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Seizing on President Trumps early missteps and the wave of protests his executive actions have triggered, Democrats are feeling more emboldened to confrontthe new administration head-on.

Democrats are the still minority in Congress, lacking the votes to stop Trumps agenda. But they have the ability to jam it up. And Tuesday they did just that.

Firstthey temporarily stopped the clock on Rex Tillersons nomination for secretary of State, arguing that his views on Trumps refugee and travel ban must be made public before lawmakers can make a decision.

Next they staged a walkout at the Senate Finance Committee, preventing votes on Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) as Health and Human Services secretary and Steve Mnuchin as secretary of Treasury.

And they forced a delay of the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as attorney general after Trump abruptly fired acting Atty. Gen.Sally Yatesfor refusing to enforce his travel ban.

Earlier,they kept the Senate in session until midnight Monday and protested on the steps of the Supreme Court, ahead of what is now likely to be a rigorous confirmation battle over Trumps pick to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalias seat.

People across our country are looking at what President Trump is doing, they are appalled, and they are looking to us in Congress to fight back, said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the No. 3 Democrat, whose office received so many voicemails of concern 10,000 it shut down the system.Democrats are fighting back with every tool we have.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said he would oppose every one of Trumps nominees until they fully answered new questions raised by Trumps executive actions.

Democrats were initially divided in the aftermath of Trumps stunning electoral victory over whether to work with the new president or battle him. Many remain crushed over Democratic lossesand confused by the nationalist and populist enthusiasm for Trump that siphoned off some of their traditional voters.

But Democrats quickly found an answer in the protests erupting across the country as Americans poured into the streets after Trumps inauguration, and again last weekend atairports in response to the travel order.

President Obama kind of set the tone when he left saying to everybody, If you want to make an impact, stay engaged, said Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.). The publics very engaged.

Even some Democratic organizers were pleasantly surprised by the scale of the impromptu rallies of liberals, carrying homemade signs and showing up to protestthe presidents actions. To some, the uprisings have been reminiscent of the tea party protests that sprung up early in Obamas presidency.

Senate leaders say that their reasons for stalling Trumps Cabinet choices are based on policy, notpolitics. They note that the Senate easily confirmed Elaine Chao as the new Transportation secretary Tuesday while committees advanced Rick Perry as Energy secretary and Ryan Zinke as head ofInterior.

But some of Trumps nominees remain controversial because they have not completed the necessary paperwork, including ethics disclosures, or they face fresh questions as new information emerges.

Democrats have said Mnuchin, awealthy Wall Street executive,misled the committeein his response to a written question about foreclosures at Pasadenas OneWest Bank while he ran it from 2009 to 2015.

They have also been increasingly critical of Prices extensive trading in healthcare stocks while he has been in Congress, in some cases while he has pushed legislation that would benefit his portfolio.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) denouncedthe Democratic walkout Tuesday as he sat with only Republicans on the dais.

"They ought to be embarrassed. It'sthe most pathetic treatment Ive seen in my 40 years in the United States Senate," Hatch said. "I think they should stop posturing and acting like idiots."

But even Democrats who did not participate in the boycott Tuesday said their colleagues had the right to protest for more information.

People are concerned, said Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who communicated with protesters via Skype at his Charleston office.

For Democrats the unresolved tension between the partys liberal base and its more moderate wing remains a potentially troublesome political divide. The rise of the tea party, for example, may have reenergized the GOP, but it also fueled deep divisions that continue today.

Liberal favorite Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) encountered pushback from liberal activists after she voted to advance Ben Carsons nomination for Housing and Urban Development secretary.

There are various gradations within the opposition, and some [advocate] scorched-earth, said Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the assistant leader. Some of my folks in the base dont want me to vote yes for anyone. But Im not going to take that position.

After Democrats gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court on Monday night in an emotional protest over the refugee and travel ban, Trump tweeted dismissively about them. He made fun of the trouble they had getting the microphones to work.

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Democrats see opening in Trump's stumble on travel ban, move to block Cabinet votes - Los Angeles Times

As part of an effort to understand the state of the Democratic Party both inside and outside Washington in the wake of Donald Trump's victory, I am embarking on an occasional series of conversations with people who will be part of what comes next for the party. I began this project by talking to Guy Cecil, a leading Democratic strategist. The second installment is a chat withJason Kander, a former Missouri secretary of state, who nearly unseated Sen. Roy Blunt (R) in November. Our conversation was conducted via email and is reproduced below. Have a suggestion for a Democrat I should talk to for this series? Email me at chris.cillizza@washpost.com.

FIX: First of all, thanks for doing this.

You were one of the few feel good stories for Democrats in the 2016 election. You ran WAY ahead of Hillary Clinton and almost knocked off Roy Blunt. So, lets start basic: How did you do it? What was the one big lesson you learned about how to appeal to voters as a Democrat running in a GOP-leaning state? And how much did the Democratic brand nationally hurt your chances?

Ive got a bunch more questions but lets start there.

Kander: I've run statewide in Missouri twice and always substantially outperformed the top of the ticket once in a win and once in a very close loss. For me, the lesson has always been to make sure voters know what you really believe and make sure you communicate with every voter. They'll forgive you for holding an opinion they don't agree with as long as they know you're genuine and you include them in your vision. Doing things right in politics is no different than doing things right in life: Tell the truth, be yourself.

FIX:Okay! But be yourself isnt a national party platform, right? Are there policies that you think the Democratic Party can and should affirmatively unite behind? Or is that a thing of the past, and each candidate needs to run his/her own campaign?

Also, the tell the truth, be yourself thing at least the be yourself part sounds a lot like how Donald Trump ran for the presidency, right?

Kander: I'm a Democrat because I want every American to have a fair shot at the American Dream. That's what ties it all together for me, and in my experience, that means recognizing that no one is dealing with life one issue at a time. I've stood in rooms in urban, rural and suburban parts of my state and asked a room of middle class voters to raise their hands if the college debt of someone in their family is affecting their financial situation. Without exception, at least three quarters of the room will raise their hand. Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, all affected by it. And then when you talk to the kids, you learn fast that minimum wage isn't enough to get by and go to school. And if you're in a small town, it affects the whole town, because those kids rarely come home after finishing school if the only chance they have to pay down their debt is going to come from the salary they can earn in a major urban area. So, since you asked about platform, I just believe it's about recognizing that progressive solutions are solutions for every American regardless of how much they make, what color they are, or where they live. So while some people think taking our argument to everyone means moderating or acting like Republicans, I don't agree. I think it's about unapologetically making the argument that lifting up people you don't know lifts you up, too. That's what I mean by being yourself.

FIX: I hear all of that. But, that is in a sort of ideal political world that doesnt currently exist.

In the real political world, it appears as though two factions have emerged post-election:

1. The Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren/Howard Dean wing: This part of the party views compromise with Trump as capitulation and that the only right answer to his presidency is outright resistance.

2. The Charles E. Schumer wing: More pragmatic in its approach to Trump. Lets work with him where we can. Trust but verify. This wing is also far less populist and less convinced that Wall Street is a huge part of the problem facing the country.

Some of these differences are purely tonal. But, some are not. Trade and things like TPP is one good example of a place where the two sides of the party just dont agree.

It seems to me that whats been papered over by Trumps aggressiveness in the early days of his presidency is that the Democratic Party is in dire electoral straits. Out of the Senate and House majorities. At a historically low ebb in governors' mansions. In deep trouble at the state legislative level.

This is not a healthy party. And its one without a) a clear leader at the moment or b) a set of unifying policy proposals.

Tell me where and why Im wrong.

Kander: From my point of view here in the middle of the country, no one is thinking about a political party right now. I went to the march in Kansas City, and people were coming up to me telling me they'd never done anything resembling politics or activism in their life but they were ready to start. Fifty-four percent of the country voted for someone else for president and yet the president is governing like he has a mandate. Feels like a movement to me and, honestly, how many successful movements have started in Washington or have been nicely ordered and managed by a political party?

I just think this is a lot bigger than one political party or the question of who are the one or two leaders. I think we all have this responsibility to step forward. As for your questions about the party having wings, it seems like a less relevant conversation at the moment. The Democratic Party didn't win the election, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to fight over who gets what piece of the silver medal. The only thing that makes sense is for everybody to jump in the fight.

And, frankly, with someone as divisive as President Trump on the other side, it doesn't really matter who the leader of the opposition is at the moment. The 54 percent of the country, including the Democrats, who voted for someone else are uniting behind the fact that the president is trying to divide the country and undo the progress of the past eight years. Almost all of us agree withthat as the core issue we're dealing with right now, so we actually aren't very divided. Obviously we have work to do to unite the party, but President Trump is going to take care of a lot of that for us. And currently he's bringing together more than the Democratic Party, he's uniting the majority of the country against his policies.

I understand your points, and I have no doubt that there are people asking those questions in Washington, but here on the ground where folks are focused on organizing, that's not what I'm hearing from people.

FIX:Thats a super interesting perspective. And it leads me to a question that people ask me all the time: Is it time for another party in this country?

My answer is always: Probably not. Because the logistics and costs of building a new party are massive. And that more people say they are independent than actually are when the rubber meets the road. But, if ever there was a time in which people were sick of the two parties and all of the polarization, now is the moment.

I assume that since youve run as a Democrat your whole political career, you disagree with the idea of a necessary third party?

Kander: Well, it doesn't feel necessary to me. I'm proud to be a Democrat, and I feel pretty strongly that the country would be better off with Democrats in charge.

FIX: All right. Last question: Most people feel totally disenfranchised from politics and believe neither party represents them. Why are they wrong?'

Kander: Culturally, Americans just aren't turning to existing institutions for leadership like we have in the past, and I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

Take us millennials for example. We are, as a group, pretty progressive across the country, and many of us really came of age politically during President Obama's unifying campaign in 2008. It inspired us, but it inspired us to believe that we are the ones we've been waiting for. So is it any surprise that we're not really looking to an existing institution to drive a movement? I believe it's time for a new generation of leadership, so it doesn't surprise me at all.

In the next few years, millennials are going to be the biggest generation represented in the workplace and, very possibly, in the electorate. Part of the reason folks my age are less likely to identify themselves as a Democrat or as a Republican is because they've been watching this system break down and not work for most of their lives. So, like President Obama, we are definitely progressive, but we think that forward is a direction that makes a lot more sense than left or right. Because that left vs. right conversation just feels like our parents' conversation. Today, it's really more of a question of going forward or going back. And we don't want to go back. We want to go forward. In my mind, and in the mind of a lot of millennials, that's why we're progressive.

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54% of the country didn't vote for Trump. For Democrats, that's a start. - Washington Post

By Mark Binker and Laura Leslie

Raleigh, N.C. Senate Democrats on Wednesday filed a "clean bill" to repeal House Bill 2, the controversial measure dealing with LGBT rights and the use of bathrooms by transgender individuals.

"This should be a top priority, and it really shouldn't be a lot of work," Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, said. "It's obvious we need to repeal HB2. If we do, it'll be the biggest economic development deal of the year."

Sens. Angela Bryant, D-Nash, Floyd McKissick, D-Durham, and Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenburg, are also primary sponsors of the measure.

Although Jackson did his best to exude optimism after filing the bill, in reality, it faces an uphill battle in the General Assembly. A December effort to repeal the measure ultimately collapsed amid accusations and counter accusations, and top Republican leaders say that any repeal effort this year would likely involve a compromise of some sort.

A compromise would likely involve a cooling-off period during which the law would be repealed but no local government could move forward with its own LGBT protections. Democrats, including Jackson, voted down such a deal in December, a fact that Berger pointed to as a sticking point. It was unlikely, he said, that lawmakers would get the sort of clean bill Jackson is seeking.

"I think, under the circumstances that we have now, what we're going to have to see is some willingness on all sides to compromise to get the point where we've got a resolution there," Berger said.

Berger pointed out that Democrats voted in a block against repealing HB2 in December. Democrats say they voted that bill down because it was attached to a moratorium that would have blunted the repeal's impact.

Gov. Roy Cooper has repeatedly called on lawmakers to repeal House Bill 2 and repeated on Wednesday that the votes exist to pass an unfettered repeal bill.

"I think there is a growing urgency in the legislature to know that weve got to do this. I still believe that there are the votes on the floor of the House and the Senate to repeal this law if it can ever get there," Cooper said.

Originally posted here:
Senate Democrats file HB2 repeal bill - WRAL.com

Lets agree that President Trumps travel ban on visitors from seven nations was a sensible idea hobbled by flaws, especially regarding green card holders and dual citizens. Lets also agree we havent seen a rollout this clumsy since the debut of ObamaCare, which was far more serious because it penalized millions of Americans while Trumps order inconvenienced hundreds of foreign nationals.

Still, we can assume, based on past performance, that Trump will learn from the mistakes. His fierce determination to be a successful president cannot co-exist with rookie blunders.

But what about the other players in the drama? Can we say the media will now correct its excess of bile and cover Trump as a legitimate president and not as an invasive species?

No, no, no. On the contrary, we must say that Trump aide Steve Bannon was on target when he called the Washington media the opposition party.

Dont take his word for it. Stick a toe into the toxic sludge that passes for straight-news coverage in the Washington Post, the New York Times and others.

Look for the use of tell words like Muslim ban to describe an executive order that is no such thing. Look for hero worship of protesters, immigrants, refugees, lawyers rushing to the barricades and congressional critics.

Look, too, at the Twitter feeds of editors and reporters from those papers and the major networks. Youll see their embrace of everything anti-Trump, further evidence they are part of a movement to obstruct the president, not cover him.

Consider, too, their rediscovered love for Republican Sen. John McCain, a man they ignored during the eight-year reign of their savior, Barack Obama. McCain is again the good maverick because he is bucking the medias permanent enemy, Republicans.

Yet if the media is the opposition party, what is the Democratic Party? Its supposed to be the loyal opposition, using checks and balances to restrain the president and the excess of one-party rule.

Unfortunately, the Dems are following a dangerously different path. Starting with a wide boycott of the inauguration and including their boycott of committee votes on Trumps cabinet and their pledge to filibuster any Supreme Court nominee, Democrats resemble a party fomenting a secession movement.

Some call it Trump Derangement Syndrome, but thats too kind. Its not a temporarily insane reaction, its a calculated plan to wreck the presidency, whatever the cost to the country.

Things never seen in the modern era are now rapidly becoming common. Impeachment talk already is rumbling in the partys hothouses, and Trump was met with a lawsuit the minute he took the oath.

Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, the top Dems in Congress, led a raucous demonstration Monday night, as if they are community organizers. And Obama couldnt bear the irrelevance after eight days out of office and felt compelled to encourage disruptions.

This is Third World behavior and its now the M.O. of one of Americas two political parties.

Then theres California, the epicenter of Dem strength. Radicals there, spurred on by pro-Mexico immigrants, are ginning up an effort to split from the United States and they might get a proposal on the ballot. I say we take their wine and let them go.

If California secedes and its 55 electoral votes come off the board, Dems will never win another American election. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton could become president of the breakaway state and the rest of us would be free of the Clinton stain.

Secession is one way the swamp could drain itself. Sally Yates way is another.

The acting attorney general was rightfully sacked the instant after she climbed a soapbox and refused to defend Trumps executive order in court. It would have been a more admirable gesture if she had the decency to resign. Instead, she thought she could defy the president and keep the job.

Her choice was not a minor act of insubordination. It was a public challenge to the constitutional authority of the president, a power left to Congress and the judiciary.

As a result, she was shunned and hid in disgrace. Oh, wait, thats what would happen in a better world.

In this one, Democrats hailed her as a patriot amid predictions a political star is born.

My prediction is that Dems are digging their own grave and their revolt against his legitimacy will, in the short term at least, boost Trumps popularity. Most Americans will conclude he is honestly trying to fulfill the mandate he won and that the fevered rush to destroy him is neither principled nor patriotic.

There is a catch: Our cultural impatience wont give Trump endless time or big room for error. He must pick his fights with discretion and wage them with smart, methodical moves that bring clear results.

Equally key, he cant become a prisoner of Washington. While social media is important, he must get out of town regularly to meet people where they live and remind them that hes fighting their fights.

He should continue to court core Democrats, especially members of manufacturing unions and open-minded black and Latino voters.

If he does all that, and if hes lucky, America will be great again. Thats what matters.

Perhaps it was just a poor choice of words, or was it a Freudian slip? Either way, Mayor Bill de Blasio used a curious phrase in describing his planned meeting with federal prosecutors.

This set of allegations just doesnt comport with who I am, he said on NY1. He said he will be setting the record straight on investigations into whether he created an illegal pay-to-play scheme.

A fair reading of the set of allegations phrase, along with what we know, suggests de Blasio is getting a last chance to convince the feds he shouldnt face specific criminal charges.

If thats the case, de Blasio is likely doomed. Such final meetings are routine as prosecutors make sure they havent missed important evidence that would gut the case later.

Legal arguments usually fail and political ones always do. New evidence is the only escape hatch.

Unless the mayor is holding an ace in the hole, hed better be careful. Otherwise, he could talk himself into a perjury charge as well.

You think your money is yours, but New York City Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen begs to differ.

City Hall wants a new mansion tax of 2.5 percent on any house sale above $2 million. Asked if she thought the tax might crimp sales, Glen told the Wall Street Journal the criticism is ridiculous and added, If you look at how much money weve left on the table for the past two years while this thing went sideways, it makes me nuts.

In other words, be grateful the city let you keep its money for two years. Now hand it over.

Headline: North African gangs attack Chinese migrants in Paris.

Another great moment in globalism.

Read more:
Democrats are becoming the party of secession - New York Post

Steven Mnuchin, Treasury secretary nominee for President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON Republicans muscled through committee approval of President Donald Trumps nominees for Treasury and Health on Wednesday, suspending a key Senate rule in the latest escalation of partisan tensions in Congress.

Democrats boycotted a Finance Committee meeting and Republicans responded by temporarily scuttling a rule requiring at least one Democrat to be present for votes. The committee then approved Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., to become Health secretary and financier Steve Mnuchin to be Treasury secretary by a pair of 14-0 votes.

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Democrats had been demanding time to ask more questions about both nominees. Democrats say there were unresolved questions about both nominees financial backgrounds.

Separately, the Senate planned to vote later in the day on Trumps nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state after several Democrats crossed party lines to back the former Exxon Mobil CEO.

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Daily updates and analysis on national politics from James Pindell.

The vote on Tillerson comes as tension builds among congressional Republicans and Democrats over Trumps executive order on immigrants and refugees.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama to be attorney general.

But Democrats lack the numbers in the Senate to block Tillerson from becoming the nations chief diplomat. Republicans hold a four-seat advantage and during a procedural vote Monday on the nomination, Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Mark Warner of Virginia cast their ballots for Tillerson. Theyre unlikely to change their minds.

Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with the Democrats, also supported Tillerson. The nomination needs only a simple majority to be confirmed.

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Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wasnt sure whether Tillerson would steer Trump toward a coherent foreign policy or whether he might be a yes man, enabling the risky, chaotic whims of a demagogue president who is leading us on a march of folly.

The opening days of the Trump administration have seen little of the honeymoon period new presidents usually experience. The chief battleground has been Trumps executive order temporarily blocking refugees worldwide and anyone from seven Muslim-majority nations.

With liberal groups pressing them to fight Trump, Democrats used delaying tactics on Trump nominees on Tuesday. Its one of their limited weapons as the congressional minority to hamper the GOP.

Democrats said there were unresolved questions about the financial backgrounds of Price and Mnuchin.

In confirmed by the full Senate, Price would lead Republican efforts to erase former President Barack Obamas health care overhaul. Democrats cited a newspaper report that officials of an Australian biomed company said Price received a special offer to buy their stock at a reduced cost, despite Prices congressional testimony that the offer was available to all investors.

Democrats also said a bank run by Mnuchin used a process for handling home foreclosures that critics have associated with fraud.

Both men and congressional Republicans said they'd done nothing wrong.

Several other votes were planned Wednesday to get Trump nominees approved by committees, clearing them for confirmation in the full Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee intended to vote on Trumps nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions to serve as attorney general. Democrats scuttled a planned vote Tuesday in the wake of Trumps decision to fire Acting Attorney General Sally Yates. Several Democrats said they had no confidence Sessions would be able to stand up to Trump.

A vote also was planned in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Scott Pruitt, Oklahomas state attorney general in line to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

In his current position, Pruitt has frequently sued the agency he hopes to lead, including a multistate lawsuit opposing the Obama administrations plan to limit planet-warming carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Like Trump, Pruitt has cast doubt on the extensive body of scientific evidence showing that the planet is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame. Pressed by Democrats in his Senate confirmation hearing in January, however, Pruitt said he disagreed with Trumps earlier claims that global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese to harm the economic competitiveness of the United States.

I do not believe climate change is a hoax, Pruitt said.

Trumps pick to head the White House Budget Office, tea party Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., faced a vote by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a critic of Mulvaneys previous stands on Pentagon spending, has yet to commit his support.

Original post:
Senate panel sidesteps Dems to OK Cabinet picks - The Boston Globe