Some Reflections On Finding A Higher Gear, Building A Stronger Movement, And Winning The Fall
Early in person voting starts this Friday in Virginia - let's make it a big day!
Morning all. Yesterday the Ranking Members of the three House committees responsible for our national security released a powerful statement:
Democratic Leaders of Congress' National Security Committees Warn Trump is Weakening America
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s ongoing policy failures and the threat they pose to U.S. national security.
“President Trump is undermining our national security and making the world a more dangerous place. He continues to demonstrate weakness and fecklessness at home and on the world stage. From literally rolling out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin during his disastrous summit, to enacting steep tariffs against allies and partners, and driving India and other countries into the waiting arms of Russia, China, and North Korea, he is weakening America, not making it stronger.
“Since the start of his Administration, Donald Trump has parroted Putin’s talking points blaming President Zelensky and Ukraine for Russia’s unjust and brutal invasion. By halting security cooperation funding for European countries, especially in the Baltic region, he is showing Putin and the world that the United States cannot be counted on. With each failure, Russia has ramped up its aggression, most recently sending drones into Polish airspace and signaling a dangerous escalation of his bid to rebuild the Russian empire.
“The fallout of Trump’s ineptitude has spread far beyond the war in Ukraine. Unilaterally deciding to carry out a lethal military strike on a speedboat off the coast of Venezuela without an authorization for the use of force; attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities without congressional authority or a plan for preventing future Iranian nuclear advancement; dispatching the military to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. over the objections of local officials; and rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War without Congress passing legislation to do so shows there is no limit to his executive overreach and willingness to violate constitutional law and norms.
“With each desperate appeal to strongmen and dictators to rewrite history and nominate him for the Nobel Prize, Trump alienates allies and alliances crucial to global stability and our own national security and national defense. Trump’s brazen disregard for the law and our coequal branches of government along with his bumbling attempts to exert strength by lashing out at those he views as insufficiently loyal at home and abroad have allowed existing conflicts around the world to worsen and new conflicts to arise.
“As the Democratic leaders of the Congress’ national security committees, we commit to pushing back on the Trump Administration’s reckless policies that not only undermine the United States’ international standing and fan the flames of conflicts around the globe, but also make America less secure. We stand for returning the United States to a place that supports our international partners and allies, rejects autocratic and authoritarian regimes, respects the rule of law and the separation of powers at home, and prioritizes the prosperity and security of all Americans, not the ego of a fragile and weak President.”
Boom. Powerful words. Big arguments. Welcome and muscular patriotism from three leaders responsible for keeping us safe and free.
If you are a constituent of one of these three Members please call their offices today and thank them for this rousing defense of America.
I want to drill down on that last passage:
We stand for returning the United States to a place that supports our international partners and allies, rejects autocratic and authoritarian regimes, respects the rule of law and the separation of powers at home, and prioritizes the prosperity and security of all Americans, not the ego of a fragile and weak President.”
These words spell out an agenda, a vision, for what we are fighting for, not just fighting against. As we discussed in my recent and comprehensive post, Fighting Trump Now, our movement needs rallying cries, things to be working towards, a way of moving from defense to offense. And what matters about this statement is that here we have three Members of Congress coming together to tell a necessary story about him and provide a rallying cry for us. It is what other Members of Congress must come to understand as their job now - in a time of national emergency, we need leaders and communicators and patriots not just legislators. Millions of us are ready to be led. Our leaders in Congress must come to understand that it is their job now, their historic responsibility, to lead us, and defend this great country in a time of unprecedented challenge. They must honor their oaths:
"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
The time for caution, for listening to the ad testers, for believing that everything will just snap back to normal after we win the mid-terms next year is long past. We are in the middle of this fight and as Robert Frost told us the best way is always through - meaning that there is no easy path here and we just have to put our heads down and do what proud American patriots do - fight for democracy, and “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
In that Fighting Trump Now memo to our Congressional leaders I spelled out three ways we can raise our game now to meet the moment: 1) move to a 24/7/365 comms posture, hitting him on all fronts every day 2) create a loose national coordinating council of leading Democrats to deepen and strengthen our movement, make it harder for him to isolate us, for we are strong together than apart 3) work towards forging a new national narrative, a rallying cry, and agenda for the pro-democracy movement to counter his “Making America Great Again.”
Our four part agenda is an attempt to workshop what a comprehensive agenda for our movement could be right now, a piece of the rallying cry, one that our leaders use to frame and orient their coming engagement with Trump and the Republicans:
The Hopium Agenda
Roll back Trump’s terrible, illegal tariffs that are re-igniting inflation, driving up prices, shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to working people, hurting small businesses and farmers, reviving tyrannical “taxation without representation,” and alienating governments and people throughout the world
Block the expansion of ICE, restore due process, and end the use of the military on our streets and the occupations of our cities
Fight Trump’s war on science, higher education and our public health; reverse - not delay - the cuts to the ACA and Medicaid; demand the removal of extremist Bobby Jr. from HHS
Stand with Ukraine and our European allies, and far more forcefully challenge Trump’s traitorous efforts to sell out the US and the West to Russia and China
Last week I added a fourth recommendation to those initial three:
In recent weeks I’ve made recommendations to our leaders about ways they might be able to find a higher gear in this struggle against Trump, and offer one more today - we need some kind of national security council for our pro-democracy movement to far more forcefully challenge Trump’s selling out of the US and the West to China and Russia. It’s my hope that Leaders Schumer and Jeffries will encourage the ranking Members of the various foreign policy and national security committees to forge themselves into an ad hoc coordinating council that defends the America of the Four Freedoms in a time when it is being threatened and abandoned by the Trump regime. Our voices fighting for freedom here and around the world simply must get louder. The American people need to hear them. The freedom loving people of the world need to hear them. A loose ad hoc national security council for our movement is one way to bring that about. There are of course other ways too.
The powerful joint statement from Reps. Smith, Himes and Meeks is a step towards creating that national security council for our movement. It is an encouraging example of how we are continuing to find a higher gear.
In recent days we’ve also explored the importance of creating a national party wide strategy to take away the foundational pillar of Trump’s brand - that he is strong, not weak - and of the opportunity Trump’s ravaging of farm country is giving us now to reach voters in red states and red places. To all these recommendations today I am adding one more - that in the coming debate over the budget we must go bigger. Making health care, as important as it is, our primary area of engagement feels insufficient to the moment; is what Republicans want us to be focusing on; and yields on other areas of potential negotiation before the negotiations have even begun.
In this moment our leaders must aspire to be big, not small; proud American patriots defending their country not legislators debating a bill; they need to speak to the American people and to history and not just their constituents. Trump is Making America Great Again. What are we trying to do? It has to be more than restoring Medicaid cuts (as vital as that is).
Whatever it is we do now, however we approach the fall debates over the budget, polling, economic data and common sense tells us that we must make Trump’s tariffs the central area of engagement for us. It is both the top issue for voters and the issue where Trump is performing the worst. Our candidates running this fall have all made affordability, costs and the tariffs their central issue. If we make health care our defining fight and do not look like we are defending people from higher costs at a time when inflation is rising we risk replicating what many believe was a costly mistake in 2024 - that we were not adequately focused on what mattered most to them.
Here’s the Economist/YouGov data from last week. While health care matters, economic issues are just more important to voters right now. Data is “most important issue” and Trump’s job approval:
Inflation/prices (21%) - 32%-62% (-30), 20%-61 (-41) with independent voters
Jobs/economy (15%) - 38%-55% (-17), 25%-56% (-31) with independent voters
Health care (13%) - 32%-56% (-24), 24%-53% (-29) with independent voters
Immigration ( 9%) - 45%-50% (-5), 32%-50% (-18) with independent voters
In all my years in the business I’ve not sure I’ve seen an opportunity as rich and robust as opposing Trump’s terrible tariffs. They are raising prices on people. They are wildly unpopular. They are an extraordinary betrayal of Trump’s central promise of his campaign. They are modern tax “taxation without representation,” are illegal and unconstitutional, and an extraordinary abuse of Presidential power. They are alienating countries and consumers around the world and accelerating our decline as global superpower. They are hurting farmers and small businesses. They are shifting the tax burden in America from the wealthy to all of us. They are an oligarch’s dream and a working person’s nightmare. We should be fighting them with everything we got.
Look at how the public is feeling about Trump’s economy right now - the lowest consumer sentiment reading in the last 50 years.
We can and must do more than one thing at a time. We can fight for democracy, rule of law, and freedom; AND we can fight to rollback the tariffs; AND block the escalation of ICE and the militarization of our streets; AND stand up for science, higher ed and public health; AND reverse the cuts to the ACA and Medicaid; AND challenge Trump’s selling out of Ukraine and Europe to Putin; AND we can far more aggressively challenge the rancid white supremacy driving so much of Trumpism; AND……..
As part of finding a higher gear and building a better and more successful movement we must simply learn how to engage and challenge Trump on many fronts, every day. We cannot leave any front in our struggle against him uncontested, and this is why I think Congressional Dems need to radically overhaul their communications operations to be able to operate in the daily information space 24/7/365 and not be so anchored to what is happening on the floor each day. That is what this new national security statement did and why it matters - it entered the broader conversation happening in the country and across the world right now without regard to what was happening on the floor.
Another reason we have to become far more aggressive in the information space is that Trump’s government is failing, and he has come incredibly unpopular. Look at this new Economist/YouGov data out this morning. Trump’s job approval was 41%-54% (-13) last week. Today it is 39%-57% (-18), and he is now -50 with independents. All of these interviews were conducted after the killing of Charlie Kirk.
And on crime, the latest issue we were told he would be able to use to re-establish his STRENGTH and POWER and MANLINESS, he is 42%-49%, and -26 with independents.
It is time for us to reach big, find that higher gear, win the fall and do what generations of Americans who have come before would expect from us - fight like hell for the country we love.
Today, let’s thank Reps. Smith, Himes and Meeks for stepping up, and let’s keep encouraging others to join them.
Now, Let’s Get To Work Everyone!
I will be speaking at two events tomorrow. Join me!
A Stand Up For Science rally in downtown Washington, DC tomorrow morning at 8am. Learn more and register here.
A fundraiser for the Minnesota Democratic Party (DFL) in St. Paul, Minnesota. Learn more and consider donating here.
Hopium paid subscribers will be getting together this week on Thursday at 8pm ET. Look for an invite this afternoon.
Support Our November, 2025 Candidates
Mikie Sherrill NJ Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $76k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my new interview with Rep. Sherrill
Abigail Spanberger VA Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $190k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Abigail Spanberger
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Our updated fundraising goals are now for the end of the year, December 31st, except for the 2025 races, which are now for Election Day, 2025. For more on Hopium’s approach to elections check out 1) the many important wins we had together last cycle 2) my big recommendations to the family coming out of the 2024 elections about what we need to do now 3) my latest thinking on where we are and the path forward for the Hopium community.
Take Action, Express Your Love Of Country And Strengthen Our Democracy Through Good Works - We are prioritizing two actions today:
1 - Call Your Senators and Member Of The House And Demand They Act Upon Our Four-Part Agenda - We need to be loud people, very, very loud and make the case for our our emerging four part agenda. Demand that your reps work to
Roll back Trump’s terrible, illegal tariffs that are re-igniting inflation, driving up prices, shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to working people, hurting small businesses and farmers, reviving tyrannical “taxation without representation,” and alienating governments and people throughout the world
Block the expansion of ICE, restore due process, and end the use of the military on our streets and the occupations of our cities
Fight Trump’s war on science, higher education and our public health; reverse - not delay - the cuts to the ACA and Medicaid; demand the removal of extremist Robert Kennedy from HHS
Stand with Ukraine and our European allies, and far more forcefully challenge Trump’s traitorous efforts to sell out the US and the West to Russia and China
2 - Bring “Resolutions Of Condemnation” To Your Community - Inspired by the tactics of our Founders learn about how Hopium members are advancing “Resolutions of Condemnation” in their communities across the country and consider bringing this initiative to your state, country or city/town. Be sure to check out our new discussion with Deborah Potter and Rachel Poliner who have passed resolutions in New Mexico and Boston, and offer advice on how to get a resolution passed in your own community.
Remarkably, members of this community are now advancing 81 (!!!!) resolutions projects in 22 states + DC. Can we get to all 50 states by the fall election?
Last Tuesday night the town council of Corrales, New Mexico debated and passed a resolution of condemnation. A preview of the resolution can be found in this article from a local new site. In considering the resolution Councilor Bill Woldman said:
"I want to thank the Mayor and administration for the comprehensive and important statement on our democracy. This is not a partisan statement, but rather an acknowledgment of a significant deviation from 250 years of practice of the Separation of Powers. While all politics may not be local, it is important for local governmental bodies to acknowledge threats when they exist and support our Congressional Representatives in their resistance to executive branch overreach. Thank you."
Keep up the great work proud, plucky patriots of the Hopium community!!!!
Finally, please self-report your activities to our daily paid subscriber chat. These reports help inspire all of us to do more and fight harder! Been impressive to see how many of you remain involved in local, in person protests of all kinds in your communities. Great to see!
Keep working hard all, and let’s go out and win the fall, together - Simon
After watching the PBS NewsHour report last night about what JD Vance said while hosting the Kirk podcast, my head nearly exploded. Rather than indulge my rage, I called Booker and Kim immediately to insist they speak out against this threat to 1st Amendment rights and to call on their reluctant GOP colleagues to openly reject this assault!!!! Enough is enough.
Awaiting my new packet of postcards and gearing up to write in support of Mikie Sherrill. Can anyone in this plucking community direct me to a source for NJ writing campaigns? Postcards to Voters doesn’t seem to have a writing campaign for NJ. Thanks.
I rarely comment here, but just wish you a wonderful evening in St. Paul. I am so sad that I can't attend big public events because of lung issues, but I know it will be a great evening. So happy to see that our Governor Walz is running for re-election also.