Third Parties have always been a fallacy. Our duopoly isn't perfect, but it's the only way to get a cohort into power. The Rs fire on all 6, while the Ds just 'try to get it right for all'. Noble, but a losing concept.
Fun(!) Fact: There is a 100 MILLION-strong voting bloc in this country. This bloc votes the SAME WAY in EVERY ELECTION. THEY DON'T VOTE. This is the bloc we must tap. Run on CHANGING THREE THINGS: Healthcare for All, Fair Economy, and Fair Taxes. MAKE SOME PROMISES. Convince the voters it is in their best interest to vote for us.
Power and Money. Power and Money. I wish it could be described as nonsensical, but the other side has -always- had a plan to use our system against itself. 'Sleepwalking to Autocracy' comes to mind.. 'we' always thought the systems would hold.
Yep. It can always get worse. So we fight to slow it down and build back better if we can. Your article captured it all. Lots to keep an eye, but lets keep a steady eye on our schools, colleges and universities. Thanks, Kristoffer. Take care.
Thank you so much, Maxine. I really appreciate you reading—and you’re absolutely right: it can always get worse, which is why vigilance matters just as much as resistance. And yes, keeping a close eye on what’s happening in our schools and universities is critical right now. So many of the current attacks are designed to reshape the next generation’s understanding of truth, power, and justice. Thank you for being part of the fight to slow it all down and rebuild something better. Stay steady—and take care.
Lying Propaganda Cheeto Says Lots of Money “Coming In”
The deceitful Orange Cheeto says money is coming in from his “great tariff war”
But no money is “coming in” The money is coming out of American taxpayer pockets who are being doubly taxed The IRS gets their cut and then Cheeto’s imposed tariff tax levied by his Nazi regime is getting another cut
Meanwhile his asinine tariff policy is doing nothing for inflation So not only is Cheeto raising our taxes but is raising the cost of living for the middle class while his oligarchic friends are getting tax breaks to the tune of millions
So Cheeto is conning the American electorate Protest Protest Protest and form coalitions with neighbors friends relatives family Join Indivisible.org and make your voice heard in order to organize the resistance movement Aug13 join One Million Rising put together by Indivisible to help organize the movement Once coalitions are formed then WE the People can begin to boycott companies across the country to demand that oligarchs do not run this country
Dr. Dean, you went in—and I’m here for every word of it.
You’re absolutely right to call out the lie behind Trump’s so-called “great tariff war.” The reality is exactly what you said: no money is coming in. Tariffs are taxes paid by us, not by foreign countries. Every time that talking point gets recycled by his echo chamber, it’s just another layer of economic gaslighting. American consumers are footing the bill while Trump brags about imaginary revenue.
And you nailed the bigger picture—tariffs aren’t curbing inflation; they’re compounding it. While middle- and working-class families see higher prices for everyday goods, the ultra-rich—the ones writing checks to Trump and flying on private jets to fundraisers—are pocketing millions in tax breaks. It’s not just a bad policy—it’s a redistribution scheme. Upward.
Your call for organized resistance is exactly what this moment demands. Indivisible, One Million Rising, local coalitions—whatever banner people want to march under, the point is to show up. Not just online, but with neighbors, coworkers, church groups, and union halls. Because if we don’t link arms and push back, the oligarchs and opportunists will keep running the show.
Thank you for this comment, for keeping your foot on the gas, and for reminding people that silence is complicity. You’re absolutely right: it’s time to protest, push, and organize like our democracy depends on it—because it does.
This is a great article. “It can’t get any worse.” People. Sheesh. Don’t ever say that. We’re living inside a cartoon. Even Wile E. Coyote knows an ACME anvil can drop out of the sky at any moment. And it probably will. “We are a two-party system in multiparty drag.” Well... let’s burn it all to the ground and start over. Or something like that. Since the GOP has become Guardians of Pedophiles (I’m sorry, Mr. Lincoln), let’s start there. Burn the mutherfuckers to the ground. The unimaginable has happened and will continue to happen. The people “protecting the children” in wombs just want new victims. The dumbest, most flagrantly vile creatures are stinking up the White House, prowling on the rooftop, and committing new crimes at breakneck speed. Give no quarter and drop every anvil available. Beep-Beep!
Thank you, Sharon. You absolutely nailed the tone here—ACME anvils and all. And yes, I’m constantly having to tell people to pump the brakes when they casually say, “Well, it can’t get any worse.” It can—and it usually does. We’re not living in a safe narrative arc. We’re living in a Looney Tunes blender where the villains keep respawning with better funding.
You brought up something that ties directly back to what I was getting at in the article: normalcy bias isn’t about things being good—it’s about things being predictable. It’s the false comfort of believing that dysfunction will stay within the guardrails we’re used to. People assume that because things “suck in familiar ways,” they’ll stay that way. But history shows us that familiar bad can always evolve into unimaginable worse, especially when authoritarianism and propaganda work in tandem.
You also made a brutal but necessary point about the hypocrisy of the so-called “protect the children” crowd. The same people claiming moral superiority are the ones enabling harm, normalizing cruelty, and accelerating chaos. It’s not hyperbole—it’s pattern recognition.
I appreciate your passion, your metaphorical Wile E. Coyote flair, and the honesty in every line. Grateful you took the time to engage with this one.
Kristoffer: In all seriousness, this chapter of American life titled “The One With The Pedophile President”, is almost unbearable. The Lincoln Project, and especially The Rick Wilson, inspire me to carry on. My granddaughter was 7-years old when she was left with a 13-year old who abused her — and his own sister. My daughter, who now works for Child Protective Services, wrote about it on Substack (@Just_Carole). I’m old, sad, and tired, but I am considering starting a girl gang. Three hots and a cot may be a good deal when Trump takes away my Social Security, my only personal income. I’m kidding about the girl gang. Probably. Maybe. Probably. In August 2004, a group of 200-400 women stabbed the perpetrator of serial SA to death in a fancy courthouse in Nagour, India.
Sharon, thank you again—truly—for being so open and raw in this space. I know how heavy that story must be to carry, and the fact that you not only shared it, but did so with such clarity and fire, speaks volumes about your resilience.
Your granddaughter’s experience is heartbreaking, and I can’t even begin to imagine the strength it took for your daughter to channel that trauma into a career with Child Protective Services. That kind of generational grit doesn’t happen by accident. It’s earned—through pain, perseverance, and purpose. I see that in every word you wrote.
And yes, you’re absolutely right—this chapter of American life is unbearable. That’s not hyperbole. It’s not dramatic. It’s just accurate. And I deeply respect that The Lincoln Project, and Rick Wilson in particular, have helped keep your fire lit. Honestly, they’ve done the same for a lot of people—including me. When the gaslighting feels endless and the cruelty feels systemic, it matters to know someone with a platform is still calling it out.
Now that article you shared? I read the whole thing. What those women did in Kasturba Nagar shook me—in the best possible way. They were ignored, terrorized, and abused for over a decade. The system failed them over and over again. And when justice didn’t come, they became justice. I keep thinking about Usha Narayane standing in her home with a gas cylinder and a match, ready to go up in flames if it meant drawing a line. That’s not just bravery. That’s revolutionary defiance. And what followed—hundreds of women taking down a known predator who had the protection of the police—wasn’t mob violence. It was a final act of collective self-defense after the law abandoned them.
And that ties right back to the theme of the piece: people think it can’t get worse because things still feel vaguely recognizable. But normalcy bias doesn’t mean things feel good. Sometimes it just means they still suck in familiar ways. It lulls people into forgetting that even familiar dysfunction can collapse into something far worse—and that’s when the Wile E. Coyote anvil really drops.
Your voice is powerful, Sharon. Your pain is real. And your humor in the face of it all? Legendary. You’re not alone. You’re not invisible. And you damn sure aren’t done. So if this all falls apart and you do start that girl gang? I’ll be the first in line to write your manifesto.
Another well written article by Professor Ealy. Like many white folks, I thought we had turned a major page in America when Mr. Obama became our President- he is just so talented, I was sure that everyone noticed that, and hoped that racism was beginning to die out. Pie in the sky. It is so true that his talent meant nothing to many, this wasn't their version of America. Then came Trump, Charlottesville, George Floyd. Now the biggest grifter in the world, who openly takes bribes ands sells people snake oil, is accusing the very talented and fearless, yet still caring ,Kamala Harris of paying Beyonce and Oprah et al ( also talented and fearless and hugely successful et al) to campaign for her. The fact that Trump so easily and openly plays the race card is appalling to say the least.
Thank you so much for this, Trupup. I truly appreciate you reading and reflecting so deeply.
You’re right—many of us did believe we were turning a page with Obama’s election. His intelligence, charisma, and grace seemed undeniable. But as you pointed out, for far too many, none of that mattered. His presidency didn’t mark the end of racism—it exposed how deeply some people resented the very idea of Black excellence in leadership.
And now we’re watching those same forces double down. Trump—the man who sells snake oil, as you perfectly put it—is trying to discredit people like Beyoncé, Oprah, and Kamala Harris not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because they represent everything he and his base fear: talent, visibility, and power that doesn’t come from whiteness.
It’s telling that the MAGA playbook still relies on demonizing Black success to distract from real scandals like the Epstein files. And it’s even more appalling how comfortably he reaches for that tired “race card” narrative while accusing others of playing it.
I’m grateful for your engagement and your honesty. Thank you for standing in truth—and for supporting this work.
Thank you for that disturbing description of republicans playing dirty and dems playing patty cake politics. Strongly worded letters from Chuck Schumer aren't going to move the political needle at all. In fact it is an embarrassing, weak, feeble approach to the fight before us. As republicans destroy democracy, ignore the rule of law and piss on the constitution, dems are retreating into policy paper discussions, arguing about how much to fight back since they don't want to alienate anyone. I am glad to see some dem state govs getting into the brawl with TX and its redistricting plans. Seeing Schumer stop trump appointees with senate rules is also encouraging.
If a team fails to show up for a contest, the team that does show up wins by default. All too many times republicans win by default because dems don't show up with any type of resonating message. Dems need to continually push the trumpstein affair. Ask the tough questions and demand release of the trumpstein maxwell files. If dems drop the ball on this slam duk, then we can kiss democracy goodbye, at least for the foreseeable future.
Tyranny of the minority is alive and well because dems were politically dead and sickly. As the minority controls the presidency, the house, senate, scotus and most state legislatures, they entrench that tyranny by rigging the rules in their favor. With any luck, magas suffer enough financially to see they have been conned for 40 years. They may stop fearing minorities, trans, and chemtrials and start fearing where they will get healthcare, anither job and affordable food. Maybe if that situation is painful enough, the trump maga flatliners might actually see a spark of brainwave activity. Hopefully it isn't too late in the road to fascism before they awake.
Thank you, MPT, for such a passionate and thorough response. You hit on several truths that too many are afraid to say plainly.
You’re absolutely right that Chuck Schumer’s strongly worded letters—and frankly the broader Democratic tendency toward tepid institutionalism—aren’t moving the political needle in this moment. As Republicans dismantle norms, cheat openly, and deflect with absurd cultural attacks, too many Democrats retreat into white papers and polite posture. Your point about Dems arguing over “how much to fight back” while the other side sets fire to democracy is painfully accurate.
I also agree that it’s encouraging to see some pushback from Democratic state leaders—especially on redistricting and judicial appointments—but it’s too little compared to the full-court press we need. The MAGA machine is relentless, and “showing up” with policy talk won’t cut it in a contest where the other side is willing to burn the rulebook.
You nailed the most important point: if a team doesn’t show up for the contest, the team that does wins by default. The right wins because it’s shameless. The left loses because it’s afraid of being called radical. We should be flooding the media with demands: release the Trumpstein-Maxwell files, investigate the Epstein cover-up, force the GOP to answer questions they’re desperate to bury. If Dems drop that ball, it’s malpractice.
Your last paragraph was fire. Tyranny of the minority is exactly what we’re living under, and it’s being engineered right in front of us. The MAGA base may be shrinking in size, but it’s increasing in influence because of rigged maps, gerrymandered legislatures, and a Supreme Court that now operates as a partisan force. And yes, if enough people feel the pain—economic, social, existential—they may snap out of their Fox News hypnosis. But if we keep letting them deflect and scapegoat, they’ll never even look up.
Thank you again for reading and for raising the bar with your comment. You reminded me why I write these pieces in the first place.
Thank you for replying to my comment. I appreciate your expanded and forceful thoughts on the matters mentioned. Being a democrat for my entire adult life, although I did vote for a couple NY republicans in the 1990s when republicans could be considered near 'noral.; I am embarrassed by the democrats response to the Gingrich, fox news, tea party, trump and maga assault on decency, the facts, the truth, science, education, civil rights, voting rights, labor rights, and LGBTQ and women's rights, not to mention, democracy. I recall in 2024 when Harris / walz toook the offense for a couple days and called trump and maga weirdos. Maybe alittle juvenile but it hit home and GOP was on their heels. Then it seems, corporate dems got in their heads and said 'let's stop with this offensive stratefy. We need to be more professional and not offend anyone.' Result? A trifecta loss.
I was chatting with my wife, who has similar thoughts about weak, feckless dems, that if there were two dragons in the yard, which one would you pay attention to? The dragon who spits fire or the one who just spits? GOP is the dragon that spits fire, while dems spit bubbles. Let me just say that the fire breathing dragon would get my attention.
When did dems make their biggest impact in people's lives? I would say that inmodern times, FDR and LBJ did the most good, excluding some wartime FDR actions and the tragedy of Vietnam. Both FDR and LBJ were fighters on the right side of history and the people. Wishy washy, squeamish dems aince have done some good but not all they could.
Pritzker is a fighter, Newsom is waking up, and Moore and Hochel are seeing the light. Dems have a decent bench, but unless they fight for a starting spot, they will remain bench players in the GOP game of cruelty, deciet, and deception. Besides leading every media interview with a trumpstein maxwell statement, dems need tojust plainly say, isn't it time to stop feeding the wealthy and starving the poor, working class, and middle class?
I could go on, since the stakes are so high. Thank you again for your thoughts, ideas, and passion for democracy. I look forward to your next price.
Third Parties have always been a fallacy. Our duopoly isn't perfect, but it's the only way to get a cohort into power. The Rs fire on all 6, while the Ds just 'try to get it right for all'. Noble, but a losing concept.
Fun(!) Fact: There is a 100 MILLION-strong voting bloc in this country. This bloc votes the SAME WAY in EVERY ELECTION. THEY DON'T VOTE. This is the bloc we must tap. Run on CHANGING THREE THINGS: Healthcare for All, Fair Economy, and Fair Taxes. MAKE SOME PROMISES. Convince the voters it is in their best interest to vote for us.
Power and Money. Power and Money. I wish it could be described as nonsensical, but the other side has -always- had a plan to use our system against itself. 'Sleepwalking to Autocracy' comes to mind.. 'we' always thought the systems would hold.
Yep. It can always get worse. So we fight to slow it down and build back better if we can. Your article captured it all. Lots to keep an eye, but lets keep a steady eye on our schools, colleges and universities. Thanks, Kristoffer. Take care.
Thank you so much, Maxine. I really appreciate you reading—and you’re absolutely right: it can always get worse, which is why vigilance matters just as much as resistance. And yes, keeping a close eye on what’s happening in our schools and universities is critical right now. So many of the current attacks are designed to reshape the next generation’s understanding of truth, power, and justice. Thank you for being part of the fight to slow it all down and rebuild something better. Stay steady—and take care.
Lying Propaganda Cheeto Says Lots of Money “Coming In”
The deceitful Orange Cheeto says money is coming in from his “great tariff war”
But no money is “coming in” The money is coming out of American taxpayer pockets who are being doubly taxed The IRS gets their cut and then Cheeto’s imposed tariff tax levied by his Nazi regime is getting another cut
Meanwhile his asinine tariff policy is doing nothing for inflation So not only is Cheeto raising our taxes but is raising the cost of living for the middle class while his oligarchic friends are getting tax breaks to the tune of millions
So Cheeto is conning the American electorate Protest Protest Protest and form coalitions with neighbors friends relatives family Join Indivisible.org and make your voice heard in order to organize the resistance movement Aug13 join One Million Rising put together by Indivisible to help organize the movement Once coalitions are formed then WE the People can begin to boycott companies across the country to demand that oligarchs do not run this country
Dr. Dean, you went in—and I’m here for every word of it.
You’re absolutely right to call out the lie behind Trump’s so-called “great tariff war.” The reality is exactly what you said: no money is coming in. Tariffs are taxes paid by us, not by foreign countries. Every time that talking point gets recycled by his echo chamber, it’s just another layer of economic gaslighting. American consumers are footing the bill while Trump brags about imaginary revenue.
And you nailed the bigger picture—tariffs aren’t curbing inflation; they’re compounding it. While middle- and working-class families see higher prices for everyday goods, the ultra-rich—the ones writing checks to Trump and flying on private jets to fundraisers—are pocketing millions in tax breaks. It’s not just a bad policy—it’s a redistribution scheme. Upward.
Your call for organized resistance is exactly what this moment demands. Indivisible, One Million Rising, local coalitions—whatever banner people want to march under, the point is to show up. Not just online, but with neighbors, coworkers, church groups, and union halls. Because if we don’t link arms and push back, the oligarchs and opportunists will keep running the show.
Thank you for this comment, for keeping your foot on the gas, and for reminding people that silence is complicity. You’re absolutely right: it’s time to protest, push, and organize like our democracy depends on it—because it does.
Thanks Kristoffer.....your comments are so spot on
This is a great article. “It can’t get any worse.” People. Sheesh. Don’t ever say that. We’re living inside a cartoon. Even Wile E. Coyote knows an ACME anvil can drop out of the sky at any moment. And it probably will. “We are a two-party system in multiparty drag.” Well... let’s burn it all to the ground and start over. Or something like that. Since the GOP has become Guardians of Pedophiles (I’m sorry, Mr. Lincoln), let’s start there. Burn the mutherfuckers to the ground. The unimaginable has happened and will continue to happen. The people “protecting the children” in wombs just want new victims. The dumbest, most flagrantly vile creatures are stinking up the White House, prowling on the rooftop, and committing new crimes at breakneck speed. Give no quarter and drop every anvil available. Beep-Beep!
Thank you, Sharon. You absolutely nailed the tone here—ACME anvils and all. And yes, I’m constantly having to tell people to pump the brakes when they casually say, “Well, it can’t get any worse.” It can—and it usually does. We’re not living in a safe narrative arc. We’re living in a Looney Tunes blender where the villains keep respawning with better funding.
You brought up something that ties directly back to what I was getting at in the article: normalcy bias isn’t about things being good—it’s about things being predictable. It’s the false comfort of believing that dysfunction will stay within the guardrails we’re used to. People assume that because things “suck in familiar ways,” they’ll stay that way. But history shows us that familiar bad can always evolve into unimaginable worse, especially when authoritarianism and propaganda work in tandem.
You also made a brutal but necessary point about the hypocrisy of the so-called “protect the children” crowd. The same people claiming moral superiority are the ones enabling harm, normalizing cruelty, and accelerating chaos. It’s not hyperbole—it’s pattern recognition.
I appreciate your passion, your metaphorical Wile E. Coyote flair, and the honesty in every line. Grateful you took the time to engage with this one.
Kristoffer: In all seriousness, this chapter of American life titled “The One With The Pedophile President”, is almost unbearable. The Lincoln Project, and especially The Rick Wilson, inspire me to carry on. My granddaughter was 7-years old when she was left with a 13-year old who abused her — and his own sister. My daughter, who now works for Child Protective Services, wrote about it on Substack (@Just_Carole). I’m old, sad, and tired, but I am considering starting a girl gang. Three hots and a cot may be a good deal when Trump takes away my Social Security, my only personal income. I’m kidding about the girl gang. Probably. Maybe. Probably. In August 2004, a group of 200-400 women stabbed the perpetrator of serial SA to death in a fancy courthouse in Nagour, India.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/spark-bravery-how-indian-women-ended-serial-rapists-reign-terror-1723838.
Sharon, thank you again—truly—for being so open and raw in this space. I know how heavy that story must be to carry, and the fact that you not only shared it, but did so with such clarity and fire, speaks volumes about your resilience.
Your granddaughter’s experience is heartbreaking, and I can’t even begin to imagine the strength it took for your daughter to channel that trauma into a career with Child Protective Services. That kind of generational grit doesn’t happen by accident. It’s earned—through pain, perseverance, and purpose. I see that in every word you wrote.
And yes, you’re absolutely right—this chapter of American life is unbearable. That’s not hyperbole. It’s not dramatic. It’s just accurate. And I deeply respect that The Lincoln Project, and Rick Wilson in particular, have helped keep your fire lit. Honestly, they’ve done the same for a lot of people—including me. When the gaslighting feels endless and the cruelty feels systemic, it matters to know someone with a platform is still calling it out.
Now that article you shared? I read the whole thing. What those women did in Kasturba Nagar shook me—in the best possible way. They were ignored, terrorized, and abused for over a decade. The system failed them over and over again. And when justice didn’t come, they became justice. I keep thinking about Usha Narayane standing in her home with a gas cylinder and a match, ready to go up in flames if it meant drawing a line. That’s not just bravery. That’s revolutionary defiance. And what followed—hundreds of women taking down a known predator who had the protection of the police—wasn’t mob violence. It was a final act of collective self-defense after the law abandoned them.
And that ties right back to the theme of the piece: people think it can’t get worse because things still feel vaguely recognizable. But normalcy bias doesn’t mean things feel good. Sometimes it just means they still suck in familiar ways. It lulls people into forgetting that even familiar dysfunction can collapse into something far worse—and that’s when the Wile E. Coyote anvil really drops.
Your voice is powerful, Sharon. Your pain is real. And your humor in the face of it all? Legendary. You’re not alone. You’re not invisible. And you damn sure aren’t done. So if this all falls apart and you do start that girl gang? I’ll be the first in line to write your manifesto.
Another well written article by Professor Ealy. Like many white folks, I thought we had turned a major page in America when Mr. Obama became our President- he is just so talented, I was sure that everyone noticed that, and hoped that racism was beginning to die out. Pie in the sky. It is so true that his talent meant nothing to many, this wasn't their version of America. Then came Trump, Charlottesville, George Floyd. Now the biggest grifter in the world, who openly takes bribes ands sells people snake oil, is accusing the very talented and fearless, yet still caring ,Kamala Harris of paying Beyonce and Oprah et al ( also talented and fearless and hugely successful et al) to campaign for her. The fact that Trump so easily and openly plays the race card is appalling to say the least.
Thank you so much for this, Trupup. I truly appreciate you reading and reflecting so deeply.
You’re right—many of us did believe we were turning a page with Obama’s election. His intelligence, charisma, and grace seemed undeniable. But as you pointed out, for far too many, none of that mattered. His presidency didn’t mark the end of racism—it exposed how deeply some people resented the very idea of Black excellence in leadership.
And now we’re watching those same forces double down. Trump—the man who sells snake oil, as you perfectly put it—is trying to discredit people like Beyoncé, Oprah, and Kamala Harris not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because they represent everything he and his base fear: talent, visibility, and power that doesn’t come from whiteness.
It’s telling that the MAGA playbook still relies on demonizing Black success to distract from real scandals like the Epstein files. And it’s even more appalling how comfortably he reaches for that tired “race card” narrative while accusing others of playing it.
I’m grateful for your engagement and your honesty. Thank you for standing in truth—and for supporting this work.
Thank you for that disturbing description of republicans playing dirty and dems playing patty cake politics. Strongly worded letters from Chuck Schumer aren't going to move the political needle at all. In fact it is an embarrassing, weak, feeble approach to the fight before us. As republicans destroy democracy, ignore the rule of law and piss on the constitution, dems are retreating into policy paper discussions, arguing about how much to fight back since they don't want to alienate anyone. I am glad to see some dem state govs getting into the brawl with TX and its redistricting plans. Seeing Schumer stop trump appointees with senate rules is also encouraging.
If a team fails to show up for a contest, the team that does show up wins by default. All too many times republicans win by default because dems don't show up with any type of resonating message. Dems need to continually push the trumpstein affair. Ask the tough questions and demand release of the trumpstein maxwell files. If dems drop the ball on this slam duk, then we can kiss democracy goodbye, at least for the foreseeable future.
Tyranny of the minority is alive and well because dems were politically dead and sickly. As the minority controls the presidency, the house, senate, scotus and most state legislatures, they entrench that tyranny by rigging the rules in their favor. With any luck, magas suffer enough financially to see they have been conned for 40 years. They may stop fearing minorities, trans, and chemtrials and start fearing where they will get healthcare, anither job and affordable food. Maybe if that situation is painful enough, the trump maga flatliners might actually see a spark of brainwave activity. Hopefully it isn't too late in the road to fascism before they awake.
Thank you, MPT, for such a passionate and thorough response. You hit on several truths that too many are afraid to say plainly.
You’re absolutely right that Chuck Schumer’s strongly worded letters—and frankly the broader Democratic tendency toward tepid institutionalism—aren’t moving the political needle in this moment. As Republicans dismantle norms, cheat openly, and deflect with absurd cultural attacks, too many Democrats retreat into white papers and polite posture. Your point about Dems arguing over “how much to fight back” while the other side sets fire to democracy is painfully accurate.
I also agree that it’s encouraging to see some pushback from Democratic state leaders—especially on redistricting and judicial appointments—but it’s too little compared to the full-court press we need. The MAGA machine is relentless, and “showing up” with policy talk won’t cut it in a contest where the other side is willing to burn the rulebook.
You nailed the most important point: if a team doesn’t show up for the contest, the team that does wins by default. The right wins because it’s shameless. The left loses because it’s afraid of being called radical. We should be flooding the media with demands: release the Trumpstein-Maxwell files, investigate the Epstein cover-up, force the GOP to answer questions they’re desperate to bury. If Dems drop that ball, it’s malpractice.
Your last paragraph was fire. Tyranny of the minority is exactly what we’re living under, and it’s being engineered right in front of us. The MAGA base may be shrinking in size, but it’s increasing in influence because of rigged maps, gerrymandered legislatures, and a Supreme Court that now operates as a partisan force. And yes, if enough people feel the pain—economic, social, existential—they may snap out of their Fox News hypnosis. But if we keep letting them deflect and scapegoat, they’ll never even look up.
Thank you again for reading and for raising the bar with your comment. You reminded me why I write these pieces in the first place.
Thank you for replying to my comment. I appreciate your expanded and forceful thoughts on the matters mentioned. Being a democrat for my entire adult life, although I did vote for a couple NY republicans in the 1990s when republicans could be considered near 'noral.; I am embarrassed by the democrats response to the Gingrich, fox news, tea party, trump and maga assault on decency, the facts, the truth, science, education, civil rights, voting rights, labor rights, and LGBTQ and women's rights, not to mention, democracy. I recall in 2024 when Harris / walz toook the offense for a couple days and called trump and maga weirdos. Maybe alittle juvenile but it hit home and GOP was on their heels. Then it seems, corporate dems got in their heads and said 'let's stop with this offensive stratefy. We need to be more professional and not offend anyone.' Result? A trifecta loss.
I was chatting with my wife, who has similar thoughts about weak, feckless dems, that if there were two dragons in the yard, which one would you pay attention to? The dragon who spits fire or the one who just spits? GOP is the dragon that spits fire, while dems spit bubbles. Let me just say that the fire breathing dragon would get my attention.
When did dems make their biggest impact in people's lives? I would say that inmodern times, FDR and LBJ did the most good, excluding some wartime FDR actions and the tragedy of Vietnam. Both FDR and LBJ were fighters on the right side of history and the people. Wishy washy, squeamish dems aince have done some good but not all they could.
Pritzker is a fighter, Newsom is waking up, and Moore and Hochel are seeing the light. Dems have a decent bench, but unless they fight for a starting spot, they will remain bench players in the GOP game of cruelty, deciet, and deception. Besides leading every media interview with a trumpstein maxwell statement, dems need tojust plainly say, isn't it time to stop feeding the wealthy and starving the poor, working class, and middle class?
I could go on, since the stakes are so high. Thank you again for your thoughts, ideas, and passion for democracy. I look forward to your next price.