The world has been heading left over the last 60 years, and now we are swinging right. Presumably it's a cycle. This fight is also too big for Democrats even if they they adopt a "winning is everything" battle plan. I think people really do need to feel the pain that comes with far right fanatics in the government along with a populist narcissist. I also think there will be a third world war before that pain focuses people on moving left again.
In the meantime, everyone who supports law and order needs to keep focusing on the illegality on display every day. The people are not listening to Democrats, and JVL even though your ideas are good about showing the harms caused by stopping US AID, the fact is that the people who elected Trump don't care. They are tired of "being told what to do" by society/the left. The harder Democrats fight with their words and stunts, the more it looks like liberal crying. I stick with saying I want Trump and his people to honor their oath to the Constitution and set an example of upholding law, and neither Trump nor Elonia are doing that.
As AOC said: "He can stay, he can go. He can be impeached or voted out. But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him, the dark money that funded him, the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism that he amplified and reanimated."
In real time we are watching a legislature, an equal member of government, dominated by Republicans ceding their power to Trump and Elon Musk, as well as hearing a sitting Vice President lie his face off about the actual structure and function of government, particularly the Judicial branch. This nation is in deep shit. I don't see us coming out of this.
Their echo chamber, relentless algorithm and willing international partners troll farms is wide and their capture rate is pretty high. So even just not giving them the Democrats vote... for so long as votes in Congress even matter anymore- sure, oppose them. Refuse to raise the debt ceiling, try and divide the different factions, buy up the billboards, ad space, radio and streaming platforms, be the thorn in the foot for as long as it works. But I just do not see people/voters getting an epiphany. These people (along with the very wealthy and the connected) are invested and there are plenty of useful easily manipulated idiots with poor emotional regulation and impulse control to conveniently create chaos and change the attention trajectory (like that "assassin" kid at the Butler rally).
1) A very thought-provoking Triad, one that gives me some hope that there really is a way to fight back effectively against Trump. And certainly it’s not just to scream “fight, fight, fight” – it’s to actually do something. Schumer’s antics just confirm what I have believed all along – you can’t get people to act contrary to their basic instincts. Schumer is not a yeller, and he looks foolish yelling. It’s the same reason I give for why people can’t get down in the mud with Trump. No one is as good at that kind of fighting as Trump is and anyone who tries will end up looking foolish.
2) The idea of trying to drive Trump’s popularity down by going after Musk is specifically appealing for two reasons: (1) what he is doing is clearly illegal and will cause some degree of pain to identifiable people, and (2) as mentioned above (and mentioned in the Triad), Musk is who he is – someone who seems pretty thin-skinned (remember how he told his advertisers to “fuck off” when they objected to the way X was being run?) and he won’t be able to keep himself from lashing out and saying what he really thinks when nastiness is directed at him. But the real problem is that Musk just doesn’t come across like a true member of Trump’s cult. The cultists won’t cut him the same slack they do Trump.
What will be interesting to see is how Trump will react if Musk’s negatives start to bring Trump’s numbers down.
3) Still my hope is tempered significantly by the fact that almost half the country WANTED this. Perhaps it’s my engineering background, but I just can’t understand how to discuss issues with people who are clearly being irrational.
I don't think the Democrats are up to what is likely a long-term fight against the larger MAGA movement. As a reminder, a bunch of violent goons attacked the Capitol and the American people just voted for the guy who promised to pardon them.
Where are the Democrats going to go when MAGA gets to the "we ignore court decisions we don't like" phase? Or the "we shoot unarmed protesters" phase?
maga does not care how many African adults or children die. They might care about the white people a little bit, but pain and suffering bring smiles to repub faces. Chuck Schumer and many other dems could put a sleeping dog into a coma after speaking for five minutes. Dems need new blood, not old sleepy messages.
Regarding our doubled maternal mortality rates... Republican Senator Bill Cassidy (LA) said it really isn't so bad in his state if you don't count the Black mothers. He is like, well, if you correct for how many Black people we have, there isn't such a disparity in his state (a state in which four Black mothers die for every white mother). He is a medical doctor. How many oaths has this man violated? This is a man who gave a yes vote to RFK Jr. for HHS. There are just too many monsters.
Amazing. He might as well say, if you exclude women, the breast cancer rate isn't really an issue. He is a crank as much as his orange jesus and RFKrank Jr. As far as oaths, they are ignored by republicans as they ignore laws, rules, regulations, court orders, amendments, or the Constitution. They don't give a damn about any of them unless democrats are in control. GOP is more of a gang of criminal goons than a body of congress that adheres to the rule of law.
At the same time, Rubio has given a waiver for life-saving programs. So I just lobbied the state department directly. Rubio knows better, so put some pressure on him to do as much as he can. Trump and Musk may not stop the state department from granting waivers without publicizing it.
I totally agree with your first point. The visual of lawmakers led by Chuck Schumer chanting outside of building just looks weak, ineffectual and out of touch. There’s got to be a much more dynamic approach to stop the madness. I’m all for cutting costs and becoming more efficient, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater and then justifying it with blatant lies has got to stop!
I am fine with Democrats speaking to crowds of protesters that have gathered outside federal buildings. But then they need to go into the building! The Senators & Congressman should not leave until they see the DOGE “staff” and conduct some in person oversight. They have more of a right to be there than the DOGE people. I was glad to FINALLY see Democrats going down the some of the agencies but they need to get in the building (they did at USAID) and not allow themselves get turned away. Dare these security guards to arrest them. Dems need to treat this illegal DOGE actions with the seriousness it deserves!
Like your ideas, JVL. I fear that some Dems afraid of losing their jobs might not hang tough on forcing Smirky Johnson to the Dems will.
Unfortunately, the days of brilliant, creative, and masterful Democratic Party leaders with insight seem over.
Chuck Schumer is over-the-hill, Hakim shows some flashes, but there doesn't seem to be a political understanding of winning
Fortuneately, the new DNC chair, Ken Martin, looks like a good choice from beyond the beltway, who knows boots on the ground and cutting edge technology are needed to regain the working class.
Mayor Pete and the next generation are poised, but have no platform or power.
The time to speak out was, I don't know, years ago but since you were busy exercising decorum, or at the movies, or painting pictures, please speak up now! PETFAR was your baby - please take care of it!!!!! Silence + death never more true than right now!
Every video you can do, every person you can find will not make a dent. Trust me. I have a sister in a small Minnesota town who voted for this. I have a sister in Florida who voted for this. You could attempt to show them one video of any "brown" person being affected by any of this and they would not care! I emphasize, they would not CARE. Not one bit. That is the horror of all of this. If it does not directly impact one aspect of their lives, they don't give a rat's ass. My sister in Minnesota was complaining that there were brown people moving into her town. When my father died and we were selling his home a mixed race couple wanted to buy it until their brown daughter was outside and on a very rural road someone drove by and told them to go back to their country. I am not making this up. If it is not happening here or does not affect the price of fucking eggs they don't give a shit.
My Minnesota sister actually tried to "explain" to me that bird flu comes from cows. The information sources they adhere to will never expose them to anything remotely true. This is a bit of a rant but honestly the people who voted for this will never have a clue how doing good in other countries remotely benefits us here.
I used to think that the USA defaulting on its debt would be the worst thing that could possibly happen. That we would never recover from the blow to our reputation and would lose forever our ability to lead and export our values. Now I’m like, whadda we got to lose?
Specifically, why can’t the Dems hold 1-2 press conferences weekly with a couple of reps from all over the country , not the usual ones. Their speech should address how , with Trump’s approval, Musk’s actions can/are affecting their district I also would start every press conference with a declaration of Article 1 of the Constitution . Another approach would be to have the reps from the different committees speak
Dems don’t have a clue. It’s as if Trump dropped from a spaceship 18 days ago and started wreaking havoc. As if the last 8 years didn’t give them time to plan. Dems don’t miss an opportunity to fundraise off it, though. I get endless screaming Act Blue spam. My favorite was a claim that they want to turn Matt Gaetz’s seat blue. This is impossible, stupid, gross and tone deaf. Forget 2026. Focus on what’s happening now. We are in free fall and their go to strategy is fundraising and sit ins at Dept of Ed.
The world has been heading left over the last 60 years, and now we are swinging right. Presumably it's a cycle. This fight is also too big for Democrats even if they they adopt a "winning is everything" battle plan. I think people really do need to feel the pain that comes with far right fanatics in the government along with a populist narcissist. I also think there will be a third world war before that pain focuses people on moving left again.
In the meantime, everyone who supports law and order needs to keep focusing on the illegality on display every day. The people are not listening to Democrats, and JVL even though your ideas are good about showing the harms caused by stopping US AID, the fact is that the people who elected Trump don't care. They are tired of "being told what to do" by society/the left. The harder Democrats fight with their words and stunts, the more it looks like liberal crying. I stick with saying I want Trump and his people to honor their oath to the Constitution and set an example of upholding law, and neither Trump nor Elonia are doing that.
As AOC said: "He can stay, he can go. He can be impeached or voted out. But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him, the dark money that funded him, the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism that he amplified and reanimated."
In real time we are watching a legislature, an equal member of government, dominated by Republicans ceding their power to Trump and Elon Musk, as well as hearing a sitting Vice President lie his face off about the actual structure and function of government, particularly the Judicial branch. This nation is in deep shit. I don't see us coming out of this.
Their echo chamber, relentless algorithm and willing international partners troll farms is wide and their capture rate is pretty high. So even just not giving them the Democrats vote... for so long as votes in Congress even matter anymore- sure, oppose them. Refuse to raise the debt ceiling, try and divide the different factions, buy up the billboards, ad space, radio and streaming platforms, be the thorn in the foot for as long as it works. But I just do not see people/voters getting an epiphany. These people (along with the very wealthy and the connected) are invested and there are plenty of useful easily manipulated idiots with poor emotional regulation and impulse control to conveniently create chaos and change the attention trajectory (like that "assassin" kid at the Butler rally).
A few (late) comments...
1) A very thought-provoking Triad, one that gives me some hope that there really is a way to fight back effectively against Trump. And certainly it’s not just to scream “fight, fight, fight” – it’s to actually do something. Schumer’s antics just confirm what I have believed all along – you can’t get people to act contrary to their basic instincts. Schumer is not a yeller, and he looks foolish yelling. It’s the same reason I give for why people can’t get down in the mud with Trump. No one is as good at that kind of fighting as Trump is and anyone who tries will end up looking foolish.
2) The idea of trying to drive Trump’s popularity down by going after Musk is specifically appealing for two reasons: (1) what he is doing is clearly illegal and will cause some degree of pain to identifiable people, and (2) as mentioned above (and mentioned in the Triad), Musk is who he is – someone who seems pretty thin-skinned (remember how he told his advertisers to “fuck off” when they objected to the way X was being run?) and he won’t be able to keep himself from lashing out and saying what he really thinks when nastiness is directed at him. But the real problem is that Musk just doesn’t come across like a true member of Trump’s cult. The cultists won’t cut him the same slack they do Trump.
What will be interesting to see is how Trump will react if Musk’s negatives start to bring Trump’s numbers down.
3) Still my hope is tempered significantly by the fact that almost half the country WANTED this. Perhaps it’s my engineering background, but I just can’t understand how to discuss issues with people who are clearly being irrational.
I don't think the Democrats are up to what is likely a long-term fight against the larger MAGA movement. As a reminder, a bunch of violent goons attacked the Capitol and the American people just voted for the guy who promised to pardon them.
Where are the Democrats going to go when MAGA gets to the "we ignore court decisions we don't like" phase? Or the "we shoot unarmed protesters" phase?
maga does not care how many African adults or children die. They might care about the white people a little bit, but pain and suffering bring smiles to repub faces. Chuck Schumer and many other dems could put a sleeping dog into a coma after speaking for five minutes. Dems need new blood, not old sleepy messages.
Regarding our doubled maternal mortality rates... Republican Senator Bill Cassidy (LA) said it really isn't so bad in his state if you don't count the Black mothers. He is like, well, if you correct for how many Black people we have, there isn't such a disparity in his state (a state in which four Black mothers die for every white mother). He is a medical doctor. How many oaths has this man violated? This is a man who gave a yes vote to RFK Jr. for HHS. There are just too many monsters.
Amazing. He might as well say, if you exclude women, the breast cancer rate isn't really an issue. He is a crank as much as his orange jesus and RFKrank Jr. As far as oaths, they are ignored by republicans as they ignore laws, rules, regulations, court orders, amendments, or the Constitution. They don't give a damn about any of them unless democrats are in control. GOP is more of a gang of criminal goons than a body of congress that adheres to the rule of law.
At the same time, Rubio has given a waiver for life-saving programs. So I just lobbied the state department directly. Rubio knows better, so put some pressure on him to do as much as he can. Trump and Musk may not stop the state department from granting waivers without publicizing it.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/09/kurdish-officials-fear-islamic-state-revival-as-us-aid-cuts-loom-syria
https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform
Saul Alinsky knew how to get things done.
I totally agree with your first point. The visual of lawmakers led by Chuck Schumer chanting outside of building just looks weak, ineffectual and out of touch. There’s got to be a much more dynamic approach to stop the madness. I’m all for cutting costs and becoming more efficient, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater and then justifying it with blatant lies has got to stop!
I am fine with Democrats speaking to crowds of protesters that have gathered outside federal buildings. But then they need to go into the building! The Senators & Congressman should not leave until they see the DOGE “staff” and conduct some in person oversight. They have more of a right to be there than the DOGE people. I was glad to FINALLY see Democrats going down the some of the agencies but they need to get in the building (they did at USAID) and not allow themselves get turned away. Dare these security guards to arrest them. Dems need to treat this illegal DOGE actions with the seriousness it deserves!
Armed guards had them locked out.
Like your ideas, JVL. I fear that some Dems afraid of losing their jobs might not hang tough on forcing Smirky Johnson to the Dems will.
Unfortunately, the days of brilliant, creative, and masterful Democratic Party leaders with insight seem over.
Chuck Schumer is over-the-hill, Hakim shows some flashes, but there doesn't seem to be a political understanding of winning
Fortuneately, the new DNC chair, Ken Martin, looks like a good choice from beyond the beltway, who knows boots on the ground and cutting edge technology are needed to regain the working class.
Mayor Pete and the next generation are poised, but have no platform or power.
Okay here goes:
F*CK Presidential Decorum
Dear President George W. Bush,
The time to speak out was, I don't know, years ago but since you were busy exercising decorum, or at the movies, or painting pictures, please speak up now! PETFAR was your baby - please take care of it!!!!! Silence + death never more true than right now!
Every video you can do, every person you can find will not make a dent. Trust me. I have a sister in a small Minnesota town who voted for this. I have a sister in Florida who voted for this. You could attempt to show them one video of any "brown" person being affected by any of this and they would not care! I emphasize, they would not CARE. Not one bit. That is the horror of all of this. If it does not directly impact one aspect of their lives, they don't give a rat's ass. My sister in Minnesota was complaining that there were brown people moving into her town. When my father died and we were selling his home a mixed race couple wanted to buy it until their brown daughter was outside and on a very rural road someone drove by and told them to go back to their country. I am not making this up. If it is not happening here or does not affect the price of fucking eggs they don't give a shit.
My Minnesota sister actually tried to "explain" to me that bird flu comes from cows. The information sources they adhere to will never expose them to anything remotely true. This is a bit of a rant but honestly the people who voted for this will never have a clue how doing good in other countries remotely benefits us here.
I used to think that the USA defaulting on its debt would be the worst thing that could possibly happen. That we would never recover from the blow to our reputation and would lose forever our ability to lead and export our values. Now I’m like, whadda we got to lose?
Specifically, why can’t the Dems hold 1-2 press conferences weekly with a couple of reps from all over the country , not the usual ones. Their speech should address how , with Trump’s approval, Musk’s actions can/are affecting their district I also would start every press conference with a declaration of Article 1 of the Constitution . Another approach would be to have the reps from the different committees speak
Trump will sue the news outlets for reporting and broadcasting them saying they were trying to make him look bad....
Specifically , why can’t the Dems hold 1-2 press conferences a week with a couple of reps from all over the
Dems don’t have a clue. It’s as if Trump dropped from a spaceship 18 days ago and started wreaking havoc. As if the last 8 years didn’t give them time to plan. Dems don’t miss an opportunity to fundraise off it, though. I get endless screaming Act Blue spam. My favorite was a claim that they want to turn Matt Gaetz’s seat blue. This is impossible, stupid, gross and tone deaf. Forget 2026. Focus on what’s happening now. We are in free fall and their go to strategy is fundraising and sit ins at Dept of Ed.