Is there a Democrat out there who can excite and motivate enough voters to knock off the MAGA GOP in 2028? A number of of them were discussed in a NY Times article, especially governors J.P.Pritzgar of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and California’s Gavin Newsom. Hal Ginsberg and I looked at those and several others on Haitics,the daily YouTube videocast.
No one candidate stood out, and Hal felt there should have been more discussion of their policy differences. I was more satisfied with the article as I saw its purpose was to touch on the reasons and qualifications they had that would allow them to be in contention for the nomination.
We talked about President Trump thinking and acting like he owns every part of the federal government, even if he doesn’t have the law on his side. Hal and I were not happy about a Democratic group called Chorus, a liberal influencer marketing platform designed to raise money for elections, but with many strings attached for donors. I noted that billionaires like Elon Musk can overwhelm election results.
Hal mentioned statistics showing the public favors many Democratic Party policies (taxing the rich, more health insurance, higher minimum wage, etc) it hasn’t helped them win elections because big donors usually get their way. That is no way to function as a democracy, and to say we are is naive.
It’s not in the headlines, but the indicators tell us boys are going through a tough patch. On the YouTube videocast Halitics, Hal and I are aware that boys are going to college at a rate lower than girls, playing less sports, having more mental issues, feeling lonely, etc. When similar problems were noticed over a century ago, society stepped up to solve these problems, with youth organizations created and many men working with the boys to help them. Two writers in The NY Times urge more men to get involved like they did then. It would help not only young boys, it would be a good thing for men too.
Hal and I noted newer atrocities committed by the Israeli military, this time killing five journalists in Gaza, with no indications Netanyahu will ease up anytime soon. We noted how President Trump promoted Operation Warp Speed to successfully find vaccines for Covid-19, but now is doing the opposite in science and health, discouraging government/business cooperation in fixing health problems and medical research today. We also commented about the current administration discouraging progress that might help minorities in favor of policies favored by white southerners, including sending federal troops into big cities in Blue states, while ignoring the crime-ridden cities in Red states.
Many people, me included, don’t understand how Trump cultists and MAGAs worship the current president, even while he shows himself to be mentally challenged, a felon, a classic narcissist, morally weak, greedy, seriously vengeful and bitter, exploits women, lies and exaggerates every day, etc etc.–you know what I’m talking about.
Could it be that right-wing news sources (e.g. Fox “News”) hide and ignore many of his most outrageous actions and speeches., and most of his followers are oblivious to them.
The following tracks his many disturbing actions:
Vote of No Confidence in Our Current Federal Government (origin unclear):
“We, the People of the United States, declare a vote of no confidence in our current federal government.
We do so out of love for our country and our liberties and to defend our democracy from an autocratic regime that aims to destroy it. Our goal is to help speed the winds of democratic change.
Exercising our constitutional right to peaceful protest, we offer this petition as an online march on Washington.
DECLARATION OF GRIEVANCES
The President of the United States:
Has shredded the Rule of Law and violated his solemn oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States;
Has attacked First Amendment freedoms of speech, press, and assembly by intimidating those who oppose him;
Has misused the military and federal law enforcement to create a climate of fear;
Has abused his power by pardoning those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and by dangling future pardons to encourage criminal conduct on his behalf;
Has violated the principle of no taxation without representation by imposing tariffs through executive orders alone and by threatening tariffs to advance his personal agenda;
Has violated the constitutional principles of due process and the equal protection of the laws by using masked agents to kidnap law-abiding refugees for expedited deportation without judicial hearings and by detaining them in unspeakable conditions;
Has fueled racism and white supremacy by scapegoating communities of color;
Has endangered lives and our planet by disregarding science;
Has sought to manipulate the results of the midterm elections by using the FBI and the Department of Justice to facilitate gerrymandering by States his party controls;
Has violated the Constitution by soliciting and accepting bribes;
Has undermined the judiciary by attacking judges who rule against him and by failing to comply with court orders; and
Has denied justice to those he disfavors by exercising unwarranted control over the Department of Justice.
The abuse-enabling members of the Congress of the United States:
Have abdicated their constitutional duty to be check on presidential excesses;
Have gutted essential federal functions by accepting budget cuts Congress has not approved, rescinding monies appropriated for public services, and permitting the demolition of agencies and departments established by law;
Have willfully ignored challenges in healthcare, education, employment, housing, climate change, public safety, campaign finance and the preservation of democracy;
Have reinforced income inequality by enacting legislation that redistributes wealth from the poor to the rich; and
In the case of the United States Senate, have repeatedly confirmed unfit presidential nominees.
A majority of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States:
Has placed the President and his acolytes above the law;
Has evaded ethical accountability by tolerating conflicts of interest by its justices
Has demonstrated subservience to the President by using the so-called shadow docket to overturn without explanation well-reasoned lower court orders; and
Has squandered centuries of respect for the Court by rendering decisions that undermine legislation protecting civil and voting rights and other laws enacted by Congress.
NOW THEREFORE, we, the citizens of the United States of America at least 18 years of age, cast a Vote of No Confidence in the current federal government of the United States. We call for the redress of the grievances declared here and oppose the current regime’s assault on the rule of law, just as the signers of the Declaration of Independence rejected the tyranny of “The Mad King,” George III.”
As always, much to talk about. The first order of business on Halitics (a daily YouTube videocast) was to talk about an old friend, KC Lynch, who passed away a few days ago in his apartment. He was a pioneer at the old KRXA, and liked by many. Then on to the tragic events in Gaza. Israeli president Netanyahu continues to kill too many civilians in Gaza. Hal and I talked about a column by Nicolas Kristof of The NY Times answering his pro-Israeli critics by pointing out that Israel has gone too far in answering the Oct 7, 2023 massacre, and should make more of an effort to achieve peace.
We also pointed out that so many positive attributes of our country are being eliminated by Trump and his allies. Progress in research, education, science, health, etc. are being swept away by Trump’s radical policies. Why can’t the Democratic Party take advantage of these losses? I believe Fox News and similar media are very popular, and their viewers don’t hear all the negative news about the president. These platforms allow viewers confirmation and permission for their prejudices and hate.
Can the fascist-styled dictatorial moves of President Trump be stopped? And if there is a way, how?, On Tuesday’s YouTube videocast, Halitics, Hal Ginsberg and I see the terrible danger, but have slightly different ways of fighting it. Hal has given up on the Democratic Party, and sees a better answer with a third party (Like the Green Party). I still see hope within the Democratic Party, but not without significant changes in the quality of candidates and their ability to find a way to express to the voters their strategies they will use to fight for the working classes.
Both of us are frustrated with the incessant, bloody attacks on civilians by Israel in Gaza. We are frustrated that there isn’t a strong reaction from our government or from both political parties. We also discussed the pros and cons of tariffs (a favorite of Hal) vs free trade, which seems to be endorsed by Fareed Zakaria.
There’s no sugarcoating the truth: As fascism‘s grip tightens under Trump and the GOP, America’s government no longer operates as a constitutional republic.
The ostensible oaths to “support and defend the Constitution” are hollow, a ghost script read aloud while the regime marches America toward authoritarian collapse in the mode of Russia and Hungary.
Every federal institution now performs in synchronous mimicry of Dear Orange Leader’s unraveling psyche: false justifications, lop-sided pretenses of accountability, cosplay theater designed more for emotional spectacle than legal legitimacy, accelerating escalation at every turn.
Nothing — literally nothing organized or passed by Republicans in the last 44 years — was built to uplift average Americans. It’s all been engineered for power consolidation, GOP single-party rule, the wealth of the morbidly rich, and narrative control.
Consider the Justice Department. Once the nation’s arbiter of lawful conduct, it’s now Trump’s personal legal hit squad. Pam Bondi, who claimed she would end “weaponization” of the DOJ, created the novel “special prosecutor” role and appointed Ed Martin — an extremist QAnon promoter and January 6th fan — to target political enemies like Letitia James and Adam Schiff under what appear to be bogus pretexts.
The resulting spectacle, the parade of propaganda on rightwing TV and the circumvention of norms are all unconstitutional fascist grandstanding.
Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., a carjacking narrative involving two Black minors and a neo‑Nazi hacker nicknamed “Big Balls,” boosted by Elon Musk and Fox, has been seized upon to manufacture a crime panic.
It’s strikingly defiant of DOJ data, which confirms a 30‑year low in violent crime in the capital city. Trump harnessed the stunt to justify mobilizing ICE, the FBI, and the National Guard, weaponizing fear and fabrications to execute a federal coup on the city’s civil fabric.
This isn’t safety, it’s occupation.
At the FBI, Kash Patel is purging anyone not MAGA‑approved: long‑serving agents loyal to the institution, or even just connected to cases that charged Trump or January 6th insurrectionists, are being run out.
Patel’s attack on federalism reached a chilling new level when the FBI agreed to hunt down Texas Democratic state lawmakers who had fled to prevent mid‑cycle gerrymandering. No federal crime was under investigation, just a brazen attempt to subvert state sovereignty and tilt an election.
This is not law enforcement; it’s authoritarians seizing our nation’s legal infrastructure.
And then the propaganda arm roars in lockstep. Jesse Watters didn’t even bother to murmur coded dog whistles. He publicly declared the GOP must “kick illegal aliens out of the census,” gerrymander “to the hilt,” and lock Democrats into a “permanent minority.”
It’s open advocacy for one‑party rule rooted in gaslighting and cultural hatred. There are no quiet parts anymore: every word is a confession.
Public health and science have also been hijacked. Bob Kennedy oversaw the cancellation of 22 federal mRNA vaccine projects — including promising research into cancer and bird flu — with half a billion dollars cut. mRNA vaccines have already saved millions: Stopping that research amid emergent threats isn’t policy, it’s mass eugenics masquerading as public health.
Within the military, Pete Hegseth, a Trump loyalist, is rewriting history and norms: he wants Confederate base names restored, monuments to the traitors resurrected, public prayer institutionalized, and the values of supremacist preacher Doug Wilson — who believes women don’t deserve the vote and empathy is Satanic — amplified throughout the military.
That this is being done under the flag of “service” is a grotesque betrayal of the constitutional order.
ICE is being transformed into Trump’s personal masked, unaccountable, violent paramilitary. Official tweets now celebrate postings that solicit thugs — no degree required, no age limit — and glorify sadistic enforcement. This isn’t border control; it’s paramilitary recruitment for a fascist secret police force.
And now come the arrests.
Yes, the political arrests have already begun. In Newark, Mayor Ras Baraka attempted to participate in a congressional oversight visit to Delaney Hall, an ICE concentration camp. Federal agents arrested him. Charges were later dropped, and he is now suing for malicious prosecution and defamation, but the precedent was established.
At the same event, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver was indicted on three counts of assaulting, impeding, and interfering with federal officers, charges that carry up to 17 years. Her crime? Trying to protect the mayor and uphold legislative oversight. Multiple lawmakers and faith leaders have condemned the prosecution as politically motivated intimidation.
At the same time, Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly detained — assaulted, handcuffed, and violently dragged out — after attempting to question DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. He identified himself as a sitting senator; no charges were filed. Still, the message was clear: dissent has been criminalized and there will be a next time.
Add to that the targeting of a Wisconsin judge, Hannah Dugan. The FBI arrested and indicted her after she tried to help an undocumented immigrant evade arrest. She’s been suspended by the state Supreme Court. This is a judge facing prison for expressing compassion.
And let’s not forget the investigations aimed at AG Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff. Trump’s federal authorities are now targeting elected officials over their political stances, without a shred of legal basis. These investigations are not about justice: they’re about vengeance, performative brutality, and raw power.
When institutional coercion becomes the norm, when political arrests replace constitutional rule, the democratic state has collapsed. Authoritarian regimes don’t wait until they hold 100% of power; they erode the system until the system can no longer resist them and democracy collapses. That’s exactly what we’re witnessing.
History echoes in every violation.
Remember Hitler writing Mein Kampf in prison, outlining Lebensraum, cloaking aggression as defense and reunification, always positioning himself as the reluctant warrior. He broke treaties, grabbed territory the way Trump is now threatening Greenland and Central America, and used the language of “peace” — always claiming that was his only goal — to mask aggression.
Churchill warned early in the 1930s, but was dismissed as a warmonger. Chamberlain chose to believe he could negotiate with a tyrant, and, as Churchill predicted, war followed.
Trump’s playbook is nearly identical: aggressive power grabs framed as patriotism, defenses against imaginary threats, mythmaking that declares “they made me do it.” And like in the 1930s, the enablers are eating it up.
But here’s the crucial difference: this fight isn’t a continent away; it’s in our towns, our courts, and our statehouses.
The Greatest Generation fought fascism overseas. Now we must fight it at home, in the institutions built on their sacrifice.
For that, we must act.
We can’t expect the courts to help: they’re stacked and the Trump administration has ignored roughly a third of the court orders that have gone against them.
We can’t expect Congress to help: they’re under the control of Republicans completely subservient to their billionaire overlords.
We can’t expect the media to save us: they folded under Trump‘s threats and even handed him tens of millions of dollars for his personal use. CBS has even installed a “bias monitor” to make sure they don’t offend Trump or his people.
We can’t expect our corporate overlords to rescue our republic: they’ve already sold out for tax breaks, subsidies, and an end to limitations on their monopoly power.
We must become this century’s Greatest Generation: no passive hope, no waiting for saviors. Organize, protest, support independent journalism, call your representatives incessantly, primary the handful of craven “problem solver” Democrats, and support those who are willing to fight.
In Blue states, support those governors and legislators who are willing to gerrymander and otherwise use partisan power, including voter purges in Republican areas, when that’s what it takes to rescue our country.
The Republicans never waited for fairness: democrats have to fight fire with fire.
When they go low, we mustn’t go high: we must fight ferociously, methodically, and effectively. Like the soldiers who landed on Normandy Beach and burned swastikas, we must disrupt, dismantle, and hold accountable every authoritarian ambition.
Trump is in collapse, his psyche fracturing, his infrastructure mirroring his breakdown, his institutions weaponized around his rage.
The rupture is real, and it’s here, now. There will be no more subtle signals. It’s confrontation or collapse.
Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light they are trying to force upon us.
That when he made up stories about seeing Muslim-Americans in the thousands cheering the destruction of the World Trade Center, you said, “Not an issue.” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/donald-trumps…/)
That when you heard him relating a story of an elderly guest of his country club, an 80-year old man, who fell off a stage and hit his head, to Trump replied: “‘Oh my God, that’s disgusting,’ and I turned away. I couldn’t—you know, he was right in front of me, and I turned away. I didn’t want to touch him. He was bleeding all over the place. And I felt terrible, because it was a beautiful white marble floor, and now it had changed color. Became very red.” You said, “That’s cool!” (https://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-howard-stern-story)
That when the Central Park Five were compensated as innocent men convicted of a crime they didn’t commit, and he angrily said that they should still be in prison, you said, “That makes sense.” (https://www.usatoday.com/…/what-trump-has…/1501321001/)
That you have watched the parade of neo-Nazis and white supremacists with whom he curries favor, while refusing to condemn outright Nazis, and you have said, “Thumbs up!” (https://www.theatlantic.com/…/why-cant-trump…/567320/)
That you hear him unable to talk to foreign dignitaries without insulting their countries and demanding that they praise his electoral win, you said, “That’s the way I want my President to be.” (https://www.huffpost.com/…/trump-insult-foreign…)
That you have watched him remove expertise from all layers of government in favor of people who make money off of eliminating protections in the industries they’re supposed to be regulating and you have said, “What a genius!” (https://www.politico.com/…/138-trump-policy-changes…)
That you have heard him continue to profit from his businesses, in part by leveraging his position as President, to the point of overcharging the Secret Service for space in the properties he owns, and you have said, “That’s smart!” (https://www.usnews.com/…/how-is-donald-trump-profiting…)
That you have seen him start fights with every country from Canada to New Zealand while praising Russia and quote, “falling in love” with the dictator of North Korea, and you have said, “That’s statesmanship!” (https://www.cnn.com/…/donald-trump-dictators…/index.html)
That Trump separated children from their families and put them in cages, managed to lose track of 1500 kids, has opened a tent city incarceration camp in the desert in Texas – he explains that they’re just “animals” – and you say, “Well, OK then.” (https://www.nbcnews.com/…/more-5-400-children-split…)
That you have witnessed all the thousand and one other manifestations of corruption and low moral character and outright animalistic rudeness and contempt for you, the working American voter, and you still show up grinning and wearing your MAGA hats and threatening to beat up anybody who says otherwise. (https://www.americanprogress.org/…/confronting-cost…/)
What you don’t get, Trump supporters, is that our succumbing to frustration and shaking our heads, thinking of you as stupid, may very well be wrong and unhelpful, but it’s also… hear me… charitable.
Because if you’re NOT stupid, we must turn to other explanations, and most of them are less flattering.
On today’s YouTube videocast Halitics I try to convince a skeptical Hal Ginsberg that the world is finally taking notice of the famine conditions perpetuated by the Israeli military against the people of Gaza. I’m starting to see that Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump are feeling the pressure from the international community focused on the lack of food and unnecessary civilian deaths. Will that increased attention change the status quo? We’ll have to wait and see, but we do know the deaths in Gaza since October 2024 just passed 60,000 Palestinians, and now we have victims of starvation adding to that terrible total. The U.S. is supplying weapons and money that contribute to civilian deaths, yet President Trump and the GOP Congress look away. Meanwhile, Israeli and American Jews are uncomfortably divided between revenge and peace.
Hal expects more from the Democratic Party, whose approval ratings are in the tank. I point out that Democrats are weak because they have no power and are led by old, moderate leadership and little media exposure. We talk about the many institutions, like universities, law firms, and media companies that are capitulating to please Trump, just as Hungarians did when Viktor Alban consolidated his aristocracy.
Every day, it seems, we see or hear about another way in which Trump and his lickspittles in Congress and the various federal agencies are tearing down our country, weakening our defenses, pitting Americans against each other, looting our government, and making life harder for everybody except the morbidly rich.
The question nobody seems to have an answer to is, “Why?”
— Is it that, as Craig Unger seems to suggest, that he’s been a Russian agent for decades and is setting us up to lose to the newly-forming Axis of Russia and China?
— Is it that he spent so many years burning with rage and embarrassment at not being accepted by New York high society that he’s just come to hate America?
— Could it be that America-fearing foreign powers that have poured literally billions of dollars into the Trump family are paying him to tear us apart so they’ll never again have to endure the humiliation of having their human, civil, and women’s rights records called out by a future administration?
— Is it possible it’s all just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires?
— Or are his, Vance’s, and Musk’s white supremacist, Christian nationalist, libertarian, and/or neo-Nazi ideologies so intense that they’re willing to essentially burn the country down just to expel people of color, elevate the rich, and re-subordinate women?
These are serious questions for which I can’t find credible answers that explain the entire spectrum of their behavior. Why would Trump and the GOP:
— Condemn 12 million Americans to sickness and early death by gutting Medicaid? — Destroy American soft power by killing USAID, thus condemning millions to death? — Fire so many workers at the Social Security Administration that just getting through to sign up or get help has turned into a multi-day slog? — Gut the State Department at a time diplomacy is most needed for world peace? — End food assistance (SNAP) for millions when one-in-five American children experience hunger? — Refuse to enforce laws and rules that allow workers to form unions in their workplaces? — Propose forcing all new Medicare recipients onto Medicare “Advantage” corporate scam plans? — Refuse military aid to Ukraine for seven long months and then give Russia 50 days to finish off their genocidal job? — Stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from going after fraudsters and banks when they rip people off? — Eliminate a major NOAA program designed to warn communities about the dangers of flooding and other extreme weather crises? — Politicize the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Election Commission? — End net neutrality so none of us are safe online? — Shut down anti-cyber-warfare operations in the federal government? — Defund university research that leads to innovation and saves lives? — Cut unemployment insurance benefits across Red states? — Terminate support for people with student loans and gut scholarship programs? — Slash Affordable Care Act outreach budgets and allow junk insurance plans? — Reverse over 100 environmental rules, including those on clean air, clean water, and chemical safety? — Weaken Dodd-Frank, including gutting oversight of “too big to fail” banks and stress tests for mid-size financial institutions? — Dial back OSHA workplace safety standards and inspections? — Cut taxes to rich people while raising them via tariffs on working class folks? — Change the Federal Trade Commission to allow more monopolistic, rip-off corporate behavior? — Make it harder to vote and harass Blue states by demanding their voter information? — Work to prosecute women who have miscarriages or abortions? — Make it harder to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)? — End auto emission standards and increase our reliance on fossil fuels? — Pack the courts with judges the American Bar Association says are “unqualified”? — Destroy our faith in our elections and set up election workers for harassment? — Fire the Inspectors General (who find waste, fraud, and abuse) across multiple federal agencies? — Weaken whistleblower protections? — Put the military on the streets of our cities in violation of Posse Comitatus? — Use state power to punish political opponents and those who’ve investigated Trump’s crimes, alleged Russian collusion, and corruption? — Create a network of concentration camps across America? — Allow a shadow cabinet of billionaires and theocrats via Project 2025? — Attack judges and prosecutors, leading to violence and threats of violence? — Foment violence (like on January 6th) as a political strategy? — Destroy our asylum and refugee systems? — Pardon insurrectionists, rapists, cybercriminals, and other wealthy criminals? — Defund the IRS so they can no longer audit the morbidly rich, leading to the loss of hundreds of billions in federal revenues? — Ban books and censor libraries? — Criminalize trans and queer people? — Roll back gun safety measures? — Defund the arts, humanities, and public media? — Gut vaccine and other programs that keep Americans healthy? — Nakedly politicize the military? — Expand federal surveillance powers while kneecapping oversight? — Criminalize free speech, particularly on college campuses? — Attempt to revoke birthright citizenship? — Attack press freedom and bar the Associated Press from the White House? — Sabotage the US Postal Service? — Undermine the census? — Scale back civil and women’s rights enforcement? — Normalize autocratic language like “vermin,” “scum,” and calling immigrants “animals”? — Expel millions of brown-skinned immigrants who’ve already gone through the legal process to get work permits and are on a path toward citizenship? — Create international fiscal chaos with an on-again, off-again TACO tariff policy? — Cancel the suicide hotline for queer kids? — Gut our national parks and sell off our federal lands to wealthy friends of the administration? — Create a vast, secret, unaccountable police force with masked officers whose identity is concealed? — Allow the president to accept hundreds of millions in obvious bribes from foreign powers in violation of the Constitution? — Work so hard to conceal the crimes of a notorious sexual predator?
And this, of course, is just a partial list of the ways Trump and the GOP have weakened our nation, reduced our standing and prestige in the world, corrupted our government, and immiserated working class families.
Many of the theories about why Trump and the GOP would enthusiastically do so much damage to our people, our military, and our democracy contradict others.
For example, why would billionaires want tax cuts at the expense of damaging the economy that made them rich? Why would we promote a muscular military policy like bombing Iran while simultaneously destroying morale within the ranks and kneecapping our intelligence agencies?
“Something is happening here but you don’t know what it is,” sang Bob Dylan back in the 1960s.
Today, we’re there.
Why do you think Trump and the GOP are working so hard to ruin our country?
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