U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat, did his best to make “good trouble” during President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress since taking office in January.

Brandishing his cane, the Lone Star septuagenarian rose from his seat in the U.S. House chamber and challenged Trump’s claim that he has a sweeping mandate to enact the tidal wave of changes his Republican administration has unleashed within the federal government.

Green stood alone, with his Democratic colleagues content to sit silent and hold quaint church fan signs with words that called the president a liar and criticized billionaire bureaucrat Elon Musk.

  • ramble81@lemm.ee
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    13 hours ago

    I’ll keep saying this: controlled opposition. They are silent because they are also wealthy who are benefiting from all the changes being enacted and are in turn bought by their wealthy donors (look at the leadership bemoaning that voters are wanting them to take action).

    The only ones that truly care about the working class are a small group of progressives: Sanders, AOC and company, Green… but the rest of the Democrats are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

    We ultimately need to primary their asses and get actual representatives that care about us.

  • Amoxtli@thelemmy.club
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    13 hours ago

    Democrats don’t have a message because the majority of the issues they bring up are fringe issues that don’t affect most Americans. Democrat issues, or left wing issues, only matter to them. They tried identity politics, transgender issues, class warfare, and even climate change. Democrats been in power for years and have not ushered in communism. These fringe issues crowds out the common issues, and greater issues. Democrats even pretentiously assume on the voter that warmongering is a good thing. Most Americans either reject these things or don’t care for them. Donald Trump, on the other hand, tapped into the powerful force of nationalism. Democrat’s platform during campaigning is they were not Donald Trump. I don’t think that was enough.

    • brvslvrnst@lemmy.ml
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      13 hours ago

      Not to nitpick too much 🙂, but saying “class warfare” is a fringe issue is super fucking dark to me. We’re literally in the process of seeing the final form of class divisions and you say its “fringe.”

      Not only that, but the other fringe issue you reference are either already coopted by Rs (identity politics) or just valid concerns ranging from empathy for fellow humans (trans issues) to the actual existential (climate change).

      The Dems don’t work because they are already purchased by donors, and not actually representative of their constituents. They ran on those fringe ideas and have won popularly nearly every time in those places where identity politics hasn’t completely swallowed everyone’s collective reasoning skills.

      /rant

  • Verdant Banana@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Green stood alone, with his Democratic colleagues content to sit silent and hold quaint church fan signs with words that called the president a liar and criticized billionaire bureaucrat Elon Musk.

    no he does not stand defiant alone his fellow dissenters and the US dissidents all stand with you and we may be few but we stand steadfast in the face of tyranny!

    need people brandishing canes as the new opposition symbol

    GO PRESIDENT GREEN!