Discussion
BREAKING VIDEO: Chris Van Hollen for Senate Majority Leader
I've been listening. On election day, the American people, they spoke loudly and clearly. They voted against a war they never asked for, against rising costs and rampant corruption, against a White House that traffics in cruelty and impunity, and against a politics that is too timid to stand up.
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@nomdeb @mastodonmigration
You’re overlooking the sad fact that many Democrats are just Republicans wearing a blue tie.
@freediverx @nomdeb Yes, but many aren't. This is our time to seize back control of the Democratic Party.
@mastodonmigration I see high production values and a feel-good message, but I learned nothing about Chris Van Hollen or why I should support him.
@bdod Stay tuned it is coming. M4A, prosecution of Trump officials, get rid of the filibuster, financial regulation, AI and Crypto regulation, money out of politics.
@mastodonmigration @bdod I think it’s a bit optimistic to expect all of that. Or even half of it.
However, as an example, Van Hollen _has_ been critical of Israel policy, which is quite a shift from Schumer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Van_Hollen#Israel–Palestine
And the ad mentions wars multiple times — he has been consistently more critical of interventionist foreign policy than Schumer has.
I love this ad so much. Taking his case to the American people.
What you got, Chuck?
Make your case.
I've never seen an ad for Senate Majority (or Minority) Leader.
@TCatInReality Great point. We are definitely in a new era. Van Hollen's hopes for success ride on taking the message to the people. Much as the media was stacked against the Dems in the election. The power of new independent media was instrumental in carrying candidate's messages and reducing the power of the partisan gatekeepers. So too now can new media play a role in mobilizing the public behind the Senate Majority Leader fight.
Yes, also Indivisible is openly calling for someone else to lead the Senate Dems.
Indivisible and the #NoKings movement were also hugely influential. Hopefully they can here as well
Van Hollen for Majority Leader (cont)
All over America, we the people will not stand for tyranny. So many of our candidates ran not left versus right, progressive versus moderate versus conservative, but on the idea that we're all in this together to take on a rigged economic system that is powered by a corrupt political system.
But Democrats have not been given a mandate. We've been given an opportunity, an audition.
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Van Hollen for Majority Leader (cont)
We need to earn the people's trust. That means a bold agenda to bring down costs for working people, ending the war in Iran immediately, and aligning our policies with our values at home and around the world. As Democrats, we are the keepers of a profound inheritance. We are the party that fights for workers, for social security and Medicare, for public education, and for civil rights.
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Van Hollen for Majority Leader (cont)
But we have drifted, my friends. We become a party that too often trims its sales. too cautious, too rudderless, too attached to poll washed, pundant rinsed, and donor dried messages. It's time to turn the page.
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Van Hollen for Majority Leader (cont)
I was not planning to seek a Senate leadership role. And this is not about any one individual. It's about whether at this moment of choosing, we fight for the kind of country and party the American people deserve. They are ready for a new day. And that's why I've decided to run for Senate Majority Leader.
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@mastodonmigration One man, Trump, has caused so much danger and destruction - with the enablement of the Republicans. Chuck Schumer and the Democrats should learn from this. Set aside personal ambition and put country first. #StepAsideChuck #VanHollen #WeThePeople