this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
711 points (98.9% liked)

Progressive Politics

2095 readers
884 users here now

Welcome to Progressive Politics! A place for news updates and political discussion from a left perspective. Conservatives and centrists are welcome just try and keep it civil :)

(Sidebar still a work in progress post recommendations if you have them such as reading lists)

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Absolutely useless

(page 2) 36 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] -1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Jesus Christ I'm sick of government shutdown drama. Do your jobs and figure out the budget on time, you fucking assholes.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 22 hours ago

They have. Republicans are in charge rn, and they decided to gut 2 trillion in programs like Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and a shitload of other stuff so that they can feel slightly better about the 4.5 Trillion deficit they're going to add by extending their tax cuts for the rich.

That's why a lot of people are upset enough to want the government to shut down rather than face that reality.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (3 children)

I've often been a defender of Democrats being realistic, but Schumer is on some bullshit here.

It’s unclear what, if anything, Schumer got in return for his decision to allow the House bill to proceed

Says it all right there. The Republican bill was just a list of laughably insane things they knew Democrats would oppose so they could blame the shutdown on them. It actually cuts funding of DC's local budget forcing them to fire teachers and even cops. Again, nothing to do with the federal government. It just grabs power from a local government and says that they can't use their own local tax revenues to educate kids and fight crime. It's complete rabid insanity that has no point other than to bully a blue city. And Schumer's like "Sure, ok. whatever."

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 22 hours ago

I guess the people will be compelled to hold an impromptu no-confidence referendum with bricks and molotovs for ballots.

'No' is not enough.

No capitulation.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

So like... what the fuck even happens in a government shutdown?
How does power shift when that happens?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

That’s my question, too. How does a shutdown suddenly give the reavers more power to destroy? I mean, they’re already tanking everything.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 23 hours ago

I think they are gearing that shutdown will shut down the courts too (a branch that supposed to be co-equal)

[–] [email protected] 10 points 23 hours ago

Reading about the funding bill, it also seems to include dismantling of some checks and balances.
They're probably fucked either way, I just don't know enough to tell which is worse.
Seeing as both Bernie, AOC and federal workers' unions agree to vote no on that one, they're probably on to something.
Idk, I don't live in a failed state

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 77 points 1 day ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 28 points 23 hours ago

Yeah, they're not meek or cowards.

They bravely stand up to their own base.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

It's because the Moderates (aka. Republicans in blue suits) control the party and it's been this way for far too long.

It's the same reason Nancy Pelosi kept stepping on AOC's toes and even worked to keep her out of key committee positions, despite her being popular with a lot of Democratic voters.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 23 hours ago

What is this from?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The dnc is just controlled opposition. The Democratic Party is the only chance to push the country left but the establishment is working against it and these old fucking ghouls are the elite still and much closer to their Republican “counterparts” than they are to us.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 23 hours ago

We have to vote the dinosaurs out of office, if we ever get to vote again.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The US has no form of vote of no confidence. So therefore no way to have consequences for bad governing outside of the voting period, which has its own problems. Importantly here is the need for quick backlash rather than wait two or more years to choose someone else (if there is anyone else allowed to be a pick).

A lot of the flaws in the government are inherent from the beginning because there were certain expectations assumed, and that a document of rules can't be perfect the first, second, or even only a third time. It needs consistent revisions to keep up with the needs of the group it is designed for. This is where the biggest failure has happened, and can be attributed to lack of attention, not wanting to change what seems to work, sacred holding of what was never meant to be set in stone, or just that it often benefited not being changed at the time by those with the power to change it.

Add to all that a very short attention spanned public, fine tuned to be ignorant and forgetful as well as easily manipulated by the simplest of sound bites.

The rot is in the walls. Not that the American Experiment was a bad thing, it's just that it wasn't maintained and updated, so you get eventual decay.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

Kevin McCarthy would still be the house leader if that were 100% true. Congressional leadership can changed with enough intrer-party pressure. Schumer is highly unlikely to face any expulsion vote from congress, but he could more realistically be stripped of leadership position. This is a breaking point that might actually build that pressure and we can play a roll in that by calling your senators.

Not delaying Trump's nominees with all tools (only some of them) isn't nearly serious as him pushing to give up the one piece of genuine dem leverage until September for basically no gain. Directed pressure - not on social media - but in places senators can see will let us do it. That means calling them, emailing them, hell even faxing, showing up in person to their office and town halls, etc.

Also do this for the bill vote itself too before tomorrow morning. See my comment about we can still block this vote

[–] [email protected] 79 points 1 day ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (2 children)

Call your senators, they can still block this despite Schumers push. The vote is tomorrow. If all republican vote for it, they need 7 dems. 8 with Rand Paul who has said he'll vote no. (Republicans are not using reconciliation so it needs the the filibuster)

Many senate dems are publicly coming out against voting for cloture (meaning they won't vote to let it get through the filibuster). As of what I last read, around ~~11~~ 10 dems are thought to potentially vote to let it pass filibuster. Most of those are still not sure. We only need a handful more of those to become noes and it will get blocked. Some yeses have flipped to noes because of public pressure. We cannot let up now

Link to find direct numbers your senators

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Or call the capitol switch board (202) 224-3121

House dems are publicly telling the senate not to do this (and it's not just AOC on this - it's quite a few of them). Earlier read that 7 Dem state AGs are saying the same. Federal worker unions are telling senate dems not do this. Keep the pressure up

[–] [email protected] 7 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

One thing to keep in mind though...

I was outraged a minute ago, but now I'm not sure.

When the government is shut down, so are the courts, and we need them.

How one branch is capable to shut down apparently a co-equal branch of the government?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Not immediately

Unlike executive branch agencies, the federal courts can continue operations for about two weeks following a government shutdown. When a shutdown loomed in September 2019, the U.S. federal courts confirmed they could use reserve or carryover funds accumulated from various revenue sources not dependent on Congress, such as case filing fees. When courts are on notice that a government shutdown may be looming, they can take steps to conserve funds by deferring non-critical expenses — for example, by curbing travel, new hires, and certain contracts.

https://judicialstudies.duke.edu/2024/05/how-a-u-s-government-shutdown-impacts-courts-access-to-justice/

Plus voting in favor of this CR would be codifying much of what these cases are about. Many of the illegal spending cuts would become legal until September making the cases moot.

It would also fuck over DC local government in a way the executive branch cannot easily do. Congress can control DC budgets but very little of the DC budget comes from federal money (<1%) where Trump could mess with. The CR has a clause to cut $1 billion from their budget despite that not saving the federal government any money

[–] [email protected] 12 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

That's a good point. Looks like both ways are bad, but voting yes, still looks worse.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 22 hours ago

Indeed, there's a reason the Federal Worker Unions are saying to vote against the CR despite the likely shutdown that would entail

Plus it would teach senate Republicans that they can do basically whatever they want as long as they threaten a shutdown. You have to stand up strong to bullies it's the only thing they understand

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 23 hours ago

Turns out it was actually 10 as I accidentally counted Cortez Masto as two people whoops

Schumer, Hassan, Peters, Durbin, Schatz, King, Shaheen, Fetterman, Cortez Masto and Gillibrand

https://bsky.app/profile/joshtpm.bsky.social/post/3lkbxyja44s2c

In terms of what's more confirmed by statement and such here's one tracker that seems to somewhat regularly update

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/senate-cloture-vote-tally

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If someone who has been in office doing their job for decades and still hasn't changed much .... why does anyone expect them to do anything different now?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

No one does. That's why they need to go.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't know the details of the powers trump would have under a shutdown so I'll have to reserve judgement on this one. Some of the dems are acting a little shell shocked since this chaos started though so you wonder if they can be useful again.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Reading a bit it seems the funding bill in its current form basically cuts their remaining healthcare and removes most congressional oversight on how money is actually spent, among other things.
If so then yea it's probably not better than a shutdown.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Republicans created a dilemma though, the bill legalizes and gives trump more power, not then of government is shut down, so are the courts.

Looks like we are fucked either way.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They backed down on govt funding? They backed down, didn't they?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not they. So far it's only Schumer and Fetterman, and Fetterman was a lost cause anyway.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Next time I'm donating to the strokes act blue.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They're not meek, they're bought.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It’s really hard to remove bought politicians when it’s the rule and not the exception

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

That's why I am 99% certain America gets a civil war. When half the population are so mentally ill that they support Trump, and the other half so brainwashed they blame progressives for Trump — the only group that has consistently warned that conservatism and neoliberalism will result in fascism — you can't simply "deprogram" them.

One major reason Europe rebounded after WW2 is because the vast majority of fascist "true believers" died in the war, and fascist leadership was executed. Europe essentially had a political and sociological "reset". Without that, America's cancer will continue to grow and fester. If civil war does not happen, or the fascists win it, the world gets US fascist imperialism and WW3 in the 2030's; give or take a few years.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Only if you play by the rules.

load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›