Gang of 14 Gang of 14 The Gang of 14 was a phrase coined to describe the bipartisan group of Senators in the 109th United States Congress who successfully, at the time, negotiated a compromise in the spring of 2005 to avoid the deployment of the so-called "nuclear option" by Senate Republicans over an organized use of the filibuster by Senate Democrats. The term alludes to the phrase "Gang of Four", used in China to refer to four ex-leaders blamed for the abuses during the rule of Mao Zedong. Senate Democrats used the filibuster to prevent the confirmation of conservative appellate court candidates
Gang of Four (pro-Contra) Church. Some Sandinistas had earlier endorsed the Communist crack-down on Poland's labor movement, Solidarity. The "Gang of Four" were four advocates of U.S. Congressional funding for the Contras, who were notable for being prominent Democrats. In October 1984, "The New Republic" published "Nicaragua's Untold Stories", which criticized the Sandinistas for economic mismanagement, corruption, and violations of human rights. The author was Robert S. Leiken, a Democratic policy analyst who had previously been an opponent of the Vietnam War. The turning point came in the fall of 1984, when, after an intense 10 day trip to Nicaragua, Leiken returned 'appalled and