Sunday Hopium - Rest Up Folks, We Have A Big Week Ahead Of Us
Go get 'em Leaders Schumer and Jeffries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Afternoon and morning all. It’s a beautiful fall day in Washington today, and I am going to try to spend as much time outside as I can. Headed out for a bike ride in a bit and then have a lot of gardening to catch up on. Hope you get to have the restful day you want to have with friends and family today.
A light post today as tomorrow will be a big day and we need to rest up and get ready for what could be a very important and challenging week. The four Congressional Leaders are meeting with Trump tomorrow, and we will all know more, soon.
One thing I want to drive home today - the government may shut down this week for the Republicans have not only failed to pass a budget, they have failed to even produce one which is why there are no top level negotiations happening now. There is nothing to negotiate over. What Leaders Schumer and Jeffries are trying to do is start the negotiations over the budget, one that requires 7 Democratic votes in the Senate to pass, now, for by law a new budget was supposed to be in place by Tuesday; and not only is there no budget but the Republicans have not even been willing to meet with our two Leaders. The very first meeting about the budget is taking place the day before all the money runs out!
The extraordinary level of imperial MAGA dysfunction and recklessness we are seeing right now has not been adequately captured in our current discourse.
Speaker Johnson suggested on television this morning that in the meeting tomorrow Schumer and Jeffries are going to be told to take a clean CR - meaning a short term deal to keep the government open to buy more deal for negotiations to take place - or the government shuts down and they will begin the equivalent of killing the hostages. Here is Johnson this am:
I loved how Senator Chris Van Hollen described our current moment in this exchange - Trump has been spending far more time trying to make Epstein go away than keep the government open!
One more. Enjoy another Fox News appearance from MAGA lawyer Andrew McCarthy explaining why the trumped up prosecution of James Comey is so ridiculous that “I don’t think this case even gets to trial” (LOLOLOLOL):
As I spelled out in my new video and post this week we are now in the fight we all wanted to have with Trump and it is critical that we do everything we can to win it. He is weak, his powers are ebbing, he has grown incredibly unpopular and we need to make it clear that we opposed to him and his terrible, terrible agenda. He now is at his lowest point in The Strength In Numbers poll aggregator of his second term, and the polling this week was in general very rough for him:
While he continues to escalate, we had did have important wins this week. So contact your Congressional offices first thing tomorrow. Be loud, make sure your presence is felt. Volunteer for the big fall campaigns. Donate some money to help our “expansion” state parties get ready for 2026. Call and let your representatives know that you want them to keep the military off our streets:
Loved this email I received from Hopium endorsed Rep. Janelle Bynum:
Simon, earlier today, President Trump announced he’s sending troops to Portland and declared war on our city.
This is pure cowardice. Instead of sending us the money we were promised for our roads, our elections systems and our water, President Trump put his tiny little fingers on his phone and authorized the “full force” of the military against his own people.
I have a message for President Trump, and I hope you’ll sign your name right next to mine on my petition to say loud and clear: Stay out of our city. You are a coward, President Trump, and we won’t stand for you sending goons to Portland instead of the money we’ve been promised.Simon, this isn’t the first time in our history we’ve seen the President unleash the full power of this country on its own people. We saw it during the Civil Rights movement.
But we’ve never seen this level of cowardly behavior, and you better believe I won’t be silent.
I am going to do everything I can to protect our city and our people from Trump’s massive abuse of power, and I’m grateful to the more than 13,000 of you that joined my telephone town hall today.
We’re fighting back and making our voices heard, so please add your name to my petition right now to tell President Trump: get your troops out of Portland.
Thanks for acting fast,
Janelle
And let us close out today with words from Thomas Jefferson that I think about literally every day:
Now, Let’s Get To Work Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winning The Fall - Support Our November, 2025 Candidates and Yes On 50
Mikie Sherrill NJ Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $87k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my new interview with Rep. Sherrill, read my new post about Sherrill’s sturdy polling lead
Abigail Spanberger VA Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $198k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Abigail Spanberger
Yes on 50 (CA) - $50,000 goal - Donate | Learn more, volunteer | Sign Up For CA Dem Party Daily Phonebanks
Hopium members in CA/NJ/PA/VA - please vote on Day 1, or as early as you. When you vote early your names comes off the campaign GOTV rolls allowing them to move on to lower propensity voters, which increases D turnout and makes it more likely we win. Voting early = another way to help us win. Please vote early and encourage everyone you know to join you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winning The Midterms - Support Our 2026 Candidates
Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $250,000 goal, $38,000 raised- Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Gov. Cooper
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $250,000 goal, $74k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my inspiring new interview with Senator Ossoff
Hopium House 7 (2026) - $250,000 goal, $206k raised - Donate | Learn More, Volunteer | Watch My Interviews With Our Intrepid Incumbents
Expanding The Map - Support Our Audacious Expansion Fund (2026-2032)
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $250,000 goal, $38,000 raised - Join our new campaign to invest in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas - Donate To All Five State Parties | Watch my interviews with Alaska Chair Eric Croft, Florida Chair Nikki Fried, Iowa Chair Rita Hart and Texas Chair Kendall Scudder | Links to be able support each party individually will be up soon
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.
Defending America, Winning The Big Argument With Trump - We have two recommended 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 Senators and House Member work to keep the government open and
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
Defend our democracy, rule of law and our liberties by blocking the expansion of ICE, restore due process to our immigration system, defend the 1st Amendment, 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; support and co-sponsor Rep. Haley Stevens’ effort to Impeach and remove Robert Kennedy
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 have passed or are advancing 84 (!!!!) resolution projects in 22 states + DC. Can we get to all 50 states by the fall election?
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. We have a country to save and a future to reclaim for our kids and grandkids, together - Simon
Totally agree with Janelle Bynum-there is absolutely nothing happening in Portland right now! It’s beautiful and peaceful and not war ravaged. This may have more to do with Senator Ron Wyden and his investigation in following the money trail in the Epstein case than anything else. Spread the word that Portland is safe and peaceful.
In Chicago this weekend experiencing beautiful fall weather in a fantastic city--not the hellhole Trump paints DC, Memphis, Portland and others to be. Thousands of people walking about, going to Wrigley, visiting fabulous museums and artistic venues. And a city that continually reinvents itself, which is called progress.