Not that it means anything from me, but Democrats should use the Purcell Principle to push back against pre-2026 midterm mid-decade redistricting that may occur as a result of this new SCOTUS ruling (which is practically election interference since most important voting rights cases have been decided in June).
Ditto about Jeffries, but I *think* the Democratic caucus in the House is already working to strengthen his backbone. What can be done about Schumer in the Senate? That I'm not so confident about.
I'm increasingly optimistic about Hakeem--he seems to be getting tougher by the day. I wouldn't be surprised if he tears up Trump’s next SOTU to his face and sprinkles it all over his weave ;)
I agree that the danger level from the mad child king is rising and rising very quickly. We are seeing the total failure of Republicans ability to govern, coupled with a delusional leader who does not have any impulse control. Throw in nothing but yes-men and yes-women surrounding him and it means that there is more to come.
Our job continues to be to do the work and be ready for what may come. Do not falter and do not give in to the negative voices. Lead by example and know that every little action right now is a ripple that will lead to larger ripples.
And the so-called news media can't manage to report what's happening without sanewashing it. Yeow. We've been headed in this direction since the Reagan administration, but it's still shocking to watch. Fwiw, in the "total failure" department I'd add the mostly corporate-controlled mainstream media. Would they have buried the 1938 Munich Agreement back on page 5 somewhere? How long before they realized what Pearl Harbor was about?
Right on, Tim! And re: the latest court news, for anyone who doesn't already know this, it turns out that what gave Peter Magyar a landslide so big he can rewrite the Hungarian constitution was Orban's extreme gerrymanders--the GOP is putting itself right where we want them.
TX already looks like a "dummymander," and would anyone be surprised if Anderson Clayton and/or the resurrected FL Democratic Party engineered the same? Or if Stacy Abrams' efforts, which have already narrowed GOP margins across the Deep South, produced some nasty surprises in any of those states with a notion to take advantage of SCOTUS's latest violation of the 14th amendment?
The Supremacists did this--and did it in April--because they're scared, and know we're coming for them with full constitutional authority in 2027 (there's no more role granted to the Executive Branch in regulating the courts than there is for Trump to be involved in administering elections)
We have been saying it all along; the weaker he is, the more dangerous he becomes. But, the only way out is through. His numbers will drop, the chaos in the GOP will escalate, and at some point the whole thing will break apart. No one knows how that plays out exactly, but the only alternative is bend the knee, and we all know how that turns out.
The push for the GOP to cement minority rule is full speed ahead now. There was never any doubt in my mind that the last of the Voting Rights Act would end, it was just a matter of when. The irony is that "racial considerations" can't be used to undo a system that was 100% built on racial considerations and they damn well know it.
Thanks, Simon! Looking forward to your talk with Katie.
James Comey is the prime example of how trying to appease Trump is pointless. I blame Comey more than almost anyone for helping Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton. He TWICE went out of his way during the election to dump on her, both times in ways that violated internal norms, but that doesn't matter to Trump. I believe this latest ridiculous indictment will fail, as it should. But people looking at Comey need to remember that he tried very hard to appease Trump. Karma.
Are we still supposed to be making daily calls? I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say NO ballroom, arch, Kennedy Center, etc. and that the president of the United States is not in touch with reality and must be removed from office. I'm writing postcards to NC voters today.
Hmm. I just checked on my usual way to get postcards from PTV - which is via their Slack channel. I had no problem ordering up more addresses for Georgia.
just responding to @twowheels and their question about not being able to contact Postcards to Voters... I figured that it might be helpful for twowheels to know that PTV is still up and running - for me anyway -
I get it — I was just wondering why someone would ask about PTV over here. OTOH, this is a good reminder — I’m overdue for a chat with Abby the Address Bot!
Postcards to Swing States was working yesterday. I was able to request addresses and postcards for Ohio. Starting to write postcards now is ideal because you can easily have a lot to mail this Fall.
I hate to say I was right about WHCD, but like I said at the time, I do know a thing or two about security and about firearms safety. (BTW, Rep. Frost was on w Jen Psaki last night and did a great rundown of what's going on in FL and why gun safety continues to be a huge concern.) As for this crap with the aggressive weaponization of the DOJ, etc. - unfortunately, to be expected. They are flailing AND they are failing.
I have not had a chance to view the king's address, but kudos to the speechwriter who incorporated several not-so-subtle digs at Orange and the sycophants (is that a new band?).
Will continue to make the calls, and am excited about starting the postcards - ordered the stamps yesterday!
Again, I know May Day is not a big deal for Simon, but I do think Friday will be a significant and important step in our battle v. authoritarism. A ton of union activity surrounding it, and Ezra & Leah have explained that it's as much about building the power to shut down the country if it comes to that as it is about making a statement of opposition and civil disobedience. Forewarned is forearmed.
Dr. Ben-Ghiat and other experts on authoritarianism have repeatedly said that we need to employ ALL the tools we have at our disposal to fight this thing while we still have them. Use 'em or lose 'em. Not all of us do all the things, but that's how opposition movements work best.
Agreed on all. I took the May Day call to action as including helping folks in my group understand the connections between autocrats and oligarchs. I know Timothy Snyder and Ruth Ben-Ghiat have written about those connections, but the most recent essay I found was from a different source that I'm surprised I wasn't already aware of: The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook, another Substack. Among other good columns, here's one I shared out: https://antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com/p/building-the-democratic-economy-now
We connected May Day to our Citizens Bank actions (invest in communities, not a police state), to a nearby still happening weekly Tesla protest, to advocacy about certain bills and ballot questions dealing with fair/unfair taxation, to mutual aid, and to the actual May Day events around. There are way more of those events than I'd expected, organized by a whole other set of organizers. Always building the coalition.
Ezra Levin, co founder of Indivisible said several weeks ago, that the rationale for the May Day boycotts (no work, no school, no shopping) was a sort of first pancake. They need to try it out to see what works, what doesn't how they might improve it with an eye to Nov-Jan period, assuming we win back one or both houses of Congress.
Everyone is anticipating that the GOP will not go quietly and try whatever shenanigans they dream up to delay or undermine the peaceful transfer of power. We don't want to be figuring out how to do a boycott then, we need some practice at it. This is why Indivisible is co-sponsoring May 1, to work out the bugs.
I ordered more stamps this morning and put 50 more news-boosting postcards in the mail for North Carolinians. The focus of my calls this morning was FISA and not feeding the troops. All the schools districts in the surrounding area have decided to close on Friday because so many teachers were putting in for personal days.
TWO KINGS. Ooh, I feel so owned--lol. Here's something I like to say to MAGAs online when they reach into their battered bags for their favorite go-to:
It's like "he who smelt it, dealt it." If you say "Trump Derangement Syndrome" or "TDS," you have it.
It all does seem to be accelerating and it really does stink to high heaven. What happened to the "ballroom" money that they supposedly raised that they are now trying to stick taxpayers with? I will say social media seems to have given King Charles A++ on his speech, and he and Pope Leo have been two surprising allies. Congressional Repubs are so dumb they applauded Charles' lines which were actually critical of them.
My gas is $4.59 and my copay to see my doctor (specialist) went from $40 to $55. I am reluctant to go to the store. Things are not rosy. The sad part is that the regime does not care. Thanks to King Charles for his speech outlining the important matters unlike the dear leader who wants to complete vanity projects on our dollar. I had to chuckle (one of the few recently) that there was only one president that Eluzabeth II welcomed back when his term was finished. And it wasn't 47.
seems like AG blanche is trying to out bondi bondi. to pls the master. question: since he was former defense atty for satan, cant he be relieved of his duties for conflict of interest? or maybe dc bar license infraction? he cant serve two masters. think defense attys always have duties to their former clients. so he is not a free agent. he is a puppet acting GA. there must be some enforcement mechanism for rogue us attorneys somewhere.
Simon, how you think the recent Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana (further gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act) affects us moving wand how can we best fight this ahead of the midterms and beyond?
On and on it goes and yet we are the actual strong team who keeps winning elections, lawsuits, and the independent media. Our leaders in Congress are becoming stronger and more out front. We have the best candidates. We have some of the smartest, strongest people working for our team in and out of Congress. Their reign of madness is just a few months from meeting a brick wall in the '26 election. I'd rather be us than them at this and every moment.
Not that it means anything from me, but Democrats should use the Purcell Principle to push back against pre-2026 midterm mid-decade redistricting that may occur as a result of this new SCOTUS ruling (which is practically election interference since most important voting rights cases have been decided in June).
Campaign filing deadlines have passed in most states anyways...and primaries are nearing in a few of them now.
Also keep track of Kansas and New Hampshire since their filing deadlines are later in June.
While I'm not wild about Hakeem Jeffries, I look forward to his replacing Mike Johnson, who couldn't lead ants to a picnic.
Ditto about Jeffries, but I *think* the Democratic caucus in the House is already working to strengthen his backbone. What can be done about Schumer in the Senate? That I'm not so confident about.
Schumer... yeah. He has his moments albeit few and far between.
I was about to say "You're too kind," but kindness is in short supply these days so I'll agree. <g>
I'm increasingly optimistic about Hakeem--he seems to be getting tougher by the day. I wouldn't be surprised if he tears up Trump’s next SOTU to his face and sprinkles it all over his weave ;)
I'm ready for that!
He seems to be more fiery in his messaging and I'm all here for it.
I personally loved watching all the GOP Republicans pretend to agree with everything King Charles said when I know they were pissed off inside.
I agree that the danger level from the mad child king is rising and rising very quickly. We are seeing the total failure of Republicans ability to govern, coupled with a delusional leader who does not have any impulse control. Throw in nothing but yes-men and yes-women surrounding him and it means that there is more to come.
Our job continues to be to do the work and be ready for what may come. Do not falter and do not give in to the negative voices. Lead by example and know that every little action right now is a ripple that will lead to larger ripples.
Amen, Tim!
And the so-called news media can't manage to report what's happening without sanewashing it. Yeow. We've been headed in this direction since the Reagan administration, but it's still shocking to watch. Fwiw, in the "total failure" department I'd add the mostly corporate-controlled mainstream media. Would they have buried the 1938 Munich Agreement back on page 5 somewhere? How long before they realized what Pearl Harbor was about?
Right on, Tim! And re: the latest court news, for anyone who doesn't already know this, it turns out that what gave Peter Magyar a landslide so big he can rewrite the Hungarian constitution was Orban's extreme gerrymanders--the GOP is putting itself right where we want them.
TX already looks like a "dummymander," and would anyone be surprised if Anderson Clayton and/or the resurrected FL Democratic Party engineered the same? Or if Stacy Abrams' efforts, which have already narrowed GOP margins across the Deep South, produced some nasty surprises in any of those states with a notion to take advantage of SCOTUS's latest violation of the 14th amendment?
The Supremacists did this--and did it in April--because they're scared, and know we're coming for them with full constitutional authority in 2027 (there's no more role granted to the Executive Branch in regulating the courts than there is for Trump to be involved in administering elections)
We have been saying it all along; the weaker he is, the more dangerous he becomes. But, the only way out is through. His numbers will drop, the chaos in the GOP will escalate, and at some point the whole thing will break apart. No one knows how that plays out exactly, but the only alternative is bend the knee, and we all know how that turns out.
Keep pushing
The push for the GOP to cement minority rule is full speed ahead now. There was never any doubt in my mind that the last of the Voting Rights Act would end, it was just a matter of when. The irony is that "racial considerations" can't be used to undo a system that was 100% built on racial considerations and they damn well know it.
Thanks, Simon! Looking forward to your talk with Katie.
James Comey is the prime example of how trying to appease Trump is pointless. I blame Comey more than almost anyone for helping Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton. He TWICE went out of his way during the election to dump on her, both times in ways that violated internal norms, but that doesn't matter to Trump. I believe this latest ridiculous indictment will fail, as it should. But people looking at Comey need to remember that he tried very hard to appease Trump. Karma.
Are we still supposed to be making daily calls? I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say NO ballroom, arch, Kennedy Center, etc. and that the president of the United States is not in touch with reality and must be removed from office. I'm writing postcards to NC voters today.
I have zero sympathy for Comey because of what he did to usher in trump in 2016.
Does anyone know what is going on with Tony the Democrat Postcards to Voters? Have not been able to contact the organization in last 24 hours
Hmm. I just checked on my usual way to get postcards from PTV - which is via their Slack channel. I had no problem ordering up more addresses for Georgia.
Hope you're able to sort things out...
What is a Slack channel and how do you access it?
Suggest you look on the PTV website for info on this.
I was able to get addresses via the website - thanks!!
Why are you posting that here?
I thought someone here could help
just responding to @twowheels and their question about not being able to contact Postcards to Voters... I figured that it might be helpful for twowheels to know that PTV is still up and running - for me anyway -
I get it — I was just wondering why someone would ask about PTV over here. OTOH, this is a good reminder — I’m overdue for a chat with Abby the Address Bot!
Postcards to Swing States was working yesterday. I was able to request addresses and postcards for Ohio. Starting to write postcards now is ideal because you can easily have a lot to mail this Fall.
I hate to say I was right about WHCD, but like I said at the time, I do know a thing or two about security and about firearms safety. (BTW, Rep. Frost was on w Jen Psaki last night and did a great rundown of what's going on in FL and why gun safety continues to be a huge concern.) As for this crap with the aggressive weaponization of the DOJ, etc. - unfortunately, to be expected. They are flailing AND they are failing.
I have not had a chance to view the king's address, but kudos to the speechwriter who incorporated several not-so-subtle digs at Orange and the sycophants (is that a new band?).
Will continue to make the calls, and am excited about starting the postcards - ordered the stamps yesterday!
Again, I know May Day is not a big deal for Simon, but I do think Friday will be a significant and important step in our battle v. authoritarism. A ton of union activity surrounding it, and Ezra & Leah have explained that it's as much about building the power to shut down the country if it comes to that as it is about making a statement of opposition and civil disobedience. Forewarned is forearmed.
Dr. Ben-Ghiat and other experts on authoritarianism have repeatedly said that we need to employ ALL the tools we have at our disposal to fight this thing while we still have them. Use 'em or lose 'em. Not all of us do all the things, but that's how opposition movements work best.
Keep going!
Agreed on all. I took the May Day call to action as including helping folks in my group understand the connections between autocrats and oligarchs. I know Timothy Snyder and Ruth Ben-Ghiat have written about those connections, but the most recent essay I found was from a different source that I'm surprised I wasn't already aware of: The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook, another Substack. Among other good columns, here's one I shared out: https://antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com/p/building-the-democratic-economy-now
We connected May Day to our Citizens Bank actions (invest in communities, not a police state), to a nearby still happening weekly Tesla protest, to advocacy about certain bills and ballot questions dealing with fair/unfair taxation, to mutual aid, and to the actual May Day events around. There are way more of those events than I'd expected, organized by a whole other set of organizers. Always building the coalition.
Ezra Levin, co founder of Indivisible said several weeks ago, that the rationale for the May Day boycotts (no work, no school, no shopping) was a sort of first pancake. They need to try it out to see what works, what doesn't how they might improve it with an eye to Nov-Jan period, assuming we win back one or both houses of Congress.
Everyone is anticipating that the GOP will not go quietly and try whatever shenanigans they dream up to delay or undermine the peaceful transfer of power. We don't want to be figuring out how to do a boycott then, we need some practice at it. This is why Indivisible is co-sponsoring May 1, to work out the bugs.
I ordered more stamps this morning and put 50 more news-boosting postcards in the mail for North Carolinians. The focus of my calls this morning was FISA and not feeding the troops. All the schools districts in the surrounding area have decided to close on Friday because so many teachers were putting in for personal days.
Having the unions on side in this struggle is really important. We need to show up for them like we want them to show up for us.
Please feel free to hum "Solidarity Forever" as you read this comment.
TWO KINGS. Ooh, I feel so owned--lol. Here's something I like to say to MAGAs online when they reach into their battered bags for their favorite go-to:
It's like "he who smelt it, dealt it." If you say "Trump Derangement Syndrome" or "TDS," you have it.
I sure hope you have space and time to promote May Day Strong, taking place on Friday.
It all does seem to be accelerating and it really does stink to high heaven. What happened to the "ballroom" money that they supposedly raised that they are now trying to stick taxpayers with? I will say social media seems to have given King Charles A++ on his speech, and he and Pope Leo have been two surprising allies. Congressional Repubs are so dumb they applauded Charles' lines which were actually critical of them.
My gas is $4.59 and my copay to see my doctor (specialist) went from $40 to $55. I am reluctant to go to the store. Things are not rosy. The sad part is that the regime does not care. Thanks to King Charles for his speech outlining the important matters unlike the dear leader who wants to complete vanity projects on our dollar. I had to chuckle (one of the few recently) that there was only one president that Eluzabeth II welcomed back when his term was finished. And it wasn't 47.
seems like AG blanche is trying to out bondi bondi. to pls the master. question: since he was former defense atty for satan, cant he be relieved of his duties for conflict of interest? or maybe dc bar license infraction? he cant serve two masters. think defense attys always have duties to their former clients. so he is not a free agent. he is a puppet acting GA. there must be some enforcement mechanism for rogue us attorneys somewhere.
Simon, how you think the recent Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana (further gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act) affects us moving wand how can we best fight this ahead of the midterms and beyond?
I'm reading the bumper sticker plastered on my fridge.
"We have the best Supreme Court that money can buy."
Reforms are coming as We the People demand them.
On and on it goes and yet we are the actual strong team who keeps winning elections, lawsuits, and the independent media. Our leaders in Congress are becoming stronger and more out front. We have the best candidates. We have some of the smartest, strongest people working for our team in and out of Congress. Their reign of madness is just a few months from meeting a brick wall in the '26 election. I'd rather be us than them at this and every moment.