It is easy to feel powerless against trump and his band of sycophants, but one lesson of the past few months is that we actually have power.
I know this is exhausting. I know none of us want to be doing this. I get it. I am 100% with you.
But keep in mind that you are not alone. We are not alone.
And collectively we have power.
Look at all the ways:
1. We have Democrats who are working hard
It is easy to trash the democrats for not doing enough. But for a party out of power, they are actually doing a lot.
And mostly that is due to US!! when you call their offices to ask them to do more (or thank them for what they did) it WORKS!
For example, Democrats on the House Rules committee made them debate 500 amendments to the awful budget to keep the debate going for 24 hours so that people had time to call their reps about the awful bill.
And in bringing attention to the bill they actually were able to amend it in ways that made it better.
and here are just a few amazing Dems speaking out about the bill. They are fighting so hard because of our calls! keep at it.
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Frost: Tonight the people stealing are not folks with tattoos and hoodies but people wearing suits and ties and congressional pins sitting in the capitol now, not in some alley wrapped in darkness but the United States congress wrapped in the flag. It is disgusting and we will never forget this.
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-05-22T04:05:11.640Z
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Jeffries: We will stand up today, stand up tomorrow, stand up this week, stand up next week, stand up this month, stand up next month, stand up this year, stand up next year, stand up at all times until we end this national nightmare and restore the American dream for every single person
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-05-22T10:15:34.880Z
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AOC: When you wake up in the morning, you will realize that you voted to defund planned parenthood and take away health care from 13.7 million Americans and when this country wakes up there will be consequences to pay for this
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-05-22T06:06:13.719Z
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Hayes: Every provision in this program is cruel and they know it. That's why none of them spoke on it in committee. That's why they have no response. That's why they don't hold town halls. That's why they don't answer questions. All they do is tweet, repeat, and hide in the back until they vote yes
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-05-22T04:45:08.269Z
2. The courts are doing a lot
This isn’t a “we the people” kind of power, but this is a national power against trump. And despite what you have heard it is one that is (mostly) working really well.
There’s still a major check on Trump’s power
Trump is still largely complying with the courts
On the other hand, there are examples of Trump at least pretending to fall in line with public opinion. Take, for example, Trump’s delicate dance when it comes to how the administration handles court rulings.
Defying the judicial branch is a red line for many voters. A Pew poll found that 78 percent of Americans believe that Trump should obey federal courts, and 88 percent believe that Trump should abide by Supreme Court rulings. A New York Times/Siena poll similarly showed that only 6 percent of Americans believe that Trump should ignore Supreme Court rulings. And a Fox News poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe that the president must follow the Supreme Court.
Trump has clashed with the courts and even defied some of their orders. But despite all of his complaining about the courts, Trump hasn’t gone so far as to be openly defiant. His administration, for example, still publicly states that it’s complying with the courts even when it’s not, knowing that explicitly rejecting court orders will likely prompt some backlash. And while there have been a few standout cases, as in the case of Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration has, for the most part, gone through the court process and abided by the rulings.
Deadlocked Supreme Court Rejects Bid for Religious Charter School in Oklahoma
An evenly divided Supreme Court rejected a plan on Thursday to allow Oklahoma to use government money to run the nation’s first religious charter school, which would teach a curriculum infused by Catholic doctrine.
In a tie, the court split 4 to 4 over the Oklahoma plan, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett recusing herself from the case, and the decision provided no reasoning.
That deadlock means that an earlier ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court will be allowed to stand. The state court blocked a proposal for the Oklahoma school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which was to be operated by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa, and aimed to incorporate Catholic teachings into every aspect of its activities.
A judge strikes down Trump’s firings of board members of a civil liberties watchdog group.
A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that President Trump broke the law when he fired members of an independent civil liberties watchdog without cause in January, ordering the reinstatement of those challenging their removals in court.
In a 71-page opinion, Judge Reggie B. Walton of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia said that Mr. Trump’s dismissal of Democratic-selected members to the five-person Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board was illegal.
Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Dismantling Education Department
A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Trump’s executive order aimed at dismantling the Education Department and ordered officials to reinstate thousands of fired employees in a ruling that was at least a temporary setback for the president and his plans.
and as distressing (and it is distressing) the recent move against Harvard is, they are suing to stop it and we have every reason to think that will work
and he is giving them what they need to win:
Y’all LITERALLY as I was writing this, this happened:
Judge blocks Trump admin effort to terminate Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students
A federal judge on Friday granted Harvard University’s emergency motion to block the Trump administration from revoking its ability to enroll international students, as litigation on the matter continues.
In her order, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said Harvard showed “it will sustain immediate and irreparable injury” if the Trump administration is allowed to implement its revocation notice before “there is an opportunity to hear from all parties.”
3. He cares about being popular
and that is a lever that has worked to stop some of his actions — his narcissistic desire to be loved. we can (and have) used that to our advantage
Trump walks back tariffs
Perhaps the ultimate example of Trump heeding public opinion comes from one of his most chaotic policies. When he came into office, Trump promised to impose taxes on imports from allies and foes alike. And since then, his plan can best be described as on again, off again.
A lot of Americans who oppose Trump might feel helpless during this second term, seeing little reason to protest or express their discontent. But just because Trump is term-limited and doesn’t have to win another election doesn’t mean that public anger won’t influence his administration.
One of the fears of a second Trump term was that Trump would be emboldened and even more reckless than he was in his first. But there still seems to be evidence that despite governing in a deeply polarizing and unpopular way, Trump is probably swayed by the polls. That’s not to say that protests would stop the administration from implementing its agenda, but it is to say that if there’s enough discontent, Trump has shown that he might adjust his priorities. And with enough public outcry, Trump, like other presidents, sometimes scales back some of his more controversial policies to make them more palatable.
Trump's approval rating ticks lower
- Trump's approval at 42%, matching lowest of new term
- Only 39% approve of his economic stewardship
when they see things are unpopular, they often walk them back. Like this: Kristi Noem Flat-Out Denies That DHS Is Considering Citizenship Reality Show Pitch
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday denied that her department is considering sponsoring a reality show in which immigrants would compete for U.S. citizenship, seeming to contradict the department spokesperson’s comments that the pitch was “in the very beginning states” of the vetting process.
“We have no knowledge of a reality show,” Noem said during a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “There may have been something submitted to the department, but I did not know anything about this reality show until the reporter reached out.”
The pitch submitted by Rob Worsoff, a Canadian-born writer, producer and director, for a show titled “The American,” was first reported on Thursday by The Daily Mail, which claimed Noem was a fan of the concept.
and this — Most books pulled from Naval Academy library are back on the shelves in latest DEI turn
All but a few of the nearly 400 books that the U.S. Naval Academy removed from its library because they dealt with anti-racism and gender issues are back on the shelves after the newest Pentagon-ordered review — the latest turn in a dizzying effort to rid the military of materials related to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Mocking and calling out awful things matters. It works.
4. We have economic power — and it really works!
You might think boycotting companies that capitulate to Trump is just a way for us to feel better about ourselves but we actually have a huge amount of economic power so this is a strategy that actually works.
Target CEO's Pay Cut In Half After Going Full MAGA
Target CEO Brian Cornell thought he was playing the game. He donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, axed Target’s DEI programs, and figured the MAGA morons would make him a hero and start shopping at Target.
Instead, he got boycotts, sales dropped off a cliff, and so he watched his salary fall by 45% since last year alone. For comparison, his compensation fell from $77 million in 2020 to just $9.9 million last year. That’s still a ton of money per year for anyone. But for a CEO? He is definitely feeling the heat. Target’s shoppers have decided never to return because of his MAGA idiocy.
Good job, everyone! Keep boycotting Target until he’s gone.
The 2025 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings
By the numbers: Elon Musk-owned companies, Tesla and SpaceX are among those that have seen the sharpest declines, with both ranking in the bottom 10% for character, trust and citizenship.
- Boeing's reputation score has seen a 13-point decline since 2019, coming in at No. 90 for trust and ethics and No. 93 for vision and growth.
- Companies recently entangled in culture wars — like the Walt Disney Company, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Hobby Lobby — have also taken a hit.
Elon Musk's Humiliating Exile
If I’m remembered for nothing else—and there’s a nonzero chance I won’t be—it will be for a single ironclad political law that holds across time, space, and every variable in politics: Everything Trump touches dies.
And now, the latest name added to the long, sad ledger of MAGA roadkill is none other than former Co-President and Viceroy of DOGE: Elon Musk.
and those idiots don’t realize it so they are actually going to make it EASIER for us to figure out who to support by naming them. Yikes. Morons.
Trump’s “weaponization czar” proposed a new way to go after the president’s foes who cannot be prosecuted due to a lack of evidence.
“If they can be charged, we’ll charge them,” said Martin, whose term as interim U.S. attorney for D.C. came to an end recently. “But if they can’t be charged, we will name them. And we will name them, and in a culture that respects shame, they should be people that are ashamed.”
5. The world isn’t following trump’s lead
By keeping our voices loud about how this isn’t good, we are teaching the rest of the world. The better other countries keep things, the easier it will be to right our own ship.
Maybe Trump isn’t actually leading a global populist revolt.
based on the probably-at-least-partly Trump-inspired drubbing inflicted on right-wing parties in Canada and Australia in recent elections, it’s not clear that being known as the “Trump of” your country really gets you all that much. Whatever his ultimate legacy for the United States and the world, he doesn’t seem likely to be remembered as the man who made global far-right populism great again.
6. Even some of his asshole friends are calling him out from time to time
this isn’t exactly our action, but I do think that people being willing to engage with assholes like Carlson and Rogan does help to force them to admit to other side that trump is flawed
Tucker Carlson Rips Trump’s Middle East Moves: ‘Seems Like Corruption’
Tucker Carlson admitted that President Donald Trump’s business dealings in the Middle East reek of “corruption.”
The MAGA pundit offered the criticism after a guest on his podcast, ex-Navy SEAL and right-wing influencer Shawn Ryan, aired his own disappointment with the administration Tuesday.
“Well, it seems like corruption, yeah,” Carlson admitted.
The visit was controversial, in part because of Trump’s business interests in the region but also because news had just broke that he planned to accept a $400 million jet gifted to him by Qatari royalty. He intends to use it as Air Force One.
The decision stoked outcry—from critics and supporters alike. MAGA influencer Laura Loomer wrote on X that the news was a “stain on the admin,” despite affirming that she would “take a bullet for Trump.”
7. We are smart
We are trying very well tested and proven ways to fight this.
Three Well-Tested Ways to Undermine an Autocrat
The funny thing is that there’s a playbook for overturning autocrats. It was written here in America, by a rumpled political scientist I knew named Gene Sharp.
“Dictators are never as strong as they tell you they are,” he once said, “and people are never as weak as they think they are.”
The first is mockery and humor — preferably salacious.
A second approach that has often succeeded is emphasizing not democracy as such but rather highlighting the leaders’ corruption, hypocrisy and economic mismanagement.
The third approach that has often succeeded is focusing on the power of one — an individual tragedy rather than a sea of oppression. Protesters against apartheid used to employ the slogan, “Free South African political prisoners,” but that never got much traction. Then they switched to “Free Nelson Mandela,” and we know the rest.
Don’t let them intimidate us! We should welcome the fight!
As everyone knows, Trump's strategy is to intimidate and exhaust us. The only appropriate response is to refuse to be intimidated or exhausted. To the contrary, we should welcome the fight—because Trump's bluster and imaginary grievances will evaporate under the harsh light of judicial scrutiny and the common sense of jurors.
Trump's threats of political, criminal, and civil sanctions are nearly always based on groundless legal theories and baseless “factual” assertions that simply will not hold up in court.
The sooner we can force Trump to “put up or shut up” in court, the better off the nation will be. Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that his bull-in-a-china-shop mentality is not successful before judges or juries. See, e.g., his 34 felony convictions and multi-million-dollar judgments for defamation against E. Jean Carroll.
8. We are using our voices to teach people about his awful policies
I keep seeing people on social media post about the awful bill and I am so glad for that. It is important. Keep sharing how they are hurting people. Your voices matter and they are working!
Did Republicans Just Lose the Majority?
Early Thursday morning, after weeks of horse-trading, the House of Representatives passed Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” to cut taxes for the rich and pay for it by taking food and health care from the poorest Americans.
The bill is both a policy disaster and a moral monstrosity. It adds trillions to the deficit, defunds Planned Parenthood, guts Medicaid, slashes food stamps, raises costs on millions of families, and gives the richest Americans a massive tax cut.
After the bill passed (even though most Republicans hadn’t had time to read the latest version), Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared: “This is the day that the Republicans lost the majority.”
A recent Navigator Research poll illustrates the danger:
Modeling by Data for Progress shows that less than 15% of voters in any congressional district support cutting Medicaid.
Not exactly the foundation for holding a fragile majority.
and sharing info about them is working — This is a district that went for trump by 77%!
What can you do to save democracy?
Remember, the good news happens BECAUSE we fight! So let’s do this. What can you do?
You can sign up for Chop wood, carry water. She’ll send you emails a few times a week that are inspirational, honest, and give you super easy action items so you can be involved without letting it ruin your life.
Go here → chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com
Consider joining some peaceful protests! They are making a big difference!
Here are some ideas.
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If you can, I strongly recommend going to an in person meeting in your area. One way to find a local group is through indivisible: indivisibleproject.formstack.com/…
- Join the truth brigade! Grassroots-powered lie-stopping. Person by person; mind by opened mind
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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
Also, continue to find joy in your life! Don’t let that fuckface live rent free in your mind! This is your life!!!!!
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 user 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!
Some inspiration before I say goodbye
“Whatever happens, stay alive.
Don't die before you're dead.
Don't lose yourself, don't lose hope, don't lose direction.
Stay alive, with yourself, with every cell of your body, with every fiber of your skin.
Stay alive, learn, study, think, read, build, invent, create, speak, write, dream, design.
Stay alive, stay alive inside you, stay alive also outside, fill yourself with colors of the world, fill yourself with peace, fill yourself with hope.
Stay alive with joy.
There is only one thing you should not waste in life,
and that's life itself..."
.
At Albany Bulb with Elaine
By Alison Luterman
Side by side on a log by the bay.
Sunlight. Unleashed dogs,
prancing through surf, almost exploding
out of their skins with perfect happiness.
Dogs who don't know about fired park rangers,
or canceled health research, or tariff wars,
or the suicide hotline for veterans getting defunded,
or or or. We've listed horror upon horror
to each other for weeks now, and it does no good,
so instead I tell her how I held a two-day old baby
in my arms, inhaling him like a fresh-baked loaf of bread,
then watched as a sneeze erupted through his body
like a tiny volcano. It was the look of pure
astonishment on his face, as if he were Adam
in the garden of Eden making his debut achoo,
as if it were the first sneeze that ever blew,
that got me. She tells me how her dog
once farted so loudly he startled himself
and fell off the bed where he'd been lolling,
and then the two of us start to laugh so hard
we almost fall off our own log. And this
is our resistance for today; remembering
original innocence. And they can't
take it away from us, though they ban
our very existence, though they slash
our rights to ribbons, we will have
our mirth and our birthright gladness.
Long after every unsold Tesla
has vaporized, and earth has closed over
even the names of these temporary tyrants,
somewhere some women like us
will be sitting side by side, facing the water,
telling human stories and laughing still.
I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with all of you. ✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 💙❤️💛💚✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
