As we know, elections have consequences – but so do corporate heads getting overly involved in elections, especially foreign elections. And even more so in the case of Elon Musk, who very publicly chose to support the Neo-Nazi AfD in Germany’s recent parliamentary election.
Now German car buyers have given Musk the clearest possible rebuke for his election meddling. Tesla sales in Germany dropped by 76.3% in February 2025 compared with February 2024.
Well, well, we can all see that the payback to Elon Musk tanking his Tesla income is really working!!!
obviously when Agent Orange has to come out and promote Elon‘s Cashcow, you know that they are both really worried - worried that Elon is going to lose his wealth, which is the only reason that Trump wants him by his side, doing his dirty work and threatening others with his wealth - can we get every country who sells Teslas to impose a 100% tariff - yes we can play that game too Agent Orange - and Trump can threaten people who protest Teslas physical showrooms as terrorists but this will never never hold up in court
I’d like to see Elon hit with a second business loss - if everybody can get off of X and switch over to Bluesky that would further drain his income, but also he would lose his voice to millions of people
The CPI isn't great either. It beat expectations but none of the tariffs were in effect in February. From what I've read from people who are knowledgeable about markets, they don't think tariffs will show up until the April CPI in May. I think we're going to see a slowing economy coupled with rising tariffs coming in April. All self inflicted. Any rising in the markets today is bull trap.
For sure. In some ways I was scared Trump was going to be smart and do nothing and let the Biden economy keep on roaring and the GOP and Trump would get credit for it.
Democrats dramatically outperformed in a legislative special election in Iowa. In Iowa’s 100th District, which Trump carried by a 62–36 (more precisely, a 26.79% margin) last November, Republican Blaine Watkins managed only a 51.51–48.24 victory over Democrat Nannette Griffin.
The win preserves the GOP's supermajority in the state House but portends trouble for Republicans in Iowa and elsewhere. In January, Democrat Mike Zimmer won a shock upset to flip a very similar state Senate district in the same part of the state.
Yes, but that victory was expected. Per The Downballot:
"In Minnesota, Democrats held District 40B in the St. Paul suburbs, as David Gottfriend defeated Republican Paul Wikstrom 70-30.
"While the district was vacant, the GOP had sought to use its temporary one-seat advantage to take unilateral control of the chamber. However, it was rebuffed by the state Supreme Court, which said it needed a majority of 68 votes to act under the state constitution.
"As a result, the parties worked out a power-sharing agreement under which Republican Lisa Demuth would become speaker but committees would be equally divided, with one co-chair from each party. That agreement was contingent on Democrats regaining their 67th seat, which they did on Tuesday night."
I have learned not to generalize these elections to a general election. Each election must be taken as it comes; I heard nonstop talk about our performances in elections since Dobbs, and how that would translate in the general; but the pollsters were right in that trump could bring out people that don't show up in mid terms or specials. Sure we can take wins and celebrate small victories, but losing a seat by a couple points in a district trump won by double digits is not something I'm going to celebrate. It's still a loss and in our system, that's the ball game. If you lose to a team 1-0 in the final, they still get the trophy. The good news is they won't have trump to run again next cycle, and I think Vance has all the charisma of a smelly fish. And that's being unfair to the fish.....and yes I believe we will have elections and trump will not try to run again; he can't and the courts aren't going to let him, if he is even alive by that point.
You jokingly ask why Leon Skum, er, Elon Musk, isn't wearing a suit. It's because the bulletproof vest he wears would be too bulky and obvious under a suit. And that's the truth. He's deathly (pun intended) afraid, and rightly so, of someone trying to take him out. Since he can't wear a bulletproof head cover, he props his kid "X" on his shoulders in the hopes that might dissuade an assassin from taking a head shot. Despicable.
Well, he does want to look like a Bond villain. And he does. I suppose he could attempt something like you suggest with a tailor, I just don't know if a suit or a vest could be made that trim (especially with his slovenly physique). The actual bulletproof *suits* so cool in the John Wick films are pure fantasy. 😎 Too bad for Leon.
I would LOVE to see Mike Meyers and Lorne Michaels and production staff on Saturday Night Live incorporate their vision of this into their cold opens of 47 and Musk!! Mike Meyer's impersonation is spot on and hilarious!
I figured that’s why his kid is always there with him. Likewise, Vance used his daughter recently as a shield against pro-Ukraine constituents in Cincinnati.
I agree with everything Simon offers today. Senate Democrats have to start putting down markers to show the American people what we are willing to fight for. I have gone back and forth on the CR, and I think that Senate D's should vote no on cloture and tell the American people that this is being done to stop Musk from tearing down the government and the programs we all want to keep any further. The messaging here is important but we've seen Murphy, Coons, Schatz and other senators make this case well.
We have to go on offense. There is a congressional recess next week and we have to get our elected D's out there with in-person town halls so that we get the media coverage. Have these town halls in red districts where the R won't show up and prove to everyone we have a plan and a backbone. Ken Martin talks all the time about showing people that D's have backbone and will fight for them. This is the time.
I agree. If you say something is a grave threat - and they are - you can't go along with them. You have to vote no then go out and explain to the people why you are doing it. Let me be clear about what I am trying to say. It is my understanding that the House bill contains poison pills that would basically let Musk do anything so the "they can't dissolve an agency without Congress" argument would be negated. You don't need to officially dissolve an agency. You can just allot zero dollars to it. If I'm misunderstanding this please someone correct me.
the time for Dems to fight started anew on Nov 6 2024 - I've had the pleasure of being in a professional environment working with women who grew up in Iran (me just being a naive Midwest-bred girl) - their instinct to proceed against misogynistic winds was a thing of beauty- they were sturdy, picked their battles, knew grace in victory and in defeat - & a knowing patience was their shield
I am removing this post due to Simon's objection to it. But I do think that Democrats should not be voting for the CR. And the lack of cohesion and unified action from Senate Democrats is why many of us feel they are too slow to respond to the Trump/Musk threat, while the irreparable damage grows daily.
I want to be clear that I am not endorsing this action, and I am not really appreciative of you directing towards other actions than what I am recommending, so aggressively. I am not certain that given the lack of preparation for this moment that we can win the PR battle if the government shuts down. And it is critical, vital, important for people here to appreciate and understand why it is the Senate may end up supporting the CR. DO NOT BECOME MINDLESS CRITICS of Democratic leaders or Dems in the Senate and House. These folks understand the game far better than most of us, and many have won in swing areas of the country something very few of us have done.
I have made my recommendations on what we should be doing today. All of you of course are free to do whatever you want. But coming on here and so aggressively directing people on here to do something that I have not recommended is a bit over the line.
Really good point about them understanding the game better than we do. I will continue to contact mine (who I trust) with my concerns but will leave the CR strategy to them. One strong concern is trying to negotiate funding for Ukraine.
I don't think we need to shut down the government, which has received so many body blows of late, but we do need our representatives to remove some of the very creepy add-ons to the budget that the Republicans snuck in to give MAGA Musk/Trump more unchecked power. I don't understand all of the add-ons, so if someone out there can clarify them, that would be a big help.
I agree with Kari in the obvious lack of cohesion among Democrats and don't think she is a mindless critic. However, Trump is perfectly willing to destroy our republic and a shutdown would give him more power to do God knows what!! That's been a long term plot for the Tesla Boys I would surmise.
But, winning swing states doesn't ameliorate the weakness of democratic response. The lack of FEROCIOUS PPOSITION is still far to obvious.
Thank you Simon. You are the only grassroots leader saying this. Everyone else is pushing for us to call Senators and demand they vote NO. I haven't called and I am super interested in your analysis. It is all so complicated. Maybe tonight you can help. I am worried about the unchecked power that T & M are accumulating, especially over the purse strings.
Actually, I am not in favor of voting against the CR. The government closing down is not going to stop Trump and Musk from doing whatever hellish things they want to do. It is only going to tick off the general public, actually it would tick me off as well. Better to get amicus briefs to stall the elimination of the Education Dept, the elimination of jobs from the VA and SS. Better to fight the next funding bill that would be effective on October 1st.
I received this information this morning and wanted to share it. My area of expertise is in Public Health related to tobacco and nicotine issues but this floored me, and it takes a lot these days to do so. I've written and called Senator Cassidy's office in this regard. "It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focuses gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment. NIH is obligated to carefully steward grant awards to ensure taxpayer dollars are used in ways that benefit the American people and improve their quality of life. Your project does not satisfy these criteria."
Good grief. My father worked in Public Health for most of his career. He would have been appalled by all of this. These clowns want to take us back to the Dark Ages.
Yesterday, Greenland held parliamentary elections, with 31 seats in play. The results:
(Party Seats +/–)
– Democrats (Liberal Unionist) 10 +7
– Naleraq (Populist Nationalist) 8 +4
– Inuit Ataqatigiit (Far Left Nationalist) 7 -5
– Siumut (Social-Dem Nationalist) 4 -6
– Atassut (Conservative Unionist) 2 0
This means that the ruling coalition of Inuit Ataqatigiit + Naleraq is one seat short of a majority. The nationalists in principle still have 19 of 31 seats, but Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit have had a longstanding and fairly bitter rivalry, and Siumut has previously preferred the Democrats as a coalition partner.
[RainDog’s] guess is that you'll see a "stability" coalition of Democrats + Atassut + Siumut, and any independence referendum will be postponed until the more radical nationalists regain power in some future election.
Obviously Trump's sabre rattling also influenced voters. The unionists had a very good night, no doubt in part because of desire for stability and the continued protection of Denmark. So, however, did the rather Trumpian Naleraq party, which has expressed openness towards dancing with the tiger, even though they reject annexation by the United States.
A notable feature of the results is that the two socialist / social democratic parties both suffered large losses. Since the parliament's creation in 1979, one or the other has been the largest party in parliament, with the other usually being the second largest. Now they have fallen to third and fourth place. This speaks, in my view, to the failure of Greenland's social model with increasing problems around homelessness (yes, in that climate) and cost of living, which were very much on voters' minds.
Simon, thanks. You are correct about all of this. But we are losing the PR war. Bigtime, in my estimation. What do you think about this summation from Rachel Bitecofer?
I have to think that of the 2.3mm votes that we lost the presidential by, there must be that may marginal Trump voters who have peeled off in the past theree months -- vets, farmers, federal employees, Hispanics, etc. -- that things are different today. And some of the 92 million who did not vote must be feeling a little remorse today.
Which is why I donated to the 3 special House races on my own. I already donate to your endorsed candidates and parties, but I can't help but think that we will outperform the 2:1 losses in those districts. We also need to demonstrate that we are willing to fight, fight, fight for every seat. Too much at stake not to. (Of course I don't know squat about winning a House race in a tough district. But Suozzi did it. And AOC beat a tough opponent in the primary. It can be done.)
Democrats are still losing out to Republicans in too many areas. (Cf. Navigator today)
Seth we are not losing the PR war. That's what the poll tells us. We have work to do and are not where we want to be but to look at this poll and then conclude we are losing is not accurate. And I do not agree that we can afford to expend our limited political capital on every fight. That is a recipe for getting beat, badly, and no war or battle is fought that way.
I keep thinking about the narrative that somehow the problem is that Democrats don’t do a good job of messaging. While we should always strive to do better, I don’t see us as doing a bad job.
The problem is Republicans don’t want to hear it. MAGA is a cult. Democrats could go on right wing podcasts and say what we think they want to hear 24/7, and MAGA would not hear us. They have been told by their preachers that we are satanic, and by their leaders that we want to destroy America.
They play identity politics, and then when we say stop picking on marginalize populations, they accuse us of identity politics. They drive up the debt, destroy revenue, and give away trillions, and then accuse us of wanting to spend money we don’t have. They tell market-tested lies, and our uncomfortable truths understandably take longer to gain traction.
But real-world consequences can’t be wished away, and MAGA will have some tough choices.
The problem is not our PR, it is that media prefers the old familiar narratives, there are too many fascists, and we have an electorate that forgot (but is now remembering) that we have both the power and the responsibility here.
Totally agree- I'm also tired of hearing "the democrats need to stop focusing on identity in their messaging" when it's the REPUBLICANS who are the ones creating the messaging around what democrats message, only to have democrats continually complain about what's wrong with democratic "messaging." For example, the democrats didn't "hit hard on transgender and identity issues"- that's what the REPUBLICANS say we hit hard on, and then we rush to do their work for them by criticizing the party for being "too focused on transgender issues." It's maddening and needs to stop. And when it comes to "hitting hard on" identity issues, aren't the republicans the ones who have a total fixation on transgender people? It accounts for the bulk of their post content, when they aren't whining about various racial and gender grievances. And let's focus on the fact that what one might see as "irrelevant issues" like abortion and transgender rights, ARE economic issues that impact the working class. Transgender people are not all celebrities or online influencers, but folks working 9-5 like a lot of us. Or is it that some democrats are uncomfortable with the working class not just being white dudes with factory jobs who live in rust belt towns?
I know they won't go anywhere since Trump fired all the Federal prosecutors, but shouldn't someone be filing criminal referrals just to articulate the case(s) and create a news event? How about Articles of Impeachment? If these things get written down, won't they begin to acquire a life of their own and help build momentum?
We do not have the votes for impeachment at all. I commented on that problem. Only a simple majority is needed in the House as we did with trump 1.0. But, And impeachment needs a 2/3 Majority to convict in the Senate.
Since you've been raising the need to get louder in communication, I wanted to flag the idea of Democrats holding town halls in every district every month:
I think this is an excellent opportunity on multiple fronts:
1- It can help reach voters who have tuned out of the oversaturated online/cable national news environment.
2- It provides a constructive way for party base members to engage with state Democratic parties, and a great cause for our national donor base to rally around giving state parties the money and support they need to do this. Many of the state party leaders you've been lifting up are among the people I'd trust the most to make sure each district's town hall is organized and run in the right way for that district.
3- If we are disciplined about the way we run them, we can use them as listening sessions and "safe spaces" to hear from reachable Trump voters or non-voters. In many districts these are likely "disillusioned Democrats" who (for a variety of reasons) don't hear the party speaking to their everyday struggles.
4 - It gives us a way to show our support for participatory democracy in actions rather than words.
I just got a fundraising letter from Chuck Schumer asking me to fund the Senate Democrats for 2026. He says: "But let me be clear: With 47 seats, we cannot stop them." He's not listening to you Simon or his constituents. The Senate needs a new leader who has some fight left in him. We can't wait until 2026. These jokers may try to block 2026 elections.....
I received one of those emails and replied. He would not like reading what I stated in my reply. Then I unsubscribed. He's a relic. He needs to replaced ASAP.
Whenever I get an ask letter from anybody for a 2026 campaign I write them back and say they are being tone deaf and missing an opportunity to engage us as allies and not just atms. We are an army waiting to be put to work, not just a checkbook. The way I see it, it is just part of us helping to create a new order and inform our electeds what is now required o them.
Contacted my two (GA-Democratic) senators today to ask them to vote "No" on cloture and No on the CR. Thanked Senator Warnock's staff for the virtual town hall yesterday evening.
Yesterday, also contacted Senator Sanders' office and asked that he consider holding a rally in Pensacola -- FL-1 -- to support the special election there. (And then shift over to Daytona Beach in FL-6.)
Spring break is coming up and Canadians have stayed away from their usual haunts in Florida in droves.
Sent off a small donation to James Malone in the PA state senate race in Lancaster County on the 25th. This one should be interesting. Trump won the county ... but so did Governor Shapiro, narrowly. The PA senate is very narrowly divided so a Democratic win there will be big.
This is entirely "vibes" but we live in a vibeconomy, but I don't think Senate (and House) Democrats are understanding the amount of anger out there amongst rank-and-file Democratic voters (including progressives, liberals, leftists, etc. -- not including the "loony left")...
The anger is now becoming palpable; the vibe is shifting from "do they not understand" to "we will primary and vote folks out of office." The calls for a "Dem Tea Party" are growing and they're coming from "normie liberals" now. One reason I feel there's a substantial value to considering these "vibes" is that they're shifting from "one voice in the wilderness" to normal posts and channels that I never thought would be there.
CFO of a Public Company that I'm friends with: "I got called to donate last night and I told the caller that Senator [Redacted] can kiss my ass if [Redacted] votes Yes on the CR." This is a person who makes well in excess of $3MM a year.
Partners at Law Firms I know are FURIOUS. "I expect my representatives and senators to stand up for the rule of law." "We're drafting an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie." (As an aside, I normally handle pro bono work through WeTheAction and every posting is getting 10-15 support responses within minutes; I keep getting told that someone has already volunteered for everything!)
Will Stancil on Bsky: "Given the number of people who have already personally contacted me about potential primaries against blue state, safe-seat Dems entirely for their failure to be more stalwart in standing up to Trump, it feels like there’s a prospect of wholesale revolt against the party by September or so"
Many Americans use anger as a cover for fear. There's a heluva lot of fear out here. Trust and confidence in Trump as a "leader" keeps sinking.
IMO, what used to come out every week from the White House as a Saturday address from the president -- from FDR to Obama -- is a vacuum that Democratic leadership can and should take the initiative to fill. Especially during a shutdown. The Democrats have some incredibly good people, and we're certainly facing emergencies on a global scale.
You do realize that if Senators vote against the CR many thousands more will be out of work and others like essential workers, military,etc. will have to work and won't be paid. That will turn off potential supporters. They will just sit it out and say there is not a dimes worth of difference between the two political parties. And I wouldn't blame him. Demand amicus briefs against the government for specific wrongs would be the best move.
I'm focusing my anger on Congressional Republicans, who are nothing but a rubber stamp for Donald Trump. This is easy for me, because both MT Senators and my Congressional Representative are members of the DJT Appeasement Party. According to my calculation, we could avert more than $188 million in government waste and corruption just by firing all Republicans in Congress over the next four years. This savings would be without any loss in government efficiency as these people have abdicated all their power to the White House.
Tesla toxic in Germany
As we know, elections have consequences – but so do corporate heads getting overly involved in elections, especially foreign elections. And even more so in the case of Elon Musk, who very publicly chose to support the Neo-Nazi AfD in Germany’s recent parliamentary election.
Now German car buyers have given Musk the clearest possible rebuke for his election meddling. Tesla sales in Germany dropped by 76.3% in February 2025 compared with February 2024.
Well, well, we can all see that the payback to Elon Musk tanking his Tesla income is really working!!!
obviously when Agent Orange has to come out and promote Elon‘s Cashcow, you know that they are both really worried - worried that Elon is going to lose his wealth, which is the only reason that Trump wants him by his side, doing his dirty work and threatening others with his wealth - can we get every country who sells Teslas to impose a 100% tariff - yes we can play that game too Agent Orange - and Trump can threaten people who protest Teslas physical showrooms as terrorists but this will never never hold up in court
I still think Musk bought Trump and his election. If that's true, then I relish the thought of both of them going down in flames.
I’d like to see Elon hit with a second business loss - if everybody can get off of X and switch over to Bluesky that would further drain his income, but also he would lose his voice to millions of people
The CPI isn't great either. It beat expectations but none of the tariffs were in effect in February. From what I've read from people who are knowledgeable about markets, they don't think tariffs will show up until the April CPI in May. I think we're going to see a slowing economy coupled with rising tariffs coming in April. All self inflicted. Any rising in the markets today is bull trap.
Or because inflation went down slightly, as much because of Biden's work, not Trump's.
For sure. In some ways I was scared Trump was going to be smart and do nothing and let the Biden economy keep on roaring and the GOP and Trump would get credit for it.
ELECTIONS: STRONG DEMOCRATIC PERFORMANCE in IOWA
Democrats dramatically outperformed in a legislative special election in Iowa. In Iowa’s 100th District, which Trump carried by a 62–36 (more precisely, a 26.79% margin) last November, Republican Blaine Watkins managed only a 51.51–48.24 victory over Democrat Nannette Griffin.
The win preserves the GOP's supermajority in the state House but portends trouble for Republicans in Iowa and elsewhere. In January, Democrat Mike Zimmer won a shock upset to flip a very similar state Senate district in the same part of the state.
https://nitter.poast.org/ChazNuttycombe/status/1899636269489283564#m
https://www.the-downballot.com/p/morning-digest-this-democrat-who
Didn’t we win a MN special election yesterday too?
Yes, but that victory was expected. Per The Downballot:
"In Minnesota, Democrats held District 40B in the St. Paul suburbs, as David Gottfriend defeated Republican Paul Wikstrom 70-30.
"While the district was vacant, the GOP had sought to use its temporary one-seat advantage to take unilateral control of the chamber. However, it was rebuffed by the state Supreme Court, which said it needed a majority of 68 votes to act under the state constitution.
"As a result, the parties worked out a power-sharing agreement under which Republican Lisa Demuth would become speaker but committees would be equally divided, with one co-chair from each party. That agreement was contingent on Democrats regaining their 67th seat, which they did on Tuesday night."
NOTE: In almost a dozen special elections so far this year, Democrats are outperforming their 2024 presidential numbers by about 10 points.
I have learned not to generalize these elections to a general election. Each election must be taken as it comes; I heard nonstop talk about our performances in elections since Dobbs, and how that would translate in the general; but the pollsters were right in that trump could bring out people that don't show up in mid terms or specials. Sure we can take wins and celebrate small victories, but losing a seat by a couple points in a district trump won by double digits is not something I'm going to celebrate. It's still a loss and in our system, that's the ball game. If you lose to a team 1-0 in the final, they still get the trophy. The good news is they won't have trump to run again next cycle, and I think Vance has all the charisma of a smelly fish. And that's being unfair to the fish.....and yes I believe we will have elections and trump will not try to run again; he can't and the courts aren't going to let him, if he is even alive by that point.
Thanks for keeping us updated
ArcticStones: I am one serious fan!!
You jokingly ask why Leon Skum, er, Elon Musk, isn't wearing a suit. It's because the bulletproof vest he wears would be too bulky and obvious under a suit. And that's the truth. He's deathly (pun intended) afraid, and rightly so, of someone trying to take him out. Since he can't wear a bulletproof head cover, he props his kid "X" on his shoulders in the hopes that might dissuade an assassin from taking a head shot. Despicable.
I had no idea. I figured he just wanted to look like a Bond villain, plus show disdain for his co-president.
Surely he could afford a tailor who could make a suit that looks good over a bulletproof vest.
Well, he does want to look like a Bond villain. And he does. I suppose he could attempt something like you suggest with a tailor, I just don't know if a suit or a vest could be made that trim (especially with his slovenly physique). The actual bulletproof *suits* so cool in the John Wick films are pure fantasy. 😎 Too bad for Leon.
He's just such a wimpy, weird, creepy, mind-muddled man.
I would LOVE to see Mike Meyers and Lorne Michaels and production staff on Saturday Night Live incorporate their vision of this into their cold opens of 47 and Musk!! Mike Meyer's impersonation is spot on and hilarious!
I thought maybe he decided Zelensky's look wasn't so bad after all, especially now that his cash cow is being trashed.
I figured that’s why his kid is always there with him. Likewise, Vance used his daughter recently as a shield against pro-Ukraine constituents in Cincinnati.
Sadly this reminds me of certain political and terrorist groups that use hospitals, schools, etc. as human shields. Sick!
I agree with everything Simon offers today. Senate Democrats have to start putting down markers to show the American people what we are willing to fight for. I have gone back and forth on the CR, and I think that Senate D's should vote no on cloture and tell the American people that this is being done to stop Musk from tearing down the government and the programs we all want to keep any further. The messaging here is important but we've seen Murphy, Coons, Schatz and other senators make this case well.
We have to go on offense. There is a congressional recess next week and we have to get our elected D's out there with in-person town halls so that we get the media coverage. Have these town halls in red districts where the R won't show up and prove to everyone we have a plan and a backbone. Ken Martin talks all the time about showing people that D's have backbone and will fight for them. This is the time.
https://5calls.org/issue/march-town-hall-congressional-recess/
I agree. If you say something is a grave threat - and they are - you can't go along with them. You have to vote no then go out and explain to the people why you are doing it. Let me be clear about what I am trying to say. It is my understanding that the House bill contains poison pills that would basically let Musk do anything so the "they can't dissolve an agency without Congress" argument would be negated. You don't need to officially dissolve an agency. You can just allot zero dollars to it. If I'm misunderstanding this please someone correct me.
the time for Dems to fight started anew on Nov 6 2024 - I've had the pleasure of being in a professional environment working with women who grew up in Iran (me just being a naive Midwest-bred girl) - their instinct to proceed against misogynistic winds was a thing of beauty- they were sturdy, picked their battles, knew grace in victory and in defeat - & a knowing patience was their shield
I am removing this post due to Simon's objection to it. But I do think that Democrats should not be voting for the CR. And the lack of cohesion and unified action from Senate Democrats is why many of us feel they are too slow to respond to the Trump/Musk threat, while the irreparable damage grows daily.
I want to be clear that I am not endorsing this action, and I am not really appreciative of you directing towards other actions than what I am recommending, so aggressively. I am not certain that given the lack of preparation for this moment that we can win the PR battle if the government shuts down. And it is critical, vital, important for people here to appreciate and understand why it is the Senate may end up supporting the CR. DO NOT BECOME MINDLESS CRITICS of Democratic leaders or Dems in the Senate and House. These folks understand the game far better than most of us, and many have won in swing areas of the country something very few of us have done.
I have made my recommendations on what we should be doing today. All of you of course are free to do whatever you want. But coming on here and so aggressively directing people on here to do something that I have not recommended is a bit over the line.
Thank you, Simon
Really good point about them understanding the game better than we do. I will continue to contact mine (who I trust) with my concerns but will leave the CR strategy to them. One strong concern is trying to negotiate funding for Ukraine.
I don't think we need to shut down the government, which has received so many body blows of late, but we do need our representatives to remove some of the very creepy add-ons to the budget that the Republicans snuck in to give MAGA Musk/Trump more unchecked power. I don't understand all of the add-ons, so if someone out there can clarify them, that would be a big help.
I agree with Kari in the obvious lack of cohesion among Democrats and don't think she is a mindless critic. However, Trump is perfectly willing to destroy our republic and a shutdown would give him more power to do God knows what!! That's been a long term plot for the Tesla Boys I would surmise.
But, winning swing states doesn't ameliorate the weakness of democratic response. The lack of FEROCIOUS PPOSITION is still far to obvious.
Thank you Simon. You are the only grassroots leader saying this. Everyone else is pushing for us to call Senators and demand they vote NO. I haven't called and I am super interested in your analysis. It is all so complicated. Maybe tonight you can help. I am worried about the unchecked power that T & M are accumulating, especially over the purse strings.
My upvote for your revised post.
Per Jessica Craven, some DEM senators are leaning towards voting for the CR. Please check her list, if your senator is on it, please give them a call: https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/cwcw-addendum-5c7?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=362618&post_id=158933668&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=qyq0t&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
I find Jessica a good source for call scripts. AOC send one out today too - https://act.ocasiocortez.com/call/call-your-senators-20250312?source=em20250312-8328-D_ORG_RES_ORG&t=1&akid=8328%2E146014%2EtVK507
And if they are NOT on the list, call and THANK THEM.
Actually, I am not in favor of voting against the CR. The government closing down is not going to stop Trump and Musk from doing whatever hellish things they want to do. It is only going to tick off the general public, actually it would tick me off as well. Better to get amicus briefs to stall the elimination of the Education Dept, the elimination of jobs from the VA and SS. Better to fight the next funding bill that would be effective on October 1st.
Yes, but I will wait to see how they vote first!
I received this information this morning and wanted to share it. My area of expertise is in Public Health related to tobacco and nicotine issues but this floored me, and it takes a lot these days to do so. I've written and called Senator Cassidy's office in this regard. "It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focuses gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment. NIH is obligated to carefully steward grant awards to ensure taxpayer dollars are used in ways that benefit the American people and improve their quality of life. Your project does not satisfy these criteria."
Good grief. My father worked in Public Health for most of his career. He would have been appalled by all of this. These clowns want to take us back to the Dark Ages.
GREENLAND ELECTIONS
Yesterday, Greenland held parliamentary elections, with 31 seats in play. The results:
(Party Seats +/–)
– Democrats (Liberal Unionist) 10 +7
– Naleraq (Populist Nationalist) 8 +4
– Inuit Ataqatigiit (Far Left Nationalist) 7 -5
– Siumut (Social-Dem Nationalist) 4 -6
– Atassut (Conservative Unionist) 2 0
This means that the ruling coalition of Inuit Ataqatigiit + Naleraq is one seat short of a majority. The nationalists in principle still have 19 of 31 seats, but Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit have had a longstanding and fairly bitter rivalry, and Siumut has previously preferred the Democrats as a coalition partner.
[RainDog’s] guess is that you'll see a "stability" coalition of Democrats + Atassut + Siumut, and any independence referendum will be postponed until the more radical nationalists regain power in some future election.
Source: RainDog at The Downballot.
Obviously Trump's sabre rattling also influenced voters. The unionists had a very good night, no doubt in part because of desire for stability and the continued protection of Denmark. So, however, did the rather Trumpian Naleraq party, which has expressed openness towards dancing with the tiger, even though they reject annexation by the United States.
A notable feature of the results is that the two socialist / social democratic parties both suffered large losses. Since the parliament's creation in 1979, one or the other has been the largest party in parliament, with the other usually being the second largest. Now they have fallen to third and fourth place. This speaks, in my view, to the failure of Greenland's social model with increasing problems around homelessness (yes, in that climate) and cost of living, which were very much on voters' minds.
– RainDog
Simon, thanks. You are correct about all of this. But we are losing the PR war. Bigtime, in my estimation. What do you think about this summation from Rachel Bitecofer?
https://thecycle.substack.com/p/heres-why-democrats-cant-meet-this?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=7b2e&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
I have to think that of the 2.3mm votes that we lost the presidential by, there must be that may marginal Trump voters who have peeled off in the past theree months -- vets, farmers, federal employees, Hispanics, etc. -- that things are different today. And some of the 92 million who did not vote must be feeling a little remorse today.
Which is why I donated to the 3 special House races on my own. I already donate to your endorsed candidates and parties, but I can't help but think that we will outperform the 2:1 losses in those districts. We also need to demonstrate that we are willing to fight, fight, fight for every seat. Too much at stake not to. (Of course I don't know squat about winning a House race in a tough district. But Suozzi did it. And AOC beat a tough opponent in the primary. It can be done.)
Democrats are still losing out to Republicans in too many areas. (Cf. Navigator today)
We need to become The Reform Party.
https://navigatorresearch.org/perceptions-of-democrats-and-republicans-in-the-congressional-battleground/
Seth we are not losing the PR war. That's what the poll tells us. We have work to do and are not where we want to be but to look at this poll and then conclude we are losing is not accurate. And I do not agree that we can afford to expend our limited political capital on every fight. That is a recipe for getting beat, badly, and no war or battle is fought that way.
And I wrote an essay in the New Republic a year ago calling on the Dems to become a party of reform - https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/raising-our-game-building-the-next
I keep thinking about the narrative that somehow the problem is that Democrats don’t do a good job of messaging. While we should always strive to do better, I don’t see us as doing a bad job.
The problem is Republicans don’t want to hear it. MAGA is a cult. Democrats could go on right wing podcasts and say what we think they want to hear 24/7, and MAGA would not hear us. They have been told by their preachers that we are satanic, and by their leaders that we want to destroy America.
They play identity politics, and then when we say stop picking on marginalize populations, they accuse us of identity politics. They drive up the debt, destroy revenue, and give away trillions, and then accuse us of wanting to spend money we don’t have. They tell market-tested lies, and our uncomfortable truths understandably take longer to gain traction.
But real-world consequences can’t be wished away, and MAGA will have some tough choices.
The problem is not our PR, it is that media prefers the old familiar narratives, there are too many fascists, and we have an electorate that forgot (but is now remembering) that we have both the power and the responsibility here.
Totally agree- I'm also tired of hearing "the democrats need to stop focusing on identity in their messaging" when it's the REPUBLICANS who are the ones creating the messaging around what democrats message, only to have democrats continually complain about what's wrong with democratic "messaging." For example, the democrats didn't "hit hard on transgender and identity issues"- that's what the REPUBLICANS say we hit hard on, and then we rush to do their work for them by criticizing the party for being "too focused on transgender issues." It's maddening and needs to stop. And when it comes to "hitting hard on" identity issues, aren't the republicans the ones who have a total fixation on transgender people? It accounts for the bulk of their post content, when they aren't whining about various racial and gender grievances. And let's focus on the fact that what one might see as "irrelevant issues" like abortion and transgender rights, ARE economic issues that impact the working class. Transgender people are not all celebrities or online influencers, but folks working 9-5 like a lot of us. Or is it that some democrats are uncomfortable with the working class not just being white dudes with factory jobs who live in rust belt towns?
I know they won't go anywhere since Trump fired all the Federal prosecutors, but shouldn't someone be filing criminal referrals just to articulate the case(s) and create a news event? How about Articles of Impeachment? If these things get written down, won't they begin to acquire a life of their own and help build momentum?
Yes, that is the whole point of my first set of recommended calls to Congress.
We do not have the votes for impeachment at all. I commented on that problem. Only a simple majority is needed in the House as we did with trump 1.0. But, And impeachment needs a 2/3 Majority to convict in the Senate.
Simon and Hopioids,
Since you've been raising the need to get louder in communication, I wanted to flag the idea of Democrats holding town halls in every district every month:
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/03/07/lets-create-town-hall-night-in-america/
I think this is an excellent opportunity on multiple fronts:
1- It can help reach voters who have tuned out of the oversaturated online/cable national news environment.
2- It provides a constructive way for party base members to engage with state Democratic parties, and a great cause for our national donor base to rally around giving state parties the money and support they need to do this. Many of the state party leaders you've been lifting up are among the people I'd trust the most to make sure each district's town hall is organized and run in the right way for that district.
3- If we are disciplined about the way we run them, we can use them as listening sessions and "safe spaces" to hear from reachable Trump voters or non-voters. In many districts these are likely "disillusioned Democrats" who (for a variety of reasons) don't hear the party speaking to their everyday struggles.
4 - It gives us a way to show our support for participatory democracy in actions rather than words.
Would love to hear what you all think.
Eric
I just got a fundraising letter from Chuck Schumer asking me to fund the Senate Democrats for 2026. He says: "But let me be clear: With 47 seats, we cannot stop them." He's not listening to you Simon or his constituents. The Senate needs a new leader who has some fight left in him. We can't wait until 2026. These jokers may try to block 2026 elections.....
I received one of those emails and replied. He would not like reading what I stated in my reply. Then I unsubscribed. He's a relic. He needs to replaced ASAP.
Whenever I get an ask letter from anybody for a 2026 campaign I write them back and say they are being tone deaf and missing an opportunity to engage us as allies and not just atms. We are an army waiting to be put to work, not just a checkbook. The way I see it, it is just part of us helping to create a new order and inform our electeds what is now required o them.
Contacted my two (GA-Democratic) senators today to ask them to vote "No" on cloture and No on the CR. Thanked Senator Warnock's staff for the virtual town hall yesterday evening.
Yesterday, also contacted Senator Sanders' office and asked that he consider holding a rally in Pensacola -- FL-1 -- to support the special election there. (And then shift over to Daytona Beach in FL-6.)
Spring break is coming up and Canadians have stayed away from their usual haunts in Florida in droves.
Sent off a small donation to James Malone in the PA state senate race in Lancaster County on the 25th. This one should be interesting. Trump won the county ... but so did Governor Shapiro, narrowly. The PA senate is very narrowly divided so a Democratic win there will be big.
This is entirely "vibes" but we live in a vibeconomy, but I don't think Senate (and House) Democrats are understanding the amount of anger out there amongst rank-and-file Democratic voters (including progressives, liberals, leftists, etc. -- not including the "loony left")...
The anger is now becoming palpable; the vibe is shifting from "do they not understand" to "we will primary and vote folks out of office." The calls for a "Dem Tea Party" are growing and they're coming from "normie liberals" now. One reason I feel there's a substantial value to considering these "vibes" is that they're shifting from "one voice in the wilderness" to normal posts and channels that I never thought would be there.
CFO of a Public Company that I'm friends with: "I got called to donate last night and I told the caller that Senator [Redacted] can kiss my ass if [Redacted] votes Yes on the CR." This is a person who makes well in excess of $3MM a year.
Partners at Law Firms I know are FURIOUS. "I expect my representatives and senators to stand up for the rule of law." "We're drafting an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie." (As an aside, I normally handle pro bono work through WeTheAction and every posting is getting 10-15 support responses within minutes; I keep getting told that someone has already volunteered for everything!)
Will Stancil on Bsky: "Given the number of people who have already personally contacted me about potential primaries against blue state, safe-seat Dems entirely for their failure to be more stalwart in standing up to Trump, it feels like there’s a prospect of wholesale revolt against the party by September or so"
Many Americans use anger as a cover for fear. There's a heluva lot of fear out here. Trust and confidence in Trump as a "leader" keeps sinking.
IMO, what used to come out every week from the White House as a Saturday address from the president -- from FDR to Obama -- is a vacuum that Democratic leadership can and should take the initiative to fill. Especially during a shutdown. The Democrats have some incredibly good people, and we're certainly facing emergencies on a global scale.
You do realize that if Senators vote against the CR many thousands more will be out of work and others like essential workers, military,etc. will have to work and won't be paid. That will turn off potential supporters. They will just sit it out and say there is not a dimes worth of difference between the two political parties. And I wouldn't blame him. Demand amicus briefs against the government for specific wrongs would be the best move.
I'm focusing my anger on Congressional Republicans, who are nothing but a rubber stamp for Donald Trump. This is easy for me, because both MT Senators and my Congressional Representative are members of the DJT Appeasement Party. According to my calculation, we could avert more than $188 million in government waste and corruption just by firing all Republicans in Congress over the next four years. This savings would be without any loss in government efficiency as these people have abdicated all their power to the White House.