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duckworth969

(1,315 posts)
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 12:42 PM 3 hrs ago

Should Dems Boycott SOTU address?

I say yes.

“Senate Democrats are having discussions about whether to boycott the event and talked it over during a closed-door lunch this week, according to two people granted anonymity to share details of the private conversations. Some members of the caucus are currently expected to attend, though a swath is undecided.”

Personally, I’d like to see the solidarity. There’s nothing Chump says that anybody needs or wants to hear anyway.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/16/2369015/-Republicans-Are-Worried-About-the-Optics-of-the-Upcoming-State-of-the-Union-Dems-Should-Be-too

56 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Should Dems Boycott SOTU address? (Original Post) duckworth969 3 hrs ago OP
If they do it I'll be pleasantly surprised. Dave Bowman 3 hrs ago #1
YES, Yes yes, oh God Yeeeeeeessssssss!!!!! Trueblue1968 32 min ago #40
Yes JustAnotherGen 3 hrs ago #2
They should, but they won't n/t leftstreet 3 hrs ago #3
Yes 👍 MustLoveBeagles 3 hrs ago #4
only if it's so that they all attend the Dem Response and cheer that on. themaguffin 3 hrs ago #5
shithole will say something nasty about them..... Lovie777 3 hrs ago #6
If anything Fetterman will clap and maybe give a thumbs up durablend 18 min ago #48
Hell yes. Every single one, although if Fetterman attended it might convey a message. rzemanfl 3 hrs ago #7
SOTU response Fynoderee 3 hrs ago #8
Nice Easterncedar 3 hrs ago #10
What if they wore two masks. The one seen when they enter would look normal, but... jls4561 1 hr ago #28
Get up and walk out at the first offense. Easterncedar 3 hrs ago #9
How about they attend and make a show of ripping paper after Easterncedar 3 hrs ago #11
Moon him..... Karadeniz 3 hrs ago #12
LOL, they won't. "History" "decorum" "appearances" will take priority. flvegan 3 hrs ago #13
Yes. Why attend an event at which you know you will be attacked ? Raven123 3 hrs ago #14
No SocialDemocrat61 3 hrs ago #15
Applauding a pedophile. The optics are cringe n/t leftstreet 3 hrs ago #16
Absolutely SocialDemocrat61 3 hrs ago #22
I won't be watching in any case Ritabert 3 hrs ago #17
Sparse attendance, refusal to greet, walk out at various points. bucolic_frolic 3 hrs ago #18
Shit, it took me ONE SECOND to think about that bluestarone 3 hrs ago #19
What if they attend but keep their arms folded? Frasier Balzov 3 hrs ago #20
No, they should attend and heckle the fuck out of him. Nt Fiendish Thingy 3 hrs ago #21
What about this? MyOwnPeace 1 hr ago #23
Walk out after his first word lame54 1 hr ago #24
Yes! Permanut 1 hr ago #27
Let's heckle him. "You LIE!" and "LIAR!" QueerDuck 1 hr ago #25
Yes, members of the Senate and Congress should boycott the SOTU LetMyPeopleVote 1 hr ago #26
Or they could all wear bright orange tee-shirts with Epstein's image on them. CrispyQ 1 hr ago #29
Now THAT would be MOST excellent!!! calimary 40 min ago #35
Attend, disrupt, boo LuvLoogie 51 min ago #30
Recommend this a thousand times. Boo in unison at his entrance and exit, and everything you say in between. ancianita 46 min ago #33
he is mentioned over one million times in the Epstein files... per Jamie Raskin after viewing the unredacted files... bsiebs 32 min ago #39
Jamie Raskin says Shit Mouth is mentioned LuvLoogie 11 min ago #55
That is what needs to happen. (n/t) OldBaldy1701E 36 min ago #38
All show up.... Escape 51 min ago #31
If I had my druthers, they would all attend and in absolute silence for the duration Torchlight 48 min ago #32
I liked the idea that someone presented with empty chairs hamsterjill 43 min ago #34
yes. We cannot encourage criminal corruption and flagrant violations of our judicial system. Stand up time. And the Evolve Dammit 39 min ago #36
Not sure what our reps will be doing, but I will be watching the State of the Swamp address (aired during the SOFU) bsiebs 36 min ago #37
They should attend and start chanting 'Epstein' the minute he walks in edbermac 29 min ago #41
The Orexx solution. I like it. Pictures of the victims would also be a nice touch. NNadir 13 min ago #52
Absolutely. boonecreek 26 min ago #42
Not sure DownriverDem 25 min ago #43
Boycott or walk out. Don't just sit there in quiet acquiescence. Martin Eden 25 min ago #44
This is just creating drama Figarosmom 24 min ago #45
As he starts his whining and bombastic speech they should all silently stand up and Ping Tung 21 min ago #46
All or Nothing DET 18 min ago #47
It doesn't matter durablend 16 min ago #50
They should hold up photos of Trump-Epstein victims Aviation Pro 18 min ago #49
Yes. Why bother. He didn't bother showing up for Biden's inauguration. Loser! boston bean 15 min ago #51
They should attend FalloutShelter 13 min ago #53
No. They should demonstrate and heckle DinahMoeHum 12 min ago #54
YES! We all know it will be a waste of time. And we shouldn't do any cute or fancy protest Scrivener7 7 min ago #56

JustAnotherGen

(37,827 posts)
2. Yes
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 12:45 PM
3 hrs ago

And they need to be high profile.

Schumer, Durbin, Klobuchar and Booker can attend as representatives of the Senate.

Jeffries and Clark can attend to Represent the House.

Lovie777

(22,379 posts)
6. shithole will say something nasty about them.....
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 12:49 PM
3 hrs ago

all the while lying and making up shit. Once that happens Democrats should walk out. Fetterman and maybe a few house democrats will not.

jls4561

(2,968 posts)
28. What if they wore two masks. The one seen when they enter would look normal, but...
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 02:44 PM
1 hr ago

at the first lie or insult, they pull down the outer mask to reveal one that reads “Quiet, piggy!”

Easterncedar

(5,899 posts)
11. How about they attend and make a show of ripping paper after
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 12:52 PM
3 hrs ago

To recreate Pelosi's gesture of contempt?

flvegan

(66,052 posts)
13. LOL, they won't. "History" "decorum" "appearances" will take priority.
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 12:57 PM
3 hrs ago

Literally listening to the equivalent of a petulant toddler, lying and shitting himself for however long he feels is necessary. Blathering endlessly about nothing of fact, devoid of any reality. All the while every piece of shit republican in attendance falls over themselves with ovation after ovation.

The entire show is pathetic. Vince McMahon would be in awe.

Raven123

(7,690 posts)
14. Yes. Why attend an event at which you know you will be attacked ?
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 12:59 PM
3 hrs ago

Don’t accept the abuse.

SocialDemocrat61

(7,251 posts)
15. No
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 12:59 PM
3 hrs ago

If there are no democrats there, republicans will fill the chamber. There is nothing Trump would like more than to have an audience that applauds and cheers everything he says.

SocialDemocrat61

(7,251 posts)
22. Absolutely
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 01:09 PM
3 hrs ago

But it will just feed Trump’s ego and most casual viewers will think democrats are applauding him too. Maybe democrats should attend but sit with their backs to Trump.

bucolic_frolic

(54,595 posts)
18. Sparse attendance, refusal to greet, walk out at various points.
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 01:07 PM
3 hrs ago

Laughter might be appropriate too.

MyOwnPeace

(17,482 posts)
23. What about this?
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 02:25 PM
1 hr ago

Rent the Kennedy Center and have all Democrats there - give the response speech from there, and have some of the acts that have backed out of their concerts there perform between speeches.
And televise it, opening the auditorium to a free concert,,,,

LetMyPeopleVote

(177,359 posts)
26. Yes, members of the Senate and Congress should boycott the SOTU
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 02:33 PM
1 hr ago

Last edited Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:15 PM - Edit history (1)

I know that I will NOT be watching this speech. I cannot stand listening to trump for even a short period of time

CrispyQ

(40,851 posts)
29. Or they could all wear bright orange tee-shirts with Epstein's image on them.
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 02:52 PM
1 hr ago

It would be nice to see a BOLD statement from the entire party, not just the outliers.

LuvLoogie

(8,676 posts)
30. Attend, disrupt, boo
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:18 PM
51 min ago

Shout "Lie!" every time he does.

Shout "What about the Epstein files?"

Shout "One million!"

ancianita

(43,169 posts)
33. Recommend this a thousand times. Boo in unison at his entrance and exit, and everything you say in between.
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:23 PM
46 min ago

Just one question: what's the "One million!" about?

bsiebs

(946 posts)
39. he is mentioned over one million times in the Epstein files... per Jamie Raskin after viewing the unredacted files...
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:37 PM
32 min ago

Torchlight

(6,591 posts)
32. If I had my druthers, they would all attend and in absolute silence for the duration
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:21 PM
48 min ago

Thus illustrating an obligation for the institution while simultaneously derision for the wee man.

hamsterjill

(17,246 posts)
34. I liked the idea that someone presented with empty chairs
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:26 PM
43 min ago

Holding pictures of Epstein victims.

I would truly like to see something that makes an unmistakable statement.

Evolve Dammit

(21,659 posts)
36. yes. We cannot encourage criminal corruption and flagrant violations of our judicial system. Stand up time. And the
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:30 PM
39 min ago

advent and full throated impementation of secret police with a budget larger than USMC????

bsiebs

(946 posts)
37. Not sure what our reps will be doing, but I will be watching the State of the Swamp address (aired during the SOFU)
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:33 PM
36 min ago

edbermac

(16,413 posts)
41. They should attend and start chanting 'Epstein' the minute he walks in
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:40 PM
29 min ago

Maybe he’ll get so enraged that he’ll have a stroke.

NNadir

(37,647 posts)
52. The Orexx solution. I like it. Pictures of the victims would also be a nice touch.
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:56 PM
13 min ago

Martin Eden

(15,482 posts)
44. Boycott or walk out. Don't just sit there in quiet acquiescence.
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:44 PM
25 min ago

I don't like the idea of catcalls and heckling. Not a good look.

Ping Tung

(4,282 posts)
46. As he starts his whining and bombastic speech they should all silently stand up and
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:48 PM
21 min ago

one-by-one ignore him and walk very slowly out. No shouting, no threats, no gestures. Just a dignified display of contempt for the lunatic on stage.

DET

(2,439 posts)
47. All or Nothing
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:51 PM
18 min ago

If they’re going to boycott or have an organized response, they should show a unified front. We don’t need to see or hear ‘Dems in disarray’. Same if they decide to show up but walk out.

I understand the gravitas of the SOTU, but if Democrats decide to make a gesture of protest, it should be a bold one. Something that will result in comments like ‘Democrats showed a courageous display of unity at the SOTU’, not ‘Democrats weak response was juvenile and pathetic’.

Aviation Pro

(15,379 posts)
49. They should hold up photos of Trump-Epstein victims
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:52 PM
18 min ago

And shake them in front of his fucking pedophile, fat face.

FalloutShelter

(14,340 posts)
53. They should attend
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 03:57 PM
13 min ago

And each should have a picture of an Epstein victim that they will hold up through the speech.

Force him to overreact and take him off his prepared script… live TV.

Blow the fuse. Maybe he strokes out.

Scrivener7

(58,991 posts)
56. YES! We all know it will be a waste of time. And we shouldn't do any cute or fancy protest
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 04:03 PM
7 min ago

moves either. No going but then walking out, no wearing special protest clothes and then walking out, no mooning him (though I do like that suggestion best!)

He is not worth the effort. Democrats should not grace his nonsense with an audience.

Instead, they should have an alternate SOTU where they tell the truth. There's a lot of emotion to what republicans are doing to people. Have someone make a speech that highlights 20 real Americans and the hell they are in right now. Epstein victims, family members of those murdered or kidnapped by ICE, people who are out of a job, people who can't afford groceries, women who can't get medical care and have a pregnancy nightmare story.

And the speech should connect the dots to show how that hell is viral and coming to us all in one way or another.

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