On Friday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “protecting Second Amendment rights.” The order calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to examine all gun regulations in the U.S.
This is not going to end well for Trump and Musk. We’re going to go through hell and back, but I believe we will keep our democracy. We have no choice.
Nancy, the late Warren Rudman, senator from my home state of NH, warned about this in his memoirs years ago:
"The Republican Party is making a terrible mistake if it appears to ally itself with the Christian right. There are some fine, sincere people in its ranks, but there are also enough anti-abortion zealots, would-be censors, homophobes, bigots and latter-day Elmer Gantrys to discredit any party that is unwise enough to embrace such a group."
I’ve told Sen Susan Collins how badly she has put herself to shame in the light of her predecessor from ME, Margaret Chase Smith, who also called out Senate and McCarthy in her Declaration of Conscience (1950
Heather Cox: You write well on the issues and the motivations of the trump mafia which exist only for self-aggrandizement and wealth. We know this. He currently enjoys 53% or more approval rating which is atrocious. If we are to succeed in vindicating ourselves from this evil, we must adopt some of the popular issues in fact that he supports. Search your souls. Don’t get locked in partisan issues that are destined to fail. Intelligent folks learn to adopt. We can too. But my hunch is that we will stay locked in self-righteousness and fight losing battles.
"...........we must adopt some of the popular issues in fact that he supports." Would you be helpful enough to provide us a list? All this gish galloping makes it difficult to even know where to start.
No we cannot give one inch not one millimeter to Trump. That's what the GOP has been doing on a total slippery slope since Nixon. They're all crooks by virtue of giving in at all. Never.
Doug, whether you call them, "the Christian Right, white Christian Nationalists, Evangelicals", they are all greedy Fascists that think that Trump and Musk will shower them with wealth.
We need to call them out in the churches across America, asking why they aren't tithing as the Bible COMMANDS them to do many many times. If Musk and Trump alone donated 10% of their actual annual haul, there would be no hungry or homeless people in the US. the Bible is very specific about how to donate your 10%. Churches need to publish their lists of donors.
The Republicans also REFUSE to raise the minimum wage. While the Waltons and the Bezos get richer and richer, they fight to keep their workers from unionizing.
Harlan Crowe is willing to give away free trips and write off loans to the Supremes but does he tithe?
All these hypocritical so-called Christians do is take, take, take and fuck over anyone they can to obtain more wealth than 1000 families spend in a lifetime.
As a recovering evangelical, I can respond with considerable knowledge about ... What. Evangelicals. Want.
There is a strain of evangelicals who believe in The Prosperity Gospel, which claims that the more a believer "invests in God's work," the more likely they will become rich. This is the gospel offered by televangelists for obvious reasons. Paula White, Donald's new faith guru, is a leading proponent of Prosperity Gospel, again, for obvious reasons.
It should be noted that Prosperity Gospel proponents always build a back door into their scheme: If the faithful "give sacrificially" and don't become wealthy, it's because "there's unconfessed sin in their lives."
There are many who fall for this scam, but they are a minority of evangelicals.
Most evangelicals imagine that they have been "persecuted" because of their faith* and they want revenge. Revenge, of course, is sin, so they couch their desire for retribution in more "spiritual" terms. They want this "christian nation to turn back to God and be led by leaders who follow biblical principles." This is just preachy-talk encoded to mask their intention to ram their personal list of "should-nots and must-nots" down everybody else's throats and force them to live under the same repression. The desire of evangelicals is power and control.
*When you are taught from birth that your way is the only right way, "because God said so," any disagreement you encounter is interpreted as persecution.
Thanks, Dale. Yours is a fair statement about evangelicals, IMO. They are good at couching their real intentions or motives in what we called "religious speak." (I lived 10 years in a Catholic evangelical community like Amy Coney Barret's.)I never fell for the religious speak bantered about by some in the community -- maybe I examined my motives a little deeper than they did. Yes, so much religious speak!
Jen, I agree about The corrupting power of religion, but I disagree about European cathedrals. I've been an atheist/agnost for over 50 years, but I marvel at the architecture of cathedrals. I've only seen them in France and England, where I visited them at every opportunity.
Have you ever read Ken Follett's trilogy about the building of a cathedral, starting with The Pillars of the Earth? It's a fascinating fictional account that speaks of vision, faith, community, and greed.
Jen, I disagree just a smidge. Religion – even "good" religion – is overwhelmingly about control. Granted, evangelicals are currently seeking power, but the end-game is control. Having power alone just means the powerful get to do whatever they want, which typically involves satisfying their own selfish urges. By contrast, christo-fascists want power so they can force you and me to do what they consider to be right and not do what they believe is wrong.
Regarding religious architecture, I'll go along with "corrupt," as long as we define it as "contamination." By that, I mean there are mixed motivations behind building grand religious structures; some are vulgar and some are noble. True, many build cathedrals as monuments to themselves or their wealth or architectural prowess, or some other self-aggrandizement. But many of the faithful willingly contribute to these elaborate projects as acts of devotion or with the hope that worshipers will be inspired to think lofty thoughts, or some other altruistic motivation.
In my experience in different churches, Jen, there are many sincere Christians who really do live the gospel of loving your neighbor in service and sacrifice. I trust you know that too.
I heard David French on a podcast say "White evangelical Christians voted for t.rump 82% to 17%. Everyone else 58% against t.rump to 40% for, so he is the white evangelical "Christian" president...they own him." And they are disgracing Christianity.
This whole thing, in the name of "Christianity" or what ever Tump wants to call it , really has nothing to do with Christians, to me its the same as watch my right hand while I steal with my left.
I ended up choosing that particular link for the review of the contents at that link. The title alone isn't a good indicator of the content, and I'm confident Bezos never wrote the summary review.
Incidentally, I bought my copy used from an independent book store. The option exists to do that, even through Amazon. Often the best buys there are from Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill outlets.
Ed, I hope you didn't interpret my suggestion as criticism, because that wasn't the reason for my comment. I recommend books on various forums. When I can't find a title with reviews on another site, I'll use the Amazon link with an advisory to buy local or at another online outlet.
I know you're one of the "good guys" or you wouldn't be here.
Fears of aSetting Sun by Rasmussen…just ordered paperback from local bookstore also…then will place in Little Library in my neighborhood. First Amendment must be protected!
Putting it mildly, Doug, he was so right. Trump is taking the Republican Train on a race which is burning its tracks behind it. If not a political demolition, are we looking at the early steps to outright political supremacy? I am truly wondering.
Tim, although I never voted for him, I had a great deal of respect for the man. I met him when he was beginning his candidacy for the Senate -- he was hitting my wife's family up for money in the late-1970s down in Florida, where my in-laws had a 2nd home and we were visiting.
He lived in our town, and I did some work for him and his wife at their home.
"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.
Doug, don’t forget Barry Goldwater, a true conservative, on the christians’ involvement in politics way back when; https://www.azquotes.com/quote/602892
I agree. I started reading about the rise of the Religious Right in the mid 80’s along with its desire to overturn our Democracy for a Theocracy. It seemed that most of the media never
Doug, Christian Nationalist is an oxymoron! Christian means a follower of the teachings of Christ, i.e feed the hungry, clothe the poor, take care of the sick. No adjective after the word Christian is needed. Their term is a bait and switch!
They are all cowards and will not rise to the occasion. This is the culmination of decades of work to tear this country apart. They can’t win without striking fear. The jig is up. Let’s go!
Elon Musk: “A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached NOW!”
"… JD Vance: “If a judge tried to tell a General how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the Attorney General in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal. Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power."
If I were the judge I'd enter an order to show cause why they are not in contempt.
Let’s go Rosemary. I am 78 and have always voted to have guns highly regulated in this country. My father taught me early on about the “right to bear arms” was to form a “militia”, not to give every citizen a gun to wield as a fear laser. Guns have one purpose :to kill!
If the traitors in our government think they are going to win through terror and lies…… they best get under their beds. How dare we all accept the mafia mentality of uneducated and seriously angry thugs . The one major thing we must do is make every ugly lie and illegal attempt at stealing our money( taxes) we pay, they don’t ,into huge signs showing every state and who represents them. out on the stage of the world. Every last one of the slimy creepy Heritage foundation members made public every day. Also, every lie blown - into huge screens with how they vote. Every state: Congress members and how they vote!
Resist! Support the real lawyers. Demand the impeachment of SCOTUS maga members!
This can be done. People have to have the truth about their lives.
We cannot be passive just to feel good. That is the recipe for failure of freedom.
Republicans prove every day that they are 'good Germans'. In other words, they are Nazis. That cannot be denied. Their cowardice must never be forgotten.
Puleeeese, James. Today's Germans are overwhelmingly Pacifists, Democratic and jealously guard the 'rule of Law'. If republicans prove anything, it is that they are "bad Americans". Good Germans "remember their history" when many of the American ignorant don't, or deny the facts.
It was "good Germans" who allowed Hitler and his coterie of toadies and thugs to do all they did. It was also the industrialists who turned their factories to producing the machinery of war. The parallels aren't exact but they are too close for my comfort.
Seems you haven't been in Germany in a while - the AfD, the modern Nazis are second largest party, so there seems to be quite a bit of nostalgia to being the "good old times" back. The Germans go right, the French go left. The Italians also gave fascism another go - looking grim all over the West.
Bruce, there are plenty of fascists in Germany today, and Democratic Socialists, too. But the term “good German” refers to the Nazi era. Once the full horror of the holocaust became known, Germans who acquiesced to Hitler’s rule sought cover by saying they just followed the law and had no idea that all those bad things were happening (when, of course, most of them were perfectly aware — consider the racial laws that grew year after year in the 30’s, where was the outrage?) In the case of today’s Republicans, it is far worse. They are conciously and publicly witnessing the takeover of the United States government by lawless sociopaths, led by two messianic narcissists, using the same methods that Hitler did. They are cowering in fear for their lives (as has been publicized recently) and allowing atrocities to be committed to our system putting the whole world at incalculable risk. Keep watching.
“MUNICH, Germany (AP) — More than 200,000 protesters rallied in Munich, Germany, on Saturday against far-right extremism ahead of the country’s general election.”
Thank you Kathy! I just read the apnews article, and felt my heart lift with a modicum of joy; additionally & once again Heather’s clarity added much needed info for me. I feel a deep sense of shame about how destructive our present cowardly ‘leaders’ appear/are to the rest of our former allies. A small group of us, my neighbors and friends plan on writing a letter to each of them about how a majority of us feel with more included obviously. A sort of Letter to The World 🌏
Many Republicans want to mix Religion and government so it doesn’t surprise me that they voted for this Christian Nationalist. Newt Gingrich made Democrats “the enemy” back in the 80’s and the Republicans have united and created obstacles to governance ever since. I think their central mission is to subjugate women, again, as well as make the ultra-wealthy, wealthier.
I hope for the same thing, Nancy, but I wonder, is there a sane Republican left in Congress? Maybe a handful but those good congressional denizens seem to have voluntarily deposited their family jewels into the pockets of the grifting charlatans.
I've been asking talking heads to interview Mike Turner, other House Republicans that support Ukraine. .
Elon Musk’s Enemy, USAID, Was Investigating Starlink’s Contracts in Ukraine.
"The Lever reported Tuesday that USAID’s inspector general was in the process of investigating its own public-private partnership between Musk’s Starlink and the Ukrainian government at the time that the billionaire’s DOGE crippled the agency. Publicly available information about that probe is still online. An announcement from last May reads: “The USAID Office of Inspector General, Inspections and Evaluations Division, is initiating an inspection of USAID’s oversight of Starlink satellite terminals provided to the Government of Ukraine. Our objectives are to determine how (1) the Government of Ukraine used the USAID-provided Starlink terminals, and (2) USAID monitored the Government of Ukraine’s use of USAID-provided Starlink terminals.”
"Musk has called the agency “evil” and a “criminal organization,” though the fact that USAID was investigating the Starlink activities may suggest ulterior motivations for the billionaire’s vitriol. It’s unclear what the Starlink probe’s status is right now."
Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio was removed from his position atop the powerful House Intelligence Committee, telling CBS News that House Speaker Mike Johnson fired him, citing "concerns from Mar-a-Lago."
Also interview other House Repunlicans like Brian Fitzpatrick, and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, like my rep, Elvira Salazar.
I disagree with other comments saying there are no "sane" Republicans in Congress. I believe there is a small, but not ineffectively small number of Republicans who are against the Trump-Musk coup. I'm too exhausted (severe anxiety, sleeplessness, and just made maybe 50 calls to reps and senators) to spell out now why I think they are "sane." But I do not understand the factors that are keeping many of them from banding together and standing up. Yes, some, like McConnell, who happens to be anti-Trump, does not care about ANYONE but himself. But I believe there are others with enough integrity, conscience, and love of democracy that they *should* be honoring their oath, not enabling this coup that will destroy us in ways no native born American can even begin to understand in any experiential way.
Why is this happening? I don't think it's "just politics." My guess is their families are being seriously threatened. That's not at all hard to imagine. My real question is why are they not banding together? Why are they not using the power of numbers and standing up to the threats -- the only way to defang the those threatening them: They can't kill them if they stand up together and expose them. There are still a good dozen senators who could band together. Not only are they not not doing that, but they are complicit. Anyone who voted for Vaught is a complicit enabler. I'm still calling them, ten or twelve of them every day, but the feeling of hopelessness (and an amount of terror that is almost immobilizing me; don't let the calls fool you; I'm not functioning), is overwhelming.
However, Heather's close friend, historian Joanne Freeman, emphasized that these call still matter. Not the content so much; we're not trying to "convince" them. But the numbers, the numbers of calls registered against this coup, the number of Americans who actually know and are announcing that they know what is going on DOES MATTER.
Here's the list I'm using right now. Say whatever the heck you want to get your point across. Call off hours like I do if you don't really want to interact with anyone. The calls will still be counted:
Thank you for your comment, Don. It means a lot right now.
I've been going through hell in my personal life. It's not a problem of not remembering or wanting to take care of myself too. But rather levels of anxiety that are so extraordinarily high that they don't allow me to properly care for myself. I'm getting help, good help, but it's at a very bad point right now. It must shift some soon because this is literally unsustainable. I'm writing much too personally on here because of exhaustion. No need to respond. I just get a compulsion to explain that there are times when we can try our very best to take care of ourselves but be painted into a corner by extraordinary difficulty upon difficulty that make it nearly impossible.
Yes, you are exactly right. Try to isolate the issues you are dealing with from each other. Treat them one at a time, then move to the next one. Then rest when you’re exhausted until you’re ready again. Above all, get mental health help and know you are not alone in your terror.
Thanks for this list. Good luck with the Senior Senator from Maine, Susan Collins! I've already written her twice about her abominable decision to support Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence & have not had a response.
Collins is always, always a disappointment. She has missed having her "Margaret Chase Smith moment" many times during her career. But she has already announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026, so perhaps she fears getting primaried, if she doesn't surrender in advance.
She is a phenomenal disappointment. I don’t get her. She doesn’t strike me as totally amoral, and yet she never actually stands up for the right thing. She’s like a vapid empty vessel of….God knows what.
Nomi, I think your voice is first voice I’ve heard that thinks there are possibly 12 Republican senators that have a conscience. I was shocked by Lisa Murkowski voting for Vaught. Your question is chilling! Why don’t they band together and stand up as we slowly walk into this next iteration of our form of government. That nobody asked for.
I recently switched out my recurring contributions to DSCC and and DSCC to ACLU, Indivisible, and Public Citizen "where the action is". The virtual silence from the members of the legislative branch speaks volumes. The silence from the fourth estate is equally deafening. Symbolic, to be sure, but when the N Y Times headlines I receive each morning appeared in my e-mail without any mention of the Super Bowl outcome it struck me as emblematic of even the Gray Lady's failure to tell it like it is. Fortunately, we all have HCR performing the function for us.
I can’t say I’m sure of the exact number. But I do feel there are still enough that publicly banding together could make a difference, even the difference. Why they won’t do this is, in informal terms, a crime against humanity. Their oath demands it.
Thank you, Nomi, for taking the time to compile this list and share it. I don't want to be negative but including John Cornyn on this list is a mistake. I lived in Texas for 24 years with Cornyn as my senator. He's never done the right thing, so don't expect much from him. However, I'd still love for people to flood his office with calls. At the very least, make him uncomfortable.
Self-care is critical, crucial. Our sanity is the most important thing. (Not gun rights, haha. So crazy. The American public will never go for that. Take care of ourselves and carry on with the calls when and if we can!)
Are you assuming there are ANY sane Republicans in Congress? I live in western Mississippi. My Representative [Bennie Thompson] is the lone Democrat from Mississippi in Congress. He has certainly held up the democratic ideals of this nation. My Senators are both Republicans who, if there is no chance it will change the outcome, may demonstrate some independence from tRump. Otherwise, they show every indication they are thinking only of their next career challenge AND NOT at all what history may have to say about their profiles in spinelessness! Their aides will listen politely to any upset with their positions, but are "taking notes to be sure the Senator is aware of my position." I see NO evidence from this deep red state that the Republican Party has any sane elected members. Of course, I see little evidence that there are many Democratic Party members in positions of "power" who have yet given up on the neoliberal economic and political positions that have hamstrung the Party since at least Clinton. I wish I could call myself a Democrat any more, but the Party I used to identify with left me at least 33 years ago. I feel much closer to Bernie Sanders and AOC than to any Democrat I've been allowed to vote for in recent years. Bennie Thompson is certainly not "perfect," but he is certainly head and shoulders above too many of his Democratic colleagues in Congress.
I agree. And the Democratic party needs a plan to save our democracy, and they should begin by explaining what is actually happening: that our Constitution has been flushed down the toilet by Congress so as to enable a coup d'etat by the rich folks.
Time is running out. We will wake up to the news that Congress has been disbanded and that Trump is now king. Mass arrests, public executions and concentration camps will follow in short order, and the so-called right to bear arms will be the first to disappear.
Yes, it will seem impossible that such a thing could happen to us. I mean we practically invented democracy didn't we?
Maybe David, consider that: 1. The first that needs to happen now is that the DNC restructures itself for action, or disbands. 2. Guantanamo IS already the first Concentration Camp, and it is already filling up, but has room for 60,000. 3. The Greeks invented Democracy and it too failed, it is such a fragile, beautiful thing that if you leave it in the dark it dies.
The DNC is in the process to "restructuring" NOW to address coup II realities. That is why KEN MARTIN earned (not won) the new DNC Chairman position after his successful "restructuring" of Minnesota precincts including many down ballot election victories. But, we need much more than a restructured DNC.
As to Marbury vs, Madison holding that Courts "say what the law is", that is 1 reason I became a lawyer. So far since noon 1/2025 Trump II has LOST every single case with 30 more cases pending in federal Court dockets but, only for the last 3 weeks.
Bryan, while tRump II may have lost every single case I have yet seen NO ACTION arising from court decisions halting Musk’s rampage through the treasury and most all other government computers issuing payments. Where is the action which should arise from court orders to HALT, CEASE and DESIST?! As to helping just the rich, I think HCR clarified that Musk has apparently gone after all the many parts of government which have initiated investigations into HIS companies or are paying HIS competitors.
Yes, of course the Greeks invented democracy, but I don't believe their slaves could vote. And the Guantanamo camp was established to quickly isolate suspected terrorists in a singular moment of national fear and a certain amount of craziness about the Muslim world and the threat it really represented, though the camp's superficial similarity to the Nazi death camps should be enough to give us pause.
And discovering just how fragile our democracy is is a revelation for most Americans.
What was really creepy about Guantanamo is the government's argument that those arrested merited no protection from the Constitution or international treaties, and that torture was legitimate so long as we were the ones doing it. It was major breach of rule of law. Also the notion that the unverified suspicion that Iraq was a real and present threat to the US justified a full scale invasion. It seems to me that those distortions of our concepts of presidential and criminal due process have never been adequately corrected, have distorted our society since, and partly paved the way for the reckless over-reach of Trump.
No, Frank, of course not. She's a serious person, an accomplished historian and university professor with a reputation to worry about.
But Trump, Musk and the limp willed GOP are trying to finish off
40+ years of political subversion with a flashy, in your face, nothing-subtle-about-it, way too clever, banana republic coup d'etat, and their lemming-like followers, who have sold their souls for empty promises and a few moments of glory, are pulling us over the cliff with them.
I mean, am I the only one out here who's worried about losing an extremely modest 3-digit Social Security check? And if the US goes down this rathole, won't a lot of other countries be right behind us?
Won't it be great? Grunting, stupidly grinning gringos, standing in line for their gruel, as Musk checks out and heads for Mars. What an ignominious end to our democracy!
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Trump manufacture an excuse to keep himself in office unlawfully, and to find some illegal pretext for canceling midterm elections.
Joan, there are more elections in 2025 than there were in 2024. The Republicans have taken advantage of these local elections by almost always running one or more candidates without any Democrats or Independents running. We need to make sure the next generation is engaged.
Some of them are fools, but some of them have had death threats to their families. I still think if enough of them said enough, it would be at least some brakes on.
Remember what happened to Nancy Pelosi’s husband. Then look at your own loved ones. I am filled with admiration that so many in Congress fight on anyway.
The Republicans mocked this attack by making all sorts of trashy and false claims about Paul Pelosi’s attack. The criminal who attacked Paul Pelosi was a QAnon nutcase who knew very well what he was doing and wound up fracturing Paul Pelosi’s skull. The nutcase went to the Pelosi home to attack Speaker Pelosi, but she was in Washington.
George Washington had a great big target on his back for the redcoats to fire on. Did he go home?
Charles de Gaulle had two targets on his back: one for Germany and one for Vichy. Did he stop his resistance?
Jean Moulin had a target on his back, for the Gestapo. They got him, but do you think, as he died from his torture wounds on his way to Germany, that he regretted one minute standing up for the freedom of his country and organising the internal Resistance in France?
Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned multiple times and was threatened by many different people, from the British to Hindu nationalists to Islamists. A Hindu nationalist murdered him in the end, but not before he had finished his most important work.
And so on. I know not everyone has the guts to stand up to bullying and threats, but to see so many spineless politicians is disheartening.
Sophie, you just said (much more articulately than my sputtering profanity does) what I think about today's non-MAGA Republikkkans. Cowards, one and all, abdicating their duty and dishonoring their oaths.
Yes, I just wrote similar in my comment. I believe there are a small number 10-12 or so, in the Senate who are actually against what is going on, who have some degree of conscience. But death threats to your family will shut up most people, and for sure they are happening. HOWEVER: I believe there are enough non-MAGA Republicans who, if they would just band the hell together, would have the power of numbers. They're not going to kill them if they went public with the threats. They have a constitutional duty to do this. By not doing it, they are complicit, egregiously breaking their oath, living examples of the definition of The Banality of Evil.
Welp..Bruce, "the bully" in chief, received a reasonably favorable, meaning apparently spontaneous, reception at the football game. His fan-base is alive and kicking. To them he's no bully, he's gettin "it" done. "It" being the operative word his fans would be hard-pressed to respond to. At least in any detail that would hold water. They're not being bullied, they're infatuated by the grandiosity of "it". They've prayed for "it". The Devil launched that bullet and their prayers (ahead of time) prevented his demise. Is there any reason not to be thankful (to the Lord). No! The same bunch will understand the Devil (make that D for Democrat) will make things 'the thug' and 'Musk-nuts' are trying to accomplish painful for us. But, prayers will help those clowns deliver glory in the long run. Dummo-crats ARE the bully. Listen.., our lawmakers aren't spineless.., we let the good ones down, didn't we? Huh? Yeah! This mess is going to have to wear itself out. Lacking any other guidance,we have spiritual leadership at 1600 Pornhub. She, may be the only way out. Take it awayyyy..., Paula White-CAIN.., let us pray.
Do they think the Democrats in Congress haven't been threatened? Do they think for one minute that Nancy Pelosi, AOC or Elizabeth Warren aren't getting death threats daily? And yet all of them still stand up for what's right. I wish the spineless cowards would just quit. That should get the crazies off their backs and maybe we'd have a chance at true representation.
I am sure they have, but the Rs who disagree haven't figured out that if they came together, they could break this. They are also afraid of being primaried and in that they should just show some spine for the country.
I wish they'd roll the dice and take their chance on primaries versus throwing the country under the bus. But of course, we're talking about Republicans who don't care about anything other than themselves. I am a bit surprised they're allowing Mump the power of the purse though. That makes them irrelevant. I wonder: are they worried about Trump disbanding Congress? Then who would care about them?
At the time of the events of Jan 6, 2021, there were 139 members of the House and 8 Senators who voted to overturn the election results. I haven't cross-checked to see how many are still there, but regardless, none of them were held to account for their acts of sedition. I don't know iff this link will work, but give it a try:
ARE there any sane Republicans in Congress? Are any of them looking at all this and saying "Oh, my! THIS isn't right!"? Because if they are, then they are the most snivelling cowards in our country's history. I wait every day for just ONE of them, however minor a figure, to stand up and say "NO!"
Tillis has been making excuses for Trump’s behavior, which he knows very well is both illegal and unconstitutional. The Republicans will do nothing to stop Trump, and he wants to defy the courts if they try reining in his behavior.
Lady E, do you mean "go to the mat" as in the wrestling mat/boxing ring, or to the mattress, as in nap time? I read this as "dump ffpotus and start to fight."
You never saw "The Godfather"? It's a Mafia term - means sending your family away to safety - and all the fighters gather together to prepare. Comes from when they'd all sleep in one location - and had to use mattresses on the floor.
They're afraid of stepping out of bounds and getting primaried by Trump or his minions. Or getting death threats. But I'm hoping people get so sick of this nonsense that they turn out a bunch of them at midterms., or in special elections coming up soon.
Call your representatives. Call each Senator and your Congressional representative. Call the DC office of each and a local office of each. That's 6 calls. Make them short. I am _____, a resident of _____. I do not like Musk in the Treasury payment system. I trust you agree. (or whatever you want to say) Make it short. Control the rage.
Unfortunately, "Sane Republicans" is now, officially, an oxymoron. If one appears, we'll have to catch it for observation. MAGApublicans control the party and back The Orange Dictator to the END.
Thank you for recognizing civil servants, Heather! My partner was fired from their DEI position in the federal government. My colleagues and I are resisting fascism and saving democracy by gathering evidence of Musk and his minions' crimes: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/no-one-elected-elon
Sending my best wishes to you and your husband. Ignoring worker's rights is a significant injustice. Loyal service, smarts, and hard work benefits society -- and such workers deserve to be treated with dignity.
Wake up America …when the jobless rate surpasses that of the Great Depression and we sink lower in the world eyes than T’s current ‘ratings’ / ‘rantings’…….when ..when…THEN?
Y'all are whistling past the graveyard. Unfortunately, Trump/Musk and their cult are on the winning side right now until some significant event occurs to change that. I don't know what that event might be, but it cannot be something subtle.
These global criminals have been seducing and violently forcing their way into political power from the financial shadows for decades. They are joyously displaying their innate corruption and insane ambition to the world now that they have grabbed the White House. However, the third law of thermodynamics can not ever be sidestepped and the entropically resistant have no choice but to react in kind 🐈⬛
They are, no road blocks in sight. Project 2025 planned well. Chump was smart to lie about it, and MAGAts were blinded by love for the devil. They (and us) will get what they serve
Momentum is great… that is, until you run into a wall… then, it’s not so great, not so great at all!! That’s what I’m looking for…. the sooner the better.
Joe, it's going to be hard to look under all the stones which have been piled up by Trump to try to block our path of resistance to his illegal and unjust actions. By all means, let's make it easier to obtain guns, and harder to obtain health care. Let's loosen gun control laws and strengthen laws that will harm so many. Let's support gun totin' by dangerous thugs, and not support help for the veterans who faced guns in defense of our freedoms. Let's say the right to own guns is more important than the right to obtain a decent education or a decent wages, or to be assured the right to vote. Let's put more guns on the street and take away more books from the schools. Let's say we believe in law and order, and then let dangerous criminals out to draw their guns and threaten innocent citizens into doing their bidding. Trump talks out of both sides of his mouth and his two faces, and would love to take us back to the wild west, where guns are drawn and rights are erased.
I think it's mistake to assume that all the courts are 100% onboard with scotus 2025.
Here for example is what judge Coughenhour (a reagan appointee) said about T's Birthright Citizenship proclamation the other day from the bench of a Washington District Court as he issued a temporary restraining order :
“I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented was as clear,” Coughenour said.
“Where were the lawyers” when the decision to sign the executive order was made, the judge asked. He said that it “boggled” his mind that a member of the bar would claim the order was constitutional.
You simply cannot assume that the courts are unpersuadable that this guy's dangerous, it's just taken them a while to arrive at the table.
nobody is an expert in what "won't work", and a pro might be more likely to pick the thing that would surely work, and fail because he didn't pick the core issue - Jack Smith, I believe, made that mistake calling it "election interference", when insurrection is starring you right in the face saying "uh, hellloooooo"
I think the core issue is with the Republican- led Congress who has allowed Donald Trump to keep doing what he and Project 2025 hope to accomplish. They've had chance after chance to stop him, or at least slow him down. They won't dare defy him on anything.
I have been thankful that the Attorneys General, judges and lawyers have stepped up to try to put a halt to this madness, which most likely wouldn't be happening had not Republican Congress members lost their integrity and their spine. We'll see what happens.
Here’s the problem -> person defies court order -> judge finds him in contempt of court -> tells federal marshal to go arrest him -> Trump tells head of US Marshals Svc to stand down. Then what?
You got to take back social media first. Then provide a leader that campaigns more than complains? Anyone know of Biden’s top ten accomplishments? Trump published those upon leaving the office last time.
A U.S. Economic Blackout — a nationwide economic protest — is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. On this day, participants are encouraged to refrain from making any purchases, both online and in-store, from large corporations. The aim is to demonstrate the collective power of consumers and to advocate for economic change. Essential purchases, such as paying bills and buying necessities, are generally considered acceptable, but the emphasis will be on minimizing non-essential spending to make a significant economic impact.
The other team doesn't have a choice either. They been planning this takeover for years and invested billions. They are here for the long run, not for just for a couple of years and loose everything in the midterm election. Brace yourself Rosemary.
The Choice has been made…too many people call themselves Christians who worship the tin god that they have created. They are ”anti-abortion zealots, would-be censors, homophobes, bigots and latter-day Elmer Gantry’s.” I know them, we all know them, the republican Party embraced them. Unwise is the nicest thing one can say. They have sold us to the traitors. We can blather on, but to what end.
We will keep our democracy only if we fight for it. That Vance should float a threat to ignore the judiciary is an outrage and should result in calls for his head, mass protests verging on violence, clogged telephone switchboards in Congress demanding his resignation or impeachment.
.
Ask yourself: What am I doing to preserve our Constitution?
As today more affidavit comes through, that people are beginning to see the ‘COUP’ for what it is. It heartens me though progress is far slower than they. This means far more will fall having played their part in this ‘COUP’ and every.one.of.them. should realize the consequences that haven’t been exacted for far too long a time.
It’s when it hits home that’s when people pay attention.
What will be the costs?
Well how far will we.the.people. let them go? That’s how far…
Savings will be gone.
IRAs will be gone.
The Stock Market
The credit AND credibility of the US…gone,gone,and more gone
BUT…there will always remain the cons who saw to it .
(I hope many are in jail..stop this steal anytime you’d like)
Personal contact. I have many Republican friends, even family. A few informed me they had made a mistake, didn’t know, saw through Trumps thin disguise shortly after T-1 in 2016. But now more are saying this, triple times in fact- in far less the time span (of the T-2.0).
People , including myself at times, make mistakes. People get sucked in ,from their own makeups/reasonings. I rarely ‘give up’ on people-may stay distant , may walk away (for long periods). Differences of opinion are usually ways for me to question my own belief system ( systems) , I will listen to their different ‘take’, respect perhaps.
There’s so much common thought process clouded by intention division tactics…that’s how autocrats work ‘their people’..long before casting them aside/under the bus/“you’re fired”. Classic.
Now I understand. Keep up the good work. I hope the ppl you are talking to tell others. Ps what was it that that occurred that made them have second thoughts?
''In fact, it is the right to vote for the lawmakers who make up our government that is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans.''
Agreed. The right to vote is the foundation of democracy. It ensures that power remains in the hands of the people, allowing them to hold leaders accountable, shape policies, and push for change. Without it, democracy collapses into authoritarianism, where a select few control the fate of many.
A contrasting view (would we could have a through discussion of it between HCR and Mt. Milman) can be found in a companion piece to HCR’s powerful message today -- Noah Milman’s opinion piece in today’s (2/10/2025) NYTimes. An early observation there notes the “ scope of President Trump’s challenge to the existing constitutional order — largely through a blitzkrieg of executive orders, many of them in blatant disregard of established precedent and legislation — suggests we may be in the process of (a) discontinuous and disruptive moment.”
Only if we get in the streets en masse, repeatedly, to nonviolently demand that Trump's authoritarian actions come to a halt. Work stoppages. Civil disobedience. That is how democracy MIGHT prevail. There is nothing fated about it. It is up to us.
I posted this to Joyce Vance’s comments section last week, and several people there found it helpful, so I am sharing it here too.
We’re often told that our representatives in Washington pay attention to what their voters are telling them. So, we need to be telling them what we think. So, I am trying to get in the habit of letting them know what I am thinking. Maybe you could do that too. But if you are unaccustomed to calling your Senators or Congressperson, you might be a little uncomfortable with it.
Maybe this will help:
For one thing, in my experience, my calls have always (so far) gone to voicemail. So, if your stressed about actually talking to a live senator or staffer, I am thinking the likelihood of that is small.
I keep the phone numbers for my Senators and Congressman in my contacts list on my cell phone. That way I don’t have to look them up when I get the urge to call. However, before making a call, I jot down a few notes, summarizing what I plan to say, what I am asking them to do. Referring to the notes helps me avoid going blank or getting off on a tangent once I am on the call. Be brief and to the point. Be polite and friendly. Really, there is not much to gained by calling your senator to tell them there is no chance in hell you’d ever vote for her.
I don’t request a callback. I just want them to know what I am thinking.
If you don’t know who your congressperson is (how quickly we forget), just go to
Thanks for posting these links. I suggest that while at that site, you save the phone numbers for both of their DC and local offices. The Congress’ switchboard in DC has been so overwhelmed with calls, it crashed last Monday. You are more likely to get through to their direct lines. I found the DC clerks I talked to polite and helpful, but at the local office, they were more willing to chat beyond taking a brief message. Keep your messages short and specific to one or two issues. Make multiple calls if you need to, but they tally call topics and give the representative a count of calls for/against the top topics for the day.
Yes, MLM, it was a lengthy email that responded to the concerns many of her constituents expressed to her office. Not all is well, though— she voted to confirm a couple nominees.
The American people have responded to Presidents Musk and Trump with vigor. I'm sure many of the calls they receive are nasty and therefore, they let them go to voicemail, plus many people think that threatening their representatives is helpful for some reason. I can understand why they want to listen to the voice mails.
If you prefer to send email or mail instead, you don't need to be concerned with arguing with someone on the other end of the phone. Since the offices are being bombarded, with correspondence, all they really have time to do is tabulate "for" and "against" on any topic.
So keep it brief. If you want to weigh in on more than one topic, call multiple times.
How often do you call? Do you call each time only about a single issue? I understand that calls are logged and the staffers try to sort them under topics to give a tally yea or nay on an issue.
I wish I could claim I called every time I read Heather every morning, but I don't. More like a couple of times a week. I spend more time preparing my notes for the call than actually talking.
Also I've found at least for Senator Britt, there is time limit on the length of a message. If brevity is the soul of wit, I am going to need to be more witty.
A friend wrote this letter to his Nevada rep and gave me permission to post it for others to adapt:
Dear Representative Amodei,
In your email to constituents dated February 7th,”The Amodei Report: Roundup of Presidential Actions”, you stated that “while some of [President Trump’s executive] actions may be controversial, it is important to note that they have all been executed within the framework of democracy.”
I beg to differ, Sir! Federal judges of the United States disagree with you, vehemently!
In less than 3 weeks on the job, President Trump’s administration has been sued over his executive orders in court 41 separate times. This is a record for any president in our history. A running record of these lawsuits can be found at Just Security’s online litigation tracker, here: https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/
In addition to the large number of lawsuits, several restraining orders have already been issued against Trump’s actions by federal judges, including a judge appointed by Trump himself. These include restraining orders against:
--- Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze, cutting off funding for Head Start, school meal programs, access to SNAP and WIC program benefits, and halting critical medical research.
Do you agree with cutting off federal funds for these vital programs, Mr. Amodei?
— Trump’s DOGE access to the Treasury Payment System. Some experts are calling this DOGE action the largest digital data breach in U.S. history, with millions of Americans’ social security numbers, Medicare health histories, bank account numbers, and financial records having potentially been exposed. There are doubts now about the system’s vulnerability to future hacking attempts.
Do you condone this activity, Mr. Amodei?
— Trump’s order ending Birthright Citizenship, in contravention of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, nominated to the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, said in blocking Trump’s order that “it has become ever more apparent that, to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals. The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for his political or personal gain. Nevertheless, in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.”
Judge Coughenour went on to say: “I said this two weeks ago, and I’ll say it again today: There are moments in the world’s history when people look back and ask, ‘Where were the lawyers, where were the judges?’ In these moments, the rule of law becomes especially vulnerable. I refuse to let that beacon go dark today.”
Gee, Mr. Amodei, it doesn’t sound like this federal judge agrees with your opinion that Trump’s orders are being “executed within the framework of democracy.” Phrases such as “blatantly unconstitutional”, “moments in world history…the rule of law becomes especially vulnerable”, “where were the lawyers?”, “the rule of law is something for [Trump] … to navigate around or ignore”… these phrases do not comport with the idea of Trump “execut[ing] within the framework of democracy.”
Mr. Amodei, I suggest you start thinking for yourself and stop simply parroting GOP talking points. Our democracy and our Constitution are under attack from a lawless president. I recommend you think more deeply about your oath to support and defend the Constitution, and about your future place in history.
I note that you have a law degree and have practiced law for over 20 years prior to becoming a congressman. It seems that Judge Coughenour’s words apply directly to you, Mr. Amodei: “There are moments in the world’s history when people look back and ask ‘Where were the lawyers, where were the judges?”
Where will you be when history looks back on you, Counselor?
Lastly, how about a town hall meeting in your district, Counselor? I went to the “Meet Mark” link on your website, and all I found was your bio and portrait, and list of committees. How about a meeting with your constituents?
Outstanding. We all need to constantly hold our elected representatives' feet to the fire equally forcefully and articulately. They work for us -- force them to report back to us and in public, explain themselves and their betrayal of the Constitution. Or if Dems, in many cases explain their failure to step up immediately and fight ferociously for it, and for us.
The highly illegal actions of the executive branch do not even resemble our U.S. "framework of democracy.” He must be referring to some other democracy he likes. U.S. Legislators write, modify, or repeal laws, not the executive. It falls to the executive to faithfully assure those laws are enforced. At every turn and event of the past four weeks, the legislature has willfully abdicated their constitutional duties ! Why are they being paid ?
Lee - please, my friend says adapt and share away! I have mentioned before here that I am waiting until 1 May, the 101 day point, to assess where we are as a nation. I feel that we need a few Rs to switch to D or I in the House and the Senate and take the majorities away from the Christofascists. Letters like this might lead a few to switch.
Thank you for sharing, and thank your friend for giving permission to use/adapt. Will be sending letters, emails and phone calls this week. Every day. (I live in deep red Indiana)
Done! I’ve thanked him and he’s grateful so many are adapting and sharing.
I have mentioned before here that I am waiting until 1 May, the 101 day point, to assess where we are as a nation. I feel that we need a few Rs to switch to D or I in the House and the Senate and take the majorities away from the Christofascists. Letters like this might lead a few to switch.
As time goes by many RShits are going to be bombarded by their constituents as they find they have no place to sell their peanuts, wheat, etc; inflation is going up, not down; cars now cost 1,000s more; etc, etc, etc.
Remember the “I did this” Joe Biden stickers that MAGIDIOTS were putting on gas pumps? I have friends starting to see those stickers with Orange Hitler pointing at egg prices.
Wow. this outstanding explanation or how our government was designed to work,which the current leaders do not seem to or choose to know or choose to overturn, is SO POWERFUL. This should be out rallying battle cry as it so clearly shows what they are trying to do for them and against we the people. Raise your voices. Thanks. a perfect letter for us today and the generations who hopefully come, still have a democracy and can read
Our representatives in both houses of Congress are mostly not leaders but followers who gladly go whichever way the wind blows. And just now they stagnate performatively making feeble gestures born of uncertainty and fear.
Do these sound like leaders to you? To me, with some notable worthy exceptions, they look like a befuddled herd of cattle. Each representing in a cowering huddle personal position and advantage rather than constituency and principle.
Even more so than MAGA, these who fail to vigorously represent their constituents create the very dark times that now envelop us.
Let’s not keep doing the ‘both sides’ thing. It could not be clearer where the problem lies. Heather, along with everything we see going on, explains it perfectly.
There isn’t “both sides thing”. We are all constituents of our State and District representatives. Every oath of office I’m aware of contains this premise. You are represented … it is the only legitimacy of holding public office. This is simple. Officials elected to public office cannot pick and choose in a democracy who they’d prefer to represent on a single issue. Do not declare, call, write, email, text, and call again. Demand representation on one issue. repeat. You are by definition a constituent.
The cattle herd I referred to knows no party distinction.
The Republican Congress has rolled over for its favorite criminal.
Ali Velshi today spoke with Vladimir Kara-Murza on how this happens -- on how neutered specialists and billionaire techies always serve criminality.
They care only for money, and its corollary, that their platforms seize market share by algorithms grabbing those most prone to hatreds, fears, and sensationalism.
Our schools could counter this tech billionaire vulgarity. Could, but can’t, due to earlier triumph – the choke of standardized tests prioritizing thinking by categories, grouped units, and other neutered abstractions.
Every country that sinks to autocracy and dictatorship has first rid humanities from its schools. Group think by cliché, slogans, and other non-teacher-imposed packaging replaces them. Neutered language atomizes specializations thence void of the personal, the arts, and history.
Vladimir Kara-Murza personally paid that price in Russia, just as had Alexei Navalny – just as U.S. tech billionaires are now exacting.
Thank you for writing about Kata-Murza. He is a patriot of the same courage as our Nathan Hale. May he survive all he has undergone physically and continue to speak out.
Thanks for this, Phil. I am going to look up that interview with Kara-Murza. Your assessment of "...just as U.S. tech billionaires are now exacting" is spot on.
In a flash, we've become a bully nation, an aggressor nation and, yes, a fascist nation. And the bad guys have all the big guns. When the history of the Trump era is written, it'll be filed under "T," for Tragedy.
Hopefully also 'T' for Turning Point. Come midterms and next presidential election if the electorate reloads another dose of MAGAism, then it's time to seek out that second passport.
The assumption being that there will even be '26 midterms or any more presidential elections, except in the phoniest, most perfunctory Putin-esque form. Trump and Musk admire despots.
Our states have in many cases become laboratories for authoritarianism and one part control. Republicans gerrymander the states they control to give themselves an artificial majority and to make it look as they have more support than they do. When that happens, voters become passive and cynical and are less willing to vote because they believe their votes don’t matter.
Right you are my attentive friend; Exactly the points I'm leaning at. So, would our righteous case, perhaps undertaken by the ACLU, "taxation without representation" ? Didn't we toss an empire aside for such actions ? Btw Kathy. Please send me a note letting me know if you get or receive this additional comment. I'm trying to see how this whole substack handles such things. Thank you !
AOC, Jasmine Crockett, David Hogg, other members of "the squad". I think you'll see young folks out of Michigan and Wisconsin coming forward as well. The state senators from Tennessee who got thrown out of the legislature and reelected.
Oh I totally agree Ally. However there are seniority issues that must be respected. I suggest many minds might find a palatable solution; Those are certainly needed in these uncertain times. I think we may have to push the seniority leaders for needed solutions. I referred to such ideas a long time ago when I suggested that the Dem party, in order to thrive and become attractive again to voters they've critically lost, will have to find blunt honesty and humility. I can't point back to my statement without digging, but I know I said that around the runup to elections. They've lost so many working class (dirty hands) voters, and I'm sure they won't get them back without humility and blunt honesty. They've allowed via their arrogance, for the gop to define them, their positions,, and even 'words.'
The vast majority of us are terrified. People are actually afraid for their lives and are being fired without cause as entire governmental departments are taken out. Add in the DOGE teenagers/20 year olds who got their hands on the U.S. Treasury data base and payment system and one's brain simply explodes. trump’s intent to annex, purchase, or seize any country that suits his madness is also deeply alarming. Even more disturbing is the fact that his supporters and so-called republican leadership continue to justify and enable his reckless and illegal ambitions. The U.S. is an embarrassment, dangerous and given his inflammatory rhetoric, it’s not far-fetched to imagine facing retaliation from a NATO ally. The situation is utterly insane. The bottom line is this is not going to end well.
Just got slapped with a 25% tariff on Aluminium and I think steel, in addition to the already existing tariffs. Just means we're gonna sell more to China, I suppose. A few more weeks of this and people all over the world will change the supply chains. When that's finished I reckon many will be surprised how little the US is needed by the other 7.7 billion people.
With 38 US military bases and our consecutive governments having sold the country as stationary aircraft carrier and submarine repairshop for the US Army through AUKUS?
Nobody in this country in the last few decades was ever keen on following the US anywhere into their ill-intentioned quarrels, but the US is a bully and Australia has as part of its national character unfortunately a colonial submissiveness imo.
I am of the opinion that court orders for Musk to not do anything related to data are already too late. With days of access the data is long downloaded. With time to insert new code who is to determine if back doors are wide open to the conspirators? I suspect we are in for what Russians experienced after the collapse of the Soviet Union, on steroids.
On Saturday, Indivisible Santa Barbara sponsored a rally. With just 5 day's notice, approximately 1,000 people showed up - 500 people the Unitarian Society and another 500 people filled the gallery and outside courtyard. Congressperson Salud Carbajal and other current and past State and local representatives spoke. One speaker, Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps, inspired us all with the following:
In the face of Chaos, we offer clear-eyed vision.
While they spread hate, we spread hope.
While they spread racism we spread respect.
While they spread fear, we spread facts.
While they spread division, we spread determination.
They are led by a convicted felon, we are led by conviction and faith.
Thank you, Supervisor Capps, for your inspirational and empowering words!
Thanks for writing about this. So many people here (and on other platforms) lament that all is lost, and that no one is doing anything. It seems like that based on what much of MSM reports, but many across the nation -- from Democratic party politicians to regular people to civil servants and beyond -- ARE protesting and fighting back.
In addition to "Letters from an American," Heather Cox Richardson has a great show talking about history, how to fight back, and often appears on shows with others sharing that same goal. I find her shows quite empowering and (counter-intuitive, maybe) optimistic. (You can find her show on YouTube and Facebook -- just search for her name -- and she usually adds info above and beyond what's in her "Letters from an American.")
Musk posted on X “CFPB RIP” with an emoji of a gravestone. Russell Vought, new director of the Office of Budget and Management, ordered that the CFPB staff should cease all investigations.
CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), established as an independent federal agency in 2011, by 2024 had recovered $20 billion for over 30,000,000 consumers in refunds and cancelled debts.
Recent settlements for ‘bait and switch’ include $3 billion with TD Bank and $2 billion from Wells Fargo. On January 14, 2025 Capital One was sued for a ‘bait and switch’ that cost consumers over $2 billion.
CFPB was responsible for ‘consumer protection’ in the financial sector including:
6) other financial institutions operating in the United States.
Banks, credit companies, and others have lobbied heavily to restrict or kill CFPB. During Trump’s initial presidency, CFPB’s activities were seriously constrained.
There has been no government agency in American history that has so effectively protected consumers against large financial institutions. These class action suits recovered over $20 billion for consumers which never would have occurred in singular consumer complaints.
Republicans objected to the creation of CFPB. Many financial institutions are thrilled at CFPB’s likely demise.
In the Musk Stormtrooper Blitzkrieg, the killing of the CFPB so far is the greatest loss to the American consumers. The loss is measurable and despicable.
We need a deep recession. Watch MAGA Musk lose 2/3 of his wealth, sales of his cars flounder and then let's see how much time he has for screwing the federal government.
He can issue all the executive orders he wants, and he and his minions will certainly deface and debase America around the world, but they do not get to write the history books. I don't understand a group of people who want to try once more to take a path that has proven time and again to fail in the end.
They might. They're already re-writing them in Florida to remove the history of slavery because "it might make students uncomfortable." Gee, what are they? Snowflakes?
Florida is trying, I agree. And the Administration is trying to eliminate certain language and references from its publications, but the archives exist and will exist long after they're gone. They will fail in the end.
I'd like to believe that. Right now, on my good days I'm keeping myself within a range of hope. Sadly, it's too early for certainty.
I'd bet the rent that history books in Russia don't include information about how people who defy Putin end up "falling" out of windows and off bridges or that the pages contain chapters about the life of Alexei Navalny or the courage of Vlodymyr Zelensky.
You are correct. A version that covered Stalin in 1937 exists. I read half (it’s 800 pages covering the show trials) and had to quit. Hoping nothing as terrible has to be written about US, but given the Putin connections of DT and Skum, it is possible.
Your comment made me think of Orwell's '1984' and how they would change historical facts and throw the previous published facts down the "memory hole" to erase any evidence that the facts were ever different. Only, nowadays, increasingly there is no physical act of throwing anything in the "memory hole"; just a few pushes of a button and -- poof! -- the web page is republished, undesired information vanishes into the ether, and nobody may ever know any different. That article from WaPo you read a year ago that said such-and-such about so-and-so? When you go back to cite it for research, it suddenly no longer says what it used to.
We actually are living in "1984" and "Animal Farm". And, yes websites are being taken down and we know that if they return, information will have been altered! It is scary as shit right now, as there is no way out. How in heavens name trump is getting away with his illegal stuff and people accept his lying hateful vitriol spewing from a firehose (my visual) is beyond me. They are as evil as he is!
Dear Janet - I too cannot understand how people, MAGA supporters in particular, accept the untruths Trump and his minions are putting out. My neighbor voted for Trump and truly believes that Trump is good for the nation and that Trump will straighten the country out once and for all. His attitude boggles the mind.
I have a couple of golfing friends who are trumpsters and are so terribly misinformed (to say nothing of how this man speaks), I am limiting my time with them and may just cut ties altogether and let them know why . . . they clearly don't share my values, don't have a clue what they are talking about, and I have zero respect for them . . . certainly doesn't make for a compatible friendship!!
This is my life, L. Murphy. My former work cohort (I've quit calling them friends) are all aboard this garbage that is coming out. Most of them are thrilled with the USAID "waste" they are reporting on, which also includes disinformation they are being fed.
I have had to come to the realization that this is what they want.
Evil describes it best, while claiming the Christian god as their own. Me thinks a surprise may be in store, but they don’t believe their own bull Schitt.
They are, and they have political activist liars like Chris Rufo lying about the actual accurate teaching of history. They want to ignore the dark side of our history and pretend it never happened.
This raises an issue that, when sanity returns to our government, needs to addressed: the use and abuse of the Executive Order. There needs to be restrictions placed on the use of them. They are not meant to replace, override or supplant existing legislation. They way Trump is using them lays waste to the ideas of separation of powers and the checks and balances built into the Constitution from its inception.
The fact that we have members of the legislative branch who are willing to ignore that and permit Trump run roughshod over the Constitution is beyond deplorable.
Executive Orders are just the beginning. He, or his handlers, also created a new department (DOGE) and staffed it with no Congressional oversight (for what that's worth right now). The unelected, unconfirmed individuals running this department have been given, or seized, tremendous powers, including full access to the US Treasury payment system. I fear this is just the beginning. How many more pseudo-departments will be created, staffed with individuals who are answerable to no one but Trump or his handlers?
It's not a new department at all. At one point it was supposed to be attached to the OMB, but now it appears to be working somewhere very near the White House. There are three lawsuits (all filed on 20 January) — one filed by the progressive consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen, another by the pro-democracy organization Democracy Forward and a third by public-interest firm National Security Counselors — that allege that DOGE shouldn’t be considered a federal agency but rather an advisory committee. They argue that not setting up DOGE as an advisory committee violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 which, among other requirements, states that all meetings are public record and that its membership be “fairly balanced” in its points of view. They seem to have now been consolidated by the DoJ into a single lawsuit.
Well, I guess he will continue to create them until he has built the government he has obviously designed in his head. I don't really care how delusional he is, just don't inflict it on the rest of us.
Yes. This is an intentional blitzkrieg to overwhelm the usual administrative, legislative and judicial processes. It takes an army of people to keep up with the orders and how to address them through courts or other avenues.
One, winners write history books. So far, Trump/Musk are winning. Second, they don't care about how history will treat them; they just care about power now.
The victors always seem to get to rewrite the history books. All the more reason to defeat this fascist takeover of our Federal government. Do you think the world today would generally know about the Holocaust if we hadn't defeated Hitler and his fascists?
Of course they get to write the history books if they continue to rule us fools. They have been rewriting for decades. School kids have learned some bullschittery in most states. If HCR is writing for the historians in 150 years (I read that somewhere), then it may be what muskrat has approved. Or Putin, or any oligarch even more ruthless. Maybe even HAL, who knows…
We are living, temporarily, I hope, in a time when the grass is purple and the sky is orange because the Emperors said that those are the colors of the day. Who knows what colors the grass and the sky will be tomorrow? Who knows how long it will take before the people start believing their own eyes and stop believing the Emperors' lies? I hope that resistance will spread throughout the land of "we, the people" soon, and that will not require the justification of the Second Amendment in order to succeed.
This! People have been groomed to ignore their own perceptions and their intuition, their OWN KNOWING, in favor first of religion, then science, and now gaslighting “leaders.” In these times, acting on what we KNOW, while being told we are incorrect, is a revolutionary act.
This internal coup--or autogolpe as Paul Krugman has labeled it--continues to unfold. We can rejoice that a few judges have stood up for our democracy. But we have to wonder how long they can hold. Especially when there is no movement from the Republicans in Congress. I fear for our country. We've lasted 250 years...let's hope 2025 does not mark the end of our democracy.
As to the judiciary: the only way to truly gut it is through the Supreme Court and it is already packed with pro-MAGA.
Some have said that when these cases reach them they will turn on the Musk/Trump consortium and protect the power of congress to likewise protect their own domain.
I am not sure of that at all.
If they are paid enough, and I am sure that is part of the mix, this corrupt crop of “Justices” will almost certainly take the money.
This is not going to end well for Trump and Musk. We’re going to go through hell and back, but I believe we will keep our democracy. We have no choice.
I pray you are right about how this ends, Rosemary. I have no idea how the sane Republicans in Congress can watch this unfolding and do nothing.
Nancy, the late Warren Rudman, senator from my home state of NH, warned about this in his memoirs years ago:
"The Republican Party is making a terrible mistake if it appears to ally itself with the Christian right. There are some fine, sincere people in its ranks, but there are also enough anti-abortion zealots, would-be censors, homophobes, bigots and latter-day Elmer Gantrys to discredit any party that is unwise enough to embrace such a group."
He was prescient.
I’ve told Sen Susan Collins how badly she has put herself to shame in the light of her predecessor from ME, Margaret Chase Smith, who also called out Senate and McCarthy in her Declaration of Conscience (1950
Heather Cox: You write well on the issues and the motivations of the trump mafia which exist only for self-aggrandizement and wealth. We know this. He currently enjoys 53% or more approval rating which is atrocious. If we are to succeed in vindicating ourselves from this evil, we must adopt some of the popular issues in fact that he supports. Search your souls. Don’t get locked in partisan issues that are destined to fail. Intelligent folks learn to adopt. We can too. But my hunch is that we will stay locked in self-righteousness and fight losing battles.
CBS is being sued by the orange fucktard, like everyone else he thinks is mean to him.
Ya think maybe their numbers are bullshit ?
was just thinking the same thing... you cannot trust the polls, especially if they say 53% approve....
Jen, I thought CBS caved and settled by offering him $15 million.
Dont know where you get your facts Bill.
X% Approval Ratings . com??
I believe I heard that statistic yesterday on the Face The Nation broadcast, saying it was a CBS (or CNN?) poll?
I was so upset by the first 2 minutes of it, I had to turn it off.
Bill makes things up to get attention. He thrives on being contrary. Much like the Orange One.
I don’t recall but I do not suscribe to X. That was deactivated a while ago.
I find these polls very questionable.
"...........we must adopt some of the popular issues in fact that he supports." Would you be helpful enough to provide us a list? All this gish galloping makes it difficult to even know where to start.
No we cannot give one inch not one millimeter to Trump. That's what the GOP has been doing on a total slippery slope since Nixon. They're all crooks by virtue of giving in at all. Never.
This STOPS NOW
Those 53%-ers only listen/read the orange dough nut's sanctioned information/media
BS
Margaret Chase Smith. God love her.
Susan I'm Concerned Collins? She'll never speak up.
Doug, whether you call them, "the Christian Right, white Christian Nationalists, Evangelicals", they are all greedy Fascists that think that Trump and Musk will shower them with wealth.
We need to call them out in the churches across America, asking why they aren't tithing as the Bible COMMANDS them to do many many times. If Musk and Trump alone donated 10% of their actual annual haul, there would be no hungry or homeless people in the US. the Bible is very specific about how to donate your 10%. Churches need to publish their lists of donors.
The Republicans also REFUSE to raise the minimum wage. While the Waltons and the Bezos get richer and richer, they fight to keep their workers from unionizing.
Harlan Crowe is willing to give away free trips and write off loans to the Supremes but does he tithe?
All these hypocritical so-called Christians do is take, take, take and fuck over anyone they can to obtain more wealth than 1000 families spend in a lifetime.
As a recovering evangelical, I can respond with considerable knowledge about ... What. Evangelicals. Want.
There is a strain of evangelicals who believe in The Prosperity Gospel, which claims that the more a believer "invests in God's work," the more likely they will become rich. This is the gospel offered by televangelists for obvious reasons. Paula White, Donald's new faith guru, is a leading proponent of Prosperity Gospel, again, for obvious reasons.
It should be noted that Prosperity Gospel proponents always build a back door into their scheme: If the faithful "give sacrificially" and don't become wealthy, it's because "there's unconfessed sin in their lives."
There are many who fall for this scam, but they are a minority of evangelicals.
Most evangelicals imagine that they have been "persecuted" because of their faith* and they want revenge. Revenge, of course, is sin, so they couch their desire for retribution in more "spiritual" terms. They want this "christian nation to turn back to God and be led by leaders who follow biblical principles." This is just preachy-talk encoded to mask their intention to ram their personal list of "should-nots and must-nots" down everybody else's throats and force them to live under the same repression. The desire of evangelicals is power and control.
*When you are taught from birth that your way is the only right way, "because God said so," any disagreement you encounter is interpreted as persecution.
Dale, Great post. Thanks.
Thanks, Dale. Yours is a fair statement about evangelicals, IMO. They are good at couching their real intentions or motives in what we called "religious speak." (I lived 10 years in a Catholic evangelical community like Amy Coney Barret's.)I never fell for the religious speak bantered about by some in the community -- maybe I examined my motives a little deeper than they did. Yes, so much religious speak!
Religion is about power. Corrupt.
Look at all the magnificent churches in Europe, built by the blood of peasants.
Nowadays they build them with far less grandeur. Except the megacurches, those are still monuments to the ego of man.
Jen, I agree about The corrupting power of religion, but I disagree about European cathedrals. I've been an atheist/agnost for over 50 years, but I marvel at the architecture of cathedrals. I've only seen them in France and England, where I visited them at every opportunity.
Have you ever read Ken Follett's trilogy about the building of a cathedral, starting with The Pillars of the Earth? It's a fascinating fictional account that speaks of vision, faith, community, and greed.
Jen, I disagree just a smidge. Religion – even "good" religion – is overwhelmingly about control. Granted, evangelicals are currently seeking power, but the end-game is control. Having power alone just means the powerful get to do whatever they want, which typically involves satisfying their own selfish urges. By contrast, christo-fascists want power so they can force you and me to do what they consider to be right and not do what they believe is wrong.
Regarding religious architecture, I'll go along with "corrupt," as long as we define it as "contamination." By that, I mean there are mixed motivations behind building grand religious structures; some are vulgar and some are noble. True, many build cathedrals as monuments to themselves or their wealth or architectural prowess, or some other self-aggrandizement. But many of the faithful willingly contribute to these elaborate projects as acts of devotion or with the hope that worshipers will be inspired to think lofty thoughts, or some other altruistic motivation.
In my experience in different churches, Jen, there are many sincere Christians who really do live the gospel of loving your neighbor in service and sacrifice. I trust you know that too.
I heard David French on a podcast say "White evangelical Christians voted for t.rump 82% to 17%. Everyone else 58% against t.rump to 40% for, so he is the white evangelical "Christian" president...they own him." And they are disgracing Christianity.
White “Christian” nationalism is not a religious movement. It is using religion as a cover for white supremacy. These people are terrorists.
This whole thing, in the name of "Christianity" or what ever Tump wants to call it , really has nothing to do with Christians, to me its the same as watch my right hand while I steal with my left.
The founders were prescient. https://www.amazon.com/Fears-Setting-Sun-Disillusionment-Americas/dp/0691210233
They saw 2025 coming.
Might I suggest that when recommending books, you link to any outlet other than Amazon? Bezos the Coward doesn't need our money.
If there's a small locally owned shop near you order from
Or go to your public library! Jen, What a gift to us all!
Dale, most surely I concur with your sentiment.
I ended up choosing that particular link for the review of the contents at that link. The title alone isn't a good indicator of the content, and I'm confident Bezos never wrote the summary review.
Incidentally, I bought my copy used from an independent book store. The option exists to do that, even through Amazon. Often the best buys there are from Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill outlets.
Ed, I hope you didn't interpret my suggestion as criticism, because that wasn't the reason for my comment. I recommend books on various forums. When I can't find a title with reviews on another site, I'll use the Amazon link with an advisory to buy local or at another online outlet.
I know you're one of the "good guys" or you wouldn't be here.
I also suggest bookshop.org. It’s a B corp that helps to support local bookstores.
Thank you for the title …. I just ordered it!
Fears of aSetting Sun by Rasmussen…just ordered paperback from local bookstore also…then will place in Little Library in my neighborhood. First Amendment must be protected!
Excellent idea!
Putting it mildly, Doug, he was so right. Trump is taking the Republican Train on a race which is burning its tracks behind it. If not a political demolition, are we looking at the early steps to outright political supremacy? I am truly wondering.
Fascism is the goal.
I voted for Warren Rudman in the process of becoming more progressive than NH's current crop of Democrats and I am still an undeclared voter.
I admired the way he civilly debated and worked with MA Senator Paul Tsongas on many issues, especially deficit spending.
Tim, although I never voted for him, I had a great deal of respect for the man. I met him when he was beginning his candidacy for the Senate -- he was hitting my wife's family up for money in the late-1970s down in Florida, where my in-laws had a 2nd home and we were visiting.
He lived in our town, and I did some work for him and his wife at their home.
So did Barry Goldwater.
"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.
Barry Goldwater
Doug, don’t forget Barry Goldwater, a true conservative, on the christians’ involvement in politics way back when; https://www.azquotes.com/quote/602892
Boy was he ever prescient Doug
I agree. I started reading about the rise of the Religious Right in the mid 80’s along with its desire to overturn our Democracy for a Theocracy. It seemed that most of the media never
Doug, Christian Nationalist is an oxymoron! Christian means a follower of the teachings of Christ, i.e feed the hungry, clothe the poor, take care of the sick. No adjective after the word Christian is needed. Their term is a bait and switch!
They are all cowards and will not rise to the occasion. This is the culmination of decades of work to tear this country apart. They can’t win without striking fear. The jig is up. Let’s go!
The judges may be!
Elon Musk: “A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached NOW!”
"… JD Vance: “If a judge tried to tell a General how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the Attorney General in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal. Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power."
If I were the judge I'd enter an order to show cause why they are not in contempt.
Let’s go Rosemary. I am 78 and have always voted to have guns highly regulated in this country. My father taught me early on about the “right to bear arms” was to form a “militia”, not to give every citizen a gun to wield as a fear laser. Guns have one purpose :to kill!
If the traitors in our government think they are going to win through terror and lies…… they best get under their beds. How dare we all accept the mafia mentality of uneducated and seriously angry thugs . The one major thing we must do is make every ugly lie and illegal attempt at stealing our money( taxes) we pay, they don’t ,into huge signs showing every state and who represents them. out on the stage of the world. Every last one of the slimy creepy Heritage foundation members made public every day. Also, every lie blown - into huge screens with how they vote. Every state: Congress members and how they vote!
Resist! Support the real lawyers. Demand the impeachment of SCOTUS maga members!
This can be done. People have to have the truth about their lives.
We cannot be passive just to feel good. That is the recipe for failure of freedom.
They also can't win without cheating!
Sane Republicans in Congress?
No. Through their united vote for Vought, they've all signed on to the game of 'whoever's craziest wins.'
Republicans prove every day that they are 'good Germans'. In other words, they are Nazis. That cannot be denied. Their cowardice must never be forgotten.
Puleeeese, James. Today's Germans are overwhelmingly Pacifists, Democratic and jealously guard the 'rule of Law'. If republicans prove anything, it is that they are "bad Americans". Good Germans "remember their history" when many of the American ignorant don't, or deny the facts.
It was "good Germans" who allowed Hitler and his coterie of toadies and thugs to do all they did. It was also the industrialists who turned their factories to producing the machinery of war. The parallels aren't exact but they are too close for my comfort.
Seems you haven't been in Germany in a while - the AfD, the modern Nazis are second largest party, so there seems to be quite a bit of nostalgia to being the "good old times" back. The Germans go right, the French go left. The Italians also gave fascism another go - looking grim all over the West.
And guess who’s behind the right wing movement? The same adversaries who have co-opted our elections and MSM through disinformation.
Isn't Musk also backing the AfD??
A top hit in 20 years, with some substitute people and places. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmhgcC5dYkE
Bruce, there are plenty of fascists in Germany today, and Democratic Socialists, too. But the term “good German” refers to the Nazi era. Once the full horror of the holocaust became known, Germans who acquiesced to Hitler’s rule sought cover by saying they just followed the law and had no idea that all those bad things were happening (when, of course, most of them were perfectly aware — consider the racial laws that grew year after year in the 30’s, where was the outrage?) In the case of today’s Republicans, it is far worse. They are conciously and publicly witnessing the takeover of the United States government by lawless sociopaths, led by two messianic narcissists, using the same methods that Hitler did. They are cowering in fear for their lives (as has been publicized recently) and allowing atrocities to be committed to our system putting the whole world at incalculable risk. Keep watching.
'good Germans' where the Germans who stayed silent while their neighbors were sent to the gas chambers. Not present day Germans.
bruce, with the "good Germans" in quotes, I read that as the Germans in Nazi Germany who did nothing.
The “Lost Cause” is proof of America’s failure to hold treasonous people accountable.
“MUNICH, Germany (AP) — More than 200,000 protesters rallied in Munich, Germany, on Saturday against far-right extremism ahead of the country’s general election.”
https://apnews.com/article/germany-munich-election-afd-protests-29cdd1441e670a9f13394d2a44f035a5
Thank you Kathy! I just read the apnews article, and felt my heart lift with a modicum of joy; additionally & once again Heather’s clarity added much needed info for me. I feel a deep sense of shame about how destructive our present cowardly ‘leaders’ appear/are to the rest of our former allies. A small group of us, my neighbors and friends plan on writing a letter to each of them about how a majority of us feel with more included obviously. A sort of Letter to The World 🌏
They are the ‘COMPLICIT’
Anne Applebaum wrote a prescient article about this in 2020.
Many Republicans want to mix Religion and government so it doesn’t surprise me that they voted for this Christian Nationalist. Newt Gingrich made Democrats “the enemy” back in the 80’s and the Republicans have united and created obstacles to governance ever since. I think their central mission is to subjugate women, again, as well as make the ultra-wealthy, wealthier.
I hope for the same thing, Nancy, but I wonder, is there a sane Republican left in Congress? Maybe a handful but those good congressional denizens seem to have voluntarily deposited their family jewels into the pockets of the grifting charlatans.
The term "sane Republican" is an oxymoron.
Emphasis, John, on “moron”!!!!
If they’re sane and refuse to kowtow to Trump, they are mocked as RINOS and find themselves primaried out of office and defeated.
I've been asking talking heads to interview Mike Turner, other House Republicans that support Ukraine. .
Elon Musk’s Enemy, USAID, Was Investigating Starlink’s Contracts in Ukraine.
"The Lever reported Tuesday that USAID’s inspector general was in the process of investigating its own public-private partnership between Musk’s Starlink and the Ukrainian government at the time that the billionaire’s DOGE crippled the agency. Publicly available information about that probe is still online. An announcement from last May reads: “The USAID Office of Inspector General, Inspections and Evaluations Division, is initiating an inspection of USAID’s oversight of Starlink satellite terminals provided to the Government of Ukraine. Our objectives are to determine how (1) the Government of Ukraine used the USAID-provided Starlink terminals, and (2) USAID monitored the Government of Ukraine’s use of USAID-provided Starlink terminals.”
"Musk has called the agency “evil” and a “criminal organization,” though the fact that USAID was investigating the Starlink activities may suggest ulterior motivations for the billionaire’s vitriol. It’s unclear what the Starlink probe’s status is right now."
Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio was removed from his position atop the powerful House Intelligence Committee, telling CBS News that House Speaker Mike Johnson fired him, citing "concerns from Mar-a-Lago."
Also interview other House Repunlicans like Brian Fitzpatrick, and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, like my rep, Elvira Salazar.
Some of them are scared to death. There have been numerous reports of legislators and their families getting death threats.
No. Those who are not MAGAts are cowards.
No one left in congress that stands up. Dem or Republican
AOC and Elizabeth Warren, Waltz are screaming at the top of their lungs. Other Dems are also. Republicans are sheep going to the slaughter house
Plus Independent Angus King. Read his "red line' speech!
Even our moderate Dem Chuck Schumer has been visibly out and about with local NY Dems, fighting against disinformation from Rep. Marc Molinaro.
I am proud of Senator Schumer for taking time to fight for Dutchess County and our railroads.
And dragging the rest of us with them.
Democrats and the independents do stand up but the republicans vote along party lines
Let's not forget Jamie Raskin and Adam Schiff.
None in my state. Not one.
I disagree with other comments saying there are no "sane" Republicans in Congress. I believe there is a small, but not ineffectively small number of Republicans who are against the Trump-Musk coup. I'm too exhausted (severe anxiety, sleeplessness, and just made maybe 50 calls to reps and senators) to spell out now why I think they are "sane." But I do not understand the factors that are keeping many of them from banding together and standing up. Yes, some, like McConnell, who happens to be anti-Trump, does not care about ANYONE but himself. But I believe there are others with enough integrity, conscience, and love of democracy that they *should* be honoring their oath, not enabling this coup that will destroy us in ways no native born American can even begin to understand in any experiential way.
Why is this happening? I don't think it's "just politics." My guess is their families are being seriously threatened. That's not at all hard to imagine. My real question is why are they not banding together? Why are they not using the power of numbers and standing up to the threats -- the only way to defang the those threatening them: They can't kill them if they stand up together and expose them. There are still a good dozen senators who could band together. Not only are they not not doing that, but they are complicit. Anyone who voted for Vaught is a complicit enabler. I'm still calling them, ten or twelve of them every day, but the feeling of hopelessness (and an amount of terror that is almost immobilizing me; don't let the calls fool you; I'm not functioning), is overwhelming.
However, Heather's close friend, historian Joanne Freeman, emphasized that these call still matter. Not the content so much; we're not trying to "convince" them. But the numbers, the numbers of calls registered against this coup, the number of Americans who actually know and are announcing that they know what is going on DOES MATTER.
Here's the list I'm using right now. Say whatever the heck you want to get your point across. Call off hours like I do if you don't really want to interact with anyone. The calls will still be counted:
Lisa Murkowski
522 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202)-224-6665
Mitch McConnell
Russell Senate Office Building, 317
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-2541
John Thune
United States Senate SD-511
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2321
Senator Todd Young
185 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5623
John Cornyn
Hart Senate Office Building, 517
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-2934
Bill Cassidy
455 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5824
Joni Ernst
260 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3254
Thom Tillis
113 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6342
Susan Collins
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2523
John Curtis
ST-B11 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5251
You've done a lot- thank you. Remember to take care of yourself, too, resting & recharging when you need to.
Thank you for your comment, Don. It means a lot right now.
I've been going through hell in my personal life. It's not a problem of not remembering or wanting to take care of myself too. But rather levels of anxiety that are so extraordinarily high that they don't allow me to properly care for myself. I'm getting help, good help, but it's at a very bad point right now. It must shift some soon because this is literally unsustainable. I'm writing much too personally on here because of exhaustion. No need to respond. I just get a compulsion to explain that there are times when we can try our very best to take care of ourselves but be painted into a corner by extraordinary difficulty upon difficulty that make it nearly impossible.
Yes, you are exactly right. Try to isolate the issues you are dealing with from each other. Treat them one at a time, then move to the next one. Then rest when you’re exhausted until you’re ready again. Above all, get mental health help and know you are not alone in your terror.
Sending a hug your way. Know that you have friends here.
Your list is helpful and valuable. Thank you for posting it.
Sending a virtual hug, a virtual cup of herbal tea, and purrs from my cats to calm your soul.
Thank you.
Thank you for all that you have done. I love it. Take care.
Thanks for this list. Good luck with the Senior Senator from Maine, Susan Collins! I've already written her twice about her abominable decision to support Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence & have not had a response.
Collins is always, always a disappointment. She has missed having her "Margaret Chase Smith moment" many times during her career. But she has already announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026, so perhaps she fears getting primaried, if she doesn't surrender in advance.
Was she always this namby pamby? Why do Mainers reelect her?
She is a phenomenal disappointment. I don’t get her. She doesn’t strike me as totally amoral, and yet she never actually stands up for the right thing. She’s like a vapid empty vessel of….God knows what.
Nomi, I think your voice is first voice I’ve heard that thinks there are possibly 12 Republican senators that have a conscience. I was shocked by Lisa Murkowski voting for Vaught. Your question is chilling! Why don’t they band together and stand up as we slowly walk into this next iteration of our form of government. That nobody asked for.
As a former Alaskan I watched Murkowski vote against her party on occasions that her vote didn't affect the outcome, same as Susan Collins. Ugh.
Yes, that is when they vote the right way. It’s profoundly disappointing and disturbing.
I recently switched out my recurring contributions to DSCC and and DSCC to ACLU, Indivisible, and Public Citizen "where the action is". The virtual silence from the members of the legislative branch speaks volumes. The silence from the fourth estate is equally deafening. Symbolic, to be sure, but when the N Y Times headlines I receive each morning appeared in my e-mail without any mention of the Super Bowl outcome it struck me as emblematic of even the Gray Lady's failure to tell it like it is. Fortunately, we all have HCR performing the function for us.
I can’t say I’m sure of the exact number. But I do feel there are still enough that publicly banding together could make a difference, even the difference. Why they won’t do this is, in informal terms, a crime against humanity. Their oath demands it.
Nomi, thank you for this information. Please take care of yourself.
Thank you, Nomi, for taking the time to compile this list and share it. I don't want to be negative but including John Cornyn on this list is a mistake. I lived in Texas for 24 years with Cornyn as my senator. He's never done the right thing, so don't expect much from him. However, I'd still love for people to flood his office with calls. At the very least, make him uncomfortable.
Please rest, relax, and take care of yourself. Self-care is even more critical these days.
Self-care is critical, crucial. Our sanity is the most important thing. (Not gun rights, haha. So crazy. The American public will never go for that. Take care of ourselves and carry on with the calls when and if we can!)
Are you assuming there are ANY sane Republicans in Congress? I live in western Mississippi. My Representative [Bennie Thompson] is the lone Democrat from Mississippi in Congress. He has certainly held up the democratic ideals of this nation. My Senators are both Republicans who, if there is no chance it will change the outcome, may demonstrate some independence from tRump. Otherwise, they show every indication they are thinking only of their next career challenge AND NOT at all what history may have to say about their profiles in spinelessness! Their aides will listen politely to any upset with their positions, but are "taking notes to be sure the Senator is aware of my position." I see NO evidence from this deep red state that the Republican Party has any sane elected members. Of course, I see little evidence that there are many Democratic Party members in positions of "power" who have yet given up on the neoliberal economic and political positions that have hamstrung the Party since at least Clinton. I wish I could call myself a Democrat any more, but the Party I used to identify with left me at least 33 years ago. I feel much closer to Bernie Sanders and AOC than to any Democrat I've been allowed to vote for in recent years. Bennie Thompson is certainly not "perfect," but he is certainly head and shoulders above too many of his Democratic colleagues in Congress.
I agree. And the Democratic party needs a plan to save our democracy, and they should begin by explaining what is actually happening: that our Constitution has been flushed down the toilet by Congress so as to enable a coup d'etat by the rich folks.
Time is running out. We will wake up to the news that Congress has been disbanded and that Trump is now king. Mass arrests, public executions and concentration camps will follow in short order, and the so-called right to bear arms will be the first to disappear.
Yes, it will seem impossible that such a thing could happen to us. I mean we practically invented democracy didn't we?
HCR! Help!
Maybe David, consider that: 1. The first that needs to happen now is that the DNC restructures itself for action, or disbands. 2. Guantanamo IS already the first Concentration Camp, and it is already filling up, but has room for 60,000. 3. The Greeks invented Democracy and it too failed, it is such a fragile, beautiful thing that if you leave it in the dark it dies.
The DNC is in the process to "restructuring" NOW to address coup II realities. That is why KEN MARTIN earned (not won) the new DNC Chairman position after his successful "restructuring" of Minnesota precincts including many down ballot election victories. But, we need much more than a restructured DNC.
As to Marbury vs, Madison holding that Courts "say what the law is", that is 1 reason I became a lawyer. So far since noon 1/2025 Trump II has LOST every single case with 30 more cases pending in federal Court dockets but, only for the last 3 weeks.
Everything is not broken; Fight Back!
Bryan, while tRump II may have lost every single case I have yet seen NO ACTION arising from court decisions halting Musk’s rampage through the treasury and most all other government computers issuing payments. Where is the action which should arise from court orders to HALT, CEASE and DESIST?! As to helping just the rich, I think HCR clarified that Musk has apparently gone after all the many parts of government which have initiated investigations into HIS companies or are paying HIS competitors.
Yes, of course the Greeks invented democracy, but I don't believe their slaves could vote. And the Guantanamo camp was established to quickly isolate suspected terrorists in a singular moment of national fear and a certain amount of craziness about the Muslim world and the threat it really represented, though the camp's superficial similarity to the Nazi death camps should be enough to give us pause.
And discovering just how fragile our democracy is is a revelation for most Americans.
What was really creepy about Guantanamo is the government's argument that those arrested merited no protection from the Constitution or international treaties, and that torture was legitimate so long as we were the ones doing it. It was major breach of rule of law. Also the notion that the unverified suspicion that Iraq was a real and present threat to the US justified a full scale invasion. It seems to me that those distortions of our concepts of presidential and criminal due process have never been adequately corrected, have distorted our society since, and partly paved the way for the reckless over-reach of Trump.
Democracy is a living thing that requires care and feeding.
You hear HCR going on about the Democratic Party this way?
No, Frank, of course not. She's a serious person, an accomplished historian and university professor with a reputation to worry about.
But Trump, Musk and the limp willed GOP are trying to finish off
40+ years of political subversion with a flashy, in your face, nothing-subtle-about-it, way too clever, banana republic coup d'etat, and their lemming-like followers, who have sold their souls for empty promises and a few moments of glory, are pulling us over the cliff with them.
I mean, am I the only one out here who's worried about losing an extremely modest 3-digit Social Security check? And if the US goes down this rathole, won't a lot of other countries be right behind us?
Won't it be great? Grunting, stupidly grinning gringos, standing in line for their gruel, as Musk checks out and heads for Mars. What an ignominious end to our democracy!
thanks for the thoughts, there does seem to be an out and out coup underday. I was addressing the dumping on Democrats which is going on here
Can you promise, Musk will rocket off to Mars, hunh, hunh?
Hey man, no problem.
You ate right: all that matters is one word: RE-ELECTION!
Do you really think we will have an election in 2 years??
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Trump manufacture an excuse to keep himself in office unlawfully, and to find some illegal pretext for canceling midterm elections.
That is clearly his plan, and it may require declaring a state of emergency and cancelling the Constitution.
Joan, there are more elections in 2025 than there were in 2024. The Republicans have taken advantage of these local elections by almost always running one or more candidates without any Democrats or Independents running. We need to make sure the next generation is engaged.
Don't you mean that there are more elections SCHEDULED in 2026. Let's see if they actually happen!!
Some of them are fools, but some of them have had death threats to their families. I still think if enough of them said enough, it would be at least some brakes on.
Remember what happened to Nancy Pelosi’s husband. Then look at your own loved ones. I am filled with admiration that so many in Congress fight on anyway.
The Republicans mocked this attack by making all sorts of trashy and false claims about Paul Pelosi’s attack. The criminal who attacked Paul Pelosi was a QAnon nutcase who knew very well what he was doing and wound up fracturing Paul Pelosi’s skull. The nutcase went to the Pelosi home to attack Speaker Pelosi, but she was in Washington.
George Washington had a great big target on his back for the redcoats to fire on. Did he go home?
Charles de Gaulle had two targets on his back: one for Germany and one for Vichy. Did he stop his resistance?
Jean Moulin had a target on his back, for the Gestapo. They got him, but do you think, as he died from his torture wounds on his way to Germany, that he regretted one minute standing up for the freedom of his country and organising the internal Resistance in France?
Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned multiple times and was threatened by many different people, from the British to Hindu nationalists to Islamists. A Hindu nationalist murdered him in the end, but not before he had finished his most important work.
And so on. I know not everyone has the guts to stand up to bullying and threats, but to see so many spineless politicians is disheartening.
Sophie, you just said (much more articulately than my sputtering profanity does) what I think about today's non-MAGA Republikkkans. Cowards, one and all, abdicating their duty and dishonoring their oaths.
Yes, I just wrote similar in my comment. I believe there are a small number 10-12 or so, in the Senate who are actually against what is going on, who have some degree of conscience. But death threats to your family will shut up most people, and for sure they are happening. HOWEVER: I believe there are enough non-MAGA Republicans who, if they would just band the hell together, would have the power of numbers. They're not going to kill them if they went public with the threats. They have a constitutional duty to do this. By not doing it, they are complicit, egregiously breaking their oath, living examples of the definition of The Banality of Evil.
I agree. All they would have to do is do it.
No matter what; One must stand up to bullies, always!
bruce, I agree, but easier to say than to do especially if families are threatened. I see this theme regularly in series.
Welp..Bruce, "the bully" in chief, received a reasonably favorable, meaning apparently spontaneous, reception at the football game. His fan-base is alive and kicking. To them he's no bully, he's gettin "it" done. "It" being the operative word his fans would be hard-pressed to respond to. At least in any detail that would hold water. They're not being bullied, they're infatuated by the grandiosity of "it". They've prayed for "it". The Devil launched that bullet and their prayers (ahead of time) prevented his demise. Is there any reason not to be thankful (to the Lord). No! The same bunch will understand the Devil (make that D for Democrat) will make things 'the thug' and 'Musk-nuts' are trying to accomplish painful for us. But, prayers will help those clowns deliver glory in the long run. Dummo-crats ARE the bully. Listen.., our lawmakers aren't spineless.., we let the good ones down, didn't we? Huh? Yeah! This mess is going to have to wear itself out. Lacking any other guidance,we have spiritual leadership at 1600 Pornhub. She, may be the only way out. Take it awayyyy..., Paula White-CAIN.., let us pray.
Michele, I’d like to see the confirmation votes in the Senate be anonymous for this reason.
Do they think the Democrats in Congress haven't been threatened? Do they think for one minute that Nancy Pelosi, AOC or Elizabeth Warren aren't getting death threats daily? And yet all of them still stand up for what's right. I wish the spineless cowards would just quit. That should get the crazies off their backs and maybe we'd have a chance at true representation.
I am sure they have, but the Rs who disagree haven't figured out that if they came together, they could break this. They are also afraid of being primaried and in that they should just show some spine for the country.
I wish they'd roll the dice and take their chance on primaries versus throwing the country under the bus. But of course, we're talking about Republicans who don't care about anything other than themselves. I am a bit surprised they're allowing Mump the power of the purse though. That makes them irrelevant. I wonder: are they worried about Trump disbanding Congress? Then who would care about them?
How many Republicans are there in Congress who didn’t vote to uphold the 2020 election?
At the time of the events of Jan 6, 2021, there were 139 members of the House and 8 Senators who voted to overturn the election results. I haven't cross-checked to see how many are still there, but regardless, none of them were held to account for their acts of sedition. I don't know iff this link will work, but give it a try:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/07/us/elections/electoral-college-biden-objectors.html
Thank you, Bob Caster. I will continue to call them traitors which is what they have established themselves to be.
ARE there any sane Republicans in Congress? Are any of them looking at all this and saying "Oh, my! THIS isn't right!"? Because if they are, then they are the most snivelling cowards in our country's history. I wait every day for just ONE of them, however minor a figure, to stand up and say "NO!"
Tillis has been making excuses for Trump’s behavior, which he knows very well is both illegal and unconstitutional. The Republicans will do nothing to stop Trump, and he wants to defy the courts if they try reining in his behavior.
Are there sane Republicans?
Lincoln Project might be a worthwhile start for some.
No!
I think sanity was a deal breaker. The ones that didn't leave were kicked out.
Time for all sane Republicans to "go to the mattress." Ramp up their families' security - then band together and speak up with one voice.
Lady E, do you mean "go to the mat" as in the wrestling mat/boxing ring, or to the mattress, as in nap time? I read this as "dump ffpotus and start to fight."
You never saw "The Godfather"? It's a Mafia term - means sending your family away to safety - and all the fighters gather together to prepare. Comes from when they'd all sleep in one location - and had to use mattresses on the floor.
Ahhh, thank you. Never heard of that.
They're afraid of stepping out of bounds and getting primaried by Trump or his minions. Or getting death threats. But I'm hoping people get so sick of this nonsense that they turn out a bunch of them at midterms., or in special elections coming up soon.
Sane? “Christian?” Patriotic? Intelligent? Educated? Supporters of family values?
Call your representatives. Call each Senator and your Congressional representative. Call the DC office of each and a local office of each. That's 6 calls. Make them short. I am _____, a resident of _____. I do not like Musk in the Treasury payment system. I trust you agree. (or whatever you want to say) Make it short. Control the rage.
Unfortunately, "Sane Republicans" is now, officially, an oxymoron. If one appears, we'll have to catch it for observation. MAGApublicans control the party and back The Orange Dictator to the END.
Thay sold their soul and trumpp and Musk don't have any.
Thank you for recognizing civil servants, Heather! My partner was fired from their DEI position in the federal government. My colleagues and I are resisting fascism and saving democracy by gathering evidence of Musk and his minions' crimes: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/no-one-elected-elon
Sending my best wishes to you and your husband. Ignoring worker's rights is a significant injustice. Loyal service, smarts, and hard work benefits society -- and such workers deserve to be treated with dignity.
Wake up America …when the jobless rate surpasses that of the Great Depression and we sink lower in the world eyes than T’s current ‘ratings’ / ‘rantings’…….when ..when…THEN?
So sorry your partner lost their job. That is just disgusting.
TY🫶
Thank you!
Our country and our democracy are worth fighting for . It will not end well for MT.
Hmmm... too me a while, I thought you meant "Marjorie Taylor" (Green) when you wrote MT! Though I don't think this will end well for her either!!! 🙄
Y'all are whistling past the graveyard. Unfortunately, Trump/Musk and their cult are on the winning side right now until some significant event occurs to change that. I don't know what that event might be, but it cannot be something subtle.
I'm afraid that I have to agree with you John.
So what? Things looked bad when France fell in WWll. You keep going. Make the calls, then go for a walk if you have to. Love what you have.
Outside forces rescued France. I believe outside forces (please not China!) are our main hope.
That's interesting about outside forces. Please, not China - Indeed!
These global criminals have been seducing and violently forcing their way into political power from the financial shadows for decades. They are joyously displaying their innate corruption and insane ambition to the world now that they have grabbed the White House. However, the third law of thermodynamics can not ever be sidestepped and the entropically resistant have no choice but to react in kind 🐈⬛
I’ll be clapping then too Sandee
Looks like to me they are all gaining momentum
They are, no road blocks in sight. Project 2025 planned well. Chump was smart to lie about it, and MAGAts were blinded by love for the devil. They (and us) will get what they serve
Momentum is great… that is, until you run into a wall… then, it’s not so great, not so great at all!! That’s what I’m looking for…. the sooner the better.
https://www.whatthehellareyoudoing.org/post/my-great-concern-is-not-whether-you-have-failed-but-whether-you-are-content-with-your-failure
it's hard to imagine how this all can be fixed, without getting a whole lot worse, but we all gotta leave no stone unturned
Joe, it's going to be hard to look under all the stones which have been piled up by Trump to try to block our path of resistance to his illegal and unjust actions. By all means, let's make it easier to obtain guns, and harder to obtain health care. Let's loosen gun control laws and strengthen laws that will harm so many. Let's support gun totin' by dangerous thugs, and not support help for the veterans who faced guns in defense of our freedoms. Let's say the right to own guns is more important than the right to obtain a decent education or a decent wages, or to be assured the right to vote. Let's put more guns on the street and take away more books from the schools. Let's say we believe in law and order, and then let dangerous criminals out to draw their guns and threaten innocent citizens into doing their bidding. Trump talks out of both sides of his mouth and his two faces, and would love to take us back to the wild west, where guns are drawn and rights are erased.
I think it's mistake to assume that all the courts are 100% onboard with scotus 2025.
Here for example is what judge Coughenhour (a reagan appointee) said about T's Birthright Citizenship proclamation the other day from the bench of a Washington District Court as he issued a temporary restraining order :
“I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented was as clear,” Coughenour said.
“Where were the lawyers” when the decision to sign the executive order was made, the judge asked. He said that it “boggled” his mind that a member of the bar would claim the order was constitutional.
You simply cannot assume that the courts are unpersuadable that this guy's dangerous, it's just taken them a while to arrive at the table.
nobody is an expert in what "won't work", and a pro might be more likely to pick the thing that would surely work, and fail because he didn't pick the core issue - Jack Smith, I believe, made that mistake calling it "election interference", when insurrection is starring you right in the face saying "uh, hellloooooo"
I think the core issue is with the Republican- led Congress who has allowed Donald Trump to keep doing what he and Project 2025 hope to accomplish. They've had chance after chance to stop him, or at least slow him down. They won't dare defy him on anything.
I have been thankful that the Attorneys General, judges and lawyers have stepped up to try to put a halt to this madness, which most likely wouldn't be happening had not Republican Congress members lost their integrity and their spine. We'll see what happens.
Here’s the problem -> person defies court order -> judge finds him in contempt of court -> tells federal marshal to go arrest him -> Trump tells head of US Marshals Svc to stand down. Then what?
Great analogy Pam ..we romanticized those times …irony often wears thin
Absolutely correct! Thank you. Very articulate dissection of reality.
Pam will help lead us through truth!!!
You got to take back social media first. Then provide a leader that campaigns more than complains? Anyone know of Biden’s top ten accomplishments? Trump published those upon leaving the office last time.
Plus Retail Blackout of Feb/28/2025. Spread the Word!!!
What is this? Can you elaborate please.
February 10, 2025
Google …
U.S. economic blackout planned for Feb. 28
A U.S. Economic Blackout — a nationwide economic protest — is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. On this day, participants are encouraged to refrain from making any purchases, both online and in-store, from large corporations. The aim is to demonstrate the collective power of consumers and to advocate for economic change. Essential purchases, such as paying bills and buying necessities, are generally considered acceptable, but the emphasis will be on minimizing non-essential spending to make a significant economic impact.
The other team doesn't have a choice either. They been planning this takeover for years and invested billions. They are here for the long run, not for just for a couple of years and loose everything in the midterm election. Brace yourself Rosemary.
But we do have a choice.
If we want to save our country we will have to get physically involved.
And BTW saving our country is bigger than saving democracy.
We are going to have to take to the streets - many times. We may be called upon to take part in a general strike.
We might be called upon to swarm Tesla supply points to upset their production. Or take over and remove Musk flunkies from government offices.
Can you do that?
Can you do what it takes to save your country?
The Choice has been made…too many people call themselves Christians who worship the tin god that they have created. They are ”anti-abortion zealots, would-be censors, homophobes, bigots and latter-day Elmer Gantry’s.” I know them, we all know them, the republican Party embraced them. Unwise is the nicest thing one can say. They have sold us to the traitors. We can blather on, but to what end.
I think it is going very well for Trump and Musk. They control the narrative. The democrats are not vocal. I think our democracy is already gone.
I fear this is true.
We will keep our democracy only if we fight for it. That Vance should float a threat to ignore the judiciary is an outrage and should result in calls for his head, mass protests verging on violence, clogged telephone switchboards in Congress demanding his resignation or impeachment.
.
Ask yourself: What am I doing to preserve our Constitution?
As today more affidavit comes through, that people are beginning to see the ‘COUP’ for what it is. It heartens me though progress is far slower than they. This means far more will fall having played their part in this ‘COUP’ and every.one.of.them. should realize the consequences that haven’t been exacted for far too long a time.
It’s when it hits home that’s when people pay attention.
What will be the costs?
Well how far will we.the.people. let them go? That’s how far…
Savings will be gone.
IRAs will be gone.
The Stock Market
The credit AND credibility of the US…gone,gone,and more gone
BUT…there will always remain the cons who saw to it .
(I hope many are in jail..stop this steal anytime you’d like)
More “affidavit” comes through? I’m unclear what that means. What makes you think more people are realizing this disaster?
Personal contact. I have many Republican friends, even family. A few informed me they had made a mistake, didn’t know, saw through Trumps thin disguise shortly after T-1 in 2016. But now more are saying this, triple times in fact- in far less the time span (of the T-2.0).
People , including myself at times, make mistakes. People get sucked in ,from their own makeups/reasonings. I rarely ‘give up’ on people-may stay distant , may walk away (for long periods). Differences of opinion are usually ways for me to question my own belief system ( systems) , I will listen to their different ‘take’, respect perhaps.
There’s so much common thought process clouded by intention division tactics…that’s how autocrats work ‘their people’..long before casting them aside/under the bus/“you’re fired”. Classic.
Now I understand. Keep up the good work. I hope the ppl you are talking to tell others. Ps what was it that that occurred that made them have second thoughts?
- Pulled Quote -
''In fact, it is the right to vote for the lawmakers who make up our government that is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans.''
Agreed. The right to vote is the foundation of democracy. It ensures that power remains in the hands of the people, allowing them to hold leaders accountable, shape policies, and push for change. Without it, democracy collapses into authoritarianism, where a select few control the fate of many.
From your mouth to God's ears.
A contrasting view (would we could have a through discussion of it between HCR and Mt. Milman) can be found in a companion piece to HCR’s powerful message today -- Noah Milman’s opinion piece in today’s (2/10/2025) NYTimes. An early observation there notes the “ scope of President Trump’s challenge to the existing constitutional order — largely through a blitzkrieg of executive orders, many of them in blatant disregard of established precedent and legislation — suggests we may be in the process of (a) discontinuous and disruptive moment.”
Only if we get in the streets en masse, repeatedly, to nonviolently demand that Trump's authoritarian actions come to a halt. Work stoppages. Civil disobedience. That is how democracy MIGHT prevail. There is nothing fated about it. It is up to us.
I too pray you're right, Rosemary.
I posted this to Joyce Vance’s comments section last week, and several people there found it helpful, so I am sharing it here too.
We’re often told that our representatives in Washington pay attention to what their voters are telling them. So, we need to be telling them what we think. So, I am trying to get in the habit of letting them know what I am thinking. Maybe you could do that too. But if you are unaccustomed to calling your Senators or Congressperson, you might be a little uncomfortable with it.
Maybe this will help:
For one thing, in my experience, my calls have always (so far) gone to voicemail. So, if your stressed about actually talking to a live senator or staffer, I am thinking the likelihood of that is small.
I keep the phone numbers for my Senators and Congressman in my contacts list on my cell phone. That way I don’t have to look them up when I get the urge to call. However, before making a call, I jot down a few notes, summarizing what I plan to say, what I am asking them to do. Referring to the notes helps me avoid going blank or getting off on a tangent once I am on the call. Be brief and to the point. Be polite and friendly. Really, there is not much to gained by calling your senator to tell them there is no chance in hell you’d ever vote for her.
I don’t request a callback. I just want them to know what I am thinking.
If you don’t know who your congressperson is (how quickly we forget), just go to
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
and key in your zip code.
If you don’t know who your senator is, just go to
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
You will need to know what state you live in :)
It’s that simple, ez-pz
Another good source is www.5calls.org. put in your zip code to get names and contact information of your officials.
5Calls also can connect you to their local offices where you’re more likely to reach a human.
Thanks for this link, Diane. This is a great site.
Thank you!! It’s all there…ready set go!
I found that site very helpful; thanks for posting the link!
Thanks for posting these links. I suggest that while at that site, you save the phone numbers for both of their DC and local offices. The Congress’ switchboard in DC has been so overwhelmed with calls, it crashed last Monday. You are more likely to get through to their direct lines. I found the DC clerks I talked to polite and helpful, but at the local office, they were more willing to chat beyond taking a brief message. Keep your messages short and specific to one or two issues. Make multiple calls if you need to, but they tally call topics and give the representative a count of calls for/against the top topics for the day.
Andrew, I called my senators last week and got a written response from one who wrote about what she was doing to counter what is happening.
I'm calling again tomorrow to urge them to vote NAY on RFK jr. I'm also calling Sen. Cassidy's office with the same message.
You (1) get a response and that (2) tells you what she is going to do?? I didn’t know such a thing existed!
Hawley and Burlison ignore me.
Years ago I used to receive nice letters from Senator Shelby (AL), with whom I frequently disagreed, but at least he was polite.
But I have yet to receive anything from the current delegation. My assumption though is that someone is keeping a tally...
Yes, MLM, it was a lengthy email that responded to the concerns many of her constituents expressed to her office. Not all is well, though— she voted to confirm a couple nominees.
Lucky you. My rep responded also. He was trying to justify why he disagreed with me😡
I live in FL, so if I get any response I expect it to be like yours. Even so, it helps them to know we have not lost our voices.
Excellent !! Best advice. 👍
5calls.org is a huge help, also.
The American people have responded to Presidents Musk and Trump with vigor. I'm sure many of the calls they receive are nasty and therefore, they let them go to voicemail, plus many people think that threatening their representatives is helpful for some reason. I can understand why they want to listen to the voice mails.
If you prefer to send email or mail instead, you don't need to be concerned with arguing with someone on the other end of the phone. Since the offices are being bombarded, with correspondence, all they really have time to do is tabulate "for" and "against" on any topic.
So keep it brief. If you want to weigh in on more than one topic, call multiple times.
write, call EVERY DAY! It does have an impact!
Andrew I did the same but have now put www.5calls.org in my contacts. Works really well Keep up the calls!
Looks good, I may update my method.
Using the Five Calls app is easy. They give you the phone numbers you need and provide a script.
Thank you!! Very helpful.
How often do you call? Do you call each time only about a single issue? I understand that calls are logged and the staffers try to sort them under topics to give a tally yea or nay on an issue.
I wish I could claim I called every time I read Heather every morning, but I don't. More like a couple of times a week. I spend more time preparing my notes for the call than actually talking.
Also I've found at least for Senator Britt, there is time limit on the length of a message. If brevity is the soul of wit, I am going to need to be more witty.
Thanks again , Andrew. Excellent🫶
You da bomb! Thanks!
A friend wrote this letter to his Nevada rep and gave me permission to post it for others to adapt:
Dear Representative Amodei,
In your email to constituents dated February 7th,”The Amodei Report: Roundup of Presidential Actions”, you stated that “while some of [President Trump’s executive] actions may be controversial, it is important to note that they have all been executed within the framework of democracy.”
I beg to differ, Sir! Federal judges of the United States disagree with you, vehemently!
In less than 3 weeks on the job, President Trump’s administration has been sued over his executive orders in court 41 separate times. This is a record for any president in our history. A running record of these lawsuits can be found at Just Security’s online litigation tracker, here: https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/
In addition to the large number of lawsuits, several restraining orders have already been issued against Trump’s actions by federal judges, including a judge appointed by Trump himself. These include restraining orders against:
--- Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze, cutting off funding for Head Start, school meal programs, access to SNAP and WIC program benefits, and halting critical medical research.
Do you agree with cutting off federal funds for these vital programs, Mr. Amodei?
— Trump’s DOGE access to the Treasury Payment System. Some experts are calling this DOGE action the largest digital data breach in U.S. history, with millions of Americans’ social security numbers, Medicare health histories, bank account numbers, and financial records having potentially been exposed. There are doubts now about the system’s vulnerability to future hacking attempts.
Do you condone this activity, Mr. Amodei?
— Trump’s order ending Birthright Citizenship, in contravention of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, nominated to the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, said in blocking Trump’s order that “it has become ever more apparent that, to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals. The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for his political or personal gain. Nevertheless, in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.”
Judge Coughenour went on to say: “I said this two weeks ago, and I’ll say it again today: There are moments in the world’s history when people look back and ask, ‘Where were the lawyers, where were the judges?’ In these moments, the rule of law becomes especially vulnerable. I refuse to let that beacon go dark today.”
Gee, Mr. Amodei, it doesn’t sound like this federal judge agrees with your opinion that Trump’s orders are being “executed within the framework of democracy.” Phrases such as “blatantly unconstitutional”, “moments in world history…the rule of law becomes especially vulnerable”, “where were the lawyers?”, “the rule of law is something for [Trump] … to navigate around or ignore”… these phrases do not comport with the idea of Trump “execut[ing] within the framework of democracy.”
Mr. Amodei, I suggest you start thinking for yourself and stop simply parroting GOP talking points. Our democracy and our Constitution are under attack from a lawless president. I recommend you think more deeply about your oath to support and defend the Constitution, and about your future place in history.
I note that you have a law degree and have practiced law for over 20 years prior to becoming a congressman. It seems that Judge Coughenour’s words apply directly to you, Mr. Amodei: “There are moments in the world’s history when people look back and ask ‘Where were the lawyers, where were the judges?”
Where will you be when history looks back on you, Counselor?
Lastly, how about a town hall meeting in your district, Counselor? I went to the “Meet Mark” link on your website, and all I found was your bio and portrait, and list of committees. How about a meeting with your constituents?
Sincerely,
Your Constituent
Reno, NV
Such a thoughtful, competent response to a legal representative who should have known better!
Outstanding. We all need to constantly hold our elected representatives' feet to the fire equally forcefully and articulately. They work for us -- force them to report back to us and in public, explain themselves and their betrayal of the Constitution. Or if Dems, in many cases explain their failure to step up immediately and fight ferociously for it, and for us.
Amodei has a law degree! He knows better. What a POS! Another MAGA turd, an orange Trump dropping, a pile of GOP CaCa.
Excellent! Copying and saving for adapting for my useless congressional representatives…😞
The highly illegal actions of the executive branch do not even resemble our U.S. "framework of democracy.” He must be referring to some other democracy he likes. U.S. Legislators write, modify, or repeal laws, not the executive. It falls to the executive to faithfully assure those laws are enforced. At every turn and event of the past four weeks, the legislature has willfully abdicated their constitutional duties ! Why are they being paid ?
This is perfect! Do you mind if I share this?
Lee - please, my friend says adapt and share away! I have mentioned before here that I am waiting until 1 May, the 101 day point, to assess where we are as a nation. I feel that we need a few Rs to switch to D or I in the House and the Senate and take the majorities away from the Christofascists. Letters like this might lead a few to switch.
Bravo Jason!
Thank you for sharing, and thank your friend for giving permission to use/adapt. Will be sending letters, emails and phone calls this week. Every day. (I live in deep red Indiana)
Done! I’ve thanked him and he’s grateful so many are adapting and sharing.
I have mentioned before here that I am waiting until 1 May, the 101 day point, to assess where we are as a nation. I feel that we need a few Rs to switch to D or I in the House and the Senate and take the majorities away from the Christofascists. Letters like this might lead a few to switch.
As time goes by many RShits are going to be bombarded by their constituents as they find they have no place to sell their peanuts, wheat, etc; inflation is going up, not down; cars now cost 1,000s more; etc, etc, etc.
Remember the “I did this” Joe Biden stickers that MAGIDIOTS were putting on gas pumps? I have friends starting to see those stickers with Orange Hitler pointing at egg prices.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
He has got his own Substack page folks, hint hint
Excellent Jason. Thanks for these guidelines…
It gets scarier by the day. We cannot give up or give in.
Wow. this outstanding explanation or how our government was designed to work,which the current leaders do not seem to or choose to know or choose to overturn, is SO POWERFUL. This should be out rallying battle cry as it so clearly shows what they are trying to do for them and against we the people. Raise your voices. Thanks. a perfect letter for us today and the generations who hopefully come, still have a democracy and can read
Our representatives in both houses of Congress are mostly not leaders but followers who gladly go whichever way the wind blows. And just now they stagnate performatively making feeble gestures born of uncertainty and fear.
Do these sound like leaders to you? To me, with some notable worthy exceptions, they look like a befuddled herd of cattle. Each representing in a cowering huddle personal position and advantage rather than constituency and principle.
Even more so than MAGA, these who fail to vigorously represent their constituents create the very dark times that now envelop us.
My U.S. Rep votes however his owner, Enbridge, instructs him to.
Let’s not keep doing the ‘both sides’ thing. It could not be clearer where the problem lies. Heather, along with everything we see going on, explains it perfectly.
No need to make all this your only step. Don’t wait for someone else to draw you a map before you walk out of the desert.
There isn’t “both sides thing”. We are all constituents of our State and District representatives. Every oath of office I’m aware of contains this premise. You are represented … it is the only legitimacy of holding public office. This is simple. Officials elected to public office cannot pick and choose in a democracy who they’d prefer to represent on a single issue. Do not declare, call, write, email, text, and call again. Demand representation on one issue. repeat. You are by definition a constituent.
The cattle herd I referred to knows no party distinction.
Call again on your next issue. Don’t stare at the wall in frustration. Speak up and make a difference. Make use of our democracy.
The Republican Congress has rolled over for its favorite criminal.
Ali Velshi today spoke with Vladimir Kara-Murza on how this happens -- on how neutered specialists and billionaire techies always serve criminality.
They care only for money, and its corollary, that their platforms seize market share by algorithms grabbing those most prone to hatreds, fears, and sensationalism.
Our schools could counter this tech billionaire vulgarity. Could, but can’t, due to earlier triumph – the choke of standardized tests prioritizing thinking by categories, grouped units, and other neutered abstractions.
Every country that sinks to autocracy and dictatorship has first rid humanities from its schools. Group think by cliché, slogans, and other non-teacher-imposed packaging replaces them. Neutered language atomizes specializations thence void of the personal, the arts, and history.
Vladimir Kara-Murza personally paid that price in Russia, just as had Alexei Navalny – just as U.S. tech billionaires are now exacting.
Thank you for writing about Kata-Murza. He is a patriot of the same courage as our Nathan Hale. May he survive all he has undergone physically and continue to speak out.
Excellent post, Phil.
That was a powerful and frightening moment with Kara-Murza and Velshi! I really wished it could have been presented in full to the American people!
Thanks for this, Phil. I am going to look up that interview with Kara-Murza. Your assessment of "...just as U.S. tech billionaires are now exacting" is spot on.
In a flash, we've become a bully nation, an aggressor nation and, yes, a fascist nation. And the bad guys have all the big guns. When the history of the Trump era is written, it'll be filed under "T," for Tragedy.
Oh hardly in a flash. Ask Black people, ask women. It’s been a bully nation to large swaths of the population who are not non-white men
👆👍 some folks “see” and understand regardless of their life cirucmstance, others never will unless it affects them personally in some way.
Tina, had one person tell me this last week that there was no racism in our history. I did not let that stand.
I would add "tyranny."
Hopefully also 'T' for Turning Point. Come midterms and next presidential election if the electorate reloads another dose of MAGAism, then it's time to seek out that second passport.
The assumption being that there will even be '26 midterms or any more presidential elections, except in the phoniest, most perfunctory Putin-esque form. Trump and Musk admire despots.
Apparently so does the majority legislature and the some of the judiciary.
Our states have in many cases become laboratories for authoritarianism and one part control. Republicans gerrymander the states they control to give themselves an artificial majority and to make it look as they have more support than they do. When that happens, voters become passive and cynical and are less willing to vote because they believe their votes don’t matter.
Welcome to Missouri.
I feel your pain Gregg. ? As of now, should it be spelled "Misery" ? Lol....
Right you are my attentive friend; Exactly the points I'm leaning at. So, would our righteous case, perhaps undertaken by the ACLU, "taxation without representation" ? Didn't we toss an empire aside for such actions ? Btw Kathy. Please send me a note letting me know if you get or receive this additional comment. I'm trying to see how this whole substack handles such things. Thank you !
Out of interest - who comes to mind for you when you talk about the other side? Who could be the leaders? AOC?
AOC, Jasmine Crockett, David Hogg, other members of "the squad". I think you'll see young folks out of Michigan and Wisconsin coming forward as well. The state senators from Tennessee who got thrown out of the legislature and reelected.
There will be others.
Oh I totally agree Ally. However there are seniority issues that must be respected. I suggest many minds might find a palatable solution; Those are certainly needed in these uncertain times. I think we may have to push the seniority leaders for needed solutions. I referred to such ideas a long time ago when I suggested that the Dem party, in order to thrive and become attractive again to voters they've critically lost, will have to find blunt honesty and humility. I can't point back to my statement without digging, but I know I said that around the runup to elections. They've lost so many working class (dirty hands) voters, and I'm sure they won't get them back without humility and blunt honesty. They've allowed via their arrogance, for the gop to define them, their positions,, and even 'words.'
I think that's one of the Dems biggest problems - "seniority issues that must be respected".
It's a good and respectable rule Sabine. There are also ways to work around and with it, if they have the humility.
Did you ever find me on FB ? I haven't checked that DE email I gave you for quite some time.
And treason.
I'm scared here in lill' old Australia - I can't even imagine how scared you must be.
I now understand the phrase "a nightmare you can't wake up from."
The vast majority of us are terrified. People are actually afraid for their lives and are being fired without cause as entire governmental departments are taken out. Add in the DOGE teenagers/20 year olds who got their hands on the U.S. Treasury data base and payment system and one's brain simply explodes. trump’s intent to annex, purchase, or seize any country that suits his madness is also deeply alarming. Even more disturbing is the fact that his supporters and so-called republican leadership continue to justify and enable his reckless and illegal ambitions. The U.S. is an embarrassment, dangerous and given his inflammatory rhetoric, it’s not far-fetched to imagine facing retaliation from a NATO ally. The situation is utterly insane. The bottom line is this is not going to end well.
Thank you. It’s good to know we still have friends.
Hopefully, Australia isn't on Trump's conquest list!
Just got slapped with a 25% tariff on Aluminium and I think steel, in addition to the already existing tariffs. Just means we're gonna sell more to China, I suppose. A few more weeks of this and people all over the world will change the supply chains. When that's finished I reckon many will be surprised how little the US is needed by the other 7.7 billion people.
One day we'll all play nicely again - one hopes!
organising a big International Sand Box on the Gold Coast - with referees. Will it work? probably not - but boy, the publicity!
Yet. Maybe China's.
Not scared, pissed off. The Second Amendment works for everyone, not just those that seek to overturn our Constitution.
I'd think Australia is about as far out of the 'line of fire' as a country could be.
With 38 US military bases and our consecutive governments having sold the country as stationary aircraft carrier and submarine repairshop for the US Army through AUKUS?
By far not as far out as I would wish.
Unless Trump wants to build an all American amusement park there.
Or a resort
But, they keep on running to the conflict to take their positions in the line of fire. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!
Nobody in this country in the last few decades was ever keen on following the US anywhere into their ill-intentioned quarrels, but the US is a bully and Australia has as part of its national character unfortunately a colonial submissiveness imo.
I am of the opinion that court orders for Musk to not do anything related to data are already too late. With days of access the data is long downloaded. With time to insert new code who is to determine if back doors are wide open to the conspirators? I suspect we are in for what Russians experienced after the collapse of the Soviet Union, on steroids.
On Saturday, Indivisible Santa Barbara sponsored a rally. With just 5 day's notice, approximately 1,000 people showed up - 500 people the Unitarian Society and another 500 people filled the gallery and outside courtyard. Congressperson Salud Carbajal and other current and past State and local representatives spoke. One speaker, Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps, inspired us all with the following:
In the face of Chaos, we offer clear-eyed vision.
While they spread hate, we spread hope.
While they spread racism we spread respect.
While they spread fear, we spread facts.
While they spread division, we spread determination.
They are led by a convicted felon, we are led by conviction and faith.
Thank you, Supervisor Capps, for your inspirational and empowering words!
Thanks for writing about this. So many people here (and on other platforms) lament that all is lost, and that no one is doing anything. It seems like that based on what much of MSM reports, but many across the nation -- from Democratic party politicians to regular people to civil servants and beyond -- ARE protesting and fighting back.
In addition to "Letters from an American," Heather Cox Richardson has a great show talking about history, how to fight back, and often appears on shows with others sharing that same goal. I find her shows quite empowering and (counter-intuitive, maybe) optimistic. (You can find her show on YouTube and Facebook -- just search for her name -- and she usually adds info above and beyond what's in her "Letters from an American.")
MUSK, THE GRIM REAPER, SHAFTS AMERICAN CONSUMERS
Musk posted on X “CFPB RIP” with an emoji of a gravestone. Russell Vought, new director of the Office of Budget and Management, ordered that the CFPB staff should cease all investigations.
CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), established as an independent federal agency in 2011, by 2024 had recovered $20 billion for over 30,000,000 consumers in refunds and cancelled debts.
Recent settlements for ‘bait and switch’ include $3 billion with TD Bank and $2 billion from Wells Fargo. On January 14, 2025 Capital One was sued for a ‘bait and switch’ that cost consumers over $2 billion.
CFPB was responsible for ‘consumer protection’ in the financial sector including:
1) banks
2) credit unions
3) security firms
4) payday lenders
5) mortgage-servicing operations, foreclosure relief services, debt collectors, and for-profit colleges
6) other financial institutions operating in the United States.
Banks, credit companies, and others have lobbied heavily to restrict or kill CFPB. During Trump’s initial presidency, CFPB’s activities were seriously constrained.
There has been no government agency in American history that has so effectively protected consumers against large financial institutions. These class action suits recovered over $20 billion for consumers which never would have occurred in singular consumer complaints.
Republicans objected to the creation of CFPB. Many financial institutions are thrilled at CFPB’s likely demise.
In the Musk Stormtrooper Blitzkrieg, the killing of the CFPB so far is the greatest loss to the American consumers. The loss is measurable and despicable.
We need a deep recession. Watch MAGA Musk lose 2/3 of his wealth, sales of his cars flounder and then let's see how much time he has for screwing the federal government.
100 I would like Musk to be sued for child support. He seems to carry an occasional child around like an old-fashioned fox fur.
The child is his body armor....
Trump’s reliance on tariffs will actually cause a serious recession.
Musk won't, but MAGA will.
You know of what you speak.
Great post again,Keith!
Damn, Keith. Thanks for this comment.
Measurable and despicable indeed.
Yes. Despicable.
https://www.wcvb.com/article/trump-administration-consumer-financial-protectuion-bureau-order-stop/63724625
He can issue all the executive orders he wants, and he and his minions will certainly deface and debase America around the world, but they do not get to write the history books. I don't understand a group of people who want to try once more to take a path that has proven time and again to fail in the end.
They might. They're already re-writing them in Florida to remove the history of slavery because "it might make students uncomfortable." Gee, what are they? Snowflakes?
Florida is trying, I agree. And the Administration is trying to eliminate certain language and references from its publications, but the archives exist and will exist long after they're gone. They will fail in the end.
I'd like to believe that. Right now, on my good days I'm keeping myself within a range of hope. Sadly, it's too early for certainty.
I'd bet the rent that history books in Russia don't include information about how people who defy Putin end up "falling" out of windows and off bridges or that the pages contain chapters about the life of Alexei Navalny or the courage of Vlodymyr Zelensky.
You are correct. A version that covered Stalin in 1937 exists. I read half (it’s 800 pages covering the show trials) and had to quit. Hoping nothing as terrible has to be written about US, but given the Putin connections of DT and Skum, it is possible.
Is it time to buy bulletproof vests?
Your comment made me think of Orwell's '1984' and how they would change historical facts and throw the previous published facts down the "memory hole" to erase any evidence that the facts were ever different. Only, nowadays, increasingly there is no physical act of throwing anything in the "memory hole"; just a few pushes of a button and -- poof! -- the web page is republished, undesired information vanishes into the ether, and nobody may ever know any different. That article from WaPo you read a year ago that said such-and-such about so-and-so? When you go back to cite it for research, it suddenly no longer says what it used to.
We actually are living in "1984" and "Animal Farm". And, yes websites are being taken down and we know that if they return, information will have been altered! It is scary as shit right now, as there is no way out. How in heavens name trump is getting away with his illegal stuff and people accept his lying hateful vitriol spewing from a firehose (my visual) is beyond me. They are as evil as he is!
Dear Janet - I too cannot understand how people, MAGA supporters in particular, accept the untruths Trump and his minions are putting out. My neighbor voted for Trump and truly believes that Trump is good for the nation and that Trump will straighten the country out once and for all. His attitude boggles the mind.
I have a couple of golfing friends who are trumpsters and are so terribly misinformed (to say nothing of how this man speaks), I am limiting my time with them and may just cut ties altogether and let them know why . . . they clearly don't share my values, don't have a clue what they are talking about, and I have zero respect for them . . . certainly doesn't make for a compatible friendship!!
This is my life, L. Murphy. My former work cohort (I've quit calling them friends) are all aboard this garbage that is coming out. Most of them are thrilled with the USAID "waste" they are reporting on, which also includes disinformation they are being fed.
I have had to come to the realization that this is what they want.
Evil describes it best, while claiming the Christian god as their own. Me thinks a surprise may be in store, but they don’t believe their own bull Schitt.
From your keyboard to G*d’s screen, Dave.
They are, and they have political activist liars like Chris Rufo lying about the actual accurate teaching of history. They want to ignore the dark side of our history and pretend it never happened.
And Texas.
Figures. Why can't those two states just secede and have their own happy dictator? Leave the rest of us out of it.
This raises an issue that, when sanity returns to our government, needs to addressed: the use and abuse of the Executive Order. There needs to be restrictions placed on the use of them. They are not meant to replace, override or supplant existing legislation. They way Trump is using them lays waste to the ideas of separation of powers and the checks and balances built into the Constitution from its inception.
The fact that we have members of the legislative branch who are willing to ignore that and permit Trump run roughshod over the Constitution is beyond deplorable.
Executive Orders are just the beginning. He, or his handlers, also created a new department (DOGE) and staffed it with no Congressional oversight (for what that's worth right now). The unelected, unconfirmed individuals running this department have been given, or seized, tremendous powers, including full access to the US Treasury payment system. I fear this is just the beginning. How many more pseudo-departments will be created, staffed with individuals who are answerable to no one but Trump or his handlers?
It's not a new department at all. At one point it was supposed to be attached to the OMB, but now it appears to be working somewhere very near the White House. There are three lawsuits (all filed on 20 January) — one filed by the progressive consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen, another by the pro-democracy organization Democracy Forward and a third by public-interest firm National Security Counselors — that allege that DOGE shouldn’t be considered a federal agency but rather an advisory committee. They argue that not setting up DOGE as an advisory committee violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 which, among other requirements, states that all meetings are public record and that its membership be “fairly balanced” in its points of view. They seem to have now been consolidated by the DoJ into a single lawsuit.
Well, I guess he will continue to create them until he has built the government he has obviously designed in his head. I don't really care how delusional he is, just don't inflict it on the rest of us.
Yes. This is an intentional blitzkrieg to overwhelm the usual administrative, legislative and judicial processes. It takes an army of people to keep up with the orders and how to address them through courts or other avenues.
Makes me think that we had no plans to counter and far more organization is necessary.
Write to the DNC!
Majority legislature abdicating their duties is the actual problem BobCaster; Restrictions and limitations of effect already exist for the most part.
One, winners write history books. So far, Trump/Musk are winning. Second, they don't care about how history will treat them; they just care about power now.
isn't that a prerequisite for megalomania?
The victors always seem to get to rewrite the history books. All the more reason to defeat this fascist takeover of our Federal government. Do you think the world today would generally know about the Holocaust if we hadn't defeated Hitler and his fascists?
Of course they get to write the history books if they continue to rule us fools. They have been rewriting for decades. School kids have learned some bullschittery in most states. If HCR is writing for the historians in 150 years (I read that somewhere), then it may be what muskrat has approved. Or Putin, or any oligarch even more ruthless. Maybe even HAL, who knows…
Amen Dr. Richardson. Thank you.
We are living, temporarily, I hope, in a time when the grass is purple and the sky is orange because the Emperors said that those are the colors of the day. Who knows what colors the grass and the sky will be tomorrow? Who knows how long it will take before the people start believing their own eyes and stop believing the Emperors' lies? I hope that resistance will spread throughout the land of "we, the people" soon, and that will not require the justification of the Second Amendment in order to succeed.
This! People have been groomed to ignore their own perceptions and their intuition, their OWN KNOWING, in favor first of religion, then science, and now gaslighting “leaders.” In these times, acting on what we KNOW, while being told we are incorrect, is a revolutionary act.
In this case, Betsy, even the Emperor is orange 🍊 👑!
And we the people are turning red with hanger.
This internal coup--or autogolpe as Paul Krugman has labeled it--continues to unfold. We can rejoice that a few judges have stood up for our democracy. But we have to wonder how long they can hold. Especially when there is no movement from the Republicans in Congress. I fear for our country. We've lasted 250 years...let's hope 2025 does not mark the end of our democracy.
And even with brave, honest judges, who will enforce their decisions? I fear for our country, too, Evelyn
As to the judiciary: the only way to truly gut it is through the Supreme Court and it is already packed with pro-MAGA.
Some have said that when these cases reach them they will turn on the Musk/Trump consortium and protect the power of congress to likewise protect their own domain.
I am not sure of that at all.
If they are paid enough, and I am sure that is part of the mix, this corrupt crop of “Justices” will almost certainly take the money.
You misspelled "have taken". They've been bought and paid for.