Democrats get savvy in their fight against Trump and Musk
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On Friday, a group of House Democrats shared videos on Bluesky and X showing them being denied entry to the Department of Education in response to Elon Musk’s hostile takeover. The Department of Education is the fourth government agency to which Democrats have been denied access. The first was the U.S. Agency of International Development on Monday, followed by the Treasury Department on Tuesday. And on Thursday, they were denied access to the Environmental Protection Agency. The youngest member of Congress, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, shared videos on Bluesky as he stood outside of the Department of Education next to three-decade veteran Congress member, Rep. Maxine Waters of California. One of the videos shared with Frost’s 211,400 followers showed the police being called on the group. “They have locked the doors. They’re not letting us in. And right here, they have armed officers as well acting like we’re dangerous. A year ago, I’d be able to walk into this building and not be locked out. Elon is allowed in this building, but not you,” Frost said directly to the camera. In an earlier Bluesky video, Frost showed a tense altercation unfolding, as a man blocked members of Congress who were trying to enter the Department of Education building. “Are you prepared to stand here all night if we decide to stay?” Waters asked. “I guess, yeah,” the man responded. “Did Elon Musk hire you?” a Congress member asked off camera. “Who do you work for? Are you qualified to be here?” another asked. “I’m a federal employee working for the Department of Education,” the unnamed man replied. Protesters during a 50501 gathering in Charleston, West Virginia, on Feb. 5. Democrats are taking it upon themselves to share these incidents directly with voters on social media, which is how the majority of Americans consume media in the digital age. With this fresh strategy, they can cut through the media middleman and send out visceral clips of what’s happening on the ground in real time. In another video on Tuesday, Frost stood outside the Treasury Department with a group of Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, after Musk illegally accessed private user data and payment systems. “We need to understand why it is that our Department of Treasury has been broken into. And we need to go ahead and handle the person that decided that they were going to have the audacity to go after our information,” Crockett said. On Thursday, Ed Markey posted videos and photos of himself being denied entry to the EPA. Since President Donald Trump was elected, Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, has posted a slew of videos, in which he speaks directly to voters, explaining the meaning of each new directive, comment, executive order, and tariff instilled by the Trump administration. “Tariffs aren’t paid for by foreign governments, tariffs aren’t paid for by the companies, tariffs are paid for by consumers. They’re paid for by you,” Murphy said in one video posted on Tuesday. “What you really need to know is tariffs end up being really good for companies and really bad for consumers.” Meanwhile, Rep. Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado, posted a message on Facebook in a video she shared Thursday, showing her standing with protesters and holding a sign that read, “Stop the billionaire takeover.” “You can hear behind me, ‘No to DOGE.’ We are not going to give an unelected billionaire the right to take away worker’s freedoms and protections. This is illegal, and it will be stopped,” she said. Similarly, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts stood shoulder-to-shoulder with protesters as they denounced Trump and Musk’s gutting of the federal government and taking over of sensitive personal data. A recent grassroots movement called 50501 also emerged, leading to protests and marches across the country. This began shortly after Trump announced his buyout offer to all federal workers. Department of Education employees have been warned by their bosses that Trump might not follow through on his end of the deal. As Trump and Musk illegally purge the government, Democrats are leveraging social media, public protests, and confrontations to communicate with voters. With doors to federal agencies literally being shut in their faces, they’re bringing their fight to the digital sphere, where they can bypass traditional media filters and speak directly to Americans. Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/7/2302149/-Democrats-get-savvy-in-their-fight-against-Trump-and-Musk?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main
On Friday, a group of House Democrats shared videos on Bluesky and X showing them being denied entry to the Department of Education in response to Elon Musk’s hostile takeover. The Department of Education is the fourth government agency to which Democrats have been denied access. The first was the U.S. Agency of International Development on Monday, followed by the Treasury Department on Tuesday. And on Thursday, they were denied access to the Environmental Protection Agency. The youngest member of Congress, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, shared videos on Bluesky as he stood outside of the Department of Education next to three-decade veteran Congress member, Rep. Maxine Waters of California. One of the videos shared with Frost’s 211,400 followers showed the police being called on the group. “They have locked the doors. They’re not letting us in. And right here, they have armed officers as well acting like we’re dangerous. A year ago, I’d be able to walk into this building and not be locked out. Elon is allowed in this building, but not you,” Frost said directly to the camera. In an earlier Bluesky video, Frost showed a tense altercation unfolding, as a man blocked members of Congress who were trying to enter the Department of Education building. “Are you prepared to stand here all night if we decide to stay?” Waters asked. “I guess, yeah,” the man responded. “Did Elon Musk hire you?” a Congress member asked off camera. “Who do you work for? Are you qualified to be here?” another asked. “I’m a federal employee working for the Department of Education,” the unnamed man replied. Protesters during a 50501 gathering in Charleston, West Virginia, on Feb. 5. Democrats are taking it upon themselves to share these incidents directly with voters on social media, which is how the majority of Americans consume media in the digital age. With this fresh strategy, they can cut through the media middleman and send out visceral clips of what’s happening on the ground in real time. In another video on Tuesday, Frost stood outside the Treasury Department with a group of Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, after Musk illegally accessed private user data and payment systems. “We need to understand why it is that our Department of Treasury has been broken into. And we need to go ahead and handle the person that decided that they were going to have the audacity to go after our information,” Crockett said. On Thursday, Ed Markey posted videos and photos of himself being denied entry to the EPA. Since President Donald Trump was elected, Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, has posted a slew of videos, in which he speaks directly to voters, explaining the meaning of each new directive, comment, executive order, and tariff instilled by the Trump administration. “Tariffs aren’t paid for by foreign governments, tariffs aren’t paid for by the companies, tariffs are paid for by consumers. They’re paid for by you,” Murphy said in one video posted on Tuesday. “What you really need to know is tariffs end up being really good for companies and really bad for consumers.” Meanwhile, Rep. Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado, posted a message on Facebook in a video she shared Thursday, showing her standing with protesters and holding a sign that read, “Stop the billionaire takeover.” “You can hear behind me, ‘No to DOGE.’ We are not going to give an unelected billionaire the right to take away worker’s freedoms and protections. This is illegal, and it will be stopped,” she said. Similarly, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts stood shoulder-to-shoulder with protesters as they denounced Trump and Musk’s gutting of the federal government and taking over of sensitive personal data. A recent grassroots movement called 50501 also emerged, leading to protests and marches across the country. This began shortly after Trump announced his buyout offer to all federal workers. Department of Education employees have been warned by their bosses that Trump might not follow through on his end of the deal. As Trump and Musk illegally purge the government, Democrats are leveraging social media, public protests, and confrontations to communicate with voters. With doors to federal agencies literally being shut in their faces, they’re bringing their fight to the digital sphere, where they can bypass traditional media filters and speak directly to Americans. Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/7/2302149/-Democrats-get-savvy-in-their-fight-against-Trump-and-Musk?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main