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Charlie Crist, Once a Republican, Takes a Seat Among Democrats in Congress New York Times Are Democrats missing something about the direction of the country? Maybe. I think that rural America had concerns that maybe national Democrats didn't pick up on, to some degree. You know, concern about safety of course, all Americans are concerned ... and more »

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Charlie Crist, Once a Republican, Takes a Seat Among Democrats in Congress - New York Times

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Democrats need to vote, but they also need to give folks something to vote for.

Democrats have lost the presidency, both houses of Congress, and 36 of this countrys state governors. Thirty-two of the 50 state legislatures are Republican controlled, 12 by Democrats, and six states are split. Democrats couldnt even win over such an obviously flawed candidate as Donald Trump. Dont blame it on the Electoral College. Blame it on the seemingly endless desire of liberals to right every wrong on this planet.

Seattle throws million at the homeless problem and then wants millions more when the problem gets worse. They would feed and house every resident of this planet who wants to come here. Legally or otherwise. Streets crumble and potholes grow, but we can give tax breaks to Boeing, while the company continues to send jobs elsewhere. Property taxes are soaring. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says we have the most regressive tax system (harder on lower incomes) in the nation, and Democratic leaders in this state are determined to add to that tax burden.

Incomes are rapidly rising (except for those on fixed incomes) but we have no state income tax. Seattles high schools graduate less than the state average. Mental health care is sadly lacking. Personal responsibility for ones health and welfare has become the function of government instead of the individual. Nationally, Democrats enjoy a demographic advantage but obviously that tide is turning.

Its time for responsible leadership from the left.

Don Curtis

Stanwood

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Democrats, give us a reason to vote for you - The Daily Herald

WASHINGTON

With the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Neil M. Gorsuch less than two weeks away, liberal activists are alarmed not only at the prospect of his lifetime appointment to the court, but at what they see as muted opposition from Senate Democrats.

We are not hearing from them the intensity that we are hearing from the grass roots, said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, the organizer of a recent letter from 11 progressive groups urging Democrats to step it up. The grass roots really understands this is a do-or-die nomination.

The tough criticism from the left underscores the Democrats difficult position. They need to keep their agitated and highly motivated base satisfied while not appearing to dismiss Gorsuch, who has impressed members of both parties during private meetings, strictly out of political spite for the way Republicans stonewalled President Barack Obamas nomination of Merrick B. Garland.

In the past few days, Democrats have sought to show more organized resistance in advance of the coming confirmation showdown on March 20. They say the Gorsuch nomination, a topic that would capture attention in Washington just days before a hearing, is being overshadowed by the political upheaval accompanying President Donald Trumps occupancy of the White House.

I think there is a lot going on that makes it very hard to look at anything that theyre doing, said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the No. 3-ranking Senate Democrat, who said the Trump White House was following a hide the ball strategy. And this is a serious nomination that should take serious consideration because this nominee would end up on this court for a very long time.

She joined two fellow Democratic senators and advocates for labor, disabled people and the education community this week to try to highlight what they viewed as anti-worker opinions by Gorsuch that they said should disqualify him from the court. On Monday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called on conservative groups that helped compile a list of Supreme Court candidates for consideration by Trump to release any communications they had with Gorsuch or the Trump team about his consideration and selection.

Hogue said those developments were welcome signs of life from Democrats. We need to see more of that so that people know that Democrats have their back, she said.

Consideration of a Supreme Court nominee is typically a major set piece in the running Washington drama, attracting substantial attention in the lead-up to the hearing as supporters and opponents hone their arguments and dig in on research to identify fertile areas for inquiry in the confirmation hearing itself. But this has been an unusual situation, with the nomination coming at the very start of a new presidency because Republicans prevented Obama from filling the vacancy last year.

The timing has meant that the attention of Democrats has been divided as they devoted substantial time and resources to failed attempts to derail Trump Cabinet nominees. They have also been occupied battling the new administration on multiple other fronts such as the repeal of the health care law, the presidents executive order on immigration and demands for an independent inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

At the same time, Democrats have emerged from one-on-one meetings with Gorsuch praising his intellect and demeanor, though some have said he failed to provide persuasive answers on basic constitutional issues.

The situation was worrying enough to Gorsuch opponents on the left to provoke a chastising letter to Senate Democrats. Democrats have failed to demonstrate a strong, unified resistance to this nominee despite the fact that he is an ultraconservative jurist who will undermine our basic freedoms and threaten the independence of the federal judiciary, the 11 groups wrote. We need you to do better.

The letter also followed a sense among progressives that Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee who will consider the Gorsuch nomination had not been aggressive enough in their treatment of Jeff Sessions, their former Republican colleague, during his confirmation hearing for attorney general a hearing some viewed as a test run for a Supreme Court fight.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who joined Murray at Tuesdays news conference, said the progressive groups were right to try to stir him and his colleagues to action.

I think they are doing exactly what they should be doing, he said. We have to pivot and really focus on this Supreme Court nomination.

Other Democrats say Gorsuch will struggle to win the eight Democratic votes he would require to be assured of overcoming a filibuster. They believe the hearing will stiffen the party resolve, particularly if he is not more forthcoming with answers about how he views the role of an independent judiciary in standing against the presidency.

They remain worried that Senate Republicans would respond to a filibuster by changing Senate procedure to allow a Supreme Court nominee to move ahead on a simple majority vote. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader, has made clear he is willing to do so if necessary, and other Republicans say the votes are there to make the change. Trump has also supported that idea.

Hogue said Democrats cannot become consumed with such political math when their constituents are demanding a hard line.

The chips will fall where they may, she said about a potential rules change, predicting it would prove politically unpopular.

More crucial to her and fellow progressives at the moment is what they see as a lack of commitment among Senate Democrats to stand against Gorsuch.

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Activists urge Democrats to step up resistance to Gorsuch nomination - MyPalmBeachPost

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, March 9, 2017, 6:32 PM

A troubling new poll was just released showing that the Democratic Party is significantly less popular than both Donald Trump and Mike Pence. My gut tells me that Democrats will ignore this poll, or blame it on bad polling, and continue down the same course they are currently on: being funded by lobbyists and the 1%, straddling the fence or outright ignoring many of most inspirational issues of the time, and blaming Bernie Sanders for why they arent in power right now.

As a general rule the Democratic Party doesnt listen well and struggles to hear the truth about itself.

In case youve been living under a rock, Republicans now control the House, the Senate, the presidency, and the overwhelming majority of state legislatures and governorships. This new poll from Suffolk University illustrates just how thats possible. Here are the base results of the poll with favorable/unfavorable ratings.

KING: Coretta Scott King warned the U.S. about Jeff Sessions

In other words, the Democratic Party has a favorability rating 11 points lower than Pence, nine points lower than Trump, and even one point lower than the GOP.

Their unfavorable rating is 17 points worse than Pence, five points worse than Trump, and four points worse than the GOP.

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This is a disaster. At a time when Donald Trump is the least liked President ever measured at this point in his first term, the Democratic Party has found a way to be even less liked than him. This is how Donald Trump wins a second term. This is how congressional Republicans win the next midterm elections. This is how conservatives not only maintain their current power from coast to coast, but also expand it.

The Democratic Party is deeply unpopular period. Its a fact. Dont look away. Dont call me a Bernie Bro. Its a problem that must be seriously addressed. Not a day goes by when I dont have people reach out to me and ask if it would be worth it to start a credible alternative to what the Democrats are offering. Most people, I believe, would also be open to a brand new way of business for the Democratic Party, but core leaders seem hell bent on doing the same old crap.

When good people who are frustrated with the Democratic Party express their genuine concerns, I see them being told to shut up and unify. Now is not the time for public complaints, they are told. We must all work together.

But what this apparently means to the people who are calling for unity is getting behind the corporate, suit and tie, lobbyist-driven agenda of the establishment. But let me break it to you the establishment has almost no grassroots momentum. Virtually every progressive grassroots movement in America right now is fueled by people outside of the Democratic Party establishment and this is a huge reason why the party is so outrageously unpopular.

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Huge grassroots movements, made up of millions and millions of people, are fueling the fight for a $15 minimum wage, fighting back against fossil fuels and the Dakota Access Pipeline, fighting to end fracking, fighting to remove lobbyist money from politics, fighting to end senseless wars and international violence, fighting for universal healthcare, fighting for the legalization of marijuana, fighting for free college tuition, fighting against systems of mass incarceration, and so much more. But mainstream Democrats arent really a central part of any of those battles, and, to be clear, each of those issues have deep networks, energized volunteers, and serious donors, but corporate Democrats virtually ignore them.

In the past two months, Ive spoken in a dozen states around the country and thousands of people show up. Wednesday night, in the freezing rain, lines were wrapped around multiple city blocks to attend an event I was hosting at a local Seattle high school. We literally formed the event a few days ago on Facebook and didnt spend a single penny putting it together.

When I see these crowds, I dont see them and think Wow, Im so popular. I see them and think Wow, people are hungry for change, and insight, and direction. When I see those crowds, those polls showing how outrageously unpopular the Democratic Party is frustrate me even more. It just doesnt have to be this way.

People show up in huge numbers for my events, or Bernies events, or for events put on by the organizers of the Womens March, not just because we all want to stop Donald Trump. Thats a gross oversimplification of who we are and what we stand for. People are showing up, by the thousands, by tens and hundreds of thousands, because we have many of the very same beliefs, and passions, and preferences for how America can improve and be a better place for all of us.

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The Democratic Party is not a fiery Barack Obama speech away from being popular. He may be beloved and mobs of screaming fans may follow him all over the country, but the party he represents simply doesnt have that same type of support. And they wont if they dont do some serious soul searching about who and what they truly stand for.

Recently, Ive asked the crowds where I am speaking two key questions about the Democratic Party. The response that I get is always the same mass laughter or audible frustration.

The first question is, If I asked you, in just a few sentences, to sum up what specific policies the Democratic Party stands for, what would you say?

People have no genuine idea. They know some things the party stands against, but its genuinely hard to be sure of what they stand for.

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The other question is, What exactly is the strategy of the Democratic Party to take back the government from conservatives across the country?

That one always gets the most laughs. Nobody has any idea. Not once has somebody stood up and said, Hey, I know the strategy. Hell, I dont know it. I dont think one exists. Whatever the strategy was this past election, it didnt work either. And again, I dont just mean in the presidential election. Democrats lost all over the place in national, state, and local elections.

Losing is hard. It sucks. I hate losing. But this much I know if the Democratic Party does not come to grips with why it is so wildly unpopular, many more losses will be on the horizon.

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KING: The Democratic Party seems to have no earthly idea why it is so damn unpopular - New York Daily News

House Democrats were resolute and loquacious but were unable to derail the latest Republican move to significantly weaken federal labor unions.

After seemingly endless discussion Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was poised to advance legislation designed to undermine official time. It permits union representatives to engage in certain actions while on the governments payroll. Those actions, by the way, benefit not just union members, but all agency workers, agencies generally and ultimately taxpayers.

The committee meeting began at 10 a.m. and recessed just before 8 p.m., with time out for an afternoon subcommittee hearing on the Internal Revenue Service. Committee members, tired from a long day, planned to vote on Thursday.

Much of the day centered on Rep. Jody Hices (R-Ga.) bill that would prohibit labor leaders who spend at least 80 percent of their time on union-related activities from counting that time toward retirement. This backdoor approach would not directly kill official time, but the cut in compensation would strongly deter participation by union leaders, leaving official time seriously wounded.

Republicans have long targeted official time and their chances for success are better now than ever with President Trump in office. The Senate, however, would still have to pass the bill, where a Democratic filibuster could stop it.

Much of the protracted, albeit polite, committee debate focused on what is allowed under official time, with Democrats proposing several amendments designed to blunt the bills impact. They pushed the importance of official time to issues Republicans and Democrats hold dear, such as the protection of whistleblowers and service to veterans.

Hice, however, framed official time as the American taxpayer is forced to subsidize federal employee unions. He talked about feds picketing while on official time, though neither he nor his office provided any examples. Hice spoke about some Department of Veterans Affairs health care employees spending all their time engaged in union businessthey should not earn federal retirement benefits as though they had been executing the business of the agency.

This argument ignores how official time advances agency business. For example, union representatives use official time to participate in the labor-management forums created by President Barack Obamas 2009 executive order. The forums are designed to foster labor/management collaboration to deliver the highest quality services to the American people.

There was confusion among members over how the 80 percent would be calculated. One interpretation of the bills language indicates that labor leaders spending that portion of a workday discussing ways to deliver high quality service with management would not get any credit for that time toward retirement. Another section indicates this would not take effect until after 365 days of service, but then remain in effect indefinitely.

Talks about agency service levels go well beyond a narrow definition of union business. Its also worth noting, as Democrats did repeatedly, that internal union business, like soliciting members or holding union meetings, is already excluded from official time.

But official time does cover working with whistleblowers and enhancing working conditions for veterans, two issues members of Congress like to promote. Democrats offered a long series of amendments that would exclude official time for those and other activities from the 80 percent rule in an attempt to defeat the impact of the legislation.

I am certain that my colleagues do not intend to disadvantage whistleblowers, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) said in defense of his whistleblower amendment. Unfortunately, the effect of their concerted attacks on unions and civil service protections would be to strip whistleblowers of their advocates in the workplace their union.

Outside allies rallied in support of the Democrats arguments. Union leaders have been in the forefront.

Some Republicans in Congress are perpetuating lies about official time, said Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees. They are purposely misleading people about what official time is. In particular, they are trying to convince folks that official time is used for internal union business and political activity, when it simply is not used for those purposes. Now they are trying to take away workers retirement security because they served as a Union representative. This legislation is vindictive and wrong.

The Government Accountability Project, a whistleblower advocacy organization, voiced concern over the threat to whistleblower rights presented by Hices legislation in a letter to committee leaders. Union stewards are essential foot soldiers on the front lines to act whistleblowing members anti-retaliation rights.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights also wrote in opposition. The use of official time by union representatives continues to play a significant role in advancing the rights and interests of all workers in the workplace and making the federal government more efficient, effective, and responsive to the needs of its employees, the Leadership Conference said. But this legislation would ruthlessly strip away this critical tool, to the detriment of all workers, particularly women and people of color.

There were plenty of good-sense arguments like these against the legislation, but they did not sway the majority Republicans.

Read more:

[Republicans launch new tactic in latest attack on federal unions]

[House Republicans launch latest hit on federal unions]

[Broad probe of federal employees gets specific with names]

[Federal labor leaders might need hard hats to protect against GOP bills aimed at unions]

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Democrats wage uphill battle against bill targeting federal-union representatives - Washington Post