This Is Not A "Stunt"
Democrats need to be clear about how power works
Just saw someone in a Blue Rev comment section call Cory Booker's (and Jeffries’) actions a "stunt" that didn't do anything.
I get the frustration, we live in an insanely stressful chapter right now. And no, Booker's statements and actions will *not* stop Trump's budget, or some of his more evil plans.
I see this in politics (and elsewhere) all the time. Republicans cause absolute carnage and mayhem for no reason other than their inherent cruelty, Democrats (who are out of power) do what they can to bring attention to it, but because they didn't *solve* it, they did "nothing," and efforts like Booker's become a "stunt."
When these folks from the peanut gallery are asked specifically what people like Booker could do to bring back detained Americans or stop the GOP from cutting benefits, they never, ever have an answer.
This becomes an impossible "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation -- Booker/The Dems are feckless if they do nothing, but then if they do *something* but it doesn't *solve* the issue immediately, they are accused of being performers. This iss something that *ONLY* Democrats do to other Democrats.
Republicans would never dream of doing this to each other. When Obama was elected, and committed the sins of a) wanting to get more people healthcare and b) being Black, Republicans harnessed the anger of the Tea Party, made Obama think twice about his plans as the vibes shifted, and then destroyed him in the midterms. (Oh and also, Donald Trump gave them the added candy of telling them it was ok if they felt like believing Obama wasn't born in the US).
Pretty "performative," huh? Quite a "stunt" wasn't it? I mean after all, Obama DID sign Obamacare into law, and won 2 terms. So Republicans were a bunch of do-nothing "performers", right?
No. Of course not. They made Obamacare more moderate by turning the public away from it. They bogged him down in so many bad vibes that he was unable to launch ANY other major initiatives for his entire first term, and they mobilized voters to repudiate him the next year, putting a stop to even his more modest goals.
Corey Booker is not going to stop Trump from doing what he wants by inventing some new legislative trick that gives more power to the senator from New Jersey than to the President of the United States. I really wish the peanut gallery would be self-aware enough to understand this as they imply it.
No. Corey Booker is telling US that it's ok to speak out, to argue against it, thereby making it *more* likely that undecided or unmotivated voters are *aware* of the carnage being done. This is a *conversation* he is having with us, the activists. He's saying "keep doing these things, and talking this way, and focusing on these issues, and we will *maybe* curb some of the worst Trump plans, while making it *more* likely we can stop him legislatively next year.
He's doing this, as opposed to doing nothing.
I choose something over nothing. I choose *beginning* a path *somewhere* rather than staying safe, and feeling relieved that no one will criticize you for not having magical powers you don't have.
I choose action rather than inaction.
And everyone else should too.