In interrupting Donald Trump’s speech to Congress, Rep. Al Green showed more vigor in opposing the president’s undemocratic, anti-worker agenda than any other act since Inauguration Day. Democrats should emulate Green, not censure him.
Weaponizing Quorum Calls: No Majority, No Business
Most of the time, Senators are not on the Senate floor. But technically, the Senate is not allowed to conduct official business unless a majority of senators (51 if all seats are filled) are present. That’s called a quorum, and it’s the foundation of Senate procedure. If a quorum isn’t present, the Senate grinds to a halt. The friendly thing to do is to NOT ask if there is a quorum - that’s how MOST business moves forward in the Senate. But Senate Democrats can use their power in the minority to call for a quorum and cause massive disruptions by constantly demanding quorum calls and even walking out to deny Republicans the ability to govern.
Blocking Unanimous Consent: Every Action Must Take the Maximum Time
Unanimous consent is the grease that keeps the Senate moving. Normally, the Senate runs on handshake deals—routine matters like scheduling votes, moving bills forward, or skipping over procedural steps all happen only if no senator objects. That’s called unanimous consent (UC)—and if even one Democrat objects, it forces the Senate to go through long, time-consuming processes to get anything done.
Force roll call votes on everything—Republicans must go on record for every bad decision.
Use motions to recommit to force Republicans to take difficult votes.
File privileged resolutions to demand immediate consideration of issues Republicans want to avoid.
Leverage parliamentary inquiries and points of order to disrupt floor proceedings and expose GOP dysfunction.
2. Show Up and Fight in Committees
Put Republicans on the record about their harmful policies.
Force votes when GOP members are absent to either force something through or force every Republican member to be in their seats the entire time.
Make motions to subpoena officials and demand transparency.
Expose MAGA extremism in real-time.
3. Investigate and Expose MAGA Sabotage
Demand hearings on Trump’s and Vought’s plans to override federal spending. If Republicans refuse to hold real oversight hearings, Democrats must take matters into their own hands. That means holding shadow hearings—bringing in experts, impacted communities, and whistleblowers to expose how MAGA elites are trying to loot the government and rig the system for billionaires. These hearings should be public, media-driven, and designed to put pressure on Republicans to defend their corruption in the light of day.
Publicize findings to show voters exactly how MAGA elites are trying to loot the government, and while Republicans are covering for the Trump-Musk coup, Democrats are fighting to stop it.
4. Take the Fight to the Public
Host Town Halls: Update voters on how Democrats are fighting back.
Adopt GOP Districts: Hold town halls in Republican-held areas to expose GOP sabotage and talk directly to their constituents.
Engage Online: Mobilize voters with digital content that names names and pulls no punches.
Their biggest problem is they are not willing to meet them at their level. You gotta go low like them . Its the only thing they understand. Go fight them in the mud!
Imagine if they all walked out and the GOP majority just started passing votes with nobody to vote against it. Right now, if every Dem is present and voting, the GOP can only miss 1 vote.
I think listening to your opponents speeches can sometimes be helpful in resisting their actions. After all, he’s been telling us what his plans are since before the election and most people didn’t believe him.
Mr. Orange’s speech was in the congressional building during an active session. Al got removed during the speech for getting into a yelling match. That singular action put the DNC at 1 less vote in the house.
They aren’t running votes at the SotU and they can watch his speech in their office perfectly fine, they don’t need to participate in the performance to know what he’s up to.
On the day of the joint session, 03/04, there were no less than 80 actions taken in congress and no less than 3 votes which passed in the House of Representatives LINK HERE. If you have evidence of a specific law preventing votes during a joint session, and specifying how long a joint session lasts at minimum, please present it.
On live TV, with Trump standing up there, you think the Speaker of the House is just going to call a snap vote in a chamber they already control and resolve it before the missing members could get back to the chamber? And that such an act would just be accepted as a clever procedural move to avoid the handful of objections in their majority caucus rather than a significant step toward the end of democracy?
Lawmaker protests accomplish literally nothing except making people like you feel good. Legislatively and legally, Democrats are powerless, because YOU fuckers refused to vote for them. You say “do something” but this does NOTHING.
YOU should have done something at the fucking ballot box if you don’t like what’s happening.
No, they have the power to STOP a SMALL number of things, specifically bills in the legislature. Most of what Trump is doing is completely bypassing Congress.
Visible support from government/establishment officials of the Serbian student anti-corruption protests. The students that the sitting Serbian government is trying to freeze and starve into submission.
Again, contrast that to what the US did to their students during the pro-Palestine university encampments.
We Americans need to open our fucking eyes, clapback tweets and watching leopards eating faces is just the new bread and circus. Holding up “fact checking signs” during a Trump speech will not save us.
You’re on lemmy bro, people just want performative shit to make themselves feel good. Congress do not hold executive power, they’re literally just a vote.
What’s up with people forgetting how Republicans in Congress always manage to fuck Shit up immediately as soon as the Dems are the ones who need to do it?
Because the Dems agenda requires 60 votes due to filibusters. Mainly because Dems want to spend money on social services. Where as the GOP’s agenda just involves a bunch of cuts. That can all be done through reconciliation.
And the GOP has either had a majority in the senate or a tie for the last 10 years.
I was dissappinted to see most of the Dems sitting in silence, with tiny protestation signs as if they were at an auction.
C’mon, make some noise, get in trouble, but do something!
Things our Representatives can do to fight back, delay and obstruct Trump’s fascist agenda:
For Senate Democrats:
https://indivisible.org/resource/explainer-how-senate-democrats-can-delay-defy-trumps-agenda-procedural-hardball
Weaponizing Quorum Calls: No Majority, No Business
Most of the time, Senators are not on the Senate floor. But technically, the Senate is not allowed to conduct official business unless a majority of senators (51 if all seats are filled) are present. That’s called a quorum, and it’s the foundation of Senate procedure. If a quorum isn’t present, the Senate grinds to a halt. The friendly thing to do is to NOT ask if there is a quorum - that’s how MOST business moves forward in the Senate. But Senate Democrats can use their power in the minority to call for a quorum and cause massive disruptions by constantly demanding quorum calls and even walking out to deny Republicans the ability to govern.
Blocking Unanimous Consent: Every Action Must Take the Maximum Time
Unanimous consent is the grease that keeps the Senate moving. Normally, the Senate runs on handshake deals—routine matters like scheduling votes, moving bills forward, or skipping over procedural steps all happen only if no senator objects. That’s called unanimous consent (UC)—and if even one Democrat objects, it forces the Senate to go through long, time-consuming processes to get anything done.
For House Democrats
https://indivisible.org/resource/explainer-how-house-democrats-can-delay-and-defy-trump-musk-coup
1. Procedural Hardball to Slow Down the Coup
2. Show Up and Fight in Committees
3. Investigate and Expose MAGA Sabotage
4. Take the Fight to the Public
Their biggest problem is they are not willing to meet them at their level. You gotta go low like them . Its the only thing they understand. Go fight them in the mud!
Get in trouble for what?
Imagine if they all walked out and the GOP majority just started passing votes with nobody to vote against it. Right now, if every Dem is present and voting, the GOP can only miss 1 vote.
I think listening to your opponents speeches can sometimes be helpful in resisting their actions. After all, he’s been telling us what his plans are since before the election and most people didn’t believe him.
Why did you change the topic, my friend? We’re talking about walking out of Mr. Orange’s speech, my friend.
Everyone agrees that the Democrats should be there for every vote. That’s not a point of contention.
Mr. Orange’s speech was in the congressional building during an active session. Al got removed during the speech for getting into a yelling match. That singular action put the DNC at 1 less vote in the house.
True, but Green can still vote. But this whole yelling thing isn’t gonna change anything.
They aren’t running votes at the SotU and they can watch his speech in their office perfectly fine, they don’t need to participate in the performance to know what he’s up to.
Alright but as I mentioned in my first sentence: they need to be there during a vote.
Sure, but that’s not relevant at all to this post topic which is about a specific current event and not in any way suggesting storming out of votes.
This specific current event happened in the chamber of congress while congress was in session. They could hold a vote at any moment.
Not during a joint session. The house and senate were not themselves in session.
On the day of the joint session, 03/04, there were no less than 80 actions taken in congress and no less than 3 votes which passed in the House of Representatives LINK HERE. If you have evidence of a specific law preventing votes during a joint session, and specifying how long a joint session lasts at minimum, please present it.
On live TV, with Trump standing up there, you think the Speaker of the House is just going to call a snap vote in a chamber they already control and resolve it before the missing members could get back to the chamber? And that such an act would just be accepted as a clever procedural move to avoid the handful of objections in their majority caucus rather than a significant step toward the end of democracy?
If enough people left the room I expect it, yes. It’s certainly what I would do in their position (thank god I’m not them).
Lawmaker protests accomplish literally nothing except making people like you feel good. Legislatively and legally, Democrats are powerless, because YOU fuckers refused to vote for them. You say “do something” but this does NOTHING.
YOU should have done something at the fucking ballot box if you don’t like what’s happening.
You know you’re wrong. You know, as we all do, that even minority politicians have power to do a great many things.
No, they have the power to STOP a SMALL number of things, specifically bills in the legislature. Most of what Trump is doing is completely bypassing Congress.
Dems can only stop non budgetary bills by invoking the filibuster. Any reconciliation bill is going through regardless of what Dems want.
Trump has only done a bunch of illegal EOs. Which are being taken up in the courts, but he dosen’t care and is doing them anyways.
The “powerless” opposition party in Serbia btw:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/04/serbian-mps-set-off-flares-and-smoke-grenades-inside-parliament
What did this accomplish?
Visible support from government/establishment officials of the Serbian student anti-corruption protests. The students that the sitting Serbian government is trying to freeze and starve into submission.
Again, contrast that to what the US did to their students during the pro-Palestine university encampments.
We Americans need to open our fucking eyes, clapback tweets and watching leopards eating faces is just the new bread and circus. Holding up “fact checking signs” during a Trump speech will not save us.
So it accomplished nothing. Whatever they were voting on will continue without them.
… I don’t think you understand what’s going on in Serbia if you think there’s voting happening. Have a good day.
We’re discussing a different country currently, sorry
Apparently Americans can’t learn from other countries. American Exceptionalism truly is the best.
Murica bad
Yes. Yes it is.
Piss off tankie, everyone knows your bullshit
You’re on lemmy bro, people just want performative shit to make themselves feel good. Congress do not hold executive power, they’re literally just a vote.
What’s up with people forgetting how Republicans in Congress always manage to fuck Shit up immediately as soon as the Dems are the ones who need to do it?
Because the Dems agenda requires 60 votes due to filibusters. Mainly because Dems want to spend money on social services. Where as the GOP’s agenda just involves a bunch of cuts. That can all be done through reconciliation.
And the GOP has either had a majority in the senate or a tie for the last 10 years.