Democrats: Get in the fight!

Our Democratic "leaders" are (one element) of what we the people have on our side as we rebuff Trump/Musk's authoritarian onslaught. The demand that lawmakers speak up and lead is a hardy perennial; it required years of citizen pressure to peel Party big shots off George W.'s misbegotten War on Terror. We knew they knew better, but they were chickenshit and too many Iraqis, Afghans, and Americans died.

Today, too many are not just overly cautious, but they seem to be living in a non-existent world. Want a prize example? Take a listen to this podcast by Ezra Klein with some Congresscritter named Auchincloss who, along with Klein, is so enamored of his imaginary future that he can't see the nose in front of his face.

There are some Democrats who are exceptions: I think offhand of AOC, Jasmine Crockett, among the older generation Elizabeth Warren. But most just don't seem up to the moment. And that goes especially for Chuck Shumer and Hakeem Jeffries.

Charlotte Clymer offers gentle, but serious, advice to our Democratic officeholders:

I need Democratic lawmakers to understand something: there is a profound disconnect among many of you between the world as it should be and the world as it is, and we are in a moment in which many of you, bless your hearts, don’t seem to get that.

In a political environment in which even a little complacency leads to unfair consequences, many of you are not only failing to have the energy required in this moment but more importantly: simply not reading the room.

If you don’t know how to message in this moment, it’s time to pass the torch. If you’re tired of all this, it’s time to give up your seat for someone who’s ready to fight. If you don’t get that we are no longer living in the American Politics of Yesteryear, it’s time to allow people to thank you for service and make room for someone else.

It doesn’t matter how old you are. I truly don’t care about your age. What I care about is having leaders, regardless of age, who understand what we’re facing right now and act like it.

That may come across as mean, but your constituents really no longer have the luxury of being nice about this.

Please, for the love of all that’s good, ask yourself honestly if you’re being an effective messenger, and if not, maybe it’s time to ask yourself if someone else could be and decide accordingly.

They've served their time, but if they can't fight fascism, they need to get out of the way.