Sunday Hopium - The Last Best Hope Of Earth

Jul 27, 2025

Afternoon and morning all. It’s a steamy summer Sunday here in DC, and a good day to get some gardening in and have a laid back day with family. Hope you are getting some quiet and restful time in today too…..

I want to apologize for the sloppy daily post yesterday. Somehow I did not do a complete final edit and it went out with too many misspellings and other errors. I do make mistakes from time to time but this one had a few too many. I’m grateful to Gordon and Maryanne who pointed it out as I was able go in and fix the on-line version.

With Congress recessing until September in a few days, we will use this slightly slower news time to hear from a wide variety of experts and friends to get their assessment of where we are, and what comes next for the broader pro-democracy movement. I always learn from our guests and am looking forward to getting smarter with all of you over the next few weeks. I’ll have more on upcoming late summer schedule in tomorrow’s post.

If you are looking for an in-depth discussion to dive into today we’ve got four good new ones:

Katie Phang on Trump’s escalating lawlessness and desperate attempt to make the Epstein affair disappear
DNC Chairman Ken Martin on the DNC’s big plan to “Organize Everywhere, Win Anywhere” and build strong state parties again

Dr. Rob Shapiro on how “Trump’s budget could break the economy”
My weekly talk and written analysis, this one called “Things Are Bad For Trump. They Are Likely To Get Worse”

You can find all of our discussions on the Hopium site under Podcast and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify too.

Three more recent posts if you haven’t gotten to them yet:

I found these three articles from the Sunday papers worth the time: (all have gift links):

Ice Took Half Their Workforce. What Do They Do Now? - NYT
People Of Good Conscience Must Stop The Starvation in Gaza - José Andrés NYT
Trump’s Imaginary Numbers - Naftali Bendavid, Washington Post

Wrapping up today’s post by returning to Lincoln’s inspiring call to action from his Second Message To Congress (State Of The Union, 1862). Been thinking about it all weekend:

Is it doubted, then, that the plan I propose, if adopted, would shorten the war, and thus lessen its expenditure of money and of blood? Is it doubted that it would restore the national authority and national prosperity, and perpetuate both indefinitely? Is it doubted that we here--Congress and Executive--can secure its adoption? Will not the good people respond to a united, and earnest appeal from us? Can we, can they, by any other means, so certainly, or so speedily, assure these vital objects? We can succeed only by concert. It is not "can any of us imagine better?" but, "can we all do better?" The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.
Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We say we are for the Union. The world will not forget that we say this. We know how to save the Union. The world knows we do know how to save it. We -- even we here -- hold the power, and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free -- honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just -- a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless.

Now……

Let’s Get To Work People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here at Hopium we like to do. Here we are proud, plucky, patriots but we are also put your head down, grind it out, get shit done doers. Trump and Republicans have stumbled, and given us a big opportunity now to tell our story and win back power. While are there so many things people can do to advance our cause I am partial to two sets of activities - supporting our candidates and party committees, and calling/contacting elected officials every day. So what follows is our recommendations to make sure your time and money are being put to the highest and best use in this time of national emergency……

Support Hopium’s Priority Candidates And Party Committees - Just set new fundraising goals for Labor Day, now remarkably six weeks away. Election Day is less than four months away and early voting starts in Virginia starts in less than two months - September 19th! Donate, volunteer, learn more about our candidates and opportunities here….

Mikie Sherrill NJ Gov (2025) - $200,000 goal, $43k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Rep. Sherrill
Abigail Spanberger VA Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $157k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Abigail Spanberger
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $200,000 goal, $42k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer
Hopium House 7 (2026) - $250,000 goal, $172k raised - Donate | Learn More, Volunteer, Watch My Interviews With Our Great Members
The New DNC - $200,000 goal $123,000 raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch My Interviews With Ken Martin and Jane Kleeb

Our Recommended Actions - Here are other actions you can take outside of our direct electoral work:

1 - Call your Senators and Rep To Demand They Revoke Trump’s Terrible Tariffs - Congress simply must take back its tariff authority that Trump has illegally and unconstitutional seized and dangerously abused; and at the very least they must stop what will be Trump’s ruinous new tariff increases slated to start on August 1st. Trump’s economic plan has failed, and we need to find a better way forward.

2 - Fight Trump’s Inhumane Immigration Escalation And His Broader Assault On Our Liberties - We must do more here, and I will be working to put together a strategy for us in the coming weeks. In the meantime watch my recent discussions with David Leopold Joe Garcia, Leon Krauze and Senator Chris Van Hollen for more.

3 - 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. Remarkably, members of this community are now advancing 50 resolutions projects in 20 states. Can we get to all 50 states by the fall election?

Our newly updated Resolutions page includes a new chat for folks to report in on their progress or seek counsel from those interested in launching a resolutions project in their community. This is one way to fight back against Trump’s unprecedented abandonment of our Constitutional order.

4 -Volunteer To Help Your State and/or Local Democratic Parties Stand Up Voter Registration Efforts And Support “Organizing Summer” - In the presentation he made to our community recently Tom Bonier made a persuasive case that Democrats must once again make partisan voter registration a national priority. State and local Democratic Parties are in the planning stages to take this on. Members of our community should consider contacting their state and local parties and offer to help stand up these vital efforts in the coming months.

The DNC, the DSCC, the DCCC, the DGA and the ASDC have announced a major “Organizing Summer” project. Learn more about it here. For more on what the DNC and state and local parties are intending to do this election cycle see my recent interviews with DNC Chair Ken Martin and ASDC President Jane Kleeb.

5 - Support Brave US Government Scientists Fighting To Protect Our Global Scientific Leadership - Staff at 3 of the most important US science agencies - NIH, EPA and NASA - have now courageously filed letters of discontent against their leadership. Learn more and sign your name to support these remarkable initiatives, and do you part to fight to main America’s global scientific leadership!

For more watch my interviews with Colette Delawalla, Executive Director of the advocacy organization Stand Up For Science; and Dr. Michael Mann, a world leading climate scientist, and author of the forthcoming book, Science Under Siege.

6 - Review and Comment On Hopium’s Working Agenda - Many of you have noted that we must do more than oppose, we must also propose and make clear to the American people what they will get if they put us back in power. To that end, with input from many of you, I’ve drafted an initial 2026 Agenda. Check it out here, offer comments and improvements, take it into your communities and create discussions and debates about who we are, and what story we want to tell to our voters this fall and next year. Appreciate those who have weighed in so far.

7 - Grow Hopium And This Wonderful Community Of Proud, Plucky, Patriots - We’ve set a goal of trying to grow the Hopium community from the 152,000 we are now to 175,000 by Election Day, 2025. Do what you can to encourage your friends, family and colleagues to become a summer subscriber to Hopium, free or paid. If each current paid subscriber brings in just one new subscriber this summer we will hit our goal.

To encourage the growth of our community annual paid subscriptions are 10% off through Labor Day. Use that link to buy gift or group subscriptions, and join our new referral rewards program too.

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. Keep it up!!!

Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you, and a fight it truly is - Simon

Hopium Chronicles By Simon Rosenberg

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