Progressives for a Democratic Republic - PDR

Progressives for a Democratic Republic - PDR Helping to elect progressives to office and empowering the people through education, organization, and mobilization at the grassroots level.

Promoting the Political Revolution by helping to elect progressives and empowering the people through education, organization, and mobilization at the grassroots level.

The establishment struck back in Wisconsin. Now comes the harder test.David Crowley — Milwaukee County Executive and pot...
08/13/2026

The establishment struck back in Wisconsin. Now comes the harder test.

David Crowley — Milwaukee County Executive and potentially Wisconsin's first Black governor — narrowly defeated democratic socialist Francesca Hong in Tuesday's gubernatorial primary, dealing a setback to the progressive wave that swept Michigan last week.

Crowley dropped out of the race a month ago before re-entering with Gov. Tony Evers' endorsement. He won by less than one percentage point in a state with an open primary where Republicans can legally vote in Democratic contests.

Now Crowley faces Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany — a Freedom Caucus member who has voted with Trump 100% of the time — in a state Trump won by less than one point in 2024.

Here's what Tuesday's results actually tell us:

Hong's near-victory in a battleground state sends a clear message: there is unignorable angst among Democratic voters.

"We have built something that will change politics forever," Hong told supporters. "The work we have done will be remembered forever."

The progressive wave isn't over. It's building.

El-Sayed beat $50 million in Michigan. Flanagan beat $20 million in Minnesota. Hong came within a hair of winning Wisconsin — in a race she was supposed to lose by double digits.

Now Crowley has to win a state Trump nearly carried with a coalition that includes progressive Hong supporters who may not be enthusiastic about him.

That's the challenge of winning the primary and then winning the general.

Is David Crowley the right candidate to flip Wisconsin's governorship? YES or NO 👇

A bipartisan group of senators is plotting to cut your Social Security — in the lame duck session after November's elect...
08/13/2026

A bipartisan group of senators is plotting to cut your Social Security — in the lame duck session after November's election, when they think nobody is watching.

The PROMISE Act — led by retiring Sens. Dick Durbin and Bill Cassidy — doesn't directly cut benefits. Instead it creates an unelected board to design a plan to keep Social Security funded for 50 years — a plan that would almost certainly include benefit cuts and tax hikes — and then fast-tracks that plan through Congress with limited ability to amend or block it.

Congress has roughly six years before automatic reductions as large as 25% could snap into effect for Social Security beneficiaries.

Here's what makes this especially alarming:

Half of the bill's original sponsors — Cassidy, Durbin, Tillis and Cornyn — are leaving the Senate at the end of this year. They have nothing to lose politically. They're voting on a bill that would hurt millions of seniors — and then walking out the door.

Trump promised to reject Social Security cuts. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on this legislation.

AARP — 40 million members — has already begun urging lawmakers to reject the bill. 85% of Americans support maintaining or increasing Social Security benefits.

Bernie Sanders said it plainly: raise the payroll tax cap on people earning over $184,500. Make the wealthy pay more. Don't cut benefits for seniors who paid into the system their entire lives.

The senators doing this are on their way out.

The seniors who would lose benefits are not.

Do you think Congress should cut Social Security benefits to fix the shortfall? YES or NO 👇

The Democratic establishment does not run on the issues that people care about. It runs character assassination campaign...
08/12/2026

The Democratic establishment does not run on the issues that people care about. It runs character assassination campaigns.

Do you agree or disagree?

Share your thoughts with us in a comments below 👇

Three months before the midterms — Trump just lost his press secretary.Karoline Leavitt will leave the White House at th...
08/12/2026

Three months before the midterms — Trump just lost his press secretary.

Karoline Leavitt will leave the White House at the end of August to spend more time with her family — becoming the latest in a string of departures from an administration hemorrhaging staff heading into November.

At 28, she was the youngest White House press secretary in history. She recently returned from maternity leave following the birth of her second child in May.

Trump called her "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in American history."

Here's what's notable about the timing:

The departure will deprive Trump of his top spokesperson less than three months until the November midterm elections.

This isn't just a staffing change. This is the face of the Trump White House — gone — during the most critical communications period of his second term.

The administration still has no permanent replacement named.

Here's the broader context of who has already left:

Pete Hegseth is under constant fire. RFK Jr. is feuding with Trump over autism research deadlines. Todd Blanche just got confirmed and is already facing questions. Karoline Leavitt is out. McConnell hasn't been seen in months.

The midterms are 83 days away.

Democrats need three seats to flip the House. One seat to flip the Senate.

And the White House just lost its most recognizable spokesperson.

Do you think this departure hurts Trump heading into the midterms? YES or NO 👇

Francesca Hong lost Wisconsin's Democratic primary by less than one percentage point.And the question nobody in mainstre...
08/12/2026

Francesca Hong lost Wisconsin's Democratic primary by less than one percentage point.

And the question nobody in mainstream media is asking: did Republican crossover voting tip the result?

Crowley eked out a stunningly narrow, surprise win that did not become clear until the predawn hours of Wednesday — in a state with an open primary where any registered voter can participate in either party's primary on the same day.

Wisconsin has a long, documented history of Republican crossover voting in Democratic primaries. In 2012, Republicans crossed over to influence Democratic primaries. It happens. It's legal. And in a race decided by less than one percentage point — it matters enormously.

Every poll tracked by RealClearPolitics over the past two months showed Hong cruising to victory by double digits.

Hong lost by less than 1%.

The Washington Post spent hundreds of words analyzing what went wrong — and never once mentioned that Wisconsin is an open primary state where Republicans can and do vote in Democratic contests.

If even a small number of Republicans crossed over to vote for the establishment candidate they'd prefer to face in November rather than a democratic socialist — it could have decided this race.

We're not saying that's what happened. We're saying it's a question worth asking.

Neither side of the party debate was winning the argument convincingly.

El-Sayed won Michigan by 1 point after leading by double digits.
Hong lost Wisconsin by less than 1 point after leading by double digits.

Something is wrong with the polls — or something else is happening in Midwestern open primaries.

Do you think Republican crossover voting affected the Wisconsin Democratic primary? YES or NO 👇

“Larson is the 7th House Democrat ousted in their primary this year. Only one other election cycle in the 21st century h...
08/12/2026

“Larson is the 7th House Democrat ousted in their primary this year. Only one other election cycle in the 21st century has seen this many incumbent losses in primaries.

Bronin's challenge to Larson came after the 78-year-old incumbent suffered a widely publicized freeze-up during a House floor speech that he later said was the result of a complex partial seizure.

Bronin earned the support of the state Democratic Party, while Larson had the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and the rest of Connecticut's congressional delegation….

Both men also tried to burnish their progressive credentials at a time when Democrats are increasingly favoring progressives in safe-seat primaries.

The progressive Working Families Party, which spent about $50,000 supporting Larson, ran an ad labeling Bronin a "corporate Democrat" who was "using us for political ambition."

Larson is part of a growing cohort of older Democrats who have lost to significantly younger primary opponents this year, including Reps. Al Green (D-Texas), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) and Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.).

While DeGette, Espaillat and Thanedar all lost to challengers who ran to their left, Green and Larson both positioned themselves as stalwart progressives against opponents who focused on their age.

Reps. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) both face November run-offs with younger Democratic rivals.

Other members who are 70 or older, including Reps. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), were able to fend off their younger primary opponents.”

Excerpt From
“Rep. John Larson ouster makes 2026 a record year for Democratic primary losses”
Andrew Solender
Axios

Robert Gilman just landed in America.Four years and two months ago, he was taken off a train in Russia and arrested.He w...
08/12/2026

Robert Gilman just landed in America.

Four years and two months ago, he was taken off a train in Russia and arrested.

He was 32 years old — a Massachusetts teacher and former Marine who his family and U.S. officials said was wrongfully detained and subjected to physical and psychological abuse that left him near death.

About 50 days ago, he was diagnosed with "dissociative stupor — a condition where he is non-responsive and unable to eat." He was essentially catatonic. He also suffered severe pneumonia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a photo of a gaunt Gilman draped in an American flag, surrounded by his family aboard a plane.

Trump called Putin. Russia released him — no prisoner exchange. No deal. Just a phone call.

Trump said he spoke with Gilman before he landed: "He had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!"

His sister: "There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action."

The State Department noted: "We are still seeking the immediate return of all other unjustly detained Americans" — including Stephen Hubbard, still wrongfully held in Russia.

Robert Gilman is home.

He wanted a cheeseburger.

Welcome home. 🇺🇸

Share this so his story is celebrated. 👇

Both Bernie Sanders and AOC refused to endorse Francesca Hong in her race for governor of Wisconsin. This error in judg...
08/12/2026

Both Bernie Sanders and AOC refused to endorse Francesca Hong in her race for governor of Wisconsin.

This error in judgment probably cost her the election in a swing state where a Democratic socialist would have been an asset for the left in this country.

The establishment came out and pulled out all the stops for its candidate David Crowley, who probably benefitted from Republican crossover voting since Wisconsin has an open primary election system.

Here’s another reason why the so-called left in this country is not a real serious threat to the power structure, or what C. Wright Mills would call the power elite.

ICE is spending $20 million on electric shock gloves.They're called the G.L.O.V.E. — Generated Low Output Voltage Emitte...
08/12/2026

ICE is spending $20 million on electric shock gloves.

They're called the G.L.O.V.E. — Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. They deliver painful electric shocks described as "like a bee sting" — designed to force compliance from people who resist arrest.

"Introducing gloves that can so easily be used to deliver terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harm to the public," said one critic.

Here's the context you need:

ICE has shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. Not the target. Witnesses say ICE switched guns after the shooting.

ICE has shot and killed Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine. Not the target. The officer had a history of violent behavior toward women and passed ICE's background check anyway. A judge found him "not credible" months before he was hired.

ICE has killed 23+ people in custody this year.

ICE has no body cameras.

ICE raided a greenhouse and a man fell 30 feet off a roof and died.

ICE arrested a nun walking to church in her habit.

And now — ICE plans to spend $20 million on gloves that deliver painful electric shocks to be distributed to officers by March 2027.

Trump said ICE is going after "the worst of the worst."

They're buying shock gloves.

Do you think ICE should be allowed to use electric shock devices? YES or NO 👇

A 78-year-old 14-term congressman just lost his primary to a 47-year-old former mayor.And he's the seventh House Democra...
08/12/2026

A 78-year-old 14-term congressman just lost his primary to a 47-year-old former mayor.

And he's the seventh House Democrat to lose a primary this year.

Luke Bronin — former Hartford mayor and retired Navy intelligence officer — defeated Rep. John Larson 53.5% to 34.7% on Tuesday, in what Bronin called "a political earthquake in Connecticut."

Larson suffered a widely publicized freeze-up during a House floor speech earlier this year — later attributed to a complex partial seizure. He would have turned 80 during his next term.

Larson had the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Connecticut's entire congressional delegation. Bronin had the state Democratic Party and VoteVets — and the voters.

Here's the full Democratic incumbent bloodbath of 2026:

Larson is the 7th House Democrat ousted in a primary this year — the most in this century except for one other cycle.

Three democratic socialists swept New York in a single night.
Espaillat lost to Darializa Avila Chevalier.
Dan Goldman lost to Brad Lander.
John Larson lost to Luke Bronin.
And six more.

Democratic voters are sending an unmistakable message: we want new faces, new energy, new urgency.

Hakeem Jeffries backed Larson. The voters backed Bronin.

Is the Democratic Party finally undergoing the generational change it needs? YES or NO 👇

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