I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say no taxpayer money for the war, stop Trump from tearing up the city of DC, and Trump is not in touch with reality and must be removed from office. I'm writing postcards to Ohio voters.
i see a big fat TACO coming on fees in the straight. think this just came out of his stupid unchecked, uninformed impulses. pretty sure the military hasnt heard of this or state or treasury. total gross incompetence on a global stage.
for shouting out consistently and especially today on the OMB comment on science and research. As you know today is the deadline and the goal is to get as many comments as possible from all sectors of society, not just scientists, to push back on this horrible rule. I hope all the Hopium-ers have commented, if not a SHORT HEARTFELT COMMENT will only take a minute. Links in Simon's message for today!
Simon, Among all of the ongoing efforts to bring Democrat candidates into office in November, it should be Hopium’s charter to help shape the necessary legislation a DEM led Congress must pass. I’m reading The Crisis in Democratic Capitalism by Martin Wolf. It is a PhD-level dissertation on the necessary steps to address the problems associated with a massively out of balance capitalism and politics in America. There are no easy answers, but income inequality, financial regulation, and social justice reforms are immediately obvious things, while steering well clear of identity politics and cultural liberalism… for another day. Sane immigration policy can and should be addressed, but in terms of what’s necessary for American enterprise to prosper and with established limits… not in terms of “fairness to foreigners” at a time the perception American citizens are not themselves being treated fairly by a federal government that gives the perception of living them behind (jobs, education, healthcare, etc). We need a new plan and Hopium should be a loud voice in driving that change.
Unfortunately, if we can believe Wolf, rolling and clawing back disastrous Trump policies won’t be enough… we’ve reached an inflection point and there’s no going back. I agree the rollbacks are necessary, but they are also wholly insufficient. Wealthy Democrat need transformation to a new version of democratic capitalism, if we are to save our politics and our democracy.
Stuff like this becomes an elite form of trolling. Make big complicated arguments, challenge me directly, I respond, you challenge again without actually engaging my response or the arguments here. They all flow back to promoting leftist politics.
It's a way of draining my time.
I am not by nature a conspiracy theorist but we've now had days of this stuff here and it's beginning to feel coordinated.
The reality is that AI can now create "synthetic humans" with sophisticated legends, complicated ideological point of views, charm (flattery is very important), remarkable grammar/prose and fluency in complex even obscure topics. They can also overwhelm because they can post prolifically, over time, and wear down/bully their opponents (or me).
I've sat in rooms with folks who can create these synthetic humans in real time and watched them construct them. I think we've had our first taste of it here in recent days.
I will do my best to keep moderating this community, to keep our engagement respectful, thoughtful, authentic. To me our daily chat is the most important part of Hopium, and I am going to fight to protect it with everything I got.
I did read it… multiple times. And I’m not preaching. I’m grateful for your engagement and leadership. I’m also a realist and am trying to make clear the arguments there in fall short, as they, on the whole, don’t address the most pressing issues that led to MAGA and Donald Trump. I’m far more aligned than such a difficult assertion might appear. Still, honest dialogue is the goal.
"I’m also a realist and am trying to make clear the arguments there in fall short, as they, on the whole, don’t address the most pressing issues that led to MAGA and Donald Trump."
This may be one of the most arrogant and absurd comments in the history of comments here. Hey, Simon - your agenda is shit, and this whole project a huge waste of time, but I still love you baby!
I try here to create discourse that has integrity, respect, humility. I work really hard. Need everyone else here to join me......
Trump not only repeated a promise to take over the Strait of Hormuz, he said allies in the region will pay for it. Mexico will pay for the wall, anyone?!
Agree. We have the leadership in Congress we have. They are doing the best they personally know how to meet the moment. If we want them to do something else, it's on us to let them know. The current leaders will take our party to dominance in November. Then we can choose new leaders if we want to.
Self report. I contacted Rep. Stansbury and Senators Heinrich and Luján with this message:
Thank you so much for fighting for Our Country and your stellar representation of the people of New Mexico.
We are at another critical moment in defending our Democracy. Please do everything you can to ensure Congress blocks the installation of Todd Blanche as Attorney General and Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence. Stopping their confirmation is essential for having free and fair elections this November and a peaceful transfer of power next January.
Please also say Hell No! once again to any funding for the illegal war in Iran. Please insist maga stops their illegal actions in Venezuela. — Violating international law is not what We the People want.
I emailed friends and family who live in NC & Texas about Blanche & Clayton's confirmation hearings on Wednesday & asked them to call their respective Senators to oppose the nominations of Clayton & Blanche. Clayton is coming before the Senate Intelligence Committee that Cornyn sits on this Wednesday. There are 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats on that committee. If all Democrats oppose & so does Cornyn, then Clayton's nomination will be deadlocked. That will essentially sink Clayton's nomination. Cornyn's phone number is 202-224-2934. (Clayton, in his NY DOJ role, just signed the subpoenas of the 4 NY Times reporters demanding they appear before a federal grand jury on Wednesday. Supposedly, it is about their reporting about the Qatar-donated plane not having proper security.) Re. Blanche, the Senate Judiciary Committee is split 12 Republicans to 11 Democrats. Graham was on that committee so at least for now, there are 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats. Tillis is on that committee. According to the NY Times, Tillis is concerned that part of $1.8 billion slush fund will go to J6ers. Blanche has promised that it won't but won't put it in writing. Also, on Friday, the DOJ moved to dismiss the seditious conspiracy cases against Proud Boy leaders. The federal judge reluctantly granted the motion to dismiss. Blanche has not publicly said he opposes this. This is a new wrinkle that might concern Tillis. Tillis' Senate office number is 202-224-6342. If Tillis opposes Blanche's nomination & all Democrats also oppose & Graham's seat is not filled, Blanche's nomination will be deadlocked. That will essentially sink his nominations. (I know alot of hypotheticals.) Anyway, good luck. We can do this!!
I sent my public comment on this link: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/OMB-2026-0034-0001. You all have until 11:59 p.m. (I believe Eastern) tonight to submit your comments. Comment and sign. Then, send this link to everyone you know and urge them to comment and sign, too.
Calls are in to Dem and Republican members: no to. Blanche and Clayton, no to SAVE ACT and No to Reconciliation 3.0 I’ll write to my AG concerning Blanche and Clayton later this AM. My OMB comment was submitted a while ago and I’ve shared the link with many. Thanks for all you do, Simon
Thanks, Simon!
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say no taxpayer money for the war, stop Trump from tearing up the city of DC, and Trump is not in touch with reality and must be removed from office. I'm writing postcards to Ohio voters.
i see a big fat TACO coming on fees in the straight. think this just came out of his stupid unchecked, uninformed impulses. pretty sure the military hasnt heard of this or state or treasury. total gross incompetence on a global stage.
Sent in my comments opposing the OMB revisions yesterday.
Yeah. So did I.
Me too. Thanks for the constant reminders!
My pleasure, Charles. We MUST stop this rule change! Please send the link to as many people as you can. Thanks!
Thanks Simon -
for shouting out consistently and especially today on the OMB comment on science and research. As you know today is the deadline and the goal is to get as many comments as possible from all sectors of society, not just scientists, to push back on this horrible rule. I hope all the Hopium-ers have commented, if not a SHORT HEARTFELT COMMENT will only take a minute. Links in Simon's message for today!
Done. Simple, easy, important. Hope all Hopium members--all 150,000 of us--leave a comment opposing this terrible proposed rule.
If we urge our Senators to vote against Jay Clayton won't that mean that Bill Pulte will be Acting even longer?
Clayton is behind the NYT subpoenas. He is now officially a dangerous man and we cannot possibly support him.
Called my Senators and Rep - all Democrats. I have also commented on OMB revisions.
Simon, Among all of the ongoing efforts to bring Democrat candidates into office in November, it should be Hopium’s charter to help shape the necessary legislation a DEM led Congress must pass. I’m reading The Crisis in Democratic Capitalism by Martin Wolf. It is a PhD-level dissertation on the necessary steps to address the problems associated with a massively out of balance capitalism and politics in America. There are no easy answers, but income inequality, financial regulation, and social justice reforms are immediately obvious things, while steering well clear of identity politics and cultural liberalism… for another day. Sane immigration policy can and should be addressed, but in terms of what’s necessary for American enterprise to prosper and with established limits… not in terms of “fairness to foreigners” at a time the perception American citizens are not themselves being treated fairly by a federal government that gives the perception of living them behind (jobs, education, healthcare, etc). We need a new plan and Hopium should be a loud voice in driving that change.
I am happy to start with rolling back the tariffs. Here is our working agenda:
https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/the-hopium-agenda
Unfortunately, if we can believe Wolf, rolling and clawing back disastrous Trump policies won’t be enough… we’ve reached an inflection point and there’s no going back. I agree the rollbacks are necessary, but they are also wholly insufficient. Wealthy Democrat need transformation to a new version of democratic capitalism, if we are to save our politics and our democracy.
How about responding to my direct ask for you to read the Hopium agenda rather than just talking over it?
Third day in a row we are getting this kind of engagement. Engage the material. Understand the arguments here. Do not preach.
Stuff like this becomes an elite form of trolling. Make big complicated arguments, challenge me directly, I respond, you challenge again without actually engaging my response or the arguments here. They all flow back to promoting leftist politics.
It's a way of draining my time.
I am not by nature a conspiracy theorist but we've now had days of this stuff here and it's beginning to feel coordinated.
Holy shit. Thank you.
agree
I agree on some coordination or AI agent created for specific users.
I made a comment on Saturday and received a reply from an account that said my reply didn't relate to the thread.
The comment did...AND it was the same account that did the same thing in May or June, too.
The reality is that AI can now create "synthetic humans" with sophisticated legends, complicated ideological point of views, charm (flattery is very important), remarkable grammar/prose and fluency in complex even obscure topics. They can also overwhelm because they can post prolifically, over time, and wear down/bully their opponents (or me).
I've sat in rooms with folks who can create these synthetic humans in real time and watched them construct them. I think we've had our first taste of it here in recent days.
I will do my best to keep moderating this community, to keep our engagement respectful, thoughtful, authentic. To me our daily chat is the most important part of Hopium, and I am going to fight to protect it with everything I got.
I did read it… multiple times. And I’m not preaching. I’m grateful for your engagement and leadership. I’m also a realist and am trying to make clear the arguments there in fall short, as they, on the whole, don’t address the most pressing issues that led to MAGA and Donald Trump. I’m far more aligned than such a difficult assertion might appear. Still, honest dialogue is the goal.
"I’m also a realist and am trying to make clear the arguments there in fall short, as they, on the whole, don’t address the most pressing issues that led to MAGA and Donald Trump."
This may be one of the most arrogant and absurd comments in the history of comments here. Hey, Simon - your agenda is shit, and this whole project a huge waste of time, but I still love you baby!
I try here to create discourse that has integrity, respect, humility. I work really hard. Need everyone else here to join me......
Simon! thank you!! disruptor includes one of my favorite old chestnuts, calling themselves 'realist'
Robert Reich has been talking about this for a LONG time and he is in our corner. I suggest you go read his Substack, too.
Trump not only repeated a promise to take over the Strait of Hormuz, he said allies in the region will pay for it. Mexico will pay for the wall, anyone?!
So the 980,100 raised for HOUSE candidates, is that money coming to Hopium and then it’s distributed.
Hopium gets no piece of any of the candidate fundraising we do. It all goes directly to the candidates with ActBlue getting a small fee.
Our money comes entirely from paid subscriptions. And we are far less expensive than almost any other Substack these days and have no paywall.
Thank you for that. Everyone is now up to almost $100. I want to read so many but I can't unless I pay.
Schumer still seems to be holding out hope that Republicans give a damn about the constitution. I see no sign of that atp
Can't criticize him for acting as if the system in place. If we accept their understanding of it then we become complicit in rolling it back.
People need to stop kneejerk attacking our Leaders. It's become pernicious.
Good point Simon. My apologies
Agree. We have the leadership in Congress we have. They are doing the best they personally know how to meet the moment. If we want them to do something else, it's on us to let them know. The current leaders will take our party to dominance in November. Then we can choose new leaders if we want to.
yep, it's called elections, and it's in the Constitution lol
Self report. I contacted Rep. Stansbury and Senators Heinrich and Luján with this message:
Thank you so much for fighting for Our Country and your stellar representation of the people of New Mexico.
We are at another critical moment in defending our Democracy. Please do everything you can to ensure Congress blocks the installation of Todd Blanche as Attorney General and Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence. Stopping their confirmation is essential for having free and fair elections this November and a peaceful transfer of power next January.
Please also say Hell No! once again to any funding for the illegal war in Iran. Please insist maga stops their illegal actions in Venezuela. — Violating international law is not what We the People want.
Thanks again.
I'm lifting this. Just called all my peeps and basically said the same.
Submitted my objection to this proposed rule change. Thx for the reminder
I emailed friends and family who live in NC & Texas about Blanche & Clayton's confirmation hearings on Wednesday & asked them to call their respective Senators to oppose the nominations of Clayton & Blanche. Clayton is coming before the Senate Intelligence Committee that Cornyn sits on this Wednesday. There are 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats on that committee. If all Democrats oppose & so does Cornyn, then Clayton's nomination will be deadlocked. That will essentially sink Clayton's nomination. Cornyn's phone number is 202-224-2934. (Clayton, in his NY DOJ role, just signed the subpoenas of the 4 NY Times reporters demanding they appear before a federal grand jury on Wednesday. Supposedly, it is about their reporting about the Qatar-donated plane not having proper security.) Re. Blanche, the Senate Judiciary Committee is split 12 Republicans to 11 Democrats. Graham was on that committee so at least for now, there are 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats. Tillis is on that committee. According to the NY Times, Tillis is concerned that part of $1.8 billion slush fund will go to J6ers. Blanche has promised that it won't but won't put it in writing. Also, on Friday, the DOJ moved to dismiss the seditious conspiracy cases against Proud Boy leaders. The federal judge reluctantly granted the motion to dismiss. Blanche has not publicly said he opposes this. This is a new wrinkle that might concern Tillis. Tillis' Senate office number is 202-224-6342. If Tillis opposes Blanche's nomination & all Democrats also oppose & Graham's seat is not filled, Blanche's nomination will be deadlocked. That will essentially sink his nominations. (I know alot of hypotheticals.) Anyway, good luck. We can do this!!
called cornyn & tillis ofc. thx for thorough report.
I will complete the OMB comment and share with my circles. Thanks so much for everything.
I sent my public comment on this link: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/OMB-2026-0034-0001. You all have until 11:59 p.m. (I believe Eastern) tonight to submit your comments. Comment and sign. Then, send this link to everyone you know and urge them to comment and sign, too.
I also sent a comment today about OMB issue using the link from Simon's morning post
...and I just left voicemails for Senators Schiff and Padilla regarding Clayton and Blanche.
Calls are in to Dem and Republican members: no to. Blanche and Clayton, no to SAVE ACT and No to Reconciliation 3.0 I’ll write to my AG concerning Blanche and Clayton later this AM. My OMB comment was submitted a while ago and I’ve shared the link with many. Thanks for all you do, Simon