First, I want to thank everyone who shared something good in last night’s Turning This Around thread. I read some last night and was able to get some sleep, and I read the rest this morning.
Can I also say that it struck me that there were a lot more contributions than back and forth between people, but please know that a ton of people read and appreciated every positive thing that was shared. If no one replies it can feel like no one noticed what you wrote, but I am certain that was absolutely not the case in that thread in particular.
Wondering if we can do something similar, yet quite different, tonight.
I have a challenge for us all: in this thread tonight, can we talk about things that individual Dems are doing right? Without bashing other Dems for comparison while we do it? And not critique the things mentioned by others? If you disagree, then shake your head and write about some Democrat that is doing something that you think is great. If you think no Democrat is doing anything great, then this probably isn’t the thread for you.
I’ll start.
I LOVE this ad, and I LOVE what I’m seeing from my Governor Pritzker.
#ReleaseTheCuomoList
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social) August 12, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Your turn!
Scout211
Reposting from downstairs but fits better here:
Some promising news: Axios is reporting that Schumer is recruiting Mary Peltola to run for Senate in Alaska. This is a good move by Schumer, IMHO. I hope she runs for Senate.
Steve LaBonne
Angry political attack ads are boring and sucky. The way Mamdani casually sticks the knife in that mofo with a smile on his face is the way it should be done. He is a real talent.
Scout211
California Democrats announced they have enough votes to send a ballot measure to the voters in Novemberto vote on redrawing congressional districts. California is leading the way.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
I was going to nominate Mamdani but I see he is already represented.
So I guess I’ll nominate all the Texas dems that won’t come back to Texas to deny Abbott his quorum.
zhena gogolia
I’m happy to be on Governor Ned Lamont’s email list in CT. He is always trying to mitigate the disaster.
Lyrebird
@Scout211: I really like how Gov. Newsom set it up to be temporary, and it is heartening to see my Gov. (Hochul) step up and start swinging. This is a sad thing, but I’m also very proud that NY State was right there sending TX search and rescue helpers following the flood disaster.
chemiclord
I always have approached this as “different people will resist/fight in different ways.” Some are going to be firebrands, and we need those types. Some are going to be “head down during the dirty work being sand in the gears slowing shit down” types. We need those people too.
We get in trouble when we insist one way (read also: my way) is the only way forward. I like threads like this because they just by their nature push back on that myopic thinking. So even as I feel I have little to contribute, I would want them to continue.
Jackie
@Scout211:
I saw that! I hope Peltola runs, too! I think her chances would be good.
H.E.Wolf
I’m going to nominate the unsung heroes on staff in our state Democratic Party… the field organizers, the data wonks, the social-media specialists, and the front-desk folks. Long hours, and going to get longer next year during the midterm cycle. We’re lucky to have them!
Steve LaBonne
I will nominate Sherrod Brown getting back in the fray at an age when he’s completely entitled to kick back and enjoy his grandkids. And Connie Schultz for being willing for that to happen.
geg6
I’d like to shout out all the WPA Dem electeds, even Fetterman, for having the grace to come to Clairton to speak to and listen to the community after the terrible explosion at the US Steel Clairton Works that killed two and seriously injured ten. Governor Shapiro, Lt. Governor Davis, Congressperson Summer Lee, Congressperson Chris Deluzio, Senator Fetterman, County Executive Sara Innamorato and several state senators and house members were there in the last day or two. No sign of any GOPers, especially our new senator, David “Connecticut” McCormack.
Jackie
@Scout211: GOOO California!!! Let’s hope other Blue states follow suit! If enough jump on board, maybe President Liberace will TACO! :-)
RevRick
I like 212 Democratic Representatives and 47 Democratic Senators and 23 Democratic Governors and countless Democratic legislators and mayors.
I hope to like lots more in the coming years.
AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team
Beto! Specifically the video that (WG? AL?) posted a little while back here. He seems to be able to energize people and tell a true, compelling story.
I guess we can’t count Krugman eh?
In the other non-Democrat category I’ll nominate the Bulwark folks. Yes I know, but overall I think they are a big net add.
tobie
I like the threads Rep Sean Casten posts on Mastodon explaining current bills, matters of state, Republican hypocrisy, and Congressional procedures. Sometimes he responds to comments. He quoted Yeats once in response to a comment from me. He also posts on Bluesky but I don’t have an account there, so can’t follow him on that platform. I like when members of Congress take the time to educate the public about what governing means. I guess that makes me a nerd.
prostratedragon
From the Baltimore Banner:
zhena gogolia
@RevRick: yes. Great thread, WG!
trollhattan
@Lyrebird:
The sheer mechanics of holding a November special ballot mean acting now.
And if everybody “goes home and behaves” making the proposition unnecessary, they can act accordingly then. Odds approach zero.
Glad they’re moving forward.
Trivia Man
I have mentioned this candidate before, but I am impressed they are still fighting this super longshot campaign. I am 100% sure they are inspirational to people feeling isolated and trapped in this very red region of Wisconsin. Glen Grothman is probably America’s dumbest congressman, unfortunately he can’t be America’s dumbest federal elected official while tuberville is still “representing” alabama.
linktr.ee/kellyforcongresswi06
Non-stop trolling of local republicans, very quick comments to them as things happen. Authentically rural, clearly an outlier in terms of fitting in – but I think that visibility is a good thing. Kelly showed me some comments from the nutjobs, they sure love “it” as a pronoun and think that is hysterical. Kelly said “I wear my hair blue because it flushes them out immediately.”
Exactly!
caphilldcne
Since I was kind of critical in an early post of Newsom I’ll just state for the record I strongly support him and California jn the redistricting fight.
At a national level kudos to Patty Murray and Tammy Baldwin for funding a way to advance a strong LHHS appropriations bill by working with Republican Senators, notably Collins and Capito. The bill maintains critical health funding that Trump and House Republicans seek to cut and maintains important structural integrity if current programs.
Finally kudos to various DC Dems who are calling out the illegal and bullshit declaration of a crime emergency in the District to federalize the local police and call in the national guard. Nice statement from my city council member: charlesallenward6.com/trump_national_guard_mpd?utm_campaign=trump_national_guard_mpd&utm_medium…. Also interesting local coverage: 51st.news/dc-trump-mpd-national-guard-takeover/
jackmac
@tobie: Lauren Underwood is my congressional rep and I like her a lot. She’s awesome.
But so is Sean Casten. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and chat with him and attend a couple of his town halls, the most recent when he went into Republican Darin LaHood’s district for a meeting. Very intelligent, articulate and fearless.
And slightly off topic (more a reflection of last night’s thread) but I was in Milwaukee today for the Brewers-Pirates game and a reunion with several college newspaper colleagues from decades ago. It was great to see them and also catch the team with MLB’s best record!
piratedan
on an extremely personal approach, since we have a Four Directions effort here in Virginia, if there are boots on the ground and they need a place to stay free of charge for the election season, hit me up. I live in VA CD-1 in the Warsaw area. I would have to negotiate it with Ms. Pirate but I have the room and in a way, giving someone a base to work from makes a difference.
tobie
@jackmac: Lauren Underwood is great too! You’re lucky to have such smart and thoughtful young representatives in Illinois who bring real expertise to the table–Underwood in public health and Casten in the environment. Sounds like you had a great day at the ballpark. I was telling my partner just today that joy is the best antidote to the GOP’s efforts to ‘own the libs.’
Jackie
@piratedan: That’s a generous offer! You’re awesome, piratedan!
bluefoot
My Rep is Katherine Clark, House Minority Whip. She’s been great -speaking out in plain language about the administration, the effects of the BBB, etc. I like she has push emails that give updates on what’s going on in Congress. (I’m on her email list having spoken to her during her last campaign -she was literally knocking on doors asking people what their concerns were.)
locally, the city council just put out a notification about the law that just went into effect forbidding landlords from having tenants pay broker fees. It was a nice explainer about the law, rights and responsibilities of tenants, landlords and real estate agents. Typically the broker fee is equal to a month’s rent so it’s a big deal.
LAC
I continue to be proud of the leadership and work of MD Gov Moore, and reps ashebrooke, Raskin and Van Hollin.
prostratedragon
mvr
@Scout211: Against whom? She had Murkowski’s endorsement when she won, so I am hoping it is against the other guy against whom she may have a chance. I’m as pissed of at Murkowski as anyone, but she’s the better of the two AK R Senators. Also wondering whether Peltola would to better against the rep who is also running.
I really like Peltola as an Alaska elected. Will donate again if she does run.
mayim
@H.E.Wolf:
Similarly, all the people who are on school boards, town select boards, planning commissions/zoning boards, and all the other municipal/county/state elected positions ~ often thankless tasks that help more than most people realize in real, day-to-day life. The decisions made at those levels are as important as the decisions made in D.C.
I’d also like to acknowledge Chellie Pingree, the often forgotten member of Maine’s congressional delegation. She just keeps going, on the right side of most issues, quietly and efficiently. She’ll likely retire soon ~ she deserves it! Fortunately, given the makeup of her district, I’m pretty sure whoever replaces her will be good, and not like my representative [Jared Golden].
Janet Mills is also doing a better than decent job. I’ve definitely disagreed with her but she’s generally reasonable ~ and manages to annoy a certain orange being so that’s always a plus.
mvr
My Mayor in Lincoln NE is Leirion Gaylor Baird. Who is an incredibly talented politician and good person. (Saw her leafleting my neighborhood for Obama in 2012 even when he was obviously not going to win our district’s electoral vote – she does the work.) Beat a well funded challenger for a 2nd term a year or so back to retain the mayorship. And was the highest elected D in office until the recent Omaha election put another D in as mayor there.
I wish there was an obvious seat for her to run for after her term is up as mayor.
Scout211
Incumbent Dan Sullivan
mayim
@bluefoot:
Yeah to the explanatory notices!
Personally and as a librarian, I wish more good explanations of new/changed/updated laws and regulations went out to people. I’ve spent way too much time at the reference desk figuring out what someone has misunderstood from a 30 second local news story [where the TV person is just reading something written by someone who doesn’t really understand it, either, but just needs to make it fit in a slot] or political ad [with an agenda to push]. I don’t mind the explaining ~ but so many people get so stressed by their misunderstandings and I’d love to be able to have a good counterbalance to that.
bluefoot
@mayim: It was pretty great. Super clear language, had FAQs at the end, plus a phone number to report if you as a tenant were asked to pay a broker fee.
Also a few weeks ago someone put a flyer in my mailbox about your rights if you get stopped by ICE. Don’t know who did it, there wasn’t an organization’s name on it. I now have it on my refrigerator because why not – though American born and bred, I’m a brown woman of not-easily discerned race.
Jackie
@mvr:
Peltola would run against Dan Sullivan.
eta: Of course Scout211 beat me lol
SpaceUnit
Hoping my state of CO will jump on the redistricting thing. Our state legislature would probably be on board but our governor will probably be too principled (Democrat but libertarian doofus).
Also, I don’t know shit about the mechanics of redistricting. Not sure it would be possible here.
mvr
@Scout211:
Thanks! Good!
mvr
@Jackie: Thanks as well!
jimmiraybob
At this point I’m thinking that Pritzker’s looking pretty good.
“Yes, folks, we are messing with Texas,” Pritzker added.
MinuteMan
@Lyrebird: Making it temporary keeps opponents from attacking it as a power grab rather than the emergency fix that it is. Good politics and a good idea, too.
Rusty
I have been attending since January monthly prayer vigils at our local ICE offices in Manchester NH. They are held on the days immigrants have to report to their case officers, we want the immigrants to see they are supported. My US Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander came this month. She sang and prayed with us, was there for the whole hour and stayed after to talk with people including myself. It’s good connections with the faith communities and she was talking g with faith leaders about how she can help support them in this fight. This is a good form of supporting the community and our values. It was uplifting to see someone in power really trying to listen and support.
Rusty
Double post, sorry!
frosty
Thank you for the Mamdani ad. Brutal takedown with a smile and a conversation. Wow!
Melancholy Jaques
@Steve LaBonne:
But they work. Everyone decries them, but they move voters more than we want to admit.
I do like Mamdani’s ad and would love it if Democrats everywhere ran ads like that. We should be running ads like that against everything Trump does and is trying to do.
Kayla Rudbek
@mayim: law librarian is a specialist job but seems to be a great job (asides from needing law degree + librarian degree)
feebog
Like him or not Gavin Newsom is trolling the bloated orange boil with his copycat tweets ALL IN CAPS. Plus, he is leading the way in fighting back against Texas redistricting.
HopefullyNotcassandra
There is so much from which to choose. Bernie and AOC rallies are exhilarating. Zohran Mamdani’s making us think attitude cannot be omitted. Maybe buses should be free? Governor Newsom trolling this president, screaming in all caps is something that hits my funny bone. Beto O’Rourke gives me hope as he calls Ken Paxton out despite Texas AG’s Paxton’s threats.
Senator Elizabeth Warren could talk all the day long about our problems and how we can fix them and find willing ears on me.
I even like watching Senator Chuck Schumer, so appalled at this president, he is sending stern letters. He really is a living definition of bemused these days.
It fills my heart knowing blue state governors help those in need in red states (even when this president is absent).
I like that House democrats on the rules committee forced Speaker Johnson to take his project 2025 goals (& governing majority) home early. I like the bipartisanship with Thomas Massie for transparency about Epstein and Maxwell.
I like this idea. There are so many more.
Please anyone still reading this, have a calming evening, a restful sleep and a peaceful morning.
Jackie
This started off as horrible; thankfully ended “well.”
frosty
This was a brilliant idea for a post, WG. I love reading about Dems I hadn’t heard of doing great things.
Martin
Ad is so-so. The vibes off the ad are good – he’s still doing vulnerable not perfect ads, which I like, but I’m not sure he needs an attack ad with his lead. I think he really should stick to positive ‘here’s what we can do for everyday voters’. That’s what’s gotten him here, and it is its own form of attack ad because the voters remember Cuomo’s governorship and that he did fuckall for the city. He can just make that contrast and force Cuomo try to cover and do it very unbelievably because nobody is buying Cuomo’s message.
Sister Golden Bear
While I still have a lot of problems with Newsom, his all caps trolling of Trump has been hysterical. Yeah, Newsom is a naked opportunist but he genuinely seems to loath Trump and MAGA, and at the moment he’s using his powers (mostly) for good.
tam1MI
Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut has been impressing me a lot recently.
In my own state (Michigan), State Senator Mallory McMorrow is one to keep an eye on. She threw her hat in the ring for the governor’s race and unfortunately is a long shot to get the nomination, but I think she has got a good future ahead of her. And of course, my state is also the home of Pete Buttigieg!
Omnes Omnibus
@Martin: It is possible that he and his team know what they are doing.
ruckus
@Sister Golden Bear:
Not a huge fan of Newsom, but he seems to me to be doing his job quite well. He is a decent governor. And this state is the most populated state so he has a lot of constituents to deal with and I’d bet not all of them like him, based upon if nothing else the size of the population. And that is always going to give some aspect of not everyone liking him.
ruckus
Something is screwy with the blog. Now it could be the connection or the phase of the moon or whatever….
At first it wouldn’t post my comment at #53, then it posted twice.
NotMax
@ruckus
FYWP’s daily 2 a.m. (blog time) follies.
schrodingers_cat
Nice to see that BJ is going all in for someone who campaigned against Genocide Joe.
Martin
@Omnes Omnibus: I seem to recall you saying the same thing about the Harris campaign.
But when you have large leads, normally you refrain from attack ads because there’s really no need to antagonize the people who don’t like them and there isn’t much need to demotivate your opponent voters. And it’s not like Cuomo is an unknown who needs to be defined – everyone knows who he is and he’s pretty unpopular.
Martin
@ruckus: 2AM backup hiccup. Happens every night.
Frank McCormick
Thanks Watergirl!
At another site today I decided I had enough of the endless posts discussing how everything is the fault “of the Democrats” (All of them? Some particular subset?) after one person put “Democrats should have protected Roe” under Bruce Banner’s gamma ray projector and stated that “they” should have thwarted everything the GOP has done for the last 50 years from the Powell Memorandum through whatever Trump did today. Another person said they were embarrassed that Gavin Newsome published an all caps post parodying a typical Trump missive. This was all against a droning background of “It’s all over. There is nothing we can do. This is it we’re going to die.” doom posting.
I suggested that mutual consolation was better than “This is the End” posts, that no one should criticize or belittle ANYTHING that anyone does to push back against Trump, and that since the past cannot be changed, the Serenity Prayer suggests we accept it as is and look for anything we have any power to change.
I did add that if I do by any chance come across that magic wand so many people think the Democrats have, but refuse to use, I will send anybody to the cornfield that even mentions 2016. I tried to point out that hoping you could get everyone to agree you were right all along with one final post about Bernie, Hillary, and Trump shows a complete lack of knowledge about human nature and that you should probably rethink dabbling in politics.
Well, at least I took the last piece of advice I offered and at least gave it a try, because even if you think your chances a success are low, they are infinitely better than doing nothing.
Regarding today’s assignment: since I live in Austin, I am very grateful that the Democrats breaking quorum in the Texas House are staying the distance and that a conservative Republican judge in Illinois essentially told Ken Paxton to piss up a rope.
It’s nice to know that there are still some Republicans who still understand what being conservative used to mean, even if it is in the middle of nowhere in downstate Illinois.
bmcchgo
@jimmiraybob: As you know, we’ve had some shite Governors in Illinois in the past half century. Most corrupt (Ryan), one embarrassing (Blago). But I’ve never been prouder than with Pritzker!
Princess Leia
A friend has decided to run for Congress! She is a fantastic immigration attorney and just a thoroughly good human being. It always brings me hope to see normal, decent, caring people willing to run for office.
Baud
I hope this will become a regular feature, WG. Excellent post idea.
p.a.
A positive thing about Dem potential gerrymanders; the Rethugs have already done it, so anything they do from now on could only change numbers on the margin, while Dems are finally bringing a gun to a gunfight so the #s can make way more difference.
Baud
@Frank McCormick:
Sounds like a dreadful place.
Princess
Not a specific thing but I am encouraged by how Elizabeth Warren and JB Pritzker keep bringing the fight, always with integrity, never sacrificing anyone in our coalition.
Geminid
I looked up one of my favorite members of the House Class of 2022 and found that Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL16) met with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Dick Durbin in Springfield this week. From the local news site Riverbenders.com:
Rep. Budzinski pledged that Democrats would fight these cuts “tooth and nail.”
Another news sites, Capitol City Now also reported reported on this event, and NPR Illinois reprinted their story.
This illustrates something I found out some years ago while searching for news about another talented Congresswoman, Sharice Davids (KS03): If I wanted to find out what Rep. Davids was up to, I had to seek out local and state news sites.
If I had relied on “national” news sites I might have concluded that Sharice Davids wasn’t doing a dam’ thing. But once I looked at state and local sites I could see that Davids was busy as bee, meeting her constituents at events all over her district.
Riverbenders.com listed five more of their articles that featured Nikki Budzinski and her district activities. This was among a plethora of articles about local events– festivals, community initiatives, high school sports etc.– around Alton, Illinois where the publication is based.
There are scores of good local and state internet news sites like Riverbenders.com, and that’s where to find the stories on talented Democratic politicians that the national media miss.
Matt McIrvin
@HopefullyNotcassandra:
Every time this comes up I have to say it: This is not a hypothetical in my city. We have free buses! Today! They’re great! A huge boon to the whole community.
When they first announced it, I remember thinking, “free is nice but I’d rather have higher frequency”. Guess what? Once they eliminated fares, there was a lot of new demand and they upped the frequency. Of course, none of this happens unless you start with the premise that transit exists for the benefit of everyone in the community, rather than as some profit-making entity or a thing that should be self-supporting.
Czar Chasm
Several months old, but tangentially related to the recent fundraiser here:
Democrats reach historic goal: A full slate in Virginia House races
Betty
@geg6: That’s the steel works featured in the film, The Deer Hunter. Maybe those who won big after that film’s success will donate support to the community.
WaterGirl
@Czar Chasm: Thanks so much for that link!
mvr
@Geminid: I like Davids and have been sending monthly contributions since her first race. Kansas needs Ds or rather we need to have Ds from Kansas. And she has managed to keep her seat in a difficult state.
Lobo
Any Democrats pushing back against Cuomo!
Ramona
Reading these is bracing. Thanks people!
RobinS
Shout out for my congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and her Resistance Lab trainings –
“The Resistance Lab is a series of trainings that are developed specifically for this moment. We look at how non-violent movements around the world have responded to leaders who seize power in authoritarian ways and the most effective tools and tactics to utilize in these moments. We offer frameworks to understand this moment at home, and incorporate interactive conversation with others to help create community and build our resistance.”
They’ve trained thousands of people at this point and are continuing through the fall.
moonbat
I think there are a couple of Heather Cox Richardson fans on here already, but I found this particular video very calming and encouraging at the same time. I’ll keep an eye out for more.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@moonbat: yes. She and Paul Krugman are my two Substack subscriptions. Krugman is a bit less encouraging (more worried). His interviews with other experts are great.
dnfree
Late to this post, but I make automatic monthly donations to both Sean Casten (who was my representative until the 2020 redistricting) and Lauren Underwood, both of the congressional class of 2018. The north, west, and northwest suburbs of Chicago have excellent Democratic representation.
dnfree
@schrodingers_cat: Your comment is counter to the spirit of this post. No one here calls him “Genocide Joe”.