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A House Democrat called President Trump a schmuck in a tweet to White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Saturday after she praised Trump for allowing an all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan to enter the country. The girls were previously denied entry.

Um, he was the schmuck who kept them from coming in, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said. Thank you for no longer being a schmuck in this instance?

Um, he was the schmuck who kept them from coming in. Thank you for no longer being a schmuck in this instance? https://t.co/PXqxy3GVY9

Huffman was responding to a tweet from Conway in which she praised Trump for acting to help the girls.

Thank you, @POTUS, for helping these girls. Others talk (and talk and talk). You act. https://t.co/2ea6bdWjCk

The Afghan girls were denied visas twice after seeking them to enter the country to compete in the First Global Challenge in Washington, D.C. Trump reportedly pressed Homeland Security officials earlier this week to grant the girls visas.

The girls were granted temporary visas using a parole mechanism, according to The Associated Press, after Afghan Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib told the AP that the girls were originally denied visas over fears they wouldnt return to Afghanistan, according to conversations Mohib had with US officials.

The girls arrived in D.C. on Saturday morning, according to the AP, and will compete in the robotics competition this weekend. First daughter Ivanka Trump tweeted she looks forward to welcoming them.

I look forward to welcoming this brilliant team of Afghan girls, and their competitors, to Washington DC next week! #WomenInSTEM https://t.co/01qDduyglS

See the original post:
Democrat hits Trump: Thanks for not being a schmuck - The Hill

To the editor:

Earick Ward: Yes, you might be a Republican or a Democrat. If you believe in most of these things, you might also be a Democrat. However, if you believe in providing health care for the poor instead of tax cuts for the rich, you might be a Democrat.

If you would rather love your neighbor than use tax money to build a wall, or would like to keep revolvers away from toddlers and 6-year-olds, you may be a Democrat.

If you would rather provide contraception help than Viagra or abortions, you may be a Democrat.

If you could invite both Republicans and Democrats to work together on a health care plan that's workable, rather than a few white men working secretly and imposing a plan on us, you might be a statesman. Unfortunately, they seem to be in short supply.

Sharon Jones

North Logan

Continue reading here:
And you might be a Democrat if - The Herald Journal

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu thanked Fox News anchor Shepard Smith for "telling the truth" after he complained about the "deception" coming from Donald Trump Jr. and his allies about the meeting he had with a Russian lawyer last year who had promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

Lieu, who hails from California and has become one of the most vocal Twitter trolls of the Trump administration, also took a shot at those who defend the president by attacking what they view as "liberal propaganda."

"More liberal propaganda against @realDonaldTrump. Oh wait, this is from Shepard Smith w/ @FoxNews. Thank you Shepard for telling the truth," Lieu tweeted Saturday morning.

On Friday, Smith seemed to catch his Fox News colleague Chris Wallace off guard when he said it was "mind-boggling" that Trump Jr.'s description of the meeting, amended multiple times as more details about it are reported, has fraught with "lies."

"Why is it lie after lie after lie? If you're clean, come on clean," he said.

Read the original here:
Democrat thanks Fox News' Shepard Smith for 'telling the truth' - Washington Examiner

YES

Keri Thompson

Cohasset resident; senior lecturer at Emerson College; 2016 United Independent Party candidate for state representative

handout

Keri Thompson.

As someone who was a dedicated Massachusetts Democrat for more than 10 years, I understand the frustration many voters have with the Democratic Party and Massachusetts politics overall. I became a registered independent almost a year ago because I got tired of waking up every morning not knowing what the Democratic Party stood for anymore.

For Democrats to survive and thrive -- in our state and nationally -- the party urgently needs to embrace a progressive agenda that is both necessary and popular. Voters are craving progressive and bold leadership, and we rarely see anything progressive or bold coming out of Beacon Hill.

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Our states bright shade of blue on electoral maps is deceiving because we still dont have a progressive Legislature even with an overwhelmingly veto-proof majority in both branches. The solidly progressive Democratic Party platform gets ignored year after year. For the place that invented America, we have become very good at upholding the status quo. But the status quo is stagnant and uninspiring and fails to tackle the major issues of our time.

If Massachusetts wants to remain one of the nations strongest states, going left is the only option. Non-progressive Democrats claim moderation and pragmatism are key to legislative compromise and getting things accomplished. But most of these accomplishments arent helping anyone. Voters struggle nowadays to find any contrast between our Republican governor and our Democratic Legislature.

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Our problems demand brave and creative solutions. We need to make voting easier and more convenient. We need a serious discussion about poverty and income inequality. Housing is getting less affordable. We need a $15 minimum wage. We need to protect our public schools while decreasing emphasis on high-stakes testing. We need to make higher education affordable. We need a fairer criminal justice system and sensible drug laws. We need cutting-edge environmental protection, immigration reform, paid family leave, and real single-payer health care. And we especially need campaign finance reform and legislative term limits -- especially for the House Speaker.

My plea to Massachusetts Democrats: Fight harder for progressive ideas. Start rocking the boat. Make voters like me walk into my town hall and proudly register as a Democrat again.

NO

Mark Linde

Ward 1 chairman, Brockton Democratic City Committee; Brockton representative to Southeastern Regional Vocational School District Committee

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Mark Linde.

For 37 years I have been a registered Democrat. I followed my dads lead when I registered to vote. Then presidential candidate Jimmy Carter spoke to our class at Brockton High School in 1975 and inspired me to get involved and volunteer extensively on many Democratic campaigns.

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I am one of the two Brockton representatives to the Southeastern Regional Vocational School District Committee, elected every four years in a non-partisan election. I believe there is no place in local races for partisan politics even though I am a committed Democrat.

In the same spirit, our state elected officials should try to limit partisan differences. Yes, legislators run under party labels, but their responsibility is to work together to solve problems. That means avoiding extremes and seeking common ground.

I will admit on issues like charter schools, which I oppose, our Democratic Party is on the right side. But we need to resist calls for Democratic lawmakers to abandon the political center and move leftward. Both the party and the state would be better off if they instead continued working with their Republican colleagues on policies that can command broad public support.

It has become very unfashionable to be a fiscal moderate, a centrist, or conservative Democrat. Our Democratic Party has moved left and the Republican Party has moved right. Remember when there were liberal Republicans like former governor William F. Weld and conservative Democrats like former governor Edward King? Honestly, one of the most liberal Democrats, the late US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, knew that to make things work he had to work with both sides.

I believe that President John F. Kennedy might not be welcome in the Democratic Party today because his views might not be viewed as progressive enough. President Bill Clintons positions angered some progressives.

On social issues I find myself more progressive on some and less on others. What I find ironic is that I am labeled as just plain wrong by many progressives if I take a different view from them. In the age of Donald Trump, my question is more important than ever. Why cant we all just get along and work together for the common good?

Last weeks Argument: Should out-of-state drivers licenses be an acceptable form of identification for buying alcohol in Massachusetts?

Yes: 96 percent (117 votes)

No: 4 percent (5 votes)

Read this article:
Do Democrats in the Massachusetts Legislature need to be more progressive? - The Boston Globe

A Maine state lawmaker who is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service over a threatening online comment about President Trump has been removed from two legislative committees as punishment, the states House speaker announced Friday.

Democratic Rep. Scott Hamann has been kicked off the Health and Human Services Committee and the Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee, House Speaker Sara Gideon said, the Bangor Daily News reported.

The punishment came three days after Mr. Hamann called President Trump a joke, a rapist, a racist and a liar in a lengthy Facebook rant that concluded with an apparent threat against the president.

Trump is a half term president, at most, especially if I ever get within 10 feet of that p, Mr. Hamann wrote.

He apologized a day later, saying he shouldnt have voiced his frustration by responding with the same vile language currently surrounding politics.

This is not language I typically use, it does not reflect my personal values, and while misguided, it was intended to make a visceral point about the devolving political discourse in America, Mr. Hamann said.

A representative of the U.S. Secret Service said it has opened an investigation into Mr. Hamanns statements.

In Fridays announcement, Ms. Gideon called Mr. Hamanns comments inexcusable and unacceptable.

I hope this consequence sends a clear signal to all members of the House of Representatives that they are expected to conduct themselves with respect at all times and in all media, she said, the Daily News reported.

See original here:
Maine Democrat kicked off committees over 'inexcusable' anti-Trump rant - Washington Times