# Democrats Who Wouldn't Honor A 13 Year Old with Brain Cancer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [March 7, 2025, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230 "2025-03-07T04:01:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/21 "2025-03-07T13:59:28Z")
> [@Culling\_The\_Herd](#): > > How do we feel about the Democrats who wouldn’t stand or applaud when 13 year old brain cancer survivor Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel was made an honorary Secret Service agent during Trump’s address to Congress? I’m curious. How do _you_ feel about it? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/22 "2025-03-07T14:03:17Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > The Republicans, with a few exceptions, are the corrupt party. The Republicans, with a few exceptions, are the party in power, and the fact that such corruption is what got them that power draws certain people to their side. Every time that corruption is successful, they gain. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/23 "2025-03-07T14:41:44Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Trump the excuse to proceed without them. Perhaps, but imagine the spectacle of the aging McFarland and his tiny cluster of keystone cops attempting to remove an uncooperating group of ~ 150 seated chanters. It would have been as absurd as Trump himself. They are not going to lay hands on Pelosi, Butterworth, Warren or Jeffries or for that matter any other elected member of the Legislature. The chanters do not require microphones to drown out Trump with ‘cancer research’! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/24 "2025-03-07T14:43:12Z")
> [@Culling\_The\_Herd](#): > > How do we feel about the Democrats who wouldn’t stand or applaud when 13 year old brain cancer survivor Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel was made an honorary Secret Service agent during Trump’s address to Congress? I feel that the only people who would think it is a good idea to applaud fascist publicity stunts are themselves fascists. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/25 "2025-03-07T15:17:39Z")
> [@Culling\_The\_Herd](#): > > How do we feel about the Democrats who wouldn’t stand or applaud when 13 year old brain cancer survivor Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel was made an honorary Secret Service agent during Trump’s address to Congress? Here, this summarizes my feelings: [https://i.ibb.co/TxbyJpk5/Gl-Tw-Pa-EW4-AEEREo.jpg](https://i.ibb.co/TxbyJpk5/Gl-Tw-Pa-EW4-AEEREo.jpg) Eta: fixed link ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/26 "2025-03-07T15:39:14Z")
Why is anybody applauding in the first place? It’s a speech that’s supposed to be delivered with some gravitas, not a variety show. Maybe everyone should either sit and listen quietly, or, if the content is objectionable and they have some balls, protest and accept the consequences. In other words: I’d like to see more adult behaviour appropriate to the venue, and less sycophantic fawning, less playing to the cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/27 "2025-03-07T15:47:09Z")
They applaud because it gets them votes. Got anything to counter that? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/28 "2025-03-07T15:50:14Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > But most people are stupid so they easily fall for such manipulative tactics. [“A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it.”](https://youtu.be/WPMMNvYTEyI?si=ZsLh6LhhfiMIEOit) > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > In other words: I’d like to see more adult behaviour appropriate to the venue, and less sycophantic fawning, less playing to the cameras. We’re deep in the celebrity leader era, and Trump is the “Reality Television President”. Good luck getting pack to decorum and “adult behavior appropriate to the venue”. Just be thankful we haven’t yet gotten to the stage of electing someone officially sponsored by a cola company or fast food chain as President. [But I’m sure that is coming.](https://youtu.be/ucKM36YtuXs?si=EpWrXs-aMHI3O9s5) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/29 "2025-03-07T16:05:58Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Trump is the “Reality Television President” Then the Dems need to define the appropriate public response. A Dems chant of cancer research would have drawn a chant of USA from the Republicans. Johnson and Trump would have totally lost control on prime time TV. An appropriate illustration of the chaos Trump is creating. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/30 "2025-03-07T16:08:27Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Instead their failure to applaud has gone largely unnoticed and Trump again dominates the news. I hadn’t heard about this event until this thread and I haven’t heard about it except in this thread. So you’re right about unnoticed. As for the OP, this doesn’t hit the meter for things to care about at all. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/31 "2025-03-07T16:10:09Z")
Johnson lacked the resources to even start removing the Dems from the chamber. He would have been a little man shouting to the wind. Trump probably would have gone into melt down. Like Trump says ‘Great TV’! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/32 "2025-03-07T16:43:53Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > > [@Crane](#): > > > > Instead their failure to applaud has gone largely unnoticed and Trump again dominates the news. > > I hadn’t heard about this event until this thread and I haven’t heard about it except in this thread. So you’re right about unnoticed. > > As for the OP, this doesn’t hit the meter for things to care about at all. It did not go unnoticed. It was all over social media. I’m still seeing it on social media. I bet you a hell of a lot more people know about the democrats not applauding a kid with cancer than they do about what was said in the speech. Like it or not, it’s 2025 and social media is “the news.” Just because it didn’t reach you doesn’t mean it didn’t reach a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/33 "2025-03-07T16:59:31Z")
> [@Culling\_The\_Herd](#): > > How do we feel about the Democrats who wouldn’t stand or applaud when 13 year old brain cancer survivor Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel was made an honorary Secret Service agent during Trump’s address to Congress? I think they could not had done better, No one was booing either. But, as even the local shock radio guy pointed that in essence: that was bad political theater, like a guy that has to show constantly what a good guy he is… while ending aid to Africa that will kill little guys with diseases brought in by the lack of AIDS treatments, they will be more likely to die with opportunistic AIDS related diseases that include cancer. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/health/trump-usaid-pepfar.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/health/trump-usaid-pepfar.html) > **[Young adults with life-long HIV have a higher risk of cancer](https://www.aidsmap.com/news/aug-2018/young-adults-life-long-hiv-have-higher-risk-cancer)** > > Adolescents and young adults who acquired HIV before or at birth had a 13-fold higher likelihood of developing cancer and a 9-fold higher risk of death, according to a study presented at the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS... Add to that the removal and defunding of science groups that deal with finding cures for cancers, and then you realize what cads Trump and the right wing blogosphere are. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/34 "2025-03-07T17:18:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It did not go unnoticed. It was all over social media. I’m still seeing it on social media. I bet you a hell of a lot more people know about the democrats not applauding a kid with cancer than they do about what was said in the speech. Like it or not, it’s 2025 and social media is “the news.” The kid may have been a silly stunt, but stunt or not, the Democrats should have figured out a way to make themselves come out on top. They didn’t, and now it’s going viral about how they didn’t applaud a kid with cancer. That’s the message that the low info voter who gets their news from social media is coming away with about the Democrats. It seems like the Democrats are way behind in figuring out how to reach people in the new media landscape in a positive way. The only messages that are getting widely spread about the Democrats in the SotU are negative ones. They didn’t applaud the kid, they had silly signs, and their rebuttal was about how the voters need to do something rather than what the elected Democrats were going to do. The Democrats need to find a way to get the electorate to see them in a positive light or else the Republicans are going to be the ones framing the messaging about the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/35 "2025-03-07T18:28:08Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > The kid may have been a silly stunt, but stunt or not, the Democrats should have figured out a way to make themselves come out on top. They didn’t, and now it’s going viral about how they didn’t applaud a kid with cancer. That’s the message that the low info voter who gets their news from social media is coming away with about the Democrats. That was going to happen anyway. There is nothing you can do or not do, wear or not wear, eat or not eat, say or not say, that Fox News and the alt.right blogosphere isn’t going to turn into some kind of evidence of non-patriotism and an offense against America. Never forget: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5PQStOf_l6I/maxresdefault.jpg "Remembering Obama’s Scandalous Presidency | The Daily Show") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PQStOf_l6I) > [@filmore](#): > > It seems like the Democrats are way behind in figuring out how to reach people in the new media landscape in a positive way. The only messages that are getting widely spread about the Democrats in the SotU are negative ones. They didn’t applaud the kid, they had silly signs, and their rebuttal was about how the voters need to do something rather than what the elected Democrats were going to do. The Democrats need to find a way to get the electorate to see them in a positive light or else the Republicans are going to be the ones framing the messaging about the Democrats. It’s a fair criticism (especially the dumb signage which really just made Democrats look literally voiceless) but doing stunts to vie with Republican stunts is a race to the bottom, and one that Democrats won’t win because they won’t slide down as fast and the MAGA extreme already have a lock on the absolutely craziest ways to get attention. Democrats really need to get out the vote (assuming elections will even be meaningful in a couple of years, of which I am increasingly coming to doubt) by grassroots organizing, not by trying to lobby ‘low information voters’ via social media and certainly not by continuing to hug up to corporate donors. And they need to do more to contain and limit the damage that the GOP is doing to the fundamental institutions and norms of democratic governance, although they’ve waited so long to even begin calling out autocracy for what it is that I don’t know they have much in the way of effective options. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![knavette57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knavette57/32/3871_2.png) [@knavette57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knavette57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/36 "2025-03-07T18:46:56Z")
James Carville commented that, “The Democrats cannot even pass gas,” since they have no power. Another commentator mentioned that they cannot even propose a bill. But, as was said earlier, they could do some ads about the cuts to cancer research. But, before all this, the Democrats had some power, lots of it. They had no clue that they would be in this position. I also often think that no one really believed Trump would keep his promises and make an effort to implement them so quickly. Americans are so accustomed to hearing the promises, and seeing nothing accomplished that many just ho hummed and voted for him…bc Joe was too old, Kamala too black and female etc. He’ll be like all the others, the voters thought, so let’s just give him a try. He can’t really do that much harm, bc checks and balances! The Democrats probably thought this too, in fact, many of them did. Ezra Klein did an interview last summer in which he stated that many Dems were not all that worried, they just saw another four years of Trump’s nonsense, but they felt they could handle it. So they did nothing, and they probably did not also believe that they would lose both Senate and the House. It was laziness, a lack of imagination, fear, etc. which kept the Democrats so passive. They were hoping for some kind of power over Trump 2.0. Hope dies last, though. It is the worse possible scenario, and now this job will be that much more difficult bc no one saw it coming. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/37 "2025-03-07T18:50:51Z")
Basically, Trump couldn’t do much because he didn’t have enough power…so it was handed to him on a silver platter. Surprise! ---
**Author:** ![knavette57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knavette57/32/3871_2.png) [@knavette57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knavette57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/38 "2025-03-07T19:03:21Z")
Now that it seems the worse has happened, we might not survive this. For the first time ever, except maybe in the 1850s-60s. Trump 1.0 did have those in his administration who would curtail his worst impulses, too. He has none, now. All of them are the most dangerous of choices. The courts seem to be the “court of last resort”, haha. I do hear there are many lawsuits against Trump at the moment, but I have not done much research on that. I am in my 60s, and I often feel life is a done deal for me, and all I can do is donate to causes that will help. I fear doing protests bc I have fallen a few times lately, and though I broke no bones, I am a woman and could easily be knocked down and hurt if things became violent. I called my representatives in both state and federal, too. State is useless bc I live in a hot red state, but I do it anyway. Hawley is on of my senators if that helps you to place me. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/39 "2025-03-07T19:11:39Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > But most people are stupid so they easily fall for such manipulative tactics. > > [“A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it.”](https://youtu.be/WPMMNvYTEyI?si=ZsLh6LhhfiMIEOit) > > > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > > > In other words: I’d like to see more adult behaviour appropriate to the venue, and less sycophantic fawning, less playing to the cameras. > > We’re deep in the celebrity leader era, and Trump is the “Reality Television President”. Good luck getting pack to decorum and “adult behavior appropriate to the venue”. Just be thankful we haven’t yet gotten to the stage of electing someone officially sponsored by a cola company or fast food chain as President. [But I’m sure that is coming.](https://youtu.be/ucKM36YtuXs?si=EpWrXs-aMHI3O9s5) > > Stranger At least President Comacho’s three point plan consisted of asking the smartest person he could fine to fix real problems facing the American people. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230/40 "2025-03-07T19:17:11Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > It seems like the Democrats are way behind in figuring out how to reach people in the new media landscape in a positive way. The only messages that are getting widely spread about the Democrats in the SotU are negative ones. They didn’t applaud the kid, they had silly signs, and their rebuttal was about how the voters need to do something rather than what the elected Democrats were going to do. The Democrats need to find a way to get the electorate to see them in a positive light or else the Republicans are going to be the ones framing the messaging about the Democrats. The Democrats looked like voiceless impotent weirdos and old women. What happened to the Democratic Party of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Barack Obama? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-who-wouldnt-honor-a-13-year-old-with-brain-cancer/1015230.md?page=3)