Thanks to some good reporting from The Intercept, we learn that 14 Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, were willing to confirm a cabinet pick for the CIA who would not take torture off the table. What the hell is wrong with my party?
The Democrats who voted to confirm Pompeo were:
- Joe Donnelly of Indiana
- Dianne Feinstein of California
- Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
- Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota
- Tim Kaine of Virginia
- Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Joe Manchin of West Virginia
- Claire McCaskill of Missouri
- Jack Reed of Rhode Island
- Brian Schatz of Hawaii
- Chuck Schumer of New York
- Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
- Mark Warner of Virginia
- Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island
Another three progressive/Democratic Senators either voted in favor or did not oppose the confirmation:
Angus King, the independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, also voted in favor of Pompeo’s confirmation.
Connecticut Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy did not vote.
Full story here:
theintercept.com/...
For shame.
Democrats need to get their priorities straight — not keeping the base excited (which includes me) is going to kill off the party.
If you live in a state with these Senators, let them know your dissatisfaction. Consider running in the primaries.
It is time that the members of the Democratic Party take it back. This starts by taking control of the precinct committeeman positions within the party. Our party leadership is still playing smug with our votes even as they stand on the tracks as the train approaches.