One of the great pieces of advice for handing authoritarian regimes is to keep track of how things currently are and what you currently think is ok and not ok. Authoritarian regimes move things slowly, so we start to get used to bad things a little at a time and then we don’t realize that we are allowing bad things to happen that we wouldn’t have let happen otherwise. Things become normalized.
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The reason this normalization happens is that our memories are bad. Terrible, really. Decades of psychological research have show that human memories are spotty, inaccurate, and generally awful. Ironically though, we think we have good memories.
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So we have this weird situation where we think we remember how things used to be and what we used to think but, really, we are projecting our current reality back.
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This is why people say to keep track of what you believe in authoritarian times — why they say to write it down. So that months from now you don’t forget that you once said that you would always — for example — protect trans folks and immigrants. You think you will remember. You think you will be consistent. But your best guess for what you USED to think is what you think right now. So if you get used to things being bad you won’t remember that you used to believe that you would fight against that.
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Well my friends, this memory issue also happens in the other direction. People are so confident that we have no power against Trump. People are so confident that we can’t do anything. I can’t tell you the number of times I have read, in the last few weeks, about how Trump is playing three dimensional chess and how we are playing checkers. About how senators will never stand up to him. About how the resistance is no longer effective.
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IT IS ALL WRONG
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As I will point out below, we have ALREADY seen how we can make a difference. We have already seen (twice!) that senators are not just going to give trump everything that he wants. We have already seen how our activism can work. We have evidence.
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But the annoying part, is that, instead of people changing their minds, and gaining confidence that we CAN make a difference, that everything ISN’T lost… instead of that some people will forget that they ever thought that we could not win those particular battles and will continue to believe that all is hopeless.
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We need to stop with that defeatist thinking. Yes, this sucks. Yes, he sucks. Yes, there will be things we won’t be able to fight.
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But we are strong! We have already won important battles! We will win more!
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Last week I told people to take their time in coming back to us. Today, I am doing some yelling.
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Ready?
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OK people, get out from under your beds, put on your big girl undies, and let’s do this thing!
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You can do this! We can do this!
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Yes, this sucks. Yes, he sucks. But we are stronger than this. We have power. We have the ability to protect our fellow Americans. There will be damage but WE CAN MINIMIZE IT.
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Stop your dooming. Stop your panicking about hypotheticals. Stop it.
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He won. It fucking sucks. But it is the reality. You can “not my president” all you want, but he is going to be the fucking president.
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The good news is that he, and those who surround him, are not playing 3d chess. They are morons. Did you forget, from last time, how stupid they are? Did you forget how many times we stopped them? Did you forget all the special elections and the midterm that we won?
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And they are even dumber now.
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Are you really going to let this failed game show host destroy your life? Him and his band of idiots? C’mon.
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Get back in the fight!!! We have people to protect. If you are not trans or an immigrant or someone else on the frontlines of their mean spirited crusade, then you need to suck it up and join the rest of us in this fight to protect the people who need protection.
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If you are on the front lines of their hate, please know that we are here for you!! We are not going to let these mean spirited morons change that. We are not going to hide under our safe beds and not help you. We are with you because we love you and support you. Because you are one of us. Because we are all in this together. And also because we recognize that the pathetic hate brigade does not stop with its early targets. It keeps rolling until everyone suffers. We are all in this together and we don’t give up! You are not alone.
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And please, I can already read all the “you are underestimating how bad he is!” “your head is in the sand!” “you are selling hopium while everything burns” comments.
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And to you I say: what the hell are you doing? Spreading doom and fear in a comment section? Who are you helping? How are you making anything better? Do you feel better? Are you making others feel better? Are you actually helping? If not, then, respectfully, shut the fuck up.
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If my head was in the sand, I would not be here, ranting to you about how much we have to do and how able we are to do it. I’d be off somewhere relaxing.
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I know the stakes. I know what we are up against.
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But I also know who we are. I know what we can do. I trust in us. I’ve seen us fight. I've seen us support one another.
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I know we can do it.
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So join us.
What can you do?
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First, take care of yourself. Do things you love. Don’t let those assholes take your life from you. The things you loved to do before the election are still things you love to do. DO THEM. Even if you don’t want to at first. You will be surprised at how much better it makes you feel.
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Second, let go of the things you cannot change. When people want to worry me with things that are totally out of my control, I acknowledge that it is worrying. Then I remind myself that there are people out there with much more expertise than I have who are working to help with those things and that me perseverating on them does zero. I may donate to those people or see if I can make a call to elected officials, but beyond that, I let go of it. No good at all comes from me sitting in a corner panicking. So I let it go. It takes practice, but you can do it too. Do what you can to help, and then move on. It is bad enough he will live in the White House, do not let him live in your mind.
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Third, support the people who ARE going to be able to do things. I have been sending donations to organizations that are fighting for things I care about like Democracy Docket and the ACLU. Find an organization that has the ability to do stuff you believe in and donate to them or, even better, join them and/or volunteer for them.
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Fourth, fascism thrives on fear and isolation and despair. Fight that. After the election, I sent texts to people I loved and told them all I loved them. They might think I am a little nutty, but they already knew that. I started a Facebook private group with about 100 folks who share daily gratitude (for things like water and warm blankets and the Buffalo Bills) and that really helps me feel connected and happy. We are a social species — reach out to others in whatever way works for you. Spread love.
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Fifth, find a local group of like-minded people to connect with in person (or online if that is all that works for you). You may find it at your local democratic headquarters or an indivisible group. Maybe an environmental group or a human rights group. Connecting locally means you can really make a difference and you will feel so much less alone.
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Sixth, limit your news consumption. You don’t need to be reading the news all day. You can keep up on things much more quickly than that. Staying informed does not mean bathing in the news.
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Seven, engage in small acts of resistance: Resistance doesn’t always have to be grand or overt. Small acts—such as supporting independent media, sharing truthful information, using art to critique power, or preserving banned cultural practices—can weaken autocratic power and inspire others to act.
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Eight, reclaim cultural and intellectual life: Art, music, literature, and other creative outlets are ways to keep the spirit of an enlightened society alive. People can preserve and celebrate their cultural heritage, promoting values that encourage openness, curiosity, and human connection. This can be a way of reclaiming humanity, even when a society is under stress.
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Nineth, Don’t Succumb to Cynicism or Distrust: Autocrats thrive when people lose faith in each other or in the possibility of positive change. Maintaining belief in humanity and trust, even cautiously, can preserve the morale and social cohesion that autocrats aim to dismantle.
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Tenth, reach out to vulnerable people you know and see what you can do to help them. Let them know they are not alone. If you are scared for yourself, ask for help. You may be shocked at how many people want to help and just don’t know how.
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Myth Destroyed — The Senate Will Give Trump All He Wants
I had an argument with someone right after the election when I expressed the tiniest bit of optimism that the senate might, occasionally, not give trump all he wants. They laughed at my for being naive and said that they would elect the leader that trump asked for (Rick Scott) and allow Trump recess appointments so he could get every asshole into the cabinet that he wanted.
Well, they not only didn’t pick Scott but he didn’t even make it past the first round. Instead they picked someone Democrats respect (even if they don’t agree with him on policy) who is asserting that he will keep the filibuster rule (which gives the minority a lot of power) and is, clearly, not planning to allow recess appointments.
And we know that because in less than one Scaramucci, they already lost their awful pick for AG
According to Jonathan Karl of ABC News, Trump’s loyalists have tried to shore up support for his nominees in the Senate by threatening the Republican senators: "If you are on the wrong side of the vote, you’re buying yourself a primary. That is all. And there’s a guy named Elon Musk who is going to finance it.”
That threat is a direct assault on the Constitution, which gives to the Senate the power to advise the president on senior appointments and requires their consent to a president’s choices, and one that also hands the U.S. government over to an international billionaire. Forcing a leader’s political party to get into line behind that leader is the first task of an authoritarian, who needs that unified support in order to attack political opponents.
But, so far, the threat hasn’t worked: it could not save Gaetz in the face of public outcry.
more on this
This comes right after a Trump advisor told ABC that any Republican Senator who votes against Gaetz because they think he’s unqualified and unfit is “buying yourself a primary. That is all. And there’s a guy named Elon Musk who is going to finance it.” Threats, intimidation, fear - the MAGA brand. Didn’t work this time as Gaetz flamed out after two weeks.
Gaetz also announced later tonight that he will not seek to get his seat back and his resignation from Congress is permanent.
Trump wasted no time in naming Gaetz’s replacement - FL AG Pam Bondi. She will get confirmed. She’s a full-MAGA Trump cultist with some shady stuff in her history and will be exceptionally annoying at times. But she isn’t as bad as Gaetz. If we are grading on a curve, she’s probably the least awful of the most awful Trump nominees
While Trump was announcing Bondi, Texas’s repulsive AG Ken Paxton was on Steve Bannon’s show lobbying for the gig. Steve was pitching his guy Paxton for the job and Trump showed once again that he no longer listens to anything Bannon has to say.
… It was delicious listening to Paxton grovel and beg for the job all while knowing that Trump was announcing Bondi at the same time. It’s rare for me when listening to Bannon’s show is actually fun. This was one of those times.
Some in MAGA world already floating Gaetz’s name as someone Desantis could appoint to Marco Rubio’s seat in the Senate. No way Desantis does that. He’s no great fan of Gaetz. Plus he would instantly create a co-equal rival for political supremacy in FL. That’s not how Desantis rolls.
What motivated senators to finally break with Trump? Likely a sense of self-preservation. As you’ll recall, Trump started this whole debacle with a demand that Republican senators permit him to bypass their confirmation vote and go out of session, so he could secure his cabinet via recess appointments. In essence, Trump wanted to cut the legislative branch of government out of its constitutional role in governing. As we discussed, doing that would have meant senators were bending the knee, and once you start down that path with Trump it doesn’t stop. Ultimately their opposition to this nominee may have been less about who he was and more about politicians who have caved to Trump at virtually every pass trying to retain a modicum of their power (their dignity is long gone).
Typically, Cabinet nominations come after a rigorous vetting process. Lawyers and opposition researchers pore over the financial records, public statements, social media posts, and voting records of every potential nominee. After that process is complete, the FBI does a background check. They talk to their friends, colleagues, and coworkers, and look through their own records for any potential pitfalls with the nominee. Simultaneously, legislative advisors to the President-elect are talking to relevant Senators including the chair and ranking members of the committee of jurisdiction that will process the nomination.
The Trump team clearly did none of those things and paid the price.
Gaetz also makes it harder for other controversial Trump Cabinet picks to get confirmed.
Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Defense Department, is attempting to fend off questions about an alleged sexual assault that occurred in 2017. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, faces less severe allegations of assault — but significant other questions about his past and present views. Their confirmations were never going to be easy, but Gaetz’s withdrawal both increases the amount of scrutiny that they face and establishes a precedent under which scandal-marred candidates step aside.
It’s a major setback for Trump
Trump chose to spend some of his earliest post-election political capital on this fight, daring Republican senators to defy him just a week after his election. He chose someone for a prestigious Cabinet department who had major baggage that was obvious to anyone with access to Google. And that gamble quickly fell apart.
The whole thing suggests a very fast-and-loose Trump operation — no surprise if you were paying attention from 2017 through early 2021 — that is going to keep creating problems for the man in charge and his party. That there was apparently nobody around Trump willing or able to caution him against Gaetz doesn’t augur well for what lies ahead.
Trump undoubtedly cares less about the idea that his political capital is damaged than your average politician. He’ll just move on to the next thing. But it can’t help but look like weakness — including to the Republicans he could clash with in the months and years to come.
and Aaron Rupar agrees!
If you’re worried about Trump dealing a deathblow to democracy, in a strange way I think the last couple weeks have actually been somewhat reassuring. The Gaetz debacle showed that Trump not only can’t get everything he wants, but remains disorganized and prone to damaging own-goals.
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It takes a profound lack of discipline and judgment to burn any political capital on the likes of Gaetz. Trump’s incompetence often got in the way of his authoritarian designs the first time around. The early returns of his transition back to office and the insanity surrounding it indicate he hasn’t changed.
And so does Jessica Craven!
Remember last week I was talking about how the Trump Administration is, at the moment, “testing the fences” just like the velociraptors did in Jurassic Park? Well, one fence, at least, has held, and we should celebrate it. Team Trump got huge pushback on Gaetz, the Ethics Committee received huge pressure—including from many of you—to release their report about him, and Democrats in the Senate were working to see the FBI report about him. The combination proved fatal to his nomination. GOOD!
I really can’t overstate what a big deal this is, folks. A lot of us feared that there would be no pushback, no guardrails, and absolutely no concern from the incoming administration about public blowback. While I still think this is true to a great extent, we have found they they are still vulnerable to public opinion at least to some extent. We now know that in some cases they will back down. To me, at least, this win was a real shot in the arm.
and so does David Rothkopf!
Matt Gaetz withdrawing from consideration for Attorney General serves as a reminder to Donald Trump that he will not get everything he wants during his second term.
The “I can do whatever the f--k I want to” phase of Donald Trump’s second term as president ended on Thursday, just over two weeks after his election win. Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration to be Trump’s Attorney General—just before a fresh CNN story around his alleged sexual misconduct broke—showed that Trump’s power is not limitless.
If you remember back as far as Nov. 5 or in the days immediately following, Trump stood astride American politics like a colossus. He won, according to him, with “an unprecedented and powerful mandate.” He was swept back into power with Republicans in control of all the branches of the government.
He could dispense with usual niceties like vetting nominees for top jobs or performing background checks on them. He would demand his picks be approved without Senate scrutiny. He would choose whomever he wanted for top jobs in the administration no matter how unqualified they may be, no matter how ludicrous their views, no matter how repugnant or, alternatively, how laughable their records.
Now, none of that seems quite what it did at the time.
And Scott Dworkin!
Let’s just take a moment and celebrate the fact that, after massive public pressure, Matt Gaetz is no longer the nominee for Attorney General. Pat yourself on the back. Take a bow. You helped make it a reality.
Over the last 8 years of fighting Trump, I’ve learned that when Donald does something horrible, the response has to be rapid and overwhelming. Which is exactly what we did with his outrageous AG pick.
After Gaetz was picked 9 days ago, we immediately got to work making countless phone calls, and sending thousands of letters to Congress.
Donald lost, he lost big, and he lost early—proving we are still the greatest guardrails against his tyranny.
This huge early win over Donald gives us some real momentum, and we are only getting bigger, stronger, and louder from here. We will never, ever back down.
And this → Trump Team Shopping for Potential Pete Hegseth Replacements: Report
Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team are reportedly preparing a list of alternative candidates for Secretary of Defense in case Trump decides to drop Pete Hegseth, Vanity Fair reported Tuesday, citing two anonymous insiders. Trump’s inner circle are reportedly frustrated with Hegseth after allegations of sexual assault came to light just days after his nomination was announced. Despite the report, Trump has given no indication he intends to withdraw Hegseth’s nomination. “People are upset about the distraction,” one of the sources told the magazine. “The general feeling is Pete hasn’t been honest.” Police in Monterey, California confirmed that Hegseth was investigated for an alleged sexual assault in 2017. Hegseth has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, and the Fox News host was not charged after the 2017 incident. It’s not the first time officials on the transition team have expressed doubt over the nominee. Another source told The Washington Post on Friday that Hegseth “hadn’t been properly vetted” and they were worried more things could come to light in the future.
And This → Gabbard nomination puts Senate GOP in a bind
Trump’s choice of Gabbard is in keeping with his desire to completely overhaul the federal bureaucracy. But GOP senators are already indicating they’ll be interested in probing Gabbard’s controversial and often outright hostile posture toward the very intelligence apparatus she’d run if confirmed.
The Snowden praise is particularly troubling to lawmakers, the vast majority of whom believe the NSA leaker caused irreparable damage to U.S. national security. Snowden is now a Russian citizen.
This is news: Republican senators have privately discussed their interest in viewing Gabbard’s FBI file, according to three sources familiar with the conversations. This is done for each Cabinet nominee, but the implication is that the documents could reveal previously unknown information about Gabbard, including possible foreign contacts.
For now, Republicans are treating Gabbard like every other Cabinet nominee, starting off with enormous deference to Trump and what they see as his mandate to govern. That means refraining from public criticisms of Trump’s nominees.
Yet key senators are making clear that their deference may not last forever. Here’s Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), an Intelligence Committee member:
“I start out saying, OK, this is an individual the president wants on his team. But now let’s talk about information that maybe the president didn’t have, or information that comes up, and at that stage do we advise the president to look elsewhere or do we offer our consent?”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), another Intelligence Committee member, said he has “no doubt that she’s a patriot,” but he wants to question Gabbard on her posture toward Russia. Interestingly, Cornyn gave a floor speech this week praising Trump’s national security nominees by name, but he didn’t mention Gabbard.
When asked about Gabbard’s FISA opposition, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who also sits on the Intelligence panel, called it “an essential tool” for national security but noted that “people’s views can change over the years as they learn more.”
Collins added that Gabbard is “a nominee that illustrates the importance of a full background check, a public hearing, and the constitutional role of the Senate.”
So that was great news for us (and all of America!) but another subtle win came from what might seem like a loss:
Myth Destroyed — The Resistance Has No Power
Most Democrats opposed the measure, reversing their previous positions
the headlines to this is actually : House Passes Antiterror Financing Bill as Democrats Warn Trump Could Abuse It.
So yes, I buried the lede. But I did that because I want to emphasize what others are ignoring — our activism is already working!
The House on Thursday passed legislation that would allow the government to revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofit groups it accuses of supporting terrorist entities, despite significant opposition from Democrats who warned that President-elect Donald J. Trump could exploit it to target his political enemies
The bill, which also waives the tax liability for U.S. hostages while they are in captivity, began as a strongly bipartisan venture. In April, the House overwhelmingly passed identical provisions, and in September, the measure earned the unanimous support of the Ways and Means Committee.
But then Mr. Trump was elected president. And suddenly, what most Democrats had initially regarded as a tool for targeting terrorist groups began to be seen as a potentially dangerous weapon ripe for abuse by a president bent on kneecapping his rivals.
An array of nonprofit groups on the left began an intensive lobbying campaign to kill the measure, convinced that Mr. Trump would try to use it to wipe them out. Democrats took up the refrain and most dropped their support for the legislation, which passed largely along party lines on Thursday.
The margin reflected how significantly Democratic sentiments on the measure had changed since Mr. Trump’s election: The vast majority of Democrats voting against the bill on Thursday backed identical legislation earlier this year.
and more specifically:
But some Democrats who previously supported the bill had been public about their concerns.
“I don’t think this is a realistic possibility, but let’s suppose we had an administration that vowed to wreak vengeance on its opponents, prosecute lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters and corrupt election officials to the fullest extent of the law,” Mr. Doggett said in September, when the Ways and Means Committee met to consider the bill.
He asked if there would be any limit to the new power granted in the bill, and was told there would not be. Mr. Doggett voted in favor of sending the bill to the full House anyway. On Thursday, he voted to oppose it.
On the floor, Mr. Doggett explained his turnabout by saying: “We listened to our constituents.”
For those of you following along with the new resistance leaders who suggest easy actions we can take (if you are not yet doing so, I strongly suggest Chop Wood, Carry Water) the big action for this week was getting Democrats to oppose this bill. AND IT WORKED!!!
But, not all is lost. Courts are playing a major role in protecting voters. Despite concerted Republican efforts to attack voter registration and election rules, pro-voting groups won nearly three times as many lawsuits during the 2023-2024 cycle. Additionally, Senate Democrats are racing to confirm President Biden’s judicial nominees, strengthening the bulwark against anti-voting efforts that may come from a Trump DOJ and beyond.
I also found this advice to the media on how to handle Trump useful for my own plans. Here is the advice:
We Need to Cover Donald Trump Differently This Time
Let’s start with outrage. While outrage is an understandable reaction to a lot of what Trump does and says, it’s critical to differentiate between things that are more problematic in terms of substance than style. I would find myself shocked by Trump’s vulgar remarks about women, which are of course awful, but this behavior is a feature, not a bug, of Trumpism.
The MAGA crowd loves nothing more than owning the libs, and being offended by the rank misogyny coming from Trump and his allies can distract from the GOP’s assault on abortion rights and women’s health care—because you know killing Roe wasn’t the end of it—and the broader threat to democratic institutions, which barely made it through the first go-around. There is a terrifying feeling that the center may in fact not hold, which has to be the focus right now
Elements of Trump’s agenda, like his administration’s coming war on “wokeness,” whether in the military or education, is bafflingly vague (though one could guess it’ll lead to less diversity). The lack of specificity works to Trump’s advantage, as his supporters can read attacks on wokeness however they want. Going to war on something that’s undefined, that is more a meme or rallying cry or coded language, is an easy way to get your side excited with little downside. One Trump voter told USA Today that everyone in his community “is happy to see the woke agenda ending.” A fake war is easily won and surely Trump will declare victory over wokeness when it suits him.
But what Trump says about the “woke” wars is less consequential than what he may do under the auspices of rooting out “wokeness,”
Lesson I took for me (and for you, if you want) is not to get distracted by the bullshit that they are saying just to get us worked up. Focus on their actual ACTIONS and ignore the trolling.
It’s also important not to get too distracted by congressional hearings that appear more about racking up clips for Fox News and X than providing any meaningful government oversight.
The goal is to not swing at every pitch that Trump throws out.
I love that — the goal is not to swing at every pitch. Because….
During his last administration, there was a near-constant barrage of news. He’d tweet something that was completely insane or scary. He’d muse about buying Greenland. He’d say loving things about autocrats. But these developments can distract from the actually terrifying things Trump could accomplish in a second term. We in the media need to keep our powder dry for those eventualities, staying clear-eyed without sounding the alarms 24/7.
Will I be outraged? Obviously, Trump will do outrageous things. But in entering likely one of the most perilous moments for our democracy, we must focus on the assault on essential norms and institutions
Also remember — these are all a bunch of narcissistic egomaniacs. Even the “smart” ones. Their incompetence can be used to limit their damage.
And their narcissism will keep them from working hard to destroy things. If they don’t already, they will all hate one another soon.
Musk’s ‘Massive Blow-Up’ With Trump Aide Rocks Mar-a-Lago
A longtime Donald Trump adviser and Elon Musk had a “massive blowup” in front of Mar-a-Lago guests last week, the latest sign of “tensions” between the men.
The incident broke out after a “heated discussion” led Musk to accuse Boris Epshteyn of leaking Trump’s cabinet picks to the media, Axios reported. Epshteyn is said to have responded by telling Musk he “didn’t know what he was talking about.”
That encounter, also described as being a “huge explosion,” reportedly occurred at a dinner table inside Trump’s club. The president-elect’s transition team and Musk declined to comment to Axios. Epshteyn, the longtime coordinator of Trump’s legal defense, referred the website to Trump’s transition team.
Those who’ve hung around Mar-a-Lago since Election Day weren’t surprised by Musk and Epshteyn’s beef. Axios’ sources said Trump advisers and confidants saw “tensions between them bubble up during the transition meetings.”
and don’t forget that we have great organizations that are fighting for us! For example:
ACLU files lawsuit seeking details on Trump’s plan for mass deportation
Civil-liberties lawyers alarmed by President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to launch mass deportations of undocumented immigrants sued the federal government Monday for information about how authorities might quickly remove people from the United States.
The federal lawsuit alleges that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has failed to respond to requests for basic information about its existing contracts with private airline companies that make up “ICE Air,” as well as ground transportation services, airfields and policies governing deportation flights, including those carrying children.
and even groups we may not think of as allies — Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles
Three of the nation’s largest automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, are strategizing with other car manufacturers on how to make a delicate request of President-elect Donald J. Trump: Don’t scrap the federal regulations that compel the industry to sell electric vehicles.
In fact, most automakers don’t love the more stringent rules Mr. Biden put in place. But they have already invested billions in a transition to electric vehicles, and fear that if Mr. Trump made an abrupt change as he has promised, they could be undercut by automakers who sell cheaper, gas-powered cars. They argue it would harm an industry that is a backbone of American manufacturing and employs 1.1 million people.
Lobbyists and officials from several car companies say the automakers want the Biden regulations to remain largely intact, with some changes such as more time for compliance and lower penalties for companies that don’t meet the requirements.
also, don’t forget about the power of Blue States!
Can Democratic governors fight Trump's mass deportations?
Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military to carry out mass deportations of undocumented migrants on day one of his incoming administration.
“TRUE!!!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform in response to a right-wing activist about deploying the U.S. military to round up and deport immigrants.
It’s a moment many Democratic governors have been preparing for.
“You come for my people, you come through me,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a post-election press conference, referring to minority communities in his state who experienced the “chaos, retribution and disarray” of Trump’s first term.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey told MSNBC on Nov. 8 that she will “absolutely not” cooperate with Trump’s deportation plans.
“The key here is that every tool in the toolbox has got to be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and protect our states, and certainly to hold the line on democracy and the rule of law as a basic principle,” Healey added.
And don’t forget that Biden got more judicial nominees approved than any 1 term president ever INCLUDING Trump and he isn’t done yet!
GOP No-Shows Help Dems Approve Judicial Nominees Against Trump’s Wishes
Republicans on Tuesday ripped JD Vance, Marco Rubio and others for their absences from the chamber, which allowed Senate Democrats to ram through key Biden judicial nominees.
Vance (R-OH), the vice president-elect, and Rubio (R-FL), Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of State, weren’t the only GOP senators missing, but they were singled out.
Asked about the absences of several GOP senators who could have blocked President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees from moving forward, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) fumed.
“I’m not going to bubble wrap it,” he told reporters in the Capitol. “There’s no excuse for that, it’s our job to be here and vote.”
The Wall Street Journal editorial board excoriated the absent Republicans for handing Democrats a lame-duck victory, starting with Monday’s confirmation of an appellate court nominee who, the WSJ noted, “will now enjoy a lifetime appointment to the federal bench because Republicans couldn’t get their full team on the field.”
Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are determined to approve as many Biden nominees to the federal bench as possible before they lose power. On Tuesday, they outfoxed Republicans.
“We had some of these judges killed dead as Woodrow Wilson,“ Kennedy of Louisiana said, “and our vote wasn’t here.”
Embry Kidd, was confirmed 49 to 45 to serve on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, even with Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) joining Republicans to vote against his nomination.
and it isn’t just judicial appointments —> This Election’s Surprising Bright Spot for Progressives Is a Very Big Deal
The 2024 election marked a painful setback for Democratic hopes of rebalancing the federal judiciary: When Donald Trump reenters the White House in January, he will have a pliant Republican Senate majority eager to confirm his hard-right judges. But federal courts don’t tell the whole story: Across the country, voters also elected liberal justices to their state Supreme Courts, which function as a key backstop for civil rights and democracy as federal courts lurch rightward. Progressives didn’t win a clean sweep, but they emerged with an impressive scorecard, carrying seats in battlegrounds like Michigan and safely red states like Kentucky and Montana. Left-leaning judicial candidates even prevailed in deep-red Arkansas and Mississippi, bucking the national shift rightward. And a progressive jurist is now leading the tally heading into a recount in an extraordinarily close race for the North Carolina Supreme Court, with a victory there promising to end the left’s painful losing streak on that bench and serve as a capstone for the one piece of the 2024 election where progressives actually flourished.
How did these judges pull it off? Abortion surely played a role: State courts have immense leeway to expand or curtail reproductive rights in a post–Roe v. Wade world, and liberal judges have perfected the art of running on abortion. More broadly, these judges—frequently with the help of Democratic strategists and a financial boost from progressive groups—have learned to run more effective campaigns that mobilize voters who don’t pay close attention to the courts. By doing so, they may have gained an edge among the Democratic Party’s current coalition of educated, high-propensity voters, who will take part in down-ballot races that many Trump supporters seem to ignore—apparently even when Trump is on the ticket.
And this
While Republicans did win control of the Senate, their majority in the House has appeared to shrink by at least one vote. It was paper thin before. And we have seen what happens when controversial proposals that demand the support of all Republicans appear before the House. Often, they produce fragmentation and strife between Republicans.
Further, with such a thin margin, the retirement or death or resignation of members of Congress, the margin could shift…even before the 2026 elections in which Democrats will have a big chance to make gains because of America’s regular preference to vote in midterms against the party in the White House.
Markets and businesses will likely also begin to howl if immigration round ups create instability in the U.S. or hurt the ability of businesses to find help or service their customers. Similarly, such unrest and business pushback is likely to make some of the representatives of impacted states and congressional districts really unhappy. And some of them will be Republicans who can use their leverage with Trump’s thin majorities to alter the scope and structure of proposals.
Courts also will remain an obstacle for some Trump ideas. Only 150 cases a year make it to the Supreme Court. So most will go to courts on which many non-Trump appointed judges…or responsible judges appointed by Trump…sit. Many in the military will not follow illegal orders and efforts to decapitate the military and replace the leadership with political yes men are likely to produce both visible and invisible resistance. (The invisible kind is very powerful in Washington—the type by which people say “yes” with a smile and then slow walk or never act on that which they are expected to follow through on.)
Finally, there are the voters. If actions of the new administration alienate them, that will show up in interim elections and then, in just over 23 months in the mid-terms. It will be nearly impossible for Trump and his allies to so pervert our democracy in that time that those elections will not occur as planned.
So what is the lesson? This election was deeply disappointing and there is lots to worry about but we are STRONG and we can do this! YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You are a part of a web of millions and millions of people who are all going to fight this together.
On the Lighter Side
I’m not quite ready to share jokes, but I really enjoyed these amazing and surreal images from Matt McCarthy’s Cat Art. Here are some to enjoy! You can find them here for purchase! Reasonably priced and adorable.
What can you do to save democracy?
If You Haven’t Left Twitter Already, Please Do So Now
“But, but, but… It’s how I get my news.”
No. It isn’t. At best it’s how you get your opinions re-enforced by like-minded people you follow because they tell you what you want to hear. At worst, it’s how you are lied to by anyone from a Russian bot to the soon-to-be President.
Oh, and get rid of your Tesla too. There are so many better electric cars out there.
For what it is worth, I left for BlueSky and have not regretted it for a minute! So much better!
What else can you do?
There are many ways to get involved. Everyone can find something that works for them.
Here are some ideas.
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Election Response Center is a project hosted by Working Families Party, MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible, and Public Citizen. They are organizing lots of events to get people fighting. Join one at this link
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The ACLU plays a key role in filing lawsuits that often stop voter suppression. Get involved with them at this link.
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Get involved with the Democratic party. We aren’t perfect, but they are fucking evil.
- Get involved with the States Project They are working on turning state legislatures blue
- Get involved with Swing Left. They are working on races right now!
- People For the American Way is a national progressive advocacy organization that inspires and mobilizes Americans to defend freedom, justice, and democracy from those who threaten to take them away. Get involved with them here
- Center for American Progress Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan policy institute and advocacy organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Get involved with them here
Looking for something more specific?
Want to focus on the ENVIRONMENT:
Want to focus on CIVIL RIGHTS:
HUMAN RIGHTS - GENERALLY:
LGBTQ+:
WOMEN:
Huge thanks to DKos used dabug for help with this list.
Don’t let the options overwhelm you! Try to pick one thing and see if it calls to you. If it doesn’t find something else.
There are so many ways to get involved and help!
I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with all of you. ✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 💙❤️💛💚✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
