It is high time for democrats to call

[kacekwl]

ICE commanders and Gestapo kidnappers to testify under oath exactly what their orders are. What if any legal warrants they have to detain anyone and why they are constantly rounding up US citizens and non criminals. The criminal Noem will say nothing but lies but there are many others who have the answers we need and they need to testify without masks and be exposed.

[Mossfern]

1. The problem with that is

that"under oath" means nothing any more to Magats.
Lying to please your fearless leader is applauded.

Remember "alternative facts?"
I thought that was absurdly humorous.
Silly me.

[efhmc]

2. This is why we need to call on "citizens" and not Dems to do this. Then the people might listen.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

3. I worry that a lot of people think Democrats have the power to do this and just aren't because they are weak.

That's not the case. Democrats in Congress do not have the power to initiate official hearings being in the minority. If they can win in the mid-terms next year they will have that power again--but that is a long way off.

Democrats have held a few "shadow hearings" that have the look of official proceedings--but they aren't. They can get friendly voices to show up and "testify," but they do not have the weight of official hearings--and they can't compel anyone that doesn't want to speak to do so. They are essentially press conferences dressed to look like official proceedings.

State officials have very limited power to compel federal officials to testify even in court cases due to the Supremacy Clause, so individual states run by Democrats would also have a very difficult time compelling any testimony unless they can show that crimes were committed--and even then it would be a tough time-consuming exercise.

Elections have consequences, and this is one of those. Democrats have never gotten the memo that voting is about more than just who sits in a chair in the Oval Office or a congressional office. From what bills make it to the floor for a vote; to what hearings are called; to approving Supreme Court justices and federal judges; to policies like the horrific ones ICE are carrying out now: a vote means so much more than just being a popularity contest.

[Bluetus]

4. 100% true, yet they are carrying on business as usual. THAT Is why they look weak.

We have a 5-alarm fire here. We need to be acting as such. No, we cannot call hearings. Every Dem should get their asses out of the Capitol Building and get out with rallies, town halls, appear on every TV program and radio program where they can. They should be challenging Republicans to public debates. They should be on the offensive.

But who is doing that? Anything less is , in fact, weak. Not just appearing weak, but being weak, and failing to meet the moment.

[calimary]

6. This!!!

[Ol Janx Spirit]

12. I totally agree with all of that. I just don't want people to be under the false impression that...

...they have powers they do not have at the moment to bring people before hearings to hold them to account.

That said: we are here in part because even when they did have the power they failed to use it to the fullest to protect democracy. If they did not learn any lessons from that then we are in serious trouble going forward.

[Bluetus]

15. I think we are all in "violent agreement" :)

And I think your last sentence really must be insisted on throughout the entire spectrum of our Party.

It does not work to be progressive when you have no power to change things, and then turn into a junior Republicans when we do have some power. We must focus on the progress that we really must accomplish, recruit candidates on that basis, train the party on that basis,run our campaigns to communicate those priorities loud and clear -- AND when elected FOLLOW THROUGH on those priorities.

And the priorities change -- they must change. 5 years ago, perhaps gun violence was in the top tier of priorities. Now, clearly the preservation of our democracy and the clawback of power from the oligarchs must be at the top of the list. And guess what, some MAGA people are willing to join us on that, now that they have seen Trump's real agenda.

[Sogo]

17. And who is going to fund these rallies, town halls, etc? The Dems do not have the deep pockets that Reps have.

I'm getting fund-raising emails and texts from Bernie and AOC for them to continue their work. I'm getting fund-raising emails from everyone who wants to be a candidate in every corner of every state....If people of my modest means are expected to carry the load of all this then that will inevitably "fail to meet the moment."

[Bluetus]

18. An excellent question.

IMHO, these are the things that have the best chance of saving our democracy. We all get many different fund-raising pitches from God only knows who every week. What are any of them doing with the money? They never talk about that. The only ones that say what they are spending the money on are Bernie and AOC, so they are the only ones I donate to. F the rest of them. They are probably scammers anyway.

So I would restate the question as "What is the Democratic Party, you know, the group that is supposed to be organizing and funding the opposition, doing to build a real opposition when they aren't running around kicking out people like David Hogg?"

Seriously, why should any of us give a penny to the national Party? What is their plan? What is the evidence of any meaningful opposition?

I have money I could give. I'm not giving a penny without a very clear picture of what they are going to fight for and HOW they will use my money to fight.

[purple_haze]

5. The laws to know are

8 USC 1357(a)(2) and INA 287(a)(2)

[calimary]

8. I had to look 'em up.

Title 8 U.S.C. § 1357 sets out their authority to interrogate, arrest, search, and seize aliens without a warrant.

INA 287(a)(2) refers to a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that grants certain immigration officers the authority to arrest aliens in the United States whom they have "reason to believe" are unlawfully present and likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.

FYI.

[purple_haze]

9. Exactly

And thanks. Our side looks foolish when we pontificate about warrantless arrests without actually knowing the law.

[Torchlight]

13. Seems less like pontification and more like discussion

at least, from 'our side.'

[purple_haze]

14. not really

[Hotler]

7. That will take gumption. nt

[republianmushroom]

10. A little past time, IMO.

[Mr.Bee]

11. How Much Does trump Have To Destroy

Before any member of Congress defends the American people
from this ENEMY DOMESTIC ??

[W_HAMILTON]

16. Democrats already have, but since the voters gave them absolutely no actual political power, their "calls" mean nothing.

[Bluetus]

19. That is because most of those calls are coming

from their bunkers inside the Capitol. We have zero power inside that building. The only power is available outside.

[W_HAMILTON]

22. And there is no power outside.

People should have realized this during the election, when it actually mattered.

Rallies, protests, town halls (lol), etc. -- none of that does anything to dissuade or stop anyone in the MAGA cult.

What does stop them is not allowing them to take power to begin with -- and too many voters failed us in that regard. Hopefully they do better during the 2026 midterms -- if there even is a 2026 midterm...

[Bluetus]

23. How would we know?

Other than Bernie and AOC and a few randos here an there, there have been no rallies, town halls etc driven by our supposed party leaders. The protests have all been organized in spite of reluctant elected politicians.

THAT is the problem, or at least one of the big problems. Why should anybody vote for Democrats if they aren't even willing to get out there and present their case?

[W_HAMILTON]

24. You just mentioned exactly why.

I hope at those rallies, Sanders and AOC were registering Democrats and encouraging them to vote in the next election for Democrats or else those events will amount to nothing -- other than maybe boosting their personal donor lists and name recognition.

Kamala did more and bigger rallies when it actually mattered, and even then it ultimately didn't matter.

Stop trying to shift the blame onto Democrats when the voters themselves were the only ones that could have stopped this. Democrats warned everyone. And not enough listened.

All that we are being forced to endure started with the voters and it will end -- if it ever ends... -- with the voters.

[Bluetus]

25. Conventional Dem attitude "when it actually mattered"

What is this "when it actually mattered"? That's Party talk, where the theory is that if we get busy the last 90 days, that's all that really matters.

That is just wrong

It matters TODAY. It matters EVERY single day. It mattered every day during the Biden presidency when he should have been holding news conferences and highly visible events communicating all the good things that were happening. This 90-day focus is an anachronism. We can't win elections that way in the 21st century.

[W_HAMILTON]

26. Strawman. No one is saying to just focus on the 90-days before the election.

But these rallies held almost immediately after Republicans assume complete control over the federal government, they're not doing a damn thing in terms of actual impact. I wish that were not the case, but, sadly, it is.

All that time and effort should have been put towards helping Kamala and the Democrats running up and down the ticket alongside her get elected.

I'm a progressive that cares more about actual PROGRESS being made than I do performative """fighting""" that ultimately has accomplished nothing for progressive causes -- and, in fact, has arguably set them back further than could have ever been imagined...

[tritsofme]

20. You realize that congressional Democrats literally do not have the power to do this?

[betsuni]

21. "Why don't Democrats stop ____ ?" "Democrats should ____ ." Pretend they have vast supernatural powers they

refuse to use, just sit around doin' nothin' over there in swampy Washington except count their oligarch corruption money in smoke-filled establishment back rooms. Blame Democrats! Both sides!