You know I have been biting my tongue for months now. I am now experiencing fear that I never thought would be possible. I am currently a doctorate student and I had a plan to get my PhD and go into research but now that things are so screwed up, I feel there is absolutely no future. I am considering just giving up on my school and cut my losses. I also fear for my brother who is depends on Social Security and Medicaid and am thankful my sister who is his caretaker moved in with me recently so that we can pull our resources together because excuse my French, but shit is starting to get a little too real.
Our future as a country looks really grim where I sit. I had no idea just how much I took for granted until this year. Everyone keeps on saying to call their representatives in Congress but to be honest I really feel it would be a waste of my time because both sides of the aisle don't appear to be up to the task of stopping this insanity, doing their jobs, and saving this country from these maniacs. I guess the cracks in both parties are too deep to overcome.
It all boils down to the fact that no matter who we voted for this time around, we all have a part in why this man got a chance to sit in the oval office, yet again, and in my opinion, we deserve everything we get. We all need to own it and we need to come together because this is the only way we can overcome this. I have lost all hope that Congress is going to save us, and just depending on the courts to save us is a like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. This conman and his mess of a cabinet are taking this country and flushing it down the toilet because of the almighty buck and we need to stop fighting each other and fight the fix the real problem at hand.
I am a Desert Storm veteran and I am beside myself that my sacrifice was truly in vain because this country is nothing like the one, we had back when I was a proud member of those who swore to protect her. I never in my life felt more vulnerable, disillusioned, disappointed and just downright brokenhearted as I am right now.
I agree Congress is not doing anything. Either side. Emailing/calling isn't making a difference. We attend weekly protests, grass roots, and the numbers are growing. We live in a small town so it is heartening to see this. Someone said to me. We will get through this nightmare from the ground up. That gave me hope!
On Monday, my wife and I are attending our local School Board Title IX committee meeting to see what the board members think of the loss of the Department of Education. No DOE, no Title IX enforcement.
My wife is a retired middle school science teacher. Would she have been able to pursue that science career path without Title IX? How many young women will be able to do it in the future? We'll get the Board members insight on those questions.
Please let us know how it goes. I also worked in education and my sons and daughters in law as well. We are all concerned about what will happen to all those who need services and benefit from a strong education system. This will affect both sides, so I am shocked that HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED is attacking what will affect his base and their children.
Excellent questions, Townsend! We must, absolutely must, attend these local meetings and ask the questions we need answers to. They may not like being put on the spot, but they wanted the position and accounting and answering the tough questions are what it is all about!
Unfortunately, for the MAGAts, "killing for fun" is a feature, not a bug.
Despite our numbers (largely made up of people SO APATHETIC, they would NEVER VOTE, even if Satan were on the ticket (for a third time)), and the closest WE will ever come to the "joy of killing" is when we allow the MAGAs to cause the deaths of their own children from easily preventable disease...even as it disgusts and saddens us. MAGA will take their own children's deaths as "tribute to Trump" (just as they did when Trump caused the deaths of some 800,000 of his followers rather than acknowledge that the Pandemic Plan left in place by the Obama administration might actually save lives...which Trump knew was the case, and his own PRIVATE vaccination proved.)
They will sacrifice their children to Trump, and feel it to be an honor. How do we defeat a literal DEATH WISH that these fools feel to be completely appropriate, and in fact is necessary on their part in order to be a "proper cultist"?
(I spent much of yesterday with 2 MAGAts who are, ironically enough, part of the exceptionally incompetent "team" tending to my mother's hospice care. (Yeah, MAGAts as hospice workers. IRONY IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL! And it absolutely LOVES Trump...)
I fear that at the moment all we have on our side are the those who actually cared enough to vote (and voted wisely, of course.)
MAGAts are still ignoring that the GOP had a 50% say in EVERYTHING "Leon" is destroying, as well as that the goal ISN'T simply 100% for the purpose of enriching the 4 men who made Trump president (including Putin. They actually appear to believe what Trump is doing will benefit everyone, if only to cause millions of us to "die with honor from starvation or disease".))
So, at the moment even those on the fence about Trump are not yet wise to the danger, so how can we imagine we're changing the minds of actual MAGAts?(Except in rare, individual instances.)
I truly wish it were otherwise, but I'm too old to start to ignore what history has seen (and remembered) SO MANY TIMES, even as the human capacity for memory is weakened by...money?
Foofaraw & Chiquita (Arf!).I am also too old to start to ignore what history I remember. That is why I value what my mother told me. Ever resourceful, she got it from a Salada tea bag tag. ; "the secret to triumph is in the first syllable : "Tri" ', or try. I refuse to give up my values and betray my beliefs. To forget what honor and decency are.
One of the MAGAts here yesterday fooled me at first, but once she made her feelings clear, they never slowed down.
But anytime I mentioned the words of Jesus from the Bible, she always became visibly uncomfortable. I think, deep down, there is still a half-memory of enjoying everyone being equal, and actually WANTING to help others, and playing with ALL other children in youthful innocence.
I'm not ready to give up....at least on some of them.
She had only a tenth grade education, Made mistakes like everyone does, I guess, and ended up singing in the Young at heart chorus, going around the country and around the world, as a senior. She sang a duet with David Byrne at Carnegie Hall, while with the chorus. she had joined the chorus as an amateur, who always loved music. She was known as Patsy Linderme. She really liked Belgium the most ,of all the places she performed. Her special solo was "Fake plastic Trees" by Radiohead.
Foof, I don't expect them to make sense. Trump's true believers are noisy but a minority of the people who voted in 2024. The difference was people who were unhappy with the deal they were getting from the US economy, because of how sc(r)ewed to rich it has become voted or Trump or didn't vote at all. Joe Biden's frailty scared them. Harris was a step too far. Forget the MAGAts, they drank the Kool Aid, work on the middle, make them come back and vote again for sanity. There isn't a living Communist on the planet since Fidel died. Just different flavors of authoritarians, who enrich themselves and do not take care of their people. The Democrats have to become the party of fairness.
MAGAs have NO idea of what a communist is. For them, it's anyone with any human decency or concern for poor/marginalised people. In other words, anyone to the left of them. It's unbelievable. They are now saying all the quiet parts out loud. The racism and misogyny in this country is awful. I know it's always been around (I was born in 1950s) and saw the horrible treatment of those marching for civil rights, heard of the murders of civil rights workers, etc. I thought we were getting better (or at least hoped we were), but I see little has changed. I see comments about Black people being less intelligent, smaller brained and all the rest of it. It really makes me sick of the white part of my heritage (I also have Pygmy, Khoisan, East African (Sudanese and Ethiopian), Uralic, East Siberian, Mongolian, Roma, Jewish. Yemenite, Jomon/Japanese, Melanesian, Australian (Indigenous) Andean/Amazonian Indigenous Amerind). Small amounts, but still there--and I'm proud of all of them. I'm adopted so know little to nothing about my ancestors. I'm mostly white, but if this how so many are going to be, I'm just disgusted to be.
I'm so disgusted with the Democrats (except for Bernie, AOC, Jasmine Crockett and a few others), that I'm almost ready to become a Trotskyist again. But I know there's not much they can do. I have to work within the system we've got and support Democrats who don't fold like Schumer et al.
You are right, there really haven't been any Communists since Castro died. Even all the Trotskyists I knew that I would consider to be real communists--I'm talking about the old guard who actually knew Trotsky and who took part in the big union struggles of the 1930s--are long gone (this should tell how old I am lol).
Hmmm, IIRC, there is a Bible verse which reads " and they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto Moloch". That's what Trump is, a modern-day Moloch. Hell, they even worship him as a sort of "god" ( I refer to him as their iron pyrite --as in fool's gold--"god"). I've seen this coming and now it is here. I'm not the worlds greatest Christian, BUT I know "You shall know them by their fruits"--and all of them are toxic.
I'm sorry your mom got into the hands of a MAGA hospice team. I did that work for many years as a sort of informal ministry, to try to make my patients as comfortable/pain-free as possible. I consider it the best ten years of my life.
I'm treating the need to give myself 100% to the needs and care of another, to be a gift I can never receive again in my life. (I married late in life, then divorced...so no newborns to give of myself to.)
I hope to learn and grow every day, especially when it's most difficult. I want to make her happy EVERY day she has left.
I know it's hard but please be sure to take care of yourself. You can't be there for your mum if you don't get some decent rest and respite. All I can do is pray for you and your mum, but I do that gladly. I hope you will accept a cyber-hug.
Gotcha there. I cannot fathom the MAGAts I encounter in health care. I think of them as the walking dead. And you're not wrong...It's not simple. I have palliative care workers spouting dreadful MAGAt tropes, and my trauma surgeon buddies who are all military vets who defend their 2nd Amendment rights, not touchy feely guys, but they labor long into the night to get their peeps "stabiized." Contradiction abounds, it's not all bad.
Yeah, Lisa, I agree that we are all in some sense complicit for having allowed corrupt corporate players (aka oligarchs) to work behind the scenes to enable and install an equally corrupt and uncaring group of fellow grifters to overtake our Federal and many of our state governments, aided and abetted by corrupt and immoral authoritarian religious fundamentalists and hardcore racist factions leftover from the Civil War. But, do you remember 'scattergrams' from math and or econ classes? They consist of info dots of how things are (say, daily temperatures) at a moment in time. It is only after this data is smoothed by averaging that we get one of those X + Y axis lines showing intensity on the upright axis and the passage of time on the horizontal line. So, Lisa, we are on a pretty nasty 'dot' at the moment, but as change begins to happen, and it is happening, that curve which right now shows us heading upward toward complete disaster will start to flatten out. All is NOT lost. And don't despair, because it's only by via our despair that our enemies can obtain and hold onto power.
2 things when you write 'both sides of the aisle don't appear to be up to the task of stopping this insanity, doing their jobs, and saving this country from these maniacs.' the 2 sides of the aisle are the same as each other argument is so mis/disinforming! How can you say that?!?! It's the republicans that have for the last 2 sessions have done nothing for their constituents, have gotten nothing done because they can't even agree with other. Have you forgotten 15 votes to get McCarthy confirmed as speaker?!? The republicans confirmed Patel, Hegseth, Gubbard, rfk, McMahon, and the rest of the cabinet clown car, not the democrats. pleasePleasePLEASE stop with the same sides are the same! re "cracks are too deep are to deep to overcome" Biden got the chips act, infrastructure act, build back better, etc. Again the disfunction is by a large % a retRumplican phenomenon. Please stop equating the 2, as that's not only false, but most harmful in trying to identify and correct the shit show we're presently living through
I have said this here before, Lisa: the overreach is so blatant and so outrageous and the dominance of the oligarchs so evident that there will be a backlash, just as there was against the first gilded age a century ago. That backlash is brewing and we will come through better for it as long as we keep up the fight. Hang in there and keep the faith.
I have to back up your thinking all the way. In fact I just posted my thinking on our situation to but I go back to Nazism. Musk's kids even confirmed he is a Nazi. Along with Trump they seem to being a pretty good job. They have the MAGA's backing them now and Thy have congress to scared to do anything. It all adds up while we sit here seeing it all. It seems they've even gone into the military to try to neutralize any opposition they deem necessary. Where does it stop? It's al right there in front of up.
I know we are in an untenable situation. It does not look good. But I have seen the angry Republicans shouting at their "representatives". I see Democrat leaders going to Republican voters who want town halls, and being accepted, at least listened to. There are massive crowds at rallies. I have to think positive. Even though it is dark indeed. If TRUMP is inhibited by Rupert Murdoch, or influenced by his warnings to not ignore the law, that gives me reason to hope that things could improve. We do not want a bloodbath. Only to have self rule. Americans will not be silenced. We want the country that we grew up with. And the freedom to try to form "a more perfect union" that is the promise of Democracy/ self rule.and freedom for all.
I have shouted at our representatives also, to no avail. The opposition has a network in place to back all their radical thinking with X and Ruppert Murdock's Fox News, etc. Years ago I refused to go to a doctor's office that had their TV tuned to Fox News to tell outright lies. Now we have X making up anything needed to hold their attention. I have radical R's come into my home and make the comment that I have my TV tuned to the national news services. It don't stop. I guess at this point all we can do is wait till it affects them, like taking away their SSI. I can't wait to comment that ("You caused It") and see what kind of comment I get from them. As long as we have Nazi Musk up there convincing Trump that he is doing right for the nation, it'll continue. He is ruining Democracy for this nation but Trump is to stupid to realize it with his fascination of Putin and all the other dictators of the world.
Harvey Hild : We have to be our own representatives? Even Rupert Murdoch seems to be trying to hold tRUMP to the law. May be that he has something to gain, like not being part of the problem he helped to create? Or maybe it's to protect his investments? Or could it possibly be his own legacy? He is not getting any younger.
I have a question. Why aren't corporations using their clout instead of sitting back and watching it all go down the drain?: manufacturing, computer components, transportation, retail, machinery, petroleum , agriculture, media outlets - closures, bankruptcies and major contracts being cancelled, (Lockeed Martin, Boeing, John Deere, etc)?
Traditionally, Americans have been big consumers in a robust economy - that is about to end because few will be able to afford anything other than essentials, businesses will go under. Everyone loses.
In your last sentence Judith, you hit the nail on the head.
What has made America great is consumption. America is the worlds greatest consumer. The P.M.s and Presidents of the world, are salesmen,prostrating themselves at the feet of the President, that they can vend their goods and resources.
That is the superpower, that has enabled Trump.
The behavior of Trusk is killing the goose that lays the golden egg, firing people from government, shutting down departments that have enabled the economy to roll on like a runaway steam engine, firing people, Even USAID no matter how much we spend on AID, there is a return on investment greater than the expense, and in terms of money received, and money not spent.
With luck Trusk will destroy that which made America great, we will all suffer, but at least we will have shed the parasites.And then we can rebuild back better, with a common sense 1st and 2nd amendment, and get rid of the electoral college and states rats.
I just got off from watching the news and I see that protestors are gathered in front of the Tesla facility in New York City. I guess they are blaming it as organized by George Soros again. Anytime they can't blame it on someone it always goes to him.
I called both Senators and my Congressman's office this morning and protesting my disbelief of them allowing a group of unvetted people coming in to access the information in every federal office in Washington. I asked that they throw out Musk and his whole gang till they are vetted. I finished off by saying they are not representing the wishes of their constituents.
Trump is the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. His gameplan is very much like Hitler's. Everytime someone talks to a Republican,they should refer to them as " Neo Nazis".I do think many would think that to be a compliment.
Harvey,let them try. It is becoming more evident that we should be getting gun permits,getting a gun,going to ranges to become effective.I see no way that peaceful demonstrations are going to change anything.
Here is the normal reply I get from my Congressman's office but never a response. I never heart from either Senators office. They are both Republican.
\Thank you for contacting me to express your opinion on matters before the 116th Congress. You will be receiving a response shortly regarding the issue you contacted me on. I commend you on your efforts to become involved in the political process. Without ample and constructive input from my constituents, my best efforts to effectively represent you would undoubtedly fall short.
Job creation, accessibility to constituents, education, economic development, and national security will continue to be my priorities for the 28th district of Texas. I urge you to continue to reach out to my office should you have specific concerns or questions about legislation pending before Congress.
Dang! Wonder if Florida copied Texas or vice versa? That's the response I got from my congressman. I call it a format letter/email. Words, words, words.....saying absolutely nothing!
One of my idiot Senators say on his leadup that he is proud to represent the people of Texas, I always respond by telling him to change his recording. He don't represent anyone but Trump. He's Cancun Cruz.
I expect AI bots will be writing individual replies to constituents in the future, if not already, for our electeds in Congress. Further insulating them from their constituents. Maybe our queries to our congressmen should include a capcha test we ask them to solve. "Just to make sure I get a reply from a human, please solve the capcha at zzzz.com and include that in your response congressman."
Yes Congress. We know what to expect out of the Republicans Harvey, But the Democrats, keeping a low profile, and even aiding and abetting Trusk, like voting for Cloture on the CR.
Until the Democratic party comes out the trenches with Tommy guns blazing, charging like hell to take out the Huns. I've given up on politics and fall back to my 1964 skepticism of "two sides of the same coin"
Same here Marilyn, alas there are only a handful, willing to stick their head above the parapet. The rest cower in fear.
What we need to do is make them afraid of us, not them. So far they hide under our skirts,because after all they and we are Democrats. Kick them out from under the skirts,make them afraid of us more than them, and the way to do that is threaten their careers. Primary the S.O.B.'s
I agree with your frustrations, but we somehow have to change their whole way of handling this enemy. Up to a few years ago, they could posture & wear pink & be right in their rational belief in the system. They are grand thinkers, who have been pushed to the front lines of a battle so unlike any in our history. Send them messages again & again & again...it has to sink in quickly, no time to wait for the next elections...IMHO
Sounds to me like you are more of a Republican then you think. Yes the Democrats seem to be reacting to Trump and his associations with Musk. We have to do it LEGALLY. They won't. They ignore laws willingly to do what they want to do. We have to stop them any way we can, LEGALLY. No one, not even the president, is above the rule of law. This principle draws the line against authoritarianism and keeps the federal government accountable to the people it serves.
Last weekend, in defiance of federal court orders, President Donald Trump moved forward with removing more than 200 migrants from the United States. The majority of the people were removed without due legal process.
Prior to the deportations, the administration invoked the draconian Alien Enemies Act with the declared purpose of deporting affiliates of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. But many of the people who were removed under the Alien Enemies Act do not have criminal records.
The deportation flights took the people on board, primarily of Venezuelan descent, to El Salvador, where they are reportedly being detained with no contact with their families or legal counsel in prisons notorious for horrific conditions and human rights abuses. Many of the people on these flights have disappeared from ICE’s tracking system, leaving their families struggling to find information.
The war-time Alien Enemies Act, last invoked during World War II, gives the government immense, overbroad power to engage in racial profiling and to imprison, detain, and deport people as young as 14 without a hearing. Its return presents immense danger for public safety, human rights, and civil rights.
President Trump has already used the false claim of an “invasion” to justify abuses of power and extreme actions on immigration, including abusing emergency powers to send the military to the border and expanding expedited removal. His actions this week — invoking the war-time act when we are not at war, ignoring court orders, and calling for the impeachment of the judge who made said orders (a call so aggressive it was rebuked by Chief Justice John Roberts) — are an alarming escalation of executive branch overreach. They also warn of an impending constitutional crisis.
The Trump administration has stonewalled the judge’s request for information about the deportation flights. The repeated disregard for orders from the judicial branch is a hallmark of authoritarianism, as we write in a new analysis, and puts the balance of powers in our government at risk of being toppled completely. The courts have the final word on law, and the administration must comply — and we all must hold them to it.. We have Musk up there now who has never been vetted with his gang of DOGE's invading every part of the federal government as they can collecting information on us, for what reason I do not know.
what a way to respond Harvey, Accusing me of being more of a Republican than I think.
Wow. Let me inform you that I don't belong to teams, I don't find my identity in teams. I voted Democratic since 2016, and I voted Republican from 1960 to 1964, then didn't vote at all.
I was one of those reactive anti communist Republicans, but that was before the culture war was adopt by the Republicans.
When Trump came down the escalator and opened his foul mouth, I then decided to register to vote.
When it comes to issues, I am not a purist and can't be corralled or socially terrorized into adopting positions.. I have my own mind and have same ability to reason critically.
I have no beliefs, but plenty of opinions. You can say I am opinionated, I don't care, but I arrive at my opinions I don't acquire them.
You say we have to stop Trump legally.
Really now, with what law and what ability to enforce the law.
You have seen ideological and/or Trump appointed judges rule in his favor.
And when a judge rules against him, it is temporary, and when it finally reaches the Supreme Court, how does SCOTUS rule.
The law means nothing unless it is enforced.
The law means nothing when it is biased, ideologically or out of fear.
You use Tren de Aragua as an example. Yes the courts ruled, yet there they sit in El Salvador.
Next case.
Musk shut down USAID, stopped payments to contractors.
Courts ruled on contract law, you must fulfill your contract and pay the contractors, but USAID is still shut down and contractors haven't received their money.
Department by department, division by division, be it EPA, HUD, DOD, DOJ, the govenrrment is being dismantled or redesigned to suit the purpose of Musk and Trump (Trusk), and where is the courts and the law stopping them.
And even if stopped, it is too late, the egg has been smashed and can't be put back together.
The world you live in Harvey, that world in your mind, no longer exists.
I go back a little further than you. I didn't vote while I 3was in the Army from the late '50s t0 the early '60s. After I came back to the states, I have never missed voting. It was a mistake sometime but I always voted. I was even on the county executive committee for a number of years before my health started failing me.
In case you missed the latest post of mine, I even called both my senators
and my congressman's office to insist the throw Musk and his gang out of there till they are properly vetted. Why are they letting them access the records in the government? They are not representing us very well allowing this to go on in Washington.
We have to operate legally. Trump or Musk are supposed to operate legally also, but they choose to ignore them. That is why we rely on federal judges to correct the situations. If they don't like it they can challenge it up to the Supreme Court. I understand that the head of the court has already told him that he has to abide by the laws also.
I can't wait for a final decision on deporting 'citizens' that have not been properly tried in court. At this point, I think someone will be in a pile of shit over this situation.
Musk and his team have no authority, they are nothing more than the owner and staff of Yum corporation, forcing their way into government offices and firing people.. Yet that is how conditioned we are to obeying authority that we don't question, he tells them to fill out a report on their activities and the comply, he tells them that they are fired and they pack up their desks, he and/or his team enter a department run off the personal and take charge of the computers, and they stand by.
Anyone, can do the same, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, just claim to be acting on a higher authority and maybe flip a badge.
These people have no legal authority to do anything, yet people meekly comply.
That there is the problem.
When I was anE-3, I was tasked with an auxillary duty as part of a nuclear defense.
The security instructions state that you are not to be relieved until the person posting you relieves you.
The exercise was terminated, some junior officer came around and told me I could go home, I unshouldered my weapon and pointed it at him, he called his boss I still would not leave, they had to find the person who posted me, wake him up or pull him out of the bar or whatever before I would relinquish my post.
The way to fight them is to slam the economic and political doors in their face. Trump's dream is to expand the USA and gain power. He has no plan for dealing with a shrinkage. He thinks a retired army major who is so insecure that he covered his body with tatoos can protect him. Good luck, ha, ha.......
William,great response.Trump does not believe in the rule of law,does not think any laws apply to him.If we truly wish to inflict some pain especially to Musk,one way might be to boycott the institutional investors in Tesla. They are Vanguard #877-662-7447-Blackrock# 212-810-5300,State Street # 617-786-3000. Hundreds of calls to these Cos asking them to dispose of their Tesla stock or vbe boycotted might make a difference. How about bopycottoing companies that advertise on Fox.
I have done a deep dive on Who owns who, started with corporate media, broadcast, cable, print), then PhRMA, defense, Insurance, chemical, transportation and what Ifind is Vanguard, Black Rock,State Street Group,even at minor holdings Bank of America and Wells Fargo among others,
But the biggies, the ones that own the controlling shares of America are Vanguard, Black Rock and StateStreet.
Blackrock is owned by its founder Larry Fink, the most dangerous man in America that you never heard of. He even has is own Wikiepedia page.
My hospital is owned by the Sisters of St Joseph, they set policy (they will not permit abortions or self euthanasia) but they contracted out services, like Emergency Room, Lab, Physician services.
Until a year or so ago, my PCP worked for the Hospital, but then Black Rock was contracted, my PCP who was great, who understood me and took whatever time I needed, retired, her replacement only stayed around a few months then quit, nurses quit, receptionists quit, because of Blackrock, who increased demands and reduced pay.
Now may PCP is on a 15 minute time limit and If I am going to need more time, then I had to inform him so he can reschedule.
We are products on a moving conveyor belt, like the assembly line in the auto industry.
William,the Dems have proven they have no guts.The " Neo Nazis" have always viewed them as weak,all talk.Unfortunately they always cave.Bernie,AOC,,Chris Murphy are the only fighters.
I agree. but would hope there were a few more than thos three David. I thought Wynden of Ore might be one, until I heard his squirrelly rationalization backing up Schumers weak ass response to why he voted for cloture on the CR
The sad sack also appeared on the View trying to salvage is rep, he and Wydengave the same specious excuse if they didn't give Trump the CR, he would do untold damage in vengeance.
Really, untold damage worse than what he is doing. Impossible. He will do what he is going to do, but now Schumer and 9 other traitors gave him the spending authority.
With leadership like that who needs enemies.
Schumer is.if not by intent, ipso facto a traitor to the oath he swore to uphold when he took office.
I was initially against Schummer's tactics; but I came around to his side as I thought about Trump reacting to a 6 month shutdown by declaring a national emergency and martial law. There are a lot of unknowns about how such a declaration might play out but it is almost certain that far more harm would be done that anyone of us would want. So a group of Senators who were mostly facing retirement after this term joined him in the vote. And we bought 6 months. A lot can happen in that time even if little of it will be good. Time is our friend here. And the enemy is over confident.
Ed. Trump is doing what Schumer said he feared, but in slow motion.
The corpus adjusts to pain if administered in little bites at a time, It is when
the corpus receives a massive jolt that it finally reacts.
It is the boil the frog analogy. Schumer is allowing Trump to boil the frog, it seems like massive does, we keep getting slammed,one punch at a time, but we aren't really feeling the pain, because some lower court judge rules him temporarily out of order. Like a ref in a boxing ring stepping back and pulling the boxer away, allowing the one on the floor to get up and get pummeled again.
Small victories, but they aren't victories, because Trump keeps on doing what he wants to do anyway, defies the judge, and if the case gets to the Supreme Court it will most likely rule in his favor
And the TRO's (TEMPORARY restraining orders) are just that, issued for appearances, they should be permanent injunctions,but Trump will ignore them and press on.
That which Trusk has destroyed, cannot be put back together again. USAID is dead, for ever, the Dept of Eduication is dead, theRAM and Hardrive have been pulled out degaussed or shitcanned, when the staff was fired.
So Trump might declare martial law. News flash, he will declare martial law, when he can fabricate and excuse.
We lost our chance for a national uprising by passing the CR, made possible by Chuck and 9 other Senators joining with the oppressor.
Just tonight the news reported that Trump told his AG to file charges against any organization that files charges against the government for exporting prisoners out off the U.S. Wow!
As Bannon said flood he zone, the firehouse effect, so much shit that we can't react. Pam can file charges, but there is no law broken, but if she does, that can break the bank, and law firms won't defend because like Paul Weiss they have been warned off.
Truly we are Hungary bound, but that shouldn't be news.
Lisa, your sacrifice to serve your country during Desert Storm was absolutely NOT in vain! You are my hero as is all of the military men/women and veterans who took an oath to protect us. I have always held the military in high regard and always include donations to veterans and the USO. Please never feel that your service was not appreciated. I understand how you are feeling right now and you are not alone! I joined these substacks in order to keep current with what is going on in our country, but also to connect with others who feel the same way I do. It is important to stay connected. The wonderful thing about these substacks is you can vent, rage against the machine and find comfort. We are all here for you and will support you. Keep fighting, Lisa, and know this will end. We will take back our country and we will build her back better than she was before! Stay strong and stay safe.
Agree, Peggy, and to Lisa, there are millions of military veterans and active service members who are as anguished as you are but look to history and gather strength from the guiding principles of democracy which were employed to found this nation, the longest-surviving democracy in the world to this point. Consider yourselves to be the true government "of the People" still, and loudly call out the fearmongers and frauds who have come to rip it from us. Their day will come and let it be soon.
Dear Lisa, Thank you for sharing your pain and vulnerability. I want you to know I hear you. What you're thinking and feeling is completely appropriate to the situation. There is good reason to be scared, outraged, disillusioned, brokenhearted, etc. And even as we acknowledge and feel these feelings, I hope we can all keep space for a few points:
1) Remember that the conman and his cabinet WANT us to feel that way; beating us down to the point that we lose hope and lose the will to fight is a TACTIC for manipulating us into compliance.
2) Action is the best antidote to despair that I know of. If calling your reps doesn't feel like a good use of your time, see if you can find a community/an organization working on a specific issue you're passionate about (veterans' rights? the topic of your research? something else?) or the campaign of someone you believe in who's running for office; in other words, try to find your people, your community, and a *point of focus* for your time and efforts.
3) Remember the things that make you feel like you, things that bring you joy, things that bring you peace. Nature - friends and family - animals - music - art - meditation - putting on your favorite music and dancing - going for a run...whatever the things are that make you you, try to make time for something each day.
I should have said this before. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! My initial response was to your being so downhearted (as we all are) and I wanted to give you hope! However I was negligent in saying thank you...my apologies. You are a STRONG WOMAN! Women need to stand up to this craziness. United we stand Ladies!
Lisa, I hope you won't give up on your education. We need professionals who will be able to conduct the research that will save us. This current insanity needs to end and will need a lot of us to stop it on behalf of all of us.
Please don't quit school because of the actions of some bad people. You have a future. If you complete your education then you will have a degree that you can use anywhere in the world. Your career may not be exactly what you envisioned. But that happens to everyone. My uncle was a geologist but with his bachelor's degree he was qualified for many good jobs. He ended up being a social worker. He loved it.
Nobody really can see the future. It can get better.
Hold on Lisa. Don't give up. Take care of yourself. The backlash WILL happen. As a student, you don't have time to march, call, write, email, etc. and you don't have the money to donate. Don't worry, WE WILL do that for you! Hang in there, we got your back, and thank you for your military time. We love you.
A veteran who is pursuing a PhD and wants to go into research. Usually you would be a shining star. Now you're in the crosshairs. Those are the very things they are going after. Oh, they'll claim to honor veterans, but we've already seen how concerned they actually are. My heart aches for you and for all students at this time.
Why isn't someone holding the gang accountable already! SCOTUS needs to overturn their immunity ruling, I believe made on July 1, 2024 just like they overturned Roe v. Wade! It's now time!
I remember my hopeful optimism four years ago as Trump lost and I was about to conquer a well-deserved, fairly young in age, retirement. Not so much now. I've fallen into a gloomy malaise that's totally foreign to my natural demeanor. My only solution to combat this, is to join the fight and get involved with protest movements coming down the pike.
Lisa, thanks for your service. We need people, like you, to speak your truth that I applaud. So glad your family is pulling together. I think our new norm, in the coming months, will be like what you are doing as folks lose their rightful income/jobs. My best wishes to you and your family, Joan
YOUR best bet, if you can afford it, Ms. Jenkins, is to move to Europe or Canada for two years! . . . maybe shorter if President Vance isn't as anti-American as he seems.
I’m so sorry to hear this. It’s one of the sadest things I’ve read in a long time. I wish I could say it will pass but that would not be a realistic prediction. We in the rest of the world are also afraid of the vitriolic, retribution infecting every aspect of your ‘government ‘. Unfortunately a lot of the US has been sleep walking into this nightmare. Everyone else could see this coming. All I can say is fight for your rights and get out and VOTE.
Thank you Brigitte. Oddly I feel a little better sharing and thank god we have Bernie, AOC, independent reporting, and my fellow citizens to keep me at least a little cautiously optimistic.
Democracy is a very fragile structure. It depends on most of us adhering to the rules. If the people at the top of the political pyramid decide to ignore the rules, it is nearly impossible to stop them. If Trump and his sycophants decide to ignore court orders, including the Supreme Court, who is going to enforce the order? The courts have no real power. They depend on adherence to their decisions. The deportation of immigrants to El Salvadore is a good example. The administration ignored the ruling. Furthermore, they showed brazen hostility to the judge that issued the ruling. Congress can step in and impeach the President. Let’s postulate that 75% of the House impeaches the President and the Senate confirms the impeachment. Who is going to enforce the ruling and remove the President? Trump will simply ignore them. Congress has no real boots-on-the-ground force. Trump has seen to it that any military general who might pose a problem has been removed. Look what is happening to Janet Mills right now. One simple “see you in court” and all sorts of federal funding starts to evaporate. If any of us get too boisterous in our opposition, our bank accounts can be seized and our credit cards voided. This is why all the important departments have been infiltrated by computer programmers. It is not 1938. You don’t need concentration camps. Just cut off a person’s source of income and they are finished. This can’t happen; this is America you say. It has already happened.
I wish there a button that says, agree because I hate the idea of “liking” a post that’s so scary! We need everyone in DC to come to their senses and get rid of this disaster!
I agree with your idea about a dis/agree button. But THEN I expect others on here to say "Hey, wait a sec. What if I concur in part but dissent in part?" We would need a spectrum as wide as this dialog box allows. Maybe it's better as it is: We can Like if we want to and, if not, we can do what I'm doing now: we can reply.
Trump enjoys playing footsie with our nightmare: an America where every institution is “captured” and held hostage to his erratic, not to mention petty and vengeful, enthusiasms. With a POTUS whose thoughts often resemble a series of brain farts — I’ll take Greenland for a hundred, Alex / Maybe we should invade Panama / Canada will be our beautiful 51st state etc. ad nauseam, our nation is like a car careening ever closer to the cliff with only a flimsy guardrail of Law and the Courts keeping us from demonstrating the Wiley Coyote principle that gravity inevitably brings everything down to earth.
Musk already has the tools he needs to cut off anyone's access to their money. That's what all the probing was for.
This post just affirms for me that somehow, 2 egomaniacs with their influential backers (money) have successfully managed to effectively destroy American democracy in just 3 short months.
It remains to be seen if a complete destruction of the economy (can't run a country without workers and tax payers) would ignite a revolt in such numbers that even the paid military and law enforcement couldn't contain them. Except for Bernie Sanders and AOC, I have little faith left that the democrats have a plan or the fortitude to make any big difference.
AGAIN, AS ALWAYS, the few AMERICAN-run states like my own and Bunkerboy's bigliest hater New York, New Jersey and California will need to bail out the Traitor states. (Eggs JUST hit $6 a dozen here outside Buffalo. No worse than Bunkerboy's ally, Covid-19.)
Here, at least, we can comment and release some of our frustrations. That does help by showing us that we are not alone, that many see what we see. This terrible frustrating period will end.
Trump has his sheep convinced that he was sent by GOD to save the world. The fascists are in charge and our democracy is being destroyed. This is literally GOOD VS EVIL.
Donald Trump is a masterful con artist and an extraordinarily adept criminal opportunist. He is also a deviant sociopath, possessing an intuitive, if deeply malevolent, ability to “read the room” and craft remarks that his audience will readily accept as truth. This constitutes the core of the problem. Despite his talents for manipulation, Trump demonstrates little actual comprehension of the systems of governance, economics, or law he purports to champion. His intellectual capacity appears profoundly limited—comparable, metaphorically speaking, to that of a can of soda—and his grasp of complex policy or historical context is reminiscent of a rudimentary, fifth-grade education.
Yet, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the danger he poses. Surrounding Trump is a cadre of profoundly dangerous and ideologically driven advisors—figures like Steve Bannon, among others—who have immersed themselves in the study of fascist regimes and authoritarian governance. These individuals are well-versed in the mechanisms of systemic manipulation, propaganda, and subversion, and they offer Trump strategies honed by a deep, cynical understanding of history’s most effective tools of oppression.
More insidious still is the infrastructure of propaganda that has been meticulously constructed to sustain and amplify Trump’s demagoguery. Right-wing media outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News (OAN), Breitbart, and a host of similarly aligned entities function not as journalistic enterprises but as propaganda arms in service to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. Their purpose is to fabricate a narrative in which Trump is not an unqualified sociopath but rather an omniscient, visionary leader. These propagandists have succeeded in constructing an alternate reality that tens of millions of Americans now occupy, detached from factual discourse and impervious to reason or evidence.
As a result, we now face the grim reality of an estimated 20 to 30 million Americans who are thoroughly brainwashed—an electorate that has been conditioned, through relentless misinformation, to reject facts, logic, and critical thinking in favor of emotionally charged, authoritarian dogma. This cult-like adherence to Trumpism is not accidental but rather the predictable outcome of decades of neglect in safeguarding the public sphere from abuse. The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech, but its unchecked exploitation by demagogues and propagandists has rendered it a double-edged sword. Free speech was never intended to be weaponized by bad actors to undermine democratic institutions through lies, disinformation, and psychological manipulation.
The individuals who constitute the intellectual and scientific bedrock of our society—the scientists, engineers, professors, and researchers who design our technologies, advance our medicine, and uphold academic rigor—are being dismissed as elitist, dishonest, or corrupt, while charlatans and conspiracy theorists are elevated to positions of cultural authority. Decades of research in psychiatry and social psychology warned us of this peril: that mass delusion, once entrenched, becomes almost impossible to reverse. Cult dynamics, as described by experts like Dr. Steven Hassan, demonstrate that once individuals are fully indoctrinated, their belief systems become resistant to evidence and contrary information. The loss of critical thinking skills has rendered a significant portion of the population functionally incapable of recognizing the mechanisms of their own exploitation.
The ideological movement behind Trumpism is a regressive one—an effort to return not merely to the 1950s but, in cultural and social terms, to the 1850s. It seeks to reinstate a hierarchical social order dominated by white men, relegating everyone else to subservience. This neo-feudalist vision is one in which wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of an oligarchic elite, while the rights and dignity of women, people of color, and marginalized communities are systematically stripped away.
Civil rights are eroded. Democratic norms are subverted. The gains achieved through decades of struggle are methodically dismantled. The powerful and wealthy few consolidate their control through legal manipulation, voter suppression, and unregulated political spending. What is emerging is not a populist revival but a plutocratic dystopia: a society where robber barons rule, where labor is exploited without mercy, and where democracy is reduced to hollow formality.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is that many of those who enthusiastically support this movement are unwittingly hastening their own demise. They are, in effect, marching themselves and their families toward ruin—embracing a regime that promises to decimate their healthcare, strip away their social protections, and mortgage their futures to benefit the obscenely wealthy. It is as though they are willingly inviting marauders into their homes to loot, plunder, and destroy, all while believing themselves to be patriots safeguarding their country.
The solution lies in restoring critical thinking, media literacy, and a shared commitment to empirical truth. This will not be accomplished easily or quickly. But without a unified defense of truth and democratic norms, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of the American republic. The time for complacency has long passed. It is now the responsibility of every citizen, academic institution, and ethical leader to confront this authoritarian threat with courage, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to justice.
Michael, you have beautifully described the awful situation that we face today. Not only “We, the People of the United States “ but the entire world are facing the grim prospect of complete societal collapse. We have lived under the threat of nuclear annihilation by ideological enemies for the past 75 years. Then we had to grapple with ecological suicide. Now we face a living death of watching our 250 years of the democratic republic being torn to shreds by a malign cabal led by a demented maniac with the emotional mindset of a temperamental 6 year old. So sad that it has come to this.
Professor Reich: i voted "no" in your poll. i mean seriously, agent orange is a pathological liar, so that's reason number one that i voted as i did, and second, since when has agent orange EVER obeyed the law?
Exactly. My guess is that the orange criminal and his flying lawyer monkeys and fascist minions will put up a thin, performative veil of seeming obedience to court orders but in short will be carrying on as before while trying to baffle everyone with bullshit as part of the process of grinding down the judiciary until it breaks.
Rather than complying, the régime will actually be creating enough confusion, contradictions, complications, hide-the-salami games, and misdirections that they will in effect be able to continue doing what they want to do without immediate legal or practical recourse. Some people will pierce that thin veil almost immediately -- fortunately, high-quality investigative journalism is still alive -- but it will take so long to bring the perpetrators to account, dig out the facts and discard the bullshit, and work through the legal process, motion after spurious motion, appeal after appeal on every court declaration and judgment, that the régime will have plenty of time to do its dirty work.
And the longer it all takes, the better for the régime to pressure and intimidate and even use corruption to sway judges and yes, SCOTUS justices. How long will it take to get to a direct, decisive confrontation? John Roberts probably has more to do with that than anyone. Anything less than a strong majority unambiguously upholding and enforcing the rule of law will be the final straw for this country.
Trump is pushing the envelope on so many fronts it's difficult to envision the goals that's driving his madness. I can't get Iran out of my thinking when it comes to any form of a peaceful solution in the Middle East. Trump is fixated on that country, and by no means is that a good thing. I see no peaceful solution to the man's arrogant attitude regarding the future of that part of the world. He's been looking for a fight and I truly believe it's coming. As Commander and chief of a country at war, if congress so decrees, Trump would finally have the powers his sinister little mind has fought so long to obtain. Can a President stay in power if a world war breaks out? "In the United States, the president has the authority to remain in power during a time of war, including a world war. The Constitution grants the president certain powers during times of crisis, such as declaring a state of emergency or utilizing executive orders. However, the president's ability to stay in power during a world war would ultimately depend on the specific circumstances and the support of other branches of government, as well as the will of the people." As if he would ever listen? Today, current polls put the approval ratings of the Democrats at 27%, and among independents it's as low as 17%. If these ratings are true, the independents are the reason why Trump is in the position to do the damage he is doing. After witnessing the debacle, the Trump administration has forced on this country in recent days, how can the powerless Democratic party be responsible for anything, it's the Republicans who are running the show, while Chicken Little simply smiles.
Donald Trump is a masterful con artist and an extraordinarily adept criminal opportunist. He is also a deviant sociopath, possessing an intuitive, if deeply malevolent, ability to “read the room” and craft remarks that his audience will readily accept as truth. This constitutes the core of the problem. Despite his talents for manipulation, Trump demonstrates little actual comprehension of the systems of governance, economics, or law he purports to champion. His intellectual capacity appears profoundly limited—comparable, metaphorically speaking, to that of a can of soda—and his grasp of complex policy or historical context is reminiscent of a rudimentary, fifth-grade education.
Yet, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the danger he poses. Surrounding Trump is a cadre of profoundly dangerous and ideologically driven advisors—figures like Steve Bannon, among others—who have immersed themselves in the study of fascist regimes and authoritarian governance. These individuals are well-versed in the mechanisms of systemic manipulation, propaganda, and subversion, and they offer Trump strategies honed by a deep, cynical understanding of history’s most effective tools of oppression.
More insidious still is the infrastructure of propaganda that has been meticulously constructed to sustain and amplify Trump’s demagoguery. Right-wing media outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News (OAN), Breitbart, and a host of similarly aligned entities function not as journalistic enterprises but as propaganda arms in service to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. Their purpose is to fabricate a narrative in which Trump is not an unqualified sociopath but rather an omniscient, visionary leader. These propagandists have succeeded in constructing an alternate reality that tens of millions of Americans now occupy, detached from factual discourse and impervious to reason or evidence.
As a result, we now face the grim reality of an estimated 20 to 30 million Americans who are thoroughly brainwashed—an electorate that has been conditioned, through relentless misinformation, to reject facts, logic, and critical thinking in favor of emotionally charged, authoritarian dogma. This cult-like adherence to Trumpism is not accidental but rather the predictable outcome of decades of neglect in safeguarding the public sphere from abuse. The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech, but its unchecked exploitation by demagogues and propagandists has rendered it a double-edged sword. Free speech was never intended to be weaponized by bad actors to undermine democratic institutions through lies, disinformation, and psychological manipulation.
The individuals who constitute the intellectual and scientific bedrock of our society—the scientists, engineers, professors, and researchers who design our technologies, advance our medicine, and uphold academic rigor—are being dismissed as elitist, dishonest, or corrupt, while charlatans and conspiracy theorists are elevated to positions of cultural authority. Decades of research in psychiatry and social psychology warned us of this peril: that mass delusion, once entrenched, becomes almost impossible to reverse. Cult dynamics, as described by experts like Dr. Steven Hassan, demonstrate that once individuals are fully indoctrinated, their belief systems become resistant to evidence and contrary information. The loss of critical thinking skills has rendered a significant portion of the population functionally incapable of recognizing the mechanisms of their own exploitation.
The ideological movement behind Trumpism is a regressive one—an effort to return not merely to the 1950s but, in cultural and social terms, to the 1850s. It seeks to reinstate a hierarchical social order dominated by white men, relegating everyone else to subservience. This neo-feudalist vision is one in which wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of an oligarchic elite, while the rights and dignity of women, people of color, and marginalized communities are systematically stripped away.
Civil rights are eroded. Democratic norms are subverted. The gains achieved through decades of struggle are methodically dismantled. The powerful and wealthy few consolidate their control through legal manipulation, voter suppression, and unregulated political spending. What is emerging is not a populist revival but a plutocratic dystopia: a society where robber barons rule, where labor is exploited without mercy, and where democracy is reduced to hollow formality.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is that many of those who enthusiastically support this movement are unwittingly hastening their own demise. They are, in effect, marching themselves and their families toward ruin—embracing a regime that promises to decimate their healthcare, strip away their social protections, and mortgage their futures to benefit the obscenely wealthy. It is as though they are willingly inviting marauders into their homes to loot, plunder, and destroy, all while believing themselves to be patriots safeguarding their country.
The solution lies in restoring critical thinking, media literacy, and a shared commitment to empirical truth. This will not be accomplished easily or quickly. But without a unified defense of truth and democratic norms, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of the American republic. The time for complacency has long passed. It is now the responsibility of every citizen, academic institution, and ethical leader to confront this authoritarian threat with courage, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to justice.
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing out of a deep sense of frustration and concern regarding the current state of Democratic leadership—or more precisely, the absence of it—at a time when the country desperately needs vocal, principled defenders of democracy and truth.
As someone who served in a Democratic administration and maintains an insider’s perspective, I ask you candidly: Where are our leaders? Where is President Obama? Where are Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, Vice President Harris, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the other prominent voices who once galvanized millions?
At this critical juncture—when Fox News functions as a relentless propaganda machine masquerading as journalism, when Trump and his acolytes peddle corrosive lies about the "most corrupt administration in history," and when democracy itself stands on a knife's edge—why are these powerful voices silent? The vacuum they leave behind is filled daily with disinformation, cynicism, and dangerous populist rhetoric. Their silence is both deafening and damning.
I watch President Biden—a man whose legislative achievements have been substantial, particularly in undoing the catastrophic wreckage left by the Trump administration—face a relentless smear campaign with little to no effective counterbalance from his party’s most recognizable figures. Biden’s communication strategy has failed to publicize his administration's accomplishments in a way that breaks through the noise. Consequently, the American public remains vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation.
The Clintons and the Obamas are still regarded by many as formidable leaders and skilled communicators. Barack Obama remains one of the finest orators of our time. Bill Clinton, for all his moral failings, remains a consummate political strategist. Pete Buttigieg is articulate, informed, and a rising star in Democratic politics. Yet, they remain inexplicably quiet. We are not hearing them lead the charge against the tidal wave of misinformation and authoritarian creep.
It is utterly incomprehensible that, faced with a growing fascist threat, these figures are not mounting a robust and unified defense of democratic values in every forum possible—on television, in town halls, in op-eds, and at mass rallies. Where is the moral urgency? Where is the strategic coordination? Why do we, the people who care deeply about this nation’s future, feel so abandoned by those who once inspired us?
This is not a time for cautious diplomacy or political calculation. This is a time to sound the alarm and fight with clarity and courage. And yet, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, who continues to speak truth to power (although some perceive him as too far to the left), there is an eerie and infuriating silence from the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Reich, you are a principled voice and have consistently articulated the stakes we face. But why is there not a unified and forceful counteroffensive from those who once carried the banner of the Democratic Party? We are left to wonder if our leadership has either lost its nerve or is trapped in a misguided hope that civility and reason alone will save us from the abyss.
I ask you plainly: What on earth is happening? Why has this fight been abandoned to a few lone voices while the machinery of authoritarianism marches on, largely uncontested by those with the stature to command the nation’s attention?
I can say over and over and over and everybody I know says same.. where the fuck are the Democrats????? I guess all their kids go to the same prep school or everyone goes the same swimming club ???? nobody gives a fuck about the country ?nobody has any morals?nobody has any balls anymore? is that the problem?????????? I have no idea what the fucking say to this !!!!.....where the fuck are the Democrats( pardon my French)
Professor Reich: THANK YOU for having Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter on your show. i REALLY appreciate her appearing, answering questions and putting a public face on who public servants are as well as telling us about the trials and tribulations faced by her fellow unsung public servants. PLEASE do this more often! gawd knows, we've got boatloads of public servants out there who are suffering from their unfair and sudden joblessness -- PLEASE give them a voice too!
My thoughts about Trump’s ultimate goal is to join what he thinks is the Evil Geniuses (Putin, Xi, Masoud Pezeshkian, and MANY more) He thinks he is bros with these guys. He is actually being played and is not smart enough to see that. He wants his own Mt Rushmore , God save us! We can see he is ignoring the courts, ignoring Congress, and is happy ruling over all his cabinet loyalists. We need to rise up and act NOW!
Interesting add on thought. Every single dictator, authoritarian, and other fascist leaders are all men. All over the world from what AI tells me. And none in previous history for centuries. Maybe a few horrible Queens in royalties but they usually went to the guillotine in short order. So women, we need to give this a hard look.
He is absolutely being played. Musk is playing him. He is the puppet. The evil beings behind the scenes are the puppet masters. They are the evil ones.
Donald Trump is a masterful con artist and an extraordinarily adept criminal opportunist. He is also a deviant sociopath, possessing an intuitive, if deeply malevolent, ability to “read the room” and craft remarks that his audience will readily accept as truth. This constitutes the core of the problem. Despite his talents for manipulation, Trump demonstrates little actual comprehension of the systems of governance, economics, or law he purports to champion. His intellectual capacity appears profoundly limited—comparable, metaphorically speaking, to that of a can of soda—and his grasp of complex policy or historical context is reminiscent of a rudimentary, fifth-grade education.
Yet, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the danger he poses. Surrounding Trump is a cadre of profoundly dangerous and ideologically driven advisors—figures like Steve Bannon, among others—who have immersed themselves in the study of fascist regimes and authoritarian governance. These individuals are well-versed in the mechanisms of systemic manipulation, propaganda, and subversion, and they offer Trump strategies honed by a deep, cynical understanding of history’s most effective tools of oppression.
More insidious still is the infrastructure of propaganda that has been meticulously constructed to sustain and amplify Trump’s demagoguery. Right-wing media outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News (OAN), Breitbart, and a host of similarly aligned entities function not as journalistic enterprises but as propaganda arms in service to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. Their purpose is to fabricate a narrative in which Trump is not an unqualified sociopath but rather an omniscient, visionary leader. These propagandists have succeeded in constructing an alternate reality that tens of millions of Americans now occupy, detached from factual discourse and impervious to reason or evidence.
As a result, we now face the grim reality of an estimated 20 to 30 million Americans who are thoroughly brainwashed—an electorate that has been conditioned, through relentless misinformation, to reject facts, logic, and critical thinking in favor of emotionally charged, authoritarian dogma. This cult-like adherence to Trumpism is not accidental but rather the predictable outcome of decades of neglect in safeguarding the public sphere from abuse. The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech, but its unchecked exploitation by demagogues and propagandists has rendered it a double-edged sword. Free speech was never intended to be weaponized by bad actors to undermine democratic institutions through lies, disinformation, and psychological manipulation.
The individuals who constitute the intellectual and scientific bedrock of our society—the scientists, engineers, professors, and researchers who design our technologies, advance our medicine, and uphold academic rigor—are being dismissed as elitist, dishonest, or corrupt, while charlatans and conspiracy theorists are elevated to positions of cultural authority. Decades of research in psychiatry and social psychology warned us of this peril: that mass delusion, once entrenched, becomes almost impossible to reverse. Cult dynamics, as described by experts like Dr. Steven Hassan, demonstrate that once individuals are fully indoctrinated, their belief systems become resistant to evidence and contrary information. The loss of critical thinking skills has rendered a significant portion of the population functionally incapable of recognizing the mechanisms of their own exploitation.
The ideological movement behind Trumpism is a regressive one—an effort to return not merely to the 1950s but, in cultural and social terms, to the 1850s. It seeks to reinstate a hierarchical social order dominated by white men, relegating everyone else to subservience. This neo-feudalist vision is one in which wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of an oligarchic elite, while the rights and dignity of women, people of color, and marginalized communities are systematically stripped away.
Civil rights are eroded. Democratic norms are subverted. The gains achieved through decades of struggle are methodically dismantled. The powerful and wealthy few consolidate their control through legal manipulation, voter suppression, and unregulated political spending. What is emerging is not a populist revival but a plutocratic dystopia: a society where robber barons rule, where labor is exploited without mercy, and where democracy is reduced to hollow formality.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is that many of those who enthusiastically support this movement are unwittingly hastening their own demise. They are, in effect, marching themselves and their families toward ruin—embracing a regime that promises to decimate their healthcare, strip away their social protections, and mortgage their futures to benefit the obscenely wealthy. It is as though they are willingly inviting marauders into their homes to loot, plunder, and destroy, all while believing themselves to be patriots safeguarding their country.
The solution lies in restoring critical thinking, media literacy, and a shared commitment to empirical truth. This will not be accomplished easily or quickly. But without a unified defense of truth and democratic norms, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of the American republic. The time for complacency has long passed. It is now the responsibility of every citizen, academic institution, and ethical leader to confront this authoritarian threat with courage, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to justice.
Nothing external, at least. Internally, he is a slave to his impulses. And externally, he seems to be. if not servile, then at least VERY malleable. Witness how often, suddenly and radically he changes his effed-up mind. As Peter Zeihan has said, Tchump believes whoever has most recently flattered him. See also Vlad Vexler for more detailed [psycho]analysis.
Below is an exhaustive and sophisticated strategy for ethically boycotting Elon Musk’s businesses and reducing his economic influence—focusing on consumer choice, shareholder action, legal petitions, and public awareness campaigns.
🛑 Comprehensive Strategy for Boycotting Elon Musk Businesses (2025)
I. Overview of Elon Musk's Current Holdings and Business Interests (As of 2025)
Company Industry/Role Your Action
Tesla, Inc. Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage Boycott Tesla vehicles; avoid Solar Roofs, Powerwall, and Tesla Energy products.
SpaceX Aerospace, Satellites (Starlink) Do not subscribe to Starlink internet; campaign for government contracts to cease.
X Corp (formerly Twitter) Social Media Delete X account; discourage ad spending on X; move to ethical alternatives like Mastodon or Threads.
Neuralink Neurotechnology Publicly oppose animal testing and regulatory approvals for brain implants.
The Boring Company Tunneling/Infrastructure Oppose public funding for Boring Company transit projects in your city/state.
Tesla Energy Solar power, battery storage Cancel Tesla Solar subscriptions; choose alternative providers like SunPower or Enphase Energy.
xAI (Artificial Intelligence) AI development Raise ethical concerns over AI research and privacy issues.
II. Specific Actions You Can Take (By Sector)
1. Divestment: Removing Musk-Linked Holdings from Your Investments
Steps:
Identify Your Exposure:
Contact your brokerage or financial advisor to find out if you hold stock in:
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)
SpaceX (via private equity funds)
X Holdings (privately held, but some funds may have exposure through debt instruments)
Sell Your Shares:
Directly sell TSLA stock or ask your fund manager to divest.
Request ESG-Compliant Portfolios:
Ask your portfolio manager to exclude companies associated with unethical practices, including Musk’s companies.
Impact Investment Firms to Consider:
Domini Impact Investments
Calvert Research and Management
Trillium Asset Management
2. Consumer Boycotts
🚗 Tesla Vehicles & Energy:
Do Not Purchase Tesla Vehicles.
Opt for alternatives:
Ford Mustang Mach-E
Rivian R1T and R1S
Hyundai Ioniq 5/6
Nissan Ariya
Chevrolet Bolt EUV
Avoid Tesla Energy Products.
Choose:
SunPower (Solar panels)
Enphase Energy (Inverters)
Generac (Battery backups)
🌐 Starlink:
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I am writing as a concerned citizen and investor to express deep opposition to the unprecedented and unjustifiable $56 billion compensation package proposed for Elon Musk. Awarding such excessive compensation to a CEO who has repeatedly demonstrated erratic behavior, violated corporate governance norms, and engaged in behavior antithetical to Tesla’s stated mission is a betrayal of fiduciary duty.
Furthermore, Musk’s erratic stewardship of X Corp, dissemination of misinformation, and ongoing legal controversies severely damage Tesla’s brand and stakeholder trust. I urge you to reconsider your allegiance to short-term gains over the long-term integrity of Tesla, its mission, and its future sustainability.
Reject the compensation package. Uphold your responsibility to Tesla’s shareholders, employees, and the broader community.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
[Contact Information]
[Shareholder ID, if applicable]
V. Conclusion
This comprehensive and sophisticated strategy leverages ethical action, consumer power, shareholder activism, and civic engagement. By choosing to boycott Elon Musk’s businesses, advocate for structural reform, and support ethical alternatives, you can contribute to diminishing the economic and social power of individuals who pose threats to democratic norms and public trust.
Yes Musk is the main problem here. He'll continue to back the foreign governments that produce for him. China. At the same time he BOUGHT his way into the White House to get Trump elected. Trump is to stupid to see it though. A lot of people have seen this too attacking the Tesla dealerships and I understand he has a strike at the Tesla plant in central Texas.
Columbia University’s decision to capitulate to the demands of Donald Trump and his administration represents one of the most egregious betrayals of academic integrity in modern history. This moment will be remembered not for its pragmatism but for its surrender. By folding to threats of revoked funding, Columbia has done a disservice not only to its own community but to the entire landscape of higher education.
If I were advising Columbia, my guidance would be simple and direct: rescind any agreement made under duress, reject the $400 million, and tell Donald Trump to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Universities of Columbia’s stature have the power and the means to mobilize alternative funding sources—whether through private philanthropy, international partnerships, or educational grants from institutions that still value democracy and academic freedom.
Moreover, Columbia—and any university facing similar intimidation—must stand firm and unified. The academic community, alongside the most principled legal minds in New York and beyond, must refuse to be pawns in Trump’s authoritarian scheme. Law firms, especially those like Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, must lead the charge in defending constitutional liberties, not enabling their erosion through silence or complicity.
This is a pivotal moment. If institutions of higher learning, thought leaders, and legal advocates maintain a united front, there is nothing to fear. But the moment we allow one institution to cave under pressure, we open the door to a flood of repression and censorship that will be far more difficult to stop. We cannot, and will not, permit this.
Columbia’s leadership should understand that acquiescing to tyranny only emboldens it. The world is watching, and history will judge whether we stood our ground or allowed our principles to be bartered away for short-term relief.
Now is the time for resolve, solidarity, and moral clarity. The mission is simple: dump Trump in the rump and defend democracy with everything we’ve got.
I understand and appreciate his contributions, but the reality is that he was part of a Democratic administration and maintains high-level contacts within the Democratic establishment. If someone with his stature and influence can’t help motivate meaningful action, then it’s hard to see how we avoid catastrophe. Academia, particularly the Ivy League institutions, seems to be crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. How can we continue to place our faith in academic institutions when they repeatedly fail us in moments of crisis?
History offers chilling examples: several of the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen held PhDs, and Joseph Goebbels himself earned a doctorate in philology. The medical community in Germany, supposedly dedicated to preserving life, was among the first professional groups to align itself with the Nazi regime. When things fall apart, these intellectual and professional elites are often the first to disappear or capitulate.
Meanwhile, I’m on Truth Social every night, often having my accounts banned, yet I keep returning, speaking out, and challenging the lies. I have a small following—perhaps 15 people—but I’m there, actively confronting the disinformation. And yet, I don’t see our so-called leaders engaging on that front. Where are they? Why am I, an ordinary citizen, seemingly the only one standing in the breach?
Yes, individual efforts are valuable, and I appreciate them. But collectively, this group—the academics, the politicians, the intellectuals—should have done far more. Their inaction, complacency, and cowardice have brought us to this precipice. Columbia University has already folded under pressure, as have numerous law groups. It seems as if many of these leaders are content as long as they can keep their multiple homes and luxury cars. They no longer care what happens to anyone else.
It’s disheartening to see so much education, so many resources, and so much influence squandered because basic moral courage is lacking. Without a foundation of fundamental morality, all the degrees and accolades in the world are meaningless.
And this lesson isn’t new. Philosophers and leaders have warned about this for centuries: education without ethical grounding is dangerous. Yet here we are, watching history repeat itself.
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing out of a deep sense of frustration and concern regarding the current state of Democratic leadership—or more precisely, the absence of it—at a time when the country desperately needs vocal, principled defenders of democracy and truth.
As someone who served in a Democratic administration and maintains an insider’s perspective, I ask you candidly: Where are our leaders? Where is President Obama? Where are Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, Vice President Harris, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the other prominent voices who once galvanized millions?
At this critical juncture—when Fox News functions as a relentless propaganda machine masquerading as journalism, when Trump and his acolytes peddle corrosive lies about the "most corrupt administration in history," and when democracy itself stands on a knife's edge—why are these powerful voices silent? The vacuum they leave behind is filled daily with disinformation, cynicism, and dangerous populist rhetoric. Their silence is both deafening and damning.
I watch President Biden—a man whose legislative achievements have been substantial, particularly in undoing the catastrophic wreckage left by the Trump administration—face a relentless smear campaign with little to no effective counterbalance from his party’s most recognizable figures. Biden’s communication strategy has failed to publicize his administration's accomplishments in a way that breaks through the noise. Consequently, the American public remains vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation.
The Clintons and the Obamas are still regarded by many as formidable leaders and skilled communicators. Barack Obama remains one of the finest orators of our time. Bill Clinton, for all his moral failings, remains a consummate political strategist. Pete Buttigieg is articulate, informed, and a rising star in Democratic politics. Yet, they remain inexplicably quiet. We are not hearing them lead the charge against the tidal wave of misinformation and authoritarian creep.
It is utterly incomprehensible that, faced with a growing fascist threat, these figures are not mounting a robust and unified defense of democratic values in every forum possible—on television, in town halls, in op-eds, and at mass rallies. Where is the moral urgency? Where is the strategic coordination? Why do we, the people who care deeply about this nation’s future, feel so abandoned by those who once inspired us?
This is not a time for cautious diplomacy or political calculation. This is a time to sound the alarm and fight with clarity and courage. And yet, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, who continues to speak truth to power (although some perceive him as too far to the left), there is an eerie and infuriating silence from the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Reich, you are a principled voice and have consistently articulated the stakes we face. But why is there not a unified and forceful counteroffensive from those who once carried the banner of the Democratic Party? We are left to wonder if our leadership has either lost its nerve or is trapped in a misguided hope that civility and reason alone will save us from the abyss.
I ask you plainly: What on earth is happening? Why has this fight been abandoned to a few lone voices while the machinery of authoritarianism marches on, largely uncontested by those with the stature to command the nation’s attention?
I agree completely here. Trump, or should I say, Musk, has got to try to stop Gen- Z because they will cause him a lot of problems getting his agenda in place down the road. Right now he's got Trump to back him. Trump only has his own interests in mind, while Musk, and gang, DOGE, are invading every part of the federal government as they can to use the information obtained against us. First we need to get Musk and his DOGE crowd out of there. Then we can either correct the direction of the leadership or or start impeachment proceedings against Trump. Don't forget, we still have the MAGA's to contend with also. I hope we can changed the power up there with mid-term election coming up soon.
I understand and appreciate his contributions, but the reality is that he was part of a Democratic administration and maintains high-level contacts within the Democratic establishment. If someone with his stature and influence can’t help motivate meaningful action, then it’s hard to see how we avoid catastrophe. Academia, particularly the Ivy League institutions, seems to be crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. How can we continue to place our faith in academic institutions when they repeatedly fail us in moments of crisis?
History offers chilling examples: several of the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen held PhDs, and Joseph Goebbels himself earned a doctorate in philology. The medical community in Germany, supposedly dedicated to preserving life, was among the first professional groups to align itself with the Nazi regime. When things fall apart, these intellectual and professional elites are often the first to disappear or capitulate.
Meanwhile, I’m on Truth Social every night, often having my accounts banned, yet I keep returning, speaking out, and challenging the lies. I have a small following—perhaps 15 people—but I’m there, actively confronting the disinformation. And yet, I don’t see our so-called leaders engaging on that front. Where are they? Why am I, an ordinary citizen, seemingly the only one standing in the breach?
Yes, individual efforts are valuable, and I appreciate them. But collectively, this group—the academics, the politicians, the intellectuals—should have done far more. Their inaction, complacency, and cowardice have brought us to this precipice. Columbia University has already folded under pressure, as have numerous law groups. It seems as if many of these leaders are content as long as they can keep their multiple homes and luxury cars. They no longer care what happens to anyone else.
It’s disheartening to see so much education, so many resources, and so much influence squandered because basic moral courage is lacking. Without a foundation of fundamental morality, all the degrees and accolades in the world are meaningless.
And this lesson isn’t new. Philosophers and leaders have warned about this for centuries: education without ethical grounding is dangerous. Yet here we are, watching history repeat itself.
I don't understand you first paragraph. Who is part of a Democratic establishment? You leave me completely confused with whatever you are referring too. Nowhere was I referring to the Nazi regime. Next, I see you admitted you read Truth-Social. That may be your real problem here. Everyone knows that is Trump's web site filled with his lies. I don't doubt that they would bar you for confronting his lies.
Just in case you haven't been watching, Democratic leaders have been holding "town-halls" in place of Republicans that refuse to attend and seek the concerns their own constituents. They have been a great success too.
I, along with a lot of Americans, are addressing the leadership in Washington. Organizations around the United States have utilized our court systems and stopped Trump and Musk on almost all fronts.
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing out of a deep sense of frustration and concern regarding the current state of Democratic leadership—or more precisely, the absence of it—at a time when the country desperately needs vocal, principled defenders of democracy and truth.
As someone who served in a Democratic administration and maintains an insider’s perspective, I ask you candidly: Where are our leaders? Where is President Obama? Where are Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, Vice President Harris, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the other prominent voices who once galvanized millions?
At this critical juncture—when Fox News functions as a relentless propaganda machine masquerading as journalism, when Trump and his acolytes peddle corrosive lies about the "most corrupt administration in history," and when democracy itself stands on a knife's edge—why are these powerful voices silent? The vacuum they leave behind is filled daily with disinformation, cynicism, and dangerous populist rhetoric. Their silence is both deafening and damning.
I watch President Biden—a man whose legislative achievements have been substantial, particularly in undoing the catastrophic wreckage left by the Trump administration—face a relentless smear campaign with little to no effective counterbalance from his party’s most recognizable figures. Biden’s communication strategy has failed to publicize his administration's accomplishments in a way that breaks through the noise. Consequently, the American public remains vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation.
The Clintons and the Obamas are still regarded by many as formidable leaders and skilled communicators. Barack Obama remains one of the finest orators of our time. Bill Clinton, for all his moral failings, remains a consummate political strategist. Pete Buttigieg is articulate, informed, and a rising star in Democratic politics. Yet, they remain inexplicably quiet. We are not hearing them lead the charge against the tidal wave of misinformation and authoritarian creep.
It is utterly incomprehensible that, faced with a growing fascist threat, these figures are not mounting a robust and unified defense of democratic values in every forum possible—on television, in town halls, in op-eds, and at mass rallies. Where is the moral urgency? Where is the strategic coordination? Why do we, the people who care deeply about this nation’s future, feel so abandoned by those who once inspired us?
This is not a time for cautious diplomacy or political calculation. This is a time to sound the alarm and fight with clarity and courage. And yet, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, who continues to speak truth to power (although some perceive him as too far to the left), there is an eerie and infuriating silence from the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Reich, you are a principled voice and have consistently articulated the stakes we face. But why is there not a unified and forceful counteroffensive from those who once carried the banner of the Democratic Party? We are left to wonder if our leadership has either lost its nerve or is trapped in a misguided hope that civility and reason alone will save us from the abyss.
I ask you plainly: What on earth is happening? Why has this fight been abandoned to a few lone voices while the machinery of authoritarianism marches on, largely uncontested by those with the stature to command the nation’s attention?
This is a clear, direct statement: You are not a dictator. You are not a king. You are not above the law. No matter how loudly you bluster, no matter how many lies you repeat, no matter how many sycophants you surround yourself with, the United States of America is a constitutional republic governed by laws, not the whims of a man who imagines himself beyond them.
You were elected—twice now—to serve as President under the Constitution of the United States, not to rule by decree. The Constitution requires that you follow the law, obey judicial rulings, and enforce the will of Congress, not tear down institutions for your personal power grabs. You swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. This is not optional. This is not negotiable.
You are issuing executive orders that are blatantly illegal. You have no right to deport individuals arbitrarily, no matter what propaganda you peddle. Immigration policy is governed by laws passed by Congress, subject to review by the courts, and your duty is to enforce those laws within the limits established by both legislative authority and judicial oversight. You do not have the power to override the courts or Congress because you find it inconvenient.
Defiance of the judiciary is defiance of the Constitution. No President has ever been permitted to ignore the courts without consequence. You are not an exception. If you continue to violate judicial orders and the rule of law, there will be impeachment proceedings. Removal from office, if not eventual criminal prosecution, is inevitable for any leader who treats the Constitution as an obstacle to personal power. History will not be kind to those who trample the law.
Further, Elon Musk has no place anywhere near the machinery of American government. He is not an elected official. He is not a policy expert. He is a businessman with a checkered record who poses a growing threat to democracy. His involvement in government is reckless, dangerous, and wholly unacceptable. We do not want his influence anywhere near decisions that affect the rights, freedoms, and livelihoods of Americans. His agenda is not aligned with democratic values or the principles of a free republic. Keep him out.
You must respect the rule of law. You must adhere to judicial decisions. You must uphold the constitutional separation of powers. The legislative branch makes the laws. The judiciary interprets them. You are part of the executive branch, which enforces them—nothing more, nothing less. You have no unilateral power to decide what laws exist, nor do you have the authority to punish or deport anyone outside the bounds of legal process.
No amount of demagoguery will change this. No amount of propaganda from Fox News, OAN, Breitbart, or your cronies will obscure the truth. You are accountable. You are constrained by law. If you refuse to respect this reality, you will face consequences far beyond the court of public opinion.
We do not live in an autocracy. You are not Vladimir Putin. You are not Xi Jinping. You are bound by the Constitution, and if you choose to ignore it, the people of this country, working through their elected representatives and the courts, will stop you. We have done it before. We will do it again.
This is your warning: Follow the law. Respect the courts. Enforce the will of Congress. You are not above any of it.
Wow, you have a long one to answer here. First of all, he is not above the law, but, as long as Musk is allowed to stick around, we have problems. I feel Musk, a confirmed Nazi by his own children, is the main problem up there. He has his whole gang invading every part of the government to stir up as many problems for us as he can. They are moving fast too. We have been using everything we can to stop him legally too. Our federal judges are being singled out as the enemy and have their personal addresses posted on the net and are being attacked.
Trump has been sworn in too back our constitution. I feel it is all Musk that is the real problems now. Musk has never even been vetted or even been sworn in to back our constitution.
As for illegal orders being issued by them, Musk is at the center of this too because he has no idea how the federal government should operate. So far we seem to be stopping most of the problems in court. Again, these federal judges have a problem countering his edicts. These judges are making him to rehire the people he has fired. I guess that reconstitutes the facilities he tried to shut down.
As long as we allow Musk to stick around he'll continue to convince Trump he is heading us in the right direction.
I understand and appreciate his contributions, but the reality is that he was part of a Democratic administration and maintains high-level contacts within the Democratic establishment. If someone with his stature and influence can’t help motivate meaningful action, then it’s hard to see how we avoid catastrophe. Academia, particularly the Ivy League institutions, seems to be crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. How can we continue to place our faith in academic institutions when they repeatedly fail us in moments of crisis?
History offers chilling examples: several of the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen held PhDs, and Joseph Goebbels himself earned a doctorate in philology. The medical community in Germany, supposedly dedicated to preserving life, was among the first professional groups to align itself with the Nazi regime. When things fall apart, these intellectual and professional elites are often the first to disappear or capitulate.
Meanwhile, I’m on Truth Social every night, often having my accounts banned, yet I keep returning, speaking out, and challenging the lies. I have a small following—perhaps 15 people—but I’m there, actively confronting the disinformation. And yet, I don’t see our so-called leaders engaging on that front. Where are they? Why am I, an ordinary citizen, seemingly the only one standing in the breach?
Yes, individual efforts are valuable, and I appreciate them. But collectively, this group—the academics, the politicians, the intellectuals—should have done far more. Their inaction, complacency, and cowardice have brought us to this precipice. Columbia University has already folded under pressure, as have numerous law groups. It seems as if many of these leaders are content as long as they can keep their multiple homes and luxury cars. They no longer care what happens to anyone else.
It’s disheartening to see so much education, so many resources, and so much influence squandered because basic moral courage is lacking. Without a foundation of fundamental morality, all the degrees and accolades in the world are meaningless.
And this lesson isn’t new. Philosophers and leaders have warned about this for centuries: education without ethical grounding is dangerous. Yet here we are, watching history repeat itself.
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing out of a deep sense of frustration and concern regarding the current state of Democratic leadership—or more precisely, the absence of it—at a time when the country desperately needs vocal, principled defenders of democracy and truth.
As someone who served in a Democratic administration and maintains an insider’s perspective, I ask you candidly: Where are our leaders? Where is President Obama? Where are Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, Vice President Harris, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the other prominent voices who once galvanized millions?
At this critical juncture—when Fox News functions as a relentless propaganda machine masquerading as journalism, when Trump and his acolytes peddle corrosive lies about the "most corrupt administration in history," and when democracy itself stands on a knife's edge—why are these powerful voices silent? The vacuum they leave behind is filled daily with disinformation, cynicism, and dangerous populist rhetoric. Their silence is both deafening and damning.
I watch President Biden—a man whose legislative achievements have been substantial, particularly in undoing the catastrophic wreckage left by the Trump administration—face a relentless smear campaign with little to no effective counterbalance from his party’s most recognizable figures. Biden’s communication strategy has failed to publicize his administration's accomplishments in a way that breaks through the noise. Consequently, the American public remains vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation.
The Clintons and the Obamas are still regarded by many as formidable leaders and skilled communicators. Barack Obama remains one of the finest orators of our time. Bill Clinton, for all his moral failings, remains a consummate political strategist. Pete Buttigieg is articulate, informed, and a rising star in Democratic politics. Yet, they remain inexplicably quiet. We are not hearing them lead the charge against the tidal wave of misinformation and authoritarian creep.
It is utterly incomprehensible that, faced with a growing fascist threat, these figures are not mounting a robust and unified defense of democratic values in every forum possible—on television, in town halls, in op-eds, and at mass rallies. Where is the moral urgency? Where is the strategic coordination? Why do we, the people who care deeply about this nation’s future, feel so abandoned by those who once inspired us?
This is not a time for cautious diplomacy or political calculation. This is a time to sound the alarm and fight with clarity and courage. And yet, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, who continues to speak truth to power (although some perceive him as too far to the left), there is an eerie and infuriating silence from the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Reich, you are a principled voice and have consistently articulated the stakes we face. But why is there not a unified and forceful counteroffensive from those who once carried the banner of the Democratic Party? We are left to wonder if our leadership has either lost its nerve or is trapped in a misguided hope that civility and reason alone will save us from the abyss.
I ask you plainly: What on earth is happening? Why has this fight been abandoned to a few lone voices while the machinery of authoritarianism marches on, largely uncontested by those with the stature to command the nation’s attention?
That Putin's Bitch dictator fouling the Oval Office presumes he dictates the law, that any action he takes is legal, and dictates that any action taken against his violation of settled law is hyper-partisan "lawfare," and that any protest against him and "China Boy" in the street is domestic terrorism, and he would call his brownshirts "patriots" should they foment violence on his behalf. Make sure to keep a kosh in your pocket if you go out to demonstrate! You may need it to defend yourself or help someone near you.
At this point Trump still has a bunch of citizens fooled into think he is taking them in the right direction. They voted him into office, again. Somehow we have to show them Trump and Musk are taking us in the direction of a dictatorship.
Below is a sophisticated, firmly worded, and direct letter that conveys urgency, seriousness, and a warning to Republican Senators and Members of Congress—without resorting to overt threats. The language is elevated, the tone assertive but measured, and it clearly outlines the consequences of aligning with authoritarianism and abandoning constitutional principles.
Subject: A Final Warning: Uphold the Constitution or Face the Consequences of Betrayal
To: Members of the Republican Caucus in the United States Senate and House of Representatives
Dear Senator / Representative [Insert Name],
The American people have watched with mounting alarm as many members of the Republican Party, once the party of Lincoln, have abandoned their oaths to uphold the Constitution in favor of blind allegiance to a convicted felon and proven sociopath. Let me be clear: we have reached our limit. We have had enough.
This nation was founded on the rule of law, on the principle that no person—not even a president—is above it. Yet, time and again, you have chosen loyalty to Donald Trump over loyalty to the Republic. You have enabled a man whose contempt for truth, justice, and democratic norms is matched only by his brazen criminality.
Your failure to act in defense of our democracy is not merely dereliction—it is complicity. You have permitted the erosion of our institutions, the subversion of the judiciary, and the propagation of authoritarian fantasies that pose a mortal threat to our Republic. You have supported an individual whose very presence on the public stage is an affront to decency and the rule of law.
Let us remind you: you were elected to serve the people of the United States, to defend the Constitution of the United States—not to obey the dictates of a demagogue, nor to insulate him from accountability. Your obligation is to the law, to truth, and to the enduring promise of this nation—not to personal ambition, not to fleeting political advantage, and certainly not to a man whose legacy will be one of disgrace and infamy.
We demand immediate and unequivocal adherence to the rule of law. We demand that you respect the authority of the courts, that you honor the checks and balances that have preserved this nation for nearly 250 years, and that you cease your participation in efforts designed to subvert the democratic process.
If you persist in undermining our constitutional order, know this: there will be consequences. Your positions are not guaranteed. The American people are awakening to the grave danger posed by your inaction and your complicity. You will be held to account—through the courts, through investigations, and, most certainly, at the ballot box. Your pursuit of power at the expense of our democracy will result not in prestige, but in prosecution and disgrace.
Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act—these programs are not bargaining chips for extremists, nor will they be sacrificed to satisfy the whims of plutocrats and oligarchs who have purchased undue influence in our government. We will not permit it.
Donald Trump will be indicted, convicted, and ultimately imprisoned. That is not a wish; it is the inevitable outcome of his criminality. And if you tether your legacy to his, you too will face the consequences of that choice. History will not be kind to collaborators in the destruction of democracy.
This is your final opportunity to choose the right side of history. Defend the Constitution. Protect this Republic. Restore dignity and honor to the office you hold. If you refuse, the American people will remove you from power and ensure that justice is done.
Michael, I hope you don't mind, but I copied your letter so that I can send it to my gqp representative and senator. It lets them know exactly where I stand. Thank you!
This is a clear, direct statement: You are not a dictator. You are not a king. You are not above the law. No matter how loudly you bluster, no matter how many lies you repeat, no matter how many sycophants you surround yourself with, the United States of America is a constitutional republic governed by laws, not the whims of a man who imagines himself beyond them.
You were elected—twice now—to serve as President under the Constitution of the United States, not to rule by decree. The Constitution requires that you follow the law, obey judicial rulings, and enforce the will of Congress, not tear down institutions for your personal power grabs. You swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. This is not optional. This is not negotiable.
You are issuing executive orders that are blatantly illegal. You have no right to deport individuals arbitrarily, no matter what propaganda you peddle. Immigration policy is governed by laws passed by Congress, subject to review by the courts, and your duty is to enforce those laws within the limits established by both legislative authority and judicial oversight. You do not have the power to override the courts or Congress because you find it inconvenient.
Defiance of the judiciary is defiance of the Constitution. No President has ever been permitted to ignore the courts without consequence. You are not an exception. If you continue to violate judicial orders and the rule of law, there will be impeachment proceedings. Removal from office, if not eventual criminal prosecution, is inevitable for any leader who treats the Constitution as an obstacle to personal power. History will not be kind to those who trample the law.
Further, Elon Musk has no place anywhere near the machinery of American government. He is not an elected official. He is not a policy expert. He is a businessman with a checkered record who poses a growing threat to democracy. His involvement in government is reckless, dangerous, and wholly unacceptable. We do not want his influence anywhere near decisions that affect the rights, freedoms, and livelihoods of Americans. His agenda is not aligned with democratic values or the principles of a free republic. Keep him out.
You must respect the rule of law. You must adhere to judicial decisions. You must uphold the constitutional separation of powers. The legislative branch makes the laws. The judiciary interprets them. You are part of the executive branch, which enforces them—nothing more, nothing less. You have no unilateral power to decide what laws exist, nor do you have the authority to punish or deport anyone outside the bounds of legal process.
No amount of demagoguery will change this. No amount of propaganda from Fox News, OAN, Breitbart, or your cronies will obscure the truth. You are accountable. You are constrained by law. If you refuse to respect this reality, you will face consequences far beyond the court of public opinion.
We do not live in an autocracy. You are not Vladimir Putin. You are not Xi Jinping. You are bound by the Constitution, and if you choose to ignore it, the people of this country, working through their elected representatives and the courts, will stop you. We have done it before. We will do it again.
This is your warning: Follow the law. Respect the courts. Enforce the will of Congress. You are not above any of it.
Oh my gosh! Truer words were never spoken! I love this Michael! Once again, I am copying it and sending it to the orange man! What a way to speak out, Michael! You are truly gifted when it comes to using your words and your voice! Thank you!
Columbia University’s decision to capitulate to the demands of Donald Trump and his administration represents one of the most egregious betrayals of academic integrity in modern history. This moment will be remembered not for its pragmatism but for its surrender. By folding to threats of revoked funding, Columbia has done a disservice not only to its own community but to the entire landscape of higher education.
If I were advising Columbia, my guidance would be simple and direct: rescind any agreement made under duress, reject the $400 million, and tell Donald Trump to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Universities of Columbia’s stature have the power and the means to mobilize alternative funding sources—whether through private philanthropy, international partnerships, or educational grants from institutions that still value democracy and academic freedom.
Moreover, Columbia—and any university facing similar intimidation—must stand firm and unified. The academic community, alongside the most principled legal minds in New York and beyond, must refuse to be pawns in Trump’s authoritarian scheme. Law firms, especially those like Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, must lead the charge in defending constitutional liberties, not enabling their erosion through silence or complicity.
This is a pivotal moment. If institutions of higher learning, thought leaders, and legal advocates maintain a united front, there is nothing to fear. But the moment we allow one institution to cave under pressure, we open the door to a flood of repression and censorship that will be far more difficult to stop. We cannot, and will not, permit this.
Columbia’s leadership should understand that acquiescing to tyranny only emboldens it. The world is watching, and history will judge whether we stood our ground or allowed our principles to be bartered away for short-term relief.
Now is the time for resolve, solidarity, and moral clarity. The mission is simple: dump Trump in the rump and defend democracy with everything we’ve got.
Columbia University’s decision to capitulate to the demands of Donald Trump and his administration represents one of the most egregious betrayals of academic integrity in modern history. This moment will be remembered not for its pragmatism but for its surrender. By folding to threats of revoked funding, Columbia has done a disservice not only to its own community but to the entire landscape of higher education.
If I were advising Columbia, my guidance would be simple and direct: rescind any agreement made under duress, reject the $400 million, and tell Donald Trump to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Universities of Columbia’s stature have the power and the means to mobilize alternative funding sources—whether through private philanthropy, international partnerships, or educational grants from institutions that still value democracy and academic freedom.
Moreover, Columbia—and any university facing similar intimidation—must stand firm and unified. The academic community, alongside the most principled legal minds in New York and beyond, must refuse to be pawns in Trump’s authoritarian scheme. Law firms, especially those like Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, must lead the charge in defending constitutional liberties, not enabling their erosion through silence or complicity.
This is a pivotal moment. If institutions of higher learning, thought leaders, and legal advocates maintain a united front, there is nothing to fear. But the moment we allow one institution to cave under pressure, we open the door to a flood of repression and censorship that will be far more difficult to stop. We cannot, and will not, permit this.
Columbia’s leadership should understand that acquiescing to tyranny only emboldens it. The world is watching, and history will judge whether we stood our ground or allowed our principles to be bartered away for short-term relief.
Now is the time for resolve, solidarity, and moral clarity. The mission is simple: dump Trump in the rump and defend democracy with everything we’ve got.
for the motivations emanating from his narcissistic personality disorder.
He is likely unaware of his narcissistic tendencies and the origin of his lies. He believes his own delusions so finds no contradiction between statements.
Donald Trump is a masterful con artist and an extraordinarily adept criminal opportunist. He is also a deviant sociopath, possessing an intuitive, if deeply malevolent, ability to “read the room” and craft remarks that his audience will readily accept as truth. This constitutes the core of the problem. Despite his talents for manipulation, Trump demonstrates little actual comprehension of the systems of governance, economics, or law he purports to champion. His intellectual capacity appears profoundly limited—comparable, metaphorically speaking, to that of a can of soda—and his grasp of complex policy or historical context is reminiscent of a rudimentary, fifth-grade education.
Yet, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the danger he poses. Surrounding Trump is a cadre of profoundly dangerous and ideologically driven advisors—figures like Steve Bannon, among others—who have immersed themselves in the study of fascist regimes and authoritarian governance. These individuals are well-versed in the mechanisms of systemic manipulation, propaganda, and subversion, and they offer Trump strategies honed by a deep, cynical understanding of history’s most effective tools of oppression.
More insidious still is the infrastructure of propaganda that has been meticulously constructed to sustain and amplify Trump’s demagoguery. Right-wing media outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News (OAN), Breitbart, and a host of similarly aligned entities function not as journalistic enterprises but as propaganda arms in service to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. Their purpose is to fabricate a narrative in which Trump is not an unqualified sociopath but rather an omniscient, visionary leader. These propagandists have succeeded in constructing an alternate reality that tens of millions of Americans now occupy, detached from factual discourse and impervious to reason or evidence.
As a result, we now face the grim reality of an estimated 20 to 30 million Americans who are thoroughly brainwashed—an electorate that has been conditioned, through relentless misinformation, to reject facts, logic, and critical thinking in favor of emotionally charged, authoritarian dogma. This cult-like adherence to Trumpism is not accidental but rather the predictable outcome of decades of neglect in safeguarding the public sphere from abuse. The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech, but its unchecked exploitation by demagogues and propagandists has rendered it a double-edged sword. Free speech was never intended to be weaponized by bad actors to undermine democratic institutions through lies, disinformation, and psychological manipulation.
The individuals who constitute the intellectual and scientific bedrock of our society—the scientists, engineers, professors, and researchers who design our technologies, advance our medicine, and uphold academic rigor—are being dismissed as elitist, dishonest, or corrupt, while charlatans and conspiracy theorists are elevated to positions of cultural authority. Decades of research in psychiatry and social psychology warned us of this peril: that mass delusion, once entrenched, becomes almost impossible to reverse. Cult dynamics, as described by experts like Dr. Steven Hassan, demonstrate that once individuals are fully indoctrinated, their belief systems become resistant to evidence and contrary information. The loss of critical thinking skills has rendered a significant portion of the population functionally incapable of recognizing the mechanisms of their own exploitation.
The ideological movement behind Trumpism is a regressive one—an effort to return not merely to the 1950s but, in cultural and social terms, to the 1850s. It seeks to reinstate a hierarchical social order dominated by white men, relegating everyone else to subservience. This neo-feudalist vision is one in which wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of an oligarchic elite, while the rights and dignity of women, people of color, and marginalized communities are systematically stripped away.
Civil rights are eroded. Democratic norms are subverted. The gains achieved through decades of struggle are methodically dismantled. The powerful and wealthy few consolidate their control through legal manipulation, voter suppression, and unregulated political spending. What is emerging is not a populist revival but a plutocratic dystopia: a society where robber barons rule, where labor is exploited without mercy, and where democracy is reduced to hollow formality.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is that many of those who enthusiastically support this movement are unwittingly hastening their own demise. They are, in effect, marching themselves and their families toward ruin—embracing a regime that promises to decimate their healthcare, strip away their social protections, and mortgage their futures to benefit the obscenely wealthy. It is as though they are willingly inviting marauders into their homes to loot, plunder, and destroy, all while believing themselves to be patriots safeguarding their country.
The solution lies in restoring critical thinking, media literacy, and a shared commitment to empirical truth. This will not be accomplished easily or quickly. But without a unified defense of truth and democratic norms, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of the American republic. The time for complacency has long passed. It is now the responsibility of every citizen, academic institution, and ethical leader to confront this authoritarian threat with courage, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to justice.
Are they gonna halt all SSI payments on April1? If so, the rednecks in the south will go nuts, it's all they have, they will start a war on the govt. When that happens Trump will call martial law. Is this SSI thing just a stunt to get people worried and distract us because he is up to something else he wants hidden? That is usually his MO. But if he is not bluffing, and they stop SSI in April Millions and millions of elderly and disabled will be kicked out onto the street because that's their only income, and they will suffer and die in public and guns will come out and wow it will be so ugly... this has to be a stunt because nobody with a clue will let this happen, not to mention what the loss of their checks will mean to the economy. Can we talk about Martial Law please? What to expect and how to act? Thank you.
There are millions in the red states who are on disability or social security and it's all they have. If their MawMaw or family member loses health insurance, can't get their medicine or loses their rent money there will be a lot of unhappy Magas.
And yet, with all we know to be true on this substack, I still see mainstream America in my town and elsewhere shopping on their phones, ignoring the news, and generally pretending nothing has changed in the past 60 days. When will the country wake up? What catastrophe will have to happen for any of us to see that democracy has died and we have lost our constitution and basic rights? Amazing how fast this has happened and how accepting our citizens have been.
Because agent orange has most likely never been to a library, a museum, a national park or a symphony performance he has no problem defunding and attempting to destroy these institutions for the millions that enjoy them. Same with the military, never served. No concept. But he has spent untold hours in litigation and proved he can get away with anything. I'm doing what I can but am sick at heart.
The going about of daily life is simply inertia from the system we had all our lives. So much inertia, creating an illusion that things are normal. I truly have run out of hope because the system is being nuked from the inside and only a few see it happening. Musk went straight to the heart and ripped it out. He wants to eat it in glorious celebration next, with Trump's blessing. I feel it is already too late to "rise up". The system is too crippled and we're just starting to see and feel the fallout.
You know I have been biting my tongue for months now. I am now experiencing fear that I never thought would be possible. I am currently a doctorate student and I had a plan to get my PhD and go into research but now that things are so screwed up, I feel there is absolutely no future. I am considering just giving up on my school and cut my losses. I also fear for my brother who is depends on Social Security and Medicaid and am thankful my sister who is his caretaker moved in with me recently so that we can pull our resources together because excuse my French, but shit is starting to get a little too real.
Our future as a country looks really grim where I sit. I had no idea just how much I took for granted until this year. Everyone keeps on saying to call their representatives in Congress but to be honest I really feel it would be a waste of my time because both sides of the aisle don't appear to be up to the task of stopping this insanity, doing their jobs, and saving this country from these maniacs. I guess the cracks in both parties are too deep to overcome.
It all boils down to the fact that no matter who we voted for this time around, we all have a part in why this man got a chance to sit in the oval office, yet again, and in my opinion, we deserve everything we get. We all need to own it and we need to come together because this is the only way we can overcome this. I have lost all hope that Congress is going to save us, and just depending on the courts to save us is a like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. This conman and his mess of a cabinet are taking this country and flushing it down the toilet because of the almighty buck and we need to stop fighting each other and fight the fix the real problem at hand.
I am a Desert Storm veteran and I am beside myself that my sacrifice was truly in vain because this country is nothing like the one, we had back when I was a proud member of those who swore to protect her. I never in my life felt more vulnerable, disillusioned, disappointed and just downright brokenhearted as I am right now.
Hang in there, Lisa Jenkins! we are not alone, and we outnumber them!
I agree Congress is not doing anything. Either side. Emailing/calling isn't making a difference. We attend weekly protests, grass roots, and the numbers are growing. We live in a small town so it is heartening to see this. Someone said to me. We will get through this nightmare from the ground up. That gave me hope!
On Monday, my wife and I are attending our local School Board Title IX committee meeting to see what the board members think of the loss of the Department of Education. No DOE, no Title IX enforcement.
My wife is a retired middle school science teacher. Would she have been able to pursue that science career path without Title IX? How many young women will be able to do it in the future? We'll get the Board members insight on those questions.
Please let us know how it goes. I also worked in education and my sons and daughters in law as well. We are all concerned about what will happen to all those who need services and benefit from a strong education system. This will affect both sides, so I am shocked that HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED is attacking what will affect his base and their children.
He said, he didn't care about them, only their vote--and he's showing that to be true every day.
Excellent questions, Townsend! We must, absolutely must, attend these local meetings and ask the questions we need answers to. They may not like being put on the spot, but they wanted the position and accounting and answering the tough questions are what it is all about!
Let us know what they say! Many school boards have been infiltrated by Moms for Liberty et al.
Yes, Cyndi Magill; there are reasons to not give up.
Yes, let us sit around and hope, that will make a difference
No, make good trouble.
Laurie,
Unfortunately, for the MAGAts, "killing for fun" is a feature, not a bug.
Despite our numbers (largely made up of people SO APATHETIC, they would NEVER VOTE, even if Satan were on the ticket (for a third time)), and the closest WE will ever come to the "joy of killing" is when we allow the MAGAs to cause the deaths of their own children from easily preventable disease...even as it disgusts and saddens us. MAGA will take their own children's deaths as "tribute to Trump" (just as they did when Trump caused the deaths of some 800,000 of his followers rather than acknowledge that the Pandemic Plan left in place by the Obama administration might actually save lives...which Trump knew was the case, and his own PRIVATE vaccination proved.)
They will sacrifice their children to Trump, and feel it to be an honor. How do we defeat a literal DEATH WISH that these fools feel to be completely appropriate, and in fact is necessary on their part in order to be a "proper cultist"?
(I spent much of yesterday with 2 MAGAts who are, ironically enough, part of the exceptionally incompetent "team" tending to my mother's hospice care. (Yeah, MAGAts as hospice workers. IRONY IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL! And it absolutely LOVES Trump...)
I fear that at the moment all we have on our side are the those who actually cared enough to vote (and voted wisely, of course.)
MAGAts are still ignoring that the GOP had a 50% say in EVERYTHING "Leon" is destroying, as well as that the goal ISN'T simply 100% for the purpose of enriching the 4 men who made Trump president (including Putin. They actually appear to believe what Trump is doing will benefit everyone, if only to cause millions of us to "die with honor from starvation or disease".))
So, at the moment even those on the fence about Trump are not yet wise to the danger, so how can we imagine we're changing the minds of actual MAGAts?(Except in rare, individual instances.)
I truly wish it were otherwise, but I'm too old to start to ignore what history has seen (and remembered) SO MANY TIMES, even as the human capacity for memory is weakened by...money?
Foofaraw & Chiquita (Arf!).I am also too old to start to ignore what history I remember. That is why I value what my mother told me. Ever resourceful, she got it from a Salada tea bag tag. ; "the secret to triumph is in the first syllable : "Tri" ', or try. I refuse to give up my values and betray my beliefs. To forget what honor and decency are.
Agreed 100%, Laurie,
One of the MAGAts here yesterday fooled me at first, but once she made her feelings clear, they never slowed down.
But anytime I mentioned the words of Jesus from the Bible, she always became visibly uncomfortable. I think, deep down, there is still a half-memory of enjoying everyone being equal, and actually WANTING to help others, and playing with ALL other children in youthful innocence.
I'm not ready to give up....at least on some of them.
And it's certainly not necessary to be a Christian to value things such as the Golden Rule and the Sermon on the Mount.
I'm not.
Your mother was a very wise woman, Laurie! NEVER give up and NEVER surrender!
She had only a tenth grade education, Made mistakes like everyone does, I guess, and ended up singing in the Young at heart chorus, going around the country and around the world, as a senior. She sang a duet with David Byrne at Carnegie Hall, while with the chorus. she had joined the chorus as an amateur, who always loved music. She was known as Patsy Linderme. She really liked Belgium the most ,of all the places she performed. Her special solo was "Fake plastic Trees" by Radiohead.
Foof, I don't expect them to make sense. Trump's true believers are noisy but a minority of the people who voted in 2024. The difference was people who were unhappy with the deal they were getting from the US economy, because of how sc(r)ewed to rich it has become voted or Trump or didn't vote at all. Joe Biden's frailty scared them. Harris was a step too far. Forget the MAGAts, they drank the Kool Aid, work on the middle, make them come back and vote again for sanity. There isn't a living Communist on the planet since Fidel died. Just different flavors of authoritarians, who enrich themselves and do not take care of their people. The Democrats have to become the party of fairness.
80 million people did not vote.
We reap what we sow.
MAGAs have NO idea of what a communist is. For them, it's anyone with any human decency or concern for poor/marginalised people. In other words, anyone to the left of them. It's unbelievable. They are now saying all the quiet parts out loud. The racism and misogyny in this country is awful. I know it's always been around (I was born in 1950s) and saw the horrible treatment of those marching for civil rights, heard of the murders of civil rights workers, etc. I thought we were getting better (or at least hoped we were), but I see little has changed. I see comments about Black people being less intelligent, smaller brained and all the rest of it. It really makes me sick of the white part of my heritage (I also have Pygmy, Khoisan, East African (Sudanese and Ethiopian), Uralic, East Siberian, Mongolian, Roma, Jewish. Yemenite, Jomon/Japanese, Melanesian, Australian (Indigenous) Andean/Amazonian Indigenous Amerind). Small amounts, but still there--and I'm proud of all of them. I'm adopted so know little to nothing about my ancestors. I'm mostly white, but if this how so many are going to be, I'm just disgusted to be.
I'm so disgusted with the Democrats (except for Bernie, AOC, Jasmine Crockett and a few others), that I'm almost ready to become a Trotskyist again. But I know there's not much they can do. I have to work within the system we've got and support Democrats who don't fold like Schumer et al.
You are right, there really haven't been any Communists since Castro died. Even all the Trotskyists I knew that I would consider to be real communists--I'm talking about the old guard who actually knew Trotsky and who took part in the big union struggles of the 1930s--are long gone (this should tell how old I am lol).
Hmmm, IIRC, there is a Bible verse which reads " and they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto Moloch". That's what Trump is, a modern-day Moloch. Hell, they even worship him as a sort of "god" ( I refer to him as their iron pyrite --as in fool's gold--"god"). I've seen this coming and now it is here. I'm not the worlds greatest Christian, BUT I know "You shall know them by their fruits"--and all of them are toxic.
I'm sorry your mom got into the hands of a MAGA hospice team. I did that work for many years as a sort of informal ministry, to try to make my patients as comfortable/pain-free as possible. I consider it the best ten years of my life.
foofawraw writes: They will sacrifice their children to Trump, and feel it to be an honor."
The new Carthage, sacrifices to Ba'al.
Sorry about your mother,. I know that you are a devoted child and have been taking care of her.
I hope that she isn't suffering. No one should suffer.
,
Thanks, WIlliam,
I'm treating the need to give myself 100% to the needs and care of another, to be a gift I can never receive again in my life. (I married late in life, then divorced...so no newborns to give of myself to.)
I hope to learn and grow every day, especially when it's most difficult. I want to make her happy EVERY day she has left.
I know it's hard but please be sure to take care of yourself. You can't be there for your mum if you don't get some decent rest and respite. All I can do is pray for you and your mum, but I do that gladly. I hope you will accept a cyber-hug.
ABSOLUTELY!!
Thank you, Lights.
Gotcha there. I cannot fathom the MAGAts I encounter in health care. I think of them as the walking dead. And you're not wrong...It's not simple. I have palliative care workers spouting dreadful MAGAt tropes, and my trauma surgeon buddies who are all military vets who defend their 2nd Amendment rights, not touchy feely guys, but they labor long into the night to get their peeps "stabiized." Contradiction abounds, it's not all bad.
Yeah, Lisa, I agree that we are all in some sense complicit for having allowed corrupt corporate players (aka oligarchs) to work behind the scenes to enable and install an equally corrupt and uncaring group of fellow grifters to overtake our Federal and many of our state governments, aided and abetted by corrupt and immoral authoritarian religious fundamentalists and hardcore racist factions leftover from the Civil War. But, do you remember 'scattergrams' from math and or econ classes? They consist of info dots of how things are (say, daily temperatures) at a moment in time. It is only after this data is smoothed by averaging that we get one of those X + Y axis lines showing intensity on the upright axis and the passage of time on the horizontal line. So, Lisa, we are on a pretty nasty 'dot' at the moment, but as change begins to happen, and it is happening, that curve which right now shows us heading upward toward complete disaster will start to flatten out. All is NOT lost. And don't despair, because it's only by via our despair that our enemies can obtain and hold onto power.
Well said, Leigh!
Amen!
2 things when you write 'both sides of the aisle don't appear to be up to the task of stopping this insanity, doing their jobs, and saving this country from these maniacs.' the 2 sides of the aisle are the same as each other argument is so mis/disinforming! How can you say that?!?! It's the republicans that have for the last 2 sessions have done nothing for their constituents, have gotten nothing done because they can't even agree with other. Have you forgotten 15 votes to get McCarthy confirmed as speaker?!? The republicans confirmed Patel, Hegseth, Gubbard, rfk, McMahon, and the rest of the cabinet clown car, not the democrats. pleasePleasePLEASE stop with the same sides are the same! re "cracks are too deep are to deep to overcome" Biden got the chips act, infrastructure act, build back better, etc. Again the disfunction is by a large % a retRumplican phenomenon. Please stop equating the 2, as that's not only false, but most harmful in trying to identify and correct the shit show we're presently living through
I have said this here before, Lisa: the overreach is so blatant and so outrageous and the dominance of the oligarchs so evident that there will be a backlash, just as there was against the first gilded age a century ago. That backlash is brewing and we will come through better for it as long as we keep up the fight. Hang in there and keep the faith.
I wish.
I have to back up your thinking all the way. In fact I just posted my thinking on our situation to but I go back to Nazism. Musk's kids even confirmed he is a Nazi. Along with Trump they seem to being a pretty good job. They have the MAGA's backing them now and Thy have congress to scared to do anything. It all adds up while we sit here seeing it all. It seems they've even gone into the military to try to neutralize any opposition they deem necessary. Where does it stop? It's al right there in front of up.
I know we are in an untenable situation. It does not look good. But I have seen the angry Republicans shouting at their "representatives". I see Democrat leaders going to Republican voters who want town halls, and being accepted, at least listened to. There are massive crowds at rallies. I have to think positive. Even though it is dark indeed. If TRUMP is inhibited by Rupert Murdoch, or influenced by his warnings to not ignore the law, that gives me reason to hope that things could improve. We do not want a bloodbath. Only to have self rule. Americans will not be silenced. We want the country that we grew up with. And the freedom to try to form "a more perfect union" that is the promise of Democracy/ self rule.and freedom for all.
I have shouted at our representatives also, to no avail. The opposition has a network in place to back all their radical thinking with X and Ruppert Murdock's Fox News, etc. Years ago I refused to go to a doctor's office that had their TV tuned to Fox News to tell outright lies. Now we have X making up anything needed to hold their attention. I have radical R's come into my home and make the comment that I have my TV tuned to the national news services. It don't stop. I guess at this point all we can do is wait till it affects them, like taking away their SSI. I can't wait to comment that ("You caused It") and see what kind of comment I get from them. As long as we have Nazi Musk up there convincing Trump that he is doing right for the nation, it'll continue. He is ruining Democracy for this nation but Trump is to stupid to realize it with his fascination of Putin and all the other dictators of the world.
Harvey Hild : We have to be our own representatives? Even Rupert Murdoch seems to be trying to hold tRUMP to the law. May be that he has something to gain, like not being part of the problem he helped to create? Or maybe it's to protect his investments? Or could it possibly be his own legacy? He is not getting any younger.
I have a question. Why aren't corporations using their clout instead of sitting back and watching it all go down the drain?: manufacturing, computer components, transportation, retail, machinery, petroleum , agriculture, media outlets - closures, bankruptcies and major contracts being cancelled, (Lockeed Martin, Boeing, John Deere, etc)?
Traditionally, Americans have been big consumers in a robust economy - that is about to end because few will be able to afford anything other than essentials, businesses will go under. Everyone loses.
These corporations that are using their clout are both Republican controlled and secondly, are wanting to line their pockets.
In your last sentence Judith, you hit the nail on the head.
What has made America great is consumption. America is the worlds greatest consumer. The P.M.s and Presidents of the world, are salesmen,prostrating themselves at the feet of the President, that they can vend their goods and resources.
That is the superpower, that has enabled Trump.
The behavior of Trusk is killing the goose that lays the golden egg, firing people from government, shutting down departments that have enabled the economy to roll on like a runaway steam engine, firing people, Even USAID no matter how much we spend on AID, there is a return on investment greater than the expense, and in terms of money received, and money not spent.
With luck Trusk will destroy that which made America great, we will all suffer, but at least we will have shed the parasites.And then we can rebuild back better, with a common sense 1st and 2nd amendment, and get rid of the electoral college and states rats.
I know! I keep thinking the same thing!! Are those "in control" THAT stupid? What are we missing?
I just got off from watching the news and I see that protestors are gathered in front of the Tesla facility in New York City. I guess they are blaming it as organized by George Soros again. Anytime they can't blame it on someone it always goes to him.
I called both Senators and my Congressman's office this morning and protesting my disbelief of them allowing a group of unvetted people coming in to access the information in every federal office in Washington. I asked that they throw out Musk and his whole gang till they are vetted. I finished off by saying they are not representing the wishes of their constituents.
Trump is the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. His gameplan is very much like Hitler's. Everytime someone talks to a Republican,they should refer to them as " Neo Nazis".I do think many would think that to be a compliment.
I saw today that they even threatened any leaker to the press they would be processed to the fullest, maybe even to prison.
Harvey,let them try. It is becoming more evident that we should be getting gun permits,getting a gun,going to ranges to become effective.I see no way that peaceful demonstrations are going to change anything.
Here is the normal reply I get from my Congressman's office but never a response. I never heart from either Senators office. They are both Republican.
\Thank you for contacting me to express your opinion on matters before the 116th Congress. You will be receiving a response shortly regarding the issue you contacted me on. I commend you on your efforts to become involved in the political process. Without ample and constructive input from my constituents, my best efforts to effectively represent you would undoubtedly fall short.
Job creation, accessibility to constituents, education, economic development, and national security will continue to be my priorities for the 28th district of Texas. I urge you to continue to reach out to my office should you have specific concerns or questions about legislation pending before Congress.
It all sounds good, doesn't it?
Dang! Wonder if Florida copied Texas or vice versa? That's the response I got from my congressman. I call it a format letter/email. Words, words, words.....saying absolutely nothing!
One of my idiot Senators say on his leadup that he is proud to represent the people of Texas, I always respond by telling him to change his recording. He don't represent anyone but Trump. He's Cancun Cruz.
I can play their games too. Nothing gained, nothing lost.
I expect AI bots will be writing individual replies to constituents in the future, if not already, for our electeds in Congress. Further insulating them from their constituents. Maybe our queries to our congressmen should include a capcha test we ask them to solve. "Just to make sure I get a reply from a human, please solve the capcha at zzzz.com and include that in your response congressman."
Harvey,their response says it all. No guts,no response.
Yes Congress. We know what to expect out of the Republicans Harvey, But the Democrats, keeping a low profile, and even aiding and abetting Trusk, like voting for Cloture on the CR.
Until the Democratic party comes out the trenches with Tommy guns blazing, charging like hell to take out the Huns. I've given up on politics and fall back to my 1964 skepticism of "two sides of the same coin"
I am encouraged by AOC & Bernie's ACTIONS. The Dems need new vigorous LEADERSHIP like theirs.!
Same here Marilyn, alas there are only a handful, willing to stick their head above the parapet. The rest cower in fear.
What we need to do is make them afraid of us, not them. So far they hide under our skirts,because after all they and we are Democrats. Kick them out from under the skirts,make them afraid of us more than them, and the way to do that is threaten their careers. Primary the S.O.B.'s
I agree with your frustrations, but we somehow have to change their whole way of handling this enemy. Up to a few years ago, they could posture & wear pink & be right in their rational belief in the system. They are grand thinkers, who have been pushed to the front lines of a battle so unlike any in our history. Send them messages again & again & again...it has to sink in quickly, no time to wait for the next elections...IMHO
Sounds to me like you are more of a Republican then you think. Yes the Democrats seem to be reacting to Trump and his associations with Musk. We have to do it LEGALLY. They won't. They ignore laws willingly to do what they want to do. We have to stop them any way we can, LEGALLY. No one, not even the president, is above the rule of law. This principle draws the line against authoritarianism and keeps the federal government accountable to the people it serves.
Last weekend, in defiance of federal court orders, President Donald Trump moved forward with removing more than 200 migrants from the United States. The majority of the people were removed without due legal process.
Prior to the deportations, the administration invoked the draconian Alien Enemies Act with the declared purpose of deporting affiliates of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. But many of the people who were removed under the Alien Enemies Act do not have criminal records.
The deportation flights took the people on board, primarily of Venezuelan descent, to El Salvador, where they are reportedly being detained with no contact with their families or legal counsel in prisons notorious for horrific conditions and human rights abuses. Many of the people on these flights have disappeared from ICE’s tracking system, leaving their families struggling to find information.
The war-time Alien Enemies Act, last invoked during World War II, gives the government immense, overbroad power to engage in racial profiling and to imprison, detain, and deport people as young as 14 without a hearing. Its return presents immense danger for public safety, human rights, and civil rights.
President Trump has already used the false claim of an “invasion” to justify abuses of power and extreme actions on immigration, including abusing emergency powers to send the military to the border and expanding expedited removal. His actions this week — invoking the war-time act when we are not at war, ignoring court orders, and calling for the impeachment of the judge who made said orders (a call so aggressive it was rebuked by Chief Justice John Roberts) — are an alarming escalation of executive branch overreach. They also warn of an impending constitutional crisis.
The Trump administration has stonewalled the judge’s request for information about the deportation flights. The repeated disregard for orders from the judicial branch is a hallmark of authoritarianism, as we write in a new analysis, and puts the balance of powers in our government at risk of being toppled completely. The courts have the final word on law, and the administration must comply — and we all must hold them to it.. We have Musk up there now who has never been vetted with his gang of DOGE's invading every part of the federal government as they can collecting information on us, for what reason I do not know.
what a way to respond Harvey, Accusing me of being more of a Republican than I think.
Wow. Let me inform you that I don't belong to teams, I don't find my identity in teams. I voted Democratic since 2016, and I voted Republican from 1960 to 1964, then didn't vote at all.
I was one of those reactive anti communist Republicans, but that was before the culture war was adopt by the Republicans.
When Trump came down the escalator and opened his foul mouth, I then decided to register to vote.
When it comes to issues, I am not a purist and can't be corralled or socially terrorized into adopting positions.. I have my own mind and have same ability to reason critically.
I have no beliefs, but plenty of opinions. You can say I am opinionated, I don't care, but I arrive at my opinions I don't acquire them.
You say we have to stop Trump legally.
Really now, with what law and what ability to enforce the law.
You have seen ideological and/or Trump appointed judges rule in his favor.
And when a judge rules against him, it is temporary, and when it finally reaches the Supreme Court, how does SCOTUS rule.
The law means nothing unless it is enforced.
The law means nothing when it is biased, ideologically or out of fear.
You use Tren de Aragua as an example. Yes the courts ruled, yet there they sit in El Salvador.
Next case.
Musk shut down USAID, stopped payments to contractors.
Courts ruled on contract law, you must fulfill your contract and pay the contractors, but USAID is still shut down and contractors haven't received their money.
Department by department, division by division, be it EPA, HUD, DOD, DOJ, the govenrrment is being dismantled or redesigned to suit the purpose of Musk and Trump (Trusk), and where is the courts and the law stopping them.
And even if stopped, it is too late, the egg has been smashed and can't be put back together.
The world you live in Harvey, that world in your mind, no longer exists.
I go back a little further than you. I didn't vote while I 3was in the Army from the late '50s t0 the early '60s. After I came back to the states, I have never missed voting. It was a mistake sometime but I always voted. I was even on the county executive committee for a number of years before my health started failing me.
In case you missed the latest post of mine, I even called both my senators
and my congressman's office to insist the throw Musk and his gang out of there till they are properly vetted. Why are they letting them access the records in the government? They are not representing us very well allowing this to go on in Washington.
We have to operate legally. Trump or Musk are supposed to operate legally also, but they choose to ignore them. That is why we rely on federal judges to correct the situations. If they don't like it they can challenge it up to the Supreme Court. I understand that the head of the court has already told him that he has to abide by the laws also.
I can't wait for a final decision on deporting 'citizens' that have not been properly tried in court. At this point, I think someone will be in a pile of shit over this situation.
You raised a question that bothers me.
Musk and his team have no authority, they are nothing more than the owner and staff of Yum corporation, forcing their way into government offices and firing people.. Yet that is how conditioned we are to obeying authority that we don't question, he tells them to fill out a report on their activities and the comply, he tells them that they are fired and they pack up their desks, he and/or his team enter a department run off the personal and take charge of the computers, and they stand by.
Anyone, can do the same, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, just claim to be acting on a higher authority and maybe flip a badge.
These people have no legal authority to do anything, yet people meekly comply.
That there is the problem.
When I was anE-3, I was tasked with an auxillary duty as part of a nuclear defense.
The security instructions state that you are not to be relieved until the person posting you relieves you.
The exercise was terminated, some junior officer came around and told me I could go home, I unshouldered my weapon and pointed it at him, he called his boss I still would not leave, they had to find the person who posted me, wake him up or pull him out of the bar or whatever before I would relinquish my post.
The way to fight them is to slam the economic and political doors in their face. Trump's dream is to expand the USA and gain power. He has no plan for dealing with a shrinkage. He thinks a retired army major who is so insecure that he covered his body with tatoos can protect him. Good luck, ha, ha.......
William,great response.Trump does not believe in the rule of law,does not think any laws apply to him.If we truly wish to inflict some pain especially to Musk,one way might be to boycott the institutional investors in Tesla. They are Vanguard #877-662-7447-Blackrock# 212-810-5300,State Street # 617-786-3000. Hundreds of calls to these Cos asking them to dispose of their Tesla stock or vbe boycotted might make a difference. How about bopycottoing companies that advertise on Fox.
I have done a deep dive on Who owns who, started with corporate media, broadcast, cable, print), then PhRMA, defense, Insurance, chemical, transportation and what Ifind is Vanguard, Black Rock,State Street Group,even at minor holdings Bank of America and Wells Fargo among others,
But the biggies, the ones that own the controlling shares of America are Vanguard, Black Rock and StateStreet.
Blackrock is owned by its founder Larry Fink, the most dangerous man in America that you never heard of. He even has is own Wikiepedia page.
My hospital is owned by the Sisters of St Joseph, they set policy (they will not permit abortions or self euthanasia) but they contracted out services, like Emergency Room, Lab, Physician services.
Until a year or so ago, my PCP worked for the Hospital, but then Black Rock was contracted, my PCP who was great, who understood me and took whatever time I needed, retired, her replacement only stayed around a few months then quit, nurses quit, receptionists quit, because of Blackrock, who increased demands and reduced pay.
Now may PCP is on a 15 minute time limit and If I am going to need more time, then I had to inform him so he can reschedule.
We are products on a moving conveyor belt, like the assembly line in the auto industry.
William,the Dems have proven they have no guts.The " Neo Nazis" have always viewed them as weak,all talk.Unfortunately they always cave.Bernie,AOC,,Chris Murphy are the only fighters.
I agree. but would hope there were a few more than thos three David. I thought Wynden of Ore might be one, until I heard his squirrelly rationalization backing up Schumers weak ass response to why he voted for cloture on the CR
The sad sack also appeared on the View trying to salvage is rep, he and Wydengave the same specious excuse if they didn't give Trump the CR, he would do untold damage in vengeance.
Really, untold damage worse than what he is doing. Impossible. He will do what he is going to do, but now Schumer and 9 other traitors gave him the spending authority.
With leadership like that who needs enemies.
Schumer is.if not by intent, ipso facto a traitor to the oath he swore to uphold when he took office.
I was initially against Schummer's tactics; but I came around to his side as I thought about Trump reacting to a 6 month shutdown by declaring a national emergency and martial law. There are a lot of unknowns about how such a declaration might play out but it is almost certain that far more harm would be done that anyone of us would want. So a group of Senators who were mostly facing retirement after this term joined him in the vote. And we bought 6 months. A lot can happen in that time even if little of it will be good. Time is our friend here. And the enemy is over confident.
Ed. Trump is doing what Schumer said he feared, but in slow motion.
The corpus adjusts to pain if administered in little bites at a time, It is when
the corpus receives a massive jolt that it finally reacts.
It is the boil the frog analogy. Schumer is allowing Trump to boil the frog, it seems like massive does, we keep getting slammed,one punch at a time, but we aren't really feeling the pain, because some lower court judge rules him temporarily out of order. Like a ref in a boxing ring stepping back and pulling the boxer away, allowing the one on the floor to get up and get pummeled again.
Small victories, but they aren't victories, because Trump keeps on doing what he wants to do anyway, defies the judge, and if the case gets to the Supreme Court it will most likely rule in his favor
And the TRO's (TEMPORARY restraining orders) are just that, issued for appearances, they should be permanent injunctions,but Trump will ignore them and press on.
That which Trusk has destroyed, cannot be put back together again. USAID is dead, for ever, the Dept of Eduication is dead, theRAM and Hardrive have been pulled out degaussed or shitcanned, when the staff was fired.
So Trump might declare martial law. News flash, he will declare martial law, when he can fabricate and excuse.
We lost our chance for a national uprising by passing the CR, made possible by Chuck and 9 other Senators joining with the oppressor.
Now Trump can safely boil the frog.
Another metaphor that I see are crabs in a pot.
Just tonight the news reported that Trump told his AG to file charges against any organization that files charges against the government for exporting prisoners out off the U.S. Wow!
As Bannon said flood he zone, the firehouse effect, so much shit that we can't react. Pam can file charges, but there is no law broken, but if she does, that can break the bank, and law firms won't defend because like Paul Weiss they have been warned off.
Truly we are Hungary bound, but that shouldn't be news.
Lisa, your sacrifice to serve your country during Desert Storm was absolutely NOT in vain! You are my hero as is all of the military men/women and veterans who took an oath to protect us. I have always held the military in high regard and always include donations to veterans and the USO. Please never feel that your service was not appreciated. I understand how you are feeling right now and you are not alone! I joined these substacks in order to keep current with what is going on in our country, but also to connect with others who feel the same way I do. It is important to stay connected. The wonderful thing about these substacks is you can vent, rage against the machine and find comfort. We are all here for you and will support you. Keep fighting, Lisa, and know this will end. We will take back our country and we will build her back better than she was before! Stay strong and stay safe.
Agree, Peggy, and to Lisa, there are millions of military veterans and active service members who are as anguished as you are but look to history and gather strength from the guiding principles of democracy which were employed to found this nation, the longest-surviving democracy in the world to this point. Consider yourselves to be the true government "of the People" still, and loudly call out the fearmongers and frauds who have come to rip it from us. Their day will come and let it be soon.
Well said, Dennis! 100% agree!
Dear Lisa, Thank you for sharing your pain and vulnerability. I want you to know I hear you. What you're thinking and feeling is completely appropriate to the situation. There is good reason to be scared, outraged, disillusioned, brokenhearted, etc. And even as we acknowledge and feel these feelings, I hope we can all keep space for a few points:
1) Remember that the conman and his cabinet WANT us to feel that way; beating us down to the point that we lose hope and lose the will to fight is a TACTIC for manipulating us into compliance.
2) Action is the best antidote to despair that I know of. If calling your reps doesn't feel like a good use of your time, see if you can find a community/an organization working on a specific issue you're passionate about (veterans' rights? the topic of your research? something else?) or the campaign of someone you believe in who's running for office; in other words, try to find your people, your community, and a *point of focus* for your time and efforts.
3) Remember the things that make you feel like you, things that bring you joy, things that bring you peace. Nature - friends and family - animals - music - art - meditation - putting on your favorite music and dancing - going for a run...whatever the things are that make you you, try to make time for something each day.
Sending you love and solidarity.
Thanks for focusing on positive actions that foster positive attitudes. Good ideas we all need from time to time.
I should have said this before. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! My initial response was to your being so downhearted (as we all are) and I wanted to give you hope! However I was negligent in saying thank you...my apologies. You are a STRONG WOMAN! Women need to stand up to this craziness. United we stand Ladies!
We can all honor Lisa's service by speaking out against this insanity.
Lisa, I hope you won't give up on your education. We need professionals who will be able to conduct the research that will save us. This current insanity needs to end and will need a lot of us to stop it on behalf of all of us.
Dear Lisa
Please don't quit school because of the actions of some bad people. You have a future. If you complete your education then you will have a degree that you can use anywhere in the world. Your career may not be exactly what you envisioned. But that happens to everyone. My uncle was a geologist but with his bachelor's degree he was qualified for many good jobs. He ended up being a social worker. He loved it.
Nobody really can see the future. It can get better.
Hold on Lisa. Don't give up. Take care of yourself. The backlash WILL happen. As a student, you don't have time to march, call, write, email, etc. and you don't have the money to donate. Don't worry, WE WILL do that for you! Hang in there, we got your back, and thank you for your military time. We love you.
Completely agree!
A veteran who is pursuing a PhD and wants to go into research. Usually you would be a shining star. Now you're in the crosshairs. Those are the very things they are going after. Oh, they'll claim to honor veterans, but we've already seen how concerned they actually are. My heart aches for you and for all students at this time.
Why isn't someone holding the gang accountable already! SCOTUS needs to overturn their immunity ruling, I believe made on July 1, 2024 just like they overturned Roe v. Wade! It's now time!
"Fear that I never thought would be possible." You nailed it! And thank you for your service. I too hope it was not in vain.
I remember my hopeful optimism four years ago as Trump lost and I was about to conquer a well-deserved, fairly young in age, retirement. Not so much now. I've fallen into a gloomy malaise that's totally foreign to my natural demeanor. My only solution to combat this, is to join the fight and get involved with protest movements coming down the pike.
Lisa, thanks for your service. We need people, like you, to speak your truth that I applaud. So glad your family is pulling together. I think our new norm, in the coming months, will be like what you are doing as folks lose their rightful income/jobs. My best wishes to you and your family, Joan
YOUR best bet, if you can afford it, Ms. Jenkins, is to move to Europe or Canada for two years! . . . maybe shorter if President Vance isn't as anti-American as he seems.
I’m so sorry to hear this. It’s one of the sadest things I’ve read in a long time. I wish I could say it will pass but that would not be a realistic prediction. We in the rest of the world are also afraid of the vitriolic, retribution infecting every aspect of your ‘government ‘. Unfortunately a lot of the US has been sleep walking into this nightmare. Everyone else could see this coming. All I can say is fight for your rights and get out and VOTE.
Thank you Brigitte. Oddly I feel a little better sharing and thank god we have Bernie, AOC, independent reporting, and my fellow citizens to keep me at least a little cautiously optimistic.
Democracy is a very fragile structure. It depends on most of us adhering to the rules. If the people at the top of the political pyramid decide to ignore the rules, it is nearly impossible to stop them. If Trump and his sycophants decide to ignore court orders, including the Supreme Court, who is going to enforce the order? The courts have no real power. They depend on adherence to their decisions. The deportation of immigrants to El Salvadore is a good example. The administration ignored the ruling. Furthermore, they showed brazen hostility to the judge that issued the ruling. Congress can step in and impeach the President. Let’s postulate that 75% of the House impeaches the President and the Senate confirms the impeachment. Who is going to enforce the ruling and remove the President? Trump will simply ignore them. Congress has no real boots-on-the-ground force. Trump has seen to it that any military general who might pose a problem has been removed. Look what is happening to Janet Mills right now. One simple “see you in court” and all sorts of federal funding starts to evaporate. If any of us get too boisterous in our opposition, our bank accounts can be seized and our credit cards voided. This is why all the important departments have been infiltrated by computer programmers. It is not 1938. You don’t need concentration camps. Just cut off a person’s source of income and they are finished. This can’t happen; this is America you say. It has already happened.
I wish there a button that says, agree because I hate the idea of “liking” a post that’s so scary! We need everyone in DC to come to their senses and get rid of this disaster!
I agree with your idea about a dis/agree button. But THEN I expect others on here to say "Hey, wait a sec. What if I concur in part but dissent in part?" We would need a spectrum as wide as this dialog box allows. Maybe it's better as it is: We can Like if we want to and, if not, we can do what I'm doing now: we can reply.
Trump enjoys playing footsie with our nightmare: an America where every institution is “captured” and held hostage to his erratic, not to mention petty and vengeful, enthusiasms. With a POTUS whose thoughts often resemble a series of brain farts — I’ll take Greenland for a hundred, Alex / Maybe we should invade Panama / Canada will be our beautiful 51st state etc. ad nauseam, our nation is like a car careening ever closer to the cliff with only a flimsy guardrail of Law and the Courts keeping us from demonstrating the Wiley Coyote principle that gravity inevitably brings everything down to earth.
Even the Great and Powerful.
Couldn't agree more!
Musk already has the tools he needs to cut off anyone's access to their money. That's what all the probing was for.
This post just affirms for me that somehow, 2 egomaniacs with their influential backers (money) have successfully managed to effectively destroy American democracy in just 3 short months.
It remains to be seen if a complete destruction of the economy (can't run a country without workers and tax payers) would ignite a revolt in such numbers that even the paid military and law enforcement couldn't contain them. Except for Bernie Sanders and AOC, I have little faith left that the democrats have a plan or the fortitude to make any big difference.
AGAIN, AS ALWAYS, the few AMERICAN-run states like my own and Bunkerboy's bigliest hater New York, New Jersey and California will need to bail out the Traitor states. (Eggs JUST hit $6 a dozen here outside Buffalo. No worse than Bunkerboy's ally, Covid-19.)
Here, at least, we can comment and release some of our frustrations. That does help by showing us that we are not alone, that many see what we see. This terrible frustrating period will end.
Trump has his sheep convinced that he was sent by GOD to save the world. The fascists are in charge and our democracy is being destroyed. This is literally GOOD VS EVIL.
Donald Trump is a masterful con artist and an extraordinarily adept criminal opportunist. He is also a deviant sociopath, possessing an intuitive, if deeply malevolent, ability to “read the room” and craft remarks that his audience will readily accept as truth. This constitutes the core of the problem. Despite his talents for manipulation, Trump demonstrates little actual comprehension of the systems of governance, economics, or law he purports to champion. His intellectual capacity appears profoundly limited—comparable, metaphorically speaking, to that of a can of soda—and his grasp of complex policy or historical context is reminiscent of a rudimentary, fifth-grade education.
Yet, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the danger he poses. Surrounding Trump is a cadre of profoundly dangerous and ideologically driven advisors—figures like Steve Bannon, among others—who have immersed themselves in the study of fascist regimes and authoritarian governance. These individuals are well-versed in the mechanisms of systemic manipulation, propaganda, and subversion, and they offer Trump strategies honed by a deep, cynical understanding of history’s most effective tools of oppression.
More insidious still is the infrastructure of propaganda that has been meticulously constructed to sustain and amplify Trump’s demagoguery. Right-wing media outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News (OAN), Breitbart, and a host of similarly aligned entities function not as journalistic enterprises but as propaganda arms in service to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. Their purpose is to fabricate a narrative in which Trump is not an unqualified sociopath but rather an omniscient, visionary leader. These propagandists have succeeded in constructing an alternate reality that tens of millions of Americans now occupy, detached from factual discourse and impervious to reason or evidence.
As a result, we now face the grim reality of an estimated 20 to 30 million Americans who are thoroughly brainwashed—an electorate that has been conditioned, through relentless misinformation, to reject facts, logic, and critical thinking in favor of emotionally charged, authoritarian dogma. This cult-like adherence to Trumpism is not accidental but rather the predictable outcome of decades of neglect in safeguarding the public sphere from abuse. The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech, but its unchecked exploitation by demagogues and propagandists has rendered it a double-edged sword. Free speech was never intended to be weaponized by bad actors to undermine democratic institutions through lies, disinformation, and psychological manipulation.
The individuals who constitute the intellectual and scientific bedrock of our society—the scientists, engineers, professors, and researchers who design our technologies, advance our medicine, and uphold academic rigor—are being dismissed as elitist, dishonest, or corrupt, while charlatans and conspiracy theorists are elevated to positions of cultural authority. Decades of research in psychiatry and social psychology warned us of this peril: that mass delusion, once entrenched, becomes almost impossible to reverse. Cult dynamics, as described by experts like Dr. Steven Hassan, demonstrate that once individuals are fully indoctrinated, their belief systems become resistant to evidence and contrary information. The loss of critical thinking skills has rendered a significant portion of the population functionally incapable of recognizing the mechanisms of their own exploitation.
The ideological movement behind Trumpism is a regressive one—an effort to return not merely to the 1950s but, in cultural and social terms, to the 1850s. It seeks to reinstate a hierarchical social order dominated by white men, relegating everyone else to subservience. This neo-feudalist vision is one in which wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of an oligarchic elite, while the rights and dignity of women, people of color, and marginalized communities are systematically stripped away.
Civil rights are eroded. Democratic norms are subverted. The gains achieved through decades of struggle are methodically dismantled. The powerful and wealthy few consolidate their control through legal manipulation, voter suppression, and unregulated political spending. What is emerging is not a populist revival but a plutocratic dystopia: a society where robber barons rule, where labor is exploited without mercy, and where democracy is reduced to hollow formality.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is that many of those who enthusiastically support this movement are unwittingly hastening their own demise. They are, in effect, marching themselves and their families toward ruin—embracing a regime that promises to decimate their healthcare, strip away their social protections, and mortgage their futures to benefit the obscenely wealthy. It is as though they are willingly inviting marauders into their homes to loot, plunder, and destroy, all while believing themselves to be patriots safeguarding their country.
The solution lies in restoring critical thinking, media literacy, and a shared commitment to empirical truth. This will not be accomplished easily or quickly. But without a unified defense of truth and democratic norms, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of the American republic. The time for complacency has long passed. It is now the responsibility of every citizen, academic institution, and ethical leader to confront this authoritarian threat with courage, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to justice.
Michael, you have beautifully described the awful situation that we face today. Not only “We, the People of the United States “ but the entire world are facing the grim prospect of complete societal collapse. We have lived under the threat of nuclear annihilation by ideological enemies for the past 75 years. Then we had to grapple with ecological suicide. Now we face a living death of watching our 250 years of the democratic republic being torn to shreds by a malign cabal led by a demented maniac with the emotional mindset of a temperamental 6 year old. So sad that it has come to this.
Professor Reich: i voted "no" in your poll. i mean seriously, agent orange is a pathological liar, so that's reason number one that i voted as i did, and second, since when has agent orange EVER obeyed the law?
Exactly. My guess is that the orange criminal and his flying lawyer monkeys and fascist minions will put up a thin, performative veil of seeming obedience to court orders but in short will be carrying on as before while trying to baffle everyone with bullshit as part of the process of grinding down the judiciary until it breaks.
Rather than complying, the régime will actually be creating enough confusion, contradictions, complications, hide-the-salami games, and misdirections that they will in effect be able to continue doing what they want to do without immediate legal or practical recourse. Some people will pierce that thin veil almost immediately -- fortunately, high-quality investigative journalism is still alive -- but it will take so long to bring the perpetrators to account, dig out the facts and discard the bullshit, and work through the legal process, motion after spurious motion, appeal after appeal on every court declaration and judgment, that the régime will have plenty of time to do its dirty work.
And the longer it all takes, the better for the régime to pressure and intimidate and even use corruption to sway judges and yes, SCOTUS justices. How long will it take to get to a direct, decisive confrontation? John Roberts probably has more to do with that than anyone. Anything less than a strong majority unambiguously upholding and enforcing the rule of law will be the final straw for this country.
Trump is pushing the envelope on so many fronts it's difficult to envision the goals that's driving his madness. I can't get Iran out of my thinking when it comes to any form of a peaceful solution in the Middle East. Trump is fixated on that country, and by no means is that a good thing. I see no peaceful solution to the man's arrogant attitude regarding the future of that part of the world. He's been looking for a fight and I truly believe it's coming. As Commander and chief of a country at war, if congress so decrees, Trump would finally have the powers his sinister little mind has fought so long to obtain. Can a President stay in power if a world war breaks out? "In the United States, the president has the authority to remain in power during a time of war, including a world war. The Constitution grants the president certain powers during times of crisis, such as declaring a state of emergency or utilizing executive orders. However, the president's ability to stay in power during a world war would ultimately depend on the specific circumstances and the support of other branches of government, as well as the will of the people." As if he would ever listen? Today, current polls put the approval ratings of the Democrats at 27%, and among independents it's as low as 17%. If these ratings are true, the independents are the reason why Trump is in the position to do the damage he is doing. After witnessing the debacle, the Trump administration has forced on this country in recent days, how can the powerless Democratic party be responsible for anything, it's the Republicans who are running the show, while Chicken Little simply smiles.
Donald Trump is a masterful con artist and an extraordinarily adept criminal opportunist. He is also a deviant sociopath, possessing an intuitive, if deeply malevolent, ability to “read the room” and craft remarks that his audience will readily accept as truth. This constitutes the core of the problem. Despite his talents for manipulation, Trump demonstrates little actual comprehension of the systems of governance, economics, or law he purports to champion. His intellectual capacity appears profoundly limited—comparable, metaphorically speaking, to that of a can of soda—and his grasp of complex policy or historical context is reminiscent of a rudimentary, fifth-grade education.
Yet, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the danger he poses. Surrounding Trump is a cadre of profoundly dangerous and ideologically driven advisors—figures like Steve Bannon, among others—who have immersed themselves in the study of fascist regimes and authoritarian governance. These individuals are well-versed in the mechanisms of systemic manipulation, propaganda, and subversion, and they offer Trump strategies honed by a deep, cynical understanding of history’s most effective tools of oppression.
More insidious still is the infrastructure of propaganda that has been meticulously constructed to sustain and amplify Trump’s demagoguery. Right-wing media outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News (OAN), Breitbart, and a host of similarly aligned entities function not as journalistic enterprises but as propaganda arms in service to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. Their purpose is to fabricate a narrative in which Trump is not an unqualified sociopath but rather an omniscient, visionary leader. These propagandists have succeeded in constructing an alternate reality that tens of millions of Americans now occupy, detached from factual discourse and impervious to reason or evidence.
As a result, we now face the grim reality of an estimated 20 to 30 million Americans who are thoroughly brainwashed—an electorate that has been conditioned, through relentless misinformation, to reject facts, logic, and critical thinking in favor of emotionally charged, authoritarian dogma. This cult-like adherence to Trumpism is not accidental but rather the predictable outcome of decades of neglect in safeguarding the public sphere from abuse. The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech, but its unchecked exploitation by demagogues and propagandists has rendered it a double-edged sword. Free speech was never intended to be weaponized by bad actors to undermine democratic institutions through lies, disinformation, and psychological manipulation.
The individuals who constitute the intellectual and scientific bedrock of our society—the scientists, engineers, professors, and researchers who design our technologies, advance our medicine, and uphold academic rigor—are being dismissed as elitist, dishonest, or corrupt, while charlatans and conspiracy theorists are elevated to positions of cultural authority. Decades of research in psychiatry and social psychology warned us of this peril: that mass delusion, once entrenched, becomes almost impossible to reverse. Cult dynamics, as described by experts like Dr. Steven Hassan, demonstrate that once individuals are fully indoctrinated, their belief systems become resistant to evidence and contrary information. The loss of critical thinking skills has rendered a significant portion of the population functionally incapable of recognizing the mechanisms of their own exploitation.
The ideological movement behind Trumpism is a regressive one—an effort to return not merely to the 1950s but, in cultural and social terms, to the 1850s. It seeks to reinstate a hierarchical social order dominated by white men, relegating everyone else to subservience. This neo-feudalist vision is one in which wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of an oligarchic elite, while the rights and dignity of women, people of color, and marginalized communities are systematically stripped away.
Civil rights are eroded. Democratic norms are subverted. The gains achieved through decades of struggle are methodically dismantled. The powerful and wealthy few consolidate their control through legal manipulation, voter suppression, and unregulated political spending. What is emerging is not a populist revival but a plutocratic dystopia: a society where robber barons rule, where labor is exploited without mercy, and where democracy is reduced to hollow formality.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is that many of those who enthusiastically support this movement are unwittingly hastening their own demise. They are, in effect, marching themselves and their families toward ruin—embracing a regime that promises to decimate their healthcare, strip away their social protections, and mortgage their futures to benefit the obscenely wealthy. It is as though they are willingly inviting marauders into their homes to loot, plunder, and destroy, all while believing themselves to be patriots safeguarding their country.
The solution lies in restoring critical thinking, media literacy, and a shared commitment to empirical truth. This will not be accomplished easily or quickly. But without a unified defense of truth and democratic norms, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of the American republic. The time for complacency has long passed. It is now the responsibility of every citizen, academic institution, and ethical leader to confront this authoritarian threat with courage, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to justice.
decades of neglect. Not eternal vigilance.
Dear Dr. Reich,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing out of a deep sense of frustration and concern regarding the current state of Democratic leadership—or more precisely, the absence of it—at a time when the country desperately needs vocal, principled defenders of democracy and truth.
As someone who served in a Democratic administration and maintains an insider’s perspective, I ask you candidly: Where are our leaders? Where is President Obama? Where are Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, Vice President Harris, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the other prominent voices who once galvanized millions?
At this critical juncture—when Fox News functions as a relentless propaganda machine masquerading as journalism, when Trump and his acolytes peddle corrosive lies about the "most corrupt administration in history," and when democracy itself stands on a knife's edge—why are these powerful voices silent? The vacuum they leave behind is filled daily with disinformation, cynicism, and dangerous populist rhetoric. Their silence is both deafening and damning.
I watch President Biden—a man whose legislative achievements have been substantial, particularly in undoing the catastrophic wreckage left by the Trump administration—face a relentless smear campaign with little to no effective counterbalance from his party’s most recognizable figures. Biden’s communication strategy has failed to publicize his administration's accomplishments in a way that breaks through the noise. Consequently, the American public remains vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation.
The Clintons and the Obamas are still regarded by many as formidable leaders and skilled communicators. Barack Obama remains one of the finest orators of our time. Bill Clinton, for all his moral failings, remains a consummate political strategist. Pete Buttigieg is articulate, informed, and a rising star in Democratic politics. Yet, they remain inexplicably quiet. We are not hearing them lead the charge against the tidal wave of misinformation and authoritarian creep.
It is utterly incomprehensible that, faced with a growing fascist threat, these figures are not mounting a robust and unified defense of democratic values in every forum possible—on television, in town halls, in op-eds, and at mass rallies. Where is the moral urgency? Where is the strategic coordination? Why do we, the people who care deeply about this nation’s future, feel so abandoned by those who once inspired us?
This is not a time for cautious diplomacy or political calculation. This is a time to sound the alarm and fight with clarity and courage. And yet, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, who continues to speak truth to power (although some perceive him as too far to the left), there is an eerie and infuriating silence from the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Reich, you are a principled voice and have consistently articulated the stakes we face. But why is there not a unified and forceful counteroffensive from those who once carried the banner of the Democratic Party? We are left to wonder if our leadership has either lost its nerve or is trapped in a misguided hope that civility and reason alone will save us from the abyss.
I ask you plainly: What on earth is happening? Why has this fight been abandoned to a few lone voices while the machinery of authoritarianism marches on, largely uncontested by those with the stature to command the nation’s attention?
With urgency and respect,
I can say over and over and over and everybody I know says same.. where the fuck are the Democrats????? I guess all their kids go to the same prep school or everyone goes the same swimming club ???? nobody gives a fuck about the country ?nobody has any morals?nobody has any balls anymore? is that the problem?????????? I have no idea what the fucking say to this !!!!.....where the fuck are the Democrats( pardon my French)
Professor Reich: THANK YOU for having Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter on your show. i REALLY appreciate her appearing, answering questions and putting a public face on who public servants are as well as telling us about the trials and tribulations faced by her fellow unsung public servants. PLEASE do this more often! gawd knows, we've got boatloads of public servants out there who are suffering from their unfair and sudden joblessness -- PLEASE give them a voice too!
She is awesome!
My thoughts about Trump’s ultimate goal is to join what he thinks is the Evil Geniuses (Putin, Xi, Masoud Pezeshkian, and MANY more) He thinks he is bros with these guys. He is actually being played and is not smart enough to see that. He wants his own Mt Rushmore , God save us! We can see he is ignoring the courts, ignoring Congress, and is happy ruling over all his cabinet loyalists. We need to rise up and act NOW!
Interesting add on thought. Every single dictator, authoritarian, and other fascist leaders are all men. All over the world from what AI tells me. And none in previous history for centuries. Maybe a few horrible Queens in royalties but they usually went to the guillotine in short order. So women, we need to give this a hard look.
The most difficult thing for me in all this is that any woman voted for Trump, given his behaviour around women. What were they thinking?
He is absolutely being played. Musk is playing him. He is the puppet. The evil beings behind the scenes are the puppet masters. They are the evil ones.
Putin and Muskrat
Donald Trump is a masterful con artist and an extraordinarily adept criminal opportunist. He is also a deviant sociopath, possessing an intuitive, if deeply malevolent, ability to “read the room” and craft remarks that his audience will readily accept as truth. This constitutes the core of the problem. Despite his talents for manipulation, Trump demonstrates little actual comprehension of the systems of governance, economics, or law he purports to champion. His intellectual capacity appears profoundly limited—comparable, metaphorically speaking, to that of a can of soda—and his grasp of complex policy or historical context is reminiscent of a rudimentary, fifth-grade education.
Yet, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the danger he poses. Surrounding Trump is a cadre of profoundly dangerous and ideologically driven advisors—figures like Steve Bannon, among others—who have immersed themselves in the study of fascist regimes and authoritarian governance. These individuals are well-versed in the mechanisms of systemic manipulation, propaganda, and subversion, and they offer Trump strategies honed by a deep, cynical understanding of history’s most effective tools of oppression.
More insidious still is the infrastructure of propaganda that has been meticulously constructed to sustain and amplify Trump’s demagoguery. Right-wing media outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News (OAN), Breitbart, and a host of similarly aligned entities function not as journalistic enterprises but as propaganda arms in service to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. Their purpose is to fabricate a narrative in which Trump is not an unqualified sociopath but rather an omniscient, visionary leader. These propagandists have succeeded in constructing an alternate reality that tens of millions of Americans now occupy, detached from factual discourse and impervious to reason or evidence.
As a result, we now face the grim reality of an estimated 20 to 30 million Americans who are thoroughly brainwashed—an electorate that has been conditioned, through relentless misinformation, to reject facts, logic, and critical thinking in favor of emotionally charged, authoritarian dogma. This cult-like adherence to Trumpism is not accidental but rather the predictable outcome of decades of neglect in safeguarding the public sphere from abuse. The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech, but its unchecked exploitation by demagogues and propagandists has rendered it a double-edged sword. Free speech was never intended to be weaponized by bad actors to undermine democratic institutions through lies, disinformation, and psychological manipulation.
The individuals who constitute the intellectual and scientific bedrock of our society—the scientists, engineers, professors, and researchers who design our technologies, advance our medicine, and uphold academic rigor—are being dismissed as elitist, dishonest, or corrupt, while charlatans and conspiracy theorists are elevated to positions of cultural authority. Decades of research in psychiatry and social psychology warned us of this peril: that mass delusion, once entrenched, becomes almost impossible to reverse. Cult dynamics, as described by experts like Dr. Steven Hassan, demonstrate that once individuals are fully indoctrinated, their belief systems become resistant to evidence and contrary information. The loss of critical thinking skills has rendered a significant portion of the population functionally incapable of recognizing the mechanisms of their own exploitation.
The ideological movement behind Trumpism is a regressive one—an effort to return not merely to the 1950s but, in cultural and social terms, to the 1850s. It seeks to reinstate a hierarchical social order dominated by white men, relegating everyone else to subservience. This neo-feudalist vision is one in which wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of an oligarchic elite, while the rights and dignity of women, people of color, and marginalized communities are systematically stripped away.
Civil rights are eroded. Democratic norms are subverted. The gains achieved through decades of struggle are methodically dismantled. The powerful and wealthy few consolidate their control through legal manipulation, voter suppression, and unregulated political spending. What is emerging is not a populist revival but a plutocratic dystopia: a society where robber barons rule, where labor is exploited without mercy, and where democracy is reduced to hollow formality.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is that many of those who enthusiastically support this movement are unwittingly hastening their own demise. They are, in effect, marching themselves and their families toward ruin—embracing a regime that promises to decimate their healthcare, strip away their social protections, and mortgage their futures to benefit the obscenely wealthy. It is as though they are willingly inviting marauders into their homes to loot, plunder, and destroy, all while believing themselves to be patriots safeguarding their country.
The solution lies in restoring critical thinking, media literacy, and a shared commitment to empirical truth. This will not be accomplished easily or quickly. But without a unified defense of truth and democratic norms, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of the American republic. The time for complacency has long passed. It is now the responsibility of every citizen, academic institution, and ethical leader to confront this authoritarian threat with courage, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to justice.
Yes. A video - wish I could link it - asks the rhetorical Q: Does Tchump even realize that Putin is telling him TO HIS ORANGE FACE that he is stupid?
He “ obeys” nothing
Unfortunately true
Nothing external, at least. Internally, he is a slave to his impulses. And externally, he seems to be. if not servile, then at least VERY malleable. Witness how often, suddenly and radically he changes his effed-up mind. As Peter Zeihan has said, Tchump believes whoever has most recently flattered him. See also Vlad Vexler for more detailed [psycho]analysis.
Below is an exhaustive and sophisticated strategy for ethically boycotting Elon Musk’s businesses and reducing his economic influence—focusing on consumer choice, shareholder action, legal petitions, and public awareness campaigns.
🛑 Comprehensive Strategy for Boycotting Elon Musk Businesses (2025)
I. Overview of Elon Musk's Current Holdings and Business Interests (As of 2025)
Company Industry/Role Your Action
Tesla, Inc. Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage Boycott Tesla vehicles; avoid Solar Roofs, Powerwall, and Tesla Energy products.
SpaceX Aerospace, Satellites (Starlink) Do not subscribe to Starlink internet; campaign for government contracts to cease.
X Corp (formerly Twitter) Social Media Delete X account; discourage ad spending on X; move to ethical alternatives like Mastodon or Threads.
Neuralink Neurotechnology Publicly oppose animal testing and regulatory approvals for brain implants.
The Boring Company Tunneling/Infrastructure Oppose public funding for Boring Company transit projects in your city/state.
Tesla Energy Solar power, battery storage Cancel Tesla Solar subscriptions; choose alternative providers like SunPower or Enphase Energy.
xAI (Artificial Intelligence) AI development Raise ethical concerns over AI research and privacy issues.
II. Specific Actions You Can Take (By Sector)
1. Divestment: Removing Musk-Linked Holdings from Your Investments
Steps:
Identify Your Exposure:
Contact your brokerage or financial advisor to find out if you hold stock in:
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)
SpaceX (via private equity funds)
X Holdings (privately held, but some funds may have exposure through debt instruments)
Sell Your Shares:
Directly sell TSLA stock or ask your fund manager to divest.
Request ESG-Compliant Portfolios:
Ask your portfolio manager to exclude companies associated with unethical practices, including Musk’s companies.
Impact Investment Firms to Consider:
Domini Impact Investments
Calvert Research and Management
Trillium Asset Management
2. Consumer Boycotts
🚗 Tesla Vehicles & Energy:
Do Not Purchase Tesla Vehicles.
Opt for alternatives:
Ford Mustang Mach-E
Rivian R1T and R1S
Hyundai Ioniq 5/6
Nissan Ariya
Chevrolet Bolt EUV
Avoid Tesla Energy Products.
Choose:
SunPower (Solar panels)
Enphase Energy (Inverters)
Generac (Battery backups)
🌐 Starlink:
Cancel subscriptions and avoid promoting Starlink internet services.
Alternatives:
Viasat
HughesNet
Amazon Kuiper Project (upcoming satellite internet)
📱 X Corp (Twitter):
Delete Your X Account.
Encourage friends, family, and followers to migrate to:
Threads (Meta)
Mastodon (Decentralized)
Bluesky
Advertisers:
Contact brands you support and demand they pull ad spending from X.
(Example: Contact Apple, Coca-Cola, etc., via public campaigns.)
3. Shareholder Activism and Court Interventions
✉️ Contact Tesla’s Board of Directors:
Demand they reject Musk’s $56 billion compensation package.
Tesla, Inc. Board Contact Address:
Tesla Investor Relations
3500 Deer Creek Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Email: [email protected]
Key Tesla Board Members (as of 2025):
Robyn Denholm (Chairwoman)
James Murdoch
Joe Gebbia
Kathleen Wilson-Thompson
Shareholder Proposals:
If you are a shareholder, you can file formal proposals addressing Musk’s leadership, executive pay, and governance.
⚖️ Court Case Information:
Tesla’s Compensation Lawsuit:
Delaware Chancery Court
Case Name: Tornetta v. Musk
Follow the case status and submit amicus briefs if eligible.
Contact:
Delaware Court of Chancery
Leonard L. Williams Justice Center
500 N. King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: (302) 255-0515
Website: courts.delaware.gov
4. Campaigns and Legal Advocacy
➡️ Join Organized Boycotts:
#BlockOutElon – Online campaign encouraging the boycott of X and Musk-owned companies.
Ethical Alternatives Movement – Focused on replacing unethical corporate monopolies.
➡️ Contact Advocacy Organizations:
Public Citizen (citizen.org)
Campaigns for corporate accountability.
Free Press (freepress.net)
Works on media accountability and corporate power issues.
MoveOn.org (moveon.org)
Petition-based activism on political issues, including corporate ethics.
5. Raise Public Awareness
Organize Protests:
At Tesla dealerships, SpaceX launches, or public forums.
Petition Local Governments:
Demand they withdraw subsidies or contracts awarded to Musk-owned companies.
Public Education Campaigns:
Utilize blogs, podcasts, and social media to explain Musk’s business ethics concerns and authoritarian tendencies.
III. Ethical Alternatives to Musk-Linked Products
Musk Product/Service Ethical Alternative
Tesla EVs Rivian, Ford, Hyundai
Starlink Internet Viasat, HughesNet
Twitter (X) Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky
Tesla Solar SunPower, Enphase
SpaceX Launches Blue Origin (as more transparency becomes available)
IV. Long-Term Structural Solutions
Campaign Finance Reform:
Push for laws limiting billionaires’ influence in politics.
Antitrust Enforcement:
Support investigations into Musk’s monopolistic behavior.
Corporate Accountability Legislation:
Promote laws that mandate ethical standards and transparency for companies receiving government contracts.
📝 Sample Letter to Tesla Board:
Subject: Opposing Elon Musk's Unconscionable Compensation Package
Dear Members of the Board,
I am writing as a concerned citizen and investor to express deep opposition to the unprecedented and unjustifiable $56 billion compensation package proposed for Elon Musk. Awarding such excessive compensation to a CEO who has repeatedly demonstrated erratic behavior, violated corporate governance norms, and engaged in behavior antithetical to Tesla’s stated mission is a betrayal of fiduciary duty.
Furthermore, Musk’s erratic stewardship of X Corp, dissemination of misinformation, and ongoing legal controversies severely damage Tesla’s brand and stakeholder trust. I urge you to reconsider your allegiance to short-term gains over the long-term integrity of Tesla, its mission, and its future sustainability.
Reject the compensation package. Uphold your responsibility to Tesla’s shareholders, employees, and the broader community.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
[Contact Information]
[Shareholder ID, if applicable]
V. Conclusion
This comprehensive and sophisticated strategy leverages ethical action, consumer power, shareholder activism, and civic engagement. By choosing to boycott Elon Musk’s businesses, advocate for structural reform, and support ethical alternatives, you can contribute to diminishing the economic and social power of individuals who pose threats to democratic norms and public trust.
Yes Musk is the main problem here. He'll continue to back the foreign governments that produce for him. China. At the same time he BOUGHT his way into the White House to get Trump elected. Trump is to stupid to see it though. A lot of people have seen this too attacking the Tesla dealerships and I understand he has a strike at the Tesla plant in central Texas.
Dump Trump in the Rump
Columbia University’s decision to capitulate to the demands of Donald Trump and his administration represents one of the most egregious betrayals of academic integrity in modern history. This moment will be remembered not for its pragmatism but for its surrender. By folding to threats of revoked funding, Columbia has done a disservice not only to its own community but to the entire landscape of higher education.
If I were advising Columbia, my guidance would be simple and direct: rescind any agreement made under duress, reject the $400 million, and tell Donald Trump to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Universities of Columbia’s stature have the power and the means to mobilize alternative funding sources—whether through private philanthropy, international partnerships, or educational grants from institutions that still value democracy and academic freedom.
Moreover, Columbia—and any university facing similar intimidation—must stand firm and unified. The academic community, alongside the most principled legal minds in New York and beyond, must refuse to be pawns in Trump’s authoritarian scheme. Law firms, especially those like Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, must lead the charge in defending constitutional liberties, not enabling their erosion through silence or complicity.
This is a pivotal moment. If institutions of higher learning, thought leaders, and legal advocates maintain a united front, there is nothing to fear. But the moment we allow one institution to cave under pressure, we open the door to a flood of repression and censorship that will be far more difficult to stop. We cannot, and will not, permit this.
Columbia’s leadership should understand that acquiescing to tyranny only emboldens it. The world is watching, and history will judge whether we stood our ground or allowed our principles to be bartered away for short-term relief.
Now is the time for resolve, solidarity, and moral clarity. The mission is simple: dump Trump in the rump and defend democracy with everything we’ve got.
Michael Cohen? My shout out to you, and if not him I shout out to you both.
I understand and appreciate his contributions, but the reality is that he was part of a Democratic administration and maintains high-level contacts within the Democratic establishment. If someone with his stature and influence can’t help motivate meaningful action, then it’s hard to see how we avoid catastrophe. Academia, particularly the Ivy League institutions, seems to be crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. How can we continue to place our faith in academic institutions when they repeatedly fail us in moments of crisis?
History offers chilling examples: several of the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen held PhDs, and Joseph Goebbels himself earned a doctorate in philology. The medical community in Germany, supposedly dedicated to preserving life, was among the first professional groups to align itself with the Nazi regime. When things fall apart, these intellectual and professional elites are often the first to disappear or capitulate.
Meanwhile, I’m on Truth Social every night, often having my accounts banned, yet I keep returning, speaking out, and challenging the lies. I have a small following—perhaps 15 people—but I’m there, actively confronting the disinformation. And yet, I don’t see our so-called leaders engaging on that front. Where are they? Why am I, an ordinary citizen, seemingly the only one standing in the breach?
Yes, individual efforts are valuable, and I appreciate them. But collectively, this group—the academics, the politicians, the intellectuals—should have done far more. Their inaction, complacency, and cowardice have brought us to this precipice. Columbia University has already folded under pressure, as have numerous law groups. It seems as if many of these leaders are content as long as they can keep their multiple homes and luxury cars. They no longer care what happens to anyone else.
It’s disheartening to see so much education, so many resources, and so much influence squandered because basic moral courage is lacking. Without a foundation of fundamental morality, all the degrees and accolades in the world are meaningless.
And this lesson isn’t new. Philosophers and leaders have warned about this for centuries: education without ethical grounding is dangerous. Yet here we are, watching history repeat itself.
Dear Dr. Reich,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing out of a deep sense of frustration and concern regarding the current state of Democratic leadership—or more precisely, the absence of it—at a time when the country desperately needs vocal, principled defenders of democracy and truth.
As someone who served in a Democratic administration and maintains an insider’s perspective, I ask you candidly: Where are our leaders? Where is President Obama? Where are Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, Vice President Harris, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the other prominent voices who once galvanized millions?
At this critical juncture—when Fox News functions as a relentless propaganda machine masquerading as journalism, when Trump and his acolytes peddle corrosive lies about the "most corrupt administration in history," and when democracy itself stands on a knife's edge—why are these powerful voices silent? The vacuum they leave behind is filled daily with disinformation, cynicism, and dangerous populist rhetoric. Their silence is both deafening and damning.
I watch President Biden—a man whose legislative achievements have been substantial, particularly in undoing the catastrophic wreckage left by the Trump administration—face a relentless smear campaign with little to no effective counterbalance from his party’s most recognizable figures. Biden’s communication strategy has failed to publicize his administration's accomplishments in a way that breaks through the noise. Consequently, the American public remains vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation.
The Clintons and the Obamas are still regarded by many as formidable leaders and skilled communicators. Barack Obama remains one of the finest orators of our time. Bill Clinton, for all his moral failings, remains a consummate political strategist. Pete Buttigieg is articulate, informed, and a rising star in Democratic politics. Yet, they remain inexplicably quiet. We are not hearing them lead the charge against the tidal wave of misinformation and authoritarian creep.
It is utterly incomprehensible that, faced with a growing fascist threat, these figures are not mounting a robust and unified defense of democratic values in every forum possible—on television, in town halls, in op-eds, and at mass rallies. Where is the moral urgency? Where is the strategic coordination? Why do we, the people who care deeply about this nation’s future, feel so abandoned by those who once inspired us?
This is not a time for cautious diplomacy or political calculation. This is a time to sound the alarm and fight with clarity and courage. And yet, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, who continues to speak truth to power (although some perceive him as too far to the left), there is an eerie and infuriating silence from the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Reich, you are a principled voice and have consistently articulated the stakes we face. But why is there not a unified and forceful counteroffensive from those who once carried the banner of the Democratic Party? We are left to wonder if our leadership has either lost its nerve or is trapped in a misguided hope that civility and reason alone will save us from the abyss.
I ask you plainly: What on earth is happening? Why has this fight been abandoned to a few lone voices while the machinery of authoritarianism marches on, largely uncontested by those with the stature to command the nation’s attention?
With urgency and respect,
I agree completely here. Trump, or should I say, Musk, has got to try to stop Gen- Z because they will cause him a lot of problems getting his agenda in place down the road. Right now he's got Trump to back him. Trump only has his own interests in mind, while Musk, and gang, DOGE, are invading every part of the federal government as they can to use the information obtained against us. First we need to get Musk and his DOGE crowd out of there. Then we can either correct the direction of the leadership or or start impeachment proceedings against Trump. Don't forget, we still have the MAGA's to contend with also. I hope we can changed the power up there with mid-term election coming up soon.
I understand and appreciate his contributions, but the reality is that he was part of a Democratic administration and maintains high-level contacts within the Democratic establishment. If someone with his stature and influence can’t help motivate meaningful action, then it’s hard to see how we avoid catastrophe. Academia, particularly the Ivy League institutions, seems to be crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. How can we continue to place our faith in academic institutions when they repeatedly fail us in moments of crisis?
History offers chilling examples: several of the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen held PhDs, and Joseph Goebbels himself earned a doctorate in philology. The medical community in Germany, supposedly dedicated to preserving life, was among the first professional groups to align itself with the Nazi regime. When things fall apart, these intellectual and professional elites are often the first to disappear or capitulate.
Meanwhile, I’m on Truth Social every night, often having my accounts banned, yet I keep returning, speaking out, and challenging the lies. I have a small following—perhaps 15 people—but I’m there, actively confronting the disinformation. And yet, I don’t see our so-called leaders engaging on that front. Where are they? Why am I, an ordinary citizen, seemingly the only one standing in the breach?
Yes, individual efforts are valuable, and I appreciate them. But collectively, this group—the academics, the politicians, the intellectuals—should have done far more. Their inaction, complacency, and cowardice have brought us to this precipice. Columbia University has already folded under pressure, as have numerous law groups. It seems as if many of these leaders are content as long as they can keep their multiple homes and luxury cars. They no longer care what happens to anyone else.
It’s disheartening to see so much education, so many resources, and so much influence squandered because basic moral courage is lacking. Without a foundation of fundamental morality, all the degrees and accolades in the world are meaningless.
And this lesson isn’t new. Philosophers and leaders have warned about this for centuries: education without ethical grounding is dangerous. Yet here we are, watching history repeat itself.
I don't understand you first paragraph. Who is part of a Democratic establishment? You leave me completely confused with whatever you are referring too. Nowhere was I referring to the Nazi regime. Next, I see you admitted you read Truth-Social. That may be your real problem here. Everyone knows that is Trump's web site filled with his lies. I don't doubt that they would bar you for confronting his lies.
Just in case you haven't been watching, Democratic leaders have been holding "town-halls" in place of Republicans that refuse to attend and seek the concerns their own constituents. They have been a great success too.
I, along with a lot of Americans, are addressing the leadership in Washington. Organizations around the United States have utilized our court systems and stopped Trump and Musk on almost all fronts.
Dear Dr. Reich,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing out of a deep sense of frustration and concern regarding the current state of Democratic leadership—or more precisely, the absence of it—at a time when the country desperately needs vocal, principled defenders of democracy and truth.
As someone who served in a Democratic administration and maintains an insider’s perspective, I ask you candidly: Where are our leaders? Where is President Obama? Where are Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, Vice President Harris, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the other prominent voices who once galvanized millions?
At this critical juncture—when Fox News functions as a relentless propaganda machine masquerading as journalism, when Trump and his acolytes peddle corrosive lies about the "most corrupt administration in history," and when democracy itself stands on a knife's edge—why are these powerful voices silent? The vacuum they leave behind is filled daily with disinformation, cynicism, and dangerous populist rhetoric. Their silence is both deafening and damning.
I watch President Biden—a man whose legislative achievements have been substantial, particularly in undoing the catastrophic wreckage left by the Trump administration—face a relentless smear campaign with little to no effective counterbalance from his party’s most recognizable figures. Biden’s communication strategy has failed to publicize his administration's accomplishments in a way that breaks through the noise. Consequently, the American public remains vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation.
The Clintons and the Obamas are still regarded by many as formidable leaders and skilled communicators. Barack Obama remains one of the finest orators of our time. Bill Clinton, for all his moral failings, remains a consummate political strategist. Pete Buttigieg is articulate, informed, and a rising star in Democratic politics. Yet, they remain inexplicably quiet. We are not hearing them lead the charge against the tidal wave of misinformation and authoritarian creep.
It is utterly incomprehensible that, faced with a growing fascist threat, these figures are not mounting a robust and unified defense of democratic values in every forum possible—on television, in town halls, in op-eds, and at mass rallies. Where is the moral urgency? Where is the strategic coordination? Why do we, the people who care deeply about this nation’s future, feel so abandoned by those who once inspired us?
This is not a time for cautious diplomacy or political calculation. This is a time to sound the alarm and fight with clarity and courage. And yet, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, who continues to speak truth to power (although some perceive him as too far to the left), there is an eerie and infuriating silence from the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Reich, you are a principled voice and have consistently articulated the stakes we face. But why is there not a unified and forceful counteroffensive from those who once carried the banner of the Democratic Party? We are left to wonder if our leadership has either lost its nerve or is trapped in a misguided hope that civility and reason alone will save us from the abyss.
I ask you plainly: What on earth is happening? Why has this fight been abandoned to a few lone voices while the machinery of authoritarianism marches on, largely uncontested by those with the stature to command the nation’s attention?
With urgency and respect,
Donald Trump,
This is a clear, direct statement: You are not a dictator. You are not a king. You are not above the law. No matter how loudly you bluster, no matter how many lies you repeat, no matter how many sycophants you surround yourself with, the United States of America is a constitutional republic governed by laws, not the whims of a man who imagines himself beyond them.
You were elected—twice now—to serve as President under the Constitution of the United States, not to rule by decree. The Constitution requires that you follow the law, obey judicial rulings, and enforce the will of Congress, not tear down institutions for your personal power grabs. You swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. This is not optional. This is not negotiable.
You are issuing executive orders that are blatantly illegal. You have no right to deport individuals arbitrarily, no matter what propaganda you peddle. Immigration policy is governed by laws passed by Congress, subject to review by the courts, and your duty is to enforce those laws within the limits established by both legislative authority and judicial oversight. You do not have the power to override the courts or Congress because you find it inconvenient.
Defiance of the judiciary is defiance of the Constitution. No President has ever been permitted to ignore the courts without consequence. You are not an exception. If you continue to violate judicial orders and the rule of law, there will be impeachment proceedings. Removal from office, if not eventual criminal prosecution, is inevitable for any leader who treats the Constitution as an obstacle to personal power. History will not be kind to those who trample the law.
Further, Elon Musk has no place anywhere near the machinery of American government. He is not an elected official. He is not a policy expert. He is a businessman with a checkered record who poses a growing threat to democracy. His involvement in government is reckless, dangerous, and wholly unacceptable. We do not want his influence anywhere near decisions that affect the rights, freedoms, and livelihoods of Americans. His agenda is not aligned with democratic values or the principles of a free republic. Keep him out.
You must respect the rule of law. You must adhere to judicial decisions. You must uphold the constitutional separation of powers. The legislative branch makes the laws. The judiciary interprets them. You are part of the executive branch, which enforces them—nothing more, nothing less. You have no unilateral power to decide what laws exist, nor do you have the authority to punish or deport anyone outside the bounds of legal process.
No amount of demagoguery will change this. No amount of propaganda from Fox News, OAN, Breitbart, or your cronies will obscure the truth. You are accountable. You are constrained by law. If you refuse to respect this reality, you will face consequences far beyond the court of public opinion.
We do not live in an autocracy. You are not Vladimir Putin. You are not Xi Jinping. You are bound by the Constitution, and if you choose to ignore it, the people of this country, working through their elected representatives and the courts, will stop you. We have done it before. We will do it again.
This is your warning: Follow the law. Respect the courts. Enforce the will of Congress. You are not above any of it.
Wow, you have a long one to answer here. First of all, he is not above the law, but, as long as Musk is allowed to stick around, we have problems. I feel Musk, a confirmed Nazi by his own children, is the main problem up there. He has his whole gang invading every part of the government to stir up as many problems for us as he can. They are moving fast too. We have been using everything we can to stop him legally too. Our federal judges are being singled out as the enemy and have their personal addresses posted on the net and are being attacked.
Trump has been sworn in too back our constitution. I feel it is all Musk that is the real problems now. Musk has never even been vetted or even been sworn in to back our constitution.
As for illegal orders being issued by them, Musk is at the center of this too because he has no idea how the federal government should operate. So far we seem to be stopping most of the problems in court. Again, these federal judges have a problem countering his edicts. These judges are making him to rehire the people he has fired. I guess that reconstitutes the facilities he tried to shut down.
As long as we allow Musk to stick around he'll continue to convince Trump he is heading us in the right direction.
I understand and appreciate his contributions, but the reality is that he was part of a Democratic administration and maintains high-level contacts within the Democratic establishment. If someone with his stature and influence can’t help motivate meaningful action, then it’s hard to see how we avoid catastrophe. Academia, particularly the Ivy League institutions, seems to be crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. How can we continue to place our faith in academic institutions when they repeatedly fail us in moments of crisis?
History offers chilling examples: several of the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen held PhDs, and Joseph Goebbels himself earned a doctorate in philology. The medical community in Germany, supposedly dedicated to preserving life, was among the first professional groups to align itself with the Nazi regime. When things fall apart, these intellectual and professional elites are often the first to disappear or capitulate.
Meanwhile, I’m on Truth Social every night, often having my accounts banned, yet I keep returning, speaking out, and challenging the lies. I have a small following—perhaps 15 people—but I’m there, actively confronting the disinformation. And yet, I don’t see our so-called leaders engaging on that front. Where are they? Why am I, an ordinary citizen, seemingly the only one standing in the breach?
Yes, individual efforts are valuable, and I appreciate them. But collectively, this group—the academics, the politicians, the intellectuals—should have done far more. Their inaction, complacency, and cowardice have brought us to this precipice. Columbia University has already folded under pressure, as have numerous law groups. It seems as if many of these leaders are content as long as they can keep their multiple homes and luxury cars. They no longer care what happens to anyone else.
It’s disheartening to see so much education, so many resources, and so much influence squandered because basic moral courage is lacking. Without a foundation of fundamental morality, all the degrees and accolades in the world are meaningless.
And this lesson isn’t new. Philosophers and leaders have warned about this for centuries: education without ethical grounding is dangerous. Yet here we are, watching history repeat itself.
Dear Dr. Reich,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing out of a deep sense of frustration and concern regarding the current state of Democratic leadership—or more precisely, the absence of it—at a time when the country desperately needs vocal, principled defenders of democracy and truth.
As someone who served in a Democratic administration and maintains an insider’s perspective, I ask you candidly: Where are our leaders? Where is President Obama? Where are Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, Vice President Harris, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the other prominent voices who once galvanized millions?
At this critical juncture—when Fox News functions as a relentless propaganda machine masquerading as journalism, when Trump and his acolytes peddle corrosive lies about the "most corrupt administration in history," and when democracy itself stands on a knife's edge—why are these powerful voices silent? The vacuum they leave behind is filled daily with disinformation, cynicism, and dangerous populist rhetoric. Their silence is both deafening and damning.
I watch President Biden—a man whose legislative achievements have been substantial, particularly in undoing the catastrophic wreckage left by the Trump administration—face a relentless smear campaign with little to no effective counterbalance from his party’s most recognizable figures. Biden’s communication strategy has failed to publicize his administration's accomplishments in a way that breaks through the noise. Consequently, the American public remains vulnerable to disinformation and manipulation.
The Clintons and the Obamas are still regarded by many as formidable leaders and skilled communicators. Barack Obama remains one of the finest orators of our time. Bill Clinton, for all his moral failings, remains a consummate political strategist. Pete Buttigieg is articulate, informed, and a rising star in Democratic politics. Yet, they remain inexplicably quiet. We are not hearing them lead the charge against the tidal wave of misinformation and authoritarian creep.
It is utterly incomprehensible that, faced with a growing fascist threat, these figures are not mounting a robust and unified defense of democratic values in every forum possible—on television, in town halls, in op-eds, and at mass rallies. Where is the moral urgency? Where is the strategic coordination? Why do we, the people who care deeply about this nation’s future, feel so abandoned by those who once inspired us?
This is not a time for cautious diplomacy or political calculation. This is a time to sound the alarm and fight with clarity and courage. And yet, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, who continues to speak truth to power (although some perceive him as too far to the left), there is an eerie and infuriating silence from the Democratic Party’s most influential leaders.
Dr. Reich, you are a principled voice and have consistently articulated the stakes we face. But why is there not a unified and forceful counteroffensive from those who once carried the banner of the Democratic Party? We are left to wonder if our leadership has either lost its nerve or is trapped in a misguided hope that civility and reason alone will save us from the abyss.
I ask you plainly: What on earth is happening? Why has this fight been abandoned to a few lone voices while the machinery of authoritarianism marches on, largely uncontested by those with the stature to command the nation’s attention?
With urgency and respect,
That Putin's Bitch dictator fouling the Oval Office presumes he dictates the law, that any action he takes is legal, and dictates that any action taken against his violation of settled law is hyper-partisan "lawfare," and that any protest against him and "China Boy" in the street is domestic terrorism, and he would call his brownshirts "patriots" should they foment violence on his behalf. Make sure to keep a kosh in your pocket if you go out to demonstrate! You may need it to defend yourself or help someone near you.
At this point Trump still has a bunch of citizens fooled into think he is taking them in the right direction. They voted him into office, again. Somehow we have to show them Trump and Musk are taking us in the direction of a dictatorship.
For your consideration: https://youtu.be/K8QLgLfqh6s?si=vJFOPesYEh7lg6ud
Kosh: A blackjack or truncheon (British slang).
I know a village called Seldom Seen in the Lake District.......Uk citizen in US
Yes, that's me. I'm hiding out disguised as a body of water. Please don't blow my cover.
He claims immunity and impunity while lacking integrity.
In other words he got into the wrong end of the garbage truck.
Below is a sophisticated, firmly worded, and direct letter that conveys urgency, seriousness, and a warning to Republican Senators and Members of Congress—without resorting to overt threats. The language is elevated, the tone assertive but measured, and it clearly outlines the consequences of aligning with authoritarianism and abandoning constitutional principles.
Subject: A Final Warning: Uphold the Constitution or Face the Consequences of Betrayal
To: Members of the Republican Caucus in the United States Senate and House of Representatives
Dear Senator / Representative [Insert Name],
The American people have watched with mounting alarm as many members of the Republican Party, once the party of Lincoln, have abandoned their oaths to uphold the Constitution in favor of blind allegiance to a convicted felon and proven sociopath. Let me be clear: we have reached our limit. We have had enough.
This nation was founded on the rule of law, on the principle that no person—not even a president—is above it. Yet, time and again, you have chosen loyalty to Donald Trump over loyalty to the Republic. You have enabled a man whose contempt for truth, justice, and democratic norms is matched only by his brazen criminality.
Your failure to act in defense of our democracy is not merely dereliction—it is complicity. You have permitted the erosion of our institutions, the subversion of the judiciary, and the propagation of authoritarian fantasies that pose a mortal threat to our Republic. You have supported an individual whose very presence on the public stage is an affront to decency and the rule of law.
Let us remind you: you were elected to serve the people of the United States, to defend the Constitution of the United States—not to obey the dictates of a demagogue, nor to insulate him from accountability. Your obligation is to the law, to truth, and to the enduring promise of this nation—not to personal ambition, not to fleeting political advantage, and certainly not to a man whose legacy will be one of disgrace and infamy.
We demand immediate and unequivocal adherence to the rule of law. We demand that you respect the authority of the courts, that you honor the checks and balances that have preserved this nation for nearly 250 years, and that you cease your participation in efforts designed to subvert the democratic process.
If you persist in undermining our constitutional order, know this: there will be consequences. Your positions are not guaranteed. The American people are awakening to the grave danger posed by your inaction and your complicity. You will be held to account—through the courts, through investigations, and, most certainly, at the ballot box. Your pursuit of power at the expense of our democracy will result not in prestige, but in prosecution and disgrace.
Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act—these programs are not bargaining chips for extremists, nor will they be sacrificed to satisfy the whims of plutocrats and oligarchs who have purchased undue influence in our government. We will not permit it.
Donald Trump will be indicted, convicted, and ultimately imprisoned. That is not a wish; it is the inevitable outcome of his criminality. And if you tether your legacy to his, you too will face the consequences of that choice. History will not be kind to collaborators in the destruction of democracy.
This is your final opportunity to choose the right side of history. Defend the Constitution. Protect this Republic. Restore dignity and honor to the office you hold. If you refuse, the American people will remove you from power and ensure that justice is done.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City, State]
[Contact Information, Optional]
Michael, I hope you don't mind, but I copied your letter so that I can send it to my gqp representative and senator. It lets them know exactly where I stand. Thank you!
Donald Trump,
This is a clear, direct statement: You are not a dictator. You are not a king. You are not above the law. No matter how loudly you bluster, no matter how many lies you repeat, no matter how many sycophants you surround yourself with, the United States of America is a constitutional republic governed by laws, not the whims of a man who imagines himself beyond them.
You were elected—twice now—to serve as President under the Constitution of the United States, not to rule by decree. The Constitution requires that you follow the law, obey judicial rulings, and enforce the will of Congress, not tear down institutions for your personal power grabs. You swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. This is not optional. This is not negotiable.
You are issuing executive orders that are blatantly illegal. You have no right to deport individuals arbitrarily, no matter what propaganda you peddle. Immigration policy is governed by laws passed by Congress, subject to review by the courts, and your duty is to enforce those laws within the limits established by both legislative authority and judicial oversight. You do not have the power to override the courts or Congress because you find it inconvenient.
Defiance of the judiciary is defiance of the Constitution. No President has ever been permitted to ignore the courts without consequence. You are not an exception. If you continue to violate judicial orders and the rule of law, there will be impeachment proceedings. Removal from office, if not eventual criminal prosecution, is inevitable for any leader who treats the Constitution as an obstacle to personal power. History will not be kind to those who trample the law.
Further, Elon Musk has no place anywhere near the machinery of American government. He is not an elected official. He is not a policy expert. He is a businessman with a checkered record who poses a growing threat to democracy. His involvement in government is reckless, dangerous, and wholly unacceptable. We do not want his influence anywhere near decisions that affect the rights, freedoms, and livelihoods of Americans. His agenda is not aligned with democratic values or the principles of a free republic. Keep him out.
You must respect the rule of law. You must adhere to judicial decisions. You must uphold the constitutional separation of powers. The legislative branch makes the laws. The judiciary interprets them. You are part of the executive branch, which enforces them—nothing more, nothing less. You have no unilateral power to decide what laws exist, nor do you have the authority to punish or deport anyone outside the bounds of legal process.
No amount of demagoguery will change this. No amount of propaganda from Fox News, OAN, Breitbart, or your cronies will obscure the truth. You are accountable. You are constrained by law. If you refuse to respect this reality, you will face consequences far beyond the court of public opinion.
We do not live in an autocracy. You are not Vladimir Putin. You are not Xi Jinping. You are bound by the Constitution, and if you choose to ignore it, the people of this country, working through their elected representatives and the courts, will stop you. We have done it before. We will do it again.
This is your warning: Follow the law. Respect the courts. Enforce the will of Congress. You are not above any of it.
Oh my gosh! Truer words were never spoken! I love this Michael! Once again, I am copying it and sending it to the orange man! What a way to speak out, Michael! You are truly gifted when it comes to using your words and your voice! Thank you!
Dump Trump in the Rump
Columbia University’s decision to capitulate to the demands of Donald Trump and his administration represents one of the most egregious betrayals of academic integrity in modern history. This moment will be remembered not for its pragmatism but for its surrender. By folding to threats of revoked funding, Columbia has done a disservice not only to its own community but to the entire landscape of higher education.
If I were advising Columbia, my guidance would be simple and direct: rescind any agreement made under duress, reject the $400 million, and tell Donald Trump to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Universities of Columbia’s stature have the power and the means to mobilize alternative funding sources—whether through private philanthropy, international partnerships, or educational grants from institutions that still value democracy and academic freedom.
Moreover, Columbia—and any university facing similar intimidation—must stand firm and unified. The academic community, alongside the most principled legal minds in New York and beyond, must refuse to be pawns in Trump’s authoritarian scheme. Law firms, especially those like Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, must lead the charge in defending constitutional liberties, not enabling their erosion through silence or complicity.
This is a pivotal moment. If institutions of higher learning, thought leaders, and legal advocates maintain a united front, there is nothing to fear. But the moment we allow one institution to cave under pressure, we open the door to a flood of repression and censorship that will be far more difficult to stop. We cannot, and will not, permit this.
Columbia’s leadership should understand that acquiescing to tyranny only emboldens it. The world is watching, and history will judge whether we stood our ground or allowed our principles to be bartered away for short-term relief.
Now is the time for resolve, solidarity, and moral clarity. The mission is simple: dump Trump in the rump and defend democracy with everything we’ve got.
Dump Trump in the Rump
Columbia University’s decision to capitulate to the demands of Donald Trump and his administration represents one of the most egregious betrayals of academic integrity in modern history. This moment will be remembered not for its pragmatism but for its surrender. By folding to threats of revoked funding, Columbia has done a disservice not only to its own community but to the entire landscape of higher education.
If I were advising Columbia, my guidance would be simple and direct: rescind any agreement made under duress, reject the $400 million, and tell Donald Trump to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Universities of Columbia’s stature have the power and the means to mobilize alternative funding sources—whether through private philanthropy, international partnerships, or educational grants from institutions that still value democracy and academic freedom.
Moreover, Columbia—and any university facing similar intimidation—must stand firm and unified. The academic community, alongside the most principled legal minds in New York and beyond, must refuse to be pawns in Trump’s authoritarian scheme. Law firms, especially those like Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, must lead the charge in defending constitutional liberties, not enabling their erosion through silence or complicity.
This is a pivotal moment. If institutions of higher learning, thought leaders, and legal advocates maintain a united front, there is nothing to fear. But the moment we allow one institution to cave under pressure, we open the door to a flood of repression and censorship that will be far more difficult to stop. We cannot, and will not, permit this.
Columbia’s leadership should understand that acquiescing to tyranny only emboldens it. The world is watching, and history will judge whether we stood our ground or allowed our principles to be bartered away for short-term relief.
Now is the time for resolve, solidarity, and moral clarity. The mission is simple: dump Trump in the rump and defend democracy with everything we’ve got.
Absolutely! Well said, Michael!
Trump is a sock puppet for Putin and
for the motivations emanating from his narcissistic personality disorder.
He is likely unaware of his narcissistic tendencies and the origin of his lies. He believes his own delusions so finds no contradiction between statements.
Putin has him. So he will doas Putin wishes.
What enforcement does the court have?
Donald Trump is a masterful con artist and an extraordinarily adept criminal opportunist. He is also a deviant sociopath, possessing an intuitive, if deeply malevolent, ability to “read the room” and craft remarks that his audience will readily accept as truth. This constitutes the core of the problem. Despite his talents for manipulation, Trump demonstrates little actual comprehension of the systems of governance, economics, or law he purports to champion. His intellectual capacity appears profoundly limited—comparable, metaphorically speaking, to that of a can of soda—and his grasp of complex policy or historical context is reminiscent of a rudimentary, fifth-grade education.
Yet, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate the danger he poses. Surrounding Trump is a cadre of profoundly dangerous and ideologically driven advisors—figures like Steve Bannon, among others—who have immersed themselves in the study of fascist regimes and authoritarian governance. These individuals are well-versed in the mechanisms of systemic manipulation, propaganda, and subversion, and they offer Trump strategies honed by a deep, cynical understanding of history’s most effective tools of oppression.
More insidious still is the infrastructure of propaganda that has been meticulously constructed to sustain and amplify Trump’s demagoguery. Right-wing media outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, One America News (OAN), Breitbart, and a host of similarly aligned entities function not as journalistic enterprises but as propaganda arms in service to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. Their purpose is to fabricate a narrative in which Trump is not an unqualified sociopath but rather an omniscient, visionary leader. These propagandists have succeeded in constructing an alternate reality that tens of millions of Americans now occupy, detached from factual discourse and impervious to reason or evidence.
As a result, we now face the grim reality of an estimated 20 to 30 million Americans who are thoroughly brainwashed—an electorate that has been conditioned, through relentless misinformation, to reject facts, logic, and critical thinking in favor of emotionally charged, authoritarian dogma. This cult-like adherence to Trumpism is not accidental but rather the predictable outcome of decades of neglect in safeguarding the public sphere from abuse. The First Amendment was designed to protect free speech, but its unchecked exploitation by demagogues and propagandists has rendered it a double-edged sword. Free speech was never intended to be weaponized by bad actors to undermine democratic institutions through lies, disinformation, and psychological manipulation.
The individuals who constitute the intellectual and scientific bedrock of our society—the scientists, engineers, professors, and researchers who design our technologies, advance our medicine, and uphold academic rigor—are being dismissed as elitist, dishonest, or corrupt, while charlatans and conspiracy theorists are elevated to positions of cultural authority. Decades of research in psychiatry and social psychology warned us of this peril: that mass delusion, once entrenched, becomes almost impossible to reverse. Cult dynamics, as described by experts like Dr. Steven Hassan, demonstrate that once individuals are fully indoctrinated, their belief systems become resistant to evidence and contrary information. The loss of critical thinking skills has rendered a significant portion of the population functionally incapable of recognizing the mechanisms of their own exploitation.
The ideological movement behind Trumpism is a regressive one—an effort to return not merely to the 1950s but, in cultural and social terms, to the 1850s. It seeks to reinstate a hierarchical social order dominated by white men, relegating everyone else to subservience. This neo-feudalist vision is one in which wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of an oligarchic elite, while the rights and dignity of women, people of color, and marginalized communities are systematically stripped away.
Civil rights are eroded. Democratic norms are subverted. The gains achieved through decades of struggle are methodically dismantled. The powerful and wealthy few consolidate their control through legal manipulation, voter suppression, and unregulated political spending. What is emerging is not a populist revival but a plutocratic dystopia: a society where robber barons rule, where labor is exploited without mercy, and where democracy is reduced to hollow formality.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is that many of those who enthusiastically support this movement are unwittingly hastening their own demise. They are, in effect, marching themselves and their families toward ruin—embracing a regime that promises to decimate their healthcare, strip away their social protections, and mortgage their futures to benefit the obscenely wealthy. It is as though they are willingly inviting marauders into their homes to loot, plunder, and destroy, all while believing themselves to be patriots safeguarding their country.
The solution lies in restoring critical thinking, media literacy, and a shared commitment to empirical truth. This will not be accomplished easily or quickly. But without a unified defense of truth and democratic norms, we are witnessing the slow unraveling of the American republic. The time for complacency has long passed. It is now the responsibility of every citizen, academic institution, and ethical leader to confront this authoritarian threat with courage, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to justice.
Are they gonna halt all SSI payments on April1? If so, the rednecks in the south will go nuts, it's all they have, they will start a war on the govt. When that happens Trump will call martial law. Is this SSI thing just a stunt to get people worried and distract us because he is up to something else he wants hidden? That is usually his MO. But if he is not bluffing, and they stop SSI in April Millions and millions of elderly and disabled will be kicked out onto the street because that's their only income, and they will suffer and die in public and guns will come out and wow it will be so ugly... this has to be a stunt because nobody with a clue will let this happen, not to mention what the loss of their checks will mean to the economy. Can we talk about Martial Law please? What to expect and how to act? Thank you.
I don't think the will stop all SSI at one point. They'll try it several ways till they think they got it right. Then watch out.
Whatever he does, I believe he will at some point declare martial law. He's reserving that for later.
There are millions in the red states who are on disability or social security and it's all they have. If their MawMaw or family member loses health insurance, can't get their medicine or loses their rent money there will be a lot of unhappy Magas.
Because he is a narcissist who lies and cheats and wants the Nobel Peace Prize badly. He is a disgusting egotist. I shall stop here. Eusie Zane
And yet, with all we know to be true on this substack, I still see mainstream America in my town and elsewhere shopping on their phones, ignoring the news, and generally pretending nothing has changed in the past 60 days. When will the country wake up? What catastrophe will have to happen for any of us to see that democracy has died and we have lost our constitution and basic rights? Amazing how fast this has happened and how accepting our citizens have been.
Because agent orange has most likely never been to a library, a museum, a national park or a symphony performance he has no problem defunding and attempting to destroy these institutions for the millions that enjoy them. Same with the military, never served. No concept. But he has spent untold hours in litigation and proved he can get away with anything. I'm doing what I can but am sick at heart.
The going about of daily life is simply inertia from the system we had all our lives. So much inertia, creating an illusion that things are normal. I truly have run out of hope because the system is being nuked from the inside and only a few see it happening. Musk went straight to the heart and ripped it out. He wants to eat it in glorious celebration next, with Trump's blessing. I feel it is already too late to "rise up". The system is too crippled and we're just starting to see and feel the fallout.