Democrats should not vote to fund Trump's fascism

Trump's radical Supreme Court yesterday ruled racial profiling is legal for mass deportations, just after Trump declared war on an American city. Where will it end?

The Department of Defense is changed to the “Department of War,” though this is illegal and requires and act of Congress.

I’m whole-heartedly joining the chorus of voices calling on Democrats in the Senate to withhold their votes from Republicans to keep the government open in coming weeks unless the GOP stops Donald Trump’s reckless assault on our democracy. As a vote looms at the end of the month, once again, on passing a budget that would keep the government open, why should Democrats think about saving a dangerous president who is sinking fast in the polls? It makes no sense.

We’ve been here before, when Senator Chuck Schumer back in March caved in, worried that Democrats would be blamed for a shut down even as Trump was essentially shutting down the government by having Elon Musk destroy it. Many of us were among those who were angry at Schumer’s cowardice, and I’m glad to see that some of those who defended his actions then are now calling for Democrats not to give the GOP the votes without major concessions, such as Ezra Klein at The New York Times.

The Signorile Report is free and reader-supported. If you’ve valued reading The Signorile Report, consider becoming a paid subscriber and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

Many Democratic leaders are still clinging to conventional wisdom in a time of authoritarianism in which the president is threatening violence against Americans—he declared war on Chicago over the weekend—and his administration is engaging in killings without due process of those it claims committed crimes.

Now it appears Democrats may give their votes over cheaply, as Schumer seems to be trying to cut a deal with Republicans on getting a bill passed to keep Obamacare subsidies in place for just one more year—otherwise millions will lose health care—in return for helping the GOP keep the government open.

But as David Dayen at the American Prospect notes, this is giving something to Republicans that they need, in return for something they want. Republicans are already talking about—and fighting amongst themselves about—extending those subsidies, as it will be a political disaster for them if they don’t. So why give them something they need and sell yourself short? Let them work that issue out themselves, and of course vote with them to extend the subsidies. And demand a lot more in return for keeping the government open—like stopping Trump’s fascistic actions.

Yesterday’s ruling by the Supreme Court is all you need to know if you’re still wondering if the courts will stop Trump—which is what Schumer argued was happening back in March in his defense of bowing to Trump and the GOP, fearing Democrats would be blamed for a shutdown. On the so-called shadow docket, with no actual majority opinion, the court ruled 6-3 that it’s legal for ICE to target people based on their race, the language they’re speaking or the place they’re congregating.

As Justice Sotomayor wrote in a scathing minority opinion for the three liberals on the court:

We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent.

Her dissent rightly accuses the rest of the court of subverting the Constitution. The gloves are off now and we must call this Supreme Court what it is: a corrupt, racist court, rubber-stamping Trump’s most contemptible actions.

Sure, they ruled against him a few times early on—giving Schumer some backing for his position in March—and they may even rule against him on tariffs since that’s about Big Business, another one of their overlords, which is worried about Trump’s impact on the economy and keeping billionaires rich.

But make no mistake, this court is part of Trump’s authoritarian purge. Justice Brett Kavanaugh gave it all away, writing a concurring opinion—to a majority opinion that doesn’t exist, as the case hasn’t even been heard, with a decision rendered on the shadow docket, an emergency ruling—in which he made as if nothing is happening that is violating people’s rights.

Kavanaugh wrote that when someone is stopped by ICE, “after questioning that is typically brief,” someone who was wrongly stopped would “go free after making clear to officers that they are American citizens.”

Except that is not what is happening. He's either been on living on another planet or is a Trump supplicant lying through his teeth. People are being assaulted, thrown to the ground, beaten, taken away, detained for days and weeks—and even deported—including those who are American citizens.

As Justice Sotomayor recounted—referring to specific cases:

During the raids, teams of armed and masked agents pulled up to car washes, tow yards, farms and parks and began seizing individuals on sight, often before asking a single question. Instead of allowing the district court to consider these troubling allegations in the normal course, a majority of this court decides to take the once-extraordinary step of staying the district court’s order. That decision is yet another grave misuse of our emergency docket.

How could Democrats help to fund these immigration raids with masked men in the streets? How could they help fund a government sending troops into our streets while the president declared war on a city?

How could they fund a government that is destroying the government? How could they fund a government that is not even using the money allocated by Democrats and Republicans for the purposes intended, stripping programs and clawing money back? How could they fund a government that enables a president who is enriching himself and is putting us all in danger from global actors?

No, Democrats have got to get a lot more than keeping Obamacare subsidies from running out—which is a problem for the GOP created for itself, and one Democrats should surely work with them on—and that has got to be about stopping Trump from engaging in a myriad of actions that are ripping apart our democracy.