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In It to Win It

(10,628 posts) Sat May 24, 2025, 03:39 AM May 24

Three Democrats Who Died This Year Would Have Sunk Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” spending bill squeaked through the House on Thursday morning in a in a 215–214 vote.

Two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson—voted against it. GOP Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, chair of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, voted “present,” and two other Republicans, Reps. Andrew Garbarino and David Schweikert, missed the vote.

All of the House Democrats voted against Trump’s sprawling spending plan, but they were missing three congressmen who could have sunk the bill’s passage Thursday.

Just a day before the vote, the family of Rep. Gerry Connolly confirmed the Virginia Democrat had died at age 75, weeks after announcing his esophageal cancer had returned. Connolly had first revealed his diagnosis shortly after winning re-election last November.

His passage was the third in a string of Democratic deaths in the House over the past three months, following the deaths of Rep. Sylvester Turner, 70, and Rep. Raúl Grijalva, 77, in March.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/three-democrats-died-sunk-trump-164403177.html

16 replies

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Three Democrats Who Died This Year Would Have Sunk Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' (Original Post) In It to Win It May 24 OP

I'm gonna say an unpopular (based on previous DU reactions anyway) thing: RockRaven May 24 #1

some people cannot give up power. nt msongs May 24 #2

I'm sorry. Woodycall May 24 #4

Oh, shit. I'm really sorry. Scrivener7 May 24 #15

yes Skittles May 24 #6

congress is a job,, and is the source of health care for the congrescritters rampartd May 24 #9

Don't they kep their when they retire? BonnieJW May 24 #11

good question rampartd May 24 #12

Even if Dems had all 215 votes, Johnson would have leaned on enough Rs Deminpenn May 24 #3

Probably true but given the margins... fujiyamasan May 24 #5

There are those who get it, and there are those that don't. taxi May 24 #13

Yes. This is my understanding wrong as well Takket May 24 #14

Yes it would have. May even had Figarosmom May 24 #7

I had seen an article earlier this week and posted in another thread about it BumRushDaShow May 24 #8

Gerrymandering was the major factor too Botany May 24 #10

Bad things about Democrats. W_HAMILTON May 24 #16

RockRaven

(17,319 posts)

1. I'm gonna say an unpopular (based on previous DU reactions anyway) thing:

Reply to In It to Win It (Original post)

Sat May 24, 2025, 04:00 AM

May 24

Given the current environment and stakes, it is and has been IMMORAL to run for a non-immediately-replaceable office if one does not have high actuarial likelihood -- based on one's private, intimate, medical and personal knowledge (which is none of our fucking business but YOU KNOW IT YOURSELF AND THAT IS FINE) -- of finishing the term.

msongs

(71,308 posts)

2. some people cannot give up power. nt

Reply to RockRaven (Reply #1)

Sat May 24, 2025, 04:18 AM

May 24

Woodycall

(492 posts)

4. I'm sorry.

Reply to msongs (Reply #2)

Sat May 24, 2025, 04:37 AM

May 24

Maybe I'm overly cynical because I just found out that the problem guy that recently moved into the the other side of my townhouse (two-story duplex basically), that I had to call the cops on last week, is a convicted child rapist, FUCK THEM! It's about the FUCKING MONEY!. A lot of them couldn't get a fucking job that requires less work and pays more. Fuck it already...

Scrivener7

(55,834 posts)

15. Oh, shit. I'm really sorry.

Reply to Woodycall (Reply #4)

Sat May 24, 2025, 07:26 AM

May 24

Skittles

(164,559 posts)

6. yes

Reply to msongs (Reply #2)

Sat May 24, 2025, 04:50 AM

May 24

and it SUCKS

rampartd

(1,900 posts)

9. congress is a job,, and is the source of health care for the congrescritters

Reply to msongs (Reply #2)

Sat May 24, 2025, 05:43 AM

May 24

as they become old and frail they depend more upon their health care and, naturally, will not relinquish it, even for the good of the country.

BonnieJW

(2,902 posts)

11. Don't they kep their when they retire?

Reply to rampartd (Reply #9)

Sat May 24, 2025, 06:12 AM

May 24

rampartd

(1,900 posts)

12. good question

Reply to BonnieJW (Reply #11)

Sat May 24, 2025, 06:18 AM

May 24

my retirement is federal, but my health care shifted to medicare when i reached 65.

Deminpenn

(16,805 posts)

3. Even if Dems had all 215 votes, Johnson would have leaned on enough Rs

Reply to In It to Win It (Original post)

Sat May 24, 2025, 04:32 AM

May 24

to pass the bill. All the 3 vacant Dem seats did was to allow a few very vulnerable Rs to vote nay, present or skip the vote entirely.

fujiyamasan

(217 posts)

5. Probably true but given the margins...

Reply to Deminpenn (Reply #3)

Sat May 24, 2025, 04:45 AM

May 24

Every additional vote Johnson doesn’t have gives Jeffries more leverage, and every vote Jeffries has should make Johnson (and Trump) sweat.

I find it incredibly irresponsible to hold on to office if you know you have a serious illness. I believe
these are safe democratic districts. Another democrat likely would have been elected.

taxi

(2,268 posts)

13. There are those who get it, and there are those that don't.

Reply to Deminpenn (Reply #3)

Sat May 24, 2025, 06:23 AM

May 24

What else can be said?

Takket

(22,983 posts)

14. Yes. This is my understanding wrong as well

Reply to Deminpenn (Reply #3)

Sat May 24, 2025, 07:20 AM

May 24

That the three Rs that sat this out would have voted yes if needed. So the three missing Ds really don’t cause a doomed bill to pass.

Figarosmom

(5,959 posts)

7. Yes it would have. May even had

Reply to In It to Win It (Original post)

Sat May 24, 2025, 05:02 AM

May 24

Stopped it if Connelly had stepped down earlier and was replaced. A tie vote in the House fails.

BumRushDaShow

(153,497 posts)

8. I had seen an article earlier this week and posted in another thread about it

Reply to In It to Win It (Original post)

Sat May 24, 2025, 05:38 AM

May 24

The last 8 members of Congress to die in office have all been Democrats

(where there were 3 just in the past 3 months)

From the article -

(snip)

Here's the full list of Democratic lawmakers who have died in office since November 2022:

Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia
Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona
Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas
Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas
Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California
Rep. Donald McEachin of Virginia

I do expect that the GOP would have still finagled the "present" votes (like they did during the SOH elections) in order to thwart Democrats. I.e., with a "full" compliment, the split is 220 (R) - 215 (D), which means they could not lose more than 2. But because we are 3 down, the split is 220 (R) - 212 (D) and that gave them more room to still get a majority (they would have dragged those 2 missed voters in there).

Botany

(74,284 posts)

10. Gerrymandering was the major factor too

Reply to In It to Win It (Original post)

Sat May 24, 2025, 06:08 AM

May 24

In Ohio most of the Congressional races are over before the 1st vote is even cast.

W_HAMILTON

(9,038 posts)

16. Bad things about Democrats.

Reply to In It to Win It (Original post)

Sat May 24, 2025, 07:47 AM

May 24

The only way to have guaranteed that this MAGA bill did not pass and all the other terribleness our country has experienced for the past few months did not occur was to VOTE FOR FUCKING DEMOCRATS.

MAGA is a cult and they were all going to fall in line regardless. The only way to stop it from happening was to NOT GIVE THEM THE PRESIDENCY AND BOTH CHAMBERS OF CONGRESS.

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