Afternoon and morning all. With so much happening right now today’s post will be more of a sketch pad and notes than a fully articulated analysis of where we are. The video above is one I recorded with author and commentator Edwin Eisendrath this morning. It is a fiery one, for I am angry at what Trump has done these last few days. In this moment of danger for the country he has made repeated calls for violence directed at “those people” and his political opponents. Get to it when you can. We cover a lot of timely and important ground.
Let’s start today with something simple - there is no left of center ideology or leader calling for violence. Our movement is fighting, peacefully, patriotically, for democracy rule of law, freedom and opportunity for all. The invention of a dangerous radical left in America is one of Trump’s most pernicious and outrageous fictions. For more on this watch my presentation this week.
There is an ideological movement encouraging both state sponsored and vigilante violence against Americans today and it is lead by Trump. The young white man who shot up a school in Colorado this week was a right winger. The young white man who shot at Trump last year had right wing views. The middle aged white man who hunted down and killed Democrats in Minnesota was a Trumpist. The young white man who killed Charlie Kirk grew up in a Christian, gun-owning, law enforcement family in one of the most conservative parts of the country. And yet, here is the leader of our country, on television this morning, justifying and encouraging right-wing vigilante violence against “the radical left” and “those people.” These are among the most disgraceful words ever spoken in American history:
Trump has failed the country in every way imaginable this year. His economic plan has failed - prices keep rising, the economy keeps slowing and the deficit is exploding. Massive taxes have been levied against us without our consent. He’s doing extraordinary harm to our health care system and our public health. He keeps trying to surrender to Putin and Xi and we are less safe today as a nation today than we’ve been in generations. He’s gutted necessary and vital investments to hasten our transition to clean energy. He’s thrown innocent people into foreign gulags and sent the US military into our cities. He’s trampled the Constitution, attacked the federal government, assaulted the most important institutions of learning in the world and stuffed billions and billions of dollars into his pockets…….
And the American people are not happy. He is deeply unpopular. The intensity of the opposition to him is growing. In polling this week he has been underwater on every issue that matters to the public including border security and crime. In the Reuters/Ipsos poll his job approval on crime was only 42%, a figure replicated in several other polls this week. Every single major initiative and policy of these first 8 months has been rejected by the American people. He is failed, failing, a diminished figure and growing more distant from all of us. He cannot reach most of the country any more. His words are ignored, not heeded. Fewer and fewer people believe that the orange wannabe Emperor is wearing any clothes……
Consumer confidence has begun to crash again:
In this time of diminishment and challenge for him, in a time that his powers and health have clearly begun to ebb, he has begun to descend, fearfully, into a primal and incoherent white supremacist and fascistic rage, becoming some twisted modern day Bull Conner. He openly called for physical violence against his political opponents yesterday and in that disgusting video above he uses “crime” as a justification for right wing violence here.
It is clear now that in his time of struggle and sundowning Trump has chosen to advance both a government-sponsored and vigilante-driven race war in America. The mobilization against DEI, “criminal migrants,” and “crime” are all justifications for violent state-sanctioned white supremacy and it is time for leaders of our movement to summon the courage to call this out for what it is. Trump has become far more explicit in his calls for this campaign in recent days, as his decline is encouraging both greater paranoia and fear and less restraint in his language. He’s gone into LA and Washington. Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans may be next - all heavily black cities. He’s just not hiding it anymore. He’s going after “them” and if they won’t bend the knee he will bend it for them. It’s fucking pathetic and deeply un-American.
In the fall of 2020 I wrote a magazine article about what I hoped for in a Biden Presidency if he won. Here is how I closed:
Of all the big things we have to do in the coming years there is one more – to honor and build on the work of FDR American leaders should forcefully denounce white supremacy in all of its forms. We have to make clear that American, Western, liberal, Four Freedom values are universal values, values of all people everywhere, regardless of race, religion or country of origin. They belong to all of us. White supremacy is not just a malicious legacy belief system from our racist and colonial past, it’s also profoundly anti-modern; for who could, after seeing the advances and potential of the people all over the world over these past fifty years ever believe that any race or religion or culture was somehow not capable of extraordinary things, and the people of all nations not deserving of the opportunities and freedoms we cherish. Trump’s white supremacy must be returned, aggressively, to the dustbin of history, where it belongs.
Those are my hastily written thoughts on a very challenging day for our nation. Watch my fiery discussion with my good friend Edwin, or catch my weekly video which reflects on the need for us to summon the courage to find a higher gear and work ferociously for something far better than this weak, cowardly, ailing, desperate failure stumbling around the White House and doing so much harm to all of us…..
Now….
Let’s Go Win The Fall, Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Our updated fundraising goals are now for the end of the year, December 31st, except for the 2025 races, which are now for Election Day, 2025. For more on Hopium’s approach to elections check out 1) the many important wins we had together last cycle 2) my big recommendations to the family coming out of the 2024 elections about what we need to do now 3) my latest thinking on where we are and the path forward for the Hopium community.
Take Action, Express Your Love Of Country And Strengthen Our Democracy Through Good Works - We are prioritizing two actions today:
1 - Call Your Senators and Member Of The House And Demand They Act Upon Our Four-Part Agenda - We need to be loud people, very, very loud and make the case for our our emerging four part agenda. Demand that your reps work to
Roll back Trump’s terrible, illegal tariffs that are re-igniting inflation, driving up prices, shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to working people, hurting small businesses and farmers, reviving tyrannical “taxation without representation,” and alienating governments and people throughout the world
Block the expansion of ICE, restore due process and end the use of the military on our streets and occupations of our cities
Fight Trump’s war on science, higher education and our public health; reverse - not delay - the cuts to the ACA and Medicaid; demand the removal of extremist Robert Kennedy from HHS. Yes, we need to FIRE HIM
Stand with Ukraine and far more forcefully challenge Trump’s traitorous efforts to sell out the US and the West to Russia and China
2 - Bring “Resolutions Of Condemnation” To Your Community - Inspired by the tactics of our Founders learn about how Hopium members are advancing “Resolutions of Condemnation” in their communities across the country and consider bringing this initiative to your state, country or city/town. Be sure to check out our new discussion with Deborah Potter and Rachel Poliner who have passed resolutions in New Mexico and Boston, and offer advice on how to get a resolution passed in your own community.
Remarkably, members of this community are now advancing 75 (!!!!) resolutions projects in 23 states +DC. Can we get to all 50 states by the fall election?
On Tuesday night the town council of Corrales, New Mexico debated and passed a resolution of condemnation. A preview of the resolution can be found in this article from a local new site. In considering the resolution Councilor Bill Woldman said:
"I want to thank the Mayor and administration for the comprehensive and important statement on our democracy. This is not a partisan statement, but rather an acknowledgment of a significant deviation from 250 years of practice of the Separation of Powers. While all politics may not be local, it is important for local governmental bodies to acknowledge threats when they exist and support our Congressional Representatives in their resistance to executive branch overreach. Thank you."
Keep up the great work proud, plucky patriots of the Hopium community!!!!
Finally, please self-report your activities to our daily paid subscriber chat. These reports help inspire all of us to do more and fight harder! Been impressive to see how many of you remain involved in local, in person protests of all kinds in your communities. Great to see!
Keep working hard all, and let’s go out and win the fall, together - Simon
