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david hogg
Jeffries Draws Progressive Ire for Backing Schumer as 'Effective' Leader
"When guys like Jeffries and Schumer say 'effective' they're talking about effectively flattering large-dollar donors," said one critic.
Nov 10, 2025
Progressive anger and calls for primary challenges followed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' Monday endorsement of top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer—under whose leadership numerous Democratic lawmakers caved to Republicans to pave the way to ending the government shutdown without winning any meaningful concessions.
As progressives demanded the resignation or ouster of Schumer (D-NY), Jeffries (D-NY) was asked during a press conference whether the 74-year-old senator is effective and whether he should remain as the upper chamber's minority leader.
"Yes and yes," replied Jeffries. "As I've indicated, listen, Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats over the last seven weeks have waged a valiant fight on behalf of the American people."
"I don't think that the House Democratic Caucus is prepared to support a promise, a wing and a prayer, from folks who have been devastating the healthcare of the American people for years," he said.
Asked if he thinks Schumer is effective and should keep his job, Hakeem Jeffries replies: "Yes and yes."
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— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein.bsky.social) November 10, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Both Schumer and Jeffries say they will vote "no" on the the GOP bill to end the shutdown.
Activist and former Democratic National Committee Co-Vice Chair David Hogg said on social media that Schumer's "number one job is to control his caucus," and "he can't do that."
Eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus—Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), John Fetterman (Pa.), Maggie Hassan (NH), Tim Kaine (Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), and Jeanne Shaheen (NH)—enabled their Republican colleagues to secure the 60 votes needed for a cloture vote to advance legislation to end the shutdown.
Critics say the proposal does nothing to spare Americans from soaring healthcare premiums unleashed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump in July.
"Standing up to a tyrant—who is willing to impose pain as leverage to compel loyalty or acquiescence—is hard," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Monday. "You can convince yourself that yielding stops the pain and brings you back to 'normal.' But there is no 'normal.' Submission emboldens the tyrant. The threat grows."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said on X: "Sen. Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?"
New York City Councilman Chi Ossé (D-36)—who on Sunday said that Schumer and Senate Democrats "failed Americans" by capitulating to "MAGA fascists"—laughed off Jeffries' ringing endorsement of Schumer's leadership.
Former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner called Jeffries and Schumer "controlled opposition" while demanding that they both "step down."
The progressive political action group Our Revolution published a survey last week showing overwhelming grassroots support for running primary challenges to Schumer and Jeffries. The poll revealed that 90% of respondents want Schumer to step down as leader, while 92% would support a primary challenge against him when he’s next up for reelection in 2028. Meanwhile, 70% of respondents said Jeffries should step aside, with 77% backing a primary challenge.
Turner also called for a ban on corporate money in politics and ousting "corporate politicians."
Left Reckoning podcast host Matt Lech said on X that "when guys like Jeffries and Schumer say 'effective' they're talking about effectively flattering large-dollar donors."
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David Hogg Says Any Democrat Who Supports War With Iran 'Should Be Primaried'
"Our generation grew up going through two multi-trillion dollar wars we should have never been involved in," said the youth organizer recently ousted by the DNC. "If you think this is a good idea read a history book."
Jun 17, 2025
With just a handful of Democratic lawmakers so far backing a push to prevent an overwhelmingly unpopular march to war with Iran, progressive organizer David Hogg on Tuesday said those who don't align themselves with the vast majority of Americans on the issue should face primary challenges in upcoming elections.
"Any Democrat who supports this war with Iran needs to be primaried," said Hogg, a gun control activist who briefly served as co-vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and angered leaders by pushing for primary challenges. "Our generation grew up going through two multi-trillion dollar wars we should have never been involved in. We are not fucking going back to that. If you think this is a good idea read a history book."
Hogg's comments came days after Israel launched sweeping attacks on Iran amid U.S.-Iran talks on the Middle Eastern country's nuclear development.
At least 224 people have been killed and 1,481 wounded since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began launching air strikes on hundreds of targets last Friday, including nuclear facilities and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting headquarters.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that American forces "could get involved" in the conflict between the two countries, and the U.S. military has already had "full and complete coordination" with the IDF, as one Israeli official said after the bombing campaign began in Iran last week, with American fighter jets reportedly "patrolling the sky" in the Middle East and dozens of Air Force refueling planes headed for Europe over the weekend.
The reports intensified concerns among progressives of more direct U.S. involvement in the conflict, and led to renewed calls for the Trump administration to end its support for Israel as the IDF also continued its U.S.-backed slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.
As Common Dreams reported Monday, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced a war powers resolution to stop Trump from attacking Iran without congressional approval.
The resistance to war with the Middle Eastern country has bipartisan backing, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introducing a similar resolution in the House and garnering the support of progressive Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Don Beyer (D-Va.).
Zeteo reporter Prem Thakker said Monday evening that just over 2% of members of Congress have backed legislative efforts to stop the U.S. from expanding its involvement in Israel's bombardment of Iran—even as a Brookings Institution poll showed that more than two-thirds of Americans back diplomatic talks to limit Iran's nuclear program and just 14% of Americans support military action to stop Iranian nuclear development.
At the Center for International Policy, executive vice president Matt Duss said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clearly starting a "war of choice" with Iran "to sabotage diplomacy" regarding its nuclear program after having pushed Trump to "make the terrible mistake" of withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
"Netanyahu has now outmaneuvered him to the severe detriment of U.S. interests and put American military and diplomatic personnel in harm’s way," said Duss. "Responsible lawmakers who prioritize American safety and security are rightly speaking out against Netanyahu’s irresponsible provocation, reflecting the views of an overwhelming majority of Americans who favor diplomacy over war to restrain Iran’s nuclear activities."
"Immediately ending this violence and finding a path back to viable negotiations should be the guiding priority for the U.S. government, rather than belligerent rhetoric and the continued supply of offensive weapons that enables yet another horrific conflict endangering millions," he added.
Lily Greenberg Call, a former Interior Department official who was appointed by former President Joe Biden but resigned in protest of his administration's support for Israel's assault on Gaza, condemned Democratic leaders for their "shameful fucking silence" on potential war with Iran.
"Most Americans, including their base, don't want the U.S. under Trump to go to war with Iran and have been horrified at almost two years of footage of murder in Gaza," said Greenberg Call. "We won't accept this and we won't forget in '26 and '28."
Hogg demanded that Democrats unite "against Trump and his war" and pointed out that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle regularly claim that broadly popular proposals for investments in effective programs like Medicare for All and universal childcare are unaffordable.
"Where are all the 'we can't afford it' politicians," asked Hogg, "now that we're on the brink of what could be another multi-trillion dollar war?"
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Progressive Petition Calls for DNC 'Emergency Meeting' to Shift Gears Against Trump
"Doing the same old thing (or nothing) nets the same dismal results," wrote one petition signer.
May 28, 2025
A petition sponsored by two national progressive organizations is urging the Democratic National Committee to convene an emergency meeting of all its members in order to chart "truly bold action" against U.S. President Donald Trump and his "cronies."
The petition, which was sent to Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin this week and circulated by the groups RootsAction and Progressive Democrats of America, has 7,000 signers, according to a Wednesday statement. It also includes more than 1,500 individual comments from petition signers.
One petition signer, Andrea Helene Hansen of Hudson, New York, wrote: "As a lifelong Democrat (and I'm now 77 years old), I'm looking for an alternative since my party is failing me (and others of the boomer generation). WAKE UP!"
"Doing the same old thing (or nothing) nets the same dismal results. Time to represent your voters that want you to fight Trump and GOP and overwhelmingly support progressive programs," wrote Anne Eisinger of Auburndale, Florida.
Recent polling and the success of Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) "Fighting Oligarchy" tour—with appearances by other key progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—this spring suggest that a sizable portion of the Democratic base is keen to see Democrats pushing back forcefully against Trump.
The petition urges the DNC to convene the emergency meeting as soon as possible and make it fully open to the public.
"The predatory, extreme, and dictatorial actions of the Trump administration call for an all-out commensurate response, which so far has been terribly lacking from the Democratic Party," the petition states. "It is time for the Democratic National Committee, as the organization tasked with responding to the concerns of Democrats, to heed the insights of progressive policy analysts and grassroots activists—and that should begin at this emergency meeting."
The text of the petition does not specify which insights the groups and petition signers would like the DNC to heed.
According to the petition, waiting until the DNC's next regular meeting in late summer would be "irresponsible."
In a Common Dreams op-ed published Wednesday, RootsAction national director Norman Solomon highlighted anger directed at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) after he decided to support a Republican spending bill in March, and Democratic congressional leadership's poor performance in recent polling.
"Four months into his job as the DNC's chair, Ken Martin has yet to show that the DNC is truly operating in real time while the country faces an unprecedented threat to what's left of democracy. His power to call an emergency meeting of the full DNC remains unused," wrote Solomon.
Meanwhile, the DNC recently took steps to void the elections of multiple DNC vice chairs, including gun reform activist David Hogg, who rankled DNC members earlier this year when he announced his intention to support primary challenges to "asleep-at-the-wheel" Democrats in safe-blue seats.
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