Democrats Wonder Where Their Leaders Are

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/democrat-leadership-vacuum/681540/

32 comments

  1. Americans:

    >We are voting that Democrats have no power in our government.

    Also Americans:

    >Why aren’t Democrats doing anything?

    If you want real opposition you need to talk to the farthest left Republican representatives and tell them to switch parties. That’s it, it’s that simple. The minority can’t do anything through legal channels.

  2. Trump has flooded the zone with so much shit and has Dems scrambling to point out all the uncontistutionality and illegality of it all, and this dipshit article whines about a lack of democrat leadership? gtfo

    Does the writer not think they’re constantly strategizing how to respond and how to move forward? Christ.

  3. The outrage was greatest the first time around because Trump and his goon squads were doing things no one expected and were beyond the pale.

    This time around, Trump told the voters exactly what he was going to do, why he was going to do it, and what effect it would have. And the voters sent him back to the White House and empowered him with Congressional majorities to boot.

    Maybe those activists should have shown the fuck up on Election Day.

  4. Voters really, really, ***really*** wanted to touch a hot stove, and Democrats can’t really stop them from doing it.

  6. Didnt house minority leader jeffries come out yesterday and say like: “dont worry. Gods still in charge.” Great. Lucky us. Edit: change of position name.

  7. I feel like there are two schools of thought here that I’d encourage everyone to think of:

    1. Elections absolutely have consequences, and voters handed Trump a trifecta and voters that believed that a good decision need to feel the pain or triumphs associated

    2. There are MILLIONS in this country that did NOT vote for a Republican trifecta. It is COMPLETELY fair to scream from the heavens why Democrats are sleepwalking in the direction towards letting Republicans take the whole damn thing. When you look at Biden’s presidency, who made the most noise out of Washington? Republicans. Biden’s presidency was probably the most boring first year in office you could ask for, but you heard more about it than necessary because republicans do not stop SCREAMING.

    Democrats’ responses being these “letters of concern” or just saying “ooh naughty naughty” is an embarrassing response. Allowing democrats to be absolved of their completely useless response due to “voters” is a joke. A party should be fighting to earn your vote, not just getting it after you’ve suffered and are at your lowest point. They are not doing that, and they deserve to be criticized everywhere.

    While the conversation now is all about the “midterms” there’s a very real possibility there are no midterms and no ACTUAL power to be won in those elections. So democrats need to act like that rather than just assuming there’ll be power to take back in the future.

    But this, however, is when you find out that there are maybe 5 or so legislators in congress that actually care. The rest will be fine no matter how brutal the suffrage is.

  8. Let’s not talk about the overt 24/7 propaganda machine of the Murdoch-Musk-Sinclair media oligarchy for regurgitating Putin’s Russian misinformation nonstop and shaping US public opinion. That would be a bridge too far. Let’s blame Democrats.

  9. republicans have completely captured the information environment. the democrats dont possess a massive propaganda system for controlling the narrative of all US media. republicans do. its not complicated. if you’re complaining about the dems right now you are the reason trump won. how about this one: where is the left? never been a better time to seize power from the centrists in the DNC, where is the left? oh wait there literally isnt one. its a mirage the right uses to scare people.

  10. Sadly, the only thing that take power away from the Republicans is people watching the oligarchs plunder and enough people suffering while the GOP helps the billionaires.

    But by then, it may be to late for anything other than massive societal upheaval to over turn what they have wrought. I don’t think it’ll be enough to just vote the Republicans out, personally I thinks it’s going to require a whole new constitution that explicitly prohibits wholesale buying of the government, limits the power of the Supreme Court and the reigns in the presidency to the administrative function ost should be. Also places term and age limits on all office holders and the SCOTUS.

    Sorry to say that won’t happen in my lifetime.

  11. Reverse the roles. Does anyone honestly believe the GOP would just sit by with folded hands while the Democrats assumed fascist power over all levers of government? They would be screaming to the high heavens every hour and minute of the day. They would *make* the media cover their outrage.

    Democrats? Maybe…*maybe* they’ll write a stern letter to the editor. This isn’t about being out of power, this is about keeping silent while a fascist dictatorship shits all over the Constitution. So, enough. When you don’t fight back you DESERVE to lose. And the Democrats are sure as hell losing big time right now because they’re not shaking the tree. It infuriates me.

  12. Let’s see, we have geriatric Chuck Schumer, geriatric Nancy Pelosi, a DNC with tons of money who suck at their job, and a House with no power. Given that, these are expected results.

  13. It’s Week 2. They are likely trying to forge alliances with “moderate Republicans” to break Trump’s most extreme legislative items.

    It’s not political parties’ jobs to organize protests. They can be associated to them, but can’t really organize and lead them.

  14. Death threats of an unprecedented nature, according to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. Who is doing all he can IMO

  15. Good old Bernie is uploading videos to YouTube and going into interviews

  16. We are going to hell in a fucking hand basket. “Democrats wonder where their leaders are”??? Are you kidding me??

    Our leaders are the ones we VOTED into power. REPUBLICANS are in power because they were VOTED into by the general American populace.

    We know where the fuck our “LEADERS” are. Burning this country down. Duh.

  17. Fuck this!

    How about wondering where any of the sane Republicans have gone? Where are those who will stand up for their ideals, for the values they supposedly have, or for their constituents? It was supposed to be a damn joke that without double standards they wouldn’t have any – not life advice for them.

    The orange shitgibbon is trying to speedrun undoing all norms and removing anyone of competency and the R’s in the Senate are having ‘misgivings’ and then voting in the most unqualified class of people into this administration. Not in the past 20 years, not in my lifetime, but in the history of the country.

    Is there not one **current** elected Republican official that has a spine, a voice? Retired doesn’t fucking count.

    There are Democratic leaders who will emerge from this, but not after one week. Hell, they’re already starting. The governors of Illinois, of California are already stepping up. AOC and Warren are speaking out. They’ll have plenty of company as time goes forward.

  18. What’s with these posts? Blame Dems for the Republicans crapping all over America? Jfc,

  19. It’s also apparent that many republicans can’t have their way either. They are forced to bend a knee otherwise they’ll get primaried or lose committee assignments, etc. Trump is simply using them as tools. I’m not really confident that Trump is behind all the changes that are happening. He’s getting manipulated, too. I doubt he’s coming up with all these EO ideas and bills.

    Now the focus is on obstruction and gaining votes in 2 years. Then there are powers of states.

  21. Democratic leaders are speaking out but the media isn’t covering it. I’ve seen plenty of clips of Democratic leaders speaking out but I have to go searching for it.

  22. Gavin, AOC, Bernie, govenor of illinois and tim walz recently spoken out as well as Pete B

  24. These are good examples of politicians talking. The only one who has taken any substantive action is Pritzker. He disallowed J6ers from employment by the state. Otherwise…it’s all hot air.

  26. A huge part of the problem is that the number of platforms to say anything has been greatly reduced. Most of the major outlets are in the Trump/Musk pockets. We like to think all people are on Facebook and X but the truth is the majority look at silly videos there and now all of those platforms are in the pocket too. They can steer everyone to republican approved news.
    I don’t think people realize it is over. The Democratic Party is just a fringe group occupied with a huge circle jerk.

  28. They are speaking out individually. It’s not getting reported because the media is owned by the right wing now.

    They can overcome this with coordinated social media/media/other efforts. If the Dems started responding to everything lockstep then it would make those things get media attention even with the current situation.

    The way to beat Trump has always been to reduce his media coverage. The only way to do that is with even bigger stories about what we want to bring to light.

  29. They don’t have power in any of the three major branches. What are they expected to do?

  30. Yup, this is definitely the issue.  Not that 70m people voted for the rapist traitor in chief

  31. If people aren’t hearing the Democrats outrage about what we are seeing, it’s only because the media isn’t covering it. Beyond that, how on earth could you look at a GOP that owns every lever in government as of a week ago and say, “Where are the Democrats?” They’re sitting in the minority, powerless to stop anything because the voters chose this future for us. It seems bizarre to blame the party that isn’t in power for the things the party in power has chosen to do.

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