Latest news with #StateoftheUnions
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Snubbing Laken Riley's family showed the Democrats at their unelectable worst
'In all 13 State of the Unions I've attended, I have never seen such a disgraceful display from the Democrats', said Texas Senator Ted Cruz on X late Tuesday night. He was referring in part to the party's failure to stand up and applaud when, in his speech to Congress, Donald Trump recognised the mother and sister of Laken Riley, the 22-year old University of Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant in February 2024. Riley's killer, a native of Venezuela, had illegally crossed the US's southern border in September 2022 and racked up multiple arrests for child endangerment, theft, and motor vehicle violations before he murdered Riley during her morning jog. On Jan 29, Trump signed into law the first legislation of his new presidential term: the Laken Riley Act, a bill proposed by Congressional Republicans requiring the detention of illegal immigrants arrested for crimes relating to theft or causing death and injury. In the final tally, 35 Democratic Senators and 156 Democratic Representatives voted against the bill, while all Republicans present supported it. This year's State of the Union address was not the first time that the annual presidential address made mention of Laken Riley, whose murder might very well have been prevented had Democrats been willing to enforce America's immigration laws. Last year, just days after Riley's murder, former president Joe Biden reluctantly mentioned her – appearing to misidentify her as 'Lincoln Riley' – after firebrand Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene shouted a demand that he say her name when Biden discussed weak immigration legislation that his administration failed to pass. This year, disempowered in all branches of government and opposed by wide majorities of Americans on virtually every issue, the Democrats sat in stony silence as Trump touted not only the lightning fast achievements of his new term, but also the human tragedies caused by his opponents' incompetence. Failing to rise for Laken Riley's family was shameful, but also illustrated the profound disconnect between Democrats and most American voters. As disgraceful as the moment was, however, it was hardly the only case of Congressional Democrats showing their true colours on national television during Trump's speech. They also failed to rise for the family of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year old Texas girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered last June. They failed to rise for DJ Daniel, a 13-year old brain cancer survivor whose life's dream is to become a police officer, and whom Trump made an honorary officer in the Secret Service. They failed to rise for Jason Hartley, a graduating high school student who at a young age lost his father, a California sheriff's deputy, and whose wish, which Trump granted during his speech, was to win admission to the US military academy at West Point and continue a four-generation family tradition of service. The Democrats remained motionless when Trump announced foreign investment pledges rising into the hundreds of billions of dollars, unprecedented infusions of capital that will create thousands of jobs and reduce dependency on foreign manufacturing. They were unmoved by his intention to get toxins and pollutants out of America's food and water supplies. They sat silently when Trump cheered record-high military recruitment, record low illegal border crossings, and the apprehension of the terrorist suspect believed responsible for the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, which killed 13 American servicemen and 160 civilians. The Democrats greeted with grim visages the widow and children of Corey Comperatore, the man who was killed in the July 2024 assassination attempt against Trump in Pennsylvania. Crossed Democratic arms and twisted Leftist sourpusses met Trump's assurance to America's children that 'you are perfect exactly the way God made you' when he announced his intention to ban transgender surgeries for minors. They wouldn't even cheer Trump's mention of a member of the Kennedy family, the once-iconic Democratic political dynasty that produced Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose highest avowed goal is to 'make America healthy again'. All the Democrats could offer in response, apart from their Groucho Marx-style 'Whatever it is, I'm against it' stance, was an embarrassing reply by newly-elected Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who urged her constituents to practise self-care and community involvement. In what sounded amusingly like a self-help session, Slotkin made what was perhaps a Freudian slip, appearing to tell disenfranchised Democrats that change starts 'from the bottle up'. That, really, is all they have left. Paul du Quenoy is a historian and president of the Palm Beach Freedom Institute. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Snubbing Laken Riley's family showed the Democrats at their unelectable worst
'In all 13 State of the Unions I've attended, I have never seen such a disgraceful display from the Democrats', said Texas Senator Ted Cruz on X late Tuesday night. He was referring in part to the party's failure to stand up and applaud when, in his speech to Congress, Donald Trump recognised the mother and sister of Laken Riley, the 22-year old University of Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant in February 2024. Riley's killer, a native of Venezuela, had illegally crossed the US's southern border in September 2022 and racked up multiple arrests for child endangerment, theft, and motor vehicle violations before he murdered Riley during her morning jog. On Jan 29, Trump signed into law the first legislation of his new presidential term: the Laken Riley Act, a bill proposed by Congressional Republicans requiring the detention of illegal immigrants arrested for crimes relating to theft or causing death and injury. In the final tally, 35 Democratic Senators and 156 Democratic Representatives voted against the bill, while all Republicans present supported it. This year's State of the Union address was not the first time that the annual presidential address made mention of Laken Riley, whose murder might very well have been prevented had Democrats been willing to enforce America's immigration laws. Last year, just days after Riley's murder, former president Joe Biden reluctantly mentioned her – appearing to misidentify her as 'Lincoln Riley' – after firebrand Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene shouted a demand that he say her name when Biden discussed weak immigration legislation that his administration failed to pass. This year, disempowered in all branches of government and opposed by wide majorities of Americans on virtually every issue, the Democrats sat in stony silence as Trump touted not only the lightning fast achievements of his new term, but also the human tragedies caused by his opponents' incompetence. Failing to rise for Laken Riley's family was shameful, but also illustrated the profound disconnect between Democrats and most American voters. As disgraceful as the moment was, however, it was hardly the only case of Congressional Democrats showing their true colours on national television during Trump's speech. They also failed to rise for the family of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year old Texas girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered last June. They failed to rise for DJ Daniel, a 13-year old brain cancer survivor whose life's dream is to become a police officer, and whom Trump made an honorary officer in the Secret Service. They failed to rise for Jason Hartley, a graduating high school student who at a young age lost his father, a California sheriff's deputy, and whose wish, which Trump granted during his speech, was to win admission to the US military academy at West Point and continue a four-generation family tradition of service. The Democrats remained motionless when Trump announced foreign investment pledges rising into the hundreds of billions of dollars, unprecedented infusions of capital that will create thousands of jobs and reduce dependency on foreign manufacturing. They were unmoved by his intention to get toxins and pollutants out of America's food and water supplies. They sat silently when Trump cheered record-high military recruitment, record low illegal border crossings, and the apprehension of the terrorist suspect believed responsible for the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, which killed 13 American servicemen and 160 civilians. The Democrats greeted with grim visages the widow and children of Corey Comperatore, the man who was killed in the July 2024 assassination attempt against Trump in Pennsylvania. Crossed Democratic arms and twisted Leftist sourpusses met Trump's assurance to America's children that 'you are perfect exactly the way God made you' when he announced his intention to ban transgender surgeries for minors. They wouldn't even cheer Trump's mention of a member of the Kennedy family, the once-iconic Democratic political dynasty that produced Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose highest avowed goal is to 'make America healthy again'. All the Democrats could offer in response, apart from their Groucho Marx-style 'Whatever it is, I'm against it' stance, was an embarrassing reply by newly-elected Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who urged her constituents to practise self-care and community involvement. In what sounded amusingly like a self-help session, Slotkin made what was perhaps a Freudian slip, appearing to tell disenfranchised Democrats that change starts 'from the bottle up'. That, really, is all they have left.
Fox News
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Outgoing DNC chair says Democrats should have 'stuck by' Biden in the 2024 election
As the Democratic National Committee prepares to select a new leader, the outgoing chair, Jaime Harrison, argued they should have "stuck by" then-President Joe Biden last year. The Democratic Party has been engaged in a long period of introspection after former-Vice President Kamala Harris' loss to President Donald Trump in November. Now, with the DNC choosing a new chair on Saturday, Harrison reflected on the past campaign as he spoke to the Associated Press. One key aspect he noted to the AP was that Harris would have had a better chance to win if she had more time because the party had been so oriented towards "building a race" for Biden up to the last minute. Even after Biden's disastrous debate performance, Harrison was still "riding with Biden" and seemed surprised when the former president dropped out. "I went into this thinking, OK, you've got probably the most successful of my lifetime legislative president who has poured tons of money into making sure that … Democrats get elected," Harrison said, raving about how people said Biden's 2024 address "was one of the best State of the Unions that we've ever seen." "Then we move forward to the debate, and people were like, that was a horrible debate performance. And then my thought was: 'Joe Biden secured the nomination. The primary was done, and so, I'm a loyal guy. We're riding with Biden,'" he said. When asked if Democrats should have stuck with Biden in the presidential race, he argued that it was in his nature to do so, but the party had other plans. "That's my normal default, is that you stick by your people, right, particularly people who have worked hard on behalf of the party," he said. "And that is not always the mentality of everybody in my party. And so sometimes, people look on the sidelines, ready to call in the backup." Harrison contrasted how Democrats panicked about Biden while Republicans circled their wagons around Trump despite his controversies, suggesting, "sometimes, I think, Democrats can learn something in terms of, let's put a line of defense around our folks and defend them as well." Harrison seemed unprepared for Biden to drop out, having just a small group of staffers gaming out what would happen ahead of time, then making calls to Democratic leaders after the news to get a sense of how the party should move forward, only to find Harris had already beat him to it and wrapped up their support. "And so I started making phone calls just asking, 'I'm sure you've heard the news about the president,' and to a person, they're saying, 'I just got off the phone with the vice president, and I'm pledging my support.' I must have been chasing her calls, because literally, I'm calling, and everyone said, 'Well, I'm supporting her,'" he said. Now, observing the aftermath, Harrison said, "The DNC shouldn't just be a rubber stamp to whatever the campaign wants." "You don't always have a seat at the table, in terms of, you take all of the arrows and the responsibility," he said. "People want to give you all the blame, but you don't have the power to make those decisions, and I really think there needs to be reapportionment of a better, a greater balance." After the interview was released, Harrison objected to the headline, which read, "The DNC's outgoing chair says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in 2024." "This headline isn't right. Stuck 'by' and stuck 'with' are two different things," he argued in a post on X. "Yes, I believed we should have stuck by and defended President Joe Biden when he was our nominee, and at the same time when Joe Biden stepped down I was damn proud to fight for Vice President Harris to be our next POTUS." When reached for comment, the AP said it stood by the headline.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The DNC's outgoing chair says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Democratic National Committee prepares to elect a new chair, its departing leader says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in the 2024 race. In an interview with The Associated Press, Jaime Harrison reflected on why his party lost to President Donald Trump and what might have happened had former Vice President Kamala Harris had more time to campaign after Biden ended his reelection bid following a disastrous debate performance. He also offered advice to his eventual successor, who will be chosen Saturday. The next DNC chair, Harrison said, needs to insist that the party not be a 'rubber stamp' to its presidential candidate. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Here are excerpts from that conversation: Why did Harris and Democrats lose the White House? HARRISON: 'I don't know that there's one answer. A lot of people like to come up with things, and they say it's the economy. Well, it could have been a part of it. I think every state had their own little nuance. In Michigan, the Palestinian issue played something there." "The gap in which she lost wasn't huge, but when you add up little pockets where it's, some people because of Gaza, some people because of the economy, some people because she was a woman. And I think in many of those states, those little nicks here and there added up to how she lost in some of those states.' Did Harris' shortened campaign timeline hurt her chances? HARRISON: 'Had she had more runway, it would have been probably easier for her and for the campaign. We were building a race for Joe Biden.' 'Joe Biden gave the State of the Union, people said it was one of the best State of the Unions that we've ever seen. Then we move forward to the debate, and people were like, that was a horrible debate performance. And then my thought was: 'Joe Biden secured the nomination. The primary was done, and so, I'm a loyal guy. We're riding with Biden.'' 'And if you look at the other side, in terms of Republicans, Donald Trump had just been convicted, how many times for all these felonies? And you didn't hear a peep from the Republicans, in terms of like, 'We need to jettison Donald Trump, and we need to open up a new primary, and we need to do this and that.' And so sometimes, I think, Democrats can learn something in terms of, let's put a line of defense around our folks and defend them as well.' Should Democrats have stuck with Biden? HARRISON: 'That's my normal default, is that you stick by your people, right, particularly people who have worked hard on behalf of the party." 'I went into this thinking, OK, you've got probably the most successful of my lifetime legislative president who has poured tons of money into making sure that not just Joe Biden and Kamala Harris get elected, but Democrats get elected — not just in the battleground states, but all states who support a lot of resources and his own time fundraising in order to strengthen the state parties.' "And then when he hits a roadblock, when he hits a bump in the road, do we stick with him, or do we jettison him? That's the mentality that I had going into this. And my nature is, 'I'm on the team with you, you're my quarterback. You got sacked a few times. But you know what? I'm going to block the hell out of the next person that's coming at you.' And that is not always the mentality of everybody in my party. And so sometimes, people look on the sidelines, ready to call in the backup.' Was the party prepped for a possible candidate switch? HARRISON: 'I had a very small group to whom I basically said, just game out for me what happens ... if I have to do something, because people were asking for a big primary and this and that — and again, we have a short time frame, and so basically it was going back to the rules.' 'I didn't even talk to all of the people in my inner circle. There were two staffers ... just in case anything happened, I wanted to make sure that I knew what we could do. And so we had some structure for what something would look like.' Did Harris act quickly enough to start acquiring support? HARRISON: 'She was literally on it. I wanted to get a sense of whether or not we were going to have a lot of people who were going to throw their hats in the ring.' 'And so I started making phone calls just asking, 'I'm sure you've heard the news about the president,' and to a person, they're saying, 'I just got off the phone with the vice president, and I'm pledging my support.' I must have been chasing her calls, because literally, I'm calling, and everyone said, 'Well, I'm supporting her.'' What changes does the DNC need to make? HARRISON: 'The DNC shouldn't just be a rubber stamp to whatever the campaign wants.' 'You don't always have a seat at the table, in terms of, you take all of the arrows and the responsibility. People want to give you all the blame, but you don't have the power to make those decisions, and I really think there needs to be reapportionment of a better, a greater balance.' 'I did not always have a seat at the table, was not always invited in the room. And I just think that is inherently problematic because of the perspectives that you bring.' Do Democrats need to work harder with nonwhite voters? Trump gained larger shares of Black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, when he lost those groups to Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. HARRISON: 'People think, well, it's just about turnout in the Black community, right? It's just about turnout with this group. No, it's not. It's more than just turnout. It's about persuasion. You have to persuade people why you are the best person for them. You have to talk to them about the issues that are important to them. You have to show them that you really are fighting for them, and that means having those individual conversations, but having targeted conversations specifically geared towards the people that you're talking to.' 'You cannot take anybody for granted. You cannot just assume just because you're a Black man, you're gonna vote for a Democrat.' How has the DNC changed under your leadership? Harrison, who lost his 2020 Senate campaign against South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham but broke fundraising records during his run, said he has no immediate political plans. He didn't close the door on another campaign. He has long been mentioned as a possible future contender for the seat held for decades by his mentor, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. HARRISON: 'I'm proud of what we started here at the DNC. I created a red-state fund, where we're pouring more money into those red states to help them rebuild the infrastructure. But there's a lot more that has to be done.' 'I've been thinking to myself, wouldn't it be appropriate for another southerner, another South Carolinian, a former DNC chair, to figure out how to re-establish the Democratic Party back in the South? And so I think I'm going to spend my time doing that.' ___ Kinnard can be reached at
Boston Globe
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The DNC's outgoing chair says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in 2024
Here are excerpts from that conversation: Why did Harris and Democrats lose the White House? HARRISON: 'I don't know that there's one answer. A lot of people like to come up with things, and they say it's the economy. Well, it could have been a part of it. I think every state had their own little nuance. In Michigan, the Palestinian issue played something there.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The gap in which she lost wasn't huge, but when you add up little pockets where it's, some people because of Gaza, some people because of the economy, some people because she was a woman. And I think in many of those states, those little nicks here and there added up to how she lost in some of those states.' Advertisement Did Harris' shortened campaign timeline hurt her chances? HARRISON: 'Had she had more runway, it would have been probably easier for her and for the campaign. We were building a race for Joe Biden.' 'Joe Biden gave the State of the Union, people said it was one of the best State of the Unions that we've ever seen. Then we move forward to the debate, and people were like, that was a horrible debate performance. And then my thought was: 'Joe Biden secured the nomination. The primary was done, and so, I'm a loyal guy. We're riding with Biden.'' 'And if you look at the other side, in terms of Republicans, Donald Trump had just been convicted, how many times for all these felonies? And you didn't hear a peep from the Republicans, in terms of like, 'We need to jettison Donald Trump, and we need to open up a new primary, and we need to do this and that.' And so sometimes, I think, Democrats can learn something in terms of, let's put a line of defense around our folks and defend them as well.' Advertisement Should Democrats have stuck with Biden? HARRISON: 'That's my normal default, is that you stick by your people, right, particularly people who have worked hard on behalf of the party.' 'I went into this thinking, OK, you've got probably the most successful of my lifetime legislative president who has poured tons of money into making sure that not just Joe Biden and Kamala Harris get elected, but Democrats get elected — not just in the battleground states, but all states who support a lot of resources and his own time fundraising in order to strengthen the state parties.' 'And then when he hits a roadblock, when he hits a bump in the road, do we stick with him, or do we jettison him? That's the mentality that I had going into this. And my nature is, 'I'm on the team with you, you're my quarterback. You got sacked a few times. But you know what? I'm going to block the hell out of the next person that's coming at you.' And that is not always the mentality of everybody in my party. And so sometimes, people look on the sidelines, ready to call in the backup.' Was the party prepped for a possible candidate switch? HARRISON: 'I had a very small group to whom I basically said, just game out for me what happens ... if I have to do something, because people were asking for a big primary and this and that — and again, we have a short time frame, and so basically it was going back to the rules.' Advertisement 'I didn't even talk to all of the people in my inner circle. There were two staffers ... just in case anything happened, I wanted to make sure that I knew what we could do. And so we had some structure for what something would look like.' Did Harris act quickly enough to start acquiring support? HARRISON: 'She was literally on it. I wanted to get a sense of whether or not we were going to have a lot of people who were going to throw their hats in the ring.' 'And so I started making phone calls just asking, 'I'm sure you've heard the news about the president,' and to a person, they're saying, 'I just got off the phone with the vice president, and I'm pledging my support.' I must have been chasing her calls, because literally, I'm calling, and everyone said, 'Well, I'm supporting her.'' What changes does the DNC need to make? HARRISON: 'The DNC shouldn't just be a rubber stamp to whatever the campaign wants.' 'You don't always have a seat at the table, in terms of, you take all of the arrows and the responsibility. People want to give you all the blame, but you don't have the power to make those decisions, and I really think there needs to be reapportionment of a better, a greater balance.' 'I did not always have a seat at the table, was not always invited in the room. And I just think that is inherently problematic because of the perspectives that you bring.' Do Democrats need to work harder with nonwhite voters? Trump gained larger shares of Black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, when he lost those groups to Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. Advertisement HARRISON: 'People think, well, it's just about turnout in the Black community, right? It's just about turnout with this group. No, it's not. It's more than just turnout. It's about persuasion. You have to persuade people why you are the best person for them. You have to talk to them about the issues that are important to them. You have to show them that you really are fighting for them, and that means having those individual conversations, but having targeted conversations specifically geared towards the people that you're talking to.' 'You cannot take anybody for granted. You cannot just assume just because you're a Black man, you're gonna vote for a Democrat.' How has the DNC changed under your leadership? Harrison, who lost his 2020 Senate campaign against South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham but broke fundraising records during his run, said he has no immediate political plans. He didn't close the door on another campaign. He has long been mentioned as a possible future contender for the seat held for decades by his mentor, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. HARRISON: 'I'm proud of what we started here at the DNC. I created a red-state fund, where we're pouring more money into those red states to help them rebuild the infrastructure. But there's a lot more that has to be done.' 'I've been thinking to myself, wouldn't it be appropriate for another southerner, another South Carolinian, a former DNC chair, to figure out how to re-establish the Democratic Party back in the South? And so I think I'm going to spend my time doing that.'
