Democrats are in real trouble

[Smit]

History shows the midterms almost always come with a big turn over so political predictions come easily so this is a good time to improve your average.

[beej]

Dick Durbin just announced his retirement. He is finishing his term.

[Smit]

This stuff is happening all over the country.

Alright, paid protestors and democrat operatives in 3...2...1...Go!

Florida Republican congressman faces anger over Musk Doge cuts

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk's drive to slash federal programs and the size of the federal workforce came under attack at a town hall meeting held by Representative Byron Donalds, as Republicans in the U.S. Congress find themselves increasingly having to defend President Donald Trump's agenda.

Donalds, who represents a southwest Florida district, faced a sometimes angry crowd on Monday night in Estero, which is located between Naples and Fort Myers.

Hot-button issues including gun rights, trade tariffs and diversity training programs in businesses, universities and government were among the questions on constituents' minds. Trump has been fighting for the termination of "diversity, equity and inclusion" programs nationwide.

The conversation turned particularly raucous when an audience member asked Donalds what he was doing to oversee Musk's operation as special assistant to Trump leading the president's newly formed "Department of Government Efficiency."

So far it has overseen the departure of over 260,000 civilian federal workers through firings, buyouts and early retirements, bringing uncertainty over the ability of some agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, to operate efficiently.

Democrats argue the cuts are a back-door way of cutting retirees' benefits.
Donalds said that Musk's recommendations were being approved by cabinet heads and "will get an up or down vote in appropriations" committees of Congress.

The crowd reacted with a mix of applause and jeers, as Donalds ignored the fact that many of Musk's recommendations already have been implemented without the approval of Congress.

"What DOGE is doing right now is they are going through every agency and they are examining any contracts or lack of efficiencies in spending federal dollars," Donalds said, which again elicited ridicule.

Donalds, who has served in Congress since 2021, is a strong supporter of Trump's and announced in late March that he will run for governor of Florida next year.

Congress is in the second-half of a two-week spring recess that has seen attendees of at least a handful of Republican town hall meetings turn angry.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll results, released on Monday, found that 42% of respondents approved of Trump's performance as president, down from 47% after his January 20 inauguration.

[beej]

So far it has overseen the departure of over 260,000 civilian federal workers through firings, buyouts and early retirements, bringing uncertainty over the ability of some agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, to operate efficiently.

8.6% of the federal workforce. whoa boy! hmmmm! from 3,000,000 down to 2,740,000. Dang it, I thought they could do better than that. 

[gcode]

8.6% of the federal workforce.

They probably have more than that calling in sick on your average Monday morning.

[neurosis]

What percentage of the Federal work force do the agencies being dismantled (or attempted anyway) make up? Or more importantly, what percentage of employees from those specific agencies, have been fired or dismissed?

[Smit]

whoa boy! hmmmm!

Ole Beej can avoid a point like a guy avoiding stepping in dog shit on a sidewalk. 

I'll make that harder to do. 

Even Republicans know that (the quote below) is bullshit. 

I will give Donalds credit for showing up for a town hall when most other Repugs are not having them anymore, for obvious reasons.

"What DOGE is doing right now is they are going through every agency and they are examining any contracts or lack of efficiencies in spending federal dollars," Donalds said, which again elicited ridicule.

[beej]

Ole Beej can avoid a point like a guy avoiding stepping in dog shit on a sidewalk. 

what can I say, I'm nimble for a big guy. 

[YoDoug]

[gcode]

Byron Donalds town hall meeting

This is from a local paper.
I have no idea which way the paper leans.
Check it out Smit, it looks to be a bit more balanced than the one sided biased bullshit from Reuters
that you posted.

[beej]

From the link in the Town Hall Meeting

As the event was wrapping up and Donalds was thanking the crowd for coming, he said, "I know this is obviously a very spirited debate, and that's OK. That's the purpose of our country. We're allowed to disagree. That's what elections are for," he said. "But I will tell you, as someone who came to politics later in life, the thing that concerns me more than anything else is that we don't even have conversations about out disagreements. We just yell and shout at one another.

"If that's what our republic is going to come to, our issue is not going to be the Chinese; it is not going to be the Russians. It will be us."

+1000

[Bucky Cornstarch]

Byron Donalds town hall meeting

This is from a local paper.
I have no idea which way the paper leans.
Check it out Smit, it looks to be a bit more balanced than the one sided biased bullshit from Reuters
that you posted.

I read both articles. Both appeared to be telling the same story, with the Reuters article having slightly less emphasis on those who were in support of Trump and his policies.

From Rueters:

The crowd reacted with a mix of applause and jeers, as Donalds ignored the fact that many of Musk's recommendations already have been implemented without the approval of Congress.

But that's besides the point, isn't it? The issue was that a town hall was held and there were constituents who were expressing concerns with some of the Trump policies. Should the reporter(s) have left this part out? When covering a Trump Rally, does PJ Media and Gateway Pundit focus on the protesters, or on Trump and his message to the crowd?

Just because you don't like the news doesn't make it not worth reporting.

[Rstewart]

What percentage of the Federal work force do the agencies being dismantled (or attempted anyway) make up? Or more importantly, what percentage of employees from those specific agencies, have been fired or dismissed?

I see the emails.  I know our organization has stated we're really close to meeting the 8.6%, think we've made it to near 7%.  This has almost all been voluntary with "fork in the road" type payouts or other early-out payouts.  Some probationary employees (usually less than 3 years in) may get the boot.

[beej]

I guess I wasn't the only one that saw it.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/23/dnc-gives-david-hogg-an-ultimatum-00307113

The Democratic National Committee is going to force David Hogg to decide: Get out of the primary game or lose his DNC post.

During a member call on Thursday, DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to change the party's rules to mandate all DNC officers stay neutral in all Democratic primaries, according to a person directly familiar with the plan and granted anonymity to describe private discussions. The move comes after Hogg pledged last week to spend millions of dollars funding challenges to "asleep-at-the-wheel" Democrats in primaries, igniting a firestorm inside the DNC.

The proposal, if passed at the DNC's August meeting, would effectively force Hogg to decide whether to step away from his DNC vice chair position or wall himself off from the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, which has pledged to spend $20 million on challenging Democratic incumbents in safe blue seats.

It's an escalation in the fight between Hogg and other DNC leaders and House Democrats, many of whom were enraged by Hogg's announcement. Hogg, who rose to national prominence as a gun safety activist after he survived a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., said last week that he planned to back candidates who would challenge "ineffective" safe-seat Democrats. But House members and Democratic leaders vented that he was touching off a "circular firing squad" inside the party.

[Bucky Cornstarch]

An update from everyone's favorite feces collection apparatus:

Democrats Face 'Major Wake-up Call' as Trump Trounces Them in Polling