I read that SCOTUS will hear a case about money in elections today. It caused me to think basically what Simon said in this newsletter—that they plan to lean into the conventional electoral process but overwhelm us with a flood of money.
This reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw many years ago:
"SUPPORT DEMOCRACY. BUY A POLITICIAN."
In my opinion, that pretty much sums up the attitude to American democracy of the billionaires (foreign and domestic) that are working with Trump or are enabled by him.
Robert Reich's book, Coming Up Short, details the history of how money flooded into our system and stayed that way through buying politicians. So that sticker you remember may have been in the early years when this was happening, before Citizens United.
I had a feeling that the GOP was going to start carving special exceptions by privileging white working class voters, particularly the rural ones, while leaving everyone else out in the cold. It's the very thing that appeals to MAGA voters, because their #1 grievance talking point is that "the undeserving get assistance while we the real hardworking Americans are left behind." It delights them to no end to see images of trump handing them, his special people who are the deserving, assistance.
Yup. Agree 💯. "I work hard. I deserve xyz". They love to punch down. Makes them feel better. Getting assistance? Reinforces their sense of entitlement and specialness. The "others" don't deserve what "I" am entitled to get.
exactly- they don't see it as a handout, they see it as what they deserve. Now everyone else, those folks are lazy and undeserving. But "my" reasons for hard times are special. We have to start facing down this mindset effectively instead of caving to it over and over.
I disagree and imo important not to jump to this conclusion unless you know actual ppl reacting this way. Although that's how it's marketed by T, farmers, for example, don't want handouts, and there's no joy for hardworking rural people to live on subsidies, though, of course, saving the family farm is welcome. And note, rural health care eroding rapidly.
I grew up in Oklahoma and am all too aware of the mindset. They don't see it as handouts, they see it as a long-deserved payback for all the money "wasted" on the undeserving. Rural resentment is absolutely a thing. And in terms of declining health care, they then immediately pivot to blaming immigrants and "socialist" policies for high health care costs which lead to closed hospitals. It's never the root cause, ever.
Yes, I understand what you saw and there's a long, distressing story there how it came about, happy to discuss between us when we get to the other side of this. But imo, in order to move forward, important to note, and in my experience, those living on the resentment you describe are a smaller and smaller number now. I haven't heard anyone speaking of the erosion of health care in terms of socialism, mostly just in terms of desperation. I'll be interested to learn however, if you hear people talking about it that way. Thank you for the discussion.
I am first generation and I have a few family members who are former military and blame socialism and people who come here and don’t get green cards etc. They don’t see Social Security, their pensions or VA benefits as Socialism. Now, of course, one cannot say this applies to all Trump voters but it does apply to the ones I know. One relative told me she knew what was going on in Los Angeles bc lived here twenty years before moving. I live in Los Angeles and she disputed what I told her was going on. She insisted ICE was only going after criminals. After a while, she said well then they should have gotten their papers in the first place. She had no empathy. First it was deny it was happening and then it went to oh well their getting dragged, pulled out of cars, etc. is warranted
yes. One problem is that if they only watch Fox etc distorted version they don't know what is really happening. It is difficult [impossible?] to break through that bubble of misinformation. I was specifically responding to the farm bailout and the response in red rural ag. communities. sorry I wasn't more clear. thank you for discussion.
Oh no apologies necessary! Most of us here all want the same result. Many things can be true at the same time. We each bring our own personal life experiences and viewpoints. It doesn't mean that "all" of a group behave or think the same. I try to be careful but it's hard sometimes because Trump, Miller, etc. are so cruel and racist. I am of the mind that if a MAGA wants to not vote for Trump, great. But I won't forget what got us here - their vote! I also believe it is healthy to exchange ideas, viewpoints and share our experiences.
I know people who say these things. Granted it’s stated as “I work hard. Why should they (fill in the blank) get a handout?” Certainly one can’t say everyone feels this way or says these things. But what I can tell you is the MAGAS I know say it. Republicans I know say this. I don’t know any millionaires/billionaires so I can’t be witness to their comments. I suspect it’s a matter of money/greed. In fact, I know someone personally that was on unemployment regularly. He would work long enough to qualify and then collect. He was dead set against “lazy” people getting unemployment. Surprisingly the “lazy” people were people of color. Now I don’t know if he purposely worked only long enough to collect or it was hard times in the jobs he was doing.
Simon, you so often say that we ‘either hang together or we hang separately’. I agree. And I hope that our elected reps - in DC, state houses, mayoral offices - everywhere find ways to hang together. Competition for elected office is a good and healthy thing, but it doesn’t mean diddly without a fully functioning democracy.
Self report: contacted all reps yesterday and today with message above and pleas to publicly call out and challenge Trump’s authoritarianism.
I also hope they remember that the whole big tent needs to hang together. Every time a democratic politician talks about "woke" or trans girls in sports I want to die inside. Newsom just gave a speech about how the party needs to be "normal," but ...normal for whom? We need people who want to fight for every last American.
Simon, an insight you wrote today really caught my eye and I would like to hear you expand on my concern. You wrote: “ They just intend to spend far more money than us, and use these next few months when we are still in primaries and replenishing our coffers to restore his brand health through a massive oligarch funded campaign..”. This immediately brought to mind a memory of Regan’s method of “Winning the Cold War”. It was to outspend the Soviets on missile build-up (if I remember correctly). What I remember reading was that this was an intentional strategy to bankrupt the Soviets, to allow cracks to their hold on power to collapse “the Union”. And it worked. Trump is shamelessly and corruptly wreaking-ball the Constitutional protections, laws, and norms we used to keep our “United States” intact. He has nefarious puppetmasters orchestrating this “pay-back”. Now you are observing that the gop strategy is to leverage the oligarchy to outspend us. It’s the same game-plan. The oligarchs have siphoned off the majority of wealth from the bottom 99% for the past 40 years. NOW, to keep any semblance of Democracy, WE have to give over the remaining dollars WE have to fund a Democratic Party that seems to ineffectively fight back. Some individual candidates are awesome. But leaders like sell-out Chuck Schumer? Jefferies not mucking up the mechanizations of Speaker Johnson? Hillary Clinton teaming up with Miriam Adelson? Kristen Gillibrand still not backing Mayor Mandami? Fetterman and Durban voting to end the shutdown with NO concessions? What will we end up with at the end? A bankrupted nation of serfs run by white supremacists imposing the toxic hierarchical patriarchy that poisons the liberty of all except narcissistic white males. Explain how I am wrong.
What you describe is the GOP plan for the future. The way it comes true is when people accept their plan as inevitable. Simon calls it "doing their work for them" TIm Snyder calls it "giving in in advance." Do you want to live in the hellscape you have described? Keep doing what you are doing. It is the path to failure.
Republicans are in deep disarray and threatening to jump ship. Americans are going to get slammed on January 1 with wildly increasing health care premiums assuming the ACA subsidies are disappearing. The GOP has to attempt to pass a terrible terrible budget when many of them are talking of retirement or resigning. Selling affordability is a very heavy lift for the GOP. Our job is to make it harder, to defeat it. There are no guarantees on either side.
The way we defeat them is saying NO! We don't buy your story as inevitable and we are going to fight like hell to reverse it. You are supposed to work for us motherf*!#er and we are going to beat down your criminal administration and right the ship.
If you read the comments, there are dedicated Hopiates doing amazing work. Everyone is doing something. Simon encourages us to do more. We have to lift our game, and we have to grow our opposition, and your arguments don't do any of that.
There are aspects to the Dems that many people are unhappy with. I don't disagree with you about Schumer or Clinton or Gillibrand or Fetterman or Durbin. Not sure about Jeffries. I've called my Senators and recommended that a new minority leader will reinvigorate the party, improve the party brand and favorability polls. Schumer is a drag on achieving our goals, in my opinion. Not the man for the moment we are in. Primary season is the time to push back, and Simon says it starts today. But if he doesn't step down by the time of the general election, then it's time to put our heads down, and focus on the larger foe, the GOP, and go win by as large a margin as possible with the team we have. Then get real loud for a new majority leader in 2027.
Will there be free and fair elections? If the fix was guaranteed then Republicans wouldn't be quitting. So what are we going to do? Whine about how unfair and stupid and corrupt it all is (and Yes it all VERY UNFAIR and VERY STUPID and CORRUPT). Or go out and do what we can to make it better, for our fellow Americans, and future generations?
Michael G Baer, while I appreciate your willingness to respond. An early sentence in your comment I take issue with: " Do you want to live in the hellscape you have described? Keep doing what you are doing. It is the path to failure.”. I posted a legitimate question to Simon today. I post it as someone who has been a paid subscriber of HOPIUM since its inception. “Doing what I have been doing” would include phone calling my MoC daily, marching in protests, showing up at Town Hall, showing up at political organizing events, donating to multiple campaigns Simon has highlighted here, donating to my local effective political organizations, volunteering three days a week for non-profits to help my community, reaching out to all in my sphere of influence trying to make them aware of current issues that would be in their best interest to act on, reading credible independent journalism, donating to independent journalist and organizations, reading history to more fully understand the scope of it and all who participated to contribute to progressive freedom and civil rights, and last, but not least, commenting and asking legitimate questions about “The Path Forward”. I am as frustrated as I imagine you are with having the burden of this effort be on our watch. I am questioning always, and everything. There is no Calvary coming to save us. The “Leaders” we believed were our bulwark against autocratic take-over were ineffective at best, sell-outs at worst. The Fourth Estate bends the knee to fascism. Friends and family drink the KoolAid and leaving the world of inclusion for insanity. Fighting demands we question. And fighting as long as I have will include frustration with that questioning. Yet, I will “keep doing what I am doing”, like most of us here.
Thankyou sincerely for all that work you do. Im glad to hear it.
Trump has been entrusted with tremendous power and is a grave threat. Bit he is weak and weakening rapidly... physically, cognitively AND politically.
He will try anything to stay in power and we must remain vigilant and responsive to his moves. We must push our electeds to do more, and talk to our friends and neighbors that all is not lost, the outcome favors us, if we step up instead of give up.
Trump Is a LOSER, and everytime we portray him as strong, we give him power and a chance to climb out of the pit he has dug himself into.
I re-read your first comment and perhaps I read doomerism where it wasnt intended. If so I am sorry.
But it felt to me like you were saying the game is over, the good guys are too weak, the bad guys are too strong, and the writing is on the wall.
Michael I absolutely understand how you misinterpreted my query today. We are all deeply frustrated, and exhausted, and -in my opinion- grieving. I am constantly trying to clarify “better bang-for-the-buck ( literal and metaphoric) actions to reform our politics and cultural insanity. I have no intention of giving up. I believe most of us on this site feel the same dedication. I have been especially grateful to Simon for his strategic thinking in political-action terms. That’s why I posted my frustrated question to Simon today. Is the Oligarchs’ plan to “buy” manufactured Brand-protection / bankrupt small Dem supporters in the process a rodeo we’ve seen before? If so, we gotta have an evolved response-plan. Peace and Wishes for your continued dedication to this effort.
The bankrupted nation of serfs run by white supremacists imposing patriarchy part is right- that’s what the GOP is trying to transform us into. That’s why almost 30% of my post-tax monthly income has to go to student loans, why masked goons are chasing women around on the street and busting people’s car windows for the slightest resistance, etc. And we already have documented instances of torture and murder in the concentration camps *cough cough* I mean immigration detention centers.
But I agree w/ Michael Baer. Yeah, we’re going through a period of authoritarianism and it sucks, but that has happened before in American history. Not that long ago, even. My mom was in high school in Houston during desegregation; that’s how recent Jim Crow was. Jim Crow was a police state system. Police would abduct, torture, and murder (Black) people regularly. People couldn’t vote. People were relegated to degrading poverty. Etc.
I honestly think we are doing amazing all things considered. I really thought the consolidation of power was going to go better for the MAGE troupe. There are a whole slew of unique factors in our favor. How damn big the country is. How extremely diverse it is. How varied and strong and large our civic institutions are. Etc. People are going to continue to get hurt, and we’re probably going to have to deal with this white supremacist monster lurking around in our politics for the rest of our lives…but if we’re honest, that was already always the case.
I like your response. And I agree that the monster lurking around our politics will probably be here for the rest of our lives. In fact it is a perennial part of the USA. Today it is simply out in the open and unmasked (-except for ICE and ICE-Posers of course). Perhaps we should be grateful for that. Fighting unmasked monsters in daylight is to our advantage. The need to fight against it has not much changed. Even though this time feels scarier. Perhaps because it is on “our watch”?
I like the metaphor or chasing the cockroaches back into the shadows. Even though you won't see many signs of them, you still must remain ever vigilant against the forces of fascism and "white christian nationalism."
My friend the Phd, published a research paper for the the Navy Postgraduate School, in Monterey California that christian nationalists are only about 70% white. About 30 % of christian nationalists are people of color who don't recognize separation of church and state either.
We are not ready. For whatever reason, it appears Dem leadership—especially in the Senate—has decided to continue playing traditional incremental politics, looking to reconstitute a once winning coalition. That alone won’t work. Sure, we need to try to build that traditional infrastructure, but that without transcendent messaging will be futile.
We are up against a fascist cult willing to do anything legal or illegal to win. And that cult has unlimited resources to accomplish its task. The only thing that is going to stop it is rabid anti-billonaire populism coming loudly—screaming— from all facets and all political persuasions of the Dem party.
We must harness the forces of populism for transcendent grassroots messaging. The media is gone, or at least will be within a few more months, and we will be massively outspent on paid media. That means traditional politics alone will be crushed in 2026. Why Dem leadership refuses to recognize this is dumbfounding to me.
I don't know, we just won a series of landslide elections by margins far outside of predictions. We aren't exactly fucking everything up. I agree some of our leaders could be better, but we have a lot of great candidates that seem to be doing an excellent job connecting with voters.
I don't see what Trump and the GOP have to run on in 2026. Deportations that most don't like, but the base needs the red meat. The deportations are supposed to make everything magically better, which they won't.
I think most likely we gain ground from where we are right now.
"anti-billonaire populism coming loudly—screaming— from all facets and all political persuasions of the Dem party."
it's not just the party, it's pro-democracy forces across the spectrum, never Trumpers, former GOP, two thirds or more of Independents, etc...
... and you know who else? Rural right wing Americans. They just think the "Elites" are all democrats. They are learning otherwise and will continue to.
This is why it's so important for all of us to call our elected officials! All of them, Democrats and Republicans alike, need to hear the collective roar of rage. I don't call my Democratic congresswoman nearly as often as I call my GOP senators. I'll amend that. But I also agree with Patrick and Michael G Baer that we have come a long way and that things are changing for the better on the Democratic messaging side. Fully funding state parties is also going to pay off in big ways.
Hopefully a well-funded bullshit tornado is perceived as a bullshit tornado. He's getting to be so incoherent as to be almost incomprehensible. But, at least for some of them, if the incoherence advances, they'll say he's "speaking in tongues". They will say it's the voice of God.
I'll be watching Higgins for Mayor of Miami returns. I want to find some time to get more active, but I've just been swamped with my job.
You've been doing good work, man. I remember you reporting on all your postcarding, etc. We do what we can, rest when we can, attend to our lives as we have to. Just keep pushing.
Thanks. I appreciate that. I always feel like I could and/or should do more, but there's a limit. I usually kick in a donation when I feel guilty. Maybe I'll do that.
I feel the same. I do more writing, which is part of the effort. I give, I call, I protest. I have 3 Blue Reps in deep blue territory so canvassing for them is not particularly necessary. I had extraordinary personal changes in my life since August, which is just now beginning to settle down.
A good time to rest up, because 2026 is going to be a barn-burner.
I agree Patrick and Michael G Bear! All the money Elon threw at Wisconsin last November didn't win the day for them. And that was a year ago - many many more people have seen through the bullshit since then! We need to continue to put our heads down, do the work daily, and stand together as a party. We're actually doing quite well at that. Don't let his smoke and mirrors fracture our progress.
LOL...so Trump starts his campaign of lies on affordability by traveling to Mt. Airy Lodge Casino in PA. Got to grab those gambler votes. His health is getting worse so my guess is wherever they send him, it will be short, incoherent, with smaller venues (no rallies), closer to DC (traveling is wearing the old man out very quickly), lots of naps in the WH in front of the cameras for all to see.
We've definitely have work to do and the earlier the better but for me it will be after the holidays. This old lady needs some joy and rest but excited about getting to work next year.
Good morning fellow proud, plucky, persevering patriots of the Hopium community.
Yesterday I begged my Senators to Do More during the upcoming budget negotiations to Defund ICE and to defang Homeland Security which has been ripping holes in our rights and freedoms since 9/11. Today, this lowly mathematician is preparing a reprise of her weekly violent objections to RFKJr’s murderous attacks on our children. Since Simon Suggests (or sez) I will add a piece about how my senators need to screech in public about Trump’s villainy in supporting racist, bigoted murderers, in particular RFKJr.
My ineffective, MAGAt rubber stamping Congressman gets a daily dose of Protect our Patriots in Uniform (to which I’m now adding “release the video!”) along with a Where’s Epstein tagline.
It doesn’t surprise me that our Lying Bloviator In Chief is preparing a reprise of his campaign performances and it’s no secret that the wicked will happily gild the road to his cesspool. My job has always been to encourage critical thinking and general bullshit detection. I myself, need to become a better, louder communicator. Onward and upward.
I'll let others ruminate about the ugliness that the Rs are going to unleash this coming year. Not that I discount any of it...we have to be vigilant and ready to immediately respond to whatever depravity they devise. The public is righteously pissed, and I have no fear that there will be rapid responses, as has been the case throughout 2025.
As for the "rebrand," I honestly think it's a risky proposition for the regime. People bought into all of the lies last year before they were betrayed by the realities. Those realities aren't going away, Trump's increasingly sunsetting, and now Epstein's right in the middle of the mix. So, when you strip away the lies and add the stench of rape/pedophilia, it's worth remembering Trump's truly bizarre behavior at his 2024 campaign events. He's utterly incapable of following a script when he has a captive drooling audience to "entertain," and what he says and does when off-script will receive far greater scrutiny, now that he's in office. Stay tuned...it's gonna be wild!
I agree Art. A lot of crap has passed under the bridge since November 24 and everything we've seen in the last year indicates people who voted for him have already left him in droves. They are unavailable to him, as Simon says. I don't think people who voted for him will be fooled twice when they can't afford groceries and have lost their health care. I hope they waste a boatload of money on this stupid campaign. It's not going to work.
I agree with you, but Trump ran last year against Biden's VP, Biden and Biden's economy...really anything with the name "Biden" attached to it. Revenge may be sweet, but the sensation fades. Only a moron...and granted that there are several million out there...would blame THIS economy and the general sense of betrayal on Biden. So, what's next? Circle back to exact a few extra pounds of flesh from trans people and immigrants? That's just not going to cut it this time around. Trump created this cesspool, and he can deny, blame and run from it as fast as he can. But a large majority of the public ain't fooled, and we're far faster than he is!
I completely agree. The message that inflation is low and that the economy sound is a non starter because it's so patently a lie. Even Fox viewers go to the grocery store!
I am hopeful the DNC Chairs will develop new, meaningful, impactful ways to harness attention and support. Older people are not on social media but have lots of motivation, time, energy and money they want to bring to the cause. They watch television and I wish the DNC could create a tv station that could inform them of exciting campaigns and how to engage in them. We need to
Thank you, Simon, looking forward to your updates from the meeting. I commented on the impact of the 6 elected dem's psa about illegal orders, and I continue to think along those lines. What impresses me no end is how elected dems. are keeping our government functioning - especially striking are your reports from the House from Robert Garcia and Adam Smith. Imo a forceful emphasis on the fact that we are governing will help show T et al. weakness and instill confidence. I notice in our comments ppl say the gov. is broken - but for me the videos of, e.g. Garcia and Smith, show that is not the case - struggling, yes, but holding. And the courts below SCOTUS (which I follow in detail) are also holding. Just a thought.
I will make calls to my electeds today encouraging them to be loud on the affordability issue and mentioning the excellent Rob Shapiro article in Washington Monthly.
Yesterday, I was focused on the hideous National Security Strategy when I called my electeds. Since Alsobrooks seems to be reluctant to comment on foreign policy issues, here is the voicemail I left with her.
"I follow Senator Alsobrooks on BlueSky and I also visit her congressional website from time to time, and I am concerned by her silence on the Trump regime’s dangerous and immoral foreign policy. She has not condemned the Russian-influenced plan to sell out Ukraine in the name of peace. She has not condemned the summary executions Pete Hegseth is authorizing on the high seas against purported drug runners. Now we have the Trump regime releasing its so-called National Security Strategy, which essentially accuses western Europe of being in danger of losing its whiteness. This National Security Strategy suggests that the Trump regime will aid and abet neo-Nazi and anti-immigrant parties in western Europe. Senator Alsobrooks needs to condemn this Strategy loudly and boldly, and call it out for what it is—a manifesto for white supremacy. "
(You may not want to cite this survey on our new military posture in the Caribbean: 90 percent of MAGA Republicans support using our military against suspected drug traffickers, versus just 36 percent of Democrats.)
I have been thinking about Simon’s question regarding what Dems should ask for in budget negotiations. I would suggest adding this, which doesn’t cost anything: forbidding ICE and other feds from using masks during immigration actions. Might need to be a separate bill?
Donated $100 to the expansion fund. Go Texas! 💙 Was just reading in Lone Star Left that all congressional and statewide legislative races for ‘26 are contested there now.
I have court and a jail visit to go do this AM but I will try to squeeze in a call to my senators to tell them to pass HR 6019.
What sort of uppers do they have to put Trump on to get him through another rally tour? 🤔
Pamela - If you get Veasey, Crockett, AND Allred, that could be the opening Texas has needed in elections for so long. I moved to Dallas the year Ann Richards was running against Claytie Williams. I had some high hopes for Texas politics when she won!
I read that SCOTUS will hear a case about money in elections today. It caused me to think basically what Simon said in this newsletter—that they plan to lean into the conventional electoral process but overwhelm us with a flood of money.
This reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw many years ago:
"SUPPORT DEMOCRACY. BUY A POLITICIAN."
In my opinion, that pretty much sums up the attitude to American democracy of the billionaires (foreign and domestic) that are working with Trump or are enabled by him.
Robert Reich's book, Coming Up Short, details the history of how money flooded into our system and stayed that way through buying politicians. So that sticker you remember may have been in the early years when this was happening, before Citizens United.
Thanks for insight on rebranding by Trump & our response by strengthening Democratic state parties & campaigning 24/7. Hope with a plan!
I don’t think of it as rebranding. I think of it as a new set of lies. Voters bought the lies once, will they do it again??
They are in power and there is reality. He has to tell them their reality is either not what it seems to be, or not his fault. It's a heavier lift.
That strategy seems to work better for him when he’s not the incumbent…
A new set of lies IS rebranding.
Some have bought the lies several times.
Makes you wonder how they get from Point A to Point B.
I had a feeling that the GOP was going to start carving special exceptions by privileging white working class voters, particularly the rural ones, while leaving everyone else out in the cold. It's the very thing that appeals to MAGA voters, because their #1 grievance talking point is that "the undeserving get assistance while we the real hardworking Americans are left behind." It delights them to no end to see images of trump handing them, his special people who are the deserving, assistance.
Yup. Agree 💯. "I work hard. I deserve xyz". They love to punch down. Makes them feel better. Getting assistance? Reinforces their sense of entitlement and specialness. The "others" don't deserve what "I" am entitled to get.
exactly- they don't see it as a handout, they see it as what they deserve. Now everyone else, those folks are lazy and undeserving. But "my" reasons for hard times are special. We have to start facing down this mindset effectively instead of caving to it over and over.
Agree 💯
I disagree and imo important not to jump to this conclusion unless you know actual ppl reacting this way. Although that's how it's marketed by T, farmers, for example, don't want handouts, and there's no joy for hardworking rural people to live on subsidies, though, of course, saving the family farm is welcome. And note, rural health care eroding rapidly.
I grew up in Oklahoma and am all too aware of the mindset. They don't see it as handouts, they see it as a long-deserved payback for all the money "wasted" on the undeserving. Rural resentment is absolutely a thing. And in terms of declining health care, they then immediately pivot to blaming immigrants and "socialist" policies for high health care costs which lead to closed hospitals. It's never the root cause, ever.
Yes, I understand what you saw and there's a long, distressing story there how it came about, happy to discuss between us when we get to the other side of this. But imo, in order to move forward, important to note, and in my experience, those living on the resentment you describe are a smaller and smaller number now. I haven't heard anyone speaking of the erosion of health care in terms of socialism, mostly just in terms of desperation. I'll be interested to learn however, if you hear people talking about it that way. Thank you for the discussion.
I am first generation and I have a few family members who are former military and blame socialism and people who come here and don’t get green cards etc. They don’t see Social Security, their pensions or VA benefits as Socialism. Now, of course, one cannot say this applies to all Trump voters but it does apply to the ones I know. One relative told me she knew what was going on in Los Angeles bc lived here twenty years before moving. I live in Los Angeles and she disputed what I told her was going on. She insisted ICE was only going after criminals. After a while, she said well then they should have gotten their papers in the first place. She had no empathy. First it was deny it was happening and then it went to oh well their getting dragged, pulled out of cars, etc. is warranted
yes. One problem is that if they only watch Fox etc distorted version they don't know what is really happening. It is difficult [impossible?] to break through that bubble of misinformation. I was specifically responding to the farm bailout and the response in red rural ag. communities. sorry I wasn't more clear. thank you for discussion.
Oh no apologies necessary! Most of us here all want the same result. Many things can be true at the same time. We each bring our own personal life experiences and viewpoints. It doesn't mean that "all" of a group behave or think the same. I try to be careful but it's hard sometimes because Trump, Miller, etc. are so cruel and racist. I am of the mind that if a MAGA wants to not vote for Trump, great. But I won't forget what got us here - their vote! I also believe it is healthy to exchange ideas, viewpoints and share our experiences.
Same experience here and I do not live in a rural area.
I know people who say these things. Granted it’s stated as “I work hard. Why should they (fill in the blank) get a handout?” Certainly one can’t say everyone feels this way or says these things. But what I can tell you is the MAGAS I know say it. Republicans I know say this. I don’t know any millionaires/billionaires so I can’t be witness to their comments. I suspect it’s a matter of money/greed. In fact, I know someone personally that was on unemployment regularly. He would work long enough to qualify and then collect. He was dead set against “lazy” people getting unemployment. Surprisingly the “lazy” people were people of color. Now I don’t know if he purposely worked only long enough to collect or it was hard times in the jobs he was doing.
Simon, you so often say that we ‘either hang together or we hang separately’. I agree. And I hope that our elected reps - in DC, state houses, mayoral offices - everywhere find ways to hang together. Competition for elected office is a good and healthy thing, but it doesn’t mean diddly without a fully functioning democracy.
Self report: contacted all reps yesterday and today with message above and pleas to publicly call out and challenge Trump’s authoritarianism.
I also hope they remember that the whole big tent needs to hang together. Every time a democratic politician talks about "woke" or trans girls in sports I want to die inside. Newsom just gave a speech about how the party needs to be "normal," but ...normal for whom? We need people who want to fight for every last American.
Simon, an insight you wrote today really caught my eye and I would like to hear you expand on my concern. You wrote: “ They just intend to spend far more money than us, and use these next few months when we are still in primaries and replenishing our coffers to restore his brand health through a massive oligarch funded campaign..”. This immediately brought to mind a memory of Regan’s method of “Winning the Cold War”. It was to outspend the Soviets on missile build-up (if I remember correctly). What I remember reading was that this was an intentional strategy to bankrupt the Soviets, to allow cracks to their hold on power to collapse “the Union”. And it worked. Trump is shamelessly and corruptly wreaking-ball the Constitutional protections, laws, and norms we used to keep our “United States” intact. He has nefarious puppetmasters orchestrating this “pay-back”. Now you are observing that the gop strategy is to leverage the oligarchy to outspend us. It’s the same game-plan. The oligarchs have siphoned off the majority of wealth from the bottom 99% for the past 40 years. NOW, to keep any semblance of Democracy, WE have to give over the remaining dollars WE have to fund a Democratic Party that seems to ineffectively fight back. Some individual candidates are awesome. But leaders like sell-out Chuck Schumer? Jefferies not mucking up the mechanizations of Speaker Johnson? Hillary Clinton teaming up with Miriam Adelson? Kristen Gillibrand still not backing Mayor Mandami? Fetterman and Durban voting to end the shutdown with NO concessions? What will we end up with at the end? A bankrupted nation of serfs run by white supremacists imposing the toxic hierarchical patriarchy that poisons the liberty of all except narcissistic white males. Explain how I am wrong.
What you describe is the GOP plan for the future. The way it comes true is when people accept their plan as inevitable. Simon calls it "doing their work for them" TIm Snyder calls it "giving in in advance." Do you want to live in the hellscape you have described? Keep doing what you are doing. It is the path to failure.
Republicans are in deep disarray and threatening to jump ship. Americans are going to get slammed on January 1 with wildly increasing health care premiums assuming the ACA subsidies are disappearing. The GOP has to attempt to pass a terrible terrible budget when many of them are talking of retirement or resigning. Selling affordability is a very heavy lift for the GOP. Our job is to make it harder, to defeat it. There are no guarantees on either side.
The way we defeat them is saying NO! We don't buy your story as inevitable and we are going to fight like hell to reverse it. You are supposed to work for us motherf*!#er and we are going to beat down your criminal administration and right the ship.
If you read the comments, there are dedicated Hopiates doing amazing work. Everyone is doing something. Simon encourages us to do more. We have to lift our game, and we have to grow our opposition, and your arguments don't do any of that.
There are aspects to the Dems that many people are unhappy with. I don't disagree with you about Schumer or Clinton or Gillibrand or Fetterman or Durbin. Not sure about Jeffries. I've called my Senators and recommended that a new minority leader will reinvigorate the party, improve the party brand and favorability polls. Schumer is a drag on achieving our goals, in my opinion. Not the man for the moment we are in. Primary season is the time to push back, and Simon says it starts today. But if he doesn't step down by the time of the general election, then it's time to put our heads down, and focus on the larger foe, the GOP, and go win by as large a margin as possible with the team we have. Then get real loud for a new majority leader in 2027.
Will there be free and fair elections? If the fix was guaranteed then Republicans wouldn't be quitting. So what are we going to do? Whine about how unfair and stupid and corrupt it all is (and Yes it all VERY UNFAIR and VERY STUPID and CORRUPT). Or go out and do what we can to make it better, for our fellow Americans, and future generations?
Michael G Baer, while I appreciate your willingness to respond. An early sentence in your comment I take issue with: " Do you want to live in the hellscape you have described? Keep doing what you are doing. It is the path to failure.”. I posted a legitimate question to Simon today. I post it as someone who has been a paid subscriber of HOPIUM since its inception. “Doing what I have been doing” would include phone calling my MoC daily, marching in protests, showing up at Town Hall, showing up at political organizing events, donating to multiple campaigns Simon has highlighted here, donating to my local effective political organizations, volunteering three days a week for non-profits to help my community, reaching out to all in my sphere of influence trying to make them aware of current issues that would be in their best interest to act on, reading credible independent journalism, donating to independent journalist and organizations, reading history to more fully understand the scope of it and all who participated to contribute to progressive freedom and civil rights, and last, but not least, commenting and asking legitimate questions about “The Path Forward”. I am as frustrated as I imagine you are with having the burden of this effort be on our watch. I am questioning always, and everything. There is no Calvary coming to save us. The “Leaders” we believed were our bulwark against autocratic take-over were ineffective at best, sell-outs at worst. The Fourth Estate bends the knee to fascism. Friends and family drink the KoolAid and leaving the world of inclusion for insanity. Fighting demands we question. And fighting as long as I have will include frustration with that questioning. Yet, I will “keep doing what I am doing”, like most of us here.
Thankyou sincerely for all that work you do. Im glad to hear it.
Trump has been entrusted with tremendous power and is a grave threat. Bit he is weak and weakening rapidly... physically, cognitively AND politically.
He will try anything to stay in power and we must remain vigilant and responsive to his moves. We must push our electeds to do more, and talk to our friends and neighbors that all is not lost, the outcome favors us, if we step up instead of give up.
Trump Is a LOSER, and everytime we portray him as strong, we give him power and a chance to climb out of the pit he has dug himself into.
I re-read your first comment and perhaps I read doomerism where it wasnt intended. If so I am sorry.
But it felt to me like you were saying the game is over, the good guys are too weak, the bad guys are too strong, and the writing is on the wall.
That is what I was responding too.
Michael I absolutely understand how you misinterpreted my query today. We are all deeply frustrated, and exhausted, and -in my opinion- grieving. I am constantly trying to clarify “better bang-for-the-buck ( literal and metaphoric) actions to reform our politics and cultural insanity. I have no intention of giving up. I believe most of us on this site feel the same dedication. I have been especially grateful to Simon for his strategic thinking in political-action terms. That’s why I posted my frustrated question to Simon today. Is the Oligarchs’ plan to “buy” manufactured Brand-protection / bankrupt small Dem supporters in the process a rodeo we’ve seen before? If so, we gotta have an evolved response-plan. Peace and Wishes for your continued dedication to this effort.
Thanks MLRGRMI, I appreciate it. ... and I'm in it too with no intention of giving up.
The bankrupted nation of serfs run by white supremacists imposing patriarchy part is right- that’s what the GOP is trying to transform us into. That’s why almost 30% of my post-tax monthly income has to go to student loans, why masked goons are chasing women around on the street and busting people’s car windows for the slightest resistance, etc. And we already have documented instances of torture and murder in the concentration camps *cough cough* I mean immigration detention centers.
But I agree w/ Michael Baer. Yeah, we’re going through a period of authoritarianism and it sucks, but that has happened before in American history. Not that long ago, even. My mom was in high school in Houston during desegregation; that’s how recent Jim Crow was. Jim Crow was a police state system. Police would abduct, torture, and murder (Black) people regularly. People couldn’t vote. People were relegated to degrading poverty. Etc.
I honestly think we are doing amazing all things considered. I really thought the consolidation of power was going to go better for the MAGE troupe. There are a whole slew of unique factors in our favor. How damn big the country is. How extremely diverse it is. How varied and strong and large our civic institutions are. Etc. People are going to continue to get hurt, and we’re probably going to have to deal with this white supremacist monster lurking around in our politics for the rest of our lives…but if we’re honest, that was already always the case.
I like your response. And I agree that the monster lurking around our politics will probably be here for the rest of our lives. In fact it is a perennial part of the USA. Today it is simply out in the open and unmasked (-except for ICE and ICE-Posers of course). Perhaps we should be grateful for that. Fighting unmasked monsters in daylight is to our advantage. The need to fight against it has not much changed. Even though this time feels scarier. Perhaps because it is on “our watch”?
I like the metaphor or chasing the cockroaches back into the shadows. Even though you won't see many signs of them, you still must remain ever vigilant against the forces of fascism and "white christian nationalism."
My friend the Phd, published a research paper for the the Navy Postgraduate School, in Monterey California that christian nationalists are only about 70% white. About 30 % of christian nationalists are people of color who don't recognize separation of church and state either.
We are not ready. For whatever reason, it appears Dem leadership—especially in the Senate—has decided to continue playing traditional incremental politics, looking to reconstitute a once winning coalition. That alone won’t work. Sure, we need to try to build that traditional infrastructure, but that without transcendent messaging will be futile.
We are up against a fascist cult willing to do anything legal or illegal to win. And that cult has unlimited resources to accomplish its task. The only thing that is going to stop it is rabid anti-billonaire populism coming loudly—screaming— from all facets and all political persuasions of the Dem party.
We must harness the forces of populism for transcendent grassroots messaging. The media is gone, or at least will be within a few more months, and we will be massively outspent on paid media. That means traditional politics alone will be crushed in 2026. Why Dem leadership refuses to recognize this is dumbfounding to me.
I don't know, we just won a series of landslide elections by margins far outside of predictions. We aren't exactly fucking everything up. I agree some of our leaders could be better, but we have a lot of great candidates that seem to be doing an excellent job connecting with voters.
I don't see what Trump and the GOP have to run on in 2026. Deportations that most don't like, but the base needs the red meat. The deportations are supposed to make everything magically better, which they won't.
I think most likely we gain ground from where we are right now.
Which doesn't mean we don't do the work!
"anti-billonaire populism coming loudly—screaming— from all facets and all political persuasions of the Dem party."
it's not just the party, it's pro-democracy forces across the spectrum, never Trumpers, former GOP, two thirds or more of Independents, etc...
... and you know who else? Rural right wing Americans. They just think the "Elites" are all democrats. They are learning otherwise and will continue to.
This is why it's so important for all of us to call our elected officials! All of them, Democrats and Republicans alike, need to hear the collective roar of rage. I don't call my Democratic congresswoman nearly as often as I call my GOP senators. I'll amend that. But I also agree with Patrick and Michael G Baer that we have come a long way and that things are changing for the better on the Democratic messaging side. Fully funding state parties is also going to pay off in big ways.
100%
Hopefully a well-funded bullshit tornado is perceived as a bullshit tornado. He's getting to be so incoherent as to be almost incomprehensible. But, at least for some of them, if the incoherence advances, they'll say he's "speaking in tongues". They will say it's the voice of God.
I'll be watching Higgins for Mayor of Miami returns. I want to find some time to get more active, but I've just been swamped with my job.
You've been doing good work, man. I remember you reporting on all your postcarding, etc. We do what we can, rest when we can, attend to our lives as we have to. Just keep pushing.
Thanks. I appreciate that. I always feel like I could and/or should do more, but there's a limit. I usually kick in a donation when I feel guilty. Maybe I'll do that.
I feel the same. I do more writing, which is part of the effort. I give, I call, I protest. I have 3 Blue Reps in deep blue territory so canvassing for them is not particularly necessary. I had extraordinary personal changes in my life since August, which is just now beginning to settle down.
A good time to rest up, because 2026 is going to be a barn-burner.
I agree Patrick and Michael G Bear! All the money Elon threw at Wisconsin last November didn't win the day for them. And that was a year ago - many many more people have seen through the bullshit since then! We need to continue to put our heads down, do the work daily, and stand together as a party. We're actually doing quite well at that. Don't let his smoke and mirrors fracture our progress.
Great reminder Kent. Thank You!! Money is necessary but not sufficient. Having the most money in a race doesn't guarantee anything.
LOL...so Trump starts his campaign of lies on affordability by traveling to Mt. Airy Lodge Casino in PA. Got to grab those gambler votes. His health is getting worse so my guess is wherever they send him, it will be short, incoherent, with smaller venues (no rallies), closer to DC (traveling is wearing the old man out very quickly), lots of naps in the WH in front of the cameras for all to see.
We've definitely have work to do and the earlier the better but for me it will be after the holidays. This old lady needs some joy and rest but excited about getting to work next year.
Good morning fellow proud, plucky, persevering patriots of the Hopium community.
Yesterday I begged my Senators to Do More during the upcoming budget negotiations to Defund ICE and to defang Homeland Security which has been ripping holes in our rights and freedoms since 9/11. Today, this lowly mathematician is preparing a reprise of her weekly violent objections to RFKJr’s murderous attacks on our children. Since Simon Suggests (or sez) I will add a piece about how my senators need to screech in public about Trump’s villainy in supporting racist, bigoted murderers, in particular RFKJr.
My ineffective, MAGAt rubber stamping Congressman gets a daily dose of Protect our Patriots in Uniform (to which I’m now adding “release the video!”) along with a Where’s Epstein tagline.
It doesn’t surprise me that our Lying Bloviator In Chief is preparing a reprise of his campaign performances and it’s no secret that the wicked will happily gild the road to his cesspool. My job has always been to encourage critical thinking and general bullshit detection. I myself, need to become a better, louder communicator. Onward and upward.
Just a note of appreciation for the outstanding writing style of your comment, Emily! "Screech in public" may be my favorite
Me too! I also like "Simon sez" for it's simplicity and respect that I feel!
Did you ever play the game, “Simon says…” when you were six or eight or so? We did.
Thank you Susan.
I'll let others ruminate about the ugliness that the Rs are going to unleash this coming year. Not that I discount any of it...we have to be vigilant and ready to immediately respond to whatever depravity they devise. The public is righteously pissed, and I have no fear that there will be rapid responses, as has been the case throughout 2025.
As for the "rebrand," I honestly think it's a risky proposition for the regime. People bought into all of the lies last year before they were betrayed by the realities. Those realities aren't going away, Trump's increasingly sunsetting, and now Epstein's right in the middle of the mix. So, when you strip away the lies and add the stench of rape/pedophilia, it's worth remembering Trump's truly bizarre behavior at his 2024 campaign events. He's utterly incapable of following a script when he has a captive drooling audience to "entertain," and what he says and does when off-script will receive far greater scrutiny, now that he's in office. Stay tuned...it's gonna be wild!
I agree Art. A lot of crap has passed under the bridge since November 24 and everything we've seen in the last year indicates people who voted for him have already left him in droves. They are unavailable to him, as Simon says. I don't think people who voted for him will be fooled twice when they can't afford groceries and have lost their health care. I hope they waste a boatload of money on this stupid campaign. It's not going to work.
Sadly, millions were fooled by him twice. That's how he won in 2024, even after his Covid-19 response disaster that killed so many needlessly.
I agree with you, but Trump ran last year against Biden's VP, Biden and Biden's economy...really anything with the name "Biden" attached to it. Revenge may be sweet, but the sensation fades. Only a moron...and granted that there are several million out there...would blame THIS economy and the general sense of betrayal on Biden. So, what's next? Circle back to exact a few extra pounds of flesh from trans people and immigrants? That's just not going to cut it this time around. Trump created this cesspool, and he can deny, blame and run from it as fast as he can. But a large majority of the public ain't fooled, and we're far faster than he is!
I completely agree. The message that inflation is low and that the economy sound is a non starter because it's so patently a lie. Even Fox viewers go to the grocery store!
I am hopeful the DNC Chairs will develop new, meaningful, impactful ways to harness attention and support. Older people are not on social media but have lots of motivation, time, energy and money they want to bring to the cause. They watch television and I wish the DNC could create a tv station that could inform them of exciting campaigns and how to engage in them. We need to
WIN BACK SANITY AND SAFETY!
Thank you, Simon, looking forward to your updates from the meeting. I commented on the impact of the 6 elected dem's psa about illegal orders, and I continue to think along those lines. What impresses me no end is how elected dems. are keeping our government functioning - especially striking are your reports from the House from Robert Garcia and Adam Smith. Imo a forceful emphasis on the fact that we are governing will help show T et al. weakness and instill confidence. I notice in our comments ppl say the gov. is broken - but for me the videos of, e.g. Garcia and Smith, show that is not the case - struggling, yes, but holding. And the courts below SCOTUS (which I follow in detail) are also holding. Just a thought.
I will make calls to my electeds today encouraging them to be loud on the affordability issue and mentioning the excellent Rob Shapiro article in Washington Monthly.
Yesterday, I was focused on the hideous National Security Strategy when I called my electeds. Since Alsobrooks seems to be reluctant to comment on foreign policy issues, here is the voicemail I left with her.
"I follow Senator Alsobrooks on BlueSky and I also visit her congressional website from time to time, and I am concerned by her silence on the Trump regime’s dangerous and immoral foreign policy. She has not condemned the Russian-influenced plan to sell out Ukraine in the name of peace. She has not condemned the summary executions Pete Hegseth is authorizing on the high seas against purported drug runners. Now we have the Trump regime releasing its so-called National Security Strategy, which essentially accuses western Europe of being in danger of losing its whiteness. This National Security Strategy suggests that the Trump regime will aid and abet neo-Nazi and anti-immigrant parties in western Europe. Senator Alsobrooks needs to condemn this Strategy loudly and boldly, and call it out for what it is—a manifesto for white supremacy. "
Also, especially for those of you with Republican electeds, this survey by the Ronald Reagan Foundation could be helpful ammunition on why we should support Ukraine and fight Putin: it's what the public--including a majority of Republicans--wants. https://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan-institute/press-releases/reagan-national-defense-survey-shows-record-public-support-for-taiwan-ukraine-nat. The survey also shows that public support for NATO is at its highest level.
(You may not want to cite this survey on our new military posture in the Caribbean: 90 percent of MAGA Republicans support using our military against suspected drug traffickers, versus just 36 percent of Democrats.)
I have been thinking about Simon’s question regarding what Dems should ask for in budget negotiations. I would suggest adding this, which doesn’t cost anything: forbidding ICE and other feds from using masks during immigration actions. Might need to be a separate bill?
Ironically, probably over-represented in ICE are people who refused to "mask up" during the height of the Covid Pandemic.
I believe California has passed or is working on passing such a bill, which could be a useful model. Perhaps some Californian here can update us?
Agree 100%
State laws likely can’t bind the federal agents. Need Congress to act.
Donated $100 to the expansion fund. Go Texas! 💙 Was just reading in Lone Star Left that all congressional and statewide legislative races for ‘26 are contested there now.
I have court and a jail visit to go do this AM but I will try to squeeze in a call to my senators to tell them to pass HR 6019.
What sort of uppers do they have to put Trump on to get him through another rally tour? 🤔
Pamela - If you get Veasey, Crockett, AND Allred, that could be the opening Texas has needed in elections for so long. I moved to Dallas the year Ann Richards was running against Claytie Williams. I had some high hopes for Texas politics when she won!
Texas Fight