Democrats trying to unseat each other IV

[lpetrich]

SiriusXM Progress: ""You are being paid by us, actually do your job."" — Bluesky

"You are being paid by us, actually do your job."

@katmabu.bsky.social tells @deanobeidallah.bsky.social that she wants to see Democrats actually standing up for their constituents instead of waiting until 2026.

To learn more about Kat's campaign: katforillinois.com

She said that Democratic politicians should have blockaded the entrances to the Treasury building to keep Elon Musk's DOGE underlings from getting in, even if it means being physically pulled away by cops.

It's not enough to wait until 2026, because the R's can do a lot of damage between now and then, including sabotaging elections to ensure that they will seem to win.

Sam Weinberg: "As her campaign manager it drives me crazy but as a person one of my favorite things about Kat is that she HATES asking for donations. So I get to do it for her! These deadlines are dumb but they do help show that a candidate is viable. Please chip in if you can: (donation link)" — Bluesky

Decoding Fox News: "Fox News is OBSESSED with @katmabu.bsky.social She is running for Congress in IL 9th district. Jesse "The Snowflake" Watters thinks she was trying to get him fired. Fox criticizes other networks every single day and includes clips from MSNBC, CNN, etc. Criticism comes with the job." — Bluesky
(with a clip from Fox News)

Kat Abughazaleh: "And here is another sleepy girl as an apology for the excessive posting today " — Bluesky
(a picture of KA's cat sleeping)

 

[lpetrich]

Kat Abughazaleh: "FEC reports ..." — Bluesky

FEC reports are how the donor class chooses our candidates. I think that's stupid. So here's what happens behind the scenes of a congressional campaign at the end of the quarter.

Oh, and why I think we should focus much more on grassroots donors rather than corporate cash:

(with a video of KA describing campaign deadlines)
Kat Abughazaleh: "While I don't care ..." — Bluesky

While I don't care what a billionaire thinks of me, I *do* want unions + nonprofits to see us as a viable grassroots campaign. That's why I want to reach 10,000 individual donors in time for these reports.
(plea for donations, even small ones)

Max Andrews: "It’s also insane ..." — Bluesky

It’s also insane the degree to which dem fundraising emails mention this. “We have an urgent fundraising deadline!”
OK, so what? As a voter why do I care about that at all? What are your proposals for a sane healthcare system?

“Give me money because deadline” is so cooked as a strategy.

 

[lpetrich]

Kat Abughazaleh: "We have a lot on the calendar: clothing exchanges, banned book drives, lake beach cleanups. And that’s just the start. Our campaign is all about providing tangible good NOW but we are powered by small dollar donors. (donation request)" — Bluesky

Kat Abughazaleh: " 1/ Last night was AMAZING so I want to share some of my favorite moments from our first campaign event. ..." — Bluesky

2/ I'm still so emo (in a good way) about the number of young people who showed up.

I met a really kind group of high school juniors, dozens of college students, and a father and kid drove all the way out from the far west end of the district to talk to me about being underrepresented.

3/ We even had two high schoolers drive all the way from Indiana just to talk and tell me they want to run for office one day too. Like ???? I'm gonna cry.

(If y'all are reading this, just know I told my mom about you as soon as I got home.)

Also lots of offers to volunteer in her campaign, and even some pin-on buttons.

 

[Derec]

Damn, you really are posting a lot about her. Is she your new crush?

 

[lpetrich]

Kat Abughazaleh mentioned Mall candidate for US Senate in Michigan:
Mallory McMorrow: "We need new leaders in Washington. I’m running for Senate to be one. Let’s go." — Bluesky
with her announcement video.

Her campaign page: McMorrow for Michigan - I can't find a statement of platform on it, though it does state

She’s gotten real things done – saving lives by passing a law to allow for the removal of guns from someone in the midst of a mental health crisis, raising wages, and getting rid of the state’s abortion ban.

The ‘straight, white, Christian, suburban mom’ taking on Republicans at their own game | Democrats | The Guardian

Mallory McMorrow remembers the sting of being slandered by a colleague for wanting to “groom” and “sexualize” young children. “I felt horrible,” she says. But instead of shrugging it off or trying to change the subject, as Democrats are often criticised for doing, the state senator from Michigan decided to fight back.

In just four minutes and 40 seconds, McMorrow delivered a fierce, impassioned floor speech at the state capitol that went viral on social media and earned a laudatory phone call from the US president.

...
McMorrow, her red hair tied back, told the chamber: “So who am I? I am a straight, white, Christian, married, suburban mom who knows that the very notion that learning about slavery or redlining or systemic racism somehow means that children are being taught to feel bad or hate themselves because they are white is absolute nonsense.”

She continued: “People who are different are not the reason that our roads are in bad shape after decades of disinvestment or that healthcare costs are too high or that teachers are leaving the profession. I want every child in this state to feel seen, heard, and supported, not marginalised and targeted because they are not straight, white and Christian.

“We cannot let hateful people tell you otherwise, to scapegoat and deflect from the fact that they are not doing anything to fix the real issues that impact people’s lives. And I know that hate will only win if people like me stand by and let it happen.”

Great speech.

Saikat for Congress also doesn't have a statement of platform, though it does have

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a member of our first class of recruits. I ran her 2018 campaign before going into Congress as her Chief of Staff, where I was in charge of writing and launching the Green New Deal.

I now lead a policy think tank devoted to developing comprehensive plans for how the government can deliver prosperity and economic security for all Americans through an economic mobilization to build a clean economy for the U.S. and the world.

That think tank: New Consensus

His announcement: Saikat Chakrabarti: " I’ve decided to run against Nancy Pelosi to represent San Francisco in Congress. ..." — Bluesky
He planned to do a Zoom-call campaign event, but it hasn't happened yet.

 

[Swammerdami]

Democratic Party leaders continue to disappoint Democrats. Trump's strong approval is at 30% down from 40% at his Inauguration but this is still better than approval of Democratic Party.

And here is Gretchen Whitmer flying to Washington to support Trump's trade policies. EGAD!

 

[Harry Bosch]

Democratic Party leaders continue to disappoint Democrats. Trump's strong approval is at 30% down from 40% at his Inauguration but this is still better than approval of Democratic Party.

And here is Gretchen Whitmer flying to Washington to support Trump's trade policies. EGAD!

Yea she made a mistake. But her popularity based on a Feb 8 poll in Michigan (swing state) was 71%. She’ll kick his ass in 2028.

 

[Swammerdami]

I see at Rasmussen Reports that "Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing" is now at 33% (up slightly since Trump announced that his Tariff joke was just a dump-and-pump), not that far down from the 40% at his Inauguration. Most of the 7% who've changed their minds weren't enthusiastic Trump voters anyway. With the "Strongly" removed, Disapproval leads Approval 50% to 48%. Not exactly a whopping number of Americans coming to their senses.

Democratic Party leaders continue to disappoint Democrats. Trump's strong approval is at 30% down from 40% at his Inauguration but this is still better than approval of Democratic Party.

And here is Gretchen Whitmer flying to Washington to support Trump's trade policies. EGAD!

I am not the only one disgusted by the Whitmer "Democrat" feeling the urge to suck the Orange Fascist's scrotum. Watching once respectable GOPsters like Rubio lick the Holy Scrotum is disgusting enough, but Democrats???

Do I forfeit my claim to "Centrism" by writing like this? What does "centrism" even mean anyway? If a right-winger will suck the Holy Orange Scrotum for 60 minutes, and a left-winger doesn't want to suck it at all, does that mean a "Centrist" will suck the Holy Scrotum for 30 minutes?

 

[Harry Bosch]

I see at Rasmussen Reports that "Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing" is now at 33% (up slightly since Trump announced that his Tariff joke was just a dump-and-pump), not that far down from the 40% at his Inauguration. Most of the 7% who've changed their minds weren't enthusiastic Trump voters anyway. With the "Strongly" removed, Disapproval leads Approval 50% to 48%. Not exactly a whopping number of Americans coming to their senses.

Party leaders continue to disappoint Democrats. Trump's strong approval is at 30% down from 40% at his Inauguration but this is still better than approval of Democratic Party.

And here is Gretchen Whitmer flying to Washington to support Trump's trade policies. EGAD!

I am not the only one disgusted by the Whitmer "Democrat" feeling the urge to suck the Orange Fascist's scrotum. Watching once respectable GOPsters like Rubio lick the Holy Scrotum is disgusting enough, but Democrats???

Do I forfeit my claim to "Centrism" by writing like this? What does "centrism" even mean anyway? If a right-winger will suck the Holy Orange Scrotum for 60 minutes, and a left-winger doesn't want to suck it at all, does that mean a "Centrist" will suck the Holy Scrotum for 30 minutes?

I don't know why people hate centrists or moderates? A moderate is simply someone whose political view falls between the left and right of the political spectrum where one lives. As an aside, I've always thought it ridiculous to call any democrat a right winger compared to the average politician in Denmark!) Moderates seek middle-ground solutions to fix problems. We recognize that neither side of the spectrum has a monopoly on the right solution. Most moderates are right on economic issues; left on social issues.

 

[ZiprHead]

Bernie spoke to the crowd at the Coachella Rock Festival this past weekend. This is how it's done.

 

[lpetrich]

Yes, Bernie Sanders and AOC have been going on an anti-oligarchy tour. Fighting Oligarchy Tour | Bernie Sanders Official Website

• March 20: Las Vegas NV (with Rep. Steven Horsford), Tempe AZ (near Phoenix)
• March 21: Greeley CO (near Fort Collins), Denver CO
• March 22: Tucson AZ (with Rep. Greg Casar)
• April 12: Los Angeles CA (with some musical guests)
• April 13: Salt Lake City UT
• April 14: Nampa ID (near Boise)
• April 15: Bakersfield CA, Folsom CA (near Sacramento)
• April 16: Missoula MT (with union leader Sara Nelson)

One can easily find videos online of their speeches in at least some of these places.

 

[Derec]

Bernie spoke to the crowd at the Coachella Rock Festival this past weekend. This is how it's done.

Is it? I do not think this focus on entertainer/celebrity culture is that fruitful.

 

[thebeave]

Bernie spoke to the crowd at the Coachella Rock Festival this past weekend. This is how it's done.

Is it? I do not think this focus on entertainer/celebrity culture is that fruitful.

I don't know about that. I can't think of a better way to inspire potential Harris voters than having Megan The Stallion twerk at one of her rallies.

 

[lpetrich]

Ex-Michigan health officer Abdul El-Sayed enters Democratic US Senate race | AP News

A former Michigan public health official and Democratic candidate for governor entered the race for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat on Thursday.

Abdul El-Sayed, 40, is the second Democrat to put his name in the running in what could be one of the most watched races in the 2026 midterm elections. He’s also the second candidate this week to launch a campaign to replace Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is not seeking reelection.

“It’s way too hard to survive here in the richest, most powerful country in the world and it should not be this hard to get by,” he told The Associated Press.

He ran for Michigan governor in 2018, losing to Gretchen Whitmer by over 20 percentage points.

Bernie Sanders endorsed him: “Abdul is a physician who understands that our current health care system is broken and wildly expensive. He understands that health care is a human right, which is why he supports Medicare for All.”

 

[lpetrich]

He wasn't the first, however: Michigan lawmaker Mallory McMorrow announces Democratic bid for US Senate | AP News

“I have been so frustrated seeing really a lack of a plan and a lack of a response coming from our current party leadership,” the Democrat said in an interview with The Associated Press.

,,,
First elected to the state legislature in 2018, McMorrow went viral in 2022 after giving a fiery floor speech criticizing a Republican lawmaker who attacked her in a campaign fundraising email over her support for LGBTQ+ rights and falsely accused her of wanting to “groom” children.

“I am a straight, white, Christian, married, suburban mom” who wants “every kid to feel seen, heard and supported — not marginalized and targeted because they are not straight, white and Christian,” McMorrow said in the speech.

Others considering running are US Rep. Haley Stevens and MI Attorney General Dana Nessel. Pete Buttigieg is no longer interested, and neither is US Rep. Hillary Scholten. On the Republican side, Mike Rogers may run again, even though he narrowly lost to Elissa Slotkin last year.

 

[lpetrich]

McMorrow for Michigan - Mallory McMorrow still does not have a platform page.

Abdul for U.S. Senate | Official Campaign Website - Abdul El-Sayed does: Priorities | Abdul for U.S. Senate

A Healthier America | Abdul for U.S. Senate - he supports Medicare for All, with it coexisting with whatever other insurance that people might want. Kat Abughazaleh has a similar position, proposing that private-insurance "superfans" should not be stopped from having such insurance.

An Economy for Working People | Abdul for U.S. Senate - he supports labor unions and strong antitrust enforcement.

That means investing in the research, development, and growth of the technologies of the future while using tools like tariffs in a steady, thoughtful, and targeted way to protect them as they grow

No indiscriminate tariffs like what President Trump seems so fond of.

Abdul believes that world-changing technology–like AI–should be in the hands of the people rather than unaccountable corporations. Rather than replace us, AI should be a tool to enhance our lives. And he supports legislation that would protect workers and their jobs from automation.

Clean Air & Water | Abdul for U.S. Senate

We have the right to breathe clean air and drink clean water. Abdul has never hesitated to stand up to the corporations that are poisoning them, just as he did in Detroit and across Wayne County.

More and Better Education, not Less | Abdul for U.S. Senate

Rather than gutting the Department of Education, Abdul believes in investing in and empowering a version that focuses on educational opportunities for all people. Abdul believes in working alongside our unions to fund and expand vocational and apprenticeship training opportunities so that every American has a pathway to expand their skills.

America’s colleges and universities are among its most critical research institutions. They deserve more funding, not less–focused on high-risk, high-impact science that has the potential to change the world.

Sensible Foreign Policy | Abdul for U.S. Senate

Abdul believes that in an era where our schools are crumbling and healthcare is unaffordable, we should be spending our taxpayer dollars here at home. So Abdul opposes directly funding foreign militaries.

... When we act alongside our allies–as in supporting Ukraine against Russian invasion–we find ourselves on the right side of justice. It’s when we break the rules we worked so hard to set up–as in Vietnam or Iraq–that we make critical, deadly mistakes.

Solving the Housing Crisis | Abdul for U.S. Senate

Abdul believes we need a building boom. And to address it, we need to massively invest in building new housing in communities across the country, and to stand up against regulations that are making it way too hard to build anything in America.

Abdul will stand up to the corporate profiteers who are on the wrong side of affordable housing–including corporations, hedge funds, and speculators who are driving up costs. And he will stand up to landlords against unfair evictions that are forcing too many Americans onto the streets.

 

[Derec]

Bernie Sanders endorsed him: “Abdul is a physician who understands that our current health care system is broken and wildly expensive.

He is not really a physician. He did finish med school but never went to residency, which is a requirement for medical license.

He also seems rather religious, judging from this photo with his wife.

Didn't Dems just get betrayed by Michigan Muslims voting for Trump over Gaza and LGBT issues?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Elon Musk spending a lot on Republican Brad Schimel, and his opponents doing so on Democrat Susan Crawford.

Singular Elon Musk versus plural opponents. This is largely why we are in the current state. A handful of people control most of the capital and they see the current GOP trajectory as their means of increasing their share. Opponents of Musk et al. do not have the resources to oppose him, Zuck, Bezos, et al.

On the Affordable Care Act side. Walz said it is no longer good enough. It never was. It was a Faustian bargain with the oligarchs to try to get health care access to most people. All it did was further entrench the profit stake of a handful of huge companies that are still running on the model of delay, deny, die.

It's not good but it's an awful lot better than nothing.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Gun Violence

Our children and communities deserve to exist without fear of gun violence. As a member of the "school shooting generation," I know too well the anxieties caused by active shooter drills, lockdowns, and the very real threat of gun violence in the classroom.

That’s why we must implement a federal assault weapons ban modeled after Illinois' assault weapons ban, enact comprehensive universal background checks, require waiting periods, institute mandatory gun safety training, close gun show and ghost gun loopholes, and prioritize victims of gun violence above all else.

"Without fear of gun violence"? That's an absolute that doesn't make sense. The "school shooting generation" is due to media reporting, especially social media.

Very real threat of gun violence? Your average grade schooler is more likely to die in an airplane crash than from a school shooter.

"Assault weapons" ban--garbage from the start, it was based entirely on cosmetics as there is no actual dividing line.

Universal background checks--the devil is in the details. They are consistently bad because the left tries to go too far, working from an assumption that a gun must inherently have one owner/user. As such, they get quite rightly shot down. If you're going to do it at all it should not be exclusive--you can add someone to a gun but that does not remove you from it. However, I consider it an attempt to throw up roadblocks rather than any real benefit. The reality is the vast majority of crime is committed with guns that are not legally owned in the first place and thus won't be influenced by a background check. It would be so much better to flip this one over--you pass your gun knowledge and background check, you get a permit. You show that permit to do any gun-related transfer. More restrictive (the criminal won't have the permit to buy ammo), not a burden (think of driver's licenses)--but it doesn't give the holy grail of background checks: a list of guns to be seized at some future point. (Think of how our government is going. Think they might try to disarm the opposition???)

Waiting periods--maybe of slight value against suicide, but that's it.

Gun safety training--I consider any sort of "training" requirement a cop-out. Look at DMV, we don't mandate driver training, we mandate a demonstration of knowledge.

Gun show "loophole"--really, this is just a matter of private transfers and would be included in universal background checks. It's not a separate item.

Ghost guns--how? The inherent nature of a ghost gun is that there is no "gun" component that's being purchased. You have to draw a line somewhere between "piece of metal" and "gun", try to make the definition too wide and you include plenty of things that aren't intended to be guns. It's already illegal to transfer a ghost gun, period. What do you want the law to do?

"Victims of gun violence above all else"--no way! Any call for society to prioritize anything (other than survival itself) above all else is wrong. Always, always wrong. Same as "if it would save just one" and "think of the children". They are all emotional calls to ignore reason, focus too much on something and inherently neglect other things in the process.

Healthcare

Every American deserves healthcare regardless of whether they have a job. That’s why we need a universal single-payer healthcare system — with an opt-out if you’re a private insurance super-fan… for some reason.

Medicare for All

Fix Medicare first.

No more deductibles, no more “that’s not covered under your plan,” no more “out of network providers,” and no more insurance agents trying to get you the least possible care for the most possible money. Just you and your doctor in the room.

...
All-Inclusive: That means dental, because your teeth are not luxury bones. Eye care, because you shouldn’t have to stretch those disposable one-day contacts over three days.

I add: ears. Also, "Drug Price Negotiation" and "Rural Support" and "Innovation". Price negotiation ought to include subsidizing the production of some kinds of drugs.

"That's not covered"--same thing happens, just at the level of society. Nobody gets it.

And it wouldn't be you and your doctor, it is not now in UHC countries. It's just the controls are at a higher level and not visible to the patients.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Vast majority of firearm homicides are committed using handguns

Thank you for advocating for a handgun ban. I totally agree.

Not advocating that at all. Instead of mindlessly banning guns for everyone, we need stricter rules on who is allowed to buy and possess firearms.
Your position is what NRA types point to when they say that the so-called "liberals" want to grab their guns.

Yes, I want to grab their guns. No sarcams. The US would be a far safer place without handguns in so many pockets. Do you deny this?

The problem is that you are mixing up two different things here: guns in properly licensed civilian hands and guns in criminal hands. Note that there is very little overlap between the groups and you have no power to wave a magic wand and remove those criminal guns. You're looking for your keys under the streetlight.