scott
[ my broken record ] Politics is slow. [ / my broken record ]
I think we have to remember that Johnson is very bad at his job.
There were 3 CRs in FY23, and there were a series of CRs and other things in FY24.
There’s no evidence that the House under Johnson will be able to pass any sort of budget without Democratic support.
The current CR ends March 14, 2025. There’s roughly $133B (as of about a week ago) in the Treasury under their “extraordinary measures”. (1 page .pdf). Maybe there’s some additional balance not listed there, and presumably more will be coming in during tax season. In the last close call, the Treasury got down to ~ $20B before an agreement was passed. Estimated deadlines are in the summer or early fall at this point, but who knows…
It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen, but the GQP majority is smaller than in the last Congress, lots of people are angry and scared about the recent events in DC, and it seems unlikely that Johnson will have an easier time than he did before.
Keep calling and making your feelings known.
Best wishes,
Scott.
eclare
@ArchTeryx:
Off to sign up for pneumonia. I may also get a Tdap, it’s been over ten years since my last tetanus. I’m good on everything else.
ArchTeryx
@zhena gogolia: They aren’t serious or good-faith. It’s all performative. I consider them nothing but a bunch of flash-mob slacktivists, not actual protesters for anything meaningful.
I’ve yet to meet a single pro-Palestinian single-issue voter that is anything but bad faith all the way down. It’s all just kabuki to them.
Josie
@Glory b:
Funny how that happens whenever Jeffries is involved.
ArchTeryx
@eclare: I should get the shingles one. I’m in the target age range and I am immunosuppressed. Shingles is the last goddamn thing I need right now.
schrodingers_cat
@UncleEbeneezer: But I have heard of zero protests against Republicans.
schrodingers_cat
@Geminid: I was referring to the propensity of certain commenters and FPers to reflexively blame Ds for what Rs do.
tobie
@UncleEbeneezer: The weird thing in all this is that it’s making Jews like myself consider moving to Israel. If I lose my job, I may move there and will join the resistance to Netanyahu because at least I won’t be villified for being a Zionist.
ArchTeryx
@schrodingers_cat: And that is how you know it’s all just performative. I’d bet part of my paycheck that not one single one of those protesters voted for Harris – or voted at all – in 2024. Picketing a movie is so very much easier than actually putting your body on the line against the people in power. It also is just an exercise in mental masturbation.
Kay
@Glory b:
I’m all ears. But I want to see it. I’m pissed at them for being mad about the phone calls. Indivisible organizes phone calls to Congress and Democrats are too busy to be bothered? It’s their fucking base on the phone. Pick it up.
Voters are literally calling them and they’re mad? It’s an imposition on their busy schedules?
kindness
Sounds like the whole ‘One Bill’ folk are expecting the wing nut Freedom Caucus to vote for it. That’s the only weak point. Democrats have no way of thwarting it if the FC supports it. We know the Republican Senate will pass what ever they are ordered to pass. Can they herd those preening dicks in the FC to not lob bombs into the bill? Normally I would say no but it looks more and more that the money spigot forces running the Republican party have decided a dictatorship is fine so long as it is their dictatorship. I am not a happy camper.
Josie
@Kay:
Who was mad about the phone calls?
eclare
@ArchTeryx:
Oh yes, please get the shingles vaccine! Stress can bring on shingles, and the next four years are going to be stressful like nothing we’ve ever seen.
schrodingers_cat
@ArchTeryx: They wanted Trump to win. Mission accomplished.
Belafon
@Kay: I believe a front-pager posted here that some are angry, some are happy, and that it doesn’t help to call someone that isn’t your representative.
tobie
@Josie: I haven’t read about complaints about phone calls from Dems either. Maybe I missed something???
Kay
I see the BJ direct action squad are criticizing protests again. I await the extremely successful organizing effort from the experts. We’re all waiting. Let’s go. If it’s “do nothing and pretend the bad things aren’t happening” well, we’re already doing that so we’ll need something else.
It’s easy, right? Show us.
Kay
Ohio Mom
@ArchTeryx: Ohio Family is up to date on our vaccines. When Ohio Son was very young, I used to joke he was getting vaccinated against diseases I never heard of.
And I didn’t have to worry if I had heard of them or not, because that’s what the licensed pediatrician was for. Regulation, evidence-based medicine, such beautiful things!
sixthdoctor
@eclare: Yep! Just signed up for pneumonia, and my TDAP is due in July so I’ll be sure to get that.
Lobo
A book title I found appropriate for the times: It Lasts Forever and Than It’s Over
Old School
@Josie:
It was an Axios article.
Starfish (she/her)
@UncleEbeneezer: I don’t keep up with the Marvel cinematic universe; but it sounds like the character was racist, and they also attempted to remove her Israeli heritage. It sounds like a lot of weird choices all around.
BritinChicago
Sad to say, I think that all too many people in that 20% care more about getting their 1.3% than they do about the half a million plus crowd getting 3.3%. While it would be technically a tax cut, with tax rates being lower than they would otherwise have been, it will presumably mostly keep rates the same. People mind losing what they [think they] already have. The damage that higher deficits do—higher interest rates, stronger dollar leading to fewer jobs in industries that face foreign competition, adding weight to calls for spending cuts which will mostly hurt the least well-off, but also hurt everyone in the longer run—are mostly indirect and not immediately attributable to the new tax law.
Melancholy Jaques
Say it over and over: No more tax cuts for the rich! Pick a number, say it loud, then refuse to move off that position. This is simple & it will not fail if we Democrats stay together.
Kay
@Josie:
Democrats hate their base and Republicans love their base. It’s always been true but it gets worse every year.
They’re too busy with their important work of not doing anything in the minority to answer the phone. So upsetting!
The only legitimate political speech or action these people recognize is donations to their re-election campaigns. Work harder.
Starfish (she/her)
@zhena gogolia: It looks like people have been bothered by the choices being made here for a couple of years now. And a lot of cinemas try to boost the “protests” to get people to go watch their film because of whatever controversy real or contrived.
When I went to see Dogma back in the day, there were protestors out front; but in hindsight, were the protests real or contrived to get more people to go see the movie?
Starfish (she/her)
@schrodingers_cat: Remake the Iron Man movies, have Iron Man be Musk, and everyone’s going to go to protest that unless they need VC funding. But the VC funding dried up now that we are not in zero interest rate conditions.
Ohio Mom
@BritinChicago: And when there is less money coming from Washington, states and localities raise their taxes to make up the difference. I saw that in Ohio, Columbus cut back on money sent to schools and localities, local taxes went up.
Melancholy Jaques
@Old School:
I’d say to both of those guys & to anyone who thinks as they do: stop bitching at the people who support you. Do more. Spend more time thinking of what else you can do. Work together. Use your local news outlets. Spend more time & attention in your districts than you do in the Village. Ignore national political media.
Kay
@Josie:
They’re not even doing the organizing! I mean, God knows what they do with a billion dollars in donations but it obviously isn’t organizing.
MoveOn and Indivisible are doing the work with money they raised independent of Democrats and Democrats are criticizing it. They hate their base.
Starfish (she/her)
@Kay: Yes! Having made no effort to learn anything about the opposition, let’s immediately take an anti-Muslim stance. I am so sick of this crap.
You know who is the real victim here, Marvel, the company that won’t stop making derivative superhero movies.
If no one goes to see this, there is going to be complaining about the Palestinian boycott as opposed to admitting that people are tired of superhero movies and the lack of creativity.
Josie
@Old School:
Thanks. I looked up and read the article. Looked to me like another story based on an unidentified source. Pretty weak sauce, trying to make Democratic leaders look bad to their base. We can’t continue to be upset by bad reporting.
Old School
Kay
@Josie:
And thank God Moveone and Indivisible did the work, because the phone calls have gotten media attention that an opposition EXISTS and they’ve given the Democratic base something to do other than be the ATM for the Democratic Party.
Thank God someone did it. Wasn’t me, wasn’t Democrats in Congress but someone got off their ass and did something.
RevRick
@Kay: Representatives and Senators do not answer phone calls. Staffers do. And they just tally up the numbers. And if the voicemail is full, it isn’t because they’re lazy; they’re swamped.
Democratic Representatives complaining about phone calls are really advocating for their staffers who get the brunt of it.
Kay
I’m actually optimistic. I think MAGAs are imploding in the Trump Administration to the extent that it could be become very bad for them politically. These policy choices they’re making are catastrophic. But we won’t be able to take credit for that.
Josie
This doesn’t sound to me like Jeffries is ignoring or hating those groups.
MomSense
@RevRick:
I don’t know. There once was a time when Democratic lawmakers would run to the floor of the House of Senate and talk about the overwhelming support or opposition. Chris Murphy seems to be enjoying the engagement of his constituents.
Kay
@RevRick:
I like you but that is some of the most blatant excuse making I have seen on this blog, and that is saying something.
Their base is riled up against their opponents! That’s a politicians dream. If they want to sit in a library and ponder policy they’re in the wrong business.
This is 90% of their job! You can’t tell them they don’t have to do 90% of their job.
Anyway
@Kay: Did MoveOn and Indivisible organize people to vote for Dems? vote against RThugs? Or don’t they do anything voting-related?
Geminid
@kindness: I think it will be a tougher vote for purple district Republicans. Freedom Caucus members just have to sacrifice a little principle. They’ll get over it.
It’s the Republicans in purple districts who could really pay a price. Someone like Jen Kiggans may be kissing her relection goodbye. Rep. Kiggans’ coastal Virginia 2nd CD is full of retired military and current federal civil servants. Her opponent last year pounded Kiggans’ votes to cut VA funding. But the cuts were never actually made, and Kiggans won by 4 pounts.
This time will be different, for Kiggans and for other Republicans in battleground districts, because the cuts will be for real.
Belafon
@Starfish (she/her): In the comics, the Hulk actually cries over some of her actions.
Shang Chi was a way difference character in the comics as well.
trollhattan
Heh.
Kay
It’s going to be bad for people, too, until they implode, sadly. But this mess is unsustainable. They’re headed for a crash.
Belafon
@Starfish (she/her): The protest is over a character, in the movie, that they haven’t seen, so we don’t know what they’ve done with the name.
The funny thing about calling Marvel Superhero movies derivative is that they are deriving them from their own source material.
Another Scott
@Old School:
(Repost from downstairs)
(Fritschner is part of the staff for Rep. Don Beyer)
Best wishes,
Scott.
tam1MI
@UncleEbeneezer:
Of course they decide to hassle folks who just want to go see a movie. Protesting Republican politicians takes work.
The Gazassholes didn’t just let the nose of the anti-Semitic camel in under the tent, the wildly embraced it and pulled it in.
Then they wonder why that, along with their preening delusions of moral superiority, have rendered them into political pariahs.
Kay
@MomSense:
It’s just very frustrating to me to see Canadian politicians riding the wave of Trump hatred in that country when our own politicians can’t seem to exploit any of it politically.
The best thing to be in Canada, Mexico and Denmark right now is anti Trump. We can ride that wave too.
Old Man Shadow
@Kay: Hey, they’re not doing nothing. They’re collecting a paycheck and enjoying the fine life in D.C.
glory b
@Josie: Ain’t it though?
It’s almost as if…
Belafon
@Starfish (she/her): Also, if no one goes to see this, I guarantee you the reason will be for the same one that Captain Marvel numbers were lower than other related movies: The hero isn’t a white man. And I can back that up with conversations I had with the guy who ran the gym I went to. I quit shortly afterwards.
tobie
@Geminid: I need to look up the demographics of the Orlando, FL district where Dem Josh Weil is running for Congress. I’m curious how kids are enrolled in special ed programs, how many Medicaid recipients there are, etc. The local affects of this budget might move people either reluctant to vote. Aaargh. What an awful day.
Starfish (she/her)
@Anyway: The Colorado Indivisible was advocating for Democrats prior to the election. They were telling people to support their Democratic Representatives and linking to their websites so people would donate.
glory b
@Kay: Maybe because they have the majorities in those places. It’s the safe position for them.
While it may change soon, I believe about 49% of Americans agree with Trump’s actions.
Anyway
@Starfish (she/her): Thanks for the reply. Good to know.
@mistermix.bsky.social
@Another Scott: I posted a link to Fritschner’s tweets, and also accepted his explanation yesterday on the Axios article.
My take from yesterday, which I still think is probably right, is that some Dems are pissed because their natural inclination is to do nothing, some (like Fritschner’s boss Beyer) want people to call, and that if you’re calling a Dem who doesn’t represent you, you’re wasting your time and theirs, and it’s OK for them to be frustrated about that.
LAC
@tobie: yeah, my elected folks are encouraging calls and doing phone townhalls. But sweeping narratives are a must here.
Starfish (she/her)
@Belafon: Since I don’t know or care about most superhero stuff, I went back to read this Vox article from like six months ago.
There is a lot of movie gossip and film leaks that come out before the actual films do.
MomSense
@Kay:
I know! There are a handful who seem to be using it, but I can’t understand why elected Dems are not making more out of this.
RevRick
@Kay: Ninety percent of their job is sitting in committees and on the floor of the House or Senate, and when they’re not doing that, they’re fundraising for the next election, a task all of them loathe. They aren’t twiddling their thumbs. Oh, and staffers do the policy work.
I suspect the complaints aren’t as much about the volume as the nastiness. Which again is what the staffers have to deal with.
BritinChicago
@Ohio Mom: Yes, but you have to be paying attention to understand that the rise in state or local taxes is caused by the tax change made in DC. All too many people seem incapable of that much attention, and of course right-leaning media and politicians make it harder to see the connections.
tobie
@glory b: I believe the confirmation of all Trump’s controversial Cabinet picks and the release of a budget will give Trump and Republicans a momentary boost in popularity. The only thing that will bring Trump & Co down is if Americans feel pain. They haven’t really felt that yet. Yes, there’s an uptick in prices but it’s not significant yet. It will, however, come, and when that happens political fortunes will turn. I wish it were otherwise. I wish principles mattered to the American electorate but they don’t. It’s hits on one’s personal pocketbook that seem to matter.
Juju
@Kay: I know. I guess they haven’t made the connection between lack of jobs and unemployment rates. Also, with incompetents in difficult, intense high level cabinet positions, when something bad happens, and it will, those incompetents will not know what to do, and they will probably have fired all the people who actually know what to do. Look at all the plane crashes since Trump and Musk took over. I really don’t think that is a coincidence. Musk is the person who describes a rocket explosion as rapid disassembly.
Geminid
So, Hakeem Jeffries just held a press conference. My Atlanta friend watched it live. He said that the press pool seems to include increasing numbers of MAGA reporters.
Kay
@MomSense:
I’m hoping it dings conservatives in Canada. It looks like it might. We don’t need another far Right fringe country like the United States.
Melancholy Jaques
@Kay:
I don’t want to admit that that’s true, but I have to. It’s like every two years, we start from scratch.
Kay
No longer fashionable. By the time media figures out a “youth trend” it’s already over.
Jackie
Tina Smith won’t run in 2026:
Kay
@Melancholy Jaques:
I don’t know what a resilient organizing effort is if it isn’t Moveon. Moveon has been organizing liberals to the benefit of Democratic electeds for nearly thirty years.
Democrats can only dream of building something like that. They never have.
Geminid
@schrodingers_cat: I know. I was too in a way. The framing seemed off to me; it was too simple and pat.
Prometheus Shrugged
The other interesting thing about the “Trump tax cuts” that I haven’t seen mentioned yet in this thread is that in states like California, the “cut” for middle class homeowners is actually a tax increase because of the cap on mortgage and property tax deductions. In actual dollars, when the “Trump tax cuts” went into effect, our taxes, for example, were immediately $5,000 higher than the previous year with no other change in our income/economic circumstances. I never refrain from saying “you mean, the middle class Trump tax increase” whenever anyone brings the subject up.
Juju
@Jackie: Senator Tim Walz?
Starfish (she/her)
@Geminid: What did you make of this? Are the MAGA reporters looking for leadership from the Democratic opposition? Are they there to heckle?
Geminid
@Jackie: I wonder if Tim Walz will run for Smith’s Senate seat. He could be good at that job. It wasn’t that long ago that Walz was in the House, so he knows how to find his way around at least.
On the other hand, Dean Phillips is tanned, rested and ready!
Geminid
@Starfish (she/her): I’d have to watch the press conference. I suspect there are more new conservaive outlets that can afford a Capitol Hill reporter. And they may see Jeffries as Trump’s most dangerous adversary, which I think Jeffries is. Not just because he leads House Democrats, but because he’s a top-notch communicator.
frosty
@Quinerly: Fuck. I guess my calls to Dave McCormick weren’t explicit enough. Fuck him and fuck whoever dropped $100 million into his campaign at the last minute to take Casey out.
At least Fetterman listened to me.
glory b
@Kay: Which is why we should stop chasing them too. Stop looking for the magical moment when they all see the light.
Gen Z won’t consider themselves successful unless they earn more than $587.000 per year
What Gen Z’s salary goals say about their political move to the right
glory b
@Kay: Moveon aren’t Democrats?
Citizen Alan
@Starfish (she/her): haven’t seen it yet. My understanding from what i’ve read is that they recycled the name of an obscure marvel character named Sabra, but used her civilian name instead of her “superhero name” and completely changed her origin and backstory. She may not even be a mossad agent or even an israeli citizen in the movie. Still probably dumb to include her, but no dumber than building the movie around red hulk, which I always thought, was a stupid idea anyway.
Citizen Alan
Soprano2
@schrodingers_cat: You’d think they’d be protesting FFOTUS everywhere he goes because of the things he’s said about Gaza. I think they’re too scared to do that, so you get crap like protesting a character in a fictional movie instead.
AM in NC
@Downpuppy: Exactly. That chart massively underestimates the difference in actual dollars by couching it as a percentage of income.
tam1MI
Especially sweeping narratives that tankies can use to bash Dems.
glory b
@Kay: Who said they were mad?
I have a relative who was a congressional staffer. She said that it was always considered a part of the job. Anyone calling to complain about an issue was tallied up, those calling for constituent services were referred to the staffer who handled that service.
At the end of the day, calls were consolidated, “x” number of people called about a certain issue, the percentage for, the percentage against. The numbers were reported to the member of congress. all he or she saw was a report. Why would they be mad?
Calls came every day, she never indicated that anyone’s staff got mad about them. If not for the calls, some of them wouldn’t be employed. The only ones they got mad about were the theatening ones.
I think you’re projecting maybe.
Soprano2
@trollhattan: There’s some of that blunt “truth telling” I’m always hearing that the voters like, that they laud FFOTUS for because it’s “real”. How will they react when a Democrat does that? They’ll probably start demanding he apologize to Muskrat.
glory b
@Soprano2: Yep.
And have the nerve to compare themselves with the civil rights movement.
Another reason black people are livid with them.
tam1MI
I suppose it’s too much to hope we get Al Franken back.
tam1MI
Why is having a Jewish superhero character dumb?
Ben Cisco
@Geminid:
How could he tell?
Melancholy Jaques
@Jackie:
Who’s up next in Minnesota? Let’s have someone in their 40s, please.
Geminid
@tam1MI: I she’s named Sabra; that pretty much types her as Israeli, which is different matter.
I still think this protest was bullshit. It got people’s attention though, and I guess that was the point. That movement never gathered support like it could have if they’d really wanted it to. I’m not getting into why it didn’t except to say that Palestinians need better allies than these.
Kay
@glory b:
This narrowing of the people we accept really scares me.
We have to stop kicking people out for perceived disloyalty. That’s a religion, not a political party.
You’re going to have a very compliant group of Democratic voters who never win because there won’t be enough of them.
Kicking out voters to protect elected Democrats from criticism seems insane to me.
If even 50% of Gen Z vote for Democrats, yes, we should go after them. 40%. 30%. 30% of 40 million is a LOT of people. Our worst showing is what, 20 million people? You’re going to skip those people because you’re offended they’re not loyal enough?
Kay
@Geminid:
As opposed to the other advocates for Palestinians. Oh, yeah. There were none.
sab
@ArchTeryx: Do it. My boss got shingles last tax season and it wasn’t pretty. He was on the young side of who should be at risk.
The shot can suck, but shingles is so much worse.
Kay
@Citizen Alan:
If Republicans had an organization like Moveon or Indivisible they would not only support their organizing instead of whining that they’re too shrill, they would pay them.
This party runs on the free labor of mostly women. And we raise billions of dollars. You want a resilient liberal organizing movement? Pay women for the work they do.
sab
@Ohio Mom: I am so old I remember those diseases. I had mumps. I had measles. I still have scars from chicken pox. I know people my age who survived polio.
My autistic granddaughter showed signs of autism (feeding and digestive issues) while she was in the hospital at birth. Her mom had to tangle with the La Leche ladies. This was months before her first vaccination.
sab
@Kay: My congress critter texts me almost every day. I don’t think she hates her base. Her district is purple and she needs us and loves us.
Kay
@sab:
Marcy Kaptur loves us too. So that’s two.
Kay
@sab:
Marcy says it at phone banks – “oh, look at all the volunteer moms”
I choose to believe this is a pointed commentary on the gender gap in volunteer work. Whether it is or not.
sab
@Kay: I lived in Grand Rapids in the 1980s. It was a fun city then but very very Republican. The DeVoses and Van Andels ran the place. The whole power structure was Dutch Reformed.
So was western Michigan. I hope you don’t get disappointed in your retirement.
After four years I was really glad to leave it.
Geminid
@Kay: Marcy Kaptur has a sharp and pointed wit. I remember when she and J.D. encountered each other at an event staged at a northwest Ohio community college:
Vance: Hello Marcy.
Kaptur: First time here?
Ed. Per Wikipedia, Marcy Kaptur started volunteer work for the Democratic party when she was 13 years old.
Kay
@Geminid:
Love her. Kaptur has a huge extended family that she is close to. I think she wants to retire but can’t because a Republican would take the seat.
Kosh III
@RevRick: They control the budget, hire more people, expand the servers that hold voice mail. Easier said than done but this is a vital part of their fraking job.
Another Scott
@@mistermix.bsky.social: Yup.
“I can’t vote for you, now do what I want” doesn’t work.
As you say, Beyer’s doing the work:
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Scott.
sab
@Kay: There is a gender gap. I have no sales experience. My husband has lots. Yet there I am at the phone banks while he is at home. Irks me every election cycle.
HopefullyNotcassandra
@Belafon:
Destroying government also enables the looting. Do not forget that. GOP’ers have been dissolving common law fraud and the honest services doctrine for decades now.
Starfish (she/her)
@glory b: Ask yourself “How much do they owe on student loans? How much would a down payment and mortgage payments in a region where they can find a job cost?”
mr rr
They will not pass a continuing resolution and will shutdown the govt. on March 14th. That is the plan. They will furlough all the govt. workers and not bring them back.
ron
@ArchTeryx: If someone hasnt replied yet, definitely get it. But know it is 2 shots separated by I think 3-6 months.
ron
@trollhattan: Typical media shit. Trump punches down and insults everyone and everything, Garcia says Musk is a dick and the media are tone policing Democrats while Musk is destroying the the US govt.
Another Scott
@mr rr: Lots of government workers are “essential” and are not subject to a Shutdown Furlough.
Also too: Wikipedia:
Yet another instance where the DOJ decided what Congress meant and Congress seemingly didn’t subsequently say anything differently. If there were a way to make things worse during a funding gap, we probably should expect AG Bondi to try to find it.
FWIW.
Best wishes,
Scott.
cain
This messaging has never worked. I don’t know why we bothered. Hell, in 2017 my federal taxes increased and yet nobody seemed to care about either in the sense that they are paying more in taxes.
The only thing they are going to take notice is that grocery and gas prices are sky high. None of this other stuff is going to matter because it can be easily gaslighted. Paying more for groceries you’re not going to be easily gaslighted under than to say who to blame, sure – you could blame Biden but they expect those prices to go down. It won’t.
different-church-lady
Of course that’s not nearly the end of it: the services and benefits cuts will cost the lower classes far more than the income the cuts will let them keep in take-home.