Q: "How do you respond to Governor Newsom?"
Sen. Van Hollen: "I think Americans are tired of elected officials or politicians who are all finger to the wind...Anybody who can't stand up for the Constitution and the right of due process doesn't deserve to lead."
Sen. Van Hollen: "I think Americans are tired of elected officials or politicians who are all finger to the wind...Anybody who can't stand up for the Constitution and the right of due process doesn't deserve to lead."
Comments
Even to this day, I am surprised by people that I have respected for decades revealing themselves to unworthy of the respect I gave to them.
The fence rider gets the benefit of the doubt, but should they? In my opinion, it's a no.
https://truthout.org/articles/sanders-1-percent-has-sapped-79t-in-wealth-from-bottom-90-percent-since-1975/
DNC, billionaire allies, push identity issues bc that doesn't threaten their donors;
Sanders/AOC/Walz/Pritzker/VanHollen/Whitehouse/Howard Dean/FDR/Truman who recognize the FIRST problem is excess wealth concentration=>new aristocracy
https://www.zebrafactcheck.com/louis-d-brandeis-wealth-and-democracy-checking-a-common-quotation/
https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/newsom-transgender-athletes/
It’s embarrassing.
Is this important? Yup. It’s a constitutional crisis.
However it’s one of 340 things he’s doing that our myopic rage over 1 of them enables.
We shouldn’t be this easy to manipulate. It’s how Trump got elected.
What is the biggest news story today? Exactly what Trump wants it to be.
This is a winning narrative for Trump’s base.
He’s using it to distract his base from the things that affect them. And we enable it.
Due process and equal protection under the law for all "persons" is foundational to remain out of further fascistic actions by this administration.
We need to stand up NOW for the rule of law.
It's going to get worse, and they will blame ANYONE but Trump.
The greater left ignored most everything during the elections in favor of, inmost cases, 1 or 2 losing issues.
Thats what we’re doing now.
But it’s keeping us from talking about the issues that affect his base. His base loves this, but doesn’t love the fact that they’re going to have to go out of business. That’s how it’s a distraction.
Preaching to the converted isn’t going to erode his support.
Meanwhile he’s dismantling the entire government which also affects his base.
This is who Trump wants to distract. His base.
See! America. There are some.
Perhaps @davidhogg.bsky.social will help us to find more.
@maddow.msnbc.com
@chrislhayes.bsky.social
@jimacosta.bsky.social
https://ushistory.org/paine/crisis/c-01.htm
December 23, 1776
THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country...Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;
1/2
Van Hollen (and Ben Cardin) have always been solid, but it’s great to see him rise in prominence too.
Most recent Trump approval rating
Favorable: 41%
Unfavorable: 53%
Unsure: 6%
Trump US approval rating right: Rasmussen's current Trump approval poll now
Nothing but a power-hungry politician like so many others.
I say mid-term every single one on both sides and start fresh.
I used to like him. Then I contrasted him with someone else that I really like, Pete Buttigieg, and things became clearer.
Articulate, calm, and factual.
He's grown into an admirable young man.
I only say that because I'm 54, so anyone under 40 is a young man to me. 😁
No to Newsome No To rham Emanuel. Democrats need new energy new vision.
I'm tired of career politicians.
Sooooo
The fact that he didn’t see that makes me think we got lucky.
They’re surrounded by the vicious indecent, cutting them out of the herd (& offering to lions as dinner).
Power grabs & clings to other power like Velcro.
(Or dingleberries.)
If people in USA being kidnapped by US government without due process and shipped to foreign gulag with no hope of ever getting out is a distraction—IT'S TIME DEMOCRATS GOT DISTRACTED BY THE NEED TO PRESERVE THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR DEMOCRACY!
But we Must also focus some time in the other illegal and dangerous thing s Trump and Musk are still doing.
It’s a lot - a whole lot.
They are both right in their way.
Let’s stick together instead of infighting. We can do it all
however kidnapping, human trafficking the lockup in a foreign country w/o any court defense, due process goes against our Constitution Newsom fucked up he should have called it out
Newsom is as craven as they come
his EGO is the size of Cali's GDP
and O M F G
Fetterman
people are blaming his stroke for the personality change but I think he's a coward deep down and blows with he wind..also bet he's afraid tWump will ICE his wife who came as an illegal
Bet Gavin was ramping up to run in 2028 but he's gotta snowball's chance esp with all the other BS he pulled
look at his first wife old plastic and rubber faced
Kimberly Guilfoyle
they both started out fresh faces with stars in the eyes
hoping to do good (my imagination?) and got turned and
corrupted by power and the influence of big money
Yet no one ever demands Republicans become more moderate or embrace minorities.
🤔
Pfft. Bye, bye Felicia!
But there were many election cycles when Republicans lost. Did they ever “reflect”? Did media talk nonstop about GOP needing to change messaging or “learn how to talk to” minorities or women - or moreover, COMPROMISE & reach across the aisle?
Nope.
If Republican voters can accept and be fine with white nationalism, violence & Jan 6 … then how does that make them part of a “center”?
What is there to be on the fence about with Jan 6?
Bernie got 40% of the Dem Primary
I would not say that about Newsom or the people he’s platformIng.
But ITA, Newsom is courting MAGA. He’s ruining his chances.
🤬
And that’s why many “small groups” have to stay with the Democratic Party - not sit out elections, not vote 3rd party, not sow division.
Dems may disappoint, but Repubs will never ever give you what you want.
Democrats need to gain strong, consistent MAJORITIES - period.
Republicans have cried it over and over again for so long people have gotten so used to hearing it they've forgotten it's complete horseshit.
(Remember what Trump said about repeating lies often enough …?)
Now media (esp CNN) bends over backwards to give voice to liars to avoid being called “liberal”.
That is the one and only reason.
The rest of him is bullshit garbage.
Just like Trump.
https://bsky.app/profile/s-renay.bsky.social/post/3lkpeb5fids26
We need to stay focused here.
I bet this is media attention is eating up Felon 47🤡!
@kylekulinskishow.bsky.social did a video on YT the other day about this.
Everything he does, including platforming #fascists on his #fascist podcast, is with his own personal political self-interest in mind.
@vanhollen.senate.gov
For Newsom to be irrelevant it means him not running - the top 2 primary CA does may get him on their with a vile Republican and no other option
[Californian, former Newsom supporter]
John McCain ran. It's settled.
@vanhollen.senate.gov was born in Pakistan in 1959.
Sen. Van Hollen is considered to be born in USA, just a Senator #JohnMcCain was, although he was born in Panama in 1938 when his father was stationed in Panama as a naval officer in 1938.
Why aren’t we asking where the women and children are? What has Stephen Miller done with them?
I suppose these's been a case or ripeness at work. We who look to the horizon to prepare for storms understood that things would come to this, but now they are ripe for action.
Why can't the Dems effectively reduce the roles of these people as "speaking for the party"
Pathetic kick-the-can crap that doesn't ever bring relevant folks to leadership
And Dems of course would abandon him in droves except for the anti-trans/anti-brown rightwing Reagan democrat types
Gavin Newsome has gone over the edge and is no longer a true democrat!
He fucked up big time.
https://sdvoice.info/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won-here-are-the-numbers/
I guess you think neither one of those things matters to you.
Folks need to realize that just because they're the lesser evil (& they are),.that doesn't make Dems the "good guys".❤️
Actually, your merch potential with the VH initials is off the charts. Off the top of my mind: co-licensing agreement with Van Halen, your rally plane code-named VH-1…the possibilities are endless.
Thank you Senator Van Hollen!!!
Expose the zookeepers for torturing and radicalizing them. It's the same slow poison suicide bombers are groomed with.
this is what we need, across the board and at all times.
…Places recently renamed by the WH weirdo? 😆
California Gov. Newsom and AG Bonta are suing the traitor felon conman over his crazy tariffs. The two “other CA Gov’s” are not.
The steps to a real DEMOCRACY!
Exposure + Motivation + Coalition building + Revolution
Tap/click image to read
Exposure: dear ~ super rich guy
https://www.keithalanhamilton.com/?p=11066
I’ve had to live under the misrule of that hairgel creep for 20 yrs (as mayor, Lt Gov, & governor.)
Dude’s a tool.
We need to be united. Van Hollen said he's not fit to lead and doesn't care about the Constitution.
That is absurd.
Why is this not obvious to everyone?
That's an argument of strategy. Just say we agree on the merits and this was my constituent and I'll always defend them.
No reason to say he's not fit to lead.
It's true Trump is using this to deflect from other scandals. It's a legit point
He's the Democratic Marco Rubio: a human windsock. If he says something correct, it's only because he thinks it's currently expedient.
Unfortunately, none of that relieves us of the task of judging character or picking effective leaders. We're all flawed; but character still matters.
Could also be getting targeted and algorithmically served stuff by Twitter etc, either due to his interaction pattern or because Elon decided to use filter bubbles on influential people
In that alleged question, he responded "when a judge adjudicates it's not a question," [you follow the rule of law.]
Supposedly, he calls Garcia a distraction mere days after he tells Noem that deportation without due process is a danger to democracy?
https://bsky.app/profile/governor.ca.gov/post/3lmkgwi5thc2n
Nat media was in love, ignoring how their NY counterpoints weren't so thrilled. He stayed a superstar while running NY into the ground.
Thankfully, the local goes national quicker now, giving GN less leash.
He is running to the center/center right
It's the playbook/formula that got the Governor from Arkansas elected President of the United States in 1992
The 21st Century candidates has to be more broad, transformational and active.
FDR with Trump's EOs
See who he was married 2🤷♀️
People like you need to not speak on politics until you figure out how asinine your "critique" of "purity tests" is
Feckless losers with no vision don't motivate apathetic voters, which is a win condition. "Purity tests" are the most politically active members of the party trying to get their representatives to act like they believe in something.
It's going to be interesting to see who will be the next governor. There are lots of prominent names out there.
*Me giving a stern look at Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer*
Newsom is the mouthpiece for wealthy Californian donors who actually couldn't give less of a shit about our rights.
Recall 2.0 when
His motives seem pretty transparent with that comment- fix things for the rich...
they are melding
10/10. No notes.
This snarky open letter concerns a story from ProPublica (link to original is imbedded in the text).
May we all appreciate the awesome courage of this unnamed man while contemplating our own well of the same.
https://open.substack.com/pub/noelkeith/p/tranquil-piece-of-mind-vol1-no2-courage?r=4c7psw&utm_medium=ios
If you ask people if they wish they wouldn't have to worry about how they can pay for a doctor's visit.. think there's no vast majority on that?
Party politicians (both parties) are sniffing for the smell of money?
(Please repost)
We need to Marie Kondo the Dems & get rid of that which is useless & does not spark joy.
Mind you I've thought Newsome was shite for some time now
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/17/2316932/-Going-Viral-An-actual-plan-for-the-Democratic-Party-and-everyone-else-who-s-ready-to-take-action
Newsom's comments are out of context, he was asking folks not to let Trump and the media use Garcia as a distraction from the endless other crimes being committed.
Notice, there are no calls for Hegseth to step down.
I don't remember him screaming for special prosecutors in 2021 or 2022.
https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/newsom-transgender-athletes/
The DNC has completely abandoned the Gay rights movement.
Democratic leadership said jack about the attacks on the Gay and Trans community starting in 2016.
Arguing the republican narrative never works.
Explaining that to the DNC is impossible.
I have had a ton of respect for him in the past, but that has evaporated over the last decade.
I don’t trust him at all.
Newsom fought for Gay marriage when the party threw us under the bus and backed over the entire community.
The party throwing us under the bus was why Newsom started Gay marriage in SF.
He is all about social olive branches and grand gestures while cutting social program spending to avoid raising taxes on the wealthy.
https://www.capradio.org/articles/2024/05/10/big-cuts-no-new-taxes-gov-newsoms-plan-to-fix-californias-budget-deficit/
Democrats should have taken a lead on the Trans issue years ago. They have lost the messaging war, again.
As a Gay man I have told the Trans community to stop. They cannot win this without changing the conversation.
First bar I ever went to was in the castro and my brother came out in the 90s. Been very close to the lgbtq movement my whole life as a result and have trans friends.
Pelosi was the worst thing to ever happen to democratic party.
Well, her and Bill Clinton.
The Trans community, like most minority groups are their own worst enemy in politics.
Change the F-ing conversation when losing.
Abso-fucking-lutely not. Would you have listened to people telling Gay Rights movement to do that were the position reversed?
What they are doing to trans folks is a canary in the coal mine. Gay people are next.
https://lamag.com/news/bernie-sanders-aoc-headline-massive-rally-in-downtown-la
I need a better bingo card.
If I can’t dance, I don’t want to join your Revolution 😎❤️✌️👍
This man should’ve been elected in 2016.
https://bsky.app/profile/sappermorton.bsky.social/post/3lkf5ufnrmc2l
https://www.socratic-method.com/quote-meanings/martin-luther-king-jr-i-look-to-a-day-when-people-will-not-be-judged-by-the-color-of-their-skin-but-by-the-content-of-their-character
https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/newsom-transgender-athletes/
it is up to EACH of us to be a LIGHTHOUSE not a weathervane
And I say this as a Californian who voted for him twice.
His political career is done, so I guess his new career is sound bites for fascist corporate media.