Rep. Khanna Rails against Trump, Fellow Democrats in First Month

A freshman congressman for all of a month, Rep. Ro Khanna has wasted little time in scolding his new colleagues—on both sides of the aisle. In a series of tweets lamenting Sen. Bernie Sanders’ failed amendment to allow cheaper prescriptions to be imported from Canada, Khanna also took square aim at 13 fellow Democrats who voted against it.

A little more than a week later he grilled Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, in a House Budget Committee meeting after she refused to disclose her organization’s financial ties while testifying against the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). After eight terms of Mike Honda, who was well liked but more a trusted vote than a thought leader, Silicon Valley and East Bay constituents might just be in for some spirited leadership out of District 17. Despite not having the standing Honda held as a member of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, as well as having a crappier office—Khanna drew the 44th pick out of a lottery for 50 offices given to new House members—the new congressman is apparently working on a bipartisan bill to create term limits for the House and the Senate. Meanwhile, he has criticized President Donald Trump’s economic initiatives, which, Khanna says, will only serve to “help the elite.” But the nuance in how he intends to challenge Trump on executive orders—such as the toxic anti-immigration directive signed at the end of last week—is admittedly a challenge.

“Trump’s whole insight is the truth doesn't matter as much as perception in a soundbite culture,” Khanna told Fly. For this reason, Khanna explained, he has decided to avoid fights over Trump’s tax returns, familial conflicts of interest and other disputes that make for good press but little policy. “While we need to be loud, I think the Democrats win when we focus on economics,” Khanna said. “When we make it about policies, the American people are with us.”

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16 Comments

  1. > “While we need to be loud, I think the Democrats win when we focus on economics,” Khanna said. “When we make it about policies, the American people are with us.”

    Bring it on!

    Democrat Party economic policies are founded on paleolithic shamanic tribalism: follow the shaman, forage in the forest, share with the tribe, fight other tribes.

    Democrat Party economic policies amount to “equal distribution of poverty” because “wealth is bad”.

    • Boy you have zero credibility with this paleo nonsense about democrats. Please try harder for something a bit more analytical.

      Here’s a touch of it: I’d say democrats have good intentions, but don’t as a party understand the fundamentals of business profitability and competition, so they overreach and harm commerce. For example, the minimum wage hike is a nice idea until you study the impact on small businesses who bear the burden. Democrat policy theories are shallow and unstudied, just as your paleo bologna.

      • > I’d say democrats have good intentions, but don’t as a party understand the fundamentals of business profitability and competition,

        Billy:

        Your explanation of the Democrat party ethos is pretty much right on the mark. What you don’t understand, is that it’s not something that the Democrats invented in the last ten years. It is the legacy of thousands of years of human instinctive behavior and social evolution.

        I’m not surprised that you don’t grasp the “paleolithic” dimension. It is way, way outside of the educational exposure of most people. Something can be true even if you’ve never heard of it. Here’s something to help you think about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic_Revolution

          • Ok….first, I thought you were pointing me to a study that attempts to draw parallels between democratic political economy and anthropological theories of ancient social order. But you didn’t. What you describe as democratic traits are applicable across all societies, vague as you were in your descriptions of the shamanistic hierarchical structures. In fact, one can argue trump, having no experience in the complexities of bureaucracy and diplomacy, was elected more out of shamanistic worship than sensible policy based decision making. We have yet to grasp his notion of distribution but it’s clear he is fighting for his defined tribe of white Americans at and to this point.

          • > but it’s clear he is fighting for his defined tribe of white Americans at and to this point.

            If that’s clear to you, it’s because YOU’RE the tribalist, not Trump.

            My thesis is that there is a very ancient “yang and yin” or dualism that defines politics. One side originates in paleolithic shamanic tribalism, the other is neolithic mutuality and collaboration , i.e. trade.

            You’re a paleolithic; you think everything is about “tribalism”, i.e., race; Trump is a neolithic; he’s a capitalist who looks at people not as other “tribes” but as “trading partners’.

            Your view of Trump as “fighting for his defined tribe of white Americans” is YOUR projection.

  2. > ” That’s why I support an amendment offered by @SenSanders that would allow for medication to be imported from Canada.”

    I would love to see a lucid and coherent debate on drug development and drug pricing between — say Ro Khanna and the Cato Institute.

    The problem is that the drug industry is highly regulated by governments, is highly capital intensive, highly expertise intensive, and subject to enormous influence and interference by politicians.

    Drug development costs and the costs of clinical trials in the U.S. to gain government approval for the sale of drugs are gigantic, and one of the problems that drug companies have is that foreign governments — e.g. Canada — refuse to allow these costs and they want a “free ride” on the American drug company and American consumer.

    Bernie Sanders is an economically illiterate demagogue and the fact that Khanna supports any pharmaceutical industry proposal supported by Sanders suggests that Khanna is equally clueless.

    • Frankly, if that were the case, DTC advertising would be prohibited. R&D budgets are far more modest than marketing budgets. If you want to have any credibility on this one particular issue, follow the money, not the talking points.

      • > If you want to have any credibility on this one particular issue, follow the money, not the talking points.

        Speaking of credibility and talking points, your talking points are kind of addled.

        I’m kind of a moron. Could you dumb down your talking points and put them in some sort of coherent context so I can figure out what you’re trying to say?

  3. I’m from Cupertino. Please fight for public schools. Sending money to for profit, private and charter schools will not benefit students. It will only enrich wealthy owners.

  4. Mike Honda was a great congressman who not only voted with his party but fought for the rights of the working class, our schools, social security and many more issues of importance. Congressman Khanna should concentrate on telling the American people the truth and not alternative facts and lies of this administration. Trump recently ordered a raid that killed one Navy Seal and injured many more Americans. The news advised the enemy knew in advance and they were prepared for the raid. Trump advised the American people “important information was gotten”. Well if they knew they were coming(probably because Trump tweeted the raid to give the enemy advance warning” the information obtained is probably tainted. I voted for Honda but I hope Khanna remembers he is serving at a time that involves more than economics. Our basic freedoms are in danger and he should not be blasting members of his own party but reaching out and finding common ground to protect us.

    • Give it a rest. Honda the tax sucking lazy ass crook is gone. Let go and move on. Why don’t you try supporting this guy who seems to be bold enough to speak truth on both sides of the aisle? I’m all for anyone who’s going toe to toe against fascism.

  5. This is your opinion of Honda not mine. I really don’t give a rat’s ass what you think because you are like Trump who just calls everyone names and lies and cheats. You say you support Khana so support him but quit acting like a punk by your name calling. Please don’t bother to respond because nobody cares what you write or what I write. This is just a stupid blog.

  6. Khanna tweeted his unhappiness that as a Freshman in Congress he gets no respect:

    “It’s appalling that 13 Senate Democrats voted against it.”

    Folks were warned that electing Ro Khanna was trading someone with many years’ Congressional seniority for someone with none.

    It will take many more years before Khanna gets the respect from his fellow Dems that he naively expected from the get-go. Now we have a clueless guy with no experience representing our interests.

    Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it…

  7. Congress holds the power NOT the President. We need to hold CONGRESS responsible for all of these nominees being approved, and for all these unconstitutional acts.

    George Washington warned, “The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.”

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