Marie Gluesenkamp Perez does have a primary opponent, Brent Hennrich. Washington is a top two Primary state; there are several Republicans running, one of whom is endorsed by Trump. The fear, of course, is that the democratic vote is split enough that two Republicans go on to November. But I think Perez has made enough bad votes (including for the SAVE act) that a lot of us who have voted for her in the past are going to vote for Hennrich. Unfortunately, he's poorly funded and not a great campaigner, but he is a progressive. We'll see what happens.
I will vote for Perez over a Republican in November if it comes down to that. She has been so disappointing though. She says our district is purple enough that she has to do these votes to win moderate Republicans, but I don't know that it's working for her.
One would think that as Jewish refugees from Ukraine (then part of the USSR), having fled to the US with their father as children in 1979 after the death of their mother, the Vindman twins would be champions of human rights now. I am truly shocked.
I have routinely found that people's backgrounds do not lead to policy stances that we would presume. The older I get, the more I realize how my early assumptions around that direct line could not have been more wrong. I seem to have been living in a bubble. Shocked I am not clinically depressed by it.
Fortunately I'm getting used to the taste of bitterness, of ashes, of defeat, of vetch. Dems have in their fecklessness and incompetence greatly educated me so very meticulously on the palate of despair and despite.
Much as this disappoints and upsets me, I take it as a strong signal that we all need to proudly stand up and educate others, everyone, that this isn't protecting women and children, but putting them at risk.
No one's listening. Repugs don't care, moderates have their ears plugged, and Dems say they don't need to listen to us because "they're already supporting us". Literally NO ONE wants to hear our lived experience, our personal narratives, our humanizing coming out stories, our evidence based rationales for being considered human and therefore eligible for full inclusion in human rights statutes, or even the horrific stories of suffering, torture, and abuse at the hands of cisgender people so very very very many of us can share.
NO ONE wants to hear it.
We had Caitlyn Jenner on the Time cover ten years ago as "the Trans Tipping Point", and Sports Illustrated and in lingerie on Vanity Fair, and we blew it. That was our big chance to "win hearts and minds" and a member of the pedobillionaire fascist class who's also a member of our community stole it for her own self-aggrandizement. Caitlin Jenner is our JK Rowling or Candace Owens. Fuck my life.
So here we are, fucked, abandoned, without allies, and soon to be eradicated.
We're the Allied Expeditionary Force in 1940 stuck on the beaches at Dunkirk in Nazi occupied Europe and AIN'T NOBODY COMING TO GET US.
Jenner is a GOPMAGA who supports all Republican anti-Trans policy...up until her own passport gender marker was reverted to mail without her consent or knowledge, making it impossible for her to travel abroad as her passport no longer matches her other ID nor her appearance and gender expression. In order to "protect her relationship with president Trump" she's keeping quiet about her disappointment. She has personally requested he personally intervene on her behalf with the State Department but he hasn't said a word or acknowledged her in any way. She's even offered to donate $1 MM to his Arc D'Trump project.
She has always supported the Leopards Biting People's Faces Off Party but never thought the leopards would come for HER...
Thank you. I had that general sense of the thing, but it wasn't quite sure when she had a suddenly changed her tune or why she seems so much *more* hypocritical all of a sudden - as if she wasn't enough already.
I looked her up. As a person who grew up and lived for 33 years in Vermont, it pains me to see her self-description as "a fiscal conservative and a social liberal". Vermonters like to think we're among the small and fast-vanishing number of Americans who can rightfully lay claim to that political (high??) ground. Sometimes it might even be true.
I personally describe myself as a fiscal realist and a social libertine.
We are not the same, Caitlyn. May the leopards dine 3 Michelin Star.
I love your descriptor "fiscal realist, social libertine"! I think if Americans are going to one day acheive a truly national prosperity, with everyone having at least the basics and not just the pedobillionaire robber baron oligarcuck class, we could do worse than adopt such a schema!
And now I'm trying to imagine the wine pairings at a Michelin starred restaurant catering to the "leopard trade", lol!
For some time now, I have held the belief that the two major parties are nearly identical (except for who they want to use the power of government to beat on). Eight congressional Democrats have very nearly proven my point. The average citizen has never knowingly met one of us. They form their impressions from sources they trust. With the exception of sources such as EITM, their sources and their politicians are telling them that we are a threat. WE know better, but they don't. It's imperative that we do whatever we can to be seen by the public for what we really are. We need to be visible in naturally public venues. It would have been much harder for these 8 defectors to cast this vote, had they known any of us personally. That said, shame on them for joining the haters!
The bottom line is that Dem leadership is absolutely fine throwing us to the wolves. This is just another patented Hakeem Jeffries "vote your conscience" BS moment. They damn well know that we aren't a threat and aren't "the problem." This is a party equivocating because it's easier than standing for something, a party without a soul and without even a shred of decency. Shame on you Dems. November is coming, and we won't forget this betrayal.
Yes, November is coming. And yes, we won't forget. But what are we going to do? Vote for their Republican opponent? Not vote?
They do not need to court our vote or cater or pander to our needs. They are counting on receiving our nose-hold vote, just as their opponents are counting on our disgust to keep us home and not voting. Political extortion. The world sucks.
I will only vote for progressive Dems with pro-LGBTQ records. I will NOT vote for marginal centrist Dems no matter the cost. My life is already hell. I've got nothing to lose and matches to burn it all to the ground if Dems want to play that game. I've been fighting this battle for decades, and Dems aren't going to listen unless we play hardball.
Since this bill passed the House, it's heading to the Senate. I've begun prompting AI to write my letters to my deeply conservative senators from a Christian and conservative perspective. I am a Republican and a Christian, so I'm trying to utilize their assumption that I'm "like them" to challenge their actions. Here's what I've sent today in response to this sad story (thanks, Erin!).
I am writing to you as a Republican constituent, an Idahoan, and a newly converted Christian regarding H.R. 2616, the “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act,” which recently passed the House.
I strongly support protecting children, preserving parental involvement, and maintaining local accountability in schools. However, I am deeply concerned that this bill goes far beyond those goals and risks creating a culture of fear, exclusion, and government overreach.
The language prohibiting schools from “teaching or advancing concepts related to gender ideology” is so broad that it could punish schools, teachers, and students simply for acknowledging that transgender people exist. That kind of vague federal standard opens the door to selective enforcement, politicization, and unnecessary hostility in schools.
As conservatives, we should be cautious whenever the federal government gains broad authority to police speech, personal expression, or local educational decisions. Those powers rarely remain limited to one issue forever.
I am also concerned about provisions that could force schools into situations where vulnerable students are automatically exposed before trust and safety have been established within their families. Every family situation is different. Wisdom, compassion, and discretion matter.
My Christian faith has taught me that every person is made in the image of God and deserving of dignity. Christ consistently modeled compassion toward people who were marginalized, rejected, or misunderstood by society. Idaho’s values have long reflected that same spirit through neighborliness, kindness to strangers, and respect for individual liberty.
I respectfully ask that you oppose H.R. 2616 if it comes before the Senate, or oppose any similar legislation that uses federal power to create hostile environments for vulnerable students or restrict lawful personal expression in overly broad ways.
I believe we can protect children, support families, and uphold conservative principles without sacrificing compassion or basic human dignity.
Thank you for your service to Idaho and for taking your constituents' concerns seriously.
Hesitantly "liking" this because it may be more effective translated (sorry) into Magaese, but truly, the pandering, buzz phrases and good-copping make me want to throw up.
Today’s passage of H.R. 2616 is a dangerous surrender of educational independence, parental trust, and the dignity of transgender youth.
By codifying Section 2 of Executive Order 14168, Republicans — joined by a number of Democrats who should know better — handed the Trump administration unprecedented power to dictate how schools treat children, how educators respond to students in crisis, and how transgender youth are recognized and protected in classrooms across America.
This was never about “protecting children.” It is about political control, fear, and targeting a vulnerable community for ideological gain.
Teachers should be educating students, not acting as enforcers of federal culture-war mandates written by politicians desperate to divide Americans for power.
History has never looked kindly on governments that single out minorities to score political points, and lawmakers who supported this bill should remember that votes like this do not disappear.
The Democrats who supported this legislation should be ashamed of themselves for enabling this attack on students, families, and basic human dignity. Parents, educators, civil rights advocates, and voters will remember exactly who stood on the wrong side of history when the time comes to cast their ballots.
First, forget that primary nonsense now! It’s far too late in the game for that! Second, calm down!
I haven’t even read the whole article yet but quickly looked at who the culprits are.
Most are vulnerable Democrats in one way or another. Any Democrat from a Southern state (including Virginia)falls in that category. Gluesenkamp-Perez co-chairs the “Blue dog” caucus. Kaptur is fighting for her political life in a very purple district in Ohio.
Instead, let’s start by coming together as a community around an issue we commonly agree upon like stopping the Radical Reactionary Right Network (R3N) from erasing us from public life before the midterm elections come.
Doesn't matter if our eradication is facilitated by Dems who want us as dead as the GOPMAGAs do or by Dems willing to flush us down the toilet just so they can keep their jobs.
Why?
Because neither instance fucking matters to the dead.
The fact Gluesenkamp flipped doesn’t surprise me. That’s a purple-red district in a predominantly blue state. Grew up down there. Much more conservative sentiment and religious leanings compared to the Puget Sound surrounding counties.
It's consistent with how she usually votes, unfortunately. I fully expected to see her name on the list. I had been a proud supporter, but the past couple of years have been rough.
This is laying another plank of the framework to incarcerate and murder people for being trans or supporting trans people.
The goal is eradication. They’ve been very open about where this is going. Democrats are simply another wing of fascism. They have done nothing to prevent or oppose this kakistocracy and pretend posting online is action or resistance.
the pdfile billionaires and their enablers are grooming this country for trans people to take the fall for their abhorrent crimes against humanity by creating a scapegoated group for which the majority can blame their problems. It serves as both a distraction and outlet for the frustration of watching our country be destroyed from the inside.
When any politician lets go of protecting anyone’s individual human rights they’re just as likely to let go of defending everyone’s human rights.
Can't do the latter at all without having first done the former, omnia in bono ordine!
They should be primaried! 😡
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez does have a primary opponent, Brent Hennrich. Washington is a top two Primary state; there are several Republicans running, one of whom is endorsed by Trump. The fear, of course, is that the democratic vote is split enough that two Republicans go on to November. But I think Perez has made enough bad votes (including for the SAVE act) that a lot of us who have voted for her in the past are going to vote for Hennrich. Unfortunately, he's poorly funded and not a great campaigner, but he is a progressive. We'll see what happens.
I will vote for Perez over a Republican in November if it comes down to that. She has been so disappointing though. She says our district is purple enough that she has to do these votes to win moderate Republicans, but I don't know that it's working for her.
Laura Gillen has a primary opponent.
"8 Congressional Democrats Vote To Defund Schools That Support Trans People"
Too late to primary ?!
Never too late to remember!
Thank you, Erin.
Omigod. I am shocked that Eugene Vindman is on the list.
I was not happy to see that either. I am now regretting funding I and my parents have sent to his brother; I doubt they differ on this one.
One would think that as Jewish refugees from Ukraine (then part of the USSR), having fled to the US with their father as children in 1979 after the death of their mother, the Vindman twins would be champions of human rights now. I am truly shocked.
I have routinely found that people's backgrounds do not lead to policy stances that we would presume. The older I get, the more I realize how my early assumptions around that direct line could not have been more wrong. I seem to have been living in a bubble. Shocked I am not clinically depressed by it.
Me too. I supported his brother. No longer. I want my money back.
Yes, it's a bitter betrayal.
Fortunately I'm getting used to the taste of bitterness, of ashes, of defeat, of vetch. Dems have in their fecklessness and incompetence greatly educated me so very meticulously on the palate of despair and despite.
I am so over these f-ing Fetterman clones.
Much as this disappoints and upsets me, I take it as a strong signal that we all need to proudly stand up and educate others, everyone, that this isn't protecting women and children, but putting them at risk.
No one's listening. Repugs don't care, moderates have their ears plugged, and Dems say they don't need to listen to us because "they're already supporting us". Literally NO ONE wants to hear our lived experience, our personal narratives, our humanizing coming out stories, our evidence based rationales for being considered human and therefore eligible for full inclusion in human rights statutes, or even the horrific stories of suffering, torture, and abuse at the hands of cisgender people so very very very many of us can share.
NO ONE wants to hear it.
We had Caitlyn Jenner on the Time cover ten years ago as "the Trans Tipping Point", and Sports Illustrated and in lingerie on Vanity Fair, and we blew it. That was our big chance to "win hearts and minds" and a member of the pedobillionaire fascist class who's also a member of our community stole it for her own self-aggrandizement. Caitlin Jenner is our JK Rowling or Candace Owens. Fuck my life.
So here we are, fucked, abandoned, without allies, and soon to be eradicated.
We're the Allied Expeditionary Force in 1940 stuck on the beaches at Dunkirk in Nazi occupied Europe and AIN'T NOBODY COMING TO GET US.
I'm... kinda new to all this (in my early 50s, picked a F*** of a time to run out of ability to cope with dysphoria)...
Fill me in a little here. What's the deal with Jenner?
Jenner is a GOPMAGA who supports all Republican anti-Trans policy...up until her own passport gender marker was reverted to mail without her consent or knowledge, making it impossible for her to travel abroad as her passport no longer matches her other ID nor her appearance and gender expression. In order to "protect her relationship with president Trump" she's keeping quiet about her disappointment. She has personally requested he personally intervene on her behalf with the State Department but he hasn't said a word or acknowledged her in any way. She's even offered to donate $1 MM to his Arc D'Trump project.
She has always supported the Leopards Biting People's Faces Off Party but never thought the leopards would come for HER...
Thank you. I had that general sense of the thing, but it wasn't quite sure when she had a suddenly changed her tune or why she seems so much *more* hypocritical all of a sudden - as if she wasn't enough already.
I looked her up. As a person who grew up and lived for 33 years in Vermont, it pains me to see her self-description as "a fiscal conservative and a social liberal". Vermonters like to think we're among the small and fast-vanishing number of Americans who can rightfully lay claim to that political (high??) ground. Sometimes it might even be true.
I personally describe myself as a fiscal realist and a social libertine.
We are not the same, Caitlyn. May the leopards dine 3 Michelin Star.
I love your descriptor "fiscal realist, social libertine"! I think if Americans are going to one day acheive a truly national prosperity, with everyone having at least the basics and not just the pedobillionaire robber baron oligarcuck class, we could do worse than adopt such a schema!
And now I'm trying to imagine the wine pairings at a Michelin starred restaurant catering to the "leopard trade", lol!
Gavin lost me when he took that stance. Prior to that I was willing to overlook minor differences.
This is pure hate, fear , & sucking up to trump. Beat them at the next election.
For some time now, I have held the belief that the two major parties are nearly identical (except for who they want to use the power of government to beat on). Eight congressional Democrats have very nearly proven my point. The average citizen has never knowingly met one of us. They form their impressions from sources they trust. With the exception of sources such as EITM, their sources and their politicians are telling them that we are a threat. WE know better, but they don't. It's imperative that we do whatever we can to be seen by the public for what we really are. We need to be visible in naturally public venues. It would have been much harder for these 8 defectors to cast this vote, had they known any of us personally. That said, shame on them for joining the haters!
The bottom line is that Dem leadership is absolutely fine throwing us to the wolves. This is just another patented Hakeem Jeffries "vote your conscience" BS moment. They damn well know that we aren't a threat and aren't "the problem." This is a party equivocating because it's easier than standing for something, a party without a soul and without even a shred of decency. Shame on you Dems. November is coming, and we won't forget this betrayal.
Yes, November is coming. And yes, we won't forget. But what are we going to do? Vote for their Republican opponent? Not vote?
They do not need to court our vote or cater or pander to our needs. They are counting on receiving our nose-hold vote, just as their opponents are counting on our disgust to keep us home and not voting. Political extortion. The world sucks.
I will only vote for progressive Dems with pro-LGBTQ records. I will NOT vote for marginal centrist Dems no matter the cost. My life is already hell. I've got nothing to lose and matches to burn it all to the ground if Dems want to play that game. I've been fighting this battle for decades, and Dems aren't going to listen unless we play hardball.
Since this bill passed the House, it's heading to the Senate. I've begun prompting AI to write my letters to my deeply conservative senators from a Christian and conservative perspective. I am a Republican and a Christian, so I'm trying to utilize their assumption that I'm "like them" to challenge their actions. Here's what I've sent today in response to this sad story (thanks, Erin!).
I am writing to you as a Republican constituent, an Idahoan, and a newly converted Christian regarding H.R. 2616, the “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act,” which recently passed the House.
I strongly support protecting children, preserving parental involvement, and maintaining local accountability in schools. However, I am deeply concerned that this bill goes far beyond those goals and risks creating a culture of fear, exclusion, and government overreach.
The language prohibiting schools from “teaching or advancing concepts related to gender ideology” is so broad that it could punish schools, teachers, and students simply for acknowledging that transgender people exist. That kind of vague federal standard opens the door to selective enforcement, politicization, and unnecessary hostility in schools.
As conservatives, we should be cautious whenever the federal government gains broad authority to police speech, personal expression, or local educational decisions. Those powers rarely remain limited to one issue forever.
I am also concerned about provisions that could force schools into situations where vulnerable students are automatically exposed before trust and safety have been established within their families. Every family situation is different. Wisdom, compassion, and discretion matter.
My Christian faith has taught me that every person is made in the image of God and deserving of dignity. Christ consistently modeled compassion toward people who were marginalized, rejected, or misunderstood by society. Idaho’s values have long reflected that same spirit through neighborliness, kindness to strangers, and respect for individual liberty.
I respectfully ask that you oppose H.R. 2616 if it comes before the Senate, or oppose any similar legislation that uses federal power to create hostile environments for vulnerable students or restrict lawful personal expression in overly broad ways.
I believe we can protect children, support families, and uphold conservative principles without sacrificing compassion or basic human dignity.
Thank you for your service to Idaho and for taking your constituents' concerns seriously.
Sincerely,
Hesitantly "liking" this because it may be more effective translated (sorry) into Magaese, but truly, the pandering, buzz phrases and good-copping make me want to throw up.
Today’s passage of H.R. 2616 is a dangerous surrender of educational independence, parental trust, and the dignity of transgender youth.
By codifying Section 2 of Executive Order 14168, Republicans — joined by a number of Democrats who should know better — handed the Trump administration unprecedented power to dictate how schools treat children, how educators respond to students in crisis, and how transgender youth are recognized and protected in classrooms across America.
This was never about “protecting children.” It is about political control, fear, and targeting a vulnerable community for ideological gain.
Teachers should be educating students, not acting as enforcers of federal culture-war mandates written by politicians desperate to divide Americans for power.
History has never looked kindly on governments that single out minorities to score political points, and lawmakers who supported this bill should remember that votes like this do not disappear.
The Democrats who supported this legislation should be ashamed of themselves for enabling this attack on students, families, and basic human dignity. Parents, educators, civil rights advocates, and voters will remember exactly who stood on the wrong side of history when the time comes to cast their ballots.
First, forget that primary nonsense now! It’s far too late in the game for that! Second, calm down!
I haven’t even read the whole article yet but quickly looked at who the culprits are.
Most are vulnerable Democrats in one way or another. Any Democrat from a Southern state (including Virginia)falls in that category. Gluesenkamp-Perez co-chairs the “Blue dog” caucus. Kaptur is fighting for her political life in a very purple district in Ohio.
Instead, let’s start by coming together as a community around an issue we commonly agree upon like stopping the Radical Reactionary Right Network (R3N) from erasing us from public life before the midterm elections come.
Doesn't matter if our eradication is facilitated by Dems who want us as dead as the GOPMAGAs do or by Dems willing to flush us down the toilet just so they can keep their jobs.
Why?
Because neither instance fucking matters to the dead.
Lol! I agree with you, Jaimie! That was an astute comment. Dark, sad, morbid and somewhat nihilistic but absolutely true. Have a great day!
The fact Gluesenkamp flipped doesn’t surprise me. That’s a purple-red district in a predominantly blue state. Grew up down there. Much more conservative sentiment and religious leanings compared to the Puget Sound surrounding counties.
It's consistent with how she usually votes, unfortunately. I fully expected to see her name on the list. I had been a proud supporter, but the past couple of years have been rough.
This is laying another plank of the framework to incarcerate and murder people for being trans or supporting trans people.
The goal is eradication. They’ve been very open about where this is going. Democrats are simply another wing of fascism. They have done nothing to prevent or oppose this kakistocracy and pretend posting online is action or resistance.
the pdfile billionaires and their enablers are grooming this country for trans people to take the fall for their abhorrent crimes against humanity by creating a scapegoated group for which the majority can blame their problems. It serves as both a distraction and outlet for the frustration of watching our country be destroyed from the inside.
Trans people are in grave danger.
Vote like your life depends on it, because it does.
Is it really that hard to be against genocide?
I wish they would figure out that supporting this gets them NOTHING.