United States | News & Politics

The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, a major win for President Donald Trump as Gabbard had been among the most controversial of his Cabinet picks.

The vote was 52-48 mostly along party lines, though Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined Democrats in opposing the confirmation.

Direct link to letter/press release:

https://democraticleader.house.gov/media/press-releases/dear-colleague-rapid-response-task-force-and-litigation-working-group

Original Twitter/X link in case nitter instance fails/goes down:

https://x.com/kenklippenstein/status/1889692684178108688

Dear Colleague:

I write with respect to our ongoing effort to push back against the far-right extremism that is being relentlessly unleashed on the American people.

We are engaged in a multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this administration. As outlined last week, it’s an all hands on deck effort simultaneously underway in Congress, the Courts and the Community.

In connection with this effort, House Democrats have formally established a Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group. I have asked Assistant Leader Joe Neguse to chair the Task Force, which will be co-chaired by Reps. Rosa DeLauro, Gerry Connolly and Jamie Raskin. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rep. Neguse or one of the co-Chairs this week.

House Democrats are committed to driving down the high cost of living for everyday Americans. We recognize that there are far too many people in this country struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. That’s not acceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. In this regard, we will continue to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers in order to improve their quality of life.

Last year, Republicans repeatedly promised to make life more affordable for everyday Americans. Apparently, they didn’t mean it. House Republicans and the administration have done nothing to lower the high cost of living. The cost of groceries is skyrocketing. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to launch far-right attacks on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public safety and the education of our children. The American people are counting on us to stop them.

Thank you for your continued leadership during this perilous moment. Together, we press on for the people.

Sincerely,

Hakeem Jeffries Democratic Leader

Democrats are mad that their base are demanding and expecting them to at least try to do something.

For some reason Axios posted like at least 3 variations of the same story:

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/06/democrats-congress-trump-musk-doge-calls

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/12/democrats-grassroots-groups-moveon-indivisible

Why it matters: Members of the Steering and Policy Committee — with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in the room — on Monday complained activist groups like MoveOn and Indivisible have facilitated thousands of phone calls to members' offices.

• "People are pissed," a senior House Democrat who was at the meeting said of lawmakers' reaction to the calls.
• The Democrat said Jeffries himself is "very frustrated" at the groups, who are trying to stir up a more confrontational opposition to Trump.
• A Jeffries spokesperson disputed that characterization and noted to Axios that their office regularly engages with dozens of stakeholder groups, including MoveOn and Indivisible, including as recently as Monday

Zoom in: "There were a lot of people who were like, 'We've got to stop the groups from doing this.' ... People are concerned that they're saying we're not doing enough, but we're not in the majority," said one member.

• Some Democrats see the callers as barking up the wrong tree given their limited power as the minority party in Congress: "It's been a constant theme of us saying, 'Please call the Republicans,'" said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).
• "I reject and resent the implication that congressional Democrats are simply standing by passively," said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).

The other side: "People are angry, scared, and they want to see more from their lawmakers right now than floor speeches about Elon Musk," Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg told Axios.

• "Indivisible is urging people who are scared to call their member of Congress, whether they have a Democrat or Republican, and make specific procedural asks," Greenberg said.
• "Our supporters are asking Democrats to demand specific red lines are met before they offer their vote to House Republicans on the budget, when Republicans inevitably fail to pass a bill on their own."

Reminder that Richie "I reject and resent the implication" Torres spent the election trying to get the political streamer Hasan Piker banned for antisemitism (read: criticising Israel).

I also remind dipshit Democrat defenders to hold Democrats to account. They ran a failed election campaign. They decided adhering to genocide was more important than winning. This is how they respond to their base expecting literally anything of them, is to resent them and tell them to shut the fuck up and plead there isn't anything they can do so they just have to roll over.

Gloria Oladipo
Wed 12 Feb 2025 08.50 EST

[gives reason to hope - not everyone is going to lie down and take it.]

"About two dozen adults who live at the military base chanted “DEI” and booed at Hegseth as he arrived to the US European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, NBC News reported.

Separately, a group of students attending the Patch middle school, also in Stuttgart, held a walkout, according to a letter from the school obtained by the Washington Post."

"Protests led by military families are generally uncommon. A spokesperson at the Department of Defense did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment about the protests."

[I found a paywall a few pages down in article, sorry. --PL]

Among the five living men who have served as president, Barack Obama has the most favorable image and Joe Biden the least favorable.