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The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Democrats are failing against Trump. We need a new generation in 2026
After more than 100 days of the Trump administration, it's clear how unprepared Democratic leadership has been for this moment. Words can hardly describe just how far Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the administration have gone to serve the interests of their fellow billionaires, undermine our economy and kill hundreds of thousands of jobs while dragging our basic civil liberties and constitution through the buzzsaw to illegally disappear countless immigrants and send them to privately funded domestic prisons and torture camps abroad. It's why the absence of true oppositional leadership has been deafening. After spending an entire campaign cycle naming Trump as an existential threat to our democracy and rule of law – which he is – the party's leadership has folded at the first chance to wield the power they have, revealing hypocrisy and cowardice. Chuck Schumer surrendered the entire federal budget and Marco Rubio, who is now championing the administration's campaign of disappearing immigrants, was confirmed unanimously to Trump's cabinet by the US Senate. Every choice Democratic leadership has made to sacrifice its base and become more like the bad guys we were supposed to be fighting has led us here. And now, people are losing faith in Democrats' ability to solve our country's biggest problems – the party is polling at a historic low. Americans have long been ready for the political revolution Bernie Sanders has talked about, but the party and the DC elite haven't been. Aside from the many polls that highlight the national popularity of Sanders and the policies he supports over the last eight years, voters have made it abundantly clear that it's time to usher in a new generation of leaders who won't act like doormats for Trump and Elon Musk. They see this party – just like our government and our economy – as captured by the wealthy few. Waiting for 2028 is not the answer – no president alone can provide the change we need. Massive transformation in this country has never happened without a Congress willing to act – from FDR's New Deal to the Civil Rights Movement. As the 2026 midterm elections approach, we have an opportunity to take action. When I first started at Justice Democrats in 2017 under Trump's first presidency, we had a vision as big as a presidential-sized campaign. What if we ran a 50-state campaign to run people in Democratic primaries and take back Congress? Though we haven't been successful in every race, over the last four cycles, Justice Democrats has been a part of unseating five 15+ year incumbents who collectively served 108 years in office, we have beaten the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) and corporate Democrats in open seats, and we have gone up against hundreds of millions of dollars of opposition spending. Our mission since the beginning has been simple and focused: to build a mission-driven team of working-class leaders in Congress who champion solutions as big as the problems we face. We have recruited and elected leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Summer Lee and more over the years. Our work towards this mission has not been perfect, and there has been so much we have learned along the way from the thousands of volunteers, organizers, staff, leaders, donors and allies we have met along the way. But together we have built a powerful bench of progressives in Congress who are the most politically courageous and working-class people to ever walk the halls of one of the most powerful bodies in the world. We know it's not 2017 any more and the forces we are up against – in the White House and the billions spent to influence our media, our elections, our politicians – are even greater than they once were. It still probably sounds far-fetched to clean up the House and Senate – replace every bought-and-paid-for Democrat and Republican we have in Congress. But we believe it is our collective duty to try. Sign up to Fighting Back Big thinkers on what we can do to protect civil liberties and fundamental freedoms in a Trump presidency. From our opinion desk. after newsletter promotion Last month, we announced our first new Democratic congressional primary candidate since the 2022 cycle: Donavan McKinney, a working-class Detroiter and state representative, against the incumbent US representative Shri Thanedar, AKA Detroit's Elon Musk. Thanedar is a self-funded multimillionaire businessman who since 2021 alone spent over $17m of his own wealth to bankroll his congressional campaigns while spending more taxpayer money than any other member of Congress on ads to promote himself last year. This race embodies the fight for the future of the Democratic party. Are we going to elect more multimillionaires backed by corporate lobbies to play possum in the face of fascism, or are we going to elect people who will fight to fix America's crises with the urgency of someone who has lived through them? A new world needs new leaders. The 2026 cycle presents a historic opportunity for generational and working-class transformation in the Democratic party and in our politics. Alexandra Rojas is executive director of Justice Democrats
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters rally against Donald Trump at California Capitol. ‘We're all under attack'
Xochil Pasillas became overwhelmed with emotion when asked why she decided to join several hundred protesters Monday at California's Capitol building in Sacramento in a demonstration against President Donald Trump and his administration. She remembers Trump's first term in the White House, but Pasillas said this time it's much worse. Her relationships are severed with co-workers, friends and even some family members who voted and still support Trump's policies. She said she can't talk to them anymore. Pasillas, a Sacramento resident, is a first-generation U.S. citizen with parents who immigrated from Mexico. She said Trump's campaign promise of mass deportation is frightening, because he wasn't hiding it this time. She feels the Trump administration's immigration enforcement is targeting Latinos in the United States, and she wanted to speak up on Monday. 'He's trying to tear up families,' Pasillas said. 'Instead of making America great, it's tearing us apart.' No longer willing to stay quiet, Pasillas held up a protest sign with a cartoon figure of Trump in a black-and-white striped jail inmate uniform with the message 'You will never find justice in a world where criminals make the rules.' Last year, Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes after a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. Pasillas joined several hundred people in Monday's protest on the west side of the Capitol, a demonstration that was among a planned nationwide day of protests against the Trump administration. The grassroots organizations 50501 Movement and Political Revolution partnered to organize the nationwide protests, Newsweek reported. Large demonstrations on Presidents Day under the banner 'Not My Presidents Day' were planned in cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Other protests were planned in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. Protesters against the Trump administration gathered outside Placer County's Historic Courthouse in Auburn with signs that said 'Stop the MAGA facsicts' and 'Dump Elon Immediately,' a reference to Tesla and SpaceX chief executive officer and billionaire Elon Musk. Harsh criticism and calls to get rid of Musk were also seen on many protest signs Monday at the Sacramento protest. Trump appointed Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE. Last week, Trump ordered Musk and DOGE to implement a 'workforce optimization initiative' and drastically reduce staffing in federal agencies, while freezing hiring to only 'essential positions.' 'We did not vote for this,' Kim Coleman Berger shouted into a megaphone Monday on the west Capitol steps. Coleman Berger was at the Sacramento protest with about 200 members of a Facebook group called Leadership Badassery. She said they started the group in November shortly after the presidential election that placed Trump in power for his second term after losing his re-election bid in 2020 and remaining out of office for four years. 'It's important that we all show up,' Coleman Burger said. 'We're all under attack now.' Along with participating in protests, she said the Facebook group works to connect people with community organizations that offer help to elderly people, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community. Coleman Berger said there's a nationwide planned boycott on Feb. 28 called Financial Blackout Day, where those opposing the Trump administration will not buy anything on that day. 'That's the thing they'll notice. All they care about is money,' Coleman Berger said. 'They don't care about families. They don't care about children.' Jeanne Scherer of Solano County said the Trump administration has destroyed the 'checks and balances' of the American democracy, and opposition against his policies need to rise up. 'It's unconstitutional. If we don't speak up, we don't have anyone to blame but ourselves,' Scherer said holding a protest sign with the message 'Democracy dies in silence.' Deno Marcum said he wasn't expecting such a large crowd Monday at the Capitol. He was there earlier this year to join others in demonstration to support and defend the rights of transgender people, but he said Monday's crowd much larger and still growing. Wearing an LGBTQ pride flag as a cape, the Sacramento resident said the rainbow-colored symbol is a sign of acceptance of all people. Marcum said he's just worried who Trump will target next? 'We've got a felon trying to lead us, and it's not working out from the start,' Marcum said of Trump. 'I've never heard of a government run by someone who wants to destroy it.' Dora Garcia of San Jose drove to the Capitol on Monday, picking up her sisters in Modesto and Sacramento along the way, to join the protest against Trump's deportation of immigrants. She said she was happy to see so many people from different backgrounds uniting for the same cause. 'It's a reflection of what it should be in the White House and Congress,' Garcia said about the protesters gathered in Sacramento. 'But it's a bunch of old white men making the decisions for the rest of us.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump opponents use Presidents Day to protest his policies across the country
Opponents of President Trump are using the Presidents Day holiday to protest his policies, with demonstrations taking place in cities across the country. Protesters rallied on Feb. 17 to declare it 'No Kings Day,' pushing back against Trump's barrage of executive actions and his elevation of tech billionaire Elon Musk to lead efforts in slashing the size of the federal government. 'We stand firm at a critical moment in history, demanding that the American people be heard and that the White House be governed by the true will of the people — not by a tech billionaire who seeks to buy influence and control,' reads a joint release from organizers behind dozens of events scheduled nationwide under the 50501 Movement, including Political Revolution and No Voice Unheard. Thousands of protesters rallied near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, according to USA Today. While lawmakers were out of session for the federal holiday, some demonstrators displayed a sign in front of the Capitol that read 'no one elected Elon Musk.' Others gathered in cities from coast to coast: Nearly 1,000 people marched in Boston, The Associated Press reported, and hundreds gathered around state capitals in Texas and California, per local outlets. 'America has no king. Trump and his wealthy cronies are undermining the Constitution and rule of law to tear apart our democratic institutions and communities,' reads a guide from Build the Resistance, another organizer. The progressive group Indivisible also supported the 50501 Movement's Presidents Day protests as part of its 'Musk or Us' push against the Tesla CEO's involvement in Washington, which is set to include protests outside of lawmaker offices and Tesla dealerships this week. Musk has taken the helm at Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a commission aimed at cracking down on government spending. Designated as a special government employee, his expanding role, access and proximity to Trump has prompted questions about conflicts of interests and attempts to check his power. As DOGE digs into federal agencies, thousands of federal workers have been fired in recent days after the Office of Personnel Management moved to purge probationary employees, and still more have been offered what amounts to a buyout as part of a 'Fork in the Road' initiative. DOGE's moves, which also include gutting the U.S. Agency for International Development workforce, have sparked worries about how the federal government will weather the sudden changes, as well as concerns about data privacy and security. The Presidents Day protests are the second large-scale demonstration push led by the 50501 Movement, after organizers reported mobilizing roughly 20,000 people in more than 80 protests in all 50 states on Feb. 5. The 50501 Movement's organizers expressed 'growing alarm' that constitutional rights are being 'trampled on' under the new administration and Trump's rush of executive orders, several of which have been halted by federal judges. 'We see elected officials shrinking from their responsibility to speak out, paralyzed by fear oflosing their political opportunities. But amidst this, we are witnessing an unprecedented wave ofunity. People from every background and every corner of this nation are coming together todemand accountability and to push back against the erosion of our rights,' a release from the group read. Lauren Irwin contributed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
17-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump opponents use President's Day to protest his policies across the country
Opponents of President Trump are using the President's Day holiday to protest his policies, with demonstrations taking place in cities across the country. Protesters rallied on Feb. 17 to declare 'No Kings Day,' pushing back against Trump's barrage of executive actions and his elevation of tech billionaire Elon Musk to lead efforts in slashing the size of the federal government. 'We stand firm at a critical moment in history, demanding that the American people be heard and that the White House be governed by the true will of the people — not by a tech billionaire who seeks to buy influence and control,' reads a joint release from organizers behind dozens of events scheduled nationwide under the 50501 Movement, including Political Revolution and No Voice Unheard. Thousands of protestors rallied near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, according to USA Today. While lawmakers were out of session for the federal holiday, some demonstrators displayed a sign in front of the Capitol that read 'no one elected Elon Musk.' Others gathered in cities from coast to coast: Nearly 1,000 people marched in Boston, The Associated Press reported, and hundreds gathered around state capitols in Texas and California, per local outlets. 'America has no king. Trump and his wealthy cronies are undermining the constitution and rule of law to tear apart our democratic institutions and communities,' reads a guide from Build the Resistance, another organizer. The progressive group Indivisible also supported the 50501 Movement's President's Day protests as part of its 'Musk or Us' push against the Tesla CEO's involvement in Washington, which is set to include protests outside of lawmaker offices and Tesla dealerships this week. Musk has taken the helm at Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a commission aimed at cracking down on government spending. Designated as a special government employee, his expanding role, access and proximity to Trump has drawn questions about conflicts of interests and attempts to check his power. As DOGE digs into federal agencies, thousands of federal workers have been fired in recent days after the Office of Personnel Management moved to purge probationary employees, and still more have been offered what amounts to a buyout as part of a 'Fork in the Road' initiative. DOGE's moves, which also include gutting the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) workforce, have sparked worries about how the federal government will weather the sudden changes, as well as concerns about data privacy and security. The President's Day protests are the second large-scale demonstration push led by the 50501 Movement, after organizers reported mobilizing roughly 20,000 people in more than 80 protests in all 50 states on Feb. 5. The 50501 Movement's organizers expressed 'growing alarm' that constitutional rights are being 'trampled on' under the new administration and Trump's rush of executive orders, several of which have been halted by federal judges. 'We see elected officials shrinking from their responsibility to speak out, paralyzed by fear of losing their political opportunities. But amidst this, we are witnessing an unprecedented wave of unity. People from every background and every corner of this nation are coming together to demand accountability and to push back against the erosion of our rights,' a release from the group read.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahomans rally in fourth major protest in three weeks at Capitol
A protest on a sunny and frigid Presidents Day drew hundreds of diverse voices to the Oklahoma Capitol on Monday. Protesters held signs and chanted against recent federal and state government decisions. It was the fourth major protest in three weeks on policy decisions, immigration, democracy and human rights — topics people said are keeping them concerned and paying attention. The protest was organized by the local organizers of the 50501 Movement, Defense for Democracy, Political Revolution and Organizing Okies. The protest came after Gov. Kevin Stitt over the weekend announced his plans to work with U.S. Homeland Security to deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, and after state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters issued a news release supporting the plan. More: 50501 Movement in Oklahoma: Hundreds protest Trump, Ryan Walters policies at Capitol Many protesters said the state following in the federal government's footsteps does not match their idea of Oklahoma values. Jenna Moore said she attended due to federal workers losing their jobs and the possibility of the state losing out on grant funding that helps many programs make change in Oklahoma. 'It just doesn't seem like democracy to me,' she said. 'Everything is comingled, and I'm not sure if that's recognized. Just because something has the word 'equity' in it, which is insane that that's something we're trying to eliminate, but that also affects our local economy and different priorities that probably both sides care about.' Carrie Chlebanowski, a probationary federal employee who received an email that she was let go from a position she held for the last 15 months, said it was devastating, and she is angry and disappointed. More: 'Immigrants drive growth': Restaurants, trade organizations support OKC immigrant workforce After working in a federal position in a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she said there are ways the government could be more efficient, but letting people go like this is not efficient. 'This was a blanket dismissal of people who they recognize as having very limited appeal rights and protections because we're not considered full employees yet,' she said. The letter she received said the decision was based on her performance and it was no longer in the public's best interest for her to serve, but Chlebanowski said she received two awards for performance and being let go didn't add up. For others, the protest questioned the constitutionality of recent government actions. Maria Hayden, 43, her husband and their three kids attended the protest. She said she never thought she'd have her freedoms questioned as an African American, or have her rights doubled back in regard to diversity, equity and inclusion. 'The loss of constitutional understanding, that's what's scary,' she said. 'I don't feel like it's the end, but it's a process that we'll have to get through together.' Be the first to know: Sign up for breaking news email alerts David Hays, 59, said he attended the protest for many reasons, including his daughter, who is a teacher, and the people he works with in the restaurant industry. He said he was also standing up for himself. 'I'm gay and most of my life, it's been illegal to be me, and I'm not going back in the closet. I've got to stand up,' he said. 'There's just so much hatred and fear in our society right now.' Donna Compton, 78, said she fought against some of the same issues 40 years ago. She has friends who are transgender and friends who are Hispanic and said they feel threatened. 'I don't think we have any choice but to be paying attention to it,' she said. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC protests today draw crowds against Trump, Elon Musk
