Hakeem Jeffries on Rachel Maddow
"Democrats want to hear from you, personally, as the senior Democrat in Washington, in the house where the margins are so narrow, to hear from you that you understand the scale of the threat, and that you have ideas about how to interrupt what feels like something we have not experienced since the Civil War in terms of the threat to our Republic." Rachel Maddow, February 24, in an interview with Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic House Minority Leader
Where Do Things Stand?
With Trump and Musk being the first two mentions in every news broadcast in the country, and the sensationalism and drama of what unbelievable or incredible thing they are doing being the subject of most news, it was refreshing to watch Maddow's interview with Hakeem Jefferies, and have her give him a forum to vent some frustration and lay out some plans that will help get away from all of the sensationalism and provide some real, factual information along with giving something to the growing group of discontented voters, some of whom are waiting for signals to prompt their involvement.
Jeffries said all the right things, demonstrates a keen awareness of the situation in the House and understands that it is a numbers game, and the numbers don't have to be big. Right now, it's three. They know what they need to do, one being stay united and on task, and two being to use public pressure to flip the votes they need when they need them. I'd like to hear a little more about the strategy being used and what will be involved, since Democrats aren't always good at communicating their message. Jeffries says the House Democrats are unified and ready.
What I didn't hear, and didn't feel was communicated, was the seriousness of the threat, distinguishing this from politics as usual, and a commitment to do whatever it takes to put a stop to what has been happening. Democrats were unified on the budget vote, but they were not able to pressure a single Republican into voting that down, in spite of the hollering and yelling and protesting that's going on in some of the Republican town meetings. What kind of effort were they making and who was responsible for getting that done? There are more than a dozen Republicans representing Congressional districts that Biden won in 2020 and 2024. How organized and how thorough is the effort to pressure those members every time some key vote comes up? Because what it looks like is that nobody thought of it until the last minute, nobody took responsibility for it and nobody did anything.
I see two options here. Either start showing some results with real pressure on those Republicans in districts where their re-election is at risk, or put some real effort into winning the three seats up for grabs in the House that will, in Democratic hands, do some real damage.
Does "willing to do all we can" also mean "willing to take risks" and placing the priority of stopping Trump above the self-interest of preserving their own seat and their own power? I didn't hear Jeffries say that.
Democrats are also going to have to find a way to get Jeffries in front of more than just the MSNBC cameras. The media's pattern of "Trump, Trump, Trump, Musk, Musk, Musk, Trump, Musk" is blockading messages from Jeffries. Those of us who pay attention, and who are into the podcasts, social media connections and who still watch MSNBC rather than any other cable news, are hearing the rants from Democrats, including some of the most spot-on messages and quotes from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jasmine Crockett. In Illinois, we got statewide coverage of Governor Pritzker's State of the State address. But a lot of where that needs to get coverage is missing out on it.
What is it Going to Take?
Trump must be stopped, legislatively and through the courts. And as Jeffries said, the courts are putting a stop to most of his schemes, though he is inflicting damage as he goes. It will take some risks, and a lot of bold moves to get results. Ultimately, Congress is going to have to impeach him, and the Senate is going to have to convict and remove him. Yes, that sounds impossible, and it might not happen, but Democrats have to make the moves to lay the groundwork and keep it moving that way, because while impeachment and conviction may appear to be virtually impossible, the fight and the effort to lay the groundwork may lead to enough public pressure to force Trump out by resignation.
And getting Musk out is not only necessary, it's doable.
Is there a concerted effort going on in the Democratic party to go all out in doing whatever it takes to win these three congressional seats. I don't see one, but I could be missing something. We have a new DNC exec, Ken Martin, who exhibited a lot of skills in advancing the party's position in Minnesota, and some youthful enthusiasm and strong, good ideas with David Hogg. What are they doing to make sure we win these seats? There's no time to waste, those elections are rolling right along and will be here before we know it. Right now it looks like all three Democratic candidates are on their own.
Jeffries said the Democrats are united. But are they? As Maddow said, Democrats want to see their congressional leaders get out of this talking stage and into the action phase. Everything else that is on the agenda depends on stopping Trump now.
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