Little cracks become big cracks: a central message of Hopium. I think inflation is going to keep a lot of GOP voters at home. The GOP candidates will trot out the same tired messages ("transgender for everyone!" "they're eating the cats!"), but if the price of eggs is high, people are not going to be motivated by those old culture war issues. Add to that the viral ICE videos, the unpopularity of foreign wars, the fracturing of the MAGA base, the over-the-top grifting happening from Washington, Trump's mental and physical decline, and Epstein, and I think there are tons of reasons to be optimistic. Will Brown win? Maybe not, but he definitely won't if Democrats feel defeated and don't do the work to make it happen.
Because of you all, I end 2025 with a smile. What a year-end overview!!!!
I can say with conviction that if not for you and the safe place Simon has made for us to turn to, to vent, to learn, to celebrate, to motivate, I'd be curled up in a fetal position, waiting for it all to be over.
YES! This time last year I envisioned having to put my phone in a Faraday cage every time I wanted to have an honest conversation about politics. As horrifying as this year has been, I am deeply grateful to Hopium and other independent media for uniting and indeed igniting the nascent patriotism in millions of Americans and giving us a fighting chance of not only taking back our country, but of improving it!
Thank you, Simon, not just for the cumulative effect of the tons of positive messages you send us, and the "to do" list of things we can pursue to make "good trouble," but for helping us perceive things in a positive way and reminding us of why we're doing this.
I particularly love the "meeting" of individual candidates and hearing of their achievements. We all get to love each other, them, and you.
Yes! to "Gratitude, Courage, Determination"! Patriots who are smart, strategic but also fearless; and worthy of the democracy our ancestors sacrificed and fought to pass on to us.
Hopium has awakened the American people from their months and years of apathy. We are once again an unstoppable force working to bring the country back to understanding and fighting for the values that have made this nation great and a leader in the world.
I am so glad to put 2025 behind for many reasons. I am looking forward to a bright 2026 & thank you Simon & this group for that optimism. I want to share a link to Dr Jane Goodall's final words. A simple yet profound message. Simon has brought us together to further the message of Hope. I wish all a 2026 of health, family love & laughter. https://youtu.be/lfLKHY52ERc?si=Wgkgnfofdru_-SYt
Sending you and your family best wishes for a Happy New Year. I'm sure without their support it would be impossible for you to do all that you do for us. Thank you!
I have a favorite cartoon that shows two people. The first person says, "What are you expecting from this coming year?" The second person says, "I'm expecting flowers." The first says, "Flowers? Why are you expecting flowers?" The second says, "Because I am planting seeds."
It reminds me of the Hopium adage that we don't just hope for good things to happen; we work to make them so. Here's to a brilliant 2026.
This begs the question for Simon: what are you growing from seed under the grow lights? I volunteer at a center for those with disabilities and we grow hundreds of plants under grow lights (Thank you, Joe Biden, for the grant). We already started on the native plants, the ones that don't need cold stratification, but have hundreds of seeds in the refrigerator now, that need it and they will be coming out in January. We are putting kale and lettuces, when school opens, then March 1 we start on tomatoes and peppers. We chose productive plants, so staff and students can take them home. I love seeing people grow plants from seed. Germination is such a thrill. Gardening is so good for all of us, but for children it is really important for them to love being with nature and horticulture. I love seeing the pic of your plants.
Yes, so much winning!!!!!!!!! Love it. Can't wait for 2026. Happy New Year, Hopium Community.
Tomorrow, I am writing postcards to all the Democrats in my district (similar to a precinct) and letting them know we have a Democratic Party in Sequatchie County. They can follow us on FB, TikTok, or attend our meetings in person on the second Tuesday of every month. Will let them know a group of 25, at November's meeting raised $980 and 350 pounds of food for our local food bank. Democrats help when our people are hurting. The Republican Party should try doing something good instead of complaining about us on Facebook.
Quick info drop here: the daycare hoax Trump's people are using as a pretext to shut down all non-Christian daycares and make women stay home is based on a misleading video by a Republican asset working with other Republicans in Minnesota and in DC:
Chris Rufo is involved in this, big shock (sarcasm). The daycare thing is the perfect right-wing issue to land on because it combines anxieties about women working outside of the home, attempts to discredit Tim Walz, and demonize Somalians.
All the best to our Hopium Community in 2026. Bring it on! Another win by big margins in Iowa.
I believe the wind is at our backs right now as we see more people rising up against Trumpism. I'm 70 & ready to roll up my sleeves to get to work next year to widen the cracks to let the light of democracy shine more brightly.
I'm carrying President Carter's humanity who led by example every day of his life and Rep. John Lewis' hopefulness into 2026.
"Do not get lost in the sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic." Rep. John Lewis
71 here and I'm surprised at the activism from others as well as myself. I've always been a doer, always working at something to strive and improve. 2026 will be better but it will be hard as Simon stated. I think many citizens have woken up and have thought "hell no" this is not acceptable or normal. As John Lewis also said, "make good trouble". That is something to strive for. Happy New Year to all at Hopium and Simon as our fearless leader to keep prodding us along.
Gratitude. Determination. And Courage. And of these, determination beats most strongly in my breast.
I have been watching The West Wing since it recently moved to Netflix. It seems like at least twice an episode, they have scenic shots of the exterior of the White House. Everytime they do, I get nauseous, because that has been so horrifically defaced. It no longer exists.
I still can't believe no Democratic congressman has dropped a bill in the hopper censuring Trump for his demolition of the East Wing, and forbidding the construction of his room to hold his balls, which will be bigger than what remains of the actual White House. Who knows? By the time he gets finished fantisizing about it, it may be bigger than the whole White House ever was.
I fear he will demolish the Martin Luther King Memorial on MLK Day.
I feel reasonably rested up, ready to get back at it with more intensity.
I think this year we go on offense, which will be more satisfying. But I think Trump's behavior is most likely going to get worse. The ratchet turns in only one direction.
I think that is right. We need to see also that the Republicans in Congress start to feel the heat and stand up to him. Then we'll know how weakened he really is.
He'll need to execute some pretty crazy shit to try and get people back.
Trump can certainly execute some pretty crazy @@@@ -- he's good at that -- but it won't be the kind of @@@@ that will get people back. It will do the opposite.
In the spirit of this post, I offer you this hard hitting and inspiring rallying cry. I hope you find it as wonderful as I did. It really spoke to me. From Politics Girl
Sorry, I found it deeply depressing and fatalistic. I kept waiting for noting the many heroes of 2025 or an operational rallying cry (not the "we just have to believe" micro message at the end). What's the opposite of cherry-picking? She talks about the Dems who were not up to the fight, but omitted the ones who were/are, the side of the party that's growing. Tiny mention of better elections in Nov, but no credit apparently to the people and party that pulled that off. No mention of amazing lawyers and legal orgs, or use of humor and mockery, or the emergence of thousands of grassroots leaders (a uniquely America phenomenon I think) helping millions find their voices, or the emergence of independent media, or institutions that have not capitulated (perhaps also growing). Barely mentions small cracks becoming bigger cracks. I haven't listened to Politics Girl in a while; that episode was a surprise. Sorry, I hardly ever post to disagree, but felt like that video needed a warning.
Didn't mean to depress you, my friend. I guess things hit us differently.
She had me with Roe v Wade. I am lethally angry about that and disgruntled that the price of groceries gets more attention than literally turning women into livestock. This is a matter of human rights and women's equality. Once the fuckers reasserted control over our bodies, now they are openly coming for our right to vote. Being a slave with affordable groceries unacceptable. This is a matter of principle. About to turn 70 so unwanted pregnancy is not a personal threat, and expensive groceries are, as I'm on Social Security.
Well, all of that is certainly true and I heartily agree, and at 68, am with you on life stages - what we had, what we won, what we lost, and the fights and anger. Seeing it was you who posted it also made me want to watch. Politics Girl did indeed capture all of that really well.
There are a lot of pundits this week scrolling through the horrors of 2025, and I keep feeling aggravated when they don't also list the forces for good that woke up. Maybe I'm over-sensitized to that this week! The Bulwark did some doozies along those lines with even bigger horrors to come. Yikes, didn't need that! I was sad when McGowan said she'd given up on Dems; I feel like my respect is growing.
Also Edwin Eisendrath talking with Norm Eisen was a great one. They framed 2025 as the high water mark of the authoritarian takeover and as the year that the resistance re-owned democracy.
Back atcha, Simon. Feeling like you're alone is the worst--you don't think anyone else gets it and you feel overwhelmed, like there's nothing you can do. Together, you build community, you share ideas, and you gain the courage to try things you would not try by yourself.
Hope with a plan. Again, as the great Shannon Watts used to say, it is not hopeless and you are not helpless. We all have a say as citizens of this great country, and we must continue to raise our voices!
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." - Alice Walker
Little cracks become big cracks: a central message of Hopium. I think inflation is going to keep a lot of GOP voters at home. The GOP candidates will trot out the same tired messages ("transgender for everyone!" "they're eating the cats!"), but if the price of eggs is high, people are not going to be motivated by those old culture war issues. Add to that the viral ICE videos, the unpopularity of foreign wars, the fracturing of the MAGA base, the over-the-top grifting happening from Washington, Trump's mental and physical decline, and Epstein, and I think there are tons of reasons to be optimistic. Will Brown win? Maybe not, but he definitely won't if Democrats feel defeated and don't do the work to make it happen.
Do you live in a deep, red state? I was looking for inspiration or tips, not really looking for a lecture.
I grew up in New York.
I think you have to live in a deep, red area of the country to understand.
Dear Hopiumunity:
Because of you all, I end 2025 with a smile. What a year-end overview!!!!
I can say with conviction that if not for you and the safe place Simon has made for us to turn to, to vent, to learn, to celebrate, to motivate, I'd be curled up in a fetal position, waiting for it all to be over.
It's better this way, for sure.
Amen! And more in 2026!!
Alone, we are powerless. Together, we are powerful. And together and united in massive numbers, we are an irresistible force.
YES! This time last year I envisioned having to put my phone in a Faraday cage every time I wanted to have an honest conversation about politics. As horrifying as this year has been, I am deeply grateful to Hopium and other independent media for uniting and indeed igniting the nascent patriotism in millions of Americans and giving us a fighting chance of not only taking back our country, but of improving it!
I’m with you there BeeBee. I’ve gone from resolved to fiercely determined 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank you, Simon, not just for the cumulative effect of the tons of positive messages you send us, and the "to do" list of things we can pursue to make "good trouble," but for helping us perceive things in a positive way and reminding us of why we're doing this.
I particularly love the "meeting" of individual candidates and hearing of their achievements. We all get to love each other, them, and you.
Happy New Year, and thanks
Yes! to "Gratitude, Courage, Determination"! Patriots who are smart, strategic but also fearless; and worthy of the democracy our ancestors sacrificed and fought to pass on to us.
Hopium has awakened the American people from their months and years of apathy. We are once again an unstoppable force working to bring the country back to understanding and fighting for the values that have made this nation great and a leader in the world.
Hopium and many other groups across the country and across so many demographics.
I am so glad to put 2025 behind for many reasons. I am looking forward to a bright 2026 & thank you Simon & this group for that optimism. I want to share a link to Dr Jane Goodall's final words. A simple yet profound message. Simon has brought us together to further the message of Hope. I wish all a 2026 of health, family love & laughter. https://youtu.be/lfLKHY52ERc?si=Wgkgnfofdru_-SYt
Thank you for sharing-- I had not heard this before. Very inspirational.
Sending you and your family best wishes for a Happy New Year. I'm sure without their support it would be impossible for you to do all that you do for us. Thank you!
I have a favorite cartoon that shows two people. The first person says, "What are you expecting from this coming year?" The second person says, "I'm expecting flowers." The first says, "Flowers? Why are you expecting flowers?" The second says, "Because I am planting seeds."
It reminds me of the Hopium adage that we don't just hope for good things to happen; we work to make them so. Here's to a brilliant 2026.
This begs the question for Simon: what are you growing from seed under the grow lights? I volunteer at a center for those with disabilities and we grow hundreds of plants under grow lights (Thank you, Joe Biden, for the grant). We already started on the native plants, the ones that don't need cold stratification, but have hundreds of seeds in the refrigerator now, that need it and they will be coming out in January. We are putting kale and lettuces, when school opens, then March 1 we start on tomatoes and peppers. We chose productive plants, so staff and students can take them home. I love seeing people grow plants from seed. Germination is such a thrill. Gardening is so good for all of us, but for children it is really important for them to love being with nature and horticulture. I love seeing the pic of your plants.
💙🤗 Bloom where you are planted!
Yes, so much winning!!!!!!!!! Love it. Can't wait for 2026. Happy New Year, Hopium Community.
Tomorrow, I am writing postcards to all the Democrats in my district (similar to a precinct) and letting them know we have a Democratic Party in Sequatchie County. They can follow us on FB, TikTok, or attend our meetings in person on the second Tuesday of every month. Will let them know a group of 25, at November's meeting raised $980 and 350 pounds of food for our local food bank. Democrats help when our people are hurting. The Republican Party should try doing something good instead of complaining about us on Facebook.
Thank you, Simon, for all that you do!
Quick info drop here: the daycare hoax Trump's people are using as a pretext to shut down all non-Christian daycares and make women stay home is based on a misleading video by a Republican asset working with other Republicans in Minnesota and in DC:
https://www.facebook.com/share/17myuNMc8z/
Chris Rufo is involved in this, big shock (sarcasm). The daycare thing is the perfect right-wing issue to land on because it combines anxieties about women working outside of the home, attempts to discredit Tim Walz, and demonize Somalians.
Daycare was a big part of the Satanic Panic, too, so I think you are right.
All the best to our Hopium Community in 2026. Bring it on! Another win by big margins in Iowa.
I believe the wind is at our backs right now as we see more people rising up against Trumpism. I'm 70 & ready to roll up my sleeves to get to work next year to widen the cracks to let the light of democracy shine more brightly.
I'm carrying President Carter's humanity who led by example every day of his life and Rep. John Lewis' hopefulness into 2026.
"Do not get lost in the sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic." Rep. John Lewis
two of our best!
Thank you Janet. This is the message I need right now.
71 here and I'm surprised at the activism from others as well as myself. I've always been a doer, always working at something to strive and improve. 2026 will be better but it will be hard as Simon stated. I think many citizens have woken up and have thought "hell no" this is not acceptable or normal. As John Lewis also said, "make good trouble". That is something to strive for. Happy New Year to all at Hopium and Simon as our fearless leader to keep prodding us along.
We’re grateful for you, Simon.
Happy New Year to all!
Gratitude. Determination. And Courage. And of these, determination beats most strongly in my breast.
I have been watching The West Wing since it recently moved to Netflix. It seems like at least twice an episode, they have scenic shots of the exterior of the White House. Everytime they do, I get nauseous, because that has been so horrifically defaced. It no longer exists.
I still can't believe no Democratic congressman has dropped a bill in the hopper censuring Trump for his demolition of the East Wing, and forbidding the construction of his room to hold his balls, which will be bigger than what remains of the actual White House. Who knows? By the time he gets finished fantisizing about it, it may be bigger than the whole White House ever was.
I fear he will demolish the Martin Luther King Memorial on MLK Day.
https://deadline.com/2025/12/trump-2026-unleash-hell-1236659012/
Eff 'em. Fight. Fight. Fight.
Let's be the last ones standing. Determination.
yesterday satan was speaking with zelensky and he said the new ballroom would be used for "the inauguration". who's?
I feel reasonably rested up, ready to get back at it with more intensity.
I think this year we go on offense, which will be more satisfying. But I think Trump's behavior is most likely going to get worse. The ratchet turns in only one direction.
But, Happy New Year nonetheless!
Trump's worsening behavior will upset more Americans and will mobilize more Americans against him.
I think that is right. We need to see also that the Republicans in Congress start to feel the heat and stand up to him. Then we'll know how weakened he really is.
He'll need to execute some pretty crazy shit to try and get people back.
Trump can certainly execute some pretty crazy @@@@ -- he's good at that -- but it won't be the kind of @@@@ that will get people back. It will do the opposite.
Dear fam.
In the spirit of this post, I offer you this hard hitting and inspiring rallying cry. I hope you find it as wonderful as I did. It really spoke to me. From Politics Girl
https://youtu.be/aHF52LMaLdA?si=7UmkJsE09BPRHElH
OMG!! this is fantastic!!! thank you!!!
Sorry, I found it deeply depressing and fatalistic. I kept waiting for noting the many heroes of 2025 or an operational rallying cry (not the "we just have to believe" micro message at the end). What's the opposite of cherry-picking? She talks about the Dems who were not up to the fight, but omitted the ones who were/are, the side of the party that's growing. Tiny mention of better elections in Nov, but no credit apparently to the people and party that pulled that off. No mention of amazing lawyers and legal orgs, or use of humor and mockery, or the emergence of thousands of grassroots leaders (a uniquely America phenomenon I think) helping millions find their voices, or the emergence of independent media, or institutions that have not capitulated (perhaps also growing). Barely mentions small cracks becoming bigger cracks. I haven't listened to Politics Girl in a while; that episode was a surprise. Sorry, I hardly ever post to disagree, but felt like that video needed a warning.
Didn't mean to depress you, my friend. I guess things hit us differently.
She had me with Roe v Wade. I am lethally angry about that and disgruntled that the price of groceries gets more attention than literally turning women into livestock. This is a matter of human rights and women's equality. Once the fuckers reasserted control over our bodies, now they are openly coming for our right to vote. Being a slave with affordable groceries unacceptable. This is a matter of principle. About to turn 70 so unwanted pregnancy is not a personal threat, and expensive groceries are, as I'm on Social Security.
Well, all of that is certainly true and I heartily agree, and at 68, am with you on life stages - what we had, what we won, what we lost, and the fights and anger. Seeing it was you who posted it also made me want to watch. Politics Girl did indeed capture all of that really well.
There are a lot of pundits this week scrolling through the horrors of 2025, and I keep feeling aggravated when they don't also list the forces for good that woke up. Maybe I'm over-sensitized to that this week! The Bulwark did some doozies along those lines with even bigger horrors to come. Yikes, didn't need that! I was sad when McGowan said she'd given up on Dems; I feel like my respect is growing.
Heather Cox Richardson did a great one. She made me feel hopeful.
Also Edwin Eisendrath talking with Norm Eisen was a great one. They framed 2025 as the high water mark of the authoritarian takeover and as the year that the resistance re-owned democracy.
Back atcha, Simon. Feeling like you're alone is the worst--you don't think anyone else gets it and you feel overwhelmed, like there's nothing you can do. Together, you build community, you share ideas, and you gain the courage to try things you would not try by yourself.
Hope with a plan. Again, as the great Shannon Watts used to say, it is not hopeless and you are not helpless. We all have a say as citizens of this great country, and we must continue to raise our voices!
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." - Alice Walker
Keep going!