100 Comments
User's avatar
ArcticStones's avatar

Four dollars per gallon? That’s still almost a $7 discount on current German gas prices. I wonder what will happen if (when?) American gas prices rise closer to the prices European drivers are paying.

Cindy May's avatar

We might end up with a general strike by default if nobody can afford to drive to work 😕

Thomas's avatar

European prices will always stay a similar percentage above American prices, unfortunately for us over here.

So I dread to think what we would be looking at if US prices hit those levels!!

Marilyn G's avatar

The problem is that in Europe there are often other means of transportation as public transport is quite developed, distances are different, there are accommodations for pedestrians... It's truly difficult to get along without a car in the States. How many people even have the option of taking public transport to work, compared with those in Europe?

MrsCQ's avatar

Gas yesterday for us was $4.69 a gallon

Jules B's avatar

$5.65 in northwestern WA State. But I think the more important point is that every single grocery item everyone buys will be jacked up in price--it's not just driving around, it's feeding our families.

Patrick's avatar

A lot of the is I would guess tax. I don't think we are likely to get to $7. Krugman had some numbers out today, and he's a bit more negative than some people, but $6 I think is a real possibility.

Susan Dieterlen's avatar

When I was in grad school (sustainability) the '00s, it was dogma that if gas was at European prices, we'd have European-style development: much more density, way less sprawl, excellent mass transit, walkable cities.

So...I guess we'll see.

ArcticStones's avatar

Well, it’s very walkable here in the mountains of northern Maine – from our homestead it’s a ten-minute walk to our nearest neighbor. Takes a bit longer on snowshoes in the winter. Mass transit is non-existent where we live, but that’s ok. On the other hand we regularly get 50 miles per gallon in our 18-year-old Prius hybrid. My record on a round trip is 76 miles per gallon.

MDL's avatar

There will be a lot of huge trucks and SUVs in used car lots across the U.S.

Lisa Iannucci's avatar

works for me. never could figure out why people were buying those monster vehicles. I mean what is the point?

MDL's avatar

Some people may need a truck for business or whatever but most of what I see are vanity trucks that are clean and shiny. It's an identity thing? I have no idea...

Hank Friedman's avatar

Definitely construction/ trades people need pickup trucks, plus those who tow campers, trailers, boats, etc. A significant percentage just like the image/ look they project. More often than not, the dirtier/ messier the truck is, the more it is needed for the drivers' job.

ChrisD's avatar

A significant part of the difference is prices is the fact that European countries levy 4-5 times more tax per gallon on gasoline and diesel than the does the U.S. The taxes are used to fund public services and infrastructure

Sandy Lusk's avatar

Read in our paper, the Georgia Republicans are trying to remove party labels from State and local races, but only for 5 counties in the Atlanta area. Those five are: Dekalb, Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton. They know they can't win those races, so now they want to change the rules, but not for all the State.

Moishe Swift's avatar

Another beautiful polling day.

I invite everyone to read about Sparky the Penguin's campaign annoucement: https://tinyview.com/this-modern-world/2026/02/23/better-things-are-possible

Bison Doc's avatar

Much of that should be in the Democratic Platform.

BeeBeeinNYC's avatar

Good one.

Have you seen this by Annie Andrews, running to unseat Lindsey Graham? It's nasty and fun. He deserves even nastier, however, for all the lives he's destroyed.

https://www.facebook.com/AnnieAndrewsMD/videos/lindsey-graham-has-a-secret/1490661079161019/

Bison Doc's avatar

Excellent ad! Graham - what a slimy piece of work. He was right about Trump when the two were running for prezzident. Now showing his true colors. And on the same cognitive path as his boss.

Marilyn G's avatar

As happy as I am that Trump's poll numbers are down, I think that we can only see them as an indicator of where folks stand. It's nothing that Trump nor his "government" will take into account. Ever. It will certainly help us in November, if the vote proceeds. But Trump won't / doesn't care about what we think. He'll do whatever it takes to stay in power. That's all he cares about : power and dominance. And money. But I also believe that there are too many of us to fail in our efforts to bring our country back to democracy.

Thomas's avatar

I take your points about the man himself, but on a wider scale, that does not seem to be entirely true does it?

The Senate (And even the House on some very rare occasions) has already defied him on far more votes since his approval started to steadily decline and I suspect this 'circle of defiance' will only grow.

And the administration itself has been forced to change course to some degree on various issues because of public opinion and public backlash, see ICE etc...

Simon Rosenberg's avatar

I am with Thomas here. The idea that he doesn't care about polling is just wrong. There are hundreds/thousands of Republicans running in swing races this November, an entire GOP electoral machinery that is living and dying everyday on this data; and they are pushing back on the White House very hard. Both chambers voted to repeal his tariffs. They have run away from ICE/mass deportation, voted unanimously to defer him on Epstein. Thune has defied him on SAVE and DHS/ICE. Trump is trying today to run away from the war. Trump does not have magical powers unless we give them to him, and there has been no White House or politician that tracks public opinion more closely than the Trump White House. And they see all this.....

Lisa Iannucci's avatar

"Trump does not have magical powers unless we give them to him." - This x 100, and something that Dr. Ben-Ghiat says all the time. Authoritarians depend on people's worship of their "godliness." Once the facade is removed, the power deteriorates rapidly.

BeeBeeinNYC's avatar

"... you're gonna have to serve somebody."

Jennifer Jones's avatar

It is helping fuel the mass R exodus from state and federal seats. It’s also recording the massive dissent when we win in November. It also is a moral booster and encourages more participation. Lots of positives despite the corrupt regime pretending we are great again. I agree we need more action from the people. NKs can help with that as well. Simon and Thomas make excellent points. They are being forced to change course.

Bison Doc's avatar

I agree with your point that if we put in the work, we are too big to fail.

Patrick's avatar

I agree about the last part on democracy. But he does care about poll numbers. Deeply. He's just too fucking dumb to figure out what to do. And when he does get negative, instead of changing course, which he thinks looks weak, he doubles down and resorts to threats. But he does care. He also knows that bad polling is going to lead to his 3rd impeachment.

Martha Joan's avatar

Self report: donated to Win the House and Audacious Expansion Campaign. Thanks for setting this up and making it easy to get our $ where they will do the most work. Is there a sign up for Wednesday 7pm talk?

Jennifer Jones's avatar

Martha it is tonight, Tuesday. Link was sent to our email on Sunday, I believe, if you get those.

Jane Horgan's avatar

I appreciate your hard work! A lot going on. I hope we are backing canidates who are not afraid to call a genocide a genocide no matter who is committing it. Even us. We need ones that will commit to Medicare for all. If we are not bold many will stay home. And we need a Democratic Party that will release the report on why they lost the 2024 election to a felon. It feels deceptive to most I talk to. What are they afraid to say?

Kathleen Gaige's avatar

Re: donations - I have been a regular contributor to the Acton and Brown campaigns since before Hopium decided to add them to the recommended list - I continue to contribute although not through Hopium. If the November election is free and fair I think both have a great chance.

Hank Friedman's avatar

We need to vote in large numbers, with a significant margin of victory that they can't cheat. People like Marc Elias at https://www.democracydocket.com/ are on the forefront of protecting the electoral process. If you are able to, another great organization to support. His newsletters are very informative and lets you know what is going on around the country with regards to elections.

Kathleen Gaige's avatar

I subscribe to democracy docket and read everything they publish. Agree he does great legal work plus is clear eyed about the legal threats we face.

Bill's avatar

NH Senate - The possibility of losing a seat we currently have in NH doesn't seem to be concerning anyone. Analysts looking at the path to retake the Senate never seem to mention NH at all and assume it is held. With Sununu the likely R nominee, is there reason for confidence in the race that I am not seeing?

Simon Rosenberg's avatar

Why the negativity here Bill? Why start with losing rather than asking about what we are seeing there?

Simon Rosenberg's avatar

All public polls have Pappas ahead of Sununu. Harris won NH by 3 points in 2024, and the national electorate has shifted by at least 7 points towards us this cycle. Enormous hill for Sununu to climb despite his name ID. There is not worry in DC about this race but the DSCC and everyone is working hard here.

Bill's avatar
Mar 31Edited

I lived there for 30 years until recently and just donated to all Hopium's recommended candidates when it occurred to me that the open seat in NH is rarely mentioned as something needing defending. But, if there is confidence in DC in that race I will place my confidence in theirs.

KBH's avatar

Thanks for the update on NH, Simon, as I'm bombarded with requests to donate there and have been wondering about the state of play.

Fisher's avatar

bill, this is likely such a wave that even pols who are not considered at risk are going to get their walking papers. sununu imo is just taking one for the team. joe trippi says in a climate like this, we are going to be shocked at some of the gop casualties.

Cynthia Erb's avatar

Rachel Maddow’s report on No Kings last night highlighted something I’ve noticed—the spread into rural red America. I’m not sure the organizers were even trying for that but I’ve been struck by the protests in places like Branson or Jonesboro, AR. I’m not sure it affects the midterms directly but suggests his support is softening and eroding in places that should be strongholds for him.

Randy Schutt's avatar

I believe this has been a deliberate effort to get beyond Democratic strongholds and reach purple and red areas. With Trump's war decimating the fertilizer market and jacking up diesel prices, rural agricultural areas are ripe for dissatisfaction with Trump and Republicans. If these places stop being reliable supporters for Republicans, Repubs are going to have a difficult time holding on to any part of the federal government.

David E.'s avatar

Absolutely this has been a deliberate effort. In addition to the reasons you mention, I would add that, according to Erica Chenoweth, a feature of successful non-violent civil resistance movements is that they're diverse in nature.

"We have friends everywhere" is a slogan adopted by Indivisible. That means rural people, too.

KBH's avatar

As is "compete everywhere; win anywhere"--the DNC's campaign mantra. At No Kings this weekend, when traffic would stop for a red light, I'd make a point of yelling, "we're your neighbors. We're standing up for you." Because we are. And we can't afford to write off places just because they're difficult to organize or have been seen as "red" and somehow out of reach. If we don't listen and engage with people everywhere, then some will remain out of reach because we haven't made the effort. And that just feeds the incorrect image that we don't care.

Anne Fitzpatrick's avatar

I loved hearing about the red places where there were protests. I lived in several red states (AL, AK, NC and KY - although most of them were blue when I was there, but still very conservative places), so it was great to hear about the protests in those locations. Having lived there, I could understand what a feat it is to have protests there.

Catherine Giovannoni's avatar

Thanks, Simon! Trump's numbers are dropping fast -- as they should be! Looking forward to hearing from David Pepper this afternoon. He's one of my favorites.

I dropped a little bit of money on Jamie Ager. My Asheville friends are enthusiastic about him. I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say NO money for ICE or this war. I also said that Trump is not in touch with reality and they need to make this a regular talking point. I'm writing postcards to Virginia voters about redistricting.

Jersey Grrlz's avatar

Donated $25 to each of the items on our list except the last... no donation link in the email. Retired and feeling the pinch, but I can do this!

MDL's avatar

Also retired but donate here as often as I can and also the the ACLU.

KBH's avatar

Thanks, Jersey! Retired here, too. But old enough to remember Bob Strauss' slogan when he chaired the DNC after Nixon's win over McGovern when Ds were down and out: "Give 'till it stops hurting." So, when I feel the pinch of some of these donations, I think about those words--and the pain we'll all feel if we don't defeat this terrible regime and its enablers.

Joan Robertson's avatar

In my area of CA gas is $6 to $7 a gallon!

MrsCQ's avatar

Yup. Yesterday, as I commented above, was $5.69 a gallon. This was at one of the "cheaper" gas stations by the way.

Kate Feldman's avatar

I am so sorry. Hang in there. It's going to make us all drive less which is good for the planet! Do you remember during the pandemic, smog levels went down all over the world!

Jennifer Jones's avatar

We donated yesterday to all 5 of the senate seats ( including the Ohio team) and the 12 house seats. I love going through Hopium and seeing our team efforts. Thanks so much Simon! See you in Portland Maine in May Day!

Sue Tuttle's avatar

I agree! I'm retired and love to see my small donations going into a larger pot and how that pot is growing! It makes me feel like even my small amount is helping! Grateful to Simon for keeping us focused!

Rebel408's avatar

$4 a gallon. We in CA can only wish for $4 a gallon pricing. There are areas in NO CA where is topped $7 a gallon a week or so ago. CA has special air quality pricing due to a different gas mixture which means our per gallon price is always higher. And I do think it will go higher where it was $7/gallon a week or so ago.

GENERAL STRIKE MAY 1! Plan on not shopping that day, going to work (if you can manage that) and no school. We broke America's mass protest attendance record on March 28th. We can do the same with an economic boycott of all the businesses supporting this fascist regime and firms that "bent the knee" to this administration. LFG!!!

David E.'s avatar

I agree with you. Even a one-day general strike will be difficult to orchestrate. But it's a skill we must learn and a level of organization we must achieve.

Michael G Baer's avatar

I was listening to Ezra Levin of Indivisible in an interview this morning. He says we got to try it out the and build muscle on the strike on May 1. Because we are going to need it if the losers fail to leave office. It might not go perfectly but the plan is organize, organize, organize, make an impact, and learn how to improve from it.

David E.'s avatar

I was initially a skeptic of general strikes, but I've come to see them differently. They have to be a tactic in an overall strategy. It's a capability we need to develop. It can't be the only thing we do. We need to win elections. We need to convince more people to join in the struggle. We need to change people's minds and hearts.

We have a history of targeted boycotts. Again, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement are important models. We stand on the shoulders of giants who've come before us. In Minnesota, they also employed targeted boycotts. In addition, we have the national boycott of Disney as a precedent. But scaling up to a general strike? That will be a challenge. Unions will have to get involved. Teachers and students. Local non-essential businesses. The public at large. Journalists will need to notice this is happening. And so on.

Where did you hear Ezra interviewed?

Michael G Baer's avatar

With Waj Ali of Left Hook

Be forewarned, its a couple of "lefties" with no love lost for Schumer.

Ezra makes the point, that others have as well, that the primary season is the time to get a stronger blue team willing to bring the fight that's needed, but when it comes to the general, we get behind ALL the candidates to defeat fascism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJc6opIr1ic

David E.'s avatar

Thanks. I'll check it out.

Hank Friedman's avatar

One day strikes are a good way to send a message but long term does not have a significant effect on a corporations annual revenue.One way to get Corporate America's attention is to unsubscribe from their for pay services. Amazon Prime, Apple TV, etc. The only language Corporate America understands is money. Negatively affect their revenue, gets their attention. Please check out this website. https://www.resistandunsubscribe.com/ Do as much as you can. Unsubscribing from just one of these services is great.

Fisher's avatar

plus polls dropped today showing people think biden was a better president. well, whaddaya know....sometimes the truth does come out.

Kate Feldman's avatar

Americans are so dumb. And emotional. Or is it humans in general. Joe Biden was always a better president. DUH.

Marcia's avatar

Yesterday in my calls to my 3 GOP stooges in Iowa, I tried out my new messaging: “trump is insane; what’s your excuse?”

Of course, the call to Joni Ernst’s office just went to voicemail (she’s not even pretending to care about her constituents anymore) but I had the satisfaction of being told that “they’d get back to me” from the aides in Grassley’s and Miller-Meeks’ offices.

I’ll be working on some more postcards to Virginia voters today (getting ready for the April 10 mailing date in advance of the redistricting vote on 4/21); 200 postcards in the “News Boosting Headlines” to voters in Iowa are all ready to drop in the mail on Thursday. Highly recommended therapy for anyone feeling frustrated: https://turnoutpac.org/postcards/

I calculate my investment on stamps as part of my political donations, but I’ve got a little more to give, per Simon’s excellent encouragement!

Michael G Baer's avatar

“trump is insane; what’s your excuse?”

Love it!