Busy day Yesterday report from Aurora, CO: Started the day at the University of Northern Colorado Greeley Rally with AOC and Bernie. Did visibility for two hours with my “Boycott Tesla, Deport Elon” sign at the intersection by the campus entrance. Over 11,000 attendees at this rally in the center of Rep. Gabe Evans’ (R-MAGA) district! https://www.cpr.org/2025/03/21/photos-bernie-sanders-and-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-rally-in-greeley/
Thanks David. Everyone agrees we need a message and a movement to get our country back. Bernie Sanders is on to the message and is building a movement as we watch. If anyone hadn’t watched one of his and AOC’s rallies (34,000 last night in Denver), I urge you to do so. What can we be doing to support his work and to make sure that Democratic leaders collaborate with him and build the movement? I am weary of discussions about message strategy—not just here but elsewhere in activist circles. Simon, can you bring Bernie on for a conversation? Most interesting would be a Ken Martin-you-Bernie conversation. Thanks.
Is your vote SAFE? Will your vote be purged by vigilante challengers? Scared? Get Angry Protest
The Nazis(aka Republicans) SAVE Act and access to Americans private information The Nazis will use this information using AI to eliminate voters from the voting rolls with election consequences
We have the numbers they have the cash. The SAVE act will require proof of birth either by original birth certificate(who has that) or passport
The SAVE ACT will require people are asked to register or re-register to vote (31m do that every year….for various reasons change address/change county, change name with marriage) voters will have to prove they are citizens in order to vote This can be done in 2 ways: 1) proof of birth either by original birth certificate(who has that?) or 2 passport (12% have passports and are usually white and wealthy) What about women who have different last names now? Try to register if you do not have your original birth certificate because marriage licenses, military ID’s will not count This is why the Trump regime tried to do away with birthright citizenship
The result of the SAVE ACT: Massive drain of the voter rolls
Call your congressperson to vote against the SAVE ACT 202 224 3121
"I'll tell you what's at the bottom of it," [LBJ] said. "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
- Lyndon Baines Johnson, #36
Sadly, LBJ’s almost 70-year-old observation about his fellow citizens is just evergreen. AMAZING, if you wrap the destruction of the SOCIAL SAFETY NET in a blanket of “Replacement Theory” (the black and brown hordes coming over the border), you just might gain enough support from certain masses to get the “job” done. Leon (and the rest of his Neoreactionary brethren) have arrived to help Dolos finish the job that he failed to accomplish in his first term (we were warned in 2017): https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/steve-bannon-books-reading-list-214745/.
Every major external ENEMY of the USA understands that our collective failure to come to terms with our original sin is a POINT OF EXTREME VULNERABILITY! So, we need to develop a new terminology for the “Southern Strategy” because its practitioners have gone international. They speak Russian, Chinese, Persian, Korean (North), and others. Remember for Lenin, lying was a strategy (along with divide and conquer).
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
P.P.S.: DEMOCRATS (AND PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE) NEED TO HAVE “TOWN HALLS” IN REPUBLICAN DISTRICTS - ASAP. YOUR OPPONENTS HAVE WILLINGLY CONCEDED THE FIELD.
P.P.P.S.: Simon has often mentioned the earnest six-million patriots from the last cycle. This is a large pool of thoughtful energy/talent. SO, DEMOCRATS SHOULD ALLOW VETTED-VOLUNTEERS TO AUGMENT THEIR PAID OFFICE STAFF MEMBERS IN ORDER TO COVER THE INCOMING TSUNAMI OF COMMUNICATIONS (AND OTHER CONCERNS) FROM CITIZENS IN GENERAL AND CONSTITUENTS IN PARTICULAR!!
I urge everyone -- but especially all Democratic Party elected officials, candidates and strategists -- to read this book ASAP: The Political Mind, by George Lakoff. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-political-mind-george-lakoff/1103398624?ean=9780143115687 The book's original subtitle is: Why you can't understand 21st century American politics with an 18th century brain.
TAX REVENUE EXPECTED TO FALL BY 10% due to TRUMP & DOGE’s incompetence
Trump and Musk claim that the aim of DOGE is to downsize the federal government in order to save money. The result is likely to be the very opposite of the stated objective. Today, the Washington Post has a front-page article with a dramatic headline:
. Tax revenue could drop by 10 percent amid turmoil at IRS
"Staff cuts and disruptions related to the U.S. DOGE Service have officials bracing for a sharp loss of revenue.
"Senior tax officials are bracing for a sharp drop in revenue collected this spring, as an increasing number of individuals and businesses spurn filing their taxes or attempt to skip paying balances owed to the Internal Revenue Service.
"Treasury Department and IRS officials are predicting a decrease of more than 10 percent in tax receipts by the April 15 deadline compared with 2024, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share nonpublic data. That would amount to more than $500 billion in lost federal revenue; the IRS collected $5.1 trillion last year. For context, the U.S. government spent $825 billion on the Defense Department in fiscal 2024."
"The reason, officials say, is directly tied to changing taxpayer behavior and President Donald Trump’s rapid demolition of parts of the IRS. Senior tax agency officials issued detailed warnings about those outcomes to the incoming Trump administration before the president took office, according to records obtained by The Washington Post.
"The administration has moved to fire nearly 20,000 agency employees, specifically targeting new hires in taxpayer services and enforcement divisions. It’s already dismissed more than 11,000 workers at the agency, though some of their statuses are unclear pending fast-moving court cases.
"The IRS has dropped investigations of high-value corporations and taxpayers, according to several agency employees involved in those inquiries, because it’s had to triage resources to keep internal systems operating. Two agency commissioners have resigned since Trump took office. The IRS’s head of compliance, Heather Maloy, stepped down effective Friday."
My apologies for having to link to a paywalled page. WaPo has screwed up its gift links and now demand the email address of those who click on them. Imho, this is uncouth! Hence my extensive albeit condensed quotes from the article.
Being a numbers person, I have had to wonder about how slashing the workforce and tanking the economy could not affect the tax base. I forgot to think about the effect of axing the fraud-finders…. Thanks.
I'm conflicted when it comes to taxes. I don't want to fund Trump's warmongering. The threats to our friends are real and serious. And, the MAGA overlords are itching for war with Iran. I don't want one cent of my tax money going to Musk and Theil or any other oligarch thru corrupt government contracts, which they then peel out some and hand it back to Trump. It's blatant, awful corruption. But, when revenues fall, that will be another excuse for them to kill Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
As we all know, these MAGAs are trash, and they're going to tear this country apart. There aren't many ties holding this union together anymore. If they kill off Social Security and Medicare, 401ks tanks, then what's the point? Does the Northeast and West Coast want the South and the Midwest lording over them? That's what's happening now.
In hard-hitting TV ads, Democrats are tying Brad Schimel to Elon Musk. Those ads will be dominating the airwaves in the closing weeks, even as abortion and public safety are also being emphasized.
One ad, backed by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, uses audio of Schimel saying he needs to “invest in knee pads” because he has to “crawl around begging people” to financially support his bid. The ad then cuts to images of Musk, who “needs a guaranteed vote” on the state Supreme Court because he’s “suing the state of Wisconsin.”
The ad’s BOTTOM LINE: “Schimel begged, and Musk unloaded $10 million to rig the court,” the ad’s narrator says. “So how much does it cost to buy off a corrupt politician? Just ask Brad Schimel.”
(Research shows this ad reduced Schimel’s favorability by 14 percent among moderate voters.)
Toby of MGData is tabulating and analyzing the Early Vote in Wisconsin. He offers especially interesting comparisons between 2025 and 2023, when Janet Protasiewicz won and flipped the court to progressive.
"Donald Trump just endorsed Brad Schimel. Schimel has spent his entire career on bent knee to right-wing special interests. He said he wants to be part of Trump's "support network". We assumed he had this endorsement locked up months ago."
Judge Susan Crawford has raised donations for a gigantic War Chest. I’ll try to post a link to the article. Musk is basically buying votes paying $100 to voters that sign his petition against supporting “activist judges.”
I love this interview! What I find interesting is the process of how kleptocracy gains the consent of the public, through using false rationales, such as the idea that "everyone is corrupt" so therefore "OUR corruption is a legitimate response." What Trump and Musk are doing is sustaining the cynical idea that government is irredeemably corrupt, especially programs that the poor and working class rely on. It's the old Reagan "welfare cheat" idea that continues on today. So whatever actions Musk is taking is justified from the perspective of MAGA. There is no way that oligarchs can do what they do without some accompanying cynical view of government that is right-wing in nature (i.e. that people are abusing the system, resentment/grievance, like the myth of FEMA being denied to white people, etc.).
I've also noticed that kleptocracy plays on people's desire for the quick fix or financial cheat codes, like cryptocurrency or multi-level marketing schemes, combined with a rejection of expertise and hard work, which MAGA views as for suckers. Notice their rejection of postsecondary education and resentment of women and minorities in professional roles, like the DEI purges targeting those groups. They feel those roles should be for white men, no matter how unqualified. MAGA desires Trump and Musk's incredible wealth and freedom from responsibility and even manages to wrap their actions in the language of sacrifice, like "Musk has given up his salary to help people," or the incredible logic of, "Musk has his own money, he doesn't need your personal bank account info." It's an amazing ideological feat.
i think our new dem rock stars are AOC & bernie. they always speak truth to power. and have a keen sense of the economic hardships of americans. drawing big crowds. they are the leaders we have been looking for!!! and also good news that dems having town halls where repubs wont. that is a winner!!! creative thinking!!! hope they are doing voter registration at these events! but feels like we are sticking fingers into dikes just temporarily plugging holes. maybe the 4/5 national protest will get us moving into high gear!!! give everyone courage and buy in. everyone should be feeling the hurt in one way or another or knows someone who is hurt by satan actions, that will turn the tides. waiting for the students to engage. and independents.
I feel that what Trump and Musk are doing is playing political Jenga with the nation (and by extension the world order)! They keep tugging blocks out of our national identity and eventually, the whole thing is at risk of collapsing. What will that thing be?
Exactly. I think it's several things: the end of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, economic stagnation and a war. MAGA's nihilism, cruelty and selfishness will be the end of this country. I think in their minds, they can use the military and the security services to hold it together. Maybe they're right and they can. IDK.
Self report from yesterday: In addition to making my daily calls, I emailed Hopium links to six friends and talked to a colleague who told me out of the blue, "You know I am conservative, but what is happening now is making me crazy!" I agreed, listened to her rant, and told her about how the administration had knowingly published the names, birth places, and Social Security numbers of hundreds of people when they released the Kennedy assassination documents (you can watch Rachel Maddow's jaw-dropping piece about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6IBF3YpYuA). She was appalled. I didn't think to suggest that she start calling our NC representatives, but you can bet I'll work that in when I see her next week!
Truth is Trump is not a conservative. He’s a frontman for the radical right. Bottom line: your friend’s objection to Trump does not compromise her conservative values.
Amen! I really do wish the press and social media posters would stop using the word *conservative* for Trump and MAGA people. There is absolute nothing conservative about them! They are extreme radicals – authoritarians and Fascists.
Efficiency vs. headcount reduction - two very different things
Below is a letter to the editor in the 3/21/2025 Chicago Tribune. The writer came up with a very succinct way to frame what DOGE is doing. Simply put, reducing headcount does not necessarily achieve efficiency. In fact, reducing headcount at the pace and scale used by DOGE has probably created more inefficiency, not less!
I encourage Democrats to use this talking point in our communications to voters. I think most people will understand the distinction between firing workers and achieving efficiencies. Here is the LTE:
"On Feb. 26, President Donald Trump released his Department of Government Efficiency initiative. Elon Musk, Trump's appointed head of DOGE, has made widespread cost cuts to federal agencies by eliminating headcount. This is not an efficiency program; it is merely cost reduction.
"Let's call it what it is: The Department of Headcount Reduction, or DOHR.
"Reducing headcount may seem like a quick fix, but without doing the hard work to remove waste and optimize processes, it will not equate to a more efficient business. Sustainable efficiency programs require a strategic approach that prioritizes process improvements, technology adoption and workforce empowerment. Programs such as Lean Six Sigma have been successfully implemented by many Fortune 500 companies to improve operational efficiency. The Lean Six Sigma approach to efficiency helps eliminate waste and improve quality, which may lead to cost cuts.
"The success of Lean Six Sigma programs is based on exploring people, processes and technology. Toyota did not transform from a small-town Japanese car company into today's leading automotive manufacturer by simply reducing costs.
"Trump refers to himself as 'the most transparent president.' Well then, he should walk the walk. Musk has not shown any signs of creating efficiencies across the federal agencies he has already attacked; he is merely reducing costs by reducing headcount, which may be leading to unknown inefficiencies.
"Be transparent to the American people and call your initiative what it is -- the Department of Headcount Reduction."
A rather sobering post today but I can take it because I have to. It’s the world we find ourselves in, so let’s keep dealing with it as we here at Hopium are.
As for Paul Wuss, a well-deserved moniker, it reveals the greatest weakness in humanity: greed. Greed knows no political party and Paul Wuss chose to protect per partner profit over the rule of law. I hope it bites them in the ass.
Howard Lutnick (or as I saw him referred to yesterday, Nutlick) just had his Marie-Antoinette moment. That situation didn’t end well for her, so he might want to reevaluate his arrogance, privilege and cruelty.
I churned out more postcards for Susan Crawford today and meeting a friend tomorrow for more. It’ll be her first time doing, so a new recruit to the Opposition.
They should run an ad showing Commerce Secretary Lutnick saying if they skipped a social security check only cheaters would speak up! He clearly had NO idea how many people need their monthly social security check. It was disgusting.
To me that was just .... yeah, ad worthy. Asshole that he is. Why does his mother in law need Social Security, anyway. He should be putting her up in a mansion. What would that be to him?
Simon: "We Cannot Leave Our Great Country To These Fuckers"
Minor quibble: While well aware of the American idiom, I suspect a good portion of Musk’s DOGE team are Incels, i.e. non-fuckers who are aggressively re-directing their sexual frustrations.
In fact, that probably applies to The Big Man himself. So let me paraphrase my favorite political joke, which is British and told about Margaret Thatcher:
"Donald Trump is now doing to the country... what he hasn’t done... to his wife Melania... in years."
I'm beginning to think there was a secret divorce and as part of her settlement, she has to show up at certain functions to show their a legitimate couple.
Busy day Yesterday report from Aurora, CO: Started the day at the University of Northern Colorado Greeley Rally with AOC and Bernie. Did visibility for two hours with my “Boycott Tesla, Deport Elon” sign at the intersection by the campus entrance. Over 11,000 attendees at this rally in the center of Rep. Gabe Evans’ (R-MAGA) district! https://www.cpr.org/2025/03/21/photos-bernie-sanders-and-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-rally-in-greeley/
Then drove back to Denver for the HUGE afternoon Civic Center Park Rally! The crowd reached the venue capacity of 20,000 early on, with probably 14,000 more people outside the barricades! Excellent energy and determination! Great media coverage as well. https://coloradonewsline.com/2025/03/21/capacity-crowds-colorado-sanders-ocasio-cortez/
People are starting to realize the adverse effects of the MUSK/TRUMP carnage. Protests do work: https://www.denverpost.com/2025/03/21/jeanette-vizguerra-deportation-court-order-colorado/ AND: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/03/resistance-alive-well-us/
Can we get a million people marching in Washington DC on April 5th? If you are within driving/traveling distance to DC, please join! https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/event/764186/
Amazing work David. Thank you.
Retired, so this is the new hobby. Doing this for my kids' and grandson's future!
Thank you, David, Simon, Hopium Community.
Wondering if our Hopium community can organize as a force together in DC on April 5.
Might we talk about this? April 5 is fast approaching.
Thanks David. Everyone agrees we need a message and a movement to get our country back. Bernie Sanders is on to the message and is building a movement as we watch. If anyone hadn’t watched one of his and AOC’s rallies (34,000 last night in Denver), I urge you to do so. What can we be doing to support his work and to make sure that Democratic leaders collaborate with him and build the movement? I am weary of discussions about message strategy—not just here but elsewhere in activist circles. Simon, can you bring Bernie on for a conversation? Most interesting would be a Ken Martin-you-Bernie conversation. Thanks.
I agree Susan - the message will grow out of action to a significant extent
such uplifting news, thank you!
Thank you, David! Yes, I’ll be at the march on April 5. Also, just contributed to all the candidates on the Hopium list.
🙌🏻🙌🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💃🏻💃🏻!!!!!!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Is your vote SAFE? Will your vote be purged by vigilante challengers? Scared? Get Angry Protest
The Nazis(aka Republicans) SAVE Act and access to Americans private information The Nazis will use this information using AI to eliminate voters from the voting rolls with election consequences
We have the numbers they have the cash. The SAVE act will require proof of birth either by original birth certificate(who has that) or passport
The SAVE ACT will require people are asked to register or re-register to vote (31m do that every year….for various reasons change address/change county, change name with marriage) voters will have to prove they are citizens in order to vote This can be done in 2 ways: 1) proof of birth either by original birth certificate(who has that?) or 2 passport (12% have passports and are usually white and wealthy) What about women who have different last names now? Try to register if you do not have your original birth certificate because marriage licenses, military ID’s will not count This is why the Trump regime tried to do away with birthright citizenship
The result of the SAVE ACT: Massive drain of the voter rolls
Call your congressperson to vote against the SAVE ACT 202 224 3121
The NETWORK STATE - For the best synopsis of the objectives of the “Tech Lords”, please listen to this 45-minute podcast and share widely (these folks are going to leave a huge blast radius - if we let them): https://www.thenerdreich.com/the-nerd-reich-podcast-episode-1-the-network-state-2/.
Project 2025 Trackers:
https://www.project2025.observer .
https://substack.com/@project2025progress .
https://substack.com/@ahmedbaba/p-158109308 .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPElaGebGPc (timestamps 13:10 and 55:07).
Simon et al.:
ENDING MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY HAS BEEN THE PLAN FOR DECADES ON THE RIGHT: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2023/02/why-the-right-hates-social-security-and-how-they-plan-to-destroy-it!! What people forget is that Dolos and Leon of Fourteen Children are just the manifestations of where the Republican party (our Duma?) has always been: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5052213-social-security-benefits-bill-repeal/ . Please remember this document from the Senior Senator from Florida (The Reader’s Digest version of Project 2025): https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000017f-1cf5-d281-a7ff-3ffd5f4a0000 . McConnell and the rest of the establishment chastised him for SAYING THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD. As Krugman noted last year, this has been the plan for decades: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2023/02/14/paul-krugman-gops-long-war-against/. Leon, a recent immigrant from South Africa, truly understands (and recognizes) the RACIAL FEAR of his audience: https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/13/politics/elon-musk-social-security-conspiracy-theory-what-matters/index.html .
"I'll tell you what's at the bottom of it," [LBJ] said. "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
- Lyndon Baines Johnson, #36
Sadly, LBJ’s almost 70-year-old observation about his fellow citizens is just evergreen. AMAZING, if you wrap the destruction of the SOCIAL SAFETY NET in a blanket of “Replacement Theory” (the black and brown hordes coming over the border), you just might gain enough support from certain masses to get the “job” done. Leon (and the rest of his Neoreactionary brethren) have arrived to help Dolos finish the job that he failed to accomplish in his first term (we were warned in 2017): https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/steve-bannon-books-reading-list-214745/.
Every major external ENEMY of the USA understands that our collective failure to come to terms with our original sin is a POINT OF EXTREME VULNERABILITY! So, we need to develop a new terminology for the “Southern Strategy” because its practitioners have gone international. They speak Russian, Chinese, Persian, Korean (North), and others. Remember for Lenin, lying was a strategy (along with divide and conquer).
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
P.P.S.: DEMOCRATS (AND PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE) NEED TO HAVE “TOWN HALLS” IN REPUBLICAN DISTRICTS - ASAP. YOUR OPPONENTS HAVE WILLINGLY CONCEDED THE FIELD.
P.P.P.S.: Simon has often mentioned the earnest six-million patriots from the last cycle. This is a large pool of thoughtful energy/talent. SO, DEMOCRATS SHOULD ALLOW VETTED-VOLUNTEERS TO AUGMENT THEIR PAID OFFICE STAFF MEMBERS IN ORDER TO COVER THE INCOMING TSUNAMI OF COMMUNICATIONS (AND OTHER CONCERNS) FROM CITIZENS IN GENERAL AND CONSTITUENTS IN PARTICULAR!!
The LBJ quote is shamefully, sadly on point.
I urge everyone -- but especially all Democratic Party elected officials, candidates and strategists -- to read this book ASAP: The Political Mind, by George Lakoff. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-political-mind-george-lakoff/1103398624?ean=9780143115687 The book's original subtitle is: Why you can't understand 21st century American politics with an 18th century brain.
TAX REVENUE EXPECTED TO FALL BY 10% due to TRUMP & DOGE’s incompetence
Trump and Musk claim that the aim of DOGE is to downsize the federal government in order to save money. The result is likely to be the very opposite of the stated objective. Today, the Washington Post has a front-page article with a dramatic headline:
. Tax revenue could drop by 10 percent amid turmoil at IRS
"Staff cuts and disruptions related to the U.S. DOGE Service have officials bracing for a sharp loss of revenue.
"Senior tax officials are bracing for a sharp drop in revenue collected this spring, as an increasing number of individuals and businesses spurn filing their taxes or attempt to skip paying balances owed to the Internal Revenue Service.
"Treasury Department and IRS officials are predicting a decrease of more than 10 percent in tax receipts by the April 15 deadline compared with 2024, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share nonpublic data. That would amount to more than $500 billion in lost federal revenue; the IRS collected $5.1 trillion last year. For context, the U.S. government spent $825 billion on the Defense Department in fiscal 2024."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/22/irs-tax-revenue-loss-federal-budget/
"The reason, officials say, is directly tied to changing taxpayer behavior and President Donald Trump’s rapid demolition of parts of the IRS. Senior tax agency officials issued detailed warnings about those outcomes to the incoming Trump administration before the president took office, according to records obtained by The Washington Post.
"The administration has moved to fire nearly 20,000 agency employees, specifically targeting new hires in taxpayer services and enforcement divisions. It’s already dismissed more than 11,000 workers at the agency, though some of their statuses are unclear pending fast-moving court cases.
"The IRS has dropped investigations of high-value corporations and taxpayers, according to several agency employees involved in those inquiries, because it’s had to triage resources to keep internal systems operating. Two agency commissioners have resigned since Trump took office. The IRS’s head of compliance, Heather Maloy, stepped down effective Friday."
I almost included this but ran out of room. Thanks for sharing A/S. S
My apologies for having to link to a paywalled page. WaPo has screwed up its gift links and now demand the email address of those who click on them. Imho, this is uncouth! Hence my extensive albeit condensed quotes from the article.
thank you!
I didn't know about that - sure reduces the value of a gift link!
Being a numbers person, I have had to wonder about how slashing the workforce and tanking the economy could not affect the tax base. I forgot to think about the effect of axing the fraud-finders…. Thanks.
Old joke:
Mathematician: I just became a father!
Friend: Was it a boy or a girl?
Mathematician: Yes.
I'm conflicted when it comes to taxes. I don't want to fund Trump's warmongering. The threats to our friends are real and serious. And, the MAGA overlords are itching for war with Iran. I don't want one cent of my tax money going to Musk and Theil or any other oligarch thru corrupt government contracts, which they then peel out some and hand it back to Trump. It's blatant, awful corruption. But, when revenues fall, that will be another excuse for them to kill Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
As we all know, these MAGAs are trash, and they're going to tear this country apart. There aren't many ties holding this union together anymore. If they kill off Social Security and Medicare, 401ks tanks, then what's the point? Does the Northeast and West Coast want the South and the Midwest lording over them? That's what's happening now.
WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT – Hit ’em hard!
In hard-hitting TV ads, Democrats are tying Brad Schimel to Elon Musk. Those ads will be dominating the airwaves in the closing weeks, even as abortion and public safety are also being emphasized.
One ad, backed by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, uses audio of Schimel saying he needs to “invest in knee pads” because he has to “crawl around begging people” to financially support his bid. The ad then cuts to images of Musk, who “needs a guaranteed vote” on the state Supreme Court because he’s “suing the state of Wisconsin.”
The ad’s BOTTOM LINE: “Schimel begged, and Musk unloaded $10 million to rig the court,” the ad’s narrator says. “So how much does it cost to buy off a corrupt politician? Just ask Brad Schimel.”
(Research shows this ad reduced Schimel’s favorability by 14 percent among moderate voters.)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/21/musk-looms-large-in-this-wisconsin-judicial-race-00241457
Toby of MGData is tabulating and analyzing the Early Vote in Wisconsin. He offers especially interesting comparisons between 2025 and 2023, when Janet Protasiewicz won and flipped the court to progressive.
https://nitter.poast.org/TobyMGData/status/1903233504055546015#m
https://nitter.poast.org/TobyMGData
Thank you for these daily links. Nerve wracking.
"Donald Trump just endorsed Brad Schimel. Schimel has spent his entire career on bent knee to right-wing special interests. He said he wants to be part of Trump's "support network". We assumed he had this endorsement locked up months ago."
– Judge Susan Crawford
love it
Judge Susan Crawford has raised donations for a gigantic War Chest. I’ll try to post a link to the article. Musk is basically buying votes paying $100 to voters that sign his petition against supporting “activist judges.”
This is not illegal.
I love this interview! What I find interesting is the process of how kleptocracy gains the consent of the public, through using false rationales, such as the idea that "everyone is corrupt" so therefore "OUR corruption is a legitimate response." What Trump and Musk are doing is sustaining the cynical idea that government is irredeemably corrupt, especially programs that the poor and working class rely on. It's the old Reagan "welfare cheat" idea that continues on today. So whatever actions Musk is taking is justified from the perspective of MAGA. There is no way that oligarchs can do what they do without some accompanying cynical view of government that is right-wing in nature (i.e. that people are abusing the system, resentment/grievance, like the myth of FEMA being denied to white people, etc.).
I've also noticed that kleptocracy plays on people's desire for the quick fix or financial cheat codes, like cryptocurrency or multi-level marketing schemes, combined with a rejection of expertise and hard work, which MAGA views as for suckers. Notice their rejection of postsecondary education and resentment of women and minorities in professional roles, like the DEI purges targeting those groups. They feel those roles should be for white men, no matter how unqualified. MAGA desires Trump and Musk's incredible wealth and freedom from responsibility and even manages to wrap their actions in the language of sacrifice, like "Musk has given up his salary to help people," or the incredible logic of, "Musk has his own money, he doesn't need your personal bank account info." It's an amazing ideological feat.
This article discusses some of the functions of kleptocracy in terms of it being at heart a short-sighted political philosophy that is not invested in the notion of a future, only what can be seized right now: https://economics.mit.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Kleptocracy%20and%20Divide%20and%20Rule%2C%20A%20Model%20of%20Person.pdf
i think our new dem rock stars are AOC & bernie. they always speak truth to power. and have a keen sense of the economic hardships of americans. drawing big crowds. they are the leaders we have been looking for!!! and also good news that dems having town halls where repubs wont. that is a winner!!! creative thinking!!! hope they are doing voter registration at these events! but feels like we are sticking fingers into dikes just temporarily plugging holes. maybe the 4/5 national protest will get us moving into high gear!!! give everyone courage and buy in. everyone should be feeling the hurt in one way or another or knows someone who is hurt by satan actions, that will turn the tides. waiting for the students to engage. and independents.
I feel that what Trump and Musk are doing is playing political Jenga with the nation (and by extension the world order)! They keep tugging blocks out of our national identity and eventually, the whole thing is at risk of collapsing. What will that thing be?
Exactly. I think it's several things: the end of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, economic stagnation and a war. MAGA's nihilism, cruelty and selfishness will be the end of this country. I think in their minds, they can use the military and the security services to hold it together. Maybe they're right and they can. IDK.
I believe we are witnessing the birth of Neo-Feudalism.
Self report from yesterday: In addition to making my daily calls, I emailed Hopium links to six friends and talked to a colleague who told me out of the blue, "You know I am conservative, but what is happening now is making me crazy!" I agreed, listened to her rant, and told her about how the administration had knowingly published the names, birth places, and Social Security numbers of hundreds of people when they released the Kennedy assassination documents (you can watch Rachel Maddow's jaw-dropping piece about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6IBF3YpYuA). She was appalled. I didn't think to suggest that she start calling our NC representatives, but you can bet I'll work that in when I see her next week!
Truth is Trump is not a conservative. He’s a frontman for the radical right. Bottom line: your friend’s objection to Trump does not compromise her conservative values.
Amen! I really do wish the press and social media posters would stop using the word *conservative* for Trump and MAGA people. There is absolute nothing conservative about them! They are extreme radicals – authoritarians and Fascists.
Trump is not a conservative - he's a criminal.
Efficiency vs. headcount reduction - two very different things
Below is a letter to the editor in the 3/21/2025 Chicago Tribune. The writer came up with a very succinct way to frame what DOGE is doing. Simply put, reducing headcount does not necessarily achieve efficiency. In fact, reducing headcount at the pace and scale used by DOGE has probably created more inefficiency, not less!
I encourage Democrats to use this talking point in our communications to voters. I think most people will understand the distinction between firing workers and achieving efficiencies. Here is the LTE:
"On Feb. 26, President Donald Trump released his Department of Government Efficiency initiative. Elon Musk, Trump's appointed head of DOGE, has made widespread cost cuts to federal agencies by eliminating headcount. This is not an efficiency program; it is merely cost reduction.
"Let's call it what it is: The Department of Headcount Reduction, or DOHR.
"Reducing headcount may seem like a quick fix, but without doing the hard work to remove waste and optimize processes, it will not equate to a more efficient business. Sustainable efficiency programs require a strategic approach that prioritizes process improvements, technology adoption and workforce empowerment. Programs such as Lean Six Sigma have been successfully implemented by many Fortune 500 companies to improve operational efficiency. The Lean Six Sigma approach to efficiency helps eliminate waste and improve quality, which may lead to cost cuts.
"The success of Lean Six Sigma programs is based on exploring people, processes and technology. Toyota did not transform from a small-town Japanese car company into today's leading automotive manufacturer by simply reducing costs.
"Trump refers to himself as 'the most transparent president.' Well then, he should walk the walk. Musk has not shown any signs of creating efficiencies across the federal agencies he has already attacked; he is merely reducing costs by reducing headcount, which may be leading to unknown inefficiencies.
"Be transparent to the American people and call your initiative what it is -- the Department of Headcount Reduction."
But on top of all that, these cuts are ILLEGAL. Congress authorized this spending.
Love this.
Or “Department of Destruction” or “Department of Elimination”
A rather sobering post today but I can take it because I have to. It’s the world we find ourselves in, so let’s keep dealing with it as we here at Hopium are.
As for Paul Wuss, a well-deserved moniker, it reveals the greatest weakness in humanity: greed. Greed knows no political party and Paul Wuss chose to protect per partner profit over the rule of law. I hope it bites them in the ass.
Howard Lutnick (or as I saw him referred to yesterday, Nutlick) just had his Marie-Antoinette moment. That situation didn’t end well for her, so he might want to reevaluate his arrogance, privilege and cruelty.
I churned out more postcards for Susan Crawford today and meeting a friend tomorrow for more. It’ll be her first time doing, so a new recruit to the Opposition.
Peace to all.
Great post. Thank you!
Said the exact same thing to my husband. There goes the cake.
That NYT article about the worldwide effects of DOGE cuts and how they benefit China is stunning.
Simon, have you considered t-shirts? We could recognize each other at rallies, and raise a little money towards some of our causes.
It's a good idea. I've been working on it but will accelerate now.
They should run an ad showing Commerce Secretary Lutnick saying if they skipped a social security check only cheaters would speak up! He clearly had NO idea how many people need their monthly social security check. It was disgusting.
To me that was just .... yeah, ad worthy. Asshole that he is. Why does his mother in law need Social Security, anyway. He should be putting her up in a mansion. What would that be to him?
Simon: "We Cannot Leave Our Great Country To These Fuckers"
Minor quibble: While well aware of the American idiom, I suspect a good portion of Musk’s DOGE team are Incels, i.e. non-fuckers who are aggressively re-directing their sexual frustrations.
In fact, that probably applies to The Big Man himself. So let me paraphrase my favorite political joke, which is British and told about Margaret Thatcher:
"Donald Trump is now doing to the country... what he hasn’t done... to his wife Melania... in years."
Somebody ate their Wheaties today!
West Wing reference?
I like it! There's probably a Trump/Musk joke along those lines somewhere as well, but I don't think I'm dirty-minded enough to find it.
I maintain Musk would be an incel if his wallet were empty.
I'm beginning to think there was a secret divorce and as part of her settlement, she has to show up at certain functions to show their a legitimate couple.