Latest news with #RebeccaKatz
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Power over progress? Critics say ageing Democrats hurting party's future
WASHINGTON, May 28 — As a damning expose on Joe Biden's cognitive decline scandalises Washington, Democrats in Congress are facing their own reckoning over a seniority system that critics say is holding back younger talent. Six Democratic lawmakers have died in a little over a year — dispiriting bereaved colleagues but also leaving the rank-and-file critically under-resourced when it comes to opposing President Donald Trump. House Republicans passed Trump's sprawling tax relief and spending cuts by a solitary vote last week, approving a package that Democrats say will deprive more than eight million Americans of health care. Democrats did not have the numbers to cause problems for the bill because of three empty seats on their side — all recently vacated by lawmakers in their 70s who had died after battling cancer. 'Imagine if one of the older and sicker Dems would've retired instead of died in office and what that would've meant for millions of people,' political consultant Rebecca Katz posted on X. The complicated math means that even a full Democratic contingent would likely only have been able to delay rather than torpedo the bill. But it is being seen as a lost opportunity that has laid bare the party's problems with ageing members clinging to office despite ailing health — in a party desperate for new blood. One of the vacancies was the Virginia seat formerly held by Gerry Connolly, 75, who had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and died just a day earlier. Oldest president Democrats had just picked Connolly to be their leader on the powerful oversight committee, choosing his experience over the energy and social media savvy of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, 40 years his junior. 'By elevating someone who was more of a standard politician, they sort of lost out on getting into the culture,' left-leaning political commentator Molly Jong-Fast told MSNBC. 'And ultimately that was, I think, a miss for Democrats.' Age is a touchy subject among Democrats, with 82-year-old Biden's inner circle denying accusations in a new book by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson of covering up his glaring infirmity. In the Senate the party is led by 74-year-old Chuck Schumer and in the House former speaker Nancy Pelosi, 85, still holds enormous sway two years after giving up the gavel. Democrats do not have a monopoly on ageing issues. Mitch McConnell, 83, was clearly ailing when he stepped down after 18 years as Republican leader in the Senate in January and Trump, 78, is set to become the oldest US president in history. But the so-called 'gerontocracy' has been more harmful to Washington's minority party, frustrating the agenda of Democratic White Houses and allowing Republicans in Congress to absorb more defections. At the heart of the problem is the Democrats' long-honoured seniority system, which prioritizes lawmakers based on experience when allocating plum committee assignments, leadership posts and office space. 'Contemptible little twerp' As a result, top Democrats on more than half of the House committees are aged 70 or over. The mean age of these 20 party grandees is 69, compared with a more youthful 62 for Republicans. And the problem is not confined to Congress. Mourning gave way to frustration over liberal Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who clung on until her death in 2020 at age 87 instead of retiring with Barack Obama in office, allowing Trump to fill the vacancy. There have been baby steps to address the gerontocracy but progress has been halting. Gun safety campaigner David Hogg, 25, was elected as vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee in February and promptly called for primary challenges to 'out-of-touch, ineffective Democrats.' This did not go down well among the party's old guard, with 80-year-old strategist James Carville calling Hogg a 'contemptible little twerp.' But the revelations about Biden's deteriorating health, including a newly announced prostate cancer diagnosis, are an illustration for activists and analysts that the party needs to change course. 'If you are saying that democracy is on the ballot, if you are saying this the most important election of our lifetime, which they did say to the base, then the base expects you to act like it,' Jong-Fast added. 'They expect you to elevate the people who can speak better than the people who are your friends... And I think this is a sea change for the Democratic Party.' — AFP
Fox News
5 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Liberals blame Big Beautiful Bill loss on dying Dems: Imagine if they 'retired instead of died in office'
Facing yet another loss after the Trump-backed "Big, Beautiful Bill" advanced in Congress, liberals are lashing out at Democratic Party elders for clinging on to power too long — even to death. Shortly before the so-called BBB went up for a vote, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a longtime leader in the Democratic Party from deep-blue Fairfax County, passed away after a battle with esophageal cancer. Connolly had previously indicated he would be retiring at the end of his term in 2026. In response, many liberal analysts and consultants complained that too many Democrats were refusing to leave office, including FIGHT Agency's Rebecca Katz, who posted on X, "Imagine if one of the older and sicker Dems would've retired instead of died in office and what that would've meant for millions of people," quoting a post of the final 215-214 tally. Below that was a repost of a story with a large image of Connolly that described recent elderly Democrats who have died in office. When reached for comment, Katz told Fox News Digital that "no individual has a divine right to rule for eternity." "Democratic voters feel lied to and are demanding accountability, and our party needs to earn back their trust and start winning again. We shouldn't be afraid to have hard conversations," Katz said. The story — in the left-wing New Republic — described how Connolly was the latest in a recent string of Democrats who have died in office, including Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Sylvester Turner, D-Texas. According to her X profile, Katz has experience in Arizona politics working with Sen. Ruben Gallego's campaign, as well as previously Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. Meanwhile, the last eight lawmakers to have died in federal office have all been Democrats — including Turner's own predecessor Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, for whom he took over for less than a term. The New Republic appeared to lay the blame for the BBB's narrow win at the feet of dead Democrats. "House Republicans managed to pass their draconian budget bill, which promises to make massive cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and food assistance, early Thursday morning by a narrow one-vote margin that was only possible due the deaths of three in this current Congress," the New Republic's Hafiz Rashid wrote, describing Connolly, Grijalva and Turner. Quoting another article from The Nation, Katz wrote: "In a democracy, politicians exist to serve the public; the public does not exist to serve politicians. It's a sign of democratic decline if politicians live and die like warlords, clinging to every last ounce of power. Democrats need to define what they stand for as a party so their elected officials can once more be genuine public servants and not mere warlords." The Nation lamented how Democrats are supposed to be a political movement seeking to gain power and implement an agenda. But, "in practice… [they] more closely resemble a hospice, if not a funeral home," it went on, pivoting to criticizing the party for its bolstering of former President Joe Biden amid revelations from CNN anchor Jake Tapper's book on the alleged "cover-up [of] his infirmity." The three Democrats who died within close proximity to BBB negotiations all hailed from reliably Democratic districts in Fairfax, Tucson and Houston, and could have had their seats filled by Democrats if they had retired in a timely fashion. Senior House Republican leadership staff emphasized that Connolly's absence would not have had any bearing on the outcome of the votes. Johnson had 217 votes on-hand, Fox News learned Tuesday. Prior to Connolly, Turner and Grijalva, Democrats from similarly-secure Paterson, New Jersey; Houston oncemore; Newark, New Jersey; California (Sen. Dianne Feinstein); and Petersburg, Virginia, died in office and left their party in the statistical lurch. Currently, the four oldest sitting federal lawmakers are Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, at 91, Reps. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Hal Rogers, R-Ky., at 87, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., at 87. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is 85. Fox News Digital reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Connolly's office for comment.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel Block Party at University of Texas disrupted by agitators
Students attending an annual Israel block party at the University of Texas at Austin were met with disruptive anti-Israel protesters on Wednesday afternoon. The Israel Block Party has been a tradition organized by Texas Hillel at UT Austin for 25 years. Anti-israel Protesters Who Wave Flags Linked To Terror Groups Could Be Jailed If Ny Law Passes According to its website, the event is the largest pro-Israel event on a college campus in North America and is meant to celebrate the culture, strength, resilience, and hope of Israel and the Israeli people. Around 50 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered just feet away, many wearing masks and holding signs denouncing Israel. They chanted, "Israel is a terrorist state. There's nothing here to celebrate." University Of Texas Anti-israel Encampment Sees Hamas Propaganda, Weapons Read On The Fox News App Jewish students told Fox News they felt afraid on their own campus. "I think I really shouldn't have to, as a student, be scared to go to a party, a block party, on my campuses," Rebecca Katz, University of Texas freshman. "I honestly I was a little nervous to come to the Israeli block party because of the protests, but I think UT, security and Hillel have done a really good job of making everyone feel safe." Jewish Students At Ut Austin Speak Out: 'They Are Chanting For The Death Of Jews' Blake Shanberg, a junior at the University of Texas, said the students were just trying to celebrate their culture. "You'll see students on this campus are not trying to be hateful," Shanberg said. "We're just trying to enjoy and celebrate. And we're trying to show that there is a way to have valid peace. " The anti-Israel protesters were also calling to free Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student from Syria, who led massive protests on the Ivy League campus last year. Khalil is now held at an ice detention facility in Louisiana and is in the middle of a legal battle with the Trump administration who is pushing to get him deported. Click To Get The Fox News App Protests remained peaceful with campus police and staff on site monitoring both groups. Last April, over 100 anti-Israel protesters were arrested on UT Austin campus and police had to use pepper spray to break up the massive article source: Israel Block Party at University of Texas disrupted by agitators
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Israel Block Party at University of Texas disrupted by agitators
Students attending an annual Israel block party at the University of Texas at Austin were met with disruptive anti-Israel protesters on Wednesday afternoon. The Israel Block Party has been a tradition organized by Texas Hillel at UT Austin for 25 years. According to its website, the event is the largest pro-Israel event on a college campus in North America and is meant to celebrate the culture, strength, resilience, and hope of Israel and the Israeli people. Around 50 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered just feet away, many wearing masks and holding signs denouncing Israel. They chanted, "Israel is a terrorist state. There's nothing here to celebrate." Jewish students told Fox News they felt afraid on their own campus. "I think I really shouldn't have to, as a student, be scared to go to a party, a block party, on my campuses," Rebecca Katz, University of Texas freshman. "I honestly I was a little nervous to come to the Israeli block party because of the protests, but I think UT, security and Hillel have done a really good job of making everyone feel safe." Blake Shanberg, a junior at the University of Texas, said the students were just trying to celebrate their culture. "You'll see students on this campus are not trying to be hateful," Shanberg said. "We're just trying to enjoy and celebrate. And we're trying to show that there is a way to have valid peace. " The anti-Israel protesters were also calling to free Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student from Syria, who led massive protests on the Ivy League campus last year. Khalil is now held at an ice detention facility in Louisiana and is in the middle of a legal battle with the Trump administration who is pushing to get him deported. Protests remained peaceful with campus police and staff on site monitoring both groups. Last April, over 100 anti-Israel protesters were arrested on UT Austin campus and police had to use pepper spray to break up the massive crowds.
