As I have noted before, there are some activist lefties on my social media feed. And boy, are they in attack mode lately. It's mostly memes and mostly generalizations. Nothing that might get a conversation going, even for a couple who used to make attempts at conversations in the past. I think the rapid actions of the new administration are overwhelming them.

Instapundit posted a link to Bravo Blue: Democrats: Trying to Change Their Image but They Can't Help Themselves.

It is now conventional wisdom that the Democratic party has “lost its way.” It is said to be leaderless, lacking a “message,” and out of touch with mainstream voters. They and their ancien régime troops in the media solemnly pronounce that they must “reshape their image,” come up with “better messaging,” or something similar. Often these suggest poll-tested memes and issues rather than a fundamental core belief. So, can they change?

Remember when Joy Reid was perplexed that Harris could lose with her "perfect" campaign when she had all the celebrities? Somehow, my intellectual lefties on social media failed to comment on Joy Reid getting fired, though they had looked forward to her reports during campaign season with great anticipation.

Odd that they would express no sympathy or attacks against corporate power.

Remember the frog and the scorpion and read on.

What will they do?

The Dems are floundering; they are failing. So, what are they going to do? We know a few things. They are going to “Fight, fight, fight!” After all, it worked for Trump.

I can just hear Hakeem Jeffries now: If it worked for Trump, it will work for us, right? Here we go. Woo hoo!

Why are they so bad at fighting in advertisements?

Is this really a good time for them to try fighting in the streets again?

Following are examples, including video clips, of powerful Democrats being Democrats. Perhaps a couple of their strategies might be effective on a few people. Can you identify examples?

Congressional Democrats may have finally united against themselves, however.

Democrats in Congress have finally unburdened themselves from the state of disarray plaguing their party since losing the 2024 election—by uniting in outrage against one of them their own. Democratic politicians and activists are livid after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said he would support passage of a Republican-backed funding bill to avoid a government shutdown.

Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives released a blistering statement in response to Schumer's announcement. "The far-right Republican funding bill will unleash havoc on everyday Americans," they wrote. "House Democrats will not be complicit." The six-month funding measure narrowly passed the GOP-controlled House earlier this week. Congressman Jared Golden of Maine was the only Democrat who voted in favor. Senators have until the end of the day on Friday to approve the measure before funding runs out.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) vowed to mobilize her social media fans in an effort to force a government shutdown, slamming Schumer for his decision to "completely roll over and give up on protecting the Constitution."

On Friday, former speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Democratic senators to "listen to the women" and defy Schumer by blocking the bill, which needed eight Democratic votes to pass. It got them, with 10 Senate Democrats voting to end a filibuster and avoid a government shutdown. It was a remarkable display of party unity—between the House and the Senate, only 11 of 260 Democrats—a whopping 96 percent—voted in favor of the funding measure.

In a vehement statement, Pelosi blasted Schumer for his "unacceptable" refusal to "fight back." She praised Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.) and Rep. Rose DeLauro (D., Conn.) for proposing a better alternative and denounced the GOP funding measure as a "devastating assault on the well-being of working families" that would be "worse" than a government shutdown. . .

Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Democrat-aligned Lincoln Project, said Schumer was acting like a "GOP sleeper agent."

Well . . . .

As for the social media feeds of everyday activists, there is little that is attractive and the tendency is to post so many memes that even people "on their side" refrain from reacting. I get the feeling that even some people who have felt some sympathy for them are starting to tune them out.

Effectiveness of Actions against the Deep State

Will the new administration be able to take meaningful action? I can't say that I'm not sort of worried.

News for the Weekend

Timeline and particulars of mission to replace stuck astronauts on the space station.

You have to look at the responses to Gavin Newsom's silly attacks on Florida to get an idea how hard it must be for other state officials in California to work with him.

Heh.

There is an upstart competitor to the SAT, the Classic Learning Test. A lobbyist for the SAT is not real happy about this. Who in The Establishment wants Classical Education taught?

Steve Hayward is leaving Powerline, though he will continue with the 3 Whiskey Happy Hour. He will be doing longer-format pieces on his substack and elsewhere.

John Hinderacker will be taking over the Week In Pictures.

This week is the St. Patricks Pi Day Edition.

Yesterday was pi day, the day on which Albert Einstein was born and Karl Marx died. Math nerds and freedom-lovers everywhere celebrated. And St. Patrick’s Day, which the Irish and others who like beer observe, is coming right up. Meanwhile, the Democrats have just surrendered on the continuing resolution, an event that has not yet given rise to memes. And JD Vance memes continue to proliferate, so that the New York Times writes that “Republicans dominate the digital town square.”

This is my first Week In Pictures since I filled in for Steve for a couple of weeks some time ago. I intend to continue several of his traditions: there will be bacon memes, which I understand, and Star Wars memes, about which I have no clue. At least until I can ease them out of TWIP. And, of course, a girl with a gun. Because ‘Merica. And speaking of ‘Merica, I just got back from a week on the Gulf of America, of which you will see a souvenir below.

So now, on with TWIP:

Music

These are the Fiddlin' Foresters, whose websites was shut down by those meanies Obama and Biden in their version of DOGE. NPR was not too happy about Obama's video mentioning them. Biden was in charge of that version of DOGE. Nobody messes with Joe, you know.

You may want to skip to the actual music at 2:45.

Hope you have something nice planned for this weekend.

This is the Thread before the Gardening Thread.

Last week's thread, March 8, New perspectives from California - even Gavin Newsom

Comments are closed so you won't ban yourself by trying to comment on a week-old thread. But don't try it anyway.