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Comment by JumpCrisscross | Hacker News Reader

If Democrats only investigate, they’ll fail. But if they ignore corruption, they will also fail.

We can raise the minimum wage ($12.50 in 2027, $15 in 2028, $17.50 in 2029, $20 in 2030 then indexed to CPI); expand Medicare (I’d add neonatal and pediatric care); restore the ACA subsidies; call a War Powers Resolution (to end Trump’s war in Iran and ban the on-and-off trick); and cut the deficit by slashing DoD and DHS funding while also impeaching and removing Hegseth, Blanche and RFK; while also pursuing the Epstein cover-up; while also investigating everyone who made donations and received a pardon; while also investigating Musk’s treason and the Cabinet’s self dealing and the crypto corruption by David Sacks et al.

Hell, if I were Speaker I’d announce a special schedule for Year One that has Congress running over time every week until these priorities are passed.

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Trump will veto all of that. Much of it should still be done as a performative measure as 2028 election prep, but only as a secondary priority to actually getting stuff done.

Now that it's obvious that being a Trump shoe-licker is harmful for electoral chances, Democrats should be able to assemble veto-proof majorities to pass compromise bills. Only a handful of Republican defectors are necessary. For example, impeaching Hegseth, a war powers resolution and passing the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act are obvious candidates. Those 2 will establish a pattern and they can proceed from there.

> Trump will veto all of that

Given the Miller appointment, probably.

> Much of it should still be done as a performative measure as 2028 election prep

It's more than that. It's getting together a cohesive policy package that Democrats can agree on. It's putting Republicans on the record opposing popular policy. And it's something that could yield extra seats as special elections come up.

Agreed on all three, but it's still less important than getting something done concretely IMO. They only need 4 senator defections to be filibuster proof, and 11 to be veto proof. It's highly doable.

The 3 agendas: investigations, performative legislation and bipartisan compromise legislation are going to be really hard to balance in the next 2 years. That's a lot of work in very little time. How well they do so will be how they're judged in 2 years time.

> it's still less important than getting something done concretely

Oh, absolutely. Permitting reform. War powers reform. Russia sanctions. Repealing the exchange stabilization fund.

But these are in the same category as reforming the Electoral Count Act. Necessary. But insufficient without the popular policy moves.

> Given the Miller appointment, probably.

Historically, the HN crowd has been a fan of Miller. Curious to see why there's been a shift.

> the HN crowd has been a fan of Miller

Of Stephen Miller? I've genuinely never seen this.

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