STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES FILE 
Illustration: F. Stop Fitzgerald, PillartoPost.org
As a Democrat, I am still trying to calm down after learning that 11 Democrats in the House of Representatives failed to cast their votes on a critical measure involving the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Eleven.
The House voted 211–204 to send the impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee, effectively burying it for the remainder of this Congress. Had those 11 Democrats shown up and voted with their colleagues, the Republican maneuver could have been defeated.
Think about that. Eleven missing Democrats handed Republicans a victory they might otherwise have lost.
And to make this spectacular failure even harder to swallow, seven Republicans also failed to vote.
Optics.
Optics.
OPTICS.
The Democrats had an opportunity to put Hegseth and his defenders on the defensive. Instead, they helped the opposition escape accountability.
What a glorious opportunity to squander.
Those 11 Democrats had one job on Tuesday: SHOW UP AND VOTE.
Some have offered explanations. Traffic. Scheduling conflicts. Other obligations. Some absences involved medical or personal circumstances. Fair enough. Not every absence is negligence.
But where in hell was the party leadership? Who was counting heads? Who was making certain the votes were there before the roll call? This wasn’t some obscure housekeeping measure. It was a highly consequential vote involving a Cabinet secretary whose conduct had prompted eight articles of impeachment.
And the Democrats couldn’t get their people into the chamber. SHAME.
Nearly a century ago, America’s great cowboy philosopher Will Rogers delivered one of his most enduring political observations: “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.”
Funny? Yes.
Sad? Absolutely.
Stupid? All of the above.
Rogers died in 1935. His observation, unfortunately, remains in excellent health. Which brings us to the uncomfortable question: What now?
The Democratic Party needs leadership capable of organizing its own members before lecturing the country about how it intends to govern. How did so much of the party’s leadership survive the disastrous 2024 presidential election without a fundamental reckoning? And after the voters handed Democrats renewed power in the 2026 midterms, how does the party repay them? By fumbling a crucial vote before the new Congress has even taken office.
There is an enormous difference between winning an election and knowing what to do with the victory.
The American people have every right to expect Democrats to confront Trumpism, challenge incompetence, investigate misconduct and restore some measure of accountability to Washington.
But none of that happens if the opposition party cannot master the elementary business of showing up.
A political party isn’t a debating society. It isn’t a collection of independent celebrities who occasionally gather beneath the same banner. It is an organization entrusted with power and responsibility.
And an organization that cannot organize itself is asking to be laughed out of office.
Democratic leaders, the voters have done their job.
Now do yours.
Find out why those votes were missed. Hold the responsible officials accountable. Replace leaders who cannot lead.
And make it unmistakably clear that missing a critical vote without a compelling reason will carry political consequences.
If that requires heads on a platter, start setting the table.
The next Congress will offer Democrats enormous opportunities to prove that their promises mean something. They cannot afford to waste them through indifference, arrogance or organizational incompetence.
Will Rogers made Americans laugh at the Democratic Party a hundred years ago. Today’s Democrats seem determined to keep him laughing.
Bottom line: The Blue Wave is watching.
THE ELEVEN WHO WON’T GO TO BLUE WAVE HEAVEN
The 11 Democratic members of Congress who failed to vote on November 10, 2026, when the House considered a motion to send impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee.
Nancy Pelosi — California
Julia Brownley — California
Lou Correa — California
Laura Gillen — New York
Steven Horsford — Nevada
Jonathan Jackson — Illinois
Brittany Pettersen — Colorado
Melanie Stansbury — New Mexico
Haley Stevens — Michigan
Marilyn Strickland — Washington
Frederica Wilson — Florida
The final vote: 211–204. Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans failed to vote. The motion to refer the impeachment articles passed, preventing an immediate impeachment vote. An important distinction: Several absent Democrats cited medical issues, personal emergencies or transportation delays. Their absences are documented, but the reasons were not identical.
Source: Official House Roll Call No. 317, November 10, 2026.
OPINION / By PillartoPost.org Daily Online Magazine
