David Hogg's plan to replace old school Democrats with fresh faces is the only plan they have to oppose Trump

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2025/05/hoggs-move-to-bring-fresh-faces-into.html

It's not surprising that Trump's job approval rating has slipped below the 40% mark, his disapproval is just a couple of points short of 60% and the country is falling apart because he has chosen a cabinet and executive branch staff who is even more incompetent and unable to do those jobs than he is. Those on the fringes who voted for him this time because they thought he might be better in some way were disabused. All he's got left right now is the Heritage Foundation's money and influence that is part of his MAGA base.

I'm not surprised that Democrats in Congress have an even worse job approval rate, 26%. Of course, Republicans in Congress are doing about the same, maybe a little worse, because they are slowly realizing they are being made responsible for Trump's abysmal job performance and accountable for his failures. But for all the talk about the midterm elections of 2026 being the best chance to put a stop to the Trump insanity, Democrats are doing surprisingly little to change the perception of themselves. At a 26% job approval rating, hopes of winning a majority in both houses during the midterms is not running very high.

The party leadership is protecting its own turf, rather than making some bold moves, requiring personal sacrifice and risk. That sends the wrong message. They can say that Trump is an existential threat to American democracy, but until they do something that shows this is an urgent priority for them, rather than just electioneering and campaign sloganing, those miserable job approval ratings will continue, as they are even as this is read, and will get worse.

The party needs fresh faces who understand the seriousness of this threat enough to be bold, and take risks to protect our democracy, instead of protecting their own turf, traditions, and feathering their own nests. Look where the momentum is, and who the people are following. It's clearly not about age, since an 83 year old Senator is one of the most energetic, and crowd-drawing attractions in the anti-Trump movement. It's about priorities, and while a lot of lip service was given to the "Trump is an existential threat to democracy," mantra, the party's actions spoke louder than its words, and proved, with irresolute cowardice, that was not what they believed. Hence the current frustration and tanking job approval ratings.

My Senator, Dick Durbin, has a long and distinguished career in the United States Senate, but Senator Durbin passed is prime about 5 years back and his failure to be up on the front lines taking risks, being bold and protecting democracy means that it is time for him to step down, and let someone else with more energy and willingess to take a risk step up and take his seat. I feel the same way about Senator Schumer. Retire, Senator, and let Governor Hochul appoint Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to your seat. Let's get Bernie in position as Senate Minority Leader and position ourselves to win in the midterms and then erase every vestige of the failed Trump presidency.

[WSHazel]

1. Are progressives threatening to blow up the party if they don't get their way?

That always goes well.

I have an idea, let the Democratic voters decide who should run for election in their district rather than David Hogg. A candidate from the south side of Chicago will be different than a candidate from the North Carolina exurbs than a candidate from the New York suburbs in the tri-state area. They can all be Democrats, and, SPOILER ALERT, it gives Democrats the best chance to get viable majorities in the House and Senate, and in state houses around the country.

Democratic purity tests are a really bad idea, because they scare off good candidates and they encourage liars like Sinema and Fetterman to say whatever to get elected. I didn't much like Manchin, but he was the last Democratic Senator I will probably see from West Virginia in my lifetime, and we got a lot of judges appointed while he was in the Senate.

[DonCoquixote]

3. then what happens when

"moderates" keep giving Trump everything he wants without a fight?

[WSHazel]

4. Chris Murphy and Cory Booker were two of the first Democratic Senators to stand up to Trump

Both fairly moderate, and both publicly going for the jugular.

The Democratic Leadership waited until Trump started screwing up because that builds credibility. Attacking Trump out of the gate looks like sour grapes, and swing voters will stop listening.

[lees1975]

8. They made speeches. Nice and completely ineffective.

What if a few members of the Senate would have followed through with bills coming up out of the House in 2020 that aimed at packing the court. We had an establishment Democrat, Biden, appoint an inept, weak, irresolute Attorney General who dillied and dallied and made sure Trump got enough delays to never have to face a trial while running for re-election, in spite of the crimes he committed, including an insurrection. If those Senators had said, screw the filibuster, we're packing the court, we would not be where we are now. Guaranteed, if Bernie had been majority leader, there'd be a hole under the capitol where the GOP seats used to be.

[progressoid]

6. Who's asking for a purity test?

They seem to be asking them to do something....anything... to slow down the Trump GOP.

And no, appearing on Meet The Press once a month isn't doing something.

[lees1975]

7. That's always the way it is worded, when entrenched establishment is trying to protect its turf.

None of that is what Hogg is proposing. Hogg is proposing that the DNC raise the money and fund grass roots candidacies in their home districts.

The bottom line is doing what it takes to get rid of Trump and frankly, there are a lot of establishment Democrats that still don't get the threat, and still want to play the old time protocols because it works for them in their safe, secure district from which they will always collect campaign contributions and nice, fat government check, whether you and I can access medicade or will get our social security or not.

If we hadn't had this kind of establishment Democratic attitude, none of this would be relevant now. The filibuster would be gone, the court packed, Trump in prison and Republicans wondering what hit them.

[lees1975]

9. What is the plan for resisting Trump, who's leading it and what has it achieved so far.

[DonCoquixote]

2. the key cut

The party needs fresh faces who understand the seriousness of this threat enough to be bold, and take risks to protect our democracy, instead of protecting their own turf, traditions, and feathering their own nests.

[Srkdqltr]

5. We have long needed younger more modern faces leading the party. Prople who are closer to the reality of American people

The older folks are stuck in old ways and have not tended to the government infrastructure.
.Modern younger folks see this as a problem. Trump, for all his idiotic ideas, was seen as more vigorous and faster than Biden . Harris was an unfortunate to be an unknown. I don't think Dems or Repubs are ready to vote for a woman unfortunately.

[Passages]

10. Yes, yes, and yes.

[Paladin]

11. Democratic leadership is pissing away valuable time and opportunity.

With his non-stop lying and ineptitude, trump is essentially giving away his presidency---he's putting it in our laps, and we're not taking advantage of it. I want my country back, and any Democratic leader who is preventing that from happening needs to get the fuck out of the way, immediately.