(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . 2024 is a choice between extremist MAGA chaos and common sense. This last week made that clear. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-02-16 The 2024 election is, at its core, a choice between extremist MAGA chaos and common sense, decency, and calm. This last week in American politics made that profoundly clear. Look at what MAGA brought us in the last week alone. Trump gave a speech where he said that, if NATO allies in Europe didn’t jack up their defense spending, he would encourage Russia to invade them . Trump bragged to the NRA that, when the Parkland school massacre took place, he resisted grassroots pressure and did “nothing” about gun violence—and that if he gets back into power, he’ll roll back all the progress under Biden . As if on cue, the anniversary of the Parkland shooting on Wednesday was marked by at least three tragic mass shootings across America. And in Congress, after intentionally sinking the bipartisan border agreement that President Biden had pledged to sign, the House impeached Interior Secretary Mayorkas by a single vote—a vicious, spiteful, and purely symbolic attack which even Trump allies are calling “the worst, dumbest exercise and use of time .” The impeachment is dead on arrival in the Senate, further illustrating how MAGA Republicans will blame everyone but themselves for their own failures and inaction. Democrats support our allies—we do not abandon them to invaders. Democrats, like most gun owners and indeed nearly all Americans, support common-sense gun safety measures so our kids can come home safe from school. Democrats want border and immigration policies that reflect our values—safety, security, and the respect for human dignity symbolized by the Statue of Liberty. That basic regard for human dignity, safety, and freedom informs everything we do. It’s at the heart of making democracy work. And we see it under assault by the MAGA right at every turn. So, what happens when voters get to choose between these two visions? Look at New York. Democrats reclaimed a House seat that opened after serial liar George Santos was held responsible for his lies and expelled from the chamber. Compared to the 2022 election, the Democrat did 9.5 points better. Look at the State House election in Bucks County, Pennsylvania —the Democratic candidate won by 35(!) points, a drastic improvement on the 20-point victory in 2020. His victory ensured that Democrats maintained their majority in the chamber. Look, in fact, at all the special elections since the 2022 midterms. Democrats have dramatically overperformed in almost every last special election , boding well for later this year. Starting in 2023 , “Democrats overperformed district partisan makeups in U.S. House and state legislative races by an average of seven points.” Special elections aren’t destiny. They don’t necessarily predict what will happen in the future. But they show us that when we fight, we can win. And fight we must. A very wise man once described the elections of this era as a “battle for the soul of America.” This November, it’s all of our job to ensure that that guy—I think his name was Joe Biden—beats Donald Trump. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2024/2/16/2223717/-2024-is-a-choice-between-extremist-MAGA-chaos-and-common-sense-This-last-week-made-that-clear Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/