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Still Think Democrats Aren't Doing Anything? Introducing Katherine Clark [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-03-31

None of the Democrats I’ve highlighted in this series have been part of the leadership group. I’ve chosen to focus instead on those less well known to voters and readers on Daily Kos. I’ve decided to profile a member of the House Leadership in this entry, Katherine Clark, as few seem to know her, know her role, and she is rarely mentioned in diaries or comments on this site.

Katherine Clark, as Minority Whip, is the second most powerful Democrat in the House. As Minority Whip, her job involves ensuring that party members are available and voting when needed, and to guide the Democratic Party’s response to legislation and other matters. When all House party members voted against the Republican Budget Priorities Bill in February, and when all but one voted against the Continuing Resolution in March, that was the work of Katherine Clark.

Katherine Clark began her political career in the Massachusetts House, winning election in 2008, moving on to the Massachusetts Senate in 2011. Her work in the state legislature led her to being named the Legislator of the Year in 2013 by the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts.

She moved to the House in 2013, winning the special election to replace Ed Markey when he moved to the Senate. She was a leading member of the Progressive Caucus. She assumed the title of Democratic Party Whip upon the retirement from leadership of Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn after the 2022 election. She became only the second Democratic woman to achieve appointment to one of the two most powerful positions in the House. The other, of course, is Nancy Pelosi.

So how is she standing up to Trump? Let’s look.

Clark’s fight against Trump began early, In 2017, she refused to attend his inauguration, stating she did not want to “normalize” Trump’s, “bigoted, misogynist, antisemitic and racist claims”. in 2022 she was arrested alongside Jan Schakowsky, Barbara Lee and other elected Democrats at a protest against the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade.

She has continued to challenge Republicans using direct, clear language that frames the choice clearly.

This is her comment after the CR was introduced.

x This is who Americans need more of - a smart, tenacious, articulate woman with confidence and guts who is not afraid to speak for her constituents. Congresswoman Katherine Clark. 👏👏👏 youtu.be/mu2GO6vqSiw?... — Susan Ruddick (@susanruddick1.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T17:39:01.009Z

In her response, she outlines money defunded from Alzheimer's Research, help to soldiers exposed to toxins in Iraq, and other cuts. “This is part of the same scheme, the same crime spree, that steals deserving taxpayer dollars and all to give a tax cut to the very wealthiest people”

And her reaction to Trump’s speech to Congress frames the Republican plot in very straightforward, unambiguous way that shows her skills at delivering the Democratic message.

x I was asked for my reaction to last night. pic.twitter.com/uZtjoE28oY — Katherine Clark (@WhipKClark) March 5, 2025

“It is a betrayal. It is a betrayal. So let’s not talk about decorum when the plot is exposed and reiterated every day... You take people’s health care, you take our veteran’s benefits, you take funding for our public schools, and you do it all, all of it, to give a tax cut to the very wealthiest people who won’t even notice it, but whose greed knows no bounds”.

This is a message that inspires, one that Democrats can rally around. This is House leadership doing what it needs to do.

And we see this clear framing when she discusses numerous other core Democratic issues, including unions...

x Let's talk about why Republicans are trying to dismantle unions: They don't want workers to get fair pay. Or have access to paid family leave or sick time. They want CEOs to have all of the power and all of the money. thehill.com/homenews/adm... — Katherine Clark (@whipkclark.bsky.social) 2025-03-28T17:54:50.551Z

Bank fees…

x Senate Republicans just voted to hand Big Banks huge profits by raising overdraft fees on Americans. The House GOP is putting up the same vote next week. Every day, it’s Wall Street over working families. — Katherine Clark (@whipkclark.bsky.social) 2025-03-27T20:10:18.468Z

ICE arrests and free speech…

x The ambush and arrest of Rumeysa Ozturk is beyond disturbing. She’s here legally. No criminal charges have been filed. It’s a deliberate effort to intimidate and chill free speech. Rumeysa is just the start. I’m working to get answers. We cannot let this stand. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/u... — Katherine Clark (@whipkclark.bsky.social) 2025-03-27T16:46:35.478Z

Cuts to Medicaid…

x Medicaid covers nearly 1 in 2 kids across Massachusetts — so parents don't have to choose between booking a doctor's appointment or paying rent. That's what Republicans call waste. That's what they're cutting. All to help the rich get richer. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/24/m... — Katherine Clark (@whipkclark.bsky.social) 2025-03-24T16:50:45.581Z

And the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau…

x The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made it harder for billionaires like Elon Musk to rip you off. He isn't looking to eliminate waste. He wants to expand his enormous wealth at your expense. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202... — Katherine Clark (@whipkclark.bsky.social) 2025-02-11T19:15:39.969Z

Katherine Clark holds the second most powerful position in the Democratic House Caucus. Yet she is rarely talked about on this site. She is providing straight talk to the American people in outlining the real goals of this administration. As she often says, “the plot is exposed”, and the plot is to harm ordinary Americans in order to benefit the rich. She is providing a message Democrats can rally around.

The reason I write these diaries, and focus in more depth on individual Congressional Democrats, is to show readers on this site the incredible work being done. It is easy to tear down. It is easy to give in to anger and despair. But there is a choice. Party supporters can wallow in cynicism and defeatism, they can repeat far right tropes about Democrats being “coastal elites” and “spineless”, or they can choose to support and amplify the vast majority of Democrats, largely unheralded and less well known, who are meeting the moment with strength and resolve every day.

If you want even more information on what Democrats are doing, go seek out Janesaunt’s diaries “Dems Dems and More Dems”, which is published three times a week, and lpeacocks Thursday diaries on the Congressional Black Caucus. Both are good reading and deserve more support.

Here are links to the last diaries Janesaunt and lPeacock posted.

www.dailykos.com/...

www.dailykos.com/...

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