Alabama Liberal

  It’s Byrd bath time for Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” In reality, the GOP is really hoping that the Senate Parliamentarian throws them a lifeline and makes the more controversial provisions not eligible to be passed under reconciliation. I believe that the Senate GOP has the votes to pass whatever version of the bill emerges from the process. Majority Leader Thune would have to lose four votes for it to fail. I don’t see that happening. The real test, and in reality, this has always been the case, will be can it pass the House again? It’s back in the House that it faces its most perilous moment. In the House, two very different factions could sink the bill. You have the House Freedom Caucus; these are the most unrealistic conservatives. It took a lot of whipping to get these members on board to pass the legislation the first time around. And now that a much more trimmed-down version of the bill will be coming back, it’s questionable if Speaker Johnson can get to 218. In the end, ...

    Zohran Mamdani winning is a political earthquake. It will have profound consequences for the Democratic Party going forward. Democratic primary voters have said very loudly that they want change and they want it now. I expect a lot of older Democrats will see the writing on the wall in a few weeks and announce retirement rather than go down in a primary. Looking especially at California 11, California 43 and New York 12.     In 2008, Senator Barack Obama had a message that resonated with younger voters, who, along with African American voters, formed an unbeatable coalition. He also connected with voters in a very real way. He was the right candidate at the right place at the right time. In 2018, AOC determined that Rep. Joe Crowley was not focusing on his job of representing his constituents. Her message was very focused and consistent. Zohran Mamdani ran a campaign focused on affordability in a city that is increasingly becoming unaffordable for the workin...

  The strategy   The Democratic Party is at a crossroads. The 2024 elections exposed deep problems within the Democratic Party and left the party in search of a new mission and purpose as we go forward into the future. I am going to offer what I believe is a winning message and path forward for the party and the country. I firmly believe that the Democratic Party has a positive agenda and offers policies that will benefit more Americans than the Republican Party. Unfortunately, Democrats seem adrift on how to best articulate that message. I am here to help. I live in a place that Donald Trump won by 72%. Trump didn’t receive 72% of the vote here; that was the difference between Trump and Harris. So I know a thing or two about what is happening out here in MAGAville.      The first thing Democrats should do is focus on how Republican budget cuts hurt veterans. DODE cuts have impacted the Department of Veterans Affairs; those cuts include doctors and nurses w...