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U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) is under fire from progressive group Demand Justice for voting in favor of President Donald Trump's judicial nominees. (Photo: U.S. Military)
A number of Senate Democrats are angry at judicial advocacy group Demand Justice for going after the chamber's members for voting in favor of President Donald Trump's unprecedented slew of federal judges, but the organization's leader isn't backing down.
"We think that the idea of doing horse trading with this administration is not worth it," Demand Justice executive director Brian Fallon told Politico Wednesday.
Fallon is under fire from Democratic senators who feel that Demand Justice's September ad buy in Delaware targeting Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat, is over the line. Coons has supported a number of Trump nominees, including, Demand Justice said, some whose support of Brown v. Board of Education is in doubt.
"That was way out of line," complained Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
But it's in keeping with the group's mission, as Politico explained:
Demand Justice's message on judges is simple: Democrats should reject all Trump's judges. Fallon argues that Republicans blocked President Barack Obama's judicial nominees and that Democrats should take a page from their playbook. Like the conservative Judicial Crisis Network, Demand Justice uses ads to pressure Democratic senators on their voting records.
When the ad buy was announced, Coons spokesman Sean Coits rejected Demand Justice's accusations.
"Senator Coons has opposed unqualified Trump nominees--both for judgeships and administration positions," said Coits, "and has supported some whom he believes are qualified for their positions."
The criticism isn't deterring Fallon and Demand Justice, however.
"We plan to invest in Delaware a lot more heavily in the coming months, assuming Chris Coons continues voting for Trump judges," Fallon said. "If that's a record he's proud of and feels like he can defend then he has nothing to worry about from our ads."
Fallon was silent on social media Wednesday after the Politico report's release. But he did retweet Demand Justice:
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
A number of Senate Democrats are angry at judicial advocacy group Demand Justice for going after the chamber's members for voting in favor of President Donald Trump's unprecedented slew of federal judges, but the organization's leader isn't backing down.
"We think that the idea of doing horse trading with this administration is not worth it," Demand Justice executive director Brian Fallon told Politico Wednesday.
Fallon is under fire from Democratic senators who feel that Demand Justice's September ad buy in Delaware targeting Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat, is over the line. Coons has supported a number of Trump nominees, including, Demand Justice said, some whose support of Brown v. Board of Education is in doubt.
"That was way out of line," complained Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
But it's in keeping with the group's mission, as Politico explained:
Demand Justice's message on judges is simple: Democrats should reject all Trump's judges. Fallon argues that Republicans blocked President Barack Obama's judicial nominees and that Democrats should take a page from their playbook. Like the conservative Judicial Crisis Network, Demand Justice uses ads to pressure Democratic senators on their voting records.
When the ad buy was announced, Coons spokesman Sean Coits rejected Demand Justice's accusations.
"Senator Coons has opposed unqualified Trump nominees--both for judgeships and administration positions," said Coits, "and has supported some whom he believes are qualified for their positions."
The criticism isn't deterring Fallon and Demand Justice, however.
"We plan to invest in Delaware a lot more heavily in the coming months, assuming Chris Coons continues voting for Trump judges," Fallon said. "If that's a record he's proud of and feels like he can defend then he has nothing to worry about from our ads."
Fallon was silent on social media Wednesday after the Politico report's release. But he did retweet Demand Justice:
A number of Senate Democrats are angry at judicial advocacy group Demand Justice for going after the chamber's members for voting in favor of President Donald Trump's unprecedented slew of federal judges, but the organization's leader isn't backing down.
"We think that the idea of doing horse trading with this administration is not worth it," Demand Justice executive director Brian Fallon told Politico Wednesday.
Fallon is under fire from Democratic senators who feel that Demand Justice's September ad buy in Delaware targeting Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat, is over the line. Coons has supported a number of Trump nominees, including, Demand Justice said, some whose support of Brown v. Board of Education is in doubt.
"That was way out of line," complained Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
But it's in keeping with the group's mission, as Politico explained:
Demand Justice's message on judges is simple: Democrats should reject all Trump's judges. Fallon argues that Republicans blocked President Barack Obama's judicial nominees and that Democrats should take a page from their playbook. Like the conservative Judicial Crisis Network, Demand Justice uses ads to pressure Democratic senators on their voting records.
When the ad buy was announced, Coons spokesman Sean Coits rejected Demand Justice's accusations.
"Senator Coons has opposed unqualified Trump nominees--both for judgeships and administration positions," said Coits, "and has supported some whom he believes are qualified for their positions."
The criticism isn't deterring Fallon and Demand Justice, however.
"We plan to invest in Delaware a lot more heavily in the coming months, assuming Chris Coons continues voting for Trump judges," Fallon said. "If that's a record he's proud of and feels like he can defend then he has nothing to worry about from our ads."
Fallon was silent on social media Wednesday after the Politico report's release. But he did retweet Demand Justice: