The Establishments war on Donald Trump
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Title: House Democrats plan to troll Trump at big speech
Source:
Politico
URL Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/ ... gress-address-democrats-235363
Published: Feb 26, 2017
Author: Heather Caygle
Post Date: 2017-02-26 11:07:39 by cranky
Keywords: None
Views: 4601
Comments: 24
“It’s my hope that gallery is going to look like America,” said Rep. Jim Langevin. Lawmakers are inviting 'Dreamers,' Muslim-Americans and others to his joint address before Congress on Tuesday. House Democrats are seizing on President Donald Trump’s first major speech to Congress Tuesday as an opportunity to troll the new president in prime time. Many of the same Democrats who boycotted Trump’s inauguration are choosing not to skip his first address to Congress as president, instead opting to bring guests directly affected by the administration’s controversial policies on immigration and refugees and Republican attempts to repeal Obamacare. “It’s my hope that gallery is going to look like America,” said Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), who is leading an effort to have his colleagues bring diverse guests Tuesday and will be joined by Rhode Island Dr. Ehsun Mirza, a Muslim-American born in Pakistan. “It’s another reminder to the president that he’s not the arbiter of patriotism.” The effort is designed to put a human face on Trump’s immigration and refugee policies — and perhaps steal a bit of the spotlight from the president's big speech. Though it's unlikely to resonate much beyond Tuesday night, members said doing something is better than nothing. Langevin started urging fellow Democrats to invite guests affected by Trump’s policies when the administration unexpectedly rolled out a travel ban for seven Muslim countries. Trump has since said he'll issue a similar executive order that can withstand legal challenges soon. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) invited Hameed Darweesh, an Iraqi interpreter who worked with the U.S. army for a decade overseas and was detained before the travel ban was struck down by federal courts. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) will be accompanied by Banah Alhanfy, a young Iraqi woman who was temporarily separated from her family, including her Iraqi-interpreter father, because of the executive order. Langevin expects 10 to 15 of his colleagues and their guests to participate in a press conference railing against Trump’s policies Tuesday. Several other lawmakers are focusing on the administration’s recent moves to beef up immigration enforcement, which Democrats warn is just the beginning stages of mass deportations. “We're trying to not just tell the president, but we’re trying to tell the country, apparently tolerance and justice issues require ongoing lessons,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said. Quigley is one of a handful of members inviting a so-called "Dreamer," an undocumented immigrant brought here as a minor, to Trump’s speech. Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) are also bringing Dreamers as guests. Trump has said Dreamers are safe from deportation, despite the administration’s efforts to expand immigration enforcement elsewhere, but many Democrats have said they don’t trust the president to not change his mind later. Arizona Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva and Ruben Gallego are bringing the children of an undocumented immigrant who was recently deported during a routine check-in with enforcement officials. Other lawmakers have invited Muslim guests who have been victims of hate crimes. Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s guest is Aneelah Afzali, a Muslim-American and longtime local community activist. Afzali’s local mosque was vandalized after the election. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (N.Y.) has invited Sarker Haque, a Queens business owner who was attacked in his store in 2015, allegedly by a man claiming he wanted to “kill Muslims.” More than a dozen Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats are bringing constituents who would be affected by Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare. And Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) is leading a separate effort encouraging members to invite law enforcement officials and first responders to call attention to Republican efforts to roll back gun restrictions in the post-Obama era. “There’s been some pretty troubling action coming out of Congress in regard to [guns],” Thompson said in an interview. Congress recently sent a bill to the president’s desk that would roll back restrictions on mentally ill senior citizens buying guns. Thompson said other GOP efforts to push legislation that would circumvent state laws on concealed carry permits and allow the purchase of gun silencers over the counter are just as troubling. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, whose Connecticut district includes Newtown, along with Reps. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), are participating in Thompson’s effort and will join him at a Tuesday press conference. “We’re trying to be proactive here and let folks know what the Trump administration and what the Republican Congress is pushing,” said Thompson, who chairs the caucus’ gun violence task force. “I’m a glass is half full kind of guy but this is something that I’ve never experienced before.” 
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 18.
#2. To: cranky (#0)
It will never work. Trump is the Master Troll. No one can out-troll him. It is his secret superpower.
Trump is the Master Troll. No one can out-troll him. It is his secret superpower. Indeed. He will now fill his gallery seats with ICE agents, FBI and DHS. I would not put it passed him to have the families of victims from illegal alien and dreamer murders. I mean this is the guy who put Paula Jones and Juanita Broadrick in up front seating near Bill Clinton at the last debate.
I grant he could do that. I think he'll do a serious speech and not attack the press and get too confrontational. He'll try to go classy. His aides are no doubt pointing out that this is likely the biggest audience he will ever get (outside a big national emergency) and it is a chance to show himself as reasonable and reaching out to the Dems (before he cuts their legs out from under them). Of course, that is the conventional political smart move. Perhaps Trump will double-down on his inauguration speech and really drive 'em crazy. I would say this is more likely than having his own anti-gallery of victims to confront the Dems and their victim-gallery. Personally, I would enjoy hearing him recount his own election victory state by state with his usual jibes at the media and follow it up with a promise to Congress that they are going to win so much, they will get tired of winning, et cetera. It's my favorite Trump comedy bit. I always start laughing. I think he'll push his budget plan for more defense and less of everything else except SS/Medicare (but also more infrastructure spending), deregulation, border wall/enforcement, take shots at Dems for obstructionism on appointees, touch on 0bamaCare melting down and his own plan and stress the need for tax cuts this year.
Instead we saw another amoeba-like move engulfing the dem's from the left. Didja catch the blue ties? Cagey bastard.
Missed the blue ties. Who was wearing them?
#19. To: redleghunter (#18)
VP and SOTH are wearing identical cobalt blue ties and the POTUS dark blue with white stripes. Some subtle (or maybe not-so-subtle) messaging there, eh?
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestHouse Democrats are seizing on President Donald Trump’s first major speech to Congress Tuesday as an opportunity to troll the new president in prime time.
#5. To: Tooconservative (#2)
It will never work.
#6. To: redleghunter (#5)
(Edited)
I would not put it passed him to have the families of victims from illegal alien and dreamer murders.
#13. To: Tooconservative (#6)
Of course, that is the conventional political smart move. Perhaps Trump will double-down on his inauguration speech and really drive 'em crazy. I would say this is more likely than having his own anti-gallery of victims to confront the Dems and their victim-gallery.
#18. To: randge (#13)
Replies to Comment # 18. Missed the blue ties. Who was wearing them?
End Trace Mode for Comment # 18.
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