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    whatamithinkingMonique Judge
    11/28/18 5:58pm

    Hakeem Jeffries is not my cup of politics - too establishment for my taste. And no doubt Barbara Lee’s militancy & sex worked against her. Obviously his uncle, Prof Len Jeffries (shout out to Prof Jeffries!), worldview didn’t rub off on him and that’s a pity.

    I wish him well but if you’re a supporter of the Palestinian cause, he’s your worst nightmare. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries supports Israel to the hilt!

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      Malaika Jabaliwhatamithinking
      11/28/18 11:08pm

      He sympathized with Israelis enforcing an apartheid state and tried to compare them to kids growing up in the hood. He would basically be Republican if not for the fact that he’s not self-loathing. He’s the actual worst.

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    HuskyBroMonique Judge
    11/28/18 4:08pm

    Barbara Lee, the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization of use of force following 9/11 has more balls than most of the men on Capitol Hill, there, I said it.

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      skefflesHuskyBro
      11/28/18 5:26pm

      And I agree with it.

      It was disgusting the way so many dems rolled over in the wake of 9/11. We looked to them for a principled, measured, and proportional response to that disaster. Instead they leapt aboard the human rights abusing, constitution shredding, privacy destroying, Republican Crazy-Train.

      That is the problem the Democrats have never really tackled, and the wedge inside the party that they’ve never really come back from. Until someone high-profile from the post 9/11 crazytrain is prepared to say they were wrong and the entire Middle Eastern policy post 9/11 has been wrong then the party is always going to be dangerously split. We’ve achieved nothing except historic levels of state intrusion into our lives, turned the Middle East into the perfect breeding and training ground for extremism of all types, and swamped our European partners with a tide of refugees so huge it has triggered the rise of the far right in Europe and may even cause the break up of the EU.

      I don’t place the blame for all of all that on the Dems, don’t get me wrong the Republicans carry the can for a massive chunk of that, but the Dems refusal to roll any of it back and desire to show they are just as tough and military obsessed has not helped and has made the Republican’s mess worse.

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    Hyperbolic Idiot ChamberMonique Judge
    11/28/18 4:06pm

    Even as Nancy Pelosi stands ready to continue her as the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House with the backing of Reps. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts, John Lewis of Georgia and Katie Hill of California, there are opponents of the 78-year-old who hope she will not have the 218 votes it will take to keep her position.

    According to the times as of now she doesn’t have the votes.

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      j4x_Hyperbolic Idiot Chamber
      11/28/18 4:35pm

      Nah.

      At least 10 of those will fall in line now that the nomination process is over, she’s already almost brought over the $rules” idiots and at least a few will vote “present”.

      She has it in the bag and has for weeks.

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      M.E. Lawrencej4x_
      11/28/18 5:13pm

      Agreed. Pelosi is one smart politician; she’ll whip them into line. The rookie Congressional reps can learn a lot from her.

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    KanyeZestMonique Judge
    11/28/18 4:13pm

    Jeffries may be young blood, but his love of charter schools is problematic.

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      Hoyo AfrikaKanyeZest
      11/28/18 4:27pm

      The taking apart of public schools is part of the program envisioned by thinkers associated with the Mont Pelerin Society.

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      KikomanKanyeZest
      11/28/18 8:05pm

      Jeffries is a corporate Democrat. He will prioritize the interests of the donor class. I say we start looking for a primary challenger today. 

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    Manitos, The Tiny Hands of TrumpMonique Judge
    11/28/18 6:16pm
    Illustration for article titled
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      Nina LemoneManitos, The Tiny Hands of Trump
      11/28/18 7:09pm

      That's a bad look.

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      Malaika JabaliNina Lemone
      11/28/18 11:05pm

      You mean Jeffries, right? Because that headline is not wrong. This man is...not good. And I say that as someone in his congressional district.

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    Kool-Aid-CongoMonique Judge
    11/28/18 6:33pm

    As both The Hill and the New York Times note, Jeffries’ win is emblematic of the younger class of freshman Congress members who seem eager to shake things up, turning loose the old guard in favor of new voices and leadership.

    From what I’ve read of this guy, Jeffries is a corporate shill, who’s in the pocket of corporations and the uber rich. He, like most of these types of Democrats, will be good on social issues, but when it comes to issues like Medicare for all and increasing the minimum wage or any policy that will benefit the people, he’ll likely be against it.

    This is a bad day for progressives and a great day for corporations.

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      bluelarkKool-Aid-Congo
      11/29/18 6:32am

      Man is ranked only six slots behind Barbara Lee on Progressive Punch. He’s definitely got some problematic views (primarily charter schools and Israel), but he’s not quite the complete centrist/McCain level war hawk folks are making him out to be. He’s waffled on supporting M4All, but I definitely think he can be pushed from the left to take a firm stance for M4All—especially as he recently worked to expand Medicare, so he sees where the wind is blowing.

      That said, I’m very disappointed it wasn’t Barbara Lee. She’s one of, if not, my favorite progressive for her various stances; also, she’s intersectional and doesn’t think economics is a cure all for racism (cough cough Bernie). I also believe (sadly) this was one of her last shots at grabbing a very senior leadership position—Speaker was never going to happen despite everyone’s wishes because of how they become the public face more than anyone else, and her comments on Castro would be played on repeat in FL much like soundbites of Pelosi are now—but this was most definitely in her grasp.

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    acmeindustriesMonique Judge
    11/28/18 5:06pm

    Meanwhile, the Congressional Black Caucus elected and announced its new chair. Rep. Karen Bass of California will be the 26th chair of the CBC, and the eighth woman to hold the position....

    The CBC also elected Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH) as 1st Vice Chair; Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) as 2nd Vice Chair;

    The CBC apparently leads the way in electing women to leadership positions.

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    Hoyo AfrikaMonique Judge
    11/28/18 4:20pm

    both domestic and international issues affecting people of African descent

    I’m glad to see this approach to global blackness is still alive. I’m just reading Claude McKay’s Amiable With Big Teeth and it is set in Harlem during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in the 1930's. The characters are all involved with finding ways to help Ethiopia.

    It’s so heartening to see black Americans never gave up on the concerns of black people worldwide.

    Ahhhhhhh, reading this line just made my fucking day!

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    BadOmbreMonique Judge
    11/29/18 1:47am

    I’m glad to see Richmond out of that position quite frankly for a number of reasons, one of which being his weird friendship with and often caping/overing for Klan sympathizer Steve Scalise.

    I’m really “meh” about the Caucus Chair election, though.  Lee is definitely to the left of Jeffries, but I’m also not buying the Berniecrat “corporate-shill” bullshit always thrown at anyone to the right of Comrade Sanders.

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    llaalleellMonique Judge
    11/28/18 6:52pm

    Jeffries is a mixed bag, which seems about right for the party. I’m not going to spend too much energy worrying about this because he’ll probably be fine, but he’d be wise to show respect to Lee going forward because she’s the real deal. Pelosi is the more frustrating situation here.

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      Banestarllaalleell
      11/29/18 11:35am

      The one position that usually goes to progressives was denied to a courageous, committed black women, making the Democratic leadership entirely composed of corporate sellouts.

      This is absolutely what we should be focused on.

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      llaalleellBanestar
      11/29/18 12:01pm

      I prefer Lee, and Jeffries has got his issues, but he is progressive and votes that way. I say that having lived in both candidates’ districts at one point or another.

      There are problematic angles to discuss in the dynamic of this. I don’t think it should be ignored. But the focus of my concerns about government right now? I’m not spending a ton of energy on it when there are so many other things that are more dire right now.

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