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President Trump may have pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on interference in the U.S. presidential campaign during their Friday meeting, but to Democrats it was too little, too late.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said it was a "dereliction of duty" for the Trump administration to give "equal credence" to U.S. intelligence agencies blaming Moscow for the election year hacking and Russian denials of the same.

"President Trump had an obligation to bring up Russia's interference in our election with Putin, but he has an equal obligation to take the word of our intelligence community rather than that of the Russian president," Schumer said in a statement. "For Secretary [of State Rex] Tillerson to say that this issue will remain unresolved is disgraceful."

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, argued in a statement Friday that Trump had already undermined anything he might have said to Putin by appearing uncertain of Russian meddling the previous day.

"Whatever the president actually told Putin, it would have had much more force if just the day before President Trump had not equivocated about who was behind the unprecedented attack targeting America last fall," Warner said. "It would also have had more force if he had not again criticized the integrity of our intelligence agencies, among whom there is unwavering agreement about Russia's active interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election."

Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, an Obama appointee, made a similar argument on Twitter, saying Trump's "inexplicable refusal to confirm Russian election interference insults career intel pros" and will make it more difficult to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Tillerson came out of the first face-to-face meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents saying Trump opened by bringing up the election interference and "repeatedly" questioned Putin on the subject.

There are other pressing international issues in need of a resolution, such as Syria and North Korea, which Tillerson implied was why they eventually moved on from talking about the 2016 presidential election. A southwestern Syrian ceasefire was announced after the meeting.

But Trump and Putin met in a political context where rank-and-file Democrats believe the Republican benefited from this hacking and may have even won because of it. An NPR/PBS/Marist poll found 80 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents believe Trump did something unethical or illegal with Russia.

Late last year, an Economist/YouGov poll determined that more than half of Democrats believed the Russians changed votes from Hillary Clinton to Trump, a proposition for which there is no evidence. That result came before a number of other incidents heightened Russia scrutiny, such as the firing of FBI Director James Comey and the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller.

It is unclear how much political hay Democrats can raise on Russia outside their base. The party lost a series of competitive special congressional elections, which led some Democratic lawmakers to call for the party to focus more on the economy and less on Russia.

Nevertheless, multiple investigations into Russia's actions and whether there was any collusion with the Trump campaign continue. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, published an op-ed arguing that putting America first meant confronting Putin, using Trump's campaign slogan against him.

There was little likelihood that Democrats would be pleased with the outcome of the Trump-Putin meeting. But they and some Republican Russia hawks were incensed by talk of a joint U.S.-Russian cybersecurity task force and called on Trump to sign tougher Russian sanctions into law.

"The establishment of a working group as reported by Foreign Minister Lavrov to study how to curb cyber interference in elections in which the Russians would play any role, would be akin to inviting the North Koreans to participate in a commission on nonproliferation it tacitly adopts the fiction that the Russians are a constructive partner on the subject instead of the worst actor on the world stage," Schiff said in a statement.

Trump is the third straight U.S. president to try to find a negotiating partner in Putin.

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Democrats find Trump's Russia rebuke too little, too late - Washington Examiner

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton debate during the Univision News and Washington Post Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Miami Dade College's Kendall Campus on March 9, 2016 in Miami, Florida.Joe RaedleGetty Images

Grijalva is a U.S. Representative for Arizona.

Since the Donald Trump Administration took office, an ocean of ink has been spilled scrutinizing Democrats minority status in Washington, rehashing the presidential race from every angle, second-guessing recent House special election losses especially the recent race in Georgia and generally wondering how the party can get back on track.

Its largely thanks to this outpouring that Americans are now familiar with the supposedly tidy division between Bernie Sanders style progressives and Hillary Clintonstyle pragmatists, vying for what is sometimes called the soul of the party. This ongoing conversation has drawn in Democrats in elected office at every level, myself included.

Its often struck me that one big thing is missing from this conversation. All the think pieces, agonized columns and point-counterpoint skirmishes, which weve seen more of in the last six months than we did during President Obama s eight years in office, have largely addressed a question whose answer is already known.

As Democrats, the secret to reviving our fortunes turns out not to be a secret at all: The American people want us, and anyone else who hopes to earn their vote, to talk about economic fairness, which they still feel is in short supply. They want us to lay out a plan for making sure they share in the profits they help create. They want to hear that from top to bottom, Democrats will close corporate tax loopholes and make sure the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.

Its well known that I was the first member of Congress to endorse Senator Sanders for president. That shouldnt affect anyones objective reading of the data, and the data pointing us on this course is overwhelming. There is simply no substantive debate about whether this is the strongest winning message for the Democratic Party.

How do we know? A comprehensive post-election analysis by the polling and consulting firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, funded by multiple groups with nothing to gain by paying for bad information, found that fully 60% of voters believe Jobs still dont pay enough to live on and it is a struggle to save anything and that belief motivated their votes. The same analysis found that when Clinton changed the focus of her campaign message from the economy (on which she soundly beat Trump for months, especially after the presidential debates) to a vague call for unity and opportunity, she lost the most important ground of the campaign: who voters trusted more to help their pocketbooks.

According to Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, by the end of the campaign, voters ultimately trusted Trump more on the economy by a 48-42 margin. That simple fact transcended a good number of the other factors in play last November. Unless the President ushers in the era of blanket prosperity he keeps promising, being trusted on the economy will be similarly decisive in 2018, 2020 and beyond.

Perhaps just as importantly, the firm found that a generic congressional candidate running on a message of economic contrast roughly, Democrats support investing in Social Security , education and jobs with rising incomes, while Republicans support tax cuts for the richest significantly outperformed a more general contrast with Trump and his personality across multiple demographic groups. Like it or not, what youll do is more important to voters than who you are or what private values you stand for. Democrats need to understand that.

Unfortunately, many on the left are busy fortifying themselves into mutually exclusive camps that cant agree on what the right message was in the last election, let alone the next one. We are rapidly losing our ability to cohere around a formula that everyone whatever his or her feelings about Clinton, Sanders, James Comey or any other public figure can reproduce to regain a governing majority.

The largely rhetorical fights weve indulged in lately are producing drastically diminished returns and wasting time we should be spending building a forward-looking economic agenda. This will take some hard looks in the mirror. We cannot treat the Obama era as the best we can hope for; the American people certainly dont.

To the skeptics, I would only say this: Shouldnt we focus on the same thing the American people are focusing on, rather than arguing with what theyre trying to tell us?

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Rep. Ral Grijalva: The Bernie-Hillary Debate Is Destroying the Democratic Party - TIME

Liberals target the Rust Belt: 'Democrats should be able to win in all these places' Charlotte Observer As the Democratic Party struggles to find its moorings after losing a handful of special House elections this spring, liberal activists say the party's future in Washington, D.C., isn't in moving centrist, but rather in moving left. A trio of new ... and more »

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Liberals target the Rust Belt: 'Democrats should be able to win in all these places' - Charlotte Observer

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Rep. Paul Ryan, R.-Wisconsin, was elected the 54th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, October 29, after receiving the votes of 236 members. The vote was largely a formality after House Republicans nominated him for the position on Wednesday, October 28.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan announced Monday, January 12, that he would not run for president in 2016, preferring instead to focus on policy work as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Ryan, the GOP's 2012 vice presidential nominee, has long been seen as a top contender for the presidency.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan, center, speaks with Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, before a House Ways and Means Committee meeting on March 12, 2014.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan and his wife, Janna, arrive at a state dinner at the White House in honor of French President Francois Hollande on February 11, 2014 .

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Willie Robertson of the reality TV series "Duck Dynasty" poses for a picture with Ryan and his wife, Janna, before President Obama delivers his State of the Union address on January 28, 2014.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 15, 2013.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan greets supporters during a presidential campaign rally with Mitt Romney at The Square at Union Centre in West Chester, Ohio, on November 2, 2012.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin speaks during a campagin stop at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on August 13, 2012. It was the newly minted GOP vice presidential candidate's first solo stop since becoming Romney's running mate.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan speaks after Romney announced him as his running mate in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 11, 2012.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Romney introduced Ryan as his running mate in front of the USS Wisconsin. The seven-term congressman provides a strong contrast to the Obama administration on fiscal policy.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Romney jokes with Ryan in April 2012 during a pancake brunch at Bluemound Gardens in Milwaukee.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan looks on as Romney greets people June 18, 2012, during a campaign event in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan speaks while campaigning for Romney at a textile factory in Janesville, Wisconsin, on June 18, 2012.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan, left, and Romney greet each other on stage April 3, 2012, during the primary night gathering at The Grain Exchange in Milwaukee.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan introduces Romney at a town hall meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 2, 2012.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan is introduced before speaking about the federal budget at Georgetown University on April 26, 2012.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan holds a news conference in December 2011 in Washington to introduce a package of 10 legislative reforms designed to revamp the budget process.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan listens as Ben Bernanke, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget annual conference in Washington on June 14, 2011.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan looks over papers as he waits for other House Republicans to arrive for a news conference in the Capitol Visitors Center in 2010.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan speaks to the media in 2009 about President Barack Obama's 2010 budget proposal.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan, left, and Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire speak to reporters about the 2010 federal budget.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Then-Budget Committee Chairman John M. Spratt Jr., left, and ranking member Ryan listen to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testify during the House Budget hearing on the economy on January 17, 2008.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan follows President George W. Bush off of Air Force One at General Mitchell International Airport - Air Reserve Station in Milwaukee on July 11, 2006.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Ryan speaks at a Cato Institute briefing on Medicare reform in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on July 22, 2003.

Paul Ryan, rising GOP star

Speaker of the House Denis Hastert, left, administers the oath of office to Ryan at the beginning of his first term as representative of Wisconsin on January 6, 1999.

Excerpt from:
Paul Ryan's seat isn't within reach for Democrats (yet) - CNNPolitics ... - CNN

Trice-EdneyFor years, Black people have delivered our vote to Democrats. Many Democrats wouldnt have won without our vote. Now some Black people, and other people of color, have become discouraged because no matter the votes we deliver, we are taken for granted. Once elected, many forget our efforts on their behalf.

When I ran for the U.S. Congress in my home state of Louisiana, I lost by less than one-percent in a 2/3rds Democratic District. Much of my organized support came from Congressional Black Caucus members and a few Progressive Whites. I received lukewarm-to-no support from the state Democratic Party. On the strength of Black voters and a few White people, I won 97,000 votes at a time when many Democrats were winning their Congressional seats with 35,000 to 40,000 votes. As a first time candidate, we brought out a record number of Democratic voters in my district.

Congressman John Breaux also ran for the U.S. Senate. His campaign events werent attracting as many potential voters as mine. His crowds were often so thin that he left and came to my events. We welcomed him, and on the strength of the Black vote, he won. I lost narrowly because he was unable to deliver any votes to my campaign.

My campaign ended with a debt. Customarily, losing candidates get help from those who win to assist in debt-erasing fundraising efforts. Since I had helped him so much, I thought it was logical that Mr. Breaux would lend his name to a fundraiser for me. Instead, his response was, Well, Im a U.S. Senator now, and I dont lend my name lightly. Im sure therere other candidates who can relate. Apparently, Mr. Breauxs Whiteness overshadowed his party loyalty and loyalty to his fellow Democrats. Thats just one example of the treatment African American Democrats often receive from the Party we consistently help to gain so many victories.

Until President Barack Obama ran for office, I voted for Democrats, but Id lost my enthusiasm for my Party. My enthusiasm returned full force in 2008 and 2012. By 2016, I still enthusiastically supported Secretary Hillary Clinton. I did so because she was a Democrat, but also because she was a womanand, just as we had waited for the election of an African American, we women had waited too long to see a woman elected President. African American women worked so hard and had such high hopes, but so many of our White friendsespecially White womenbetrayed us and voted for Donald Trump! My enthusiasm was once again damaged.

Now, I see a Party leadership enslaved to misplaced loyalties. Rather than growing and rewarding that portion of the base that has given unwavering allegiance to party objectives, leaders debate the how-tos of making white males happy and bringing white women, who rejected the Party en masse, back into the fold.

A pragmatic post-mortem of Election 2016 indicates a party failure to focus on registration efforts in the Black community. There was a reluctance to spend money with organizations and efforts by the Black press to help Get-Out-the-Vote. The party lost opportunities to place our issues up front and center, to hire more of us on their staffs, and to do more to show their appreciation for our loyalty.

Despite the current discord in national politics, we need to be able to identify who we can confidently call leader. Whatever the party agenda, it must specifically address a realistic plan to improve our communities, put our people to work, fix our schools and streets, and put an end to the insane racist behavior trending throughout the nation. Democrats, your most loyal supporters are waiting for you to recognize what The Party would look like without us!

Dr. E. Faye Williams can be reached at: http://www.nationalcongressbw.org ;or at, 202/678-6788

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DEMOCRATS, WE ARE YOUR BASE! - Afro American