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Sen. Kaine Joins Other Democrats Condemning Trump's Immigration Order NPR January 30, 20174:58 AM ET. Heard on Morning Edition. Congressional Democrats were broadly aligned in criticizing Trump's ban on Muslim refugees from entering the country. Rachel Martin talks to Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who said he was appalled by ...

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Sen. Kaine Joins Other Democrats Condemning Trump's Immigration Order - NPR

A.D. White Statue in front of Goldwin Smith Hall

More than 200 concerned Democrats from the local area gathered at the Tompkins County Public Library to discuss next steps for the party in a Listening Meeting organized by the Tompkins County Democratic Party on Saturday.

I knew we were going to have a very good turnout because people were very concerned, said Irene Stein, chairperson of the Tompkins County Democratic Committee. We also had RSVPs from our Facebook page, so from them alone, the room would overflow. Im not surprised, since people are just so concerned.

Facilitated by Ithaca resident Kirby Edmonds, the meeting themed take action at the local level and become more involved called upon registered Democrats to share their thoughts on what they hope to see happen at the local level in 2017.

Ivy Greene 17, political director of Cornell Democrats, addressed her concerns about the health care system.

Greenes heartfelt speech about her fathers recent recovery in the hospital drew tears from many in the audience, as she spoke up for the importance of health care.

If not for my moms health care, my dad would have died, Greene said. I encourage you to speak to lifelong conservatives to find common ground with them.

Among other proposals, many democrats suggested reaching out to Republicans and supporters of President Trump as a way to heal and move past division.

Harry Stringer of Enfield, who said he registered as a Democrat for the first time in his life to vote for Senator Bernie Sanders, spoke up for inclusive means to one of the loudest applauses of the meeting.

Im a lifetime blue collar worker, contractor and union supporter, and I voted for Mrs. Jill Stein, Stringer said. We must reach out to people we dont agree with.

Linda Hoffman, chair of the Democratic Committee of Ithaca, urged democrats to recruit more volunteers. Hoffman referred to the Democrats Facebook page and website, which he said needed improvement.

We need to be in a collective mode not an individual one to get our voices heard, Hoffman said.

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Local Democrats Aim to Move Past Division to Make Their Voices Heard - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

President Trump's nomination of Michigan billionaire Betsy DeVos to be secretary of education might be the most controversial of his Cabinet picks, and one that Democrats had hopes of blocking in the Senate. But sources in the Senate say that it doesn't look like the Democrats will be able to get enough votes to stop her.

DeVos is seen as a champion of school choice to supporters but as a radical who wants to privatize public education to critics, someone who once called America's public schools "a dead end." Even some school reformers who support education views that are similar to DeVos's have come out against her, questioning her stated desire to help traditional public schools improve.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions had a confirmation hearing for DeVos nearly two weeks ago, which only fueled the opposition to her because she displayed a lack of understanding of some key education issues, including what the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was (though she later sent a letter to a senator trying to clarify her position).

Senate offices have been swamped with calls, emails and letters; the National Education Association said more than a million emails opposing DeVos went to senators through a recent campaign. There are petitions and there have been protests, including Sunday on Capitol Hill. Hundreds of alumni and students from her alma mater, Calvin College, wrote a letter to legislators saying she is unqualified to be education secretary.

On Thursday night, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., told Rachel Maddow on her MSNBC show that no Democrat will vote to confirm her, and that Democrats were courting Republican votes. As he noted, the Democrats believe they have 48 solid votes; they need 51 to win, a pickup of three Republicans.

But Democratic and Republican sources in the Senate, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of negotiations about the vote, say that DeVos is expected to win approval by the education committee when it votes on Tuesday, and that she will prevail on the floor of the Senate whenever that vote happens.

The sources said that Republican Senate leaders have worked to keep Republicans in the fold to confirm DeVos. There were some Democratic hopes that some Republicans would switch sides on this one confirmation vote.

For example, during the confirmation hearing, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said that DeVos' vision of expanding school choice - charter schools and voucher/voucher-like programs that use public funds to pay for private schools - doesn't work well in rural areas where there aren't other options besides traditional public schools to provide choices other than traditional public schools.

Murkowski hasn't said how she will vote, nor has Maine's senior senator, Susan Collins, who is often said to be more "moderate" than other Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Murkowski is one of five Republican senators on the committee to whom DeVos and family members have given donations; the other four are Sens. Richard Burr, Tim Scott, Bill Cassidy and Todd Young.

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Can Democrats stop Betsy DeVos confirmation? Sources say unlikely - Newsday

Jan. 29, 2017, 12:38 p.m.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. SchumerandDemocrats will introduce legislation as soon as Monday to stop President Trump's actions temporarilybanning refugees and arrivals from certain Muslim countries.

House Democrats are taking similar legislative action, and lawmakers from both chambers will rally Monday evening at the Supreme Court to protest Trump's orders.

"This executive order was mean-spirited and un-American," said Schumer, the New York Democrat, choking up as he stood with immigrants and refugees at a press conferenceSunday. "It must be reversed immediately."

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said House Democratsare exploring legal options, including an amicusbrief in support of the ACLU lawsuit againstthe actions.

The chances of passing a bill through the Republican-controlled Congress are slim, as most GOP leaders and lawmakers have not objected to Trump's ban.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that while he was personally opposed to a "religious test" on admissions, it was best left to the courts to resolve the issue.

"It's hopefully going to be decided in the courts as to whether or not this has gone too far," McConnell said on ABC's "This Week."

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed his support Friday for Trump's action.

A handful of Republicans, though, are uneasy with Trump's orders, and have spoken against them.

Schumer noted that justfew moreRepublicans would be needed to reach the 60-vote threshold for advancing Senate legislation.

"Maybe we can pass something in Congress," Schumer said. "It's up to Republicans."

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Democrats in Congress drafting legislation to repeal Trump's refugee ban, pressuring GOP for support - Los Angeles Times

5449724

Democrats have done a very good job atone thing since the 2016 presidential election: forgetting about the voters they lost.

Less than 100 days after Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons crushing defeat and Republican capture of the White House, Democrats are hammering the identity politics that lost them the presidency in the first place.

Voters that swung from left to right in staunchly blue states like Michigan and Wisconsin are receiving no reassurance from Democrats that they are seen, heard or cared about.

The Democratic Party rallied around and offered support for the hundreds of thousands of people that came to Washington, D.C. for the Womens March on Washington.

Illegal immigrants from the southern border and migrants from across the sea were embraced as the future of the country. They push the narrative of a civil rights battle that places the priority on non-Americans over Americans.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called President Donald Trumps executive order barring immigrants from certain Middle Eastern countries un-American, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described immigrant families as the promise of America.

These are all good and fine battles for the left, but which one of them addresses their millions of constituents who feel the new Democrats arent focused on them? On their issues?

Blue-collar workers werenegatively impacted by then-President Barack Obamas war on coal and his administrations oppressive regulatory burdensfor eight years. Over 10,000 coal miners lost their jobs just between April 2015 and April 2016. Regulations cost American businesses and taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. Companies cut back on staff to ease the strain, and those that lost their jobsfaced a government that was responsible for this,and offered them federal welfare grants as an apology.

The result of these burdens was a fatal Democratic gubernatorial, House, Senate and White House bleed. Republicans control the most state legislatures since the Civil War. Thirty-three of 50governorships are Republican. The right holds 240 seats in the House of Representatives and 52 in the Senate.

The hundreds of millions of dollars and $1.2 billion,in Clintons case the left spent on these races produced monstrous losses for the party.

Now, instead of reflecting on the partys core problems (like Republicans did after their wallop in 2008), Democrats are hunkering down and latching on to the policy anchors they keep mistaking forlife vests.

Democratic leaders did nothing to stem the violent attacks against Trump supporters in the days and weeks after the election, and now theyre focusing all of their energy on topics that blue-collar workers either dont care about or are negatively impacted by.

Working-class Democrats are staring through the window at a party they are no longer invited to.

The economy is not a sexy topic, and does not ignite the passions like social justice issues do, but its a vital one. It impacts the livelihood and well-being of American families. Those families need to know their party is looking out for them; when they dont hear that anymore, they will start to look for someone whos listening.

President Donald Trump is fulfilling his campaign promises. He killed the Trans-Pacific Partnership; ordered the building of a U.S.-Mexico border wall; stopped immigration from certain countries in the Middle East and Africa; began dismantling the Affordable Care Act; reinstated the ban on American tax dollars paying for abortions overseas,and convinced companies to keep jobs in the U.S.

The left held protests that congested airports and clogged city streets.

Even if you dont agree with him, at least Trump is keeping his promises and paying attention to the Middle America Democrats so quickly forgot.

Democrats stopped putting regular Americans first. Its not surprising that Americans stopped putting the Democratic Party first.

The longer they choose to ignore the oldest part of their base, the higher the likelihood those voters wont be there when Democrats realize their mistake.

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Democrats Have Already Forgotten The People That Cost Them The Election - Daily Caller