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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHakeem Jeffries just laid out Democrats' pitch to retake the House in 2024. It's killer
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/26/2149449/-Hakeem-Jeffries-makes-one-thing-clear-Winning-the-House-was-the-worst-thing-ever-for-RepublicansHakeem Jeffries just laid out Democrats' pitch to retake the House in 2024. It's killer
Kerry Eleveld
Daily Kos Staff
Thursday January 26, 2023 · 3:55 PM EST
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When House Democrats' newly elected Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York sat down with Pod Save America this week to discuss his partys approach to being in the minority, one thing became pointedly clear: House Republicans are already laying the groundwork for a Democratic takeover in 2024.
House Republicansreplete with juvenile, self-consumed bomb-throwersare just wholly unequipped to lead the country in any reasonable fashion that can benefit the American people. But Jeffries reflections on trying to govern alongside a party full of nihilists was perhaps more telling about campaigning in 2024 than legislating in 2023. First and foremost, Republicans are extreme. Theyre also a threat to America as we know it. Locating just five sane and sober House Republicans is the key to averting disaster, but even thats a tall order. Finally, Democrats are committed to protecting Social Security and Medicareprograms that Americans have paid into and deserve.
Heres a brief overview of themes Jeffries hit that are also sure to show up on the campaign trail next year:
1. Social Security and Medicare are non-negotiable for Democrats
Jeffries: The first issue that's going to be in front of us is to make sure we don't default on our nation's debt for the first time in American history. ... There are Republicans that want to essentially hijack that debt ceiling issue in order to extract painful cuts to Social Security and Medicarewe're going to draw a line in the sand. Social Security's not negotiable. Medicare's not negotiable. And we are not going to negotiate with hostage takers.
2. Every single Democrat wants to avert a global economic meltdown; all they need is five reasonable Republicans to join them
Jeffries: I think the most important thing should be done is Kevin McCarthy should just bring a straight, clean debt ceiling bill to the floor of the House of Representatives, confident that every single member of the House Democratic caucus vote would support it. But we would need five, sixa handfulof reasonable Republicans to do what has been consistently been done for approximately 100 years on the debt ceiling issue.
3. Americans have earned Social Security and Medicare
Jeffries: I think the most important thing is that the American people have earned Social Security and Medicare, paid into it their entire lives, worked to get to a point where they can retire with grace and dignity, and there's just no circumstance where we should be even having a discussion, particularly as it relates to the full faith and credit of the United States of America.
4. McCarthy's a lying liar and a squish, which might be the nations only hope
Jeffries (responding to McCarthys pledge to hold the debt ceiling hostage in exchange for making budget cuts): Kevin McCarthy says a lot of things and then does something else. So the reality is, on this issue perhaps, the business community has consistently weighed in and suggested that a default on our debt would be catastrophic, highly problematic, unprecedented, and could collapse the economy, send it into a tail spin, a deep recession if not worsenot just the U.S. economy but across the world.
My suggestion is, he's not going to necessarily do the right thing as it relates to preserving Social Security and Medicare. But there are other reasons why people come to a conclusion and, in this instance, the business community can prevail upon my friends on the other side of the aisle.
5. Republicans are extremists
Jeffries: We've been very clear on a variety of issues: We believe in a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions. They're extreme on abortion carethey want to criminalize abortion, impose a nationwide ban.
We believe in Social Security and Medicarethey're extreme on it. They want to blow it up
We believe in democracyapparently many of them don't. They coddle insurrectionists, perpetrate the Big Lie.
The reality is, in my view what best captures the moment that we're in is a level of extremism that the vast majority of the American people are not comfortable with. And our job moving forward is to continue to contrast that with who we are as Democratspeople who are committed actually to making a difference in the lives of everyday Americans on issue after issue after issue.
6. Again, all it would take is a handful of reasonable Republicans
Link to tweet
Lovie777
(11,989 posts)News Junkie
(312 posts)Even if a majority support it? In that case, a few reasonable Republicans wouldn't help a lot. You have to convince McCarthy.
A discharge petition, signed by 218 members of the House, can force a vote on any bill.
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,481 posts)Last edited Fri Jan 27, 2023, 12:58 PM - Edit history (1)
Jeffries is a FACTS kind of guy. His skills as a lawyer is evident in how he makes his case convincingly enough to sway some Republicans. He understands consequences.
McCarthy doesn't have a clue how to convince. He uses retribution as his motivation tool.
housecat
(3,121 posts)OMGWTF
(3,894 posts)ProudMNDemocrat
(16,481 posts)WestMichRad
(1,280 posts)About time that message gets trumpeted throughout the land. Pound it into the publics ears: they are RADICAL RIGHTWING EXTREMISTS!!!!
underpants
(182,273 posts)certainot
(9,090 posts)when dems on the floor start reading limbaugh quotes leading up to the 2011 debt ceiling idiocy and blaming him for that, and media starts pointing out russian influence on limbaugh there will be a lot more than 5 republicans.
as long as dems continue the idiocy of ignoring talk radio those stations, nationally and locally, will attack and intimidate any republican who the russian think tanks think might join democrats
Hotler
(11,353 posts)When do we hang that label on them in front of the whole world? Maybe A warning of a dictatorship and the end of democracy if the Repugs take power on 2024. Need to shake the tree of the voter hard and early, I wouldn't wait till a week before the election to start.
Leader Jeffries, don't play nice with these fuckers.
karynnj
(59,474 posts)Add to that that we support democracy and they are endangering it. We can also say they favor authoritarianism and dictators.
The problem with Fascist is while many recognize the word, most have no idea what it means - other than equating it to Nazi. Just as there is a danger in comparing someone to Hitler the same may exist for Fascist.
ancianita
(35,812 posts)onetexan
(12,994 posts)ananda
(28,782 posts)Standing strong and speaking out!
Wounded Bear
(58,440 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,033 posts)Poiuyt
(18,087 posts)I don't know what it means, but I love it!
littlemissmartypants
(22,418 posts)3Hotdogs
(12,207 posts)Raise SS contribution level.
Raise taxes on top 10%
Auggie
(31,061 posts)Republicans wont be reasonable until their jobs are on the line.
Mr.Bill
(24,103 posts)will get death threats and they know it. That's where we are at with the republican party.
Cha
(295,901 posts)lambchopp59
(2,809 posts)Jeebus Christ Crunch Cereal, to a constituency threatening civil war.
I hear the bump in the nights coming from the graveyard plots of expired Republicans.
SouthernDem4ever
(6,459 posts)republianmushroom
(13,050 posts)FakeNoose
(32,345 posts)Hakeem Jeffries gets it. He walks the walk and he talks the talk.
Something that we Democrats should capitalize on is that older Republican voters are just as invested in the Social Security and Medicare benefits as the Democrats are. Older Americans (regardless of party affiliation) do not want to lose the benefits that they paid into for their entire working lives. That's Kevin McCarthy's big mistake, he's turning his back on the retired people in his own Party. They aren't gonna sit still for it.
It's our biggest opportunity to pick up many additional votes in 2024, when these older Americans wake up and realize what the Repuke Party is going to do. Maybe they don't like Joe Biden as their President, but they SURE AS HELL don't want to lose their monthly government checks and their Medicare. That will be the deciding factor for many of them.
Skittles
(152,964 posts)he truly gets it
littlemissmartypants
(22,418 posts)Niagara
(7,406 posts)oasis
(49,151 posts)Polybius
(15,238 posts)I know it could happen in 2024, just curious if it's been done before.