On his Substack, Damon Linker talks about the politics of national despair, embodied in Trump’s cabinet picks, calling them “The Bestial Politics of Masculine Self-Assertion:”
This is the email I’ve sent to my friends who’ve decided to stick their heads in the sand:
There is a general deflation in our ranks.
We are dispirited, exhausted and withdrawing from news and politics. We may need time to gather ourselves and regroup, but, regroup we must. The Republic needs us now more than ever. And there is no time better to shape a fledgling administration than in its formative stage.
So when you’re ready, pick something important to you: reproductive rights; judicial reform; Ukraine; Gaza; corporate greed; public health; LBGT+ rights; elder care; child care; school vouchers effect on public schools; climate change or whatever you deeply care about. Then set aside a few minutes each day to make a call or take a simple action. It helps to find an organization to join, thereby multiplying your effectiveness.
It’s suggested that phone calls are the quickest and most effective way to reach our representatives. A simple singular message for or against a particular action or bill directed to your own representative/s will be added to the tally. Numbers matter far more than eloquence. Call the same representative/s each day with the same message to add to their daily tally. Post their numbers on your desk as a reminder. When our representatives’ phones ring, they take notice. Encourage your friends to do the same. It will take time to build momentum. MAGA thinks they have vanquished us, we need to show them otherwise. Is democracy worth 10 minutes of action per day? I hope so.
Before the election, we were subjected to the daily musings, incoherent tweets and gobbledy-gook rants of an obviously sick man, who appeared to be going downhill on a fast slide. Now, these rapid-fire appointments come out day after day, with only a "no" or no response at all coming out of the mouth of the convicted felon when a reporter asks him anything. I wonder if he's capable of these decisions, or if his lackeys (Stephen Miller and others) are making all these decisions and he's just being propped up long enough to get sworn in. Is he or is he not the man behind the curtain? And if he is not, who is it? And if he is, how long before that curtain is torn down? Or are we going to have unknown puppeteers pulling the strings for the 18 months ahead? I ask, because I don't know. I guess I'm more than a little suspicious.
P2025/Vlad has it all laid out, but they are smart to let chump have his revenge and all the pushback for the moment. I personally think that Vlad is lying low til the time to strike is in his favor.
Ellen, I choose to believe the reports that he is choosing based upon video clips of potential nominees. Of course others are affecting who gets selected. We know he doesn't read. We know he wouldn't use background checks performed by a competent person or entity, and certainly not the FBI. Yes it's directed by his close minions. It was last time. It is now.
In Jon Stewart's interview with Heather Cox Richardson, HCR said something like, "Why would they want to dismantle our democratic election system, it worked for them!"
Spreading fear that there won't be future elections is doing the authoritarian's work for them. Fear can lead to hopelessness, which leads to giving up, and is exactly what the dictator wants. Don't give it to them. Keep doing the everyday work that democracy requires.
Yes, the whole point of making what's coming even more frightening than it may be is to get as many people as possible to give up and not vote in 2026, or to get as many undocumented immigrants as possible to self-deport by sending a bunch off to wherever they came from - all without the Trogs actually having to do anything..... Never obey in advance - make them fight for every inch. I'm a lawyer's kid - we've seen how Trump has used the legal system to stay out of prison and hold up the works. Sauce for the gander - there are hundreds of Democratic attorneys with briefs and injunctions already prepared (just fill in the dates, defendants and locations). We can lock up the federal court system so tight Trump will be in a legal girdle stronger than the one he wears now..... Maybe Stalin got it right - "ni shagu nazad!" - not one step back!
Stalin got another thing right. It matters not who votes, it matters who counts the votes. Or something like that. I would add that it matters how many states suppress, gerrymander, or just scare voters.
I hear you on the money front, it's daunting. But we have other kinds of human capital to put toward the resistance. I'm honored to be in the fight with this community.
When Trump crashes the economy with double digit inflation AND unemployment, he will blame everyone but himself and his policies. My hope is that enough people will see through through the lies (that the economy is the "BEST EVER") when they lose their job, face medical bankruptcy, and see high inflation (something that they seem to notice), that they will finally abandon him and the rest of the MAGAts.
I’ve been hoping that people “see through” the lies, starting back in 1996. Rupert is still the master of propaganda, numbing the senses, or rewriting the scripts
I wish he'd remember where the damn White House is. Visiting the rain forest isn't up there with nominating four appeals court judges that Democrats in the Senate would vote for, dammit.
I have/had a friend who worked in politics in DC. He has quit speaking to me. Why, I don't know, and I'm tired of him playing this ghosting game. But he is always insulted when I say that he is used to talking with fellow wonks who don't get that most of the republican party consists of mouth-breathing racists and traitors. It's a common affliction.
TC, Marc Elias and Brian Tyler Cohen in 10min video talk about the process and Elias says Team Biden is on it and it’s not a good deal for the GOP. The caucus does not want to show up (including JD Vance) and they created this “good deal” to appease 😡.Of course the MSM ran with the “good deal”.Also,several nominees have been proposed for seats that aren’t vacant and some don’t have the votes so Dems are actually getting much more in return being able to confirm 12 additional judges.
They've already been nominated, Cryin' Charlie traded the 4 of them for 10 District Court judges. The argument is that District courts see more cases and, as we've seen with Matt Kascmaryk(sp?) in TX, they can have quite an impact.
Yes, yes and yes - the four unapprovables withdraw their nominations and four approvables get nominated. it takes about 24 hours, as the Republicans showed at this time in 2020.
The people who say we won't have elections in 2026 need to show their work - how will rump and his minions cancel the mid-term elections? Pass a law? Get the supreme court to rule in their favor? Suppress voting to an extent that the next election guarantees victory? The last one is the only one that seems realistic, but how will they do that? They have been pretty good at working the edges, and in that respect, voter suppression worked, but how are they going to openly suppress many many more voters (and somehow select for liberal voters)? They won't be able to use the same kinds of cover they're using now.
No work to show, just paid attention to all the laws, rules, traditions that he has defied without consequence all his life. Now the cult does the same. Being wrong would never be so welcome,
I Concur on the top MAGA hit man selected for OMB Nest. I have bad memories if no Nightmares of David Stockman.
A favorable MSM Trend, Tulsi Gabbard faces an "uphill' battle on the Hill. R Senator, Lockman, who is on the Senate Intel Committee promised a full examination of Gabbard's 2017 vicious Trolling for the Syrian regime. After her Committee Statement is entered as Exhibit 1 ---I recommend her 3 minute 2017 Agit-Prop for killers as Exhibit 2.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF trailed Gabbard to Syria in 2017 & laid out Tulsi's worker a foreign country funded by a pro-Assad group in the United States. Michael reported his story on Gabbard about 4 days ago on 'Spy Talk' which is free content & should be entered as Exhibit 3 at her roasting... er ... sorry, hearing. 👎
At least Stockman admitted that “trickle down” was a scam. My nightmare is that when chump is ditched, Vance will pick Tulsi as his VP. Ok, so my mind is suspicious, but I have watched these cretins for 50+ years. The fix has been in for, well, who knows…. The think tanks never took a day off…
Vance wants women in the kitchen, bedroom, and delivery room, not on a GOP ticket, so I'm thinking it will be someone more like Magic Mike Johnson or Rick Scott, both of whom scare dogs and little children.
Well. Guess I have been told off. However, I would love to be wrong. It’s just that they have followed Goebbels and Mein Kampf for decades (long before chump) and I see no evidence of a shift. The “not so free and fair” election gave them all the means to continue the path they have deliberately set.
The first segment of the 60 Minutes episode last night really sent me reeling. The “university of Austin, is nothing more than a shot across the bow to every university. The young geniuses recruited will be next generation of “conservatives,” as I understand it. Free tuition, and “free speech” that won’t be critiqued like at liberal universities. It should be called Harlan Crow University. And it won’t be a sham like chump’s was. They will take on all higher education, just like they took on the SC. And Harlan Crow, etc. plan to win the hearts, minds, and souls of the young. All while defining it as exactly the opposite. Goebbels anyone???? Matters not that it might take 40 years…
Here in MI we've had Hillesdale College for over half a century. It's well known for being a right wing propaganda mill. It promotes itself on right wing media. Its faculty is not stellar nor are its graduates. And, yes, just try to find a non-white mug in its yearbook. Of course, TX is a different animal and having millionaires subsidizing everyone's tuition at that Austin school is a model that could catch on. Hillesdale's tuition has always been high, mostly to keep it segregated.
It’s not UTAustin. It’s University of Austin in Texas. New university… I think I heard that right. I think Crow and cronies picked Austin because it is the most liberal city in Texas. Stick it to you libs in the midst of your balliwick
Oh swell. So white assholes? Like we need another uni like that. It's free? Personally I think rich people should support education. They get their names on buildings and a write-off. Ok, no harm done.
Financing what you describe is really bad, even for Texas. No offense.
It shocked me; when I heard Harlan Crow’s name, I knew what they weren’t saying. It’s training for a generation of students who aren’t brain-washed by liberal institutions. Worth a look if you have streaming.
Are you aware of this news? “Jack Smith just filed a motion to dismiss DOJ’s January-6th criminal case against Donald Trump.
As a result, Trump now gets to walk free for the televised insurrection he incited as well as the other felony crimes he was arrested for.”
This news should finally, FINALLY send shockwaves through the Democratic citizenry. Consider the implications: the system that promised accountability is now shattering under the weight of its own failure. What does this mean for us? For the ideals we’ve fought to uphold? It’s time to set aside any lingering complacency.
We are living in a moment that history books will not write gently. The erosion of accountability is the erosion of democracy itself. If we allow leaders to commit treasonous acts and escape unscathed, we are no longer citizens—we are subjects.
The swamp wasn’t drained; it was invited in with open arms, filled to the brim with the very creatures it promised to destroy. This isn’t a hypothetical future. It’s a grim, inevitable reality slithering through our institutions, eroding the foundation of democracy brick by brick.
Let’s be brutally honest: the American electorate enabled this. Apathy, disillusionment, and blind allegiance have hollowed out the democratic process. Voters either stayed home, turned a blind eye thinking everything was going to be ok because the Democrats are good people and good always triumphs over evil or chose chaos wrapped in the promise of change. Now, the swamp thrives and, we the people, are drowning in it.
This isn’t just a warning sign; it’s a blaring alarm, a fire spreading unchecked while so many still sit idly by. The fall of democracy isn’t coming—it’s here. The question isn’t if it will happen, but how quickly we’ll see the full collapse.
Make a plan for how you and yours are going to deal with a very different America come January 20th.
Given the tightening of the immigration rules for the other countries I'd be most likely to survive and thrive in, nothing besides staying on my feet. Like the rest of us.
I have the out of marrying and a Canadian and it is still going to be difficult. It’s a nightmare situation for all of us. I simply cannot imagine living in another country yet I would be crazy to stay here.
Two days after the election we contacted an immigration attorney in Canada. I’m in process of filling out reams of paperwork. Besides, the paperwork, it is a fairly easy immigration for me. He did tell us the country has paused all immigration except for individuals married to Canadian citizens.
There will never be a bottom. The Orange Asshole did tell the Christian whack jobs that "if you vote for me, you'll never have to vote again." These are the same people who believe that Jeebuz is coming back and that they will all ascend to 'heaven,' while the rest of us are Bele and Lokai. The billionaires and Oligarchs all have plans to live in New Zealand or Alaska (Douglas Rushkoff writes about this on Medium). There are private landing strips in Montana with nuclear powered underground highways so they can escape to the Yukon or Alaska. Timothy Snyder writes about a potential WW III today.
A good proportion of that 59% may have HEARD of who was nominated, but have no clue what they actually stand for. The die hard trumpites will fool themselves into thinking this is AOK because Fearless Leader said so. America is more filled with cognitive dissonance since the term was invented, where we all learned just to IGNORE the idea the Cold War could turn hot for the sake of sanity in our everyday lives.
But those who voted "on the economy" or just "with misgivings about a woman president, much less a black woman president" are going to be in for a series of major shocks.
He could not have assembled a greater confederacy of dunces than these cabinet nominees. I'm hopeful the Senate will find some of these nominees as distasteful as Gaetz, and signal that they will not confirm them.
As far as healthcare goes: I'm an RN with 45+years experience, a doctorate degree and work with prestigious healthcare systems. The buzz in my nursing circles is "we are not going back". Many nurses, and I believe physicians as well, are prepared to protect the American public health even if they want to destroy the FDA and CDC. We may not wear capes, but we wear scrubs and will demonstrate our superhero dedication to the oaths we took upon entering our profession to "do no harm", an oath some of his appointees seemed to have forgotten.
I agree with you, Tom. 2026 will turn this situation around, and if we use every legal delay tactic to prevent them from tearing down our nation, we will not only survive, but come back stronger. In the meantime, I fight.
Went to doc today. Chump bumper stickers on several cars in physician’s parking. I personally know a family of MD’s that have Four MAGAts. Educated and greedy
We come back to this. It's what you do with your brain, not that you have one. I have MD family members and almost all have a slew of letters after their names. Guess who are the MAGAts. The MDs the lawyers and PhDs. They want to protect their money. That's it. Not sophisticated thinkers. Nothing special, just selfish.
Yeah, I don't have anything to do with them. I and a sibling are the flunkies of the family (origin family) because we didn't turn into entitled assholes. The teachers in my family are even considered a lesser class. They have advanced degrees but not the right kind. So happy I left that long ago.
My seven sibs and I have been close all these years, not geographically, but connected, concerned and in close communication. Even the repubs were not arses. Respect was a given. I am beyond pissed at three of four bros for the MAGAt worship. We were not taught to admire bullies, liars, and self-righteous greedy bastards. Propaganda equals division, and division equals chaos
JD, join the crowd!! I am oldest of 12 siblings of original 14 ( 2 brothers passed). The count now is 5 bros, 1 sister in Trump camp; 1 brother a-political; and, 4 sisters and 1 bro Dems. Conversations can only be held if politics not allowed! Did not abate after election but got worse. Mom and Dad are gone so as oldest I feel a "duty" to hold the group together. Tough, tough, tough! Love them all but we are often in parallel universes!!! One of our "resistance" tasks will be to try to "thread up" the unraveling of our families and neighborhoods....the closest to home divisions wrought by the sex addict -felon -liar who will be our President--again!! As a country we are so masochistic!!!
This is the email I’ve sent to my friends who’ve decided to stick their heads in the sand:
There is a general deflation in our ranks.
We are dispirited, exhausted and withdrawing from news and politics. We may need time to gather ourselves and regroup, but, regroup we must. The Republic needs us now more than ever. And there is no time better to shape a fledgling administration than in its formative stage.
So when you’re ready, pick something important to you: reproductive rights; judicial reform; Ukraine; Gaza; corporate greed; public health; LBGT+ rights; elder care; child care; school vouchers effect on public schools; climate change or whatever you deeply care about. Then set aside a few minutes each day to make a call or take a simple action. It helps to find an organization to join, thereby multiplying your effectiveness.
It’s suggested that phone calls are the quickest and most effective way to reach our representatives. A simple singular message for or against a particular action or bill directed to your own representative/s will be added to the tally. Numbers matter far more than eloquence. Call the same representative/s each day with the same message to add to their daily tally. Post their numbers on your desk as a reminder. When our representatives’ phones ring, they take notice. Encourage your friends to do the same. It will take time to build momentum. MAGA thinks they have vanquished us, we need to show them otherwise. Is democracy worth 10 minutes of action per day? I hope so.
Excellent!
Ecellent advice. May I copy and share within a few of my social circles? They need to hear this encouragement. I'll attribute this to you, of course.
Absolutely. All ideas should be shared widely.
Busy helps
Before the election, we were subjected to the daily musings, incoherent tweets and gobbledy-gook rants of an obviously sick man, who appeared to be going downhill on a fast slide. Now, these rapid-fire appointments come out day after day, with only a "no" or no response at all coming out of the mouth of the convicted felon when a reporter asks him anything. I wonder if he's capable of these decisions, or if his lackeys (Stephen Miller and others) are making all these decisions and he's just being propped up long enough to get sworn in. Is he or is he not the man behind the curtain? And if he is not, who is it? And if he is, how long before that curtain is torn down? Or are we going to have unknown puppeteers pulling the strings for the 18 months ahead? I ask, because I don't know. I guess I'm more than a little suspicious.
Apologies for being so vastly off topic today.
That's all very on-topic, Ellen.
P2025/Vlad has it all laid out, but they are smart to let chump have his revenge and all the pushback for the moment. I personally think that Vlad is lying low til the time to strike is in his favor.
Ellen, I choose to believe the reports that he is choosing based upon video clips of potential nominees. Of course others are affecting who gets selected. We know he doesn't read. We know he wouldn't use background checks performed by a competent person or entity, and certainly not the FBI. Yes it's directed by his close minions. It was last time. It is now.
In Jon Stewart's interview with Heather Cox Richardson, HCR said something like, "Why would they want to dismantle our democratic election system, it worked for them!"
Spreading fear that there won't be future elections is doing the authoritarian's work for them. Fear can lead to hopelessness, which leads to giving up, and is exactly what the dictator wants. Don't give it to them. Keep doing the everyday work that democracy requires.
Yes, the whole point of making what's coming even more frightening than it may be is to get as many people as possible to give up and not vote in 2026, or to get as many undocumented immigrants as possible to self-deport by sending a bunch off to wherever they came from - all without the Trogs actually having to do anything..... Never obey in advance - make them fight for every inch. I'm a lawyer's kid - we've seen how Trump has used the legal system to stay out of prison and hold up the works. Sauce for the gander - there are hundreds of Democratic attorneys with briefs and injunctions already prepared (just fill in the dates, defendants and locations). We can lock up the federal court system so tight Trump will be in a legal girdle stronger than the one he wears now..... Maybe Stalin got it right - "ni shagu nazad!" - not one step back!
Stalin got another thing right. It matters not who votes, it matters who counts the votes. Or something like that. I would add that it matters how many states suppress, gerrymander, or just scare voters.
I’m out of funds as I tell those who are begging for a robust response. But Elon is not,
I hear you on the money front, it's daunting. But we have other kinds of human capital to put toward the resistance. I'm honored to be in the fight with this community.
But the emails keep coming…
Thanks for making me laugh. I've been hitting "unsubscribe" with a vengeance.
Me too, no choice. Hope Soros has a buck or two left…
Let them all turn on each other.
That's my hope.
The basics: You never obey in
advance! You never take one
step back! You find a way to
move forward! You stand up
or fall down for anything.
Thank you Tom!
When Trump crashes the economy with double digit inflation AND unemployment, he will blame everyone but himself and his policies. My hope is that enough people will see through through the lies (that the economy is the "BEST EVER") when they lose their job, face medical bankruptcy, and see high inflation (something that they seem to notice), that they will finally abandon him and the rest of the MAGAts.
I’ve been hoping that people “see through” the lies, starting back in 1996. Rupert is still the master of propaganda, numbing the senses, or rewriting the scripts
That was evident on Rupert Rags during my Trip to the UK in 1983
Rupert’s evil has been de rigueur, probably since toddlerhood.
Nah, they will just blame Biden for their misery.
We absolutely can win. But I really, really, really wish Joe Biden would remember that he has immunity.
I wish he'd remember where the damn White House is. Visiting the rain forest isn't up there with nominating four appeals court judges that Democrats in the Senate would vote for, dammit.
I have/had a friend who worked in politics in DC. He has quit speaking to me. Why, I don't know, and I'm tired of him playing this ghosting game. But he is always insulted when I say that he is used to talking with fellow wonks who don't get that most of the republican party consists of mouth-breathing racists and traitors. It's a common affliction.
TC, Marc Elias and Brian Tyler Cohen in 10min video talk about the process and Elias says Team Biden is on it and it’s not a good deal for the GOP. The caucus does not want to show up (including JD Vance) and they created this “good deal” to appease 😡.Of course the MSM ran with the “good deal”.Also,several nominees have been proposed for seats that aren’t vacant and some don’t have the votes so Dems are actually getting much more in return being able to confirm 12 additional judges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJsOlvhKKew
They've already been nominated, Cryin' Charlie traded the 4 of them for 10 District Court judges. The argument is that District courts see more cases and, as we've seen with Matt Kascmaryk(sp?) in TX, they can have quite an impact.
Yes, yes and yes - the four unapprovables withdraw their nominations and four approvables get nominated. it takes about 24 hours, as the Republicans showed at this time in 2020.
He doesn’t. SC will be the arbiter of that decision. People keep forgetting that.
The people who say we won't have elections in 2026 need to show their work - how will rump and his minions cancel the mid-term elections? Pass a law? Get the supreme court to rule in their favor? Suppress voting to an extent that the next election guarantees victory? The last one is the only one that seems realistic, but how will they do that? They have been pretty good at working the edges, and in that respect, voter suppression worked, but how are they going to openly suppress many many more voters (and somehow select for liberal voters)? They won't be able to use the same kinds of cover they're using now.
No work to show, just paid attention to all the laws, rules, traditions that he has defied without consequence all his life. Now the cult does the same. Being wrong would never be so welcome,
No. No Bottom.
I Concur on the top MAGA hit man selected for OMB Nest. I have bad memories if no Nightmares of David Stockman.
A favorable MSM Trend, Tulsi Gabbard faces an "uphill' battle on the Hill. R Senator, Lockman, who is on the Senate Intel Committee promised a full examination of Gabbard's 2017 vicious Trolling for the Syrian regime. After her Committee Statement is entered as Exhibit 1 ---I recommend her 3 minute 2017 Agit-Prop for killers as Exhibit 2.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF trailed Gabbard to Syria in 2017 & laid out Tulsi's worker a foreign country funded by a pro-Assad group in the United States. Michael reported his story on Gabbard about 4 days ago on 'Spy Talk' which is free content & should be entered as Exhibit 3 at her roasting... er ... sorry, hearing. 👎
At least Stockman admitted that “trickle down” was a scam. My nightmare is that when chump is ditched, Vance will pick Tulsi as his VP. Ok, so my mind is suspicious, but I have watched these cretins for 50+ years. The fix has been in for, well, who knows…. The think tanks never took a day off…
Vance wants women in the kitchen, bedroom, and delivery room, not on a GOP ticket, so I'm thinking it will be someone more like Magic Mike Johnson or Rick Scott, both of whom scare dogs and little children.
Females have their uses, especially if one is a Vlad brown noser…
Well. Guess I have been told off. However, I would love to be wrong. It’s just that they have followed Goebbels and Mein Kampf for decades (long before chump) and I see no evidence of a shift. The “not so free and fair” election gave them all the means to continue the path they have deliberately set.
The first segment of the 60 Minutes episode last night really sent me reeling. The “university of Austin, is nothing more than a shot across the bow to every university. The young geniuses recruited will be next generation of “conservatives,” as I understand it. Free tuition, and “free speech” that won’t be critiqued like at liberal universities. It should be called Harlan Crow University. And it won’t be a sham like chump’s was. They will take on all higher education, just like they took on the SC. And Harlan Crow, etc. plan to win the hearts, minds, and souls of the young. All while defining it as exactly the opposite. Goebbels anyone???? Matters not that it might take 40 years…
Here in MI we've had Hillesdale College for over half a century. It's well known for being a right wing propaganda mill. It promotes itself on right wing media. Its faculty is not stellar nor are its graduates. And, yes, just try to find a non-white mug in its yearbook. Of course, TX is a different animal and having millionaires subsidizing everyone's tuition at that Austin school is a model that could catch on. Hillesdale's tuition has always been high, mostly to keep it segregated.
No DEI, just the best and brightest, and free speech. And the kids believe that last part.
I always assumed UAustin was liberal because it was in Austin, which was liberal for Texas. Guess I haven't kept up.
It used to be.
It’s not UTAustin. It’s University of Austin in Texas. New university… I think I heard that right. I think Crow and cronies picked Austin because it is the most liberal city in Texas. Stick it to you libs in the midst of your balliwick
That is a Big Difference, as they say.
Oh thanks. I didn't realize it was a new school.
And meant to be a model for higher education in the future, with no DEI and some money-making scheme, I imagine.
Oh swell. So white assholes? Like we need another uni like that. It's free? Personally I think rich people should support education. They get their names on buildings and a write-off. Ok, no harm done.
Financing what you describe is really bad, even for Texas. No offense.
It shocked me; when I heard Harlan Crow’s name, I knew what they weren’t saying. It’s training for a generation of students who aren’t brain-washed by liberal institutions. Worth a look if you have streaming.
Great piece, it captures the essence of the Big Problem. The Marc Bloch and Damon Linker quotes are definitive.
Are you aware of this news? “Jack Smith just filed a motion to dismiss DOJ’s January-6th criminal case against Donald Trump.
As a result, Trump now gets to walk free for the televised insurrection he incited as well as the other felony crimes he was arrested for.”
This news should finally, FINALLY send shockwaves through the Democratic citizenry. Consider the implications: the system that promised accountability is now shattering under the weight of its own failure. What does this mean for us? For the ideals we’ve fought to uphold? It’s time to set aside any lingering complacency.
We are living in a moment that history books will not write gently. The erosion of accountability is the erosion of democracy itself. If we allow leaders to commit treasonous acts and escape unscathed, we are no longer citizens—we are subjects.
The swamp wasn’t drained; it was invited in with open arms, filled to the brim with the very creatures it promised to destroy. This isn’t a hypothetical future. It’s a grim, inevitable reality slithering through our institutions, eroding the foundation of democracy brick by brick.
Let’s be brutally honest: the American electorate enabled this. Apathy, disillusionment, and blind allegiance have hollowed out the democratic process. Voters either stayed home, turned a blind eye thinking everything was going to be ok because the Democrats are good people and good always triumphs over evil or chose chaos wrapped in the promise of change. Now, the swamp thrives and, we the people, are drowning in it.
This isn’t just a warning sign; it’s a blaring alarm, a fire spreading unchecked while so many still sit idly by. The fall of democracy isn’t coming—it’s here. The question isn’t if it will happen, but how quickly we’ll see the full collapse.
Make a plan for how you and yours are going to deal with a very different America come January 20th.
This is only "news" to people who weren't paying attention to begin with.
TC, do you have a plan if everything goes sideways? I’m respectfully asking.
Given the tightening of the immigration rules for the other countries I'd be most likely to survive and thrive in, nothing besides staying on my feet. Like the rest of us.
Please speak for yourself. My children aren't white. I depend upon an ok retirement and social security primarily.
My children's lives and mine can be destroyed.
We have lived decent lives, worked, or working, saved, helped others who needed help and I only have rebellion left.
Yes I could sell my house and do very well.
My kids can too, but they still aren't white.
I choose rebellion over fear, but my eyes are open.
I have the out of marrying and a Canadian and it is still going to be difficult. It’s a nightmare situation for all of us. I simply cannot imagine living in another country yet I would be crazy to stay here.
In your case, that's very true. I would be checking with the Canadian government if I were you, because they are tightening up considerably.
Two days after the election we contacted an immigration attorney in Canada. I’m in process of filling out reams of paperwork. Besides, the paperwork, it is a fairly easy immigration for me. He did tell us the country has paused all immigration except for individuals married to Canadian citizens.
I would say Jul 4
There will never be a bottom. The Orange Asshole did tell the Christian whack jobs that "if you vote for me, you'll never have to vote again." These are the same people who believe that Jeebuz is coming back and that they will all ascend to 'heaven,' while the rest of us are Bele and Lokai. The billionaires and Oligarchs all have plans to live in New Zealand or Alaska (Douglas Rushkoff writes about this on Medium). There are private landing strips in Montana with nuclear powered underground highways so they can escape to the Yukon or Alaska. Timothy Snyder writes about a potential WW III today.
But only if Dems won’t let their takeover be “bloodless.”
A good proportion of that 59% may have HEARD of who was nominated, but have no clue what they actually stand for. The die hard trumpites will fool themselves into thinking this is AOK because Fearless Leader said so. America is more filled with cognitive dissonance since the term was invented, where we all learned just to IGNORE the idea the Cold War could turn hot for the sake of sanity in our everyday lives.
But those who voted "on the economy" or just "with misgivings about a woman president, much less a black woman president" are going to be in for a series of major shocks.
And I cannot find that small violin the guy who sold it to me swore was The World's Tiniest. I think the cats must have batted it under the couch.
He could not have assembled a greater confederacy of dunces than these cabinet nominees. I'm hopeful the Senate will find some of these nominees as distasteful as Gaetz, and signal that they will not confirm them.
As far as healthcare goes: I'm an RN with 45+years experience, a doctorate degree and work with prestigious healthcare systems. The buzz in my nursing circles is "we are not going back". Many nurses, and I believe physicians as well, are prepared to protect the American public health even if they want to destroy the FDA and CDC. We may not wear capes, but we wear scrubs and will demonstrate our superhero dedication to the oaths we took upon entering our profession to "do no harm", an oath some of his appointees seemed to have forgotten.
I agree with you, Tom. 2026 will turn this situation around, and if we use every legal delay tactic to prevent them from tearing down our nation, we will not only survive, but come back stronger. In the meantime, I fight.
Went to doc today. Chump bumper stickers on several cars in physician’s parking. I personally know a family of MD’s that have Four MAGAts. Educated and greedy
We come back to this. It's what you do with your brain, not that you have one. I have MD family members and almost all have a slew of letters after their names. Guess who are the MAGAts. The MDs the lawyers and PhDs. They want to protect their money. That's it. Not sophisticated thinkers. Nothing special, just selfish.
They want more, more and more. Their money does just fine with Dems, but greed rules the fools.
Yeah, I don't have anything to do with them. I and a sibling are the flunkies of the family (origin family) because we didn't turn into entitled assholes. The teachers in my family are even considered a lesser class. They have advanced degrees but not the right kind. So happy I left that long ago.
My seven sibs and I have been close all these years, not geographically, but connected, concerned and in close communication. Even the repubs were not arses. Respect was a given. I am beyond pissed at three of four bros for the MAGAt worship. We were not taught to admire bullies, liars, and self-righteous greedy bastards. Propaganda equals division, and division equals chaos
JD, join the crowd!! I am oldest of 12 siblings of original 14 ( 2 brothers passed). The count now is 5 bros, 1 sister in Trump camp; 1 brother a-political; and, 4 sisters and 1 bro Dems. Conversations can only be held if politics not allowed! Did not abate after election but got worse. Mom and Dad are gone so as oldest I feel a "duty" to hold the group together. Tough, tough, tough! Love them all but we are often in parallel universes!!! One of our "resistance" tasks will be to try to "thread up" the unraveling of our families and neighborhoods....the closest to home divisions wrought by the sex addict -felon -liar who will be our President--again!! As a country we are so masochistic!!!
If I have to serve another four-year tour as a reporter/enemy combatant, so be it …