Work Reform

they’re not wrong.

Why can Republicans govern with a slim majority while Democrats consistently need a supermajority?

I will say that there's immense value in symbolism, performative values, and simply being caught trying by voters. Yes the President will veto anything good, but fucking make him do it. Go on social media and the talk shows to rip him a new one for all of the good things that he's actively preventing. Move the Overton Window. Change the terms of the public discourse.

Governing long ago moved beyond mere parliamentary procedure; it also needs to be a show that the people in the cheap seats (a.k.a. low-information voters) can watch.

The thing is that many people are looking too short-sightedly for the internal (non-revolution-like) reform path. The goal for change is 2028, but change in 2028 can't get off the ground running, if a 2026 sweep doesn't. (I wish you had a Westminster system with no-confidence votes, but alas).

What Congress can do is to compel Trump administration officials to get their asses into the chamber. They can put articles and lawsuits with appropriate standing to:

• Halt ballroom construction.
• Halt reckless and unnecessary tariffs.
• Halt the endless war spending on the unauthorized military adventure Iran.
• Halt funding for Israel.
• Abolish/stymie/revoke funding from ICE.
• Have the DoJ release the Epstein files.
• Assess Trump's mental state and capacity to lead.
• Release funding that Congress allocated but the Trump admin is withholding or disbursing unevenly (e.g. FEMA)
• Collect evidence to make the case to impeach the justices or reform the Supreme Court in 2028.

Congress under leadership of feckless Republicans and sometimes Democrats haven't asserted the power of the purse. For budgetary matters, votes can be held without permanently removing the cloture rule. And if Trump refuses to sign a bill voted on D-party lines to fund the government while implementing changes, the government will shut down once again and the bill will await him on the desk until he signs it. He will try to shift blame as he always does, but the government has shutdown led by Republicans or Democrats, the common thread is his incompetent ass in charge for most of the time since 2016.

I don't think that OP is expecting Democrats or Progressives to get things through the Trump administration without a supermajority that can override his veto. What we are hoping for/expecting is that Democrats and Progressives to say "Fuck you, we're passing this bill and sending it on."

Medicare for All? "Fuck you we're passing this bill, veto it motherfucker!". Taxing rich people? "Fuck you we're passing this bill, veto this PDF". Repealing the Medicare cuts? "Hey, asshole, we passed it, oh and go fuck yourselves". Repeal the procedural filibuster? "Fuck it, we'll do it live!". Impeachment? "Hey, it's Tuesday, this asshole just did something unbecoming of the office, guess it's time to have another impeachment hearing, oh and fuck you, that's why."

Just try instead of rolling over on day one, what we're asking for even if you know it's destined to fail and show that you're willing to do the work. Back your shit up with actions instead of just words of "Well it'll never pass so we'll never try". Say what you will about Republicans, when they get in power, they do not give a fuck and will introduce every bad idea in their head and dare the President to veto it and that's why their base votes for them consistently.

That's what OP I think is asking people to remember.

They never, ever need a super majority. EVER.

That rule can be changed at any time by simple majority vote. That cloture rule is a parliamentary rule and is not law.

Don't be duped. Please look at what they call "the nuclear option."

There are over 180 exceptions to the super majority so far (last time I checked a few years ago).

(fun fact: the "nuclear option" was first called that by Trent Lott, a Republican, in the 2000s. Both parties immediately adopted the term because it scares the shit out of voters. What was it called before that? "the constitutional option").

Don't be a sucker. If they want to pass something, viola! It's an exception (like our budgets). If they don't want to pass something, but they want the voters to think that they do, "oh no, we need a super majority, super sorry we tried so hard!"

The solution is very simple. No other nation requires super majority votes for a reason.

No laws need to be changed.

Exactly. Obama's

Yes we can

Resonated with a lot of people and then it turned out he and the Democratic senators of the 111th congress had no intention on following through.

Or general strike.

This tbh. I've got very little faith in politicians to do something at this point. I would have been happy if 2022 Democratic senators and Biden did nothing and refused to get involved with the rail strike. Yet in another display of solidarity with corporations and billionaires they moved quickly to pass a bipartisan bill to block the rail strike. Wild.

They'll do the "We look forward, we don't look back" bullshit that Obama pulled post Bush.

Nobody important in the Trump administration will be prosecuted or punished in any meaningful way. Just you watch, we've been here before.

Democrats won’t do anything

Why do you suppose this is effective?

I got the notion of this a long time ago. I mean like Obama expanding the Patriot Act. Like thanks for doing what I voted for you not to do. The opposite of progress is Congress. And there's a whole lot of Cons.

Those things we didn't get in 2024?

The United States has a huge problem with presidential pardon power. Anyone serious about accountability needs to advocate for getting rid of it.