Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Sometimes you need to fight your own in order to present moral clarity and strength.

Feeling quite spoiled having van hollen as my senator and Jamie Raskin as my congressman

What's going on with Newsom anyway? I thought he was a good guy.

Gavin Newsom is a smarmy douchebag. He's deluded if he really thinks he has a snowball's chance of ever being president.

Fortunately his greasy sleaze keeps him slipping down in the polls whenever he tries to make a climb up the political ladder

“Greasy sleaze” lol

He can be all of those things and still get elected because he’s a white man. And even the most unlikable Democratic candidate is extraordinarily better than anyone on the left. But I get the sentiment

Correction: anyone on the *right

Sadly I feel like if blusky had existed in 2013 you could have posted this about Donald Trump and literally nobody would have argued.

same

If the right can make an issue out of something as obscure and unthreatening as Critical Race Theory, the we can make an issue out of the erosion on due process and the slide into authoritarianism.

Apologies for all the typos. Hopefully the polls don’t prove them to be relevant or else Gavin Newsom will be on my ass.

MAGA have a knack for creating a narrative out of whole cloth, but Trump gifts the Dems on a silver platter perhaps the most malevolent dictator narrative —the government jailing people extrajudicially— and half the party wants to sit this one out.

They are scared of the Trump supporters. As we know Trump isn't above encouraging them to murder people. For example Mike Pence was almost hung by the encouragement of Trump. Then he can pardon the murderers.

Then quit. I'm so sick of this shit. I remember when there were reports multiple GOP Senators wanted to impeach but were too chickenshit. They want all the privileges, none of the responsibilities.

"I only signed up to get rich, not...actually do work."

Well, I think they were gonna have to stand up to him at some point unless we want to have him as a dictator forever

Sex predators get pardoned first. Beautiful phrase sex predator. We have the best in the world. The world has never seen the like

With a little help from the media

MAGA has help with the narrative. They have the FOX Entertainment Network and others like them to rinse and repeat such things as woke and Critical Race Theory. Democrats have facts and truth on their side and seem to be afraid to use it. Someone needs to school them on how to fight misinformation.

Exactly! This is a 5 alarm fire and people like Gavin, Schumer, & James Carville are acting like the onus is on the Dems to remain circumspect and careful. HELL FUCK NO! It’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and get our brass knuckles on, rhetorically speaking. AOC, Bernie, & Van Hollen get it.

1000000 % correct

Me too. Boo hiss to @gavinnewsom.bsky.social

I think it's time for Newsom to ride off into the sunset.

Imagine getting someone like MaKenzie Scott to give him enough money to set up a SuperPAC for 2028.

I can't tell if the comments are about Van Hollen or Newsom.

Basically go by Van Hollen Good Newsom Bad

What happened to Newsome? He went from hero to zero in less than sixty seconds. I guess it’s true that everything Trump touches dies. Thanks @therickwilson.bsky.social for the heads up.

He's always been an ass. It's just that when he put his finger to the wind on a few key issues over the last couple of years it got press & made him appear like he's consistently useful to his constituents. He's an opportunist who never leaves the campaign trail.

He handled himself so well in that interview and spoke eloquently and calmly about the importance of standing up for human rights. Bravo to him for all he’s done.

Blue Sky, please sign this world wide petition. We must show everyone just how badly tRump is treating the world. chng.it/WBR8LRVmr7

Hello, thank you for writing this petition. You can change the decision makers if you want to through the edit feature. I signed and will post. Thank again.

Same

I was just watching him today, he is a good man

As a left of center Marylander I am obliged to say 1) he has always been just Like This and 2) he is pretty good on Palestine and has been for a while.

The workhorse/show-horse Senate distinction probably isn’t a valid framework anymore, but he’s an old-style Senate workhouse.

Exactly what he is. And also principled.

Re: Palestine -- he's been good on this for more than a decade. We just signed a letter from Jewish Marylanders supporting his vote against selling/giving even more arms to Israel.

That is awesome!

Here's a link in case there's anyone you know who could sign: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

I will share it to my Jewish friends!

Dems are quite capable of watching two things. Why either/or?

i’m picking up what he’s putting down

Louis Jordan reference?

Everyone should get to know him. He’s a pretty cool guy. I’m so proud to have him as my Senator!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Van_Hollen

I barely knew anything about Van Hollen a week ago.

Pilled?

Originally referencing the Matrix. Adopted by manosphere PUAs (redpill) to describe awakening to reality (aka their recruitment into the extremist pipeline as radical misogynists). When the incel movement split off from the PUA movement, more pill types were added to differentiate between aholes.

Then there was red, black, purple, and gold pilled ahole misogynists. Misogynists then started using pilled to describe any of the various factions. Over time, ppl making fun of pilled ppl (mostly online incels) started to use it sarcastically to describe becoming a zealous follower.

Thank you.

Are we done with the Newsome BS now?

Gavin Newsom is a disgrace. God bless Sen. Van Hollen for calling him out.

Van Hollen for President. If we gotta elect a white guy to be these mtfrs, let it be him.

Exactly

It will not be surprising if I’m four years he’s the next president

Americans it is important to remember not to centralise a movement around ONE person, Look at how that has turned out for the Nazis, MAGA you name it, this isn't to say a person isn't Leading a movement of course not , but to say that it must always be in the hands of the People of the movement.

With that also said I am very much liking Hollen,AOC and Bernie.

Yes. And I would add Cory Booker, Chris Murphy, Jasmine Crockett, and Jamie Raskin.

Me too

Thanks. I couldn't agree more. We don't need celebrities, we need leadership and that is all of we, the people.

What did Newson do this time.

He called the deportation "a distraction."

Why did he miss the obvious? Does trump turn him on?

Gavin Newsom continues to be the absolute worst too

Something really really wrong with Gavin Newsom really really really wrong

Crocket, AOC, Sanders, Van Hollen, and Pritzker all leading. The bigger names of the party are being tepid and failing: Newsom, Whitmer, Schumer, Jeffries… Step up or step down. This is no time for half measures and timidity.

Yep.

Yep. Whitmer is still doing stuff statewide, but it was easier with both houses. Now it’s more difficult and I think she’s done.

Walz is out there too.

True yes I missed him.

Walz, absolutely!

Fetterman should be in the Schumer category....

Fetterman is just an outright DINO working for the Trump agenda at this point.

Fetterman is a RINO at this point.

I agree…

For sure.

Newsom had an opportunity to go far in politics in the future, being seen as a counter to trump. Unfortunately, every time he opens his mouth, he reveals himself to be a total shitbag.

Gavin Newsom is to the Democrats what Ron DeSantis is to the GOP. They are both try-hards who have no real ideological convictions, but chase what they think the core of their parties wants. And both parties correctly see them as flimsy phonies. Even Kamala is far more authentic than Gavin.

My 20 yo and I both LOVED the meme that went around shortly after the election, where Gov. Josh Shapiro said something conciliatory and on the other side was Newsom saying, "All right wingers are vermin." But now he wants to be nice to the vermin? f**k that.

Maybe they meant to burn down newsomes house but made a mistake.

I never really got the Kimberly Guilfoyle and him thing before. Now it kind of makes sense

I really ,really liked him. Until this week. It’s about his ambitions, not the country.

A REALLY BIG shitbag. I will not donate to him nor vote for him unless he is the last one standing. Methinks he will NOT be

Today’s Sunday morning shows are pathetic, with their “Dems struggle to regain footing” and “Dems have no leader” The PEOPLE are leading!!! Here’s a map of all the leaders yesterday!!

we used to say: the gauntlet has been thrown now: mic drop

It would A-OK if it were just about one man kidnapped and sent back to the place he’d been awarded asylum from.

Pols like Newsom never consider the fact that their job isn’t to win elections. It’s to serve the people by defending the constitution. There’s a literal emergency right now. Let’s try and do our jobs ok???

Someone tell Newsom that Pat Riley called and wants his hairstyle back.

Van Hollen is right. Newsome doesn’t deserve to lead.

Spotted on the US Justice Department building today.

Exactly.

Gavin Newsom can STFU.

I love Senator Chris Van Hollen for giving a damn about Abrego Garcia & every other immigrant in this country that's being mistreated by the Trump administration. This is NOT who we are as Americans. #DICKtraitorTrump does NOT represent the U.S.! #TrumpIsARussianASSet

YASSSSSS!!!

He’s retiree age, so would certainly fit Democratic criteria for a leadership position.

He’s 66. I’m all for bringing in and promoting up younger leaders, but do you really want to push down a 66 yo? This is not Schumer, Biden, or Trump age. Let’s not count someone out at 66, while they are at their peak experience.

We need new and experienced...not some of these crypt keepers on both sides.

Hot damn. Newsom is my Governor, and so far I'm 100% in support of the Maryland Senator

Never heard about Van Hollen, so I thought he was grandstanding at first, but the more I read about him, he's actually been doing the work of the people, just quietly. Newsom, on the other hand...I trust him as far as I can toss a Fetterman or Sinema.

He really is a good solid man, happy to have voted for him

I had never heard of him before last week. If the presidential election were today, he'd have my enthusiastic vote. He is displaying integrity, and I'm here for it.

Van Hollen is turning out to be like Sen. Chris Murphy of CT or my governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker. A usually mild-mannered guy...but in times of fascism, one who steps up brilliantly.

Murphy had that stretch where he lectured us on how we have to compromise with Republicans. I’m glad he recovered from that.

That's why I give him credit. Other Dems lectured us and are still doing it (see @rudepundit.bsky.social remarks about Klobuchar recently!) Anyone who comes around now, I'll take.

👏👏👏

As a Marylander I thought of him as reliable but not great. Good on most positions but not a fighter because his seat could be seen as easy. Hope he keeps outperforming

He seems to be rising to the occasion. The main thing is that it's people with good intent in their hearts to be the ones to bring about the change we need. If he can do that through diplomacy vs rabble-rousing, that's great. If he can rabble-rouse when called upon to do so, even better!

And I think so, so far. The state is pretty solid blue now federal but not by county. We just had an R gov because he was reasonable moderate but he couldn’t stoop the backlash

R's are really going to find out what FAFO means during all future elections. We just have to make sure that we actually have "free and fair" elections. Keeping a close eye on what's happening in North Carolina's Supreme Court election fiasco that's been dragging on for 5 months now. 🤬

Me too

What does “pilled” mean?

Pilled: In full support of, enamored or entranced by.

and (for further clarity) it comes from the "take the red pill or the blue pill" from The Matrix which was originally coopted by the rightwing, bc they think they're "redpilled" (living in the real world) lmao

Total aside but anyone who wants a bizarre take on ”popping a pill to reveal reality” ought to look up Stanislaw Lem’s book ”the Futurological Congress” from 1971. I convinced myself that the end credits of the Matrix hat tips it, but this seems to be a false memory.

i have Read More Old Scifi on my list so i will check this out!

Ages since I read it but I remember it being very funny. Lem’s Achilles heel is the misogynism (which arguably mostly shows in the absence of female characters), but this is of course also a general problem in scifi by the Famous Old Guys.

“The Congress” is a decent movie based on the Lem book.

Thanks! Had registered it existed and then forgotten about it, goes on the watch list.

World needs more decent Lem adaptations! Old grumpy Lem himself hated both the Solaris films, and while the Tarkovski one is great in itself I would love to see one that went more into what Lem intended with the novel.

I want to see some of the Trurl/Klapaucius (spelling?) as an animated series.

Oh yes. And… since we’re wishing here: someone make the people behind Scavenger’s Reign do Fiasco.

Reference to movie The Matrix

Period.

For the British people here, what is pilled, please?

Thanks.

It’s a Matrix film reference: Take a blue pill to remain in ignorance. Take a red pill and see the harsh reality. In other words, I’ll take what Van Hollen is offering :)

Thanks.

I love this. Good lord, Newsom and so many democrats are driven by strategists and have been utterly feckless. I sincerely hope this is the end of his presidential bid

Indeed! A true patriot.

Newsom sucks. He's very unauthentic. Very sleezy.

For us old folk… In online slang, "pilled" is a suffix used to describe someone who has become a fervent believer or enthusiast of a particular concept, ideology, or hobby ❤️

So THAT’S what this meme means.

Imagine focus-grouping the Constitution. But that's what "centrist" dems are doing.

I'm tired of focusing grouping stuff in general. A small group of people who I have hardly anything in common with deciding which way "The American people" should vote or think is exhausting. Maybe someone should focus group what is a fact or what is common sense. In my opinion only.😃

#BanFocusGrouping

So I'm not the only one? 😀

Nice burn. Van Hollen is a middle of the road dem, but he understands the difference between fighting and appeasing.

He needs to lecture democrats on the difference.

Actually organise is better than lectures

Stop acting like jealous adolescents Even if you’re at that level of maturity Stop it

Be strong together

I have always regarded Chris as a solid public servant. I'm attracted politically to those like him. Like Klobuchar, Biden, Obama, Harris, Shapiro, and others. The party now has a deep bench with candidates with similar strong character traits. Chris is now on that list.

Competent, decent, knowledgeable, and normal. Good people. Each of them.

For real??!!! His meds are kicking in.

First thing I did when the news broke that @vanhollen.senate.gov had met with Abrego Garcia was - yep - to check his age. For, y'know, future possiblities. One in particular. He's 65. Which brings me to @perrybaconjr.bsky.social's point in this recent column: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Too old sadly

I wish I could read this

Age? or ENERGY How old is @sanders.senate.gov? Yes we want succession & development of new faces & interaction with all constituents We need politicians who are actually STATESWOMEN & STATESMEN @aoc.bsky.social @repjasmine.bsky.social NOT @schumer.senate.gov @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social

I just don’t think 65 is old, let alone too old. Most people who are 65 are at the peak of their life experience and most people who are 80 experienced that peak 15 years ago and are prone to bouts of senility. A Joe Biden with perfect progressive ideas who goes catatonic is still way too old.

Walz. Van Hollen. AOC. Crockett. Pete. David Hogg. Time to disrupt the same old Democrats.

If one of your constituents is sent to a foreign gulag and you’re not willing to do everything in your power to save them, what kind of leader are you? Protecting human life is not a “distraction.” Newsom sucks, and always will. I’m just waiting for him to resurface as a Republican.

Newsom is too corporate (sucks) AND is right. Dump uses Flood the Zone here as elsewhere. Trump is dismantling so many vital things in his kleptocracy and is always trying to front and centre division and culture war to divide opposition. Shitting on Newsom is a distraction, he supports Van Hollan

He’s more than too corporate - he’s terrible on policy. Anti-trans, has vetoed important climate legislation in CA, and is helping prop up fossil fuels. He’s a power-hungry opportunist, nothing more. He’s welcome to bring attention to another issue. Other than shitting on others, what is he doing?

Gavin is my governor. He’s OK not great. There’s no way in hell I would vote for him for president. He has so many bizarre skeletons in his closet and he says goofy goofy things like this right here.

Same brother

In a field of pansies the daffodil stands up and presents with clarity.

No idea what that means. Maybe communicate in English vs slang

Love the democratic spines we are growing!!

They have always been there. You were just never told about it by media

I never cared for Newsom much, but now I'm wondering what he did? He's got to be getting blackmailed over something really terrible. I hope it comes out before they let him into the primary.

Newsom says it's a "distraction"? I bet Jennifer Vasquez Sura finds it quite distracting. Due process aside, what kind of monster looks the other way in the face of state-kidnapping of family members? Sura's just doing Vance's "ordo amoris". Van Hollen, likewise, is serving his constituent.

One thing about taking a principled stance is there is less "cognitive load" required (a term now trendy in my circles). I don't know what Newsom is doing, but in Van Hollen's case, what I see is, he had a constituent who needed to know if her husband was even alive, and he found out for her.

Yes, it is a season for courage. This snarky open letter concerns a story from ProPublica (link to original is imbedded in the text). May we all appreciate the awesome courage of this unnamed man while contemplating our own well of the same. open.substack.com/pub/noelkeit...

I don't know if anyone has fallen in my esteem as fast as Gavin Newsom. Good grief.

Really? I've never been able to get this picture out of my head.

I have always been wary of handsome men whom you can tell know it and use it. 😖

Many politicians are good-looking. It is the crassness that gets to me.

Yes and my point was about those who you can tell know it and use it. It’s off putting and reeks of self absorption. A red flag.

Right? Both that it was her and that they thought this was a good idea.

Oh My Gawd

I don't know that I've ever registered the whole shot.

Who is the woman?

Kimberly Guilfoyle, his first wife

She's unrecognizable now with her MAGA (reject) face.

Yep yep. Career politician who's into polishing his image 24/7.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

💯% This is ALL about that OATH they take when they come into service. Whether it be a branch of the US government, or a state government, they ALL take on oath to uphold THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. PERIOD!!!

I believe Van Hollen going on his own dime shows a great deal of character as well. More Democrats need to do this if they truly want Americans to pay attention.

Newsom has the dimes, too.

Yep and he better start using them. 🤷

He bought a new house in Marin County's exclusive Kent Woodlands?

K?

Me: He has the dimes Cindy: He better start using them Me: [He is using them,] he just bought a new house in a very exclusive area. In other words he's not going to use them on saving democracy.

It'll cost him more than money too. Americans really are getting tired of all the rich in government. 🤬 Everyone should stop donating to all politicians. Make them pay for it out of their own funds.

I want smart, dedicated people and I don't care how much money they have. Roosevelt was wealthy. And if you quit donating, only the wealthy will ever run. It costs millions to run for a senate seat. The GOP will spend that. Change the campaign finance laws.

That's basically what I was getting at. A limit should be set on how much money is spent on campaigns. There's just as many rich that donate to Democrats as Republicans.

What I want to know is wtf happened to @gavinnewsom.bsky.social @governor.ca.gov? What a pathetic piece of shit he's turning into. And I say that as someone who voted for him!

Sen Chris Van Hollen (D_MD) spoke well...

Katie Porter please!

I’m praying that Kamala stays out of the California gubernatorial race, because Katie already promised in advance that if Kamala chose to run, Katie would simply step aside rather than contest her in the primary. I’d much rather have Katie as governor than Kamala.

That would be rough. Maybe Kamala will have a better next step, but I’m not sure what that would be.

I think Kamala would be a FANTASTIC U.S. Attorney General immediately following the current administration. In terms of skills, experience, and fan-damn-tastic karma. Also, I was born in CA and lived my first 41 years there. I know people automatically assume it's an extremely liberal state...,

Yeah, Kamala as AG makes more sense than POTUS or Governor.

I do think she could serve well in either of those roles, as well as AG at any level. [In 2020 I voted for Elizabeth Warren in the primary, but we all have our preferences.] My point was specifically about the comparable pragmatics of current electoral politics in California vs. Nationally.

In fact, the two Presidents California has given the U.S. were both Republicans: Nixon and Reagan. I'd love to be proven wrong, and she surely knows more than I do, but that's my thoughts on the subject.

but there are millions of Republicans there. You'd be surprised how much of the same racism and sexism she could face in the Gubernatorial race there. We've never been a female or non-white governor there. The closest we had to 'diversity' was Arnold being foreign-born.

Newsom couldn’t hide his irritation that Van Hollen distracted attention from his tariff lawsuit. Definitely a revealing moment and unforced error for such a slick & seasoned politician. The 2 will showdown in bids for POTUS ‘28

Didn’t Newsom almost end his career with the French Laundry scandal back during Covid lockdown? He’s been a bit of a weasel dipshit unforced error guy all along.

He also invited nothing but MAGA chuds on his new podcast under the guise of “we need to talk to the opposition.” I saw we let him podcast like Ted Cruz while others govern.

Due process indicted and convicted treanous trump. Now, maga christians will destroy due process.

holla for van hollen

I’m a liberal Democrat in California who has supported Newsom. But I’ve never thought that he would be president. Our state has too many problems, starting with housing and homelessness that the administration is not dealing with effectively. That’s why we’re losing businesses, people, tax revenue

I actually LOL when I hear people talk about Newsom as a serious contender for Prez in 2028. I live in CA, and I can tell you all any Repub opponent has to do in order to beat Gavin is extend their arm out (palm up!) & wave it in the direction of CA and say, “do you want America to look like this!?”

Do you live in a particularly dysfunctional part of California? The state and its fabled culture and lifestyle, potent economy, and renowned natural wonders continue to keep it an aspirational mecca worldwide (including for homeless people who could chose to live elsewhere), taxes not withstanding.

Before Democrats throw away Kamala like we did Hillary. Please keep in mind that every pol is human and no real candidate matches a vague dream candidate. Gretch looked great until she showed up at Trump's white house. Newsom fails to defend man sent to El Salvador gulag. 1/

Just wait for the Trump 2028 flags and bill boards to blanket the country, replacing their Trump 2024 flags and billboards that replaced their Trump 2020 flags and billboards that replaced their Trump 2016 flags and billboards. MAGA knows how to win elections. Dems know how to take down other Dems.

Insightful, Dave.

SAME!!!

When I'm afraid to stand up for Democracy and those who are denied due process, then you'll know that Hell has officially frozen over.

same

"pilled"?

Like red pill, blue pill because he's not speaking proper code language?

Whatever I get a lot of likes, I'll re-read my post and usually I've done what Van Hollen just did. 😐

Red pill means you have been woken up to the truth. From The Matrix

It's shocking how not up to the moment so many politicians are inside, they need to fix their hearts, not being afraid is the only thing that will stop them

Same!!! He got back from El Salvador throwing hands 🔥

👍🏻💊

Newsom is ruining his chance of running in 2028.

What drives me batty is that every single Sunday show host adopted the Republican framing of this issue. Do they ever have independent thoughts or questions? Or do they see their jobs as merely regurgitating talking points to toss up to guests? The Republicans know how to manipulate the media.

Ain’t we all! We need more of him and others like him!

For those asking what “pilled” means:

Also from the earlier original Total Recall with Arnold.

To add to the irony, the Wachowski sisters have said that the Matrix was informed by them being transgender, and was a metaphor. In the 1990's when the first movie was made, oral estrogen came in a red pill (Premarin) while Viagra was blue.

Thank you. I had no clue

Blance, thanks for the clarification. I need all the help I can get. 😆

Thank you! 📌

I want to say thank you for pointing this out, I also had no clue.💙

So “pilled” is kinda post reality neo-reactionary “woke”? Odd. Never watched The Matrix. Still won’t. Dystopia is not my choice for entertainment. Am watching “A French Village”. WW2 France in a small town. Engrossing.

Thank you. My vague understanding of this needed it.

but aren't there a lot of right wing misogynist bros who claim to be red pilled? Isn't that one of their things?

Yes being “pilled” can go any which way

one of the most hilarious aspects of the right wing idiot dudes is how often they self-own.

You're correct! Just saw a video that Nancy Mace made of an interaction with a constituent. She comes across as a loud, inappropriate, foul-mouthed idiot (which she is) and yet she posted the video thinking she looks good.

THANK YOU

I'm in favor of him being the AG in the next administration.

Hell yeah, that’s my guy. Last year he helped my neighborhood fight the post office to get our mailboxes reinstated. I am very grateful to have both him and Raskin, who have been as awesome for local issues as they are for national ones. I wish everyone had folks like that.

I don't suppose you would trade me a Raskin & a Van Hollen for a Hawley and a Schmitt? Nevermind. We all know the answer to that!😔

No but the upside of being in the DC suburbs is that for a nominal fee I can try to replace them with balloons with smiley faces drawn on them the next time they vote!

As a constituent of Van Hollen’s- hell no. But you can come over anytime- we have a great state, promise. I have the deepest sympathies for you and your fellow citizens though that suffer under those “conditions”- I know not everyone wanted them.

Thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I can't afford to move across the street! I just pray that I don't end up living IN the street. Besides, I really am a good person & would never pawn those two off on anyone!❤️

As a fellow Missourian, wouldn't that be a dream come true? And I'm not greedy, I'd be happy with just one trade.

So proud of them

we're lucky in Maryland that most of our US senators have been workhorse types - Van Hollen, Mikulski, Sarbanes among others.

That’s a great way of putting it; Workhorses. I’ve always loved Maryland Senators & Congresspeople for being “get ‘er done“ types who are largely to the left but are first & foremost committed to delivering responsible legislation for the people. They’re even used to be some good Maryland Repubs!

Even our past republican senator, Charles Mac Mathias, was damned good (that was back when there were some good and principled republicans) So far I'm pretty happy with Angela Alsobrooks.

Yeah I feel pretty good about Alsobrooks so far. I imagine shes still trying to establish her niche within the body. Also, speaking of fairly principled Republican reps from Maryland, I seem to recall Van Hollen’s predecessor in the House, Connie Morella, being decent.

She was decent and when republicans weren't horrible, it was ok for her to be our Representative. She was liberal, but when push came to shove, she voted republican. I knew she had to go when I saw her chuckling with Gingrich about some Clinton legislation they were trying to torpedo.

💯

Newsome is turning into a narcissistic bag of wind. I hope he realizes it soon and changes course.

Au contraire! Newsom has always been narcissistic bag of wind.

I'm stoked he's stepping up, but I'm suspicious of his actual motivations. Did he see an opportunity to grab the spotlight or is he really this ethical? Time will tell I suppose.

Van Hollen has been a hardworking, honest and principled person throughout his career. He gets things done and never grandstands. The publicity he's getting now is very unusual. It's not what he does or looks for. He was my state senator, my Congressman, now my Senator. I know his work.

Good to know. Thanks.

What’s “pilled”?

He absorbed his message and living it

That's not a good answer. "If his rights have been violated, then the rights of every1 can be voilted." But you free 1 person & the others are left in the torture camps. It's not even done to punish or harm them. It's done to scare the rest of us into non-action. We can't give into that fear!

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. And it sure ain't Newsome. Chris Van Hollen is the real deal.

Amazing how, uh. Having fundamental morals is...attractive to people.

Same. Newsom is trash. Signed, a Democrat in California.

I'll take a doer over a talker any day

I have no idea what that means. I saw The Matrix a long time ago and have read the explanations. Red pilled? Blue pilled? Sedated? What does that even mean. it sounds horrible and the posts from this account usually are not horrible.

*It (sorry, I was typing fast).

-pilled has become a suffix in online spaces used to indicate "I'm on board with this". It started off being shit, yes, but it's kinda just been co-opted into general internet slang.

It sounds like euthanizing a pet.

Such a good man

Senator Van Hollen needs to announce he is running for the Presidency in 2028. Start the campaign tour immediately!

Newsome is wrong in saying we have to concentrate on one thing at a time. We can fight several battles at once. That's why we're marching! Not just one battle. Many battles under the same banner!

Same advice as Carville. No thanks.

If all a leader can handle is just one thing at a time, he’s not competent.

It’s exactly what the criminals in the WH want. That’s why they flood the zone with noise.

We can’t focus on all the things but we can focus on more than one…. And we can certainly fight for both dues process and the economy. Money is not gonna help if people can be randomly disappeared.

Absolutely! The due process/constitutional issues need prioritization to enable the fight against many other illegal activities undertaken by the regime. doge for example.

But that's what Fascists do.

He has our empty suit of a governor pegged.

Newsom is totally wrong. The due process is the ultimate protection against dictatorship. 😡😤

It’s a Van Hollandaise!

I’m now imagining a resistance themed brunch menu

This is such a Portlandia episode kind of an idea, lol. Put a bird on it!

Bernie Sandos with whole fat ranch(cuz damn the 1%!)

EXCELLENT!!

We haven't had a van prez in a while.

This is NOT about Mr. Garcia; this IS about one of our most cherished and fundamental RIGHTS: due process. I encourage ALL non-lawyers and those who are not up to speed to go read the 5th Amendment and the 14th Amendment.

A POWERFUL and the most PERFECT RESPONSE to Gavin Newsom, and it reveals the lack of COURAGE by SOME politicians when it's MOST needed. My sense is this is why the Democratic Party is losing BIG TIME—lack of principled folks! This is the same nonsense Chris Cuomo and Andrew Cuomo are espousing.

This is the leadership we need

Same. Dude's really reminding me that we're digging 'the bar' out of hell when standing up for the constitution makes me relieved.

I need a dose over here!!!

El Salvador’s Bukele proposes prisoner swap with Maduro for Venezuelans deported from the U.S. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed carrying out a prisoner swap with Venezuela on Sunday, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the United States his…

Well he just defined Newsom.

Newsom's stock is plummeting faster than the Nasdaq after a declaration of a trade war against the entire world.

Me too. He's perfectly on point.

We can walk AND chew gum. The unlawful deportation cases MUST be fought & stopped. However, the felon generates a steady supply of outrage to keep the headlines off anything else, because he loses NO support on this issue. We ALSO need to hit him on economic issues, erode support, and win 2026.

Same, but I appreciate that he actually DID something so I’m not mad about it!

Perfect response, because it identifies the trouble we find ourselves in at the moment - the party controlling the Congress is not doing its job and removing an executive who is abusing the people, the country, and the Constitution.

Maybe newsom’s goal is to do everything that their consultants say just to show how unpopular a strategy it really is

That was an amazing answer.

Seems like democrats spend way too much energy bashing our own freaking party. Come on, people, we are all in this together. Focus on the enemy trump/Gop and stop the infighting! It makes the dems look terrible!

I understand that infighting is a problem on the left, but there are some real turds in the punchbowl in this party who we need to get rid of before we can effectively move forward. Phonies like Gavin Newsom are part of why so many people today register as independent or unaffiliated. 1/2

We need AUTHENTICITY in this party. People like Gav are a drag on building our reputation for being honest & realistic with the voters. I can’t tell you how many righties I’ve met who say that they disagree strongly w/ a lot of what Bernie says, but they respect him coz they can tell he’s authentic.

I’m not an expert but it appears the Dems/left have too many purity tests.

I agree with you, we need all the allies we can get and purity tests only diminish us.

You do understand that we've been saying these same exact things for the past 10 years about the same exact people? You know the thing about insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? That's the Democratic party right now.

OK, but then who passes the test? Because there are critiques of literally everyone, does that mean we can’t work with them? How does that work when we don’t have the numbers to have ANY power?

Exactly! We have zero power in Congress. They're not even including the dems when discussing bills. Stop beating each other up because we all want the same things.

That's correct. We have zero power in congress, but we have much more power across the nation. "we the people" are way more important. So, here's my ideal solution. Focused and concentrated campaigns to garner support in red districts. All of them.

Encouraging and educating to bring constant and unrelenting pressure on the GOP in congress by their constituents. Phone campaigns, email campaigns, petitions, dems in red areas running for local elections (use their playbook), getting onto election boards (just like them).

Threaten their jobs, their little nest eggs and encourage their constituents to demand better. They govern by fear. They should be fearful too. This goes for the lax and unvocal dems who are keeping their heads down instead of upright and fighting for us. It's literally their JOB.

That's a great plan. That's definitely what we should be doing everywhere. I was thinking of a faster solution before we literally go off the deep end. He needs to be impeached. And soon. Also, some dems have shown up to do town halls when the Republicans were refusing. That helps.

Impeachment will not do anything right now. Nancy or schiff won't allow one to be submitted right now.

And if Newsome has decided he likes the way the repubs are looking now, CHANGE SIDES NOW.

We SHOULD all be in this together, however many dem electeds are demonstrating a reluctance to get on board. Putting pressure on them to get off their butts and unify isn’t quite the same as infighting over policy details.

Explain to me which dems are not getting on board, and which ones you're even talking about, and why you are against them. I really wanna know. I doubt you'll convince me to hate my own party.

More words that are coming only from you. No one is asking you to hate the party.

This entire feed was bashing Gavin Newsome. That's what I was responding to. Come on!

Well unfortunately you actually replied to a post that only said “I’m getting van hollen pilled”. And yes we are going to bash a democrat that is providing a platform to Nazis. Step one of unifying against a threat is to not enable them. If you’re working with the Nazis you’re not the opposition.

You asked what the solution was, well that’s a start. We stop providing support to those who aren’t acting in the interest of the democracy and its people. If Newsom wants positive reinforcement he needs to earn it. Just because he slapped a D next to his name doesn’t make him an ally. If you’re

*we won’t even call out our friends for acting poorly what justification do we have for calling out others? The Democratic Party cannot become a safe haven for bad actors.

Tell me who you've picked out as not good dems???? I don't want to be a part of a discussion bashing dems right now because that's not focusing on a solution. It's part of the problem.

You’re putting words in my mouth. I haven’t said anything about “not good Dems”. Focusing on a solution does include getting all of our elected leaders working on solutions instead of enabling further decline. They represent us, we do have a duty to communicate with them and let them know what we

Correct, but what is the solution here? Unity is required in order to be a united front. Dems literally have no control in Congress. They are trying to navigate unchartered territory with a president abusing his power and a united GOP that ignores the truth. What is the solution???

Remember what Reps did when they were in the minority and Dem presidents couldn’t fill their staff, cabinet, or judicial appointments? They could be doing that. Bare minimum, they could be voting no, as a unified block, to every single thing. This isn’t uncharted, all of this has happened elsewhere

before. We learned history so we could identify this when it inevitably happened again and to look at what did and didn’t work before so we don’t repeat the mistakes. A lot of Dems are choosing to repeat the mistakes rather than being brave and standing up.

want.

If you’re a Dem not carrying your weight, then you should be called out. We need leaders and not passive losers

Then they need to give us people willing to fight for us. Otherwise, get out of the office. I don't know where you were that Tuesday night in November, but I remember the Democrats and the DNC completely abandoning us for months afterwards. So they can piss right off until we elect better.

Gov.Newsom appears to have lost his way! What is going on with Newsom? 😱😱😱

He spends more time waiting for polling to dictate his moves instead of being a principled leader who is determined to move the polling themselves. Newsom lost me when he started fanboying and trying to find common ground with toxic maga nazis and white supremacists on his disastrous podcast.

Excellent answer

Coming in hot. I love it

Ouch! The 2028 race is on. 👍🏼

And now you know why Newsome will never be Presidential material…..there’s no there there….imo

To use a tired cliche, can’t Dems walk and chew gum at the same time? Fight against illegal deportation as well as tariffs? There are plenty of them.

Each rep should take on a different topic & follow it instead of them all focused on the topic du jour. They have 🚫 power but their 🗣️. Some1 should still be 🗣️ about Signalgate/DOGE stealing our data/tariffs/concentration camps/SoSec/dept.edu,etc. AOC=fights oligarchy. Hollen= concentration camps.

Exactly!

Is Gavin Newsom trying to kill is possible presidential run?

Van Hollen’s statement is reasonable, accurate, and uncontroversial for rational people who believe that the Constitution should lead us. Please explain your comment because many people will find it to be vague and opaque.

Gavin Newsom just made himself look very shallow. I was on the fence about him, but I’m no longer on the fence. I don’t think he would be a strong enough leader as potus.

If Gavin made himself look very shallow, one could at least say that Gavin was being honest about himself. He’s an incredibly phony and superficial professional politician. The true embodiment of everything wrong with people who seek higher office. All virtue, signaling and image, no conviction.

Might be because Gavin didn’t go first? His letter to Noem re Andry Hernandez did not get enough attention? Newsom showed a lot of bravery re gay marriage when his was mayor of SF. It was inspiring. But this 👆? Hosting right wingers on his podcast? Nope. RN we need leaders to inspire us. Not this.

I knew it as soon as he threw trans people under the bus. He's trash.

how CAN he lead when he runs behind trump already?

I’m pretty sure the dragon lady Guillfoyle (s/p) would bring receipts to the table for MAGA to fed on. Bet he’s self-eliminating.

That’s my thought

Although she could do it to both sides!

You would never know which side she will take because her face is frozen from Botox

LOL you win tonight.

🤣

As much as I’ve always wanted to like Newsom, he’s too…slick. It’s a nope for Prez from me.

Newsom blew it. Not just with this, but also that podcast he has giving air time to alt right white supremacists and airing his bad opinions. He'll never be president now.

Nah. Republicans will totally vote for him. His political consultants told him so. 4 dimension chess blah blah blah.

“Given a choice between a Republican and a Democrat who acts like a Republican; the voters will pick the Republican every time!” — Harry Truman

this was so beautifully done... i am beyond tired of Newsom but completely intrigued with Van Hollen

newsom’s political is effectively over. I’m fine with that.

Yup. He’s done. Stick a fork in him.

He has always been this good. Signed, A Long Time Constituent.

Newsone only thinks that some lives matter. Van Hollen thinks that all lives matter. Only one of these men has any ethics

More laws and less gentlemen's agreements as the foundation of American leadership.

That's it! Literally after 4 days, I am now making VH4PREZ t shirts The best leadership I have seen from Dems.....ever? Literally? Didn't really know who he was 10 days ago, and now he's fucking Batman LFG 🇺🇸🖖PROSPER

But never forget the OG

That's not Bernie

Glad to see a few people trying to fill the leadership vacuum. Newsom's faults are particularly glaring when literally any other leader says what needs to be said.

👏👏👏👏

Same!!!!!

It’s an easy pill to swallow

They are all oath-brakers. They all took an oath to uphold the constitution.

wait…so that unnamed quote was Newsome?!?!?!🤬🤬🤬

Yes. He's not great.

I'm sooo disappointed in Governor Newsom. He's obviously preparing for a presidential run. He is not connecting at all with the deep and valid concerns of the American people. He's on the wrong side of history in his quest for power.

Same. Had never even heard of this man before he went down to El Salvador and now I'm ready to stump for a ticket with him and Booker at the top.

Maryland is lucky!! Senator VanHollen is a good man!!

💯

I'm the 420th to like this

He’s right

We need to xerox Van Hollen

I’m just not interested in the circular firing squad syndrome. What a waste of mental energy. Aren’t maga and the fascist coup big enough targets? Thank God (and also too bad) that being a POC Dem is still different that being a PWI Dem. We already have to fight FOR everything. Stay focused, y’all!

Interesting. He’s 66yo. Pres candidate?

Just read that he was born in Pakistan somehow? So maybe not?

He was born to American citizen parents who were serving abroad.

If Ted Cruz can run for president, so can he.

I believe that his father was in the foreign service there. I’ve never heard a definitive answer to the question of whether someone born overseas to a US citizen parent can be President.

A child of US citizens born outside of the US is legally a US citizen by birth. His parents weren't just US citizens, they were Federal employees on diplomatic assignments. See Also: John McCain

Got it, thanks.

If we are lucky enough to wrest control back from these fucking fools, I feel like Van Hollen just made himself front runner for UN Ambassador.

No no no! He's my senator and I want him to continue in that job.

Look, this is what all the Dems in office should be doing. Maybe more will follow his example.

@gavinnewsom.bsky.social Time to really grow a pair. No one is impressed with the weakness of Schumer, and you are filling in his footsteps.

I’m old enough to remember that this is what Senators used to sound like in general

That's what I was thinking. Same reaction to Murkowski saying they really are afraid of trump and "retaliation." Retaliate how? You're a Senator FFS, use your authority.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjUm...

We can hope.

Magnificent. Ohtani level Sunday showing

Schumer should be replaced by Van Hollen as leader ASAP.

Newsom keeps stepping in it.

keeps stepping on 'em one after another after another after another after another...

Yes. And this is painful, trust me. #flayedlip

He’s going full on Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle.

Yep

I’m a true blue coastal Californian and I’ve always thought Newsom was just a hairdo.

That’s a very good answer! Good for him.

Someone please tell me what the slang 'pilled' means? Drugged?

knowyourmeme.com/memes/pilled

AAAAH! Of COURSE! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! I DID go and google it but all I found was 'drugs'. This is makes SO much more sense!

He's got his finger to the wind al right but he'll follow it to its 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 and not where the wind is going. 🙇

Same.

I hope courage is contagious. It's ridiculous how open this lane was and nobody was in it.

Amen!

Newsom has his faults to be sure - being a weenie isn't one of them. He certainly led the way on Covid when the rest of the country wasn't paying attention. He quarantined a returning cruise ship in, I believe. late Feb or very early March 2020. Caught hell for it, too. Didn't care. Did it anyway.

he said losing due process rights was a distraction and you think he's string for turning away s cruise ship?

You said he blows with the wind. He doesn't. I don't always agree with him or the way he phrases things, but he's not a lightweight. And he's not against due process, FCS.

I believe the correct response to Sen. Van Hollen is (or was, if the reference is considered a bit too old): "Ooh, snap!"

And "Daaaaaaaaamn! World Star!"

Likin' it! Any new leadership for the Dems is welcomed by me, send the fossils the hell home and make way for the new. There is younger and better out there.

Fucking A!

How can you not? Authenticity and a fighting spirit are what the people need!

Why? I am confused on the hate against him?

IMHO He’s become a common politician with no real convictions. Seems he read the “analysis” (see J. Carville) that Dems are too woke and lost their appeal to Bros and independents. So he’s moved to the right instead of fighting for the American people and the rule of law and common decency.

I like his style. Angus King is another one. Fantastic interview with Heather Cox Richardson. Our nation is structured around that testy old Constitution.