This is not just a diary to tell democratic senators to do what republicans did to Obama. I can understand their reluctance to do so. But this is a very different set of circumstances. Republicans voted no just to spite Obama — i.e., party over country. Democrats must vote no now for exactly the opposite reason - country over party. It is a plea for them to understand the heartache that yes votes (currently for Cabinet nominees) is causing. These yes votes are an affront to the people who have been marching, and continue to march, to save this country. These yes votes make us feel abandoned by the democratic party, make us conclude that democrats in office are completely out of touch with their voters.
Case in point: I love Elizabeth Warren. She posted on Facebook to explain her yes vote for Ben Carson. She essentially had two arguments: First, that “the nominee I wanted is not the test”, Second, that Carson had written responses to her questions that he could be held to and we might not get even that with Trump’s second choice.
The first is a straw man argument. No one is encouraging her only to vote for the nominee she would want. People are calling for a basic level of competency, which Carson self-admittedly does not have. The second argument is specious. Even if every democrat were to vote against Carson, he’d still get confirmed. If somehow he didn't, and a second, worse, choice appeared, they could and should vote no again. They have an infinite number of no votes. They should not be voting yes for lunatics. Every yes vote legitimizes lunatic Trump and his lunatic cabinet. The republicans voted no out of form, but democrats need to do this based on substance.
It’s already obvious that no number of yes votes is going to gain the cooperation of any republican. Republicans are not going to cooperate with democrats for the foreseeable future. They don’t have to (yet), and they won’t. So, it is not a time for comity towards them, or for not hurting the feelings of republican colleagues.
And even if it were, the impact on the base is a more important consideration. We are out there marching, writing, calling, doing everything we can think of to stop this train wreck. Each time a democrat votes yes, well, all I can say is that we will only be left with pitch forks. If politicians think this will not be an issue in 2018 or 2020, they better think again.
I’m 60 and have always voted for democrats. The world is very screwed up right now. Appeasement is not what we need from our party. That leads to helplessness and apathy. The party needs to get our backs. They need to vote no. Or people are going to either become disgusted or rise up against them all.