it seems like all the dems in dc are on a different frequency than the grass roots dems. guarded language, stilted phrasing, lots of words, institutional speak. while we are at HELL NO WE ARE NOT TAKING IT ANYMORE!! all dems everywhere need to show urgency, fierceness, no BS, being proactive.
Jeffries is a brilliant man, as is his brother, who is a PhD historian. He's doing all right. Watch what they do, not what they say is my motto. They have tons of private strategy meetings. And not for nothing, he did speak forcefully about the Cong. Black Caucus, which has always been a force and which orange hates. He's doing all right--a lot of what they do is not reported on by lame-a$$ MSM, remember.
I remember that Nancy Pelosi, when asked why she was so effective as Speaker/Leader, answered, “I can count.” Yet she wasn’t a great orator. Most people aren’t good at everything. Do we want a string of terrible Speakers/Leaders who cannot count, like the Republicans have?
Hakeem is good at his job. Let’s not expect him to do all the jobs.
I call for the impeachment of Donald John Trump from office for high crimes and misdemeanors.
I call on all patriotic Americans to call for the impeachment of Donald John Trump from office (every day, using all means of communication available).
I call on all patriotic Congressmen and Congresswomen to call for the impeachment of Donald John Trump from office (every day, using all means of communication available).
I call for every fucking Republican to resign and we make them do it. What does that mean? I don't know. All I know that the USA exists. And the first step to that was calling for the separation from the King. It too was considered impossible. The problem with what folks like Jeffries are saying is that they don't seem to realize how far out of the box we need to be right now. Maybe what Hakeem meant when he referred to his background was SLAVERY. Tyranny is slavery where everyone is enslaved. Say that, and everyone will get it. Keep saying it: This is tyranny and we will not submit.
THE MORE DANGEROUS CASE OF DONALD TRUMP 40 PSYCHIATRISTS AND MENTAL HEALTH EXPERTS WARN ANEW
p89
"So, what needs to be done to keep America safe from enemies from within?
... extraordinary times require extraordinary skill in applying the laws and who possess the self-understanding to fight off the twin temptations of complicity or cowardice in the face of fear .."
CALL. Especially for Democrats in Red states. Thank your Representatives.
🔸️Keep calling Attorneys General in the states.
🔸️Keep calling to stop Musk's crime spree and assault on the US government.
🔸️Keep calling your electeds and let them know you are outraged by traitorous Trump's selling out of Zelenskyy, abandonment of Europe and embrace of Putin.
DO MORE, WORRY LESS. Join us on Hopium Chronicles on SubStack.
I made my calls this morning and implored my rep (she's a Dem and has committed to vote no) to vote no and not give in on anything until the lawlessness ends. I am also calling my AG to ask him to make a criminal referral for Musk and crew.
Last night, I had the chance to hear from who I believe will be elected chair of the Minnesota DFL (that's what we call Democrats here), Richard Carlbom. He has a plan to radically change how Democrats communicate with voters and he wants to build the infrastructure to start organizing and building in 2025 so that we are ready for 2026. With Ken Martin heading to the DNC, we will be in good hands with Richard.
Richard had a great idea that I want to share. His idea is that the party should go to Duluth and host a job fair for all the federal workers that have been fired in the district of the Republican Congressman Pete Stauber. Invite the Congressman to co-host the job fair with the Democrats. Obviously, he won't do that but let's put the heat on in these places and highlight how Dems are helping and Republicans are hiding. Many of these jobs that are now lost are in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and other national park areas where tens of thousands of Minnesotans go every year. These areas may now be closed or off limits, so we can get double the exposure because of these firings.
Just a thought to share and you might want to suggest it to your state Democratic Party as well.
Love the job fair idea. I've solo canoed Boundary Waters and it was a profound and beautiful experience. All strength to Carlborn and you Minnesotans!!!
I wonder whether our Dems could put on something like this near Yosemite. Ooooooo have we got angry forest service workers here! I will float the idea.
Just a little self reporting from WI. My calls have been made to my republican electeds - representative: Main topic budget and the abandoning of Ukraine and NATO etc. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but the staffer answering the phone seemed to be much more attentive and concerned compared to other times I’ve called. Maybe we’re getting through to them if not our electeds??? Continuing to write postcards for Judge Crawford.
I am curious if some of the staffers start to shift their own views after hearing all these calls! Maybe we should think about that as well: we are not only trying to convince our members of Congress to consider our points of view, but also their own staffers!
Indeed, these calls likely have a ripple effect on the community, even if they don't immediately sway the electeds. Many of the staff are very courteous and seem engaged.
I've called my congressman and Senators already this morning and left the following message (keep in mind though that I have democrats for all three):
Good morning, my name is [name, zip code, phone number]. I'm calling today because of the criminal actions that Presidents Musk and Trump are currently inflicting on the people of the United States of America and other members in our district. The only reasonable position for any Democrat to take if the Republicans ask for assistance with these funding and budget bills is (1) no help on with your problem unless and until the criminal conduct stops (and specifically the fake, illegal agency DOGE) throughout the executive branch. The conduct of Musk and Trump -which is illegal and unconstitutional - must be stopped. As you know Congress is in charge of the power of the purse, opening or shutting down the apartments, spending money or not spending money, all these illegal actions these unconstitutional actions must stop and the Damage needs to be undone. (2) And any deal that the Democrats make to pass the budget, must be enforceable against the President, the White House, and the entire executive branch including the unelected Elon Musk. Any deal that does not do that is a bad deal, and dangerous for the future of our republic. I trust the Congress person will be guided accordingly and taking these steps.
Good job! I think the piece about somehow finding a way of making any budget bill enforceable is really important. At this point, I kind of feel like Trump/Musk don’t really care what Congress does, don’t feel accountable to anyone. Sure, it would be great for them if Congress actually passed this heinous budget, but if it doesn’t, or a better one gets passed, I imagine they might just proceed as planned. Congress must stand up in a stronger, and very creative way…think harder, folks!
Results: I emailed my Colorado state Democratic Party about scheduling a rally outside Gabe Evans’ office to urge him to vote against the disastrous House budget. Evans is one of the 17 vulnerable House reps.
They listened, and the rally was held yesterday at noon!
This is so amazing Karen. The key here is that we have to help teach our family what is expected of them now. We take our learnings from here, in this community, and bring them outward into our communities and networks and keep building this ferocious opposition together. The self-reporting all of you do here is critical for it helps inspire others, gives them ideas, helps each of us understand what is working.
Great job everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think it is particularly important that we work our local and state parties, and push them to becoming trusted conveners of protests and rallies in our states and localities. We need known, trusted entities leading us into these events, particularly in red leaning areas. The Democratic Party as an institution should be leading the way. Let's help them come to understand that.
This is really great. I am copying your post and will send it to my CA Dem Party leaders. There are two Republican vulnerable seats in CA. Thanks for your great work and inspiration!
Much as I respect Hakeem Jeffries, it's one thing to say you understand the extremist threat we face and that this is 'an all hands on deck moment', you wouldn't know it by watching most elected Ds in action. Leadership, especially, has been MIA in the all-hands-on-deck moment. Aside from AOC and Jasmine Crockett in the house, and Chris Murphy and Bernie Sanders in the senate, the Democrats still seem to be treating this authoritarian regime as business as usual. The ONLY thing I've heard from our new DNC leader is a barrage of fund raising emails and texts.
At this point, I'd trade most of the Democratic caucus for 100 more of Jasmine Crocketts and AOCs.
Say what you will about Bernie, and I know he has his critics, but he's been utterly fearless in going into red states with his anti-Musk/anti-oligarchy tour. It's an amazing split-screen moment to see the rousing support Bernie is getting versus what's happening at MAGA representatives' town halls.
I haven't been the biggest Bernie fan, but his kind of passion and sense of mission is what we need in the Democratic Party right now.
I think this is unfair and I just want to remind folks that they exhortations about the weakness of the Democratic Party depresses our family; is doing MAGA's work for them; and flirts into what I call perpetual disappointment. Hakeem is fighting right now for a big and consequential battle today - stay focused on that, and help him.
I think more than one kind of voice is of value right now. AOC and Crockett are *extremely* gifted in their ability to meet the moment. Jeffries is bringing the legal in a different measured way and not only is there a place for it, it has tremendous value. If your toolkit only has 5 different hammers you are going to be very limited in what you can build.
It seems that what some are longing for is a shift not in leadership but in the tone of the opposition. Bernie's righteous anger shines through, which is good, but we need all kinds of voices in this fight. Not to sound too nerdy, but I would love to see someone like Jeffries who is calm to show us some charts and graphs about the budget. Somehow the visual has more potential to go viral and let Americans see the tax cuts' effects. It has to be really easy to understand. Like show ONE oligarch's tax benefit from this and then show all of the services we will lose out on. Just a thought from a former high school teacher used to trying to get the attention of distracted folks. Thanks for all of your work!
Totally agree that we "need all kinds of voices". While Bernie Sanders heart is in the fight, and he has his audience, some of us (including myself) have developed an allergic reaction to his perennial anger.
That said, I applaud Bernie; we really need him. But as you say, to reach different audiences and a variety of voters, we "need all kinds of voices"!
Bernie has always been at his best when he's fighting against something, so this moment is tailor-made for him and his kind of left-leaning populism. But, credit where it's due, he's going into red states and speaking truth in hardcore MAGA areas. I, too, applaud that kind of chutzpah.
I am a nerdy, introverted math geek. So when we were prepping to go to (my very first) Town Hall (to which our coward Rep sent a staffer and didn’t show up himself, which we knew ahead of time was going to happen) and our local Dem Party told everybody to get ready to speak, and I remembered Simon saying “pick something and work on it,” I looked up our county’s Medicaid (Medi-Cal) stats and wrote up a minute’s worth of talking points about how the proposals would devastate our county, ending with the question: “Is Rep. McClintock prepared to hold President Trump to his word that Medicaid won’t be touched?” I even brought a copy of my talking points to leave with the young staffer.
Now a bunch of other speakers were bellowing and crying about our untended forests and their kids in the (betrayed) military, and DOGE’s illegal rampage, and so forth. I felt way outclassed in the emotion and rally department.
But that’s what I do. I rake up data, check it, figure out how to make it comprehensible to non-nerds, and leave it out there. (I also know how to quietly connect people into teams and soon, when people trust me, I expect that skill will become useful and go unsung behind the scenes.) So I choose to believe that Jeffries is hard at work in ways we don’t see and I choose to recognize that the folks who quietly oil the gears are doing vital work.
I really admire you! Your approach was great and I am sure there were others at the Town Hall who respected your manner and were impressed by the information. What a great idea. And a great observation that we all have an important role to play. Thanks for your effort.
I'm sorry you feel that way, Simon. I thought this was a place where we speak honestly with each other. If your friends can't tell you the truth, who can? How can you fix a problem you won't acknowledge? There have been a few stellar voices among the Democrats who've been willing to speak out and act out, continuously, about the threat we face. Unfortunately, the elected leadership in the house and senate haven't been among them. As a life-long Democrat, donor, and election worker I resent the comment that pointing out a truth that's obvious to everyone is me 'doing MAGA's work for them.' That was uncalled for.
Why do you think that it is obvious to everyone?You don't get to be our spokesperson. We have a diverse group- we don't speak for each other. We are a very opinionated group. We can speak about our opinion, try to get others to agree with us but,as it has long been said about Democrats, it's like herding cats.
Present company excepted, Virginia. Don't put words in my mouth. I never claimed to speak for anyone but myself. I base MY opinion on the fact that wherever Democrats gather online, for me that's almost exclusively substack, the same question has arisen since the election: Where are the Democrats? Where are the leaders?
I fully support everyone's right to speak their minds, including yours. What I don't support is attacking someone as a MAGA stalking horse for saying what's been obvious to MOST of us since the election.
Thank you Jane. The fact is our elected leaders didn’t step up from the beginning of this horrible administration. There have been two articles in Axios quoting House Democrats complaining about all the calls urging them to step up. The Senate Democrats used none of the parliamentary tools available to them to derail or slow down the horrible Cabinet appointments. Glad Senator Murphy is speaking up I guess. But he should have used the power he has in the Senate to put holds on Trump Cabinet nominees and encourage his colleagues to do the same.
I was honestly shocked to hear Minority Leader Schumer recently call for Democrats to work in a bipartisan manner with republicans and to reach across the aisle. I nearly knocked myself unconscious with that facepalm. Has he MET any of the republicans he wants us to work with? For crying out loud!
Hi - I'm a librarian, and I just wanted to point out that Axios is not considered an unbiased source about anything that goes on at the Capitol -- at least in my field. Just take it with a couple grains of salt. Thanks for posting!
Again, I'm sorry you feel that way, Simon. But it's neither false nor wrong. Rank and file Democrats have been asking where our leaders are since the shock of the election last November. I'm neither 'selling all of us short' nor 'doing MAGA's work for them.' Those comments are unfair and uncalled for. What's clear is that even mildly opposing views are not welcome here, even when they're intended to make Democrats do better.
Fine. Your house, your rules. I won't let the door hit me on the way out.
Stay and continue to resist using the same old Dem playbook that doesn't work. The voices of progressives should be valued along with all other Dem voices without unfair criticism.
Speaking for myself: When the day comes that Progressives do something constructive for the Democrats with their time and pulpit, instead of superficial grandstanding and sandbagging the party en masse, I will happily send a stack of comment cards along. Until that time, however, I'm not going to put much stock in the thoughts of armchair politicians.
Simon, you’re skating close to the line of getting high on your own supply.
If Dems are doing their jobs and standing up as forcefully as possible against ALL of Mump’s terrible ideas, than why is ANY Dem voting for any of these absolutely atrocious nominees for extremely important positions?
Why aren’t more Dems holding town halls?
Wasn’t it Jeffries who said he was annoyed by all of the progressives calling him and other Dems?
Guess we’re just a nuisance that we’re angry that our democracy and country are being dismantled and there’s so little pushback from the Dems we supported financially and with calls and canvassing before the election.
I agree with Jane in NC that your comment is “unfair.”
Those of us speaking out against the malaise of the Dems we worked so hard to elect is NOT “doing MAGA’s work for them.” It’s insulting for you to say so.
We’re tired of losing! We need better leadership that’s active. We don’t want to read that Schumer’s throwing up his hands saying basically, “what do you want us to do? They have all three chambers.” Defeatist talk! The GQP sure knows what to do when they’re out of power. Just ask Biden.
I’m sure I’ll get hate mail for writing this, but I’m almost certain that at least a Dem or two will vote for this absurd GQP budget and bail them out again! Hope I’m wrong.
Again, insults are not welcome here. Engage in the discussion, be disciplined to hurl insults in the very first line. 2 points - 1) have you been paying attention to the commentary here? It is all about helping Democrats how to do better, fight harder, fight smarter. My video discussion with Leon Krauze yesterday was all about this. 2) I am making an argument, which you can choose to not agree with, and that is deeply consistent with my commentary for the past years about negative and positive sentiment, that us spending the bulk of our time in public criticizing Democrats and frankly misrepresenting the force and effective of our collective response is corrosive.
I am not defending what has happened. I am asking, as I have since the very first day of Hopium, for you to take responsibility for the sentiment you put out into the world and understand your role as an actor not a bystander in the information space. If you choose to spend your time tearing us down rather than working to build us up yes I think you are hurting us and helping them. I have probably said this 300-400 times since Hopium began.
And let me be very clear - if we descend into good and bad Dems it's fucking over and Trump and the fascists will reign for generations.
You said, "take responsibility for the sentiment you put out into the world and understand your role as an actor not a bystander in the information space." That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm sorry you're insulted and disagree. That wasn't the goal. I'm not encouraging people to stop supporting Dems and voting for them. I just want them to stand up for us more. We worked hard for them. Why is that controversial or upsetting to you?
I agree. Just because they are not in front of the cameras doesn't mean they are not doing the job. The selection of who is in front of the cameras is probably based on networks. How many of you had heard of the junior Senator from my state of CT before the first rally in D.C. ? I find it pretty insulting that you think that just because they have not become a celebrity they are not working for you. By the way, my senior Senator, Richard Blumenthal, is just as awesome as Chris Murphy and Rep. John Larson is pretty much the authority on the social safety net- Social Security is his specialty. They are all doing the utmost to do what a minority party can do. Maybe more people should enthusiastically support and vote for Democrats? Just sayin'.
I want to add more context to my comment above and this thread. Democrats are working hard all across the country. Tens of thousands of them. AGs are suing and winning. Govs are suing and standing up and winning. Senators and House Members are on the floor and TV everyday - and not just 3 or 4 of them - making the case, talking to voters, doing large townhalls with 10-15,000 people. My point is that what is happening here is powerful, meaningful, significant. People are rising up. We are making a difference. The glass is half-full, and it is possible that this bottom uprising - which this community has played a major role in advancing - is the only and most sustainable way for all of this to have happened. My point is that looking at all this and focusing only on what isn't happening, what disappoints you sells all of us short, makes us look weak not strong. This is core to the big understanding of how the daily info war works here at Hopium. Do not do MAGAs work for them. Do not argue Dems are weak, ineffective. This helps MAGA. Focus on what is going right, keep working to make it better, and be as we say here all the time smart and strategic. Spending your time here or anywhere else complaining about what you believe is wrong rather than trying to fix it is corrosive and unhelpful in my view. It is also creating an impression about what is happening here that is false. We are powerful not powerless. We are strong, Trump is weak.
If you don't want to help MAGA, then encourage Dems to do better. Constructive criticism should be welcomed otherwise we're just living in a Hopium bubble.
KL, sorry but this commentary is becoming silly. What do you think I do here everyday? Have we not spent months literally talking about what we need to do better, to win, to fight better and more effectively? and how can I honor constructive criticism more than by engaging and responding to it? The I am pissed and I am just going to fight attitude has no place here at Hopium. Thank you.
Respectfully I would say that those of us who are criticizing Democratic leadership are doing so because they need to do better. Just a few days ago there was a Friday Night Massacre at the Pentagon where women and people of color were purged from leadership ranks with the express goal of furthering Trump’s white nationalist agenda. Today, 16 Democratic senators voted to advance Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Army who is a college friend of JD Vance. This is not acceptable. The Senate Dems have used virtually none of the parliamentary tools available to them to slow down and block these nominations. They even vote for some of them. And yes, as a former Senate staffer of 9 years I do have some knowledge of the power of the minority in the Senate. The Democrats are virtually never attempting to exert it.
It’s also important to state the truth and demand more action/leadership from the DNC. I refuse to be chided for demanding this. The interview with Jeffries last night was so demoralizing. If we don’t wake up we’ll lose again. Hiding our heads in the sand as if “nothing to see here” does nothing. It’s time to be fearless.
Honestly leadership and advocacy are two different things. McConnell was leader for YEARS, but not often the media attack dog. Maybe Jeffries directs the ship, while the media savvy make the round??
Well, here's the thing about being a party leader, Madam: Mike Johnson is regularly on cable TV and elsewhere promoting the MAGA agenda. It would be nice if his Democratic counterpart was just as available to give the opposing view.
I started following a wider selection of Dems in the Senate and House, and discovered that many of them are speaking up and taking on actions to oppose Trump/GOP. The media doesn’t cover them as much as AOC and company.
Hear! Hear! Totally agree! No more donations until I see more spines from Dems. Btw, what ever happened to ALL that money we gave during the election? I’m pretty sure there’s something left. If so, it should be used for Bernie’s Stop Oligarchy Tour in red and swing states. It’s a brilliantly effective idea if we can maintain and grow it.
I’m reporting that I’ve called and emailed my Missouri Senators, State Representative and AG. Each and everyday. It does feel good to be doing this… everyday…. Everyday. 🙂
This January, Europeans purchased 37% more electric cars than last January. However, Elon Musk is not reaping any benefit from this. Quite the contrary! European Tesla sales were down 45% compared to January of 2024.
I have long contended that with every dollar we spend, we "vote" for the kind of society we want. Confronted with Elon Musk’s increasingly-belligerent embrace of Fascism, Europeans are doing precisely that!
It is good to watch Rachel advocate as she does for the grassroots movement. I wonder if any of you read the NYT profile on Chris Murray, who is meeting this moment in new ways.
There was a very large, spirited protest in Charlottesville yesterday. They are happening every Monday and appear to be growing. Many honks of support from cars going by.
I called Cornyn & Cruz again just now demanding that they say HELL NO to T and his support of Russia against our European allies and Ukraine. I also called Morgan Luttrell my rep in the House to vote NO on the budget bill - cutting $ for medicaid and giving it to the rich. It really does no good as far as these idiot republicans care, BUT it does me good, and democracy good because I will continue to call every single day - we should all be doing it. Holding fast and strong in my opposition. Onward we go!
Love the video short of the German students posterizing emperor (with no clothes) musk. I wrote to Mark Cuban and asked him to help fund the Let Facts Be Submitted to a Candid World barnstorming counter programming 50 state oress conference tour with AOC, Jasmine Crockett and Chris Murphy. And any other Dem who wants to do more and worry less, and not engage in strategic silence nor wait for tRump to fail. You always miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
I also called my Dem reps and told them to get going!!!!! And thanked them of course.
He sounded like a politician lol. Rachel pushed him for more concrete answers, but something was missing.
I thought he presented well on Maddow.
He got better after Rachel pressed him. She was respectful, but he had sounded like a typical politician at first.
I thought he was ok. he needs to take some lessons from AOC on rhetoric!
Which would be fake. He is a calm, thoughtful leader, though, for him, he did seem a little bit more passionate last night.
Give him a break. He looked exhausted.
it seems like all the dems in dc are on a different frequency than the grass roots dems. guarded language, stilted phrasing, lots of words, institutional speak. while we are at HELL NO WE ARE NOT TAKING IT ANYMORE!! all dems everywhere need to show urgency, fierceness, no BS, being proactive.
And this matters because Hell no is what the average person understands
Jeffries is a brilliant man, as is his brother, who is a PhD historian. He's doing all right. Watch what they do, not what they say is my motto. They have tons of private strategy meetings. And not for nothing, he did speak forcefully about the Cong. Black Caucus, which has always been a force and which orange hates. He's doing all right--a lot of what they do is not reported on by lame-a$$ MSM, remember.
I remember that Nancy Pelosi, when asked why she was so effective as Speaker/Leader, answered, “I can count.” Yet she wasn’t a great orator. Most people aren’t good at everything. Do we want a string of terrible Speakers/Leaders who cannot count, like the Republicans have?
Hakeem is good at his job. Let’s not expect him to do all the jobs.
,
Thoughtful and well stated!
I call for the impeachment of Donald John Trump from office for high crimes and misdemeanors.
I call on all patriotic Americans to call for the impeachment of Donald John Trump from office (every day, using all means of communication available).
I call on all patriotic Congressmen and Congresswomen to call for the impeachment of Donald John Trump from office (every day, using all means of communication available).
Imho, with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, this is an exercise in futility – and, frankly, a distraction.
agree, thank you. and further, a bunch of sound and fury signifying nothing to distract from doing our part.
I call for every fucking Republican to resign and we make them do it. What does that mean? I don't know. All I know that the USA exists. And the first step to that was calling for the separation from the King. It too was considered impossible. The problem with what folks like Jeffries are saying is that they don't seem to realize how far out of the box we need to be right now. Maybe what Hakeem meant when he referred to his background was SLAVERY. Tyranny is slavery where everyone is enslaved. Say that, and everyone will get it. Keep saying it: This is tyranny and we will not submit.
THE MORE DANGEROUS CASE OF DONALD TRUMP 40 PSYCHIATRISTS AND MENTAL HEALTH EXPERTS WARN ANEW
p89
"So, what needs to be done to keep America safe from enemies from within?
... extraordinary times require extraordinary skill in applying the laws and who possess the self-understanding to fight off the twin temptations of complicity or cowardice in the face of fear .."
CALL. Especially for Democrats in Red states. Thank your Representatives.
🔸️Keep calling Attorneys General in the states.
🔸️Keep calling to stop Musk's crime spree and assault on the US government.
🔸️Keep calling your electeds and let them know you are outraged by traitorous Trump's selling out of Zelenskyy, abandonment of Europe and embrace of Putin.
DO MORE, WORRY LESS. Join us on Hopium Chronicles on SubStack.
https://open.substack.com/pub/simonwdc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=280c3q
Why are so many lefties insisting that Democratic leadership reveal their strategies to the enemy?
Dems say "we need 3 votes to block this un-American budget that will kill Americans". Indivisible calls to primary them.
A Republican says that they "might not fall in line" and Indivisble calls it "encouraging".
They're lefties; shortsighted ideas and bad-faith criticism are their stock-in-trade.
I made my calls this morning and implored my rep (she's a Dem and has committed to vote no) to vote no and not give in on anything until the lawlessness ends. I am also calling my AG to ask him to make a criminal referral for Musk and crew.
Last night, I had the chance to hear from who I believe will be elected chair of the Minnesota DFL (that's what we call Democrats here), Richard Carlbom. He has a plan to radically change how Democrats communicate with voters and he wants to build the infrastructure to start organizing and building in 2025 so that we are ready for 2026. With Ken Martin heading to the DNC, we will be in good hands with Richard.
Richard had a great idea that I want to share. His idea is that the party should go to Duluth and host a job fair for all the federal workers that have been fired in the district of the Republican Congressman Pete Stauber. Invite the Congressman to co-host the job fair with the Democrats. Obviously, he won't do that but let's put the heat on in these places and highlight how Dems are helping and Republicans are hiding. Many of these jobs that are now lost are in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and other national park areas where tens of thousands of Minnesotans go every year. These areas may now be closed or off limits, so we can get double the exposure because of these firings.
Just a thought to share and you might want to suggest it to your state Democratic Party as well.
Love the job fair idea. I've solo canoed Boundary Waters and it was a profound and beautiful experience. All strength to Carlborn and you Minnesotans!!!
Boundary Waters, wow!
I wonder whether our Dems could put on something like this near Yosemite. Ooooooo have we got angry forest service workers here! I will float the idea.
I am sure that they can! We really could have every state dem party hold a job fair because these job cuts are everywhere.
Hi from across the river. I am so happy to hear this. When are these elections held?
The election for DFL chair is March 29th.
Just a little self reporting from WI. My calls have been made to my republican electeds - representative: Main topic budget and the abandoning of Ukraine and NATO etc. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but the staffer answering the phone seemed to be much more attentive and concerned compared to other times I’ve called. Maybe we’re getting through to them if not our electeds??? Continuing to write postcards for Judge Crawford.
All of these calls matter. Every little bit helps and it's clear that all of this is having an effect. Keep up the great work! WisDems are awesome!
I am curious if some of the staffers start to shift their own views after hearing all these calls! Maybe we should think about that as well: we are not only trying to convince our members of Congress to consider our points of view, but also their own staffers!
yes, I think so
Indeed, these calls likely have a ripple effect on the community, even if they don't immediately sway the electeds. Many of the staff are very courteous and seem engaged.
I've called my congressman and Senators already this morning and left the following message (keep in mind though that I have democrats for all three):
Good morning, my name is [name, zip code, phone number]. I'm calling today because of the criminal actions that Presidents Musk and Trump are currently inflicting on the people of the United States of America and other members in our district. The only reasonable position for any Democrat to take if the Republicans ask for assistance with these funding and budget bills is (1) no help on with your problem unless and until the criminal conduct stops (and specifically the fake, illegal agency DOGE) throughout the executive branch. The conduct of Musk and Trump -which is illegal and unconstitutional - must be stopped. As you know Congress is in charge of the power of the purse, opening or shutting down the apartments, spending money or not spending money, all these illegal actions these unconstitutional actions must stop and the Damage needs to be undone. (2) And any deal that the Democrats make to pass the budget, must be enforceable against the President, the White House, and the entire executive branch including the unelected Elon Musk. Any deal that does not do that is a bad deal, and dangerous for the future of our republic. I trust the Congress person will be guided accordingly and taking these steps.
Thank you.
Good job! I think the piece about somehow finding a way of making any budget bill enforceable is really important. At this point, I kind of feel like Trump/Musk don’t really care what Congress does, don’t feel accountable to anyone. Sure, it would be great for them if Congress actually passed this heinous budget, but if it doesn’t, or a better one gets passed, I imagine they might just proceed as planned. Congress must stand up in a stronger, and very creative way…think harder, folks!
Results: I emailed my Colorado state Democratic Party about scheduling a rally outside Gabe Evans’ office to urge him to vote against the disastrous House budget. Evans is one of the 17 vulnerable House reps.
They listened, and the rally was held yesterday at noon!
https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-democrats-evans-budget-plan-medicaid/
This is so amazing Karen. The key here is that we have to help teach our family what is expected of them now. We take our learnings from here, in this community, and bring them outward into our communities and networks and keep building this ferocious opposition together. The self-reporting all of you do here is critical for it helps inspire others, gives them ideas, helps each of us understand what is working.
Great job everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think it is particularly important that we work our local and state parties, and push them to becoming trusted conveners of protests and rallies in our states and localities. We need known, trusted entities leading us into these events, particularly in red leaning areas. The Democratic Party as an institution should be leading the way. Let's help them come to understand that.
How can they miss it?! It’s their job. But heard, will continue the efforts.
It’s a damn shame somehow they haven’t figured this out. But I’m happy to help inform them of how to do their job better.
This is so cool! Very nice work and it just shows the power we all have and can use!!!
Congratulations! Fabulous. Gave me goosebumps. Thank you 🙏!
🙏🏻💖🇺🇸
This is really great. I am copying your post and will send it to my CA Dem Party leaders. There are two Republican vulnerable seats in CA. Thanks for your great work and inspiration!
Thanks so much, Ali! Hope you get a good response.
Calls made yesterday urging NO vote on House Budget.
And sharing a terrific rallying cry by Jane Fonda at the SAG Awards on Sunday - paywall free -
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/movies/jane-fonda-sag-awards-speech.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zk4.fSG6.YmjMLJ4ku-n9&smid=url-share
you can catch her giving it on Netflix, The 31st Annual Sag Awards 2025 - she starts about 1:02:00. She speaks it plain and speaks it strong.
Much as I respect Hakeem Jeffries, it's one thing to say you understand the extremist threat we face and that this is 'an all hands on deck moment', you wouldn't know it by watching most elected Ds in action. Leadership, especially, has been MIA in the all-hands-on-deck moment. Aside from AOC and Jasmine Crockett in the house, and Chris Murphy and Bernie Sanders in the senate, the Democrats still seem to be treating this authoritarian regime as business as usual. The ONLY thing I've heard from our new DNC leader is a barrage of fund raising emails and texts.
At this point, I'd trade most of the Democratic caucus for 100 more of Jasmine Crocketts and AOCs.
Definitely need more of them and Maxwell Frost. Bernie Sanders is ASTOUNDING on his Oligarchy tour and getting butts in seats.
Say what you will about Bernie, and I know he has his critics, but he's been utterly fearless in going into red states with his anti-Musk/anti-oligarchy tour. It's an amazing split-screen moment to see the rousing support Bernie is getting versus what's happening at MAGA representatives' town halls.
I haven't been the biggest Bernie fan, but his kind of passion and sense of mission is what we need in the Democratic Party right now.
I think this is unfair and I just want to remind folks that they exhortations about the weakness of the Democratic Party depresses our family; is doing MAGA's work for them; and flirts into what I call perpetual disappointment. Hakeem is fighting right now for a big and consequential battle today - stay focused on that, and help him.
I think more than one kind of voice is of value right now. AOC and Crockett are *extremely* gifted in their ability to meet the moment. Jeffries is bringing the legal in a different measured way and not only is there a place for it, it has tremendous value. If your toolkit only has 5 different hammers you are going to be very limited in what you can build.
It seems that what some are longing for is a shift not in leadership but in the tone of the opposition. Bernie's righteous anger shines through, which is good, but we need all kinds of voices in this fight. Not to sound too nerdy, but I would love to see someone like Jeffries who is calm to show us some charts and graphs about the budget. Somehow the visual has more potential to go viral and let Americans see the tax cuts' effects. It has to be really easy to understand. Like show ONE oligarch's tax benefit from this and then show all of the services we will lose out on. Just a thought from a former high school teacher used to trying to get the attention of distracted folks. Thanks for all of your work!
Totally agree that we "need all kinds of voices". While Bernie Sanders heart is in the fight, and he has his audience, some of us (including myself) have developed an allergic reaction to his perennial anger.
That said, I applaud Bernie; we really need him. But as you say, to reach different audiences and a variety of voters, we "need all kinds of voices"!
Bernie has always been at his best when he's fighting against something, so this moment is tailor-made for him and his kind of left-leaning populism. But, credit where it's due, he's going into red states and speaking truth in hardcore MAGA areas. I, too, applaud that kind of chutzpah.
Kind of like what you said…
I am a nerdy, introverted math geek. So when we were prepping to go to (my very first) Town Hall (to which our coward Rep sent a staffer and didn’t show up himself, which we knew ahead of time was going to happen) and our local Dem Party told everybody to get ready to speak, and I remembered Simon saying “pick something and work on it,” I looked up our county’s Medicaid (Medi-Cal) stats and wrote up a minute’s worth of talking points about how the proposals would devastate our county, ending with the question: “Is Rep. McClintock prepared to hold President Trump to his word that Medicaid won’t be touched?” I even brought a copy of my talking points to leave with the young staffer.
Now a bunch of other speakers were bellowing and crying about our untended forests and their kids in the (betrayed) military, and DOGE’s illegal rampage, and so forth. I felt way outclassed in the emotion and rally department.
But that’s what I do. I rake up data, check it, figure out how to make it comprehensible to non-nerds, and leave it out there. (I also know how to quietly connect people into teams and soon, when people trust me, I expect that skill will become useful and go unsung behind the scenes.) So I choose to believe that Jeffries is hard at work in ways we don’t see and I choose to recognize that the folks who quietly oil the gears are doing vital work.
That was insightful and terrific!
I really admire you! Your approach was great and I am sure there were others at the Town Hall who respected your manner and were impressed by the information. What a great idea. And a great observation that we all have an important role to play. Thanks for your effort.
I'm sorry you feel that way, Simon. I thought this was a place where we speak honestly with each other. If your friends can't tell you the truth, who can? How can you fix a problem you won't acknowledge? There have been a few stellar voices among the Democrats who've been willing to speak out and act out, continuously, about the threat we face. Unfortunately, the elected leadership in the house and senate haven't been among them. As a life-long Democrat, donor, and election worker I resent the comment that pointing out a truth that's obvious to everyone is me 'doing MAGA's work for them.' That was uncalled for.
Why do you think that it is obvious to everyone?You don't get to be our spokesperson. We have a diverse group- we don't speak for each other. We are a very opinionated group. We can speak about our opinion, try to get others to agree with us but,as it has long been said about Democrats, it's like herding cats.
Present company excepted, Virginia. Don't put words in my mouth. I never claimed to speak for anyone but myself. I base MY opinion on the fact that wherever Democrats gather online, for me that's almost exclusively substack, the same question has arisen since the election: Where are the Democrats? Where are the leaders?
I fully support everyone's right to speak their minds, including yours. What I don't support is attacking someone as a MAGA stalking horse for saying what's been obvious to MOST of us since the election.
Thank you Jane. The fact is our elected leaders didn’t step up from the beginning of this horrible administration. There have been two articles in Axios quoting House Democrats complaining about all the calls urging them to step up. The Senate Democrats used none of the parliamentary tools available to them to derail or slow down the horrible Cabinet appointments. Glad Senator Murphy is speaking up I guess. But he should have used the power he has in the Senate to put holds on Trump Cabinet nominees and encourage his colleagues to do the same.
I was honestly shocked to hear Minority Leader Schumer recently call for Democrats to work in a bipartisan manner with republicans and to reach across the aisle. I nearly knocked myself unconscious with that facepalm. Has he MET any of the republicans he wants us to work with? For crying out loud!
Hi - I'm a librarian, and I just wanted to point out that Axios is not considered an unbiased source about anything that goes on at the Capitol -- at least in my field. Just take it with a couple grains of salt. Thanks for posting!
Axios is terrible. But there were lots of attributed quotes in the articles. One from my congressman that he has tried to explain away.
Jane, as I write below what you are saying is just false and wrong and you are selling all of us short.
Again, I'm sorry you feel that way, Simon. But it's neither false nor wrong. Rank and file Democrats have been asking where our leaders are since the shock of the election last November. I'm neither 'selling all of us short' nor 'doing MAGA's work for them.' Those comments are unfair and uncalled for. What's clear is that even mildly opposing views are not welcome here, even when they're intended to make Democrats do better.
Fine. Your house, your rules. I won't let the door hit me on the way out.
Stay and continue to resist using the same old Dem playbook that doesn't work. The voices of progressives should be valued along with all other Dem voices without unfair criticism.
Speaking for myself: When the day comes that Progressives do something constructive for the Democrats with their time and pulpit, instead of superficial grandstanding and sandbagging the party en masse, I will happily send a stack of comment cards along. Until that time, however, I'm not going to put much stock in the thoughts of armchair politicians.
Simon, you’re skating close to the line of getting high on your own supply.
If Dems are doing their jobs and standing up as forcefully as possible against ALL of Mump’s terrible ideas, than why is ANY Dem voting for any of these absolutely atrocious nominees for extremely important positions?
Why aren’t more Dems holding town halls?
Wasn’t it Jeffries who said he was annoyed by all of the progressives calling him and other Dems?
Guess we’re just a nuisance that we’re angry that our democracy and country are being dismantled and there’s so little pushback from the Dems we supported financially and with calls and canvassing before the election.
I agree with Jane in NC that your comment is “unfair.”
Those of us speaking out against the malaise of the Dems we worked so hard to elect is NOT “doing MAGA’s work for them.” It’s insulting for you to say so.
We’re tired of losing! We need better leadership that’s active. We don’t want to read that Schumer’s throwing up his hands saying basically, “what do you want us to do? They have all three chambers.” Defeatist talk! The GQP sure knows what to do when they’re out of power. Just ask Biden.
I’m sure I’ll get hate mail for writing this, but I’m almost certain that at least a Dem or two will vote for this absurd GQP budget and bail them out again! Hope I’m wrong.
Again, insults are not welcome here. Engage in the discussion, be disciplined to hurl insults in the very first line. 2 points - 1) have you been paying attention to the commentary here? It is all about helping Democrats how to do better, fight harder, fight smarter. My video discussion with Leon Krauze yesterday was all about this. 2) I am making an argument, which you can choose to not agree with, and that is deeply consistent with my commentary for the past years about negative and positive sentiment, that us spending the bulk of our time in public criticizing Democrats and frankly misrepresenting the force and effective of our collective response is corrosive.
I am not defending what has happened. I am asking, as I have since the very first day of Hopium, for you to take responsibility for the sentiment you put out into the world and understand your role as an actor not a bystander in the information space. If you choose to spend your time tearing us down rather than working to build us up yes I think you are hurting us and helping them. I have probably said this 300-400 times since Hopium began.
And let me be very clear - if we descend into good and bad Dems it's fucking over and Trump and the fascists will reign for generations.
You said, "take responsibility for the sentiment you put out into the world and understand your role as an actor not a bystander in the information space." That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm sorry you're insulted and disagree. That wasn't the goal. I'm not encouraging people to stop supporting Dems and voting for them. I just want them to stand up for us more. We worked hard for them. Why is that controversial or upsetting to you?
Would that I could beam that last sentence into the brain of every 'purity test' progressive ad infinitum...
I agree. Just because they are not in front of the cameras doesn't mean they are not doing the job. The selection of who is in front of the cameras is probably based on networks. How many of you had heard of the junior Senator from my state of CT before the first rally in D.C. ? I find it pretty insulting that you think that just because they have not become a celebrity they are not working for you. By the way, my senior Senator, Richard Blumenthal, is just as awesome as Chris Murphy and Rep. John Larson is pretty much the authority on the social safety net- Social Security is his specialty. They are all doing the utmost to do what a minority party can do. Maybe more people should enthusiastically support and vote for Democrats? Just sayin'.
I want to add more context to my comment above and this thread. Democrats are working hard all across the country. Tens of thousands of them. AGs are suing and winning. Govs are suing and standing up and winning. Senators and House Members are on the floor and TV everyday - and not just 3 or 4 of them - making the case, talking to voters, doing large townhalls with 10-15,000 people. My point is that what is happening here is powerful, meaningful, significant. People are rising up. We are making a difference. The glass is half-full, and it is possible that this bottom uprising - which this community has played a major role in advancing - is the only and most sustainable way for all of this to have happened. My point is that looking at all this and focusing only on what isn't happening, what disappoints you sells all of us short, makes us look weak not strong. This is core to the big understanding of how the daily info war works here at Hopium. Do not do MAGAs work for them. Do not argue Dems are weak, ineffective. This helps MAGA. Focus on what is going right, keep working to make it better, and be as we say here all the time smart and strategic. Spending your time here or anywhere else complaining about what you believe is wrong rather than trying to fix it is corrosive and unhelpful in my view. It is also creating an impression about what is happening here that is false. We are powerful not powerless. We are strong, Trump is weak.
Let the church say amen.
If you don't want to help MAGA, then encourage Dems to do better. Constructive criticism should be welcomed otherwise we're just living in a Hopium bubble.
Far be it from me to get in the way of a good hackneyed cliché, but I have to ask: What exactly do you think we're doing here if not that?
KL, sorry but this commentary is becoming silly. What do you think I do here everyday? Have we not spent months literally talking about what we need to do better, to win, to fight better and more effectively? and how can I honor constructive criticism more than by engaging and responding to it? The I am pissed and I am just going to fight attitude has no place here at Hopium. Thank you.
Simon,
Respectfully I would say that those of us who are criticizing Democratic leadership are doing so because they need to do better. Just a few days ago there was a Friday Night Massacre at the Pentagon where women and people of color were purged from leadership ranks with the express goal of furthering Trump’s white nationalist agenda. Today, 16 Democratic senators voted to advance Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Army who is a college friend of JD Vance. This is not acceptable. The Senate Dems have used virtually none of the parliamentary tools available to them to slow down and block these nominations. They even vote for some of them. And yes, as a former Senate staffer of 9 years I do have some knowledge of the power of the minority in the Senate. The Democrats are virtually never attempting to exert it.
It’s also important to state the truth and demand more action/leadership from the DNC. I refuse to be chided for demanding this. The interview with Jeffries last night was so demoralizing. If we don’t wake up we’ll lose again. Hiding our heads in the sand as if “nothing to see here” does nothing. It’s time to be fearless.
Agreed! Isn't the definition of insanity to try to do the same things over and over and expecting a different result?
In what star system are we hiding our heads in the sand?
Honestly leadership and advocacy are two different things. McConnell was leader for YEARS, but not often the media attack dog. Maybe Jeffries directs the ship, while the media savvy make the round??
Well, here's the thing about being a party leader, Madam: Mike Johnson is regularly on cable TV and elsewhere promoting the MAGA agenda. It would be nice if his Democratic counterpart was just as available to give the opposing view.
I started following a wider selection of Dems in the Senate and House, and discovered that many of them are speaking up and taking on actions to oppose Trump/GOP. The media doesn’t cover them as much as AOC and company.
I'm not saying some Democrats aren't speaking up and taking actions. My complaint, specifically, is that leadership's actions don't match their words.
Hear! Hear! Totally agree! No more donations until I see more spines from Dems. Btw, what ever happened to ALL that money we gave during the election? I’m pretty sure there’s something left. If so, it should be used for Bernie’s Stop Oligarchy Tour in red and swing states. It’s a brilliantly effective idea if we can maintain and grow it.
I get what you're saying, but 100 AOCs sounds like a recurring nightmare I've been having.
Pretty sure you missed the forest for the trees there, Wyatt.
Couldn't resist the joke.
😜
I strongly suggest watching the Politics Girl interview with Martin that Simon linked. He said everything I wanted to hear him say.
I’m reporting that I’ve called and emailed my Missouri Senators, State Representative and AG. Each and everyday. It does feel good to be doing this… everyday…. Everyday. 🙂
And doing it in community. I draw so much strength from everyone here. Thank you all!
Thank you!
EUROPEANS ARE VOTING with their wallet
This January, Europeans purchased 37% more electric cars than last January. However, Elon Musk is not reaping any benefit from this. Quite the contrary! European Tesla sales were down 45% compared to January of 2024.
I have long contended that with every dollar we spend, we "vote" for the kind of society we want. Confronted with Elon Musk’s increasingly-belligerent embrace of Fascism, Europeans are doing precisely that!
Feb 28 coming up.....spending nothing that day! Simon, is the Dem Party endorsing this action? I hope so.
Agreed, and more power to the EU!
It is good to watch Rachel advocate as she does for the grassroots movement. I wonder if any of you read the NYT profile on Chris Murray, who is meeting this moment in new ways.
Murphy has been killing it! Great article.
There was a very large, spirited protest in Charlottesville yesterday. They are happening every Monday and appear to be growing. Many honks of support from cars going by.
Wonderful! Where are they happening? I'm a C'ville native and have many friends and family there that I can tell.
In front of the county building. If they plug into Cville Dems or Indivisible Charlottesville they will get the info: https://cvilledems.org/homepage/indivisible-charlottesville-is-forming-working-groups/
I called Cornyn & Cruz again just now demanding that they say HELL NO to T and his support of Russia against our European allies and Ukraine. I also called Morgan Luttrell my rep in the House to vote NO on the budget bill - cutting $ for medicaid and giving it to the rich. It really does no good as far as these idiot republicans care, BUT it does me good, and democracy good because I will continue to call every single day - we should all be doing it. Holding fast and strong in my opposition. Onward we go!
Love the video short of the German students posterizing emperor (with no clothes) musk. I wrote to Mark Cuban and asked him to help fund the Let Facts Be Submitted to a Candid World barnstorming counter programming 50 state oress conference tour with AOC, Jasmine Crockett and Chris Murphy. And any other Dem who wants to do more and worry less, and not engage in strategic silence nor wait for tRump to fail. You always miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
I also called my Dem reps and told them to get going!!!!! And thanked them of course.
I first misread "posterizing" as "posteriorizing"... Not sure that’s actually a word, but it certainly conjured the appropriate image!
If you saw Rachel last night you saw an AI generated video of Trump and Musk. I won't say anymore.
Wild guess: The AI generated video of Trump kissing Musk’s feet, which was shown on monitors at HUD headquarters?
Yup!