This is why others are talking of a coup. There will be a hot war in that case. We will not take this easily. If we allow this, then it cements itself. Will this be the "land of the free and the brave'' "brotherhood undimmed by human tears"? NOW is the time to act.
It's clearly been Republicans for many decades that have been seeking this takeover of power... not the Democrats. That is the truth. They want all the power. And they are getting it. They practically have it. WE are left to defend with a ground operation:People Power.
Why with a unitary executive couldn't a Democratic president use it? That is your ESSENTIAL difference between the parties- a deep difference in what kind of country we want.
We have been going back and forth through the decades. Now we will be STUCK if we do not prevent this, if we do not resist. We will be stuck in a Republican Party Government, a ONE party government, with people complying out of fear and to survive. Republicans, not Democrats, truth be told, are evolving us into a dictatorship. They have sought to gain power through the decades pushing the "unitary executive". This is a coup. This is a completely different government than what, dare I say, most of us have signed onto. Not of for and by the people, but of for and by the few, the so called religious right, the money interests, the haters, the conned. And it's not for just 4 years of a Republican presidency. They are already floating beyond... heady with power.
Even if trump's lying lawyers were modestly savvy, trump is an arrogant buffoon who will continue to undermine any attempts at shrewd constraint among his lackeys. It is entirely possible that their coup could work, but the resistance might actually have perverse ally in trump as he is his own worst enemy. We need to fight like hell on outside, while from the inside, the deranged orange menace brazenly continues to lose his mind in full view of the American public and the world. In the best, most just scenario he will be his own undoing.
"The question, then, could become whether military and law enforcement authorities will be “loyal” to a leader who has shed even the pretense of constitutional legitimacy."
The cops and the military are thoroughly infested with Republicans. They're practically branches of the proud boys. They will absolutely go along with it.
In just a few more months, our unqualified SECDEF, majordumo, will have retired all Generals but a few loyalists. Then, the MAGAs in uniform - nearly all enlisted members, will be able to resist executing their duties. Most police forces have already been shown to contain MAGA thugs. Many county sheriffs are already aligned with Trump, ready to aid his deportation roundups.
Well , that was a bleak read. Musk and JD are now openly signaling that defiance of judicial rulings is on the way, and the sooner the better. I honestly can't tell if they see the implications of what they're calling for or are just lusting for power so intensely they're blinded to it - or if they fully see it and believe their moral righteousness (JD) and intellectual superiority (Musk) entitle them to it, and damn the rest of us. The military and police will absolutely go along with it, and at some point if American's rise up out of their torpor, 4 dead in Ohio will be a quaint remembrance of better times in the past.
Any day now, Trump and his co-president will decide he has the authority to incarcerate Americans indefinitely and without charge. We've danced up to the edge of this cliff before; this time, we'll see a president takes us over the edge. I would not want to be one of the Bidens, the Clintons or the Smiths right now.
Contact your friends in purple or red states and urge them to reach out to their Senators. Some GOP Senators might be swayed if enough people speak out.
RFK Jr’s confirmation hearing to lead the Federal health agencies is coming soon. It’s not just his anti-vax stance, but he has no science background. During his hearing, he showed that he didn’t even have a basic understanding of the CDC, FDA, Medicare, or Medicaid. It was embarrassing.
Call your Senators, even Democrats! We cannot be sure that our Democratic Senators will vote against these reckless nominees. Some elected Democrats are caving already. You would be shocked if you looked at the list of “Yes” votes for many who have been confirmed. N.J. Senator Cory Booker voted to confirm Scott Bessent to lead Treasury. Bessent promptly gave Elon Musk permission to access Treasury records and payment systems. Thanks, Cory!
Google your Senators’ names to find their phone numbers. Their DC office voice mail boxes may be full, so call their local office. You probably won’t reach a human. When you leave a message, tell them you want a response, and give your phone number or email address. I’ve heard that emailing Congresspeople thru their websites is pointless. (For one thing, you’ll have to choose a category, and “Cabinet Nominees” is not among them.)
Make a separate phone call each time you contact your Congresspeople. Each constituent opinion is noted individually and tallied. Our Senators want to be re-elected, so your opinion matters.
Soon you’ll be calling to speak against Kash Patel, who would be terrifying as head of the FBI.
BTW, Democracy Forward - https://democracyforward.org/ - is largely responsible for the Trump Administration’s having rescinded the federal spending freeze. Other groups needing our support are Public Citizen - https://www.citizen.org/ - and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - https://www.citizensforethics.org/ - These groups are suing the Trump administration virtually every day.
Join me in donating to keep these fearless advocates and lawyers working to save our democracy. Even if you’re too discouraged to read the details, pls. donate if you can afford to.
The big idea: It's all about money. Follow the money. Yes, there's the fundamentalist faux-christian crew waiting to impose their religion on everyone, but that's in second place. Money trumps (sorry, no pun intended) that. In this country, money trumps everything.
One factor not included in this essay is the influence of the oligarchs and top corporate management on the christo-fascists and other malign actors and buffoons now wilding through government offices. They, the oligarchs and corporatists, are of course all about making money, as much as possible as fast as possible. That happens best when social and economic conditions are stable, events are more rather than less predictable, and risk is low. The First Felon's pushing too far in challenging the legitimacy of the court will, as this article says, lead to very great disruption and likely widespread violence, exactly the sort of environment the oligarchs _don't_ want.
My guess is that before the First Felon starts to actually cross that last bridge, to openly continue acting in defiance of judicial rulings, the oligarchs will give him the high sign and the "OK, that's enough, now knock it off and be happy with what you have" message. He will comply, because the oligarchs will quickly ruin him if he does stuff that will upset the big money cart.
That doesn't mean that the sky will fill with rainbows and celestial harmonies will fill the air and we will be rid of the bad actors. Far from it; things will still be very bad: there will still be much effort to destroy government functionality and services, drastically reduce regulation and taxes on the rich, make free and fair elections impossible, impose an extremist theocracy, etc.
But the First Felon and henchpeople will have to go at it a bit more circumspectly, will have to work the system more and not count on riding roughshod over the top of it and the Constitution, thereby increasing chaos and risk to the point of seriously jeopardizing the oligarchs' financial interests. It's all about the money.
"Donald Trump’s cronies are threatening to defy the authority of the federal courts. If they follow through, the nation’s rapid descent into dictatorship will be complete" really? that's our only option? to cave? no thanks
Nixon felt deep inadequacy as a politician and what Hoffer calls “a man of words.” His competing desires to inspire and rule without checks were at the heart of his actions.
Trump has no such ambition, no such thoughtful reflection. His presidency is about staying out of jail, political retribution of his perceived enemies, and payback to his financial backers (read – Musk and Putin). Trump doesn’t need Congress because he can buy a new one if necessary, to rubber stamp whatever he (and Musk and Putin) wants.
My feeling is he wants the legitimacy of the courts for himself – he’s built his whole personal brand via mafia-style court battles, and he’s never going to let go of 2020 – but, if it takes forcing the ‘retirement’ of Roberts (who ruled against ISL, etc.) to make Thomas Chief Justice for two years to legitimize his agenda and kept him out of jail, that’s what will happen. Trump needs a rubber stamp and Thomas will do it. It wouldn’t be like he found a guy on the sidewalk to run the Court. For the R establishment to screw over Roberts after basically curating him for the Chief Justice job for 25 years and letting him overturn 60 years of precedent, is totally on brand for TFG, and could be worth it for his monied backers, because they’re going to operate with impunity no matter who’s on the bench. Roberts may have already smelled blood in the water with the immunity ruling “See? I’m on your side.!!” There’s no way to know.
Democrats will have to go through their cosplay of ‘fighting back’ before they’ll seriously consider walking the administration out by gunpoint and in cuffs. (Pressure works in this case) There are folks out there who have a LOT of confidence in these federal judges and ‘issued orders.’ Although I’m not feeling it, I’m interested to see how it goes down. #FightForBetterPrepareForWorse
This is why others are talking of a coup. There will be a hot war in that case. We will not take this easily. If we allow this, then it cements itself. Will this be the "land of the free and the brave'' "brotherhood undimmed by human tears"? NOW is the time to act.
It's clearly been Republicans for many decades that have been seeking this takeover of power... not the Democrats. That is the truth. They want all the power. And they are getting it. They practically have it. WE are left to defend with a ground operation:People Power.
Why with a unitary executive couldn't a Democratic president use it? That is your ESSENTIAL difference between the parties- a deep difference in what kind of country we want.
We have been going back and forth through the decades. Now we will be STUCK if we do not prevent this, if we do not resist. We will be stuck in a Republican Party Government, a ONE party government, with people complying out of fear and to survive. Republicans, not Democrats, truth be told, are evolving us into a dictatorship. They have sought to gain power through the decades pushing the "unitary executive". This is a coup. This is a completely different government than what, dare I say, most of us have signed onto. Not of for and by the people, but of for and by the few, the so called religious right, the money interests, the haters, the conned. And it's not for just 4 years of a Republican presidency. They are already floating beyond... heady with power.
Even if trump's lying lawyers were modestly savvy, trump is an arrogant buffoon who will continue to undermine any attempts at shrewd constraint among his lackeys. It is entirely possible that their coup could work, but the resistance might actually have perverse ally in trump as he is his own worst enemy. We need to fight like hell on outside, while from the inside, the deranged orange menace brazenly continues to lose his mind in full view of the American public and the world. In the best, most just scenario he will be his own undoing.
"constraint among his lackeys" - this time, Trump has chosen idiots and true sycophants to do his bidding. There will be no constraints.
"The question, then, could become whether military and law enforcement authorities will be “loyal” to a leader who has shed even the pretense of constitutional legitimacy."
The cops and the military are thoroughly infested with Republicans. They're practically branches of the proud boys. They will absolutely go along with it.
Alas, time is of the essence.
In just a few more months, our unqualified SECDEF, majordumo, will have retired all Generals but a few loyalists. Then, the MAGAs in uniform - nearly all enlisted members, will be able to resist executing their duties. Most police forces have already been shown to contain MAGA thugs. Many county sheriffs are already aligned with Trump, ready to aid his deportation roundups.
“Most police forces have already been shown to contain MAGA thugs”
The venn diagram of the two is a fucking circle.
Well , that was a bleak read. Musk and JD are now openly signaling that defiance of judicial rulings is on the way, and the sooner the better. I honestly can't tell if they see the implications of what they're calling for or are just lusting for power so intensely they're blinded to it - or if they fully see it and believe their moral righteousness (JD) and intellectual superiority (Musk) entitle them to it, and damn the rest of us. The military and police will absolutely go along with it, and at some point if American's rise up out of their torpor, 4 dead in Ohio will be a quaint remembrance of better times in the past.
Any day now, Trump and his co-president will decide he has the authority to incarcerate Americans indefinitely and without charge. We've danced up to the edge of this cliff before; this time, we'll see a president takes us over the edge. I would not want to be one of the Bidens, the Clintons or the Smiths right now.
Contact your friends in purple or red states and urge them to reach out to their Senators. Some GOP Senators might be swayed if enough people speak out.
RFK Jr’s confirmation hearing to lead the Federal health agencies is coming soon. It’s not just his anti-vax stance, but he has no science background. During his hearing, he showed that he didn’t even have a basic understanding of the CDC, FDA, Medicare, or Medicaid. It was embarrassing.
Call your Senators, even Democrats! We cannot be sure that our Democratic Senators will vote against these reckless nominees. Some elected Democrats are caving already. You would be shocked if you looked at the list of “Yes” votes for many who have been confirmed. N.J. Senator Cory Booker voted to confirm Scott Bessent to lead Treasury. Bessent promptly gave Elon Musk permission to access Treasury records and payment systems. Thanks, Cory!
Google your Senators’ names to find their phone numbers. Their DC office voice mail boxes may be full, so call their local office. You probably won’t reach a human. When you leave a message, tell them you want a response, and give your phone number or email address. I’ve heard that emailing Congresspeople thru their websites is pointless. (For one thing, you’ll have to choose a category, and “Cabinet Nominees” is not among them.)
Make a separate phone call each time you contact your Congresspeople. Each constituent opinion is noted individually and tallied. Our Senators want to be re-elected, so your opinion matters.
Soon you’ll be calling to speak against Kash Patel, who would be terrifying as head of the FBI.
BTW, Democracy Forward - https://democracyforward.org/ - is largely responsible for the Trump Administration’s having rescinded the federal spending freeze. Other groups needing our support are Public Citizen - https://www.citizen.org/ - and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - https://www.citizensforethics.org/ - These groups are suing the Trump administration virtually every day.
Join me in donating to keep these fearless advocates and lawyers working to save our democracy. Even if you’re too discouraged to read the details, pls. donate if you can afford to.
PLEASE RE-STACK THIS!
The big idea: It's all about money. Follow the money. Yes, there's the fundamentalist faux-christian crew waiting to impose their religion on everyone, but that's in second place. Money trumps (sorry, no pun intended) that. In this country, money trumps everything.
One factor not included in this essay is the influence of the oligarchs and top corporate management on the christo-fascists and other malign actors and buffoons now wilding through government offices. They, the oligarchs and corporatists, are of course all about making money, as much as possible as fast as possible. That happens best when social and economic conditions are stable, events are more rather than less predictable, and risk is low. The First Felon's pushing too far in challenging the legitimacy of the court will, as this article says, lead to very great disruption and likely widespread violence, exactly the sort of environment the oligarchs _don't_ want.
My guess is that before the First Felon starts to actually cross that last bridge, to openly continue acting in defiance of judicial rulings, the oligarchs will give him the high sign and the "OK, that's enough, now knock it off and be happy with what you have" message. He will comply, because the oligarchs will quickly ruin him if he does stuff that will upset the big money cart.
That doesn't mean that the sky will fill with rainbows and celestial harmonies will fill the air and we will be rid of the bad actors. Far from it; things will still be very bad: there will still be much effort to destroy government functionality and services, drastically reduce regulation and taxes on the rich, make free and fair elections impossible, impose an extremist theocracy, etc.
But the First Felon and henchpeople will have to go at it a bit more circumspectly, will have to work the system more and not count on riding roughshod over the top of it and the Constitution, thereby increasing chaos and risk to the point of seriously jeopardizing the oligarchs' financial interests. It's all about the money.
"Donald Trump’s cronies are threatening to defy the authority of the federal courts. If they follow through, the nation’s rapid descent into dictatorship will be complete" really? that's our only option? to cave? no thanks
I'm still unclear as to what the recourse is if he continues to overtly disregard court orders. What action is there the courts can take?
They can hold him in contempt and order him arrested. But then what? 🤷🏻♀️
The Supremes will just let him walk as he has immunity that they gifted him.
Nixon felt deep inadequacy as a politician and what Hoffer calls “a man of words.” His competing desires to inspire and rule without checks were at the heart of his actions.
Trump has no such ambition, no such thoughtful reflection. His presidency is about staying out of jail, political retribution of his perceived enemies, and payback to his financial backers (read – Musk and Putin). Trump doesn’t need Congress because he can buy a new one if necessary, to rubber stamp whatever he (and Musk and Putin) wants.
My feeling is he wants the legitimacy of the courts for himself – he’s built his whole personal brand via mafia-style court battles, and he’s never going to let go of 2020 – but, if it takes forcing the ‘retirement’ of Roberts (who ruled against ISL, etc.) to make Thomas Chief Justice for two years to legitimize his agenda and kept him out of jail, that’s what will happen. Trump needs a rubber stamp and Thomas will do it. It wouldn’t be like he found a guy on the sidewalk to run the Court. For the R establishment to screw over Roberts after basically curating him for the Chief Justice job for 25 years and letting him overturn 60 years of precedent, is totally on brand for TFG, and could be worth it for his monied backers, because they’re going to operate with impunity no matter who’s on the bench. Roberts may have already smelled blood in the water with the immunity ruling “See? I’m on your side.!!” There’s no way to know.
Democrats will have to go through their cosplay of ‘fighting back’ before they’ll seriously consider walking the administration out by gunpoint and in cuffs. (Pressure works in this case) There are folks out there who have a LOT of confidence in these federal judges and ‘issued orders.’ Although I’m not feeling it, I’m interested to see how it goes down. #FightForBetterPrepareForWorse