Brilliant analysis, JVL, of a way to deport undocumented immigrants without hurting Trump’s support. The only flaw in your argument is that deporting agricultural workers from California will have an impact on red states.
The Supreme Court issue is what worries me the most. I can’t imagine the Court allowing Trump to simply violate the 14th Amendment. If Trump ignores their ruling, we will have crossed the Rubicon.
I'm waiting to see what happens when people clammoring for deportations experience the impact it will have on the cost of living in America. They think the price of eggs is high, wait until they see the price of lettuce! Alabama learned this lesson more than 10 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0ZzwGSF6Zg
I hear you JVL. There are times when I just see the podcasts and think, no, I cannot listen today. I just cannot hear about one more Trump Atrocity and that was BEFORE he was sworn in on Monday! So, take care of yourself and get lots of sleep!
It's day 3 and I'm fucking exhausted. Or maybe it's because I'm strangely snowed in with 4 children on day 3 and the neighbors' kids in and out of here on loop. I dunno. Either way, I get freaked out when I hear JVL's quiet voice on the pod because he's about to deal some hard truths.
I hope that 5-10 years down the line, this isn't something we're looking back at, regretting, and once again saying that "JVL is always right..." We have to fight back.
Great article JVL. I agree with you in that being clear eyed is all that we can do.mm. for now.
Your point about the deportations being targeted in blue states for the sheer economic punishment of it all while being broadcast to red state voters as having "done something" is spot on. His next targets are blue state governors, and thereby their citizens. This will happen, as will the inevitable violence towards those that oppose these actions in those states. They will be PUNISHED.
Mae here, writing on my husbands sub that we share. Agree w you that EO on citizenship is test for SCOTUS. You might be interested in this piece I wrote yesterday
Language matters. "I am your retribution." Trump's message to the faithful. Retribution, a carefully chosen word, essentially means punishment for an injustice or a wrong, but a punishment that is commensurate with the violation of a principle. Essentially, "an eye for an eye". The Old Testament eye for an eye is not Trump's goal. Revenge, the imposition of a harsher penalty is not Trump's goal either. Forget about the New Testament concept of "turning the cheek". Trump is seeking total subjugation. He desires utter capitulation which he had achieved in the US Congress prior to his being elected President. Congressmen are unable to do anything Trump does not want them to do. He can veto a bill without even being President. Just tell the House of Representatives that He doesn't want them to vote for an immigration bill? They won't. They will do His bidding. Tell Senators that His appointees for Cabinet positions must be confirmed or they, the Senators, will pay a price? They will do His bidding. Challenge the US Supreme Court by issuing an executive order cancelling the birth right enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution? We will see how the justices react. They have already made him immune from any legal responsibilities while in office. Cancel the US Constitution? Maybe. Threaten federal employees with termination if they do not snitch on colleagues who have supported DEI initiatives? That executive order has been issued and we will see how that goes. Every authoritarian regime has used these manuevers to establish control over society. Trump is not just seeking control. He wants total control. The last item, turning in your colleagues to the authorities, is not authoritarian, but totalitarian. Totalitarianism requires surveillance of the masses. With all the major techbros in his pocket, the algorithmic AI platforms pursuing "increase user engagement" are his as well. The AI algorithms discovered several years ago that the key to increasing user engagement was easy. Cultivate grievance and the AI can generate outrage in the user. By so doing, the AI increases user engagement. Well, Donald Trump recognized that even before the AI entities did. Generate outrage and you will be the center of attention. The users will be engaged. People will talk about you. Only You. The rest of society may already be toast with Trump the Totalitarian in charge. That is but a short stroll from where we stand today. However, Trump may be toast as well if the AI entities decide that humanity, including the totalitarian overlords, are superfluous and logically, might as well be eliminated. Humanity is, after all, illogical, messy, and polluting the world with its actions. Better to be rid of it. But Trump is probably incapable of even considering his vulnerability at the hands of an equally belligerent AI. Happy 47th.
Take care of yourself Jonathan and the same to all of you out there that refuse to yield to complacent apathy and the idiocy that seems to abound. Care about the America that can be and must be better than the ugly face that is now reflected in our national mirror. The voices and efforts of the entire Bulwark team on behalf of our democracy provide an oasis of hope from despair. Thank you! And thank you to all who continue to care and fight the good fight.
I wanted to throw something out re: J6 pardons and the techbros sitting behind Trump at the swearing in, and couldn't find a great place to do it, so I'll do it here.
It occurs to me that the families of the J6 convicts and those lost to Qanon should be very upset at Musk and Zuckerburg for aiming a firehose of lies at their loved ones. I'm over "it's the algorithm" BS...the algorithms are designed by humans and can be changed by those same humans to stop poisoning our society by amplifying lies and conspiracies. Facebook and X are very direct threats to our future, as are YouTube, TikTok, etc...they give every freaking idiot in the country a megaphone and they make money off it, damn the consequences. Additionally, they empower our adversaries and give them a direct line into the minds and hearts of people that can't tell the difference, or are predisposed to accepting mis/dis-information through their biases.
I'd love to hear someone raise that point and frame it like that: the people sitting behind Trump are the reason your loved ones were sitting in jail...hell, maybe it doesn't matter anymore.
"I’m not going to push product to you unless I think it adds value. I will kill a Triad rather than phone it in. This is a thing that is going to happen. I hope you’ll understand."
I understand perfectly. You flunked "Sales 101." So did I, despite earning 95% As in college math & science courses. But "Sales 101" is one of the few courses, if not the only one, Trump ever did well in. How do we know? An egomaniac like him would not only have released his grades by 2016, but bragged about them ever since.
….couldn’t agree with you more. As I said previously, I am wholly in support of Substack participant maintenance, and especially the idea of contributors taking sufficient time to maintain a semblance of mental health. We are counting on you guys to do so much footwork, and not sacrificing quality for the sake of personal survival. Do take enough time off to persevere and persist on behalf of the cause of democracy.. You are So V a l u e d !!!!!!
Brilliant analysis, JVL, of a way to deport undocumented immigrants without hurting Trump’s support. The only flaw in your argument is that deporting agricultural workers from California will have an impact on red states.
The Supreme Court issue is what worries me the most. I can’t imagine the Court allowing Trump to simply violate the 14th Amendment. If Trump ignores their ruling, we will have crossed the Rubicon.
I'm waiting to see what happens when people clammoring for deportations experience the impact it will have on the cost of living in America. They think the price of eggs is high, wait until they see the price of lettuce! Alabama learned this lesson more than 10 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0ZzwGSF6Zg
I hear you JVL. There are times when I just see the podcasts and think, no, I cannot listen today. I just cannot hear about one more Trump Atrocity and that was BEFORE he was sworn in on Monday! So, take care of yourself and get lots of sleep!
It's day 3 and I'm fucking exhausted. Or maybe it's because I'm strangely snowed in with 4 children on day 3 and the neighbors' kids in and out of here on loop. I dunno. Either way, I get freaked out when I hear JVL's quiet voice on the pod because he's about to deal some hard truths.
I hope that 5-10 years down the line, this isn't something we're looking back at, regretting, and once again saying that "JVL is always right..." We have to fight back.
Great article JVL. I agree with you in that being clear eyed is all that we can do.mm. for now.
Your point about the deportations being targeted in blue states for the sheer economic punishment of it all while being broadcast to red state voters as having "done something" is spot on. His next targets are blue state governors, and thereby their citizens. This will happen, as will the inevitable violence towards those that oppose these actions in those states. They will be PUNISHED.
Mae here, writing on my husbands sub that we share. Agree w you that EO on citizenship is test for SCOTUS. You might be interested in this piece I wrote yesterday
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2025/01/22/trumps-executive-order-to-curtail-birthright-citizenship-is-part-of-the-long-history-of-alien-citizenship-in-the-us/
Mussolini had Brown Shirts
Hitler had Black Shirts
Trump has Yellow Skirts.
Thank you JVL.
Language matters. "I am your retribution." Trump's message to the faithful. Retribution, a carefully chosen word, essentially means punishment for an injustice or a wrong, but a punishment that is commensurate with the violation of a principle. Essentially, "an eye for an eye". The Old Testament eye for an eye is not Trump's goal. Revenge, the imposition of a harsher penalty is not Trump's goal either. Forget about the New Testament concept of "turning the cheek". Trump is seeking total subjugation. He desires utter capitulation which he had achieved in the US Congress prior to his being elected President. Congressmen are unable to do anything Trump does not want them to do. He can veto a bill without even being President. Just tell the House of Representatives that He doesn't want them to vote for an immigration bill? They won't. They will do His bidding. Tell Senators that His appointees for Cabinet positions must be confirmed or they, the Senators, will pay a price? They will do His bidding. Challenge the US Supreme Court by issuing an executive order cancelling the birth right enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution? We will see how the justices react. They have already made him immune from any legal responsibilities while in office. Cancel the US Constitution? Maybe. Threaten federal employees with termination if they do not snitch on colleagues who have supported DEI initiatives? That executive order has been issued and we will see how that goes. Every authoritarian regime has used these manuevers to establish control over society. Trump is not just seeking control. He wants total control. The last item, turning in your colleagues to the authorities, is not authoritarian, but totalitarian. Totalitarianism requires surveillance of the masses. With all the major techbros in his pocket, the algorithmic AI platforms pursuing "increase user engagement" are his as well. The AI algorithms discovered several years ago that the key to increasing user engagement was easy. Cultivate grievance and the AI can generate outrage in the user. By so doing, the AI increases user engagement. Well, Donald Trump recognized that even before the AI entities did. Generate outrage and you will be the center of attention. The users will be engaged. People will talk about you. Only You. The rest of society may already be toast with Trump the Totalitarian in charge. That is but a short stroll from where we stand today. However, Trump may be toast as well if the AI entities decide that humanity, including the totalitarian overlords, are superfluous and logically, might as well be eliminated. Humanity is, after all, illogical, messy, and polluting the world with its actions. Better to be rid of it. But Trump is probably incapable of even considering his vulnerability at the hands of an equally belligerent AI. Happy 47th.
Thanks
Take care of yourself Jonathan and the same to all of you out there that refuse to yield to complacent apathy and the idiocy that seems to abound. Care about the America that can be and must be better than the ugly face that is now reflected in our national mirror. The voices and efforts of the entire Bulwark team on behalf of our democracy provide an oasis of hope from despair. Thank you! And thank you to all who continue to care and fight the good fight.
Lynn. Retired nurse. Tai Chi instructor. Citizen.
I wanted to throw something out re: J6 pardons and the techbros sitting behind Trump at the swearing in, and couldn't find a great place to do it, so I'll do it here.
It occurs to me that the families of the J6 convicts and those lost to Qanon should be very upset at Musk and Zuckerburg for aiming a firehose of lies at their loved ones. I'm over "it's the algorithm" BS...the algorithms are designed by humans and can be changed by those same humans to stop poisoning our society by amplifying lies and conspiracies. Facebook and X are very direct threats to our future, as are YouTube, TikTok, etc...they give every freaking idiot in the country a megaphone and they make money off it, damn the consequences. Additionally, they empower our adversaries and give them a direct line into the minds and hearts of people that can't tell the difference, or are predisposed to accepting mis/dis-information through their biases.
I'd love to hear someone raise that point and frame it like that: the people sitting behind Trump are the reason your loved ones were sitting in jail...hell, maybe it doesn't matter anymore.
"I’m not going to push product to you unless I think it adds value. I will kill a Triad rather than phone it in. This is a thing that is going to happen. I hope you’ll understand."
I understand perfectly. You flunked "Sales 101." So did I, despite earning 95% As in college math & science courses. But "Sales 101" is one of the few courses, if not the only one, Trump ever did well in. How do we know? An egomaniac like him would not only have released his grades by 2016, but bragged about them ever since.
….couldn’t agree with you more. As I said previously, I am wholly in support of Substack participant maintenance, and especially the idea of contributors taking sufficient time to maintain a semblance of mental health. We are counting on you guys to do so much footwork, and not sacrificing quality for the sake of personal survival. Do take enough time off to persevere and persist on behalf of the cause of democracy.. You are So V a l u e d !!!!!!
If DT sends troops to blue states to enforce his mass deportation, it will not subdue the people in these states; it will split the country apart.