They could mandate the market-based solution that works for Aldi ā you want a cart, you gotta put money in it. You get the money back when you return the cart.
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I need to turn that around on you, because right now nothing is really getting done by design.
What has the Democratic establishment done at the federal level? Thereās a ineffectual dog and pony show with impeachment, nothing is getting onto the Senate floor, and theyāve not pushed any popular legislation thatās caught in that mess that they can point to and say āthis is why this thing you, the people, want is not happening.ā
Did you pick it up, and bring it home? 
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Go down swinging. If everyone keeps treating politics as a game then America is doomed. I donāt think thatās an exaggeration. Winning another election for the democrats isnāt going to save America if the republicans just get even more venal the next time (which is what keeps happening). I think they should have impeached Trump immediately for the many impeachable things Trump had already done (emoluments, anyone?) because thatās what should have happened. Start talking about corruption and stop being corrupt.
Right now the democrats are trying to figure out how to message not descending into authoritarianism so they can sell it to people who want to descend into authoritarianism. Just call a straight up vote, authoritarianism or no, and if you lose get the hell out of the country.
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I have a problem in that laws like this often end up harming people like the homeless who use carts to hold their belongings. I can see a sub-sub-contractor dumping someoneās stuff on the road to get a cart back. Some would do it gleefully.
Coin-deposit lockups are, honestly, a better solution. Itās a pain in the ass, but people really are much more diligent about returning carts if they have to put a quarter (or a dollar around here), in and get it back at the end.
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What can they do? Dem Senators have introduced bills, but they get blocked from being heard on the Senate floor, much less get a vote. Dems hold no positions within the administration in order to implement policy. The only path to changing any of this is through the 2020 election. Dems have to regain the Presidency and the Senate in order to get a single policy through into law, and then enacted.
I agree that they need to do better PR on the backlog of bills being ignored by the senate, especially when the GOP is pushing the narrative that they arenāt doing anything. But donāt fall for their lies by saying Dems are doing ānothing by design.ā That simply isnāt true.
And letās just nip the whole āineffectual impeachmentā thing in the bud. 6 months ago, only ~40% of Americans supported Impeachment. Now 72% of Americans want witnesses called and documents released for the trial - including 69% of registered Republicans! It may be frustrating that the Senate looks like they arenāt going to do their job, but the shift of public opinion has been massive.
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Iām thinking in terms of āthe gameā where the impeachment doesnāt appear to have an impact on polled votersā opinions on how they would vote. And if the game is being played to win the vote, then it has so far been ineffectual.
And āby designā just means that the Republican strategy has been to shut down all legislation in the Senate since Obamaās first term. Thatās not a Democratic problem, theyāre still just sticking to norms that were abandoned years ago by their GOP peers.
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I agree with the sentiment. Iām asking, what actions do you want them to take, specifically, that they are not already taking?
Because I canāt think of any. I can think of next steps, and steps after that, in response to what happens in the impeachment trial. But they have to let it play out.
Except it has. McConnell is up for re-election, and is looking vulnerable. He has a 2-pt lead in polls over his Dem challenger. That was unheard-of a year ago. The GOP Senators who looked vulnerable before look like dogmeat now. Many GOP reps in the House can be awful and still be safe due to Gerrymandered districts. Thereās no Gerrymandering to protect GOP senators.
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i think - if the requested documents are released or if white house folks are forced to testify - thatād be the real win from the impeachment process
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come out as a block against the status quo. stop trying to find āmiddle groundā. get out in to the districts with town halls selling more progressive plans.
everyone take a pledge to stop accepting corporate money. stop forcing members to do constant fundraising and instead work and talk with community groups.
have 30 days of climate action groups coming in to talk to congress. do nothing except climate related work for that entire month. then do the same again for guns. for deconstructing white supremacy. for police reform.
refuse to increase military budgets.
shut congress down if the senate refuses to hear bills. walk out. really, just do something than pretend like everything is okay.
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I donāt think the are really doing anything wrong right now. I think they should have done things differently earlier, and by not doing so they set themselves up for the situation they are in now.
Well, the one thing I would do differently is corner Mitch McConnell somewhere quiet and tell him that if he condones Trump telling Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden then the next Democratic president is going to promise to end the trade war with China in exchange for China launching an investigation into Elly McConnell and sheāll spend the rest of her life in a Chinese prison and no I am not fucking joking, Mitch you miserable, lawless piece of shitā¦ but you know, no one should let me do things.
(I have a great plan for if he releases to the public that I said that, say to the media, āYes, I said that. Weāre currently having a trial to find out if thatās okay. If itās okay, weāre going to put Elly McConnell in a Chinese prison for the rest of her life. If thatās not okay, we will not do that. Apparently whether that is okay is up for discussion.ā)
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There are some rumors and stories going around that former congressman Swampthing from NY is going to or already has groveled to the prez for a pardon to get off of those insider trading on the White House lawn charges. His long time democratic rival isnāt having it
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Meanwhile, at the World Holocaust Forumā¦
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Grimes had a 2-point lead in polls before losing by 16% in the election, and this is even further out and thereās less data.
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I think there was full intent there.
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And the big push against McConnell is yet to come. If he completes running interference in the impeachment trial, then thatās when the real shit starts to hit the fan for him.
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Wow, she gets around! Last I heard, she getting ready to pop out a baby with Elon Musk. 
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But I think McConnell is probably running interference in the senate trial because they think thatās how they get re-elected. Like they are pretty sure the people of their state back Trump and that they win by backing Trump.
Iām not saying thatās correct, it just feels like it must be what McConnell is thinking. Because otherwise what the living hell is McConnell doing? I mean, if Trump is ousted they get Pence, so they can still get their judges, right?
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For sure. They are weighing the odds. If they do a good enough job of cover-up, they might only lose a few percentage points. If they convict and remove Trump, they risk getting primaried. I donāt think theyāll actually lose the Trumplestiltstkin base in the general election, though. What are those folks going to do, vote for a Democrat? Thatās why I thought Pelosi was going to put off handing over impeachment until some critical mass of Senatorial primaries had occurred. Without fear from the right, some GOP senators might actually vote their conscience (if they were so equipped).
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