To those in the Bulwark community who live in Westchester Country, NY, remember we have special election to elect our county executive on February 11, following George Latimer's election to represent CD-16 last November. Ken Jenkins, who was our deputy county executive under George Latimer, is the D running. I urge you to vote for Ken Jenkins. The only substantive difference between Ken and his R opponent (whose name I don't recall) is our status as a sanctuary jurisdiction. And to be clear, law enforcement here does not impede ICE; rather they are not allowed to proactively ask someone who is detained/arrested about their immigration status and then call ICE. That's it. If ICE comes with a warrant and ask for assistance, law enforcement is required to provide it. If someone is convicted and law enforcement learns the person is illegal, they call ICE Deportations are not new to this country but the ICE raids taking place in so many towns- today in a residential neighborhood in Mount Kisco - spreading fear among all of us, citizens or not and making us all less safe - is new. Turn out is critical. We must take a stand and, as Bill wrote today, say NO!
could it be that if conservative thinkers had spent less time reading Burke, dreaming about virtues and civility, and spent more time coming to grips with Machiavelli our present predicament might have been avoided? i must be dreaming...
When I grew up, in the way back when, people with family names like Elez were some bizarre sub-species from a non-Anglo place such as the Balkans. People with personal names like Marko were even stranger -- something fresh off the boat. It was an extremely bigoted time. I have mentioned this before, but a working index of middle-American (or perhaps Yankee) bigotry of the era appears in one of the early scenes from "A Summer Place" (1959). Here, Ken Jorgensen upbraids his wife, Helen, over her increasing intolerance for difference, even the Swedes of Ken's nativity. In thus I am also reminded of an illustration attributed to Carl Sandberg many years back. An America First (Klansman) in Peoria broadcast with a sign over his dry goods store that he was 100% American. His competitor placed one soon after claiming to be 200% American. When the former questioned the latter about the incomprehensibility of 200%, the response was penetrating. "Why, you only hate Jews, Blacks and Catholics but I hate the whole human race." Go ahead, hate your neighbor even as the NFL decides to "Choose Love" in the upcoming Superbowl because our 200% American will be there taking notes, if not names.
In a Congressional hearing yesterday, MA representative Ayanna Pressley did a masterful job of saying “No!” to the GOP dreamscape of a DEI-free world purged of social services during questioning of Iowa governor, Kim Reynolds. Of course, DC-GOP rep’s salivate at thought of eliminating the sorts of programs that the state of Iowa in its red-pilled, red state delusion have already decimated.
Too bad that Congresswoman Pressley came armed with the data about increased hunger, higher maternal mortality, and lower student scores that followed these “efficiency” cuts. And all for a grand total in savings of about $100,000.
I am tired of the various attempts to explain the differences between Republican & Democratic Party positions over the years, the differences separating Conservatives and Liberals in the U.S., or classic liberal democracy by Locke v. classic conservatism by Burke.
Conservatives (Buckley, Kristol, Sykes, Will, Krauthammer, etc.) and Liberals (Randolph, Wills, Vidal, Baldwin, etc.) have debated, debunked, and decried each other for years - for what?
The destruction of our Constitution and nation, apparently - IF we are unable to unite ourselves against the evil that seeks to destroy us.
MAGA actions today ARE NOT singularly against USAID or DEI. MAGA works to completely break our Constitution and all it represents and affects. Does anyone not see that the ACA is or will be eliminated by arbitrary funding cuts and the elimination of federal health information and agencies? MAGA is not simply about ending foreign assistance; it's aim is to eliminate domestic assistance - otherwise, why would MAGA seek to eliminate FEMA or SNAP or DoE?
The 48.4% of U.S. voters - Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, etc. - who voted against MAGA and the Oath-Breaking SoB in November 2024 must be organized and motivated to active opposition. We need leadership, not messages. Chuck Shumer and, sad to say, Jeffries have not yet demonstrated the ability to organize, motivate - publicly and privately, and inspire an opposition.
I am ready for a new conservatism in America. Truth be told I have been ready for one since the late 1990s. Not one based on obstruction and neoliberal economics. Rather one that conserves the things that cannot be replenished and one that does not want to live in the past. I do not care what party it comes from. (had a glimmer with McCain but he could not get away from the Republican Party)
Really interesting Ezra Klein interview in the NYT today with Kara Swisher, who formerly wrote opinions on tech & Silicon Valley for the NYT & New York Magazine. She knows Elon Musk well.
I learned a lot - for instance, I knew that Musk grew up in South Africa & that Peter Tiel was born in Germany, but I didn't know that Tiel also spent the bulk of his childhood in South Africa.
So much info in today’s various posts! Thank you, The Bulwark, for keeping us abreast of all the damage that MUSK/Trump are trying to inflict upon us! There are only a handful of decent Republicans left in this world! Know that we need and respect you! America cannot survive without two parties functioning honorably, but at the moment the ELECTED REPUBLICANS do not demonstrate honor and integrity! They are only working for themselves, MUSK, and Trump! If America becomes a dictatorship like Nazi Germany, the blame will be solely on the current ELECTED REPUBLICANS in Congress!
Jefferson and Juliana McMillan-Wilhoit are heroes, and they are patriots. I hope there are many others like them throughout the government preserving the data so that the truth not be lost. I pray the actual USAID files have been downloaded and saved before the musketts could get to them and start altering them in order to "prove" fraud.
As far as saying no, the republican party has been winning with this since 2011. People supposedly want the parties to work together but they have consistently rewarded the party of no, the party that refuses to compromise. Democrats maintain they are ready to work with republicans, my question is why. I have yet to see one single good proposal from this administration so why shouldn't democrats consistently say no.
Always keep this in mind: Roughly 245 million Americans were eligible to vote in 2024. Roughly 77 million voted for Trump 167 million people did NOT vote for Trump.
There is no mandate there. People should stop believing and acting like there is. A constant refrain should be that 167 million eligible oters did NOT vote for this. It is one of the few things that give me some hope.
If Donald and Elon F up enough, there is large potential pool of people to draw on... and this should be being worked RIGHT NOW.
It is a minor point but can we please start putting "Department" in quotes when referring to Elon's non-department "Department"? Every time I see "Department" used without qualification it makes my skin crawl.
My comment is a reply to member Patrick that somehow did not land under his. So it may seem out of the blue. I have edited to add this intro.
I actually agree with much of what you say. But not with the suggestion that I am making false equivalencies, for the simple reason that I myself do not AT ALL think the political PARTIES are equivalent. My gripe with the progressives of today is that they are totally out of touch with where the bulk of Democrats are but are trying to push the party and government in an authoritarian direction. Look at the speech codes which now exist across the country at major universities, thanks to progressive activism. Look at the attempts of progressives to use the power of government in other ways to silence speech they do not like. Or to force certain ideologies into law without genuine debate. Gender medicine for minors is just one example. MAGA wants to use government to institutionalize Christian nationalism Modern progressives have been attempting to use the state to institutionalize their preferred ideologies, even when those ideologies are rejected by majorities.
In attempting to keep my comment brief, I oversimplified. The progressive shouting down that happens everywhere nowadays is certainly not remotely equivalent to what we are seeing play out right now at the federal level. Four years of Biden/Harris brought some policies I liked, some I didn't, and failure to effectively address my biggest concern, namely our ecological crisis, but no chaos, no wholesale disregard for the rule of law and the Constitution, no gratuitous cruelty, no massive corruption. No bullying and extortion of our allies, while coddling our adversaries. No attempts to intimidate and silence the media. No abject submission of the party in power. So absolutely there is no equivalence when the parties are in power.
Finally, I am not the least bit thin-skinned . It is very hard to offend me because I don't take myself very seriously. No need to be super careful in responding to me. :-) The behavior at local Dem meetings doesn't bother me at a personal level. I just see it as very illiberal and VERY counter-productive . It hurts the party's image and chances and discourages participation. And it is behavior replicated across the country.
A group of Dems in my small town within my county are actually going to be meeting regularly going forward to explore how to counter the closed minds and illiberality present in our
county which just might be the worst offender in the entire state of NY.
I welcome and enjoy honest debate. However, it takes me a while to create a comment. So I need to limit myself, or I would be typing all day.
I agree with you, Marie. There is no equivalency between the parties. The Republican Party, which now fully embraces fascism under Trump's leadership, is trying to destroy the country and create a utopia for bigots and billionaires.
The Democratic Party on the other hand (especially its hard left wing) has simply lost its way and is operating on a misguided agenda. They think that promoting their pet ideologies, siding with Hamas, ensuring gender transformations for minors, etc. are the most important issues the country faces. Look where that's getting them/us.
Democrats should, of course, embrace protections for minorities and the disadvantaged. That's an important part of their legacy and important to our country. But they should also promote an economic agenda that is focused like a laser on rebuilding the middle class, yes, including lots of white people out there whom Trump has brainwashed into believing that's what he's doing (spoiler alert: it's not what he's doing).
You're not going to help working people and the middle class (of all races) by expending enormous amounts of political capital on trying to make sure that a handful of trans women get to play volleyball on the women's team. Or trying to get the entire population to put their pronouns in their email sigs. Or by shouting down conservative speakers on campus. Or by calling people with no place to live "unhoused" instead of homeless. Using the right shibboleths, showing you're one of the cool kids, doesn't win votes.
I mostly keep these thoughts to myself, because saying them out loud can get you labeled a transphobe or a clueless tool of the white patriarchy, or whatever. Ok, if that's what people want to believe, fine. I can't prove a negative.
Amen, Alan. Yes, we need to protect minorities from harassment, bullying and genuine discrimination. But the demands have gone far beyond such protection to ridiculous positions and speech. I, for one, will never say "pregnant persons", ""prostrate bearers". But this type of nonsense is now compelled speech at universities, non-profits, blue state govt agencies, and more. The goal has moved from from ensuring that people can live their choices in peace, as long as no else is harmed, to demanding conformity to particular ideologies.
And again, the sad thing is that it is driving away from the Dems and into MAGA arms, people who do support the economic agenda of the Dems, as well as goals like product and financial protections for consumers, environmental protection, fair taxation where the wealthy can't dump the burden on the poor and the middle class, affordable housing, etc.
I very much doubt the most powerful opposition leaders would agree--not MLK, Mandela, or Walesa. They inspired their followers with a compelling vision and an equally compelling alternative narrative. That's what motivated their massive followings to act. "Just say no" will never do that. Stopping Trump and his support is a means not an end.
Just say no - worked to win the war on drugs, did it not? Saying no is a mark of opposition but it is not an act of opposition. Mind how you go.
To those in the Bulwark community who live in Westchester Country, NY, remember we have special election to elect our county executive on February 11, following George Latimer's election to represent CD-16 last November. Ken Jenkins, who was our deputy county executive under George Latimer, is the D running. I urge you to vote for Ken Jenkins. The only substantive difference between Ken and his R opponent (whose name I don't recall) is our status as a sanctuary jurisdiction. And to be clear, law enforcement here does not impede ICE; rather they are not allowed to proactively ask someone who is detained/arrested about their immigration status and then call ICE. That's it. If ICE comes with a warrant and ask for assistance, law enforcement is required to provide it. If someone is convicted and law enforcement learns the person is illegal, they call ICE Deportations are not new to this country but the ICE raids taking place in so many towns- today in a residential neighborhood in Mount Kisco - spreading fear among all of us, citizens or not and making us all less safe - is new. Turn out is critical. We must take a stand and, as Bill wrote today, say NO!
could it be that if conservative thinkers had spent less time reading Burke, dreaming about virtues and civility, and spent more time coming to grips with Machiavelli our present predicament might have been avoided? i must be dreaming...
When I grew up, in the way back when, people with family names like Elez were some bizarre sub-species from a non-Anglo place such as the Balkans. People with personal names like Marko were even stranger -- something fresh off the boat. It was an extremely bigoted time. I have mentioned this before, but a working index of middle-American (or perhaps Yankee) bigotry of the era appears in one of the early scenes from "A Summer Place" (1959). Here, Ken Jorgensen upbraids his wife, Helen, over her increasing intolerance for difference, even the Swedes of Ken's nativity. In thus I am also reminded of an illustration attributed to Carl Sandberg many years back. An America First (Klansman) in Peoria broadcast with a sign over his dry goods store that he was 100% American. His competitor placed one soon after claiming to be 200% American. When the former questioned the latter about the incomprehensibility of 200%, the response was penetrating. "Why, you only hate Jews, Blacks and Catholics but I hate the whole human race." Go ahead, hate your neighbor even as the NFL decides to "Choose Love" in the upcoming Superbowl because our 200% American will be there taking notes, if not names.
In a Congressional hearing yesterday, MA representative Ayanna Pressley did a masterful job of saying “No!” to the GOP dreamscape of a DEI-free world purged of social services during questioning of Iowa governor, Kim Reynolds. Of course, DC-GOP rep’s salivate at thought of eliminating the sorts of programs that the state of Iowa in its red-pilled, red state delusion have already decimated.
Too bad that Congresswoman Pressley came armed with the data about increased hunger, higher maternal mortality, and lower student scores that followed these “efficiency” cuts. And all for a grand total in savings of about $100,000.
Yay, Congresswoman Pressley!!
https://www.kcrg.com/2025/02/06/congressional-democrat-says-iowa-doesnt-reflect-our-country/
Saying "no" is just forcing these craven idiots to redouble their efforts.
Listen. Nod. Ignore.
I am tired of the various attempts to explain the differences between Republican & Democratic Party positions over the years, the differences separating Conservatives and Liberals in the U.S., or classic liberal democracy by Locke v. classic conservatism by Burke.
Conservatives (Buckley, Kristol, Sykes, Will, Krauthammer, etc.) and Liberals (Randolph, Wills, Vidal, Baldwin, etc.) have debated, debunked, and decried each other for years - for what?
The destruction of our Constitution and nation, apparently - IF we are unable to unite ourselves against the evil that seeks to destroy us.
MAGA actions today ARE NOT singularly against USAID or DEI. MAGA works to completely break our Constitution and all it represents and affects. Does anyone not see that the ACA is or will be eliminated by arbitrary funding cuts and the elimination of federal health information and agencies? MAGA is not simply about ending foreign assistance; it's aim is to eliminate domestic assistance - otherwise, why would MAGA seek to eliminate FEMA or SNAP or DoE?
The 48.4% of U.S. voters - Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, etc. - who voted against MAGA and the Oath-Breaking SoB in November 2024 must be organized and motivated to active opposition. We need leadership, not messages. Chuck Shumer and, sad to say, Jeffries have not yet demonstrated the ability to organize, motivate - publicly and privately, and inspire an opposition.
Just saying...
I listened to Jeffries on this week of Jon Stewart's podcast and the entire episode had me going "oh, we are in trouble......"
I am ready for a new conservatism in America. Truth be told I have been ready for one since the late 1990s. Not one based on obstruction and neoliberal economics. Rather one that conserves the things that cannot be replenished and one that does not want to live in the past. I do not care what party it comes from. (had a glimmer with McCain but he could not get away from the Republican Party)
Really interesting Ezra Klein interview in the NYT today with Kara Swisher, who formerly wrote opinions on tech & Silicon Valley for the NYT & New York Magazine. She knows Elon Musk well.
I learned a lot - for instance, I knew that Musk grew up in South Africa & that Peter Tiel was born in Germany, but I didn't know that Tiel also spent the bulk of his childhood in South Africa.
I recommend this interview highly.
So much info in today’s various posts! Thank you, The Bulwark, for keeping us abreast of all the damage that MUSK/Trump are trying to inflict upon us! There are only a handful of decent Republicans left in this world! Know that we need and respect you! America cannot survive without two parties functioning honorably, but at the moment the ELECTED REPUBLICANS do not demonstrate honor and integrity! They are only working for themselves, MUSK, and Trump! If America becomes a dictatorship like Nazi Germany, the blame will be solely on the current ELECTED REPUBLICANS in Congress!
Jefferson and Juliana McMillan-Wilhoit are heroes, and they are patriots. I hope there are many others like them throughout the government preserving the data so that the truth not be lost. I pray the actual USAID files have been downloaded and saved before the musketts could get to them and start altering them in order to "prove" fraud.
As far as saying no, the republican party has been winning with this since 2011. People supposedly want the parties to work together but they have consistently rewarded the party of no, the party that refuses to compromise. Democrats maintain they are ready to work with republicans, my question is why. I have yet to see one single good proposal from this administration so why shouldn't democrats consistently say no.
Marko Elez: "You could not pay me to marry outside my ethnicity."
Women worldwide: "You could not pay me to marry an a--hole like Marko Elez."
Always keep this in mind: Roughly 245 million Americans were eligible to vote in 2024. Roughly 77 million voted for Trump 167 million people did NOT vote for Trump.
There is no mandate there. People should stop believing and acting like there is. A constant refrain should be that 167 million eligible oters did NOT vote for this. It is one of the few things that give me some hope.
If Donald and Elon F up enough, there is large potential pool of people to draw on... and this should be being worked RIGHT NOW.
It is a minor point but can we please start putting "Department" in quotes when referring to Elon's non-department "Department"? Every time I see "Department" used without qualification it makes my skin crawl.
My comment is a reply to member Patrick that somehow did not land under his. So it may seem out of the blue. I have edited to add this intro.
I actually agree with much of what you say. But not with the suggestion that I am making false equivalencies, for the simple reason that I myself do not AT ALL think the political PARTIES are equivalent. My gripe with the progressives of today is that they are totally out of touch with where the bulk of Democrats are but are trying to push the party and government in an authoritarian direction. Look at the speech codes which now exist across the country at major universities, thanks to progressive activism. Look at the attempts of progressives to use the power of government in other ways to silence speech they do not like. Or to force certain ideologies into law without genuine debate. Gender medicine for minors is just one example. MAGA wants to use government to institutionalize Christian nationalism Modern progressives have been attempting to use the state to institutionalize their preferred ideologies, even when those ideologies are rejected by majorities.
In attempting to keep my comment brief, I oversimplified. The progressive shouting down that happens everywhere nowadays is certainly not remotely equivalent to what we are seeing play out right now at the federal level. Four years of Biden/Harris brought some policies I liked, some I didn't, and failure to effectively address my biggest concern, namely our ecological crisis, but no chaos, no wholesale disregard for the rule of law and the Constitution, no gratuitous cruelty, no massive corruption. No bullying and extortion of our allies, while coddling our adversaries. No attempts to intimidate and silence the media. No abject submission of the party in power. So absolutely there is no equivalence when the parties are in power.
Finally, I am not the least bit thin-skinned . It is very hard to offend me because I don't take myself very seriously. No need to be super careful in responding to me. :-) The behavior at local Dem meetings doesn't bother me at a personal level. I just see it as very illiberal and VERY counter-productive . It hurts the party's image and chances and discourages participation. And it is behavior replicated across the country.
A group of Dems in my small town within my county are actually going to be meeting regularly going forward to explore how to counter the closed minds and illiberality present in our
county which just might be the worst offender in the entire state of NY.
I welcome and enjoy honest debate. However, it takes me a while to create a comment. So I need to limit myself, or I would be typing all day.
I agree with you, Marie. There is no equivalency between the parties. The Republican Party, which now fully embraces fascism under Trump's leadership, is trying to destroy the country and create a utopia for bigots and billionaires.
The Democratic Party on the other hand (especially its hard left wing) has simply lost its way and is operating on a misguided agenda. They think that promoting their pet ideologies, siding with Hamas, ensuring gender transformations for minors, etc. are the most important issues the country faces. Look where that's getting them/us.
Democrats should, of course, embrace protections for minorities and the disadvantaged. That's an important part of their legacy and important to our country. But they should also promote an economic agenda that is focused like a laser on rebuilding the middle class, yes, including lots of white people out there whom Trump has brainwashed into believing that's what he's doing (spoiler alert: it's not what he's doing).
You're not going to help working people and the middle class (of all races) by expending enormous amounts of political capital on trying to make sure that a handful of trans women get to play volleyball on the women's team. Or trying to get the entire population to put their pronouns in their email sigs. Or by shouting down conservative speakers on campus. Or by calling people with no place to live "unhoused" instead of homeless. Using the right shibboleths, showing you're one of the cool kids, doesn't win votes.
I mostly keep these thoughts to myself, because saying them out loud can get you labeled a transphobe or a clueless tool of the white patriarchy, or whatever. Ok, if that's what people want to believe, fine. I can't prove a negative.
But it doesn't mean I'm wrong.
Amen, Alan. Yes, we need to protect minorities from harassment, bullying and genuine discrimination. But the demands have gone far beyond such protection to ridiculous positions and speech. I, for one, will never say "pregnant persons", ""prostrate bearers". But this type of nonsense is now compelled speech at universities, non-profits, blue state govt agencies, and more. The goal has moved from from ensuring that people can live their choices in peace, as long as no else is harmed, to demanding conformity to particular ideologies.
And again, the sad thing is that it is driving away from the Dems and into MAGA arms, people who do support the economic agenda of the Dems, as well as goals like product and financial protections for consumers, environmental protection, fair taxation where the wealthy can't dump the burden on the poor and the middle class, affordable housing, etc.
I very much doubt the most powerful opposition leaders would agree--not MLK, Mandela, or Walesa. They inspired their followers with a compelling vision and an equally compelling alternative narrative. That's what motivated their massive followings to act. "Just say no" will never do that. Stopping Trump and his support is a means not an end.