Barbara you cannot drop stuff like that here without links and more context. Please delete this post and repost to help inform rather than degrade. These kind of posts is what MAGA dreams about at night.
Barbara, I just read the article. My first comment here was mistaken. The article does mention Israel. I apologize for the mistake, and refer people to the comments below.
As I said, I could not read the article, but this is the headline: "Ken Martin: Democratic Party needs to stand with Jewish community, Israel" I looked for other information on the statement that I could access, and there is nothing more. But it is being used against "the Democrats," by people who are focused on what is happening in Gaza and who did not vote for us, despite our discussions of the potential outcome for Palestine with the electoral result. We lost a lot of votes over this issue.
I don't know what it means to "stand with the Jewish community, Israel." I understand we support/stand with the Jewish community, and I understand we do not want to see Israel destroyed. What does it mean to "stand with Israel?" Perhaps there needs to be more context on that. Does this mean we stand with destroying ambulances and then burying them along with the occupants? I won't make a list of the crimes.
I am not interested in a fight over this. I am interested in having a dialog. My apologies. As I said, I know it is off topic here. It is not my intention to derail the discussion. I hope for more at some point. I do want to win elections. I do want to push the Democrats in DC. I am fighting along with you on all of the rest of what you are doing here.
Thank you for what you are doing to keep us focused.
I am moving on from this. But to be clear there is no clear data we lost a lot of votes from the Gaza issue. The group Ken Martin spoke to is one I have spoken to many times, and it is a domestic Jewish organization of Democrats who are not significantly involved in pro-Israel politics. As we covered in my recent talk with Amy Spitalnick, there has been an extraordinary rise of ant-Semitism in the US and for our party Chair to go to speak to a group like this should have not elicited the reference of all things to GENOCIDE. I ask that you remove the comment and we can get on with our day. Happy to debate our policy towards Israel in a different context, and one that does not conflate these matters. One can support Israel and disagree with the current Israeli government. Moving from I stand with Israel and therefore our Chair supports genocide is just not okay and I ask that we all move on from what I feel has been a deeply unfortunate set of comments today.
Dr. Dean I have taken your comment down for 1) you continue to be incredibly contentious and argumentative here and it is tiresome 2) it implied that I supported genocidal policies and we are just not going to allow that kind of insanity here. Again folks can engage in these topics in a respectful way for all in this community. These are hard and tough issues and frankly right now I am a lot more concerned about what is happening here than what is happening any where else in the world.
I deleted my comment out of deference to you. I will continue to watch and read and will not make further comments here. As much as I believe in community and do what I can where I am to build community, perhaps this is not really my community. Thank you for your efforts.
My friend belongs to a group that brings Jewish and Muslim faith people together to discuss what they share in grief and needs. IMHO -and belief, you can believe and support both people as you disagree with their leaders actions.
Hopefully Canada understands we the people of USA don’t represent trump.
I grew up in Detroit on the border and spent a LOT of time in Canada. Canada understands that the people of the United States -- a critical mass -- CHOSE Trump TWO times. Not once ... TWICE. They can't trust America, and for the time being I can't blame them.
66 million people in USA voted for Hilary in 2016,
81 million for Biden against Trump and in 2020 and
74 million for Harris in 2024. Seeing that Canada has a total population of about 40 million ( not just voters) AND that I saw shared protests with both Canadians and American groups on TV this made me think they might appreciate/understand the huge numbers of non-trump supporters in the USA who are sympathetic to and understanding of their anger with the current POTUS.
Please be assured that neither Ken Martin nor anyone else in the DNC, nor anyone in the Hopium Community, supported the genocide that Hamas started, and attempted to finish, on the 7th of October 2023.
Dr. Dean, for this post and many others I am giving you a one month ban from posting and will be happy to refund you your subscription. This one of the most offensive things ever posted on this site and I just don't think this is the right place for you. Godspeed, Simon
This is National Public Service Recognition Week. If anyone is having trouble accessing a government service, I suggest contacting your Congressman or Senator to have them intervene. Let them share in the inconvenience created by Trump. Their staffing has not been cut to my knowledge so they should have plenty of time to help.
The DNC training I took on Saturday pushed out talking points vs the budget and strategies for how to talk to your legislators. Talking points included much of what we've discussed here - a transfer of wealth to the 1%, and something I had not heard before - a power grab by 47 that would allow him to unilaterally cancel federal rules (!) on things like clean air and water protections.
Make those phone calls, folks, especially if you have R electeds. This absolutely cannot be permitted to pass. I've been calling Rep. Chris Smith (Traitor-NJ04) and calling him out on the Medicaid cuts. Keep going!
I can't protest, but people are. And this fool is a special case- he basically hides in VA so NJ folks can't talk to him, and never schedules any in person meetings no matter how much you pester his office. The best way to get at him is to harass his office staff on the phones. Believe me, he has worked the system for 40 years, he does not respond to normal pressure. You have to "dive bomb" his office and be relentless w calls.
The Mad King has a seemingly unique ability to turn political albatrosses into ways to shore up his base and further corrupt the GOP. Early in his first term Russia was a huge political problem, but now the Republican party is pro-Putin. Later Covid hit and we laughed when he said inject bleach, and his mismanagement of the virus arguably cost him the 2020 election, but now the Republican party is firmly anti-mask, anti-vax, anti-science and anti-health. J6 was supposed to the nail in his political coffin that no one could come back from, and now Republicans openly embrace lawlessness and political violence. I say this not to express worry, but to argue we should be ready when he tries to invert political gravity as the economy sours, and shouldn’t be surprised if he has some success. It’s easy to mock “Pay more, get less” but so far MAGA is willing to swallow just about anything in support of their king; the cowardliness of elected Republicans has no bottom, and corporate media is largely in his pocket, so he may be able to rehabilitate himself yet again. Economic calamity may be too much for even him to withstand, but based on precedent I wouldn’t count on it. That’s why it’s so important to keep the pressure on our federal, state and local officials to push back on his madness, even (maybe especially) as the walls close in around him.
I recall reading somewhere that surprisingly many Republican politicians and officials have very favorable loans from Russian and Russian-linked financiers. I would love to see an investigative reporter publish a list of people who have such loans, on suspiciously-favorable terms.
I agree we need to keep the pressure up on all of our electeds to counter his lies, his illegal actions, and his cruelty. As @Simon and others have said here, the idea is not to get all of MAGA to listen to us and change their minds, but to get "just enough" of his supporters (including elected officials who may not support him but who appear to by staying silent) peeled away from him that it DOES make a difference. Polls are starting to show an increasing number of his supporters have soured on his performance. His increasingly bizarre behavior seems to be, at least in part, his angry reaction to these polls.
To the extent that the "illegal actions" and "cruelty" have become blatantly obvious, the very fact that our elected officials have to be pressured so much points to something extremely troubling. I don't expect MAGA to change their minds. I don't expect ANY neo-Nazi to see the light from outside influence. I expect them to continue to make illegality and cruelty into the new norm, as was done in any totalitarian society. *
The question that haunts me is this: Are we -- as loyal Americans -- responding in the most effective ways possible? Are we completely dependent on "polls" to measure that effectiveness?
* At his recent "rally" in Michigan, a giant video played out the sadism meted out to prisoners in El Salvador to the cheering crowd.
No joke, I've already seen an uptick in MAGA comments highlighting how trump's economic moves are somehow "good for the environment" and how anyone who opposes the tariffs must be supporting "wage slavery." So, now they are moving on to leftist sounding rationalizing to sustain the illusion, from a group who is literally pro-pollution and anti-workers' rights in every other situation. Unbelievable, lol!
How long before corporate media starts running stories about how hardship and going without are "patriotic" like during WWII? This is the kind of crap that totalitarian countries do when they're isolated and economically devastated due to sanctions and overall mismanagement. We can't control that but can focus on keeping the pressure on our electeds, protesting and winning elections.
How can The People file a criminal case The People vs Trump when DOJ, congress,and FBI won’t represent the people to investigate and charge for corruption and constitutional violation
When will we start nameing DOMESTIC ABUSE and file Protection Orders to protect The People
Recall is a provision of state law. There is no recall provision in federal law. Congress represents The People in a republican structure and has not acted “for the people” to direct the DOJ to investigate and indite Congress can impeach but has not acted for the People. Given non action to represent the People what recourse do We have. Thus my question
Remember Kamala’s statement. “Every case I argued as an AG I argued For the People vs plaintiffs. DOJ is the legal team for The People. Not the President not the Admissions Not the King
The legislative approach is hapless in a minority Look to support 2026 midterms
There needs to be not only physical protests but digital protests Americans need to get involved
Attended Pramila Jayapal's Resistance Lab 2.0 over the weekend There was an original 1.0 in March and this is followup Highly recommend because it thoughtfully breaks down how and why successful resistance movements are successful from past experiences in other countries mobilize.us/PramilaforCongress to join resistance community or find a protest near you
Even in the minority, with our phone calls and protests and town hall meetings, we just might be able to pry a few Rs to vote against their party. Hasn’t happened sufficiently yet, but that’s why we keep doing this.
While Trump & Musk have been attacking top-level scientists, and throwing vitally important research projects into the dustbin, the EU now joins Norway to invite them to greener pastures.
Well, if anything it appears Traitor Trump is helping us with one very important aspect of American life. He’s teaching us the meaning of our Constitution. By the end of his regime, and please may it be soon, my guess is that we will all be the wiser for being able to quote each Amendment if needed. That is something we should all embrace.
"He’s teaching us the meaning of our Constitution."
Oh, how I wish. But he doesn't know the meaning, so he's incapable of teaching it. I get where you are coming from. He's a living example of something gone very wrong.
I wish I could believe that we could engage from a good base of understanding of each Article and Amendment. I would love to embrace it.
But I am not seeing any of that happening, but I agree it is vital.
Thank you, Simon! I wanted to mention that I found it helpful to have at the end of your post the list of items that we need to contact our representatives about. I hope the Democrats will make a huge noise about Trump saying he "doesn't know" if he has to uphold the Constitution. If Biden had . . . .
I think Trump is less of a "mad king" and more of a domestic terrorist. The definition of a terrorist is: "a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims."
Please explain this. IF "he" is a domestic terrorist, WHY do most people in Israel support him so much? He's destroying America. Why so much loud support from Israel?
Or, have I got it all wrong - and all the polling taken in Israel is bogus? If there's another nation besides Russia that "He" is so popular in, please let me know.
Again? Not again.... Much of today's exchange was devoted to that topic.
The issue is a major one. When people use the word terrorism, as you did, the Middle East often comes to mind. The attacks on our universities, abduction of students, so much...
Please: How do YOU reconcile Trump, the Christian nationalist forces behind him, and Israel?
Thomas, if you sincerely want to gain insight into Israel, its challenges, the war and topics related to it, I highly recommend the articles and podcasts by Haviv Rettig Gur.
The phrasing of your question has hidden assumptions; why ask anyone to "reconcile" the things you mention? They don’t fit together.
These issues are complex and this is not the place for them. Here they will only derail our other discussions. I implore you to drop it. But do check out Haviv Rettig Gur.
EDIT: Another great source is a book by Noa Tishby, "Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth".
Off with his head! Is there no mechanism in our Constitution to stop this coup? Why have a Constitution if it has no solution for an insane dictator being neglectfully (yes,you should be ashamed if you voted for him) elected as president? Every day I read you and other Substack journalists I am becoming more pessimistic about the survival of this country. And we thought we were so smart….
The mechanism is checks and balances. The judiciary is working but, as always, it is a slow process. Thus far, the congress is abdicating its constitutional role. That can change as we continue to peel away their constituents. Not sure why you are becoming more pessimistic. The opposition has demonstrated clear momentum. Surely you have seen the growing coalitions of universities, law firms, unions, and the precipitous drop in Trump's approval ratings. Yes, we all want immediate solutions, but we have to demonstrate perseverance if we are going to get our democracy back. I have confidence in all of us to make that happen.
One of the reasons Hopium has been my go to source since the election is Simon is completely focused on solutions. I do think "Why have a constitution" is a dangerous sentiment. Let's leave that one to MAGA.
Well, that constitution was the first of its kind in human history, and carried us nearly 250 years. It was deeply flawed from the start, and the Civil War indicated that. It was improved, tested, and improved again. SOME kind of "constitution" is needed. It's the operating manual for a democracy. It is WE the people who are the guardians of the Constitution. The fault lies with US -- first and foremost.
IMO, we have to be clear about what brought someone like Trump to us, and what can we do when so many members of Congress go along with his total corruption and betrayal of the Constitution.
The digital civil war is on Americans vs the Nazis Spread the word on the Resistance Movement which has to counter the Nazi talking points And don't be afraid to use the word "Nazi(s)" because they will take it as an insult but well deserved since they are mirroring what the Nazis did in Germany in the 1930's
There needs to be not only physical protests but digital protests Americans need to get involved
Attended Pramila Jayapal's Resistance Lab 2.0 over the weekend There was an original 1.0 in March and this is followup Highly recommend because it thoughtfully breaks down how and why successful resistance movements are successful from past experiences in other countries mobilize.us/PramilaforCongress to join resistance community or find a protest near you
After listening to that interview, I'm wondering if it's time to rename the other party from Republican to Reckless. John Cornyn (Reckless-TX), Mike Johnson (Reckless-LA), etc.
Totally agree with you about Krauze. I'm working on a something called Poligraphs, in which he gets really fact-checked for the first time, by ordinary people. If you're potentially interested in helping, let me know...
I want to agree with you, and I don't think it's inflammatory at all--what else can you call someone like Stephen Nosferatu Miller, for example? The problem is that the people who need to believe they're Nazis before they turn on them are also the most difficult to persuade of this (the Antichrist always fools the faithful). When you use that word, they tune you out as another libtard with TDS (even they're the ones who really have that ailment) it might be different for Schmidt because he's a well-known Republican (of German descent) with a tough guy working class way of talking, but for the rest of us we need another way in, like reckless.
Comparisons between Trump and Hitler can be more effective because people love reading stuff like that, many of the similarities are so eerie, and most of the differences actually favor Hitler, with the rest TBD (Trump had 6x as many people in camps after 4 years as Hitler did, and at that point, Hitler’s camps were for political prisoners, not men, women, and children of a specific ethnicity like Trump's)
Good luck trying to implement the "movie tariff" thing. Governing by tweet, or bleat, or "scat" fits better maybe.
I'll make my calls today. Looking for some postcarding. I saw some good news from Texas races. The last couple weeks I was sending postcards there, so that maybe was some contribution.
Moms for Liberty got trounced in the school board races, which is absolutely fantastic news, as TX and FL have lead the book banning movement. Texas is moving to criminalize teachers and librarians, so quashing that movement is crucial.
This weekend, I voted in a local school board race, and Robert Carreon, who is against school vouchers and is supported by the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, won Place 3! I was so happy!
I’ll put more in tomorrow’s Hopium because it was really inspiring. This community has really joined together to fight back. Especially the young people.
Barbara you cannot drop stuff like that here without links and more context. Please delete this post and repost to help inform rather than degrade. These kind of posts is what MAGA dreams about at night.
Barbara, I just read the article. My first comment here was mistaken. The article does mention Israel. I apologize for the mistake, and refer people to the comments below.
As I said, I could not read the article, but this is the headline: "Ken Martin: Democratic Party needs to stand with Jewish community, Israel" I looked for other information on the statement that I could access, and there is nothing more. But it is being used against "the Democrats," by people who are focused on what is happening in Gaza and who did not vote for us, despite our discussions of the potential outcome for Palestine with the electoral result. We lost a lot of votes over this issue.
I don't know what it means to "stand with the Jewish community, Israel." I understand we support/stand with the Jewish community, and I understand we do not want to see Israel destroyed. What does it mean to "stand with Israel?" Perhaps there needs to be more context on that. Does this mean we stand with destroying ambulances and then burying them along with the occupants? I won't make a list of the crimes.
I am not interested in a fight over this. I am interested in having a dialog. My apologies. As I said, I know it is off topic here. It is not my intention to derail the discussion. I hope for more at some point. I do want to win elections. I do want to push the Democrats in DC. I am fighting along with you on all of the rest of what you are doing here.
Thank you for what you are doing to keep us focused.
I am moving on from this. But to be clear there is no clear data we lost a lot of votes from the Gaza issue. The group Ken Martin spoke to is one I have spoken to many times, and it is a domestic Jewish organization of Democrats who are not significantly involved in pro-Israel politics. As we covered in my recent talk with Amy Spitalnick, there has been an extraordinary rise of ant-Semitism in the US and for our party Chair to go to speak to a group like this should have not elicited the reference of all things to GENOCIDE. I ask that you remove the comment and we can get on with our day. Happy to debate our policy towards Israel in a different context, and one that does not conflate these matters. One can support Israel and disagree with the current Israeli government. Moving from I stand with Israel and therefore our Chair supports genocide is just not okay and I ask that we all move on from what I feel has been a deeply unfortunate set of comments today.
Dr. Dean I have taken your comment down for 1) you continue to be incredibly contentious and argumentative here and it is tiresome 2) it implied that I supported genocidal policies and we are just not going to allow that kind of insanity here. Again folks can engage in these topics in a respectful way for all in this community. These are hard and tough issues and frankly right now I am a lot more concerned about what is happening here than what is happening any where else in the world.
I deleted my comment out of deference to you. I will continue to watch and read and will not make further comments here. As much as I believe in community and do what I can where I am to build community, perhaps this is not really my community. Thank you for your efforts.
Barbara,
My friend belongs to a group that brings Jewish and Muslim faith people together to discuss what they share in grief and needs. IMHO -and belief, you can believe and support both people as you disagree with their leaders actions.
Hopefully Canada understands we the people of USA don’t represent trump.
On to my phone calls. 🇺🇸
"Hopefully Canada understands"
I grew up in Detroit on the border and spent a LOT of time in Canada. Canada understands that the people of the United States -- a critical mass -- CHOSE Trump TWO times. Not once ... TWICE. They can't trust America, and for the time being I can't blame them.
66 million people in USA voted for Hilary in 2016,
81 million for Biden against Trump and in 2020 and
74 million for Harris in 2024. Seeing that Canada has a total population of about 40 million ( not just voters) AND that I saw shared protests with both Canadians and American groups on TV this made me think they might appreciate/understand the huge numbers of non-trump supporters in the USA who are sympathetic to and understanding of their anger with the current POTUS.
The MILLIONS of us.
Maybe not though, but I hope so.
🇺🇸🇺🇸
No one here is "standing with genocide" nor is Ken Martin. Please stop.
seems suspicious that we have two posts today trying to undermine Dems, cause hopelessness, and question the *checks notes* Constitution.
Then what is the DNC doing about it?
What are you doing about it?
No one stands with genocide.
Please be assured that neither Ken Martin nor anyone else in the DNC, nor anyone in the Hopium Community, supported the genocide that Hamas started, and attempted to finish, on the 7th of October 2023.
I could detail and rebut the many errors in your post, but this is not the place.
Please just name one
yes, that kind of thing is just to derail us from our work
Dr. Dean, for this post and many others I am giving you a one month ban from posting and will be happy to refund you your subscription. This one of the most offensive things ever posted on this site and I just don't think this is the right place for you. Godspeed, Simon
Thank you, ArcticStones, for saying this.
This is National Public Service Recognition Week. If anyone is having trouble accessing a government service, I suggest contacting your Congressman or Senator to have them intervene. Let them share in the inconvenience created by Trump. Their staffing has not been cut to my knowledge so they should have plenty of time to help.
The DNC training I took on Saturday pushed out talking points vs the budget and strategies for how to talk to your legislators. Talking points included much of what we've discussed here - a transfer of wealth to the 1%, and something I had not heard before - a power grab by 47 that would allow him to unilaterally cancel federal rules (!) on things like clean air and water protections.
Make those phone calls, folks, especially if you have R electeds. This absolutely cannot be permitted to pass. I've been calling Rep. Chris Smith (Traitor-NJ04) and calling him out on the Medicaid cuts. Keep going!
Unfortunately the legislature can only do sooo much with its minority positions Best to physically and digitally protest
Smith is an R, he is not in the minority. :)
I can't protest, but people are. And this fool is a special case- he basically hides in VA so NJ folks can't talk to him, and never schedules any in person meetings no matter how much you pester his office. The best way to get at him is to harass his office staff on the phones. Believe me, he has worked the system for 40 years, he does not respond to normal pressure. You have to "dive bomb" his office and be relentless w calls.
The Mad King has a seemingly unique ability to turn political albatrosses into ways to shore up his base and further corrupt the GOP. Early in his first term Russia was a huge political problem, but now the Republican party is pro-Putin. Later Covid hit and we laughed when he said inject bleach, and his mismanagement of the virus arguably cost him the 2020 election, but now the Republican party is firmly anti-mask, anti-vax, anti-science and anti-health. J6 was supposed to the nail in his political coffin that no one could come back from, and now Republicans openly embrace lawlessness and political violence. I say this not to express worry, but to argue we should be ready when he tries to invert political gravity as the economy sours, and shouldn’t be surprised if he has some success. It’s easy to mock “Pay more, get less” but so far MAGA is willing to swallow just about anything in support of their king; the cowardliness of elected Republicans has no bottom, and corporate media is largely in his pocket, so he may be able to rehabilitate himself yet again. Economic calamity may be too much for even him to withstand, but based on precedent I wouldn’t count on it. That’s why it’s so important to keep the pressure on our federal, state and local officials to push back on his madness, even (maybe especially) as the walls close in around him.
I recall reading somewhere that surprisingly many Republican politicians and officials have very favorable loans from Russian and Russian-linked financiers. I would love to see an investigative reporter publish a list of people who have such loans, on suspiciously-favorable terms.
I agree we need to keep the pressure up on all of our electeds to counter his lies, his illegal actions, and his cruelty. As @Simon and others have said here, the idea is not to get all of MAGA to listen to us and change their minds, but to get "just enough" of his supporters (including elected officials who may not support him but who appear to by staying silent) peeled away from him that it DOES make a difference. Polls are starting to show an increasing number of his supporters have soured on his performance. His increasingly bizarre behavior seems to be, at least in part, his angry reaction to these polls.
To the extent that the "illegal actions" and "cruelty" have become blatantly obvious, the very fact that our elected officials have to be pressured so much points to something extremely troubling. I don't expect MAGA to change their minds. I don't expect ANY neo-Nazi to see the light from outside influence. I expect them to continue to make illegality and cruelty into the new norm, as was done in any totalitarian society. *
The question that haunts me is this: Are we -- as loyal Americans -- responding in the most effective ways possible? Are we completely dependent on "polls" to measure that effectiveness?
* At his recent "rally" in Michigan, a giant video played out the sadism meted out to prisoners in El Salvador to the cheering crowd.
Energy distractors and red herrings to put out to rouse his base and overwhelm the libs? 🧐
He is a brilliant propagandist and that’s about it IMHO. Biggest part of the corruption and evil….
Glad to Hopium here: ACT more and more and more. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
No joke, I've already seen an uptick in MAGA comments highlighting how trump's economic moves are somehow "good for the environment" and how anyone who opposes the tariffs must be supporting "wage slavery." So, now they are moving on to leftist sounding rationalizing to sustain the illusion, from a group who is literally pro-pollution and anti-workers' rights in every other situation. Unbelievable, lol!
How long before corporate media starts running stories about how hardship and going without are "patriotic" like during WWII? This is the kind of crap that totalitarian countries do when they're isolated and economically devastated due to sanctions and overall mismanagement. We can't control that but can focus on keeping the pressure on our electeds, protesting and winning elections.
How can The People file a criminal case The People vs Trump when DOJ, congress,and FBI won’t represent the people to investigate and charge for corruption and constitutional violation
When will we start nameing DOMESTIC ABUSE and file Protection Orders to protect The People
How did Gray Davis leave his position as governor of California in 2003? (serious question.)
Could you explain why you ask this, as I am missing something. Gray Davis was recalled in the recall election and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected.
Did "The People" need to file a criminal case against Davis? (See post I was responding to.)
Was a special election better than filing a criminal charge?
Recall is a provision of state law. There is no recall provision in federal law. Congress represents The People in a republican structure and has not acted “for the people” to direct the DOJ to investigate and indite Congress can impeach but has not acted for the People. Given non action to represent the People what recourse do We have. Thus my question
Remember Kamala’s statement. “Every case I argued as an AG I argued For the People vs plaintiffs. DOJ is the legal team for The People. Not the President not the Admissions Not the King
Forget trying to reach across the isle! we need Congress to resist. There will be no if we don’t continue the resistance.
You just pointed to another of the flaws the Framers could not have fully anticipated in the 1780s.
The legislative approach is hapless in a minority Look to support 2026 midterms
There needs to be not only physical protests but digital protests Americans need to get involved
Attended Pramila Jayapal's Resistance Lab 2.0 over the weekend There was an original 1.0 in March and this is followup Highly recommend because it thoughtfully breaks down how and why successful resistance movements are successful from past experiences in other countries mobilize.us/PramilaforCongress to join resistance community or find a protest near you
PramilaforCongress.com to get on email list
Even in the minority, with our phone calls and protests and town hall meetings, we just might be able to pry a few Rs to vote against their party. Hasn’t happened sufficiently yet, but that’s why we keep doing this.
While Trump & Musk have been attacking top-level scientists, and throwing vitally important research projects into the dustbin, the EU now joins Norway to invite them to greener pastures.
https://www-nrk-no.translate.goog/klima/toppmote-i-paris-om-a-_stjele_-forskere-fra-usa-1.17404464?_x_tr_sl=no&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
it will take decades, if ever, to recover just from the first 100 days.
Well, if anything it appears Traitor Trump is helping us with one very important aspect of American life. He’s teaching us the meaning of our Constitution. By the end of his regime, and please may it be soon, my guess is that we will all be the wiser for being able to quote each Amendment if needed. That is something we should all embrace.
"He’s teaching us the meaning of our Constitution."
Oh, how I wish. But he doesn't know the meaning, so he's incapable of teaching it. I get where you are coming from. He's a living example of something gone very wrong.
I wish I could believe that we could engage from a good base of understanding of each Article and Amendment. I would love to embrace it.
But I am not seeing any of that happening, but I agree it is vital.
Agreed. I love your comment. Donald is like a bad experiment gone horribly wrong. That suits him perfectly!
Thank you, Simon! I wanted to mention that I found it helpful to have at the end of your post the list of items that we need to contact our representatives about. I hope the Democrats will make a huge noise about Trump saying he "doesn't know" if he has to uphold the Constitution. If Biden had . . . .
Suozzi should be everywhere talking about the Reconciliation Bill. He is excellent at explaining the finances of it all.
I think Trump is less of a "mad king" and more of a domestic terrorist. The definition of a terrorist is: "a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims."
Let's call him what he is.
Please explain this. IF "he" is a domestic terrorist, WHY do most people in Israel support him so much? He's destroying America. Why so much loud support from Israel?
Or, have I got it all wrong - and all the polling taken in Israel is bogus? If there's another nation besides Russia that "He" is so popular in, please let me know.
Israel again? Please STOP!
Again? Not again.... Much of today's exchange was devoted to that topic.
The issue is a major one. When people use the word terrorism, as you did, the Middle East often comes to mind. The attacks on our universities, abduction of students, so much...
Please: How do YOU reconcile Trump, the Christian nationalist forces behind him, and Israel?
Thomas, if you sincerely want to gain insight into Israel, its challenges, the war and topics related to it, I highly recommend the articles and podcasts by Haviv Rettig Gur.
The phrasing of your question has hidden assumptions; why ask anyone to "reconcile" the things you mention? They don’t fit together.
These issues are complex and this is not the place for them. Here they will only derail our other discussions. I implore you to drop it. But do check out Haviv Rettig Gur.
EDIT: Another great source is a book by Noa Tishby, "Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth".
Off with his head! Is there no mechanism in our Constitution to stop this coup? Why have a Constitution if it has no solution for an insane dictator being neglectfully (yes,you should be ashamed if you voted for him) elected as president? Every day I read you and other Substack journalists I am becoming more pessimistic about the survival of this country. And we thought we were so smart….
The mechanism is checks and balances. The judiciary is working but, as always, it is a slow process. Thus far, the congress is abdicating its constitutional role. That can change as we continue to peel away their constituents. Not sure why you are becoming more pessimistic. The opposition has demonstrated clear momentum. Surely you have seen the growing coalitions of universities, law firms, unions, and the precipitous drop in Trump's approval ratings. Yes, we all want immediate solutions, but we have to demonstrate perseverance if we are going to get our democracy back. I have confidence in all of us to make that happen.
and the Congress is not working and that is on the reckless party...
Yes, the Criminal-in-Chief and his regime WANAT us to feel pessimistic and overwhelmed. I'm not giving them that victory.
One of the reasons Hopium has been my go to source since the election is Simon is completely focused on solutions. I do think "Why have a constitution" is a dangerous sentiment. Let's leave that one to MAGA.
Well, that constitution was the first of its kind in human history, and carried us nearly 250 years. It was deeply flawed from the start, and the Civil War indicated that. It was improved, tested, and improved again. SOME kind of "constitution" is needed. It's the operating manual for a democracy. It is WE the people who are the guardians of the Constitution. The fault lies with US -- first and foremost.
I have this sentiment in my Declaration to America which I'm posting in this thread.
I think 'what we ask for' in the Letter to America should include specific asks that go beyond getting rid of Trump.
IMO, we have to be clear about what brought someone like Trump to us, and what can we do when so many members of Congress go along with his total corruption and betrayal of the Constitution.
Tbank you.
I think George Washington predicted what brought Trump and the acquiesce of congress: "party passions." That's why i reference his Farewell Address.
We are beyond the Constitution
The digital civil war is on Americans vs the Nazis Spread the word on the Resistance Movement which has to counter the Nazi talking points And don't be afraid to use the word "Nazi(s)" because they will take it as an insult but well deserved since they are mirroring what the Nazis did in Germany in the 1930's
There needs to be not only physical protests but digital protests Americans need to get involved
Attended Pramila Jayapal's Resistance Lab 2.0 over the weekend There was an original 1.0 in March and this is followup Highly recommend because it thoughtfully breaks down how and why successful resistance movements are successful from past experiences in other countries mobilize.us/PramilaforCongress to join resistance community or find a protest near you
PramilaforCongress.com to get on email list
Yes. Impeachment. But congress has to be willing to act on it.
Good advice! "Flood the ZONE"
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I've joined 845 Indivisible and sharing HOPIUM Initiatives. We’re located in (Mid-HUDSON VALLEY, NY).
There is talk of another: NO KINGS DAY in June and training being offered for civil disobedience (if it comes to that) from a preparedness standpoint
845 staged a “die in” in Westchester NY.. The 60s are back! Old school protests!
Perhaps we can coordinate July 4th with Simon
Excellent Thanks for your part in the Resistance Movement Welcome back to the 1960's when protests worked
After listening to that interview, I'm wondering if it's time to rename the other party from Republican to Reckless. John Cornyn (Reckless-TX), Mike Johnson (Reckless-LA), etc.
Try renaming for what they are Nazis Inflammatory yes but it turns a lot of heads
Steve Schmidt on Substack calls a spade a spade
Since you have been banned here at Hopium, you may not see this posting of agreement with your FEROCIOUS OPPOSITION approach.
If you listen to the Leon Krauze interview here with Rosenberg he said months ago we're losing the narrative. No lie can go unchallenged.
Harvard's Steven Levitsky was adamant about meeting the moment beyond "grandmas protesting at Tesla showrooms."
David Brooks in his column wrote ..This is not Normal...We must respond in a not normal way!!
The styles of Jayapal, Steve Schmidt, Sanders and AOC are mandatory.
The Dems need to be bombastic, accusatory, ruthless, yet honest in calling out their colleagues by name and talking heads on Fox et.al., line by line.
All this "great analysis" about what the administration is doing doesn't cut it!!!
I want prescriptions not descriptions....
Totally agree with you about Krauze. I'm working on a something called Poligraphs, in which he gets really fact-checked for the first time, by ordinary people. If you're potentially interested in helping, let me know...
I want to agree with you, and I don't think it's inflammatory at all--what else can you call someone like Stephen Nosferatu Miller, for example? The problem is that the people who need to believe they're Nazis before they turn on them are also the most difficult to persuade of this (the Antichrist always fools the faithful). When you use that word, they tune you out as another libtard with TDS (even they're the ones who really have that ailment) it might be different for Schmidt because he's a well-known Republican (of German descent) with a tough guy working class way of talking, but for the rest of us we need another way in, like reckless.
Comparisons between Trump and Hitler can be more effective because people love reading stuff like that, many of the similarities are so eerie, and most of the differences actually favor Hitler, with the rest TBD (Trump had 6x as many people in camps after 4 years as Hitler did, and at that point, Hitler’s camps were for political prisoners, not men, women, and children of a specific ethnicity like Trump's)
Good luck trying to implement the "movie tariff" thing. Governing by tweet, or bleat, or "scat" fits better maybe.
I'll make my calls today. Looking for some postcarding. I saw some good news from Texas races. The last couple weeks I was sending postcards there, so that maybe was some contribution.
Moms for Liberty got trounced in the school board races, which is absolutely fantastic news, as TX and FL have lead the book banning movement. Texas is moving to criminalize teachers and librarians, so quashing that movement is crucial.
This weekend, I voted in a local school board race, and Robert Carreon, who is against school vouchers and is supported by the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, won Place 3! I was so happy!
And yes, I'm VERY glad for the overhaul of the Mansfield (Texas) I.S.D. school board: https://www.newsweek.com/texas-school-board-mansfield-election-day-2067789.
People are right when they say that positive change starts at the local level.
Fantastic!!!!!!!!
I'm moderating an event tonight in a small town in Minnesota that has enacted a book ban policy, and the community has been incredible.
Appreciate a report on this. I just can't imagine....
I’ll put more in tomorrow’s Hopium because it was really inspiring. This community has really joined together to fight back. Especially the young people.
Great! Is that just recently Annie? So glad to hear this.