Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee Chair, did an excellent job of pointing out the flaws in the Democratic party's resistance to Trump's attempted turning of America into a fascist dictatorship on his program this weekend. Steele pointed to polling data from NBC showing that the favorability rating of Democrats in Congress has fallen to 27%, which would be a crisis if Republican numbers weren't free falling at the same time, and especially if there were an election right around the corner. That means a lot of Democrats aren't happy with their representation in Congress and I'd bet the Senate is at the top of that list.
Of course, there are three special elections for Congressional seats coming up April 1, and the manner in which the DNC leadership, and Congressional leadership, has handled those makes me scratch my head and wonder how seriously they take the threat of Trump. Most of what I get now from the DNC is asks for money. I've contributed, individually, to each of the candidates and I just hope they're getting the help they will need to win these elections.
In addition to the favorability rating for Democrats falling to 27%, there's the very bleak statistic from the 2024 election, in which 69 million Americans, eligible to register and vote, decided to sit it out and stay at home, including a significant number of people who voted for Joe Biden in 2020. Considering all of that, there were 10 members of the Democratic Senate minority who chose to go ahead and vote for cloture on a continuing resolution giving Trump pretty much what he wanted. It's semantics that they can vote for cloture, then vote against the bill and say they weren't for it. As soon as the filibuster ends, they know the Republicans can pass the bill.
Perhaps the best explanations for why they voted for cloture came from Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, and Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto. They did a good job making their perspective the "lesser of two evils," especially as it pertained to their own constituents. But the fear that Democrats would get blamed for a government shutdown was way overblown. No Democrat had any input or part in negotiations of the terms of this bill, so it cannot be expected that they would have a reason to vote for it. The house, 214 of 215 Democrats, got that, credit to Hakeem Jeffries. The Republicans are in charge, Trump is putting his name, and that of Elon Musk, on everything. Democrats wouldn't be blamed for a government shutdown, given that's what Trump has already set out to do.
The fact that 37 Democratic Senators did not follow their leadership, and instead voted "No!" on cloture is a sign that the leadership is weak, and that there are Senators who perceive it that way. That's the kind of weakness that has led, at least in part, to a 27% approval rating. We cannot afford to come away from the 2026 mid-term elections empty handed. Trump's jumping into attempted rule by executive order has, in a relatively short time, opened a lot of eyes of marginal supporters who weren't paying attention but who know that this isn't what they wanted or believed would happen.
I wrote to my Senator, Dick Durbin, first encouraging him to vote no on cloture, and then, expressing my disappointment when he voted, in essence to give the GOP their bill. I got no reply either time, though I requested one. He was a great Senator in his better days, but I wonder if he really comprehends the danger we are in from Trump, or just considers it all political rhetoric that will go away when the mid-terms come around again.
Maybe I'm too hard to please, but it appears that the Democratic party is headless right now, and as much as it pains me to say it, is a party in disarray. I had high hopes for the new leadership at the DNC, but so far, other than asking over and over again for money, I'm disappointed in not seeing what I expected. There are a few Democrats who get that the GOP now needs to get the blame for the things which are happening that are wildly unpopular, and Bernie Sanders is out there making sure that happens, along with AOC and Jasmine Crockett.
There are an awful lot of Democrats, myself included, who genuinely believe Trump is an existential threat to Democracy who has effectively found a rich sycophant willing to buy the United States government for him. He is a demented, insane, pathological liar, an evil man who is bent on vengeance, whose lies betray his phony worldview, totally unqualified to lead the United States and very likely a huge threat to world peace with his finger on our nuclear trigger.
Whether it's by the 25th amendment, an impeachement and removal, or his resignation due to public pressure, the Democrats need to figure out how to end his term in office before he destroys this country.
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