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Some call it resistance; others call it herbal tea.
Whatever the name, the liberal insurgents demanded a more confrontational approach from President Trump and his Republican allies. From Charles River in Boston, to Senate committees on Capitol Hill, from Chicago City Hall to Delaware beaches, Democratic veterans have come under fire from political newcomers or young colleagues.
Moments suggest that Democrats are now grappling with something resembling what Republicans experienced eight years ago. It was then that the so-called Tea Party began to take control of the GOP in a way that is still rampant in the House and Senate caucuses.
For the Democrats, the first blow came Tuesday night when Ayanna Pressley, 44, a member of the Boston City Council, routed one of the party's most liberal incumbents, Rep. Michael E. Capuano (Mass.). In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who once aspired to build a Daley-style reign in the city, gave up his re-election against a host of Liberal protesters and continued protests against the police department.
Two days later, in Delaware, Senator Thomas R. Carper (D) fought an insurgent liberal who had almost no money or political history, but who offered him his most difficult race since his victory 18 years.
"The political establishment has given us Donald Trump, he has given us the worst political stance for the Democratic Party since the 1920s. We need change and change is happening," said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass. ), A thorn in the minds of its leaders who was himself elected by beating a 18-year-old four years ago.
This new dynamic materialized in the confirmation hearings of the Senate Judiciary Committee for the appointment of Mr. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. They began Tuesday with the junior member of the panel, Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Defying the 84-year-old president, Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the voluminous mandate documents from Kavanaugh to the George W. Bush White House.
Hearings wrapped up Friday on a debate over whether Senator Cory Booker (DN.J.), the second youngest member, should be subject to an ethical investigation into the unauthorized publication of certain documents considered confidential.
With the confirmation of the hearings, the Democrats are fighting to stick to the scenario against Kavanaugh
Off Capitol Hill, Liberal activists, led by a former acolyte of Senate minority leader Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.), accused Senator Dianne Feinstein (California) of not being sufficiently aggressive during clashes. with Grassley. The protesters interrupted four days of hearing, which led to 227 arrests by the US police.
None of these actions will likely have prejudiced the Democrats before the 2018 midterm elections, in which they continue to be in a strong position to fight for the parliamentary majority and have an outside chance at the Senate majority. In fact, some of these initiatives could have energized the already motivated Liberal voter base in November.
But taken together, these actions demonstrate that a mentality could be opposing Trump, which is similar to what was firmly anchored in the Republicans before the 2010 mid-term elections.
At the time, ideology was no longer defined by traditional conservative policies such as free trade and strong national security. These positions were skewed by emotional conservatism – the one who took the strongest and most confrontational approach to opposing the Obama administration attracted the most attention, even though their idea no chance of succeeding.
Yes, the pun was planned because Trump and his sometimes non-conservative positions came to redefine the Republican Party.
The answer to Trump could create a mirror image where emotional confrontation, regardless of the probabilities of success, becomes the centerpiece of the liberal world.
Take Kavanaugh's hearings. Some coalition leaders who oppose the judge criticized Feinstein and other democrats for even taking part in the hearings.
An exit from the hearings could have created a temporary positive feeling – a triumph of emotional liberalism – but that would not have slowed down Kavanaugh's confirmation.
In fact, the Republicans, then in the minority, made exactly the same threat in June 2010, before the confirmation hearings of Judge Elena Kagan.
Schumer quietly tried to protect the interests of a handful of Democrats in states that voted heavily for Trump in 2016, many of whom could vote to confirm Kavanaugh. Liberal activists made it clear that they would accuse Schumer of any defections in the vote, prompting some allies to defend him.
"Charles E. Schumer has a tough job," said Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), A favorite of the base, on Thursday. "But he held us together in health care debates. He held us together in tax debates. And clearly makes the difference between Republicans, who want to make this government work only for the rich and the powerful.
Democrats are optimistic about the victory of the house, but not about Pelosi as a speaker
Across the Capitol, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Finds herself in a weakened position while dozens of candidates in the House have vowed to oppose her candidacy if Democrats win the majority. Some of these challengers are in Trump-oriented districts and are making calculated moves to attract conservative voters.
But newcomers like Pressley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28, who stunned the Democrats by beating 20-year-old MP Joseph Crowley in a New York Democratic primary, also refuse to support Pelosi.
These young Turks have created a slow boil among senior Democrats who wonder if newcomers have the ability to lead the Congress at such a crucial time. "Young men are called because they are strong and old because they know the way. Our leadership must have a balanced mix of both, "said Representative James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), No. 3 in the House leadership, in a recent interview.
Republican leaders are well aware that the most dangerous rivals are not in competitive districts, but in the safest districts. The tea groups deliberately sought to elect the most conflicting legislators in strong Republican districts and, from this effort, the House Freedom Caucus.
These right-wing legislators led the federal government to a closure in October 2013 and helped oust John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) from the president's office two years later. They threaten to support another government stop this fall.
Moulton believes that, if they win the majority, Democrats will avoid these pitfalls, but only because Democrats tend to support the federal government.
"The tea party is trying to destroy the government," he said. "We need to restore confidence in the government. Sometimes it means being willing to go against the institution, but that does not mean that institutions have to be torn apart. "
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