And there it is. Accommodation and acquiescence. Learned helplessness and preemptive surrender. Retreat and complicity. In the midst of an unprecedented assault on the constitutional order, the nominal opposition party fails to use the one key tool in its arsenal to push back. What a disaster. - ThreadSky

thomaszimmer.bsky.social • 5 days ago

And there it is.

Accommodation and acquiescence. Learned helplessness and preemptive surrender. Retreat and complicity.

In the midst of an unprecedented assault on the constitutional order, the nominal opposition party fails to use the one key tool in its arsenal to push back. What a disaster.

Reposted from Matt Novak

The final tally to advance the CR is 62-38.

The Democrats who voted for cloture, giving Donald Trump everything he wants:

Cortez Masto (NV)
Durbin (IL)
Fetterman (PA)
Gillibrand (NY)
Hassan (NH)
Peters (MI)
Schatz (HI)
Schumer (NY)
Shaheen (NH)

Comments

thomaszimmer.bsky.social•5 days ago

This is not a victory for "centrists" or "moderates" over "the Left" or the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. This is a faction of accommodationists, people entirely incapable of imagining anything but politics-as usual, and outright collaborators sabotaging those who wish to fight back.

thomaszimmer.bsky.social•5 days ago

Compared to many other countries where autocrats have been able to establish authoritarian rule in the recent past, America has - on paper! - relatively strong institutions and democratic traditions.

But if the opposition party simply won't act to defend the constitution, none of that matters.

pqbaker.bsky.social•5 days ago

South Korean politicians provided an example. Clearly Schumer and his gang were scheduling the book tour that week.

scottjoyonair.bsky.social•4 days ago

How about removing Schumer as minority leader! To initiate a leadership change, a certain number of senators (typically five) from the Democratic caucus would need to request a party conference meeting. Senators could propose removing the current minority leader and electing a new one.

martymcd.bsky.social•5 days ago

I think Chuck and the 9 are in for a massive shock, NEVER contradict Nancy

davidjhouston.bsky.social•5 days ago

Any parallels to Germany prior to WWII?

talismanisch.bsky.social•5 days ago

Different party system, but yeah. Complicity in advance is what makes fascism possible in a democracy. Tyranny of the majority. Chuck Shumer just Fritz von Papen‘d Trump.

shyketo.bsky.social•5 days ago

Even at the height of the crisis, American exceptionalism continues to delude educated minds.

cripiccimoh.bsky.social•5 days ago

Feel like being inside “The Death of Democracy”, I forgot the name of the author, I am so mad!

yousitonmyspot.bsky.social•5 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/mehdirhasan.bsky.social/post/3lkdugyssn22b

habits.bsky.social•5 days ago

Ah, see, there's the problem. There isn't an opposition party in the US, and there hasn't been for over a century! We just never got around to forming one I guess (because the state assassinates anyone with a chance of doing so who tries or even looks like they might try)!

donalddumb.bsky.social•5 days ago

offensichtlich sind die hochgelobten checks and balances weniger austariert, als viele amis sich das eingeredet haben...

presidentgoku.bsky.social•5 days ago

i'm an annoying centrist and i agree with this message. fuck chuck and all nine of his chamberlain ass cowards

allyomega.bsky.social•5 days ago

Why would you be upset? This is the centrist’s M.O. Own it!

heydavidbailey.bsky.social•5 days ago

But surely it’s a victory for the “norms.” Chuck’s very special and important norms.

bippity.bsky.social•5 days ago

Yup. I haven’t heard any centrists that wanted this. It’s a win for the invertebrates.

markstoneman.com•5 days ago

Yes. This. 1000 times over.

twohitgood.bsky.social•5 days ago

A party of Chamberlains. Appeasement as a core value.

maralsassouni.bsky.social•5 days ago

📌

globalnomaddc.bsky.social•4 days ago

Since both houses have already abdicated no one will notice. The only remaining question is how relations between States and the Federal government evolve given the Federal government has nothing of value to offer the States.

globalnomaddc.bsky.social•4 days ago

People who have not read history. The USA is well on its way to becoming an oligarchy. 2024 were the last somewhat democratic elections. There will be no more. The power of Congress will evaporate in the next weeks. They will simply be there for the show.

kimnead.bsky.social•5 days ago

So what happens now that the traditional opposition party has demonstrated it can’t be trusted to effectively push back against the authoritarian onslaught? I think it will lead us more quickly to a state of unrest.

butterflymcdoom.bsky.social•5 days ago

And astonishing lack of imagination on their part.

placitas03.bsky.social•5 days ago

The awfulness would have continued either way, but now these Dems own it along with the do-nothing Reps. I don't think they realized it was an act of capitulation to those who seek to harm us. We shall see if there's any upside.

amalgate.bsky.social•5 days ago

Agreed: and resulting nonfoubt in disaster. not listening to their base at all.

johngage1.bsky.social•5 days ago

“It is to be hoped that the leaders of this movement, the Nazis, will place the nation above the party”

- Franz von Papen

satyamuni.bsky.social•5 days ago

The 10 crucial questions every American needs to answer now:
👇 https://bsky.app/profile/satyamuni.bsky.social/post/3lkc6qgp32c2y

vivian-m-lumbard.bsky.social•5 days ago

I think King should be on the list. There were 10 (Rand Paul voted no on the R side).

tmkdf.bsky.social•5 days ago

Maybe you Americans should have acquainted yourself with von Papen (whose name is a smear word in German politics).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_von_Papen?wprov=sfla1

lookseeknow.bsky.social•5 days ago

Damn

doge-bag.bsky.social•5 days ago

Agreed!! Utterly cowardly and hypocritical to vote YES on CLOTURE while self-righteously voting NO on the CR. Knowing full well that your cloture YES vote was going to allow Repubs to pass the CR with a simple majority 🤦‍♂️

snoozebuttonben.bsky.social•5 days ago

The Enabling Acts. Good luck America, you're gonna need it.

scullysr.bsky.social•5 days ago

What a disaster! New members of the GOP Fascist Cult?

jfk117.bsky.social•5 days ago

A couple of senators on that list are retiring. Retirement at this point of time is not an excuse to acquiesce. It’s a reason to rabble rouse! Peters and Shaheen should’ve voted no!

marontheweb.bsky.social•5 days ago

After 25y of watching the Dems snatch defeat from the jaws of victory I know better than to get my hopes up, but I never cease to be disappointed.

scottjoyonair.bsky.social•4 days ago

suept.bsky.social•5 days ago

I'm sure the republicans, good faith actors that they are, will now listen to and include Dems in governance.

hodgeofware.bsky.social•5 days ago

Two from New York, one from Illinois, one from Hawaii. These are the safest Democratic seats in the Senate. There would have been zero chance of them losing a general election if they had voted no. The only solution is to primary them.

martyolliff.bsky.social•5 days ago

Can the “other side of the same coin” truly ever be the opposition party, even nominally?

lifenotes2.bsky.social•5 days ago

didnt they all wake up tons of messages, emails, social etc saying vote NO? did they not represent their constituents?

lbeutler.bsky.social•5 days ago

First they wouldn’t abolish the filibuster to pass voting rights and now they refuse to use the filibuster to try to save democracy. Bunch of weak and hypocritical cowards.

czarbucks.bsky.social•5 days ago

This is both enraging and completely demoralizing.

This was it, our one chance.

We are completely on our own.

threadandink.bsky.social•5 days ago

Why Brian Schatz? I really don’t get that yes vote. At all.

ellevonhee.bsky.social•5 days ago

Same -- he is from a no/low-risk state. And he's scored some points recently -- all erased with this one vote.

chilledpunkrock.bsky.social•5 days ago

Only reason I can think is Hawaii has a high number of federal employees that would’ve been affected, more relative to the population than most states.

But those people are affected anyway. Does he think DOGE won’t fire them for some reason? 🙄

ellevonhee.bsky.social•5 days ago

Possibly. If he thinks this is going to stop DOGE, though, it would be laughable if it wasn't so damn sad (as you suggest).

And yet, Mazie Hirono voted no.

pjaschultz.bsky.social•5 days ago

But federal employees want the shutdown. Their union released a statement today saying such - shutdown is preferred vs capitulating to an authoritarian agenda.

chilledpunkrock.bsky.social•5 days ago

The guy’s vote really doesn’t make sense. Hawaii’s got plenty of options for better senators than him and I’ll gladly support whoever primaries him.

vorox.bsky.social•4 days ago

Failure implies that they tried. They're collaborators.

jdtechie.bsky.social•5 days ago

Fetterman is like Sinema in that you should be able to get a better Dem senator out of PA than him. Manchin I got - he's the best a Democrat can probably be coming from WV. But all I heard during 2022 was he'd be better than Connor Lamb and that's clearly not the case.

craigfranson.bsky.social•5 days ago

ejcrotty.bsky.social•5 days ago

Let them forever be known as the #CowardCaucus. Vote them out of "leadership," NOW.

thesandwichman.bsky.social•5 days ago

Who would have ever expected the Face Eating Leopards Collaboration Party to give carte blanche to the Face Eating Leopards Party to eat our faces?

jadedragon2.bsky.social•5 days ago

Fetterman has got to go. We don’t need a new Joe Manchin.

Fine getting rid of Gillibrand & Schumer too. It’s past time.

Disappointed in Brian Schatz. Thought much more of him.

bippity.bsky.social•5 days ago

He’s not even as good as Manchin. At least Manchin didn’t have a TBI, and could communicate why he was doing what he was doing. He could generally be negotiated with.

ellevonhee.bsky.social•5 days ago

Fetterman unlikely to be removed in PA, which is presumably, at least in part, why he voted this way. Schumer & Gillebrand: no time for either of them. She is a hypocrite, and Schumer is LIMP. Schatz: what a damn disappointment. He scored some points recently--all undone now, and for what...

raksiam.bsky.social•5 days ago

Schatz has a lot of questions to answer

lauracovington.bsky.social•5 days ago

He needs to be removed. There’s no good explanation

doninca.bsky.social•5 days ago

Democratic leaders -- snatching defeat from the jaws of victory every time. And Trump/Musk will continue their own shutdown knowing Senate Democrats aren't willing to do a damn thing to try and stop it.🤬