Voting ‘Present’ On America

At the start of the month, the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning socialism on a 220-192 vote:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— (1) condemns and denounces socialism in all its forms, including the Democratic Socialists of America, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States….

One headline featured the fact that 8 Democrats voted for it. But I want to focus on the fact that 2 Democrats voted “present” — one of whom is Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire. Neither for nor against.

I have quoted just one paragraph of the resolution. Three of the other four paragraphs reaffirm the rationale for citizen-only voting and the SAVE Act as the means of securing that. The fourth paragraph reaffirms fidelity to the Constitution.

Democrats have been in full-throated condemnation of the SAVE Act, so it is interesting to see any Democrat co-sign a resolution supporting it. Even more interesting is that any Democrat voted to condemn the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) given the current insistence by many Democratic leaders as having a place within the Democratic Party “tent.”

But Goodlander voting “present”? Goodlander is a “made” Democrat. Grok summary:

She was both a Biden official and married to one of the administration’s most senior figures. •Husband: Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s National Security Advisor (2021–2025). They married in 2015. They met during the Obama years (she worked for Sen. Joe Lieberman; he advised then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton). The Clintons attended their wedding. •Her own Biden roles: •Counselor to Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Justice Department (2021–2022). She had previously clerked for Garland on the D.C. Circuit. •Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the DOJ Antitrust Division (2022–2024). •Senior White House advisor who led Biden’s “Unity Agenda.” •Additional in-laws in the administration: Sullivan’s brother Tom Sullivan (State Department deputy chief of staff for policy) and sister-in-law Rose Baumann Sullivan (HHS). She also clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer.

What does her failure to vote against condemnation of DSA mean? Goodlander has voted against the SAVE Act, so her neutral stance on the resolution is likely in spite of her opposition to the SAVE Act. That highlights the anti-DSA aspect of the resolution.

Three of the eight Democrats who voted for the Resolution also voted for the SAVE Act. Those three reaffirmed their position on the SAVE Act. Five Democrats who voted against joined in a Resolution condemning the DSA and arguably softening their stance on the SAVE Act.

Goodlander voted “present.”

The ideology behind the fashionable DSA makes “present” a dangerous approach. Lack of support is necessary but insufficient. Active opposition is required. When the battle commences, there will be no neutrality