Where did you go? America is going through a coup. Over the weekend the group 18F in the government was summarily destroyed. It's importance cannot be described regarding their achievements after only 11 years They live on on BlueSky. Also on Saturday 20,000 people came out at over 120 National Parks/Forests, led by the Resistance Rangers (about 650 former federal employees) rallies, to call for a reversal of those mass firings.
And so forth. Although the only person that I can identify with regularity is Pete Buttiegeg, among a handful. Yes Harris gave a nice speech at the NAACP Awards, but it was in generalities. Where are all the former Presidents, Vice-presidents, and their spouses?
I plead with you to become far more public and vocal (as you were last year) in supporting American democracy!
Fellow Americans, we are grossly under-responding to what is happening. Same with the Dems. The same with the never Trump Republicans. Same with us all… military leaders including. Day-by-day we underestimate what is happening, we under-imagine just how fast and how bad. This is not being dramatic… it’s just pointing out what’s evolving in front of our own eyes and we stand collectively stunned.
Well, it’s here and some write letters and send emails, but those are weak (albeit understandable) interventions and attempts using rationality against an irrational foe. And most don’t do anything at all. They just carry on as if it has nothing to do with them, as if it’s all just fine.
It’s almost too late already for our country and for democracy, and yet we still under-respond day-by-day because we lack leadership to organize and sustain much more impactful efforts. We need those efforts yesterday, not tomorrow. Tomorrow we will have needed them today. We need leadership and a plan and massive engagement… yesterday.
Maybe just maybe, today’s not too late, but it’s certainly very rapidly becoming too late.
Here is a slightly edited version hopefully without typos. We - we the people - need to start responding now…
——-
Fellow Americans, we are grossly under-responding to what is happening - the Dems, the never Trump Republicans, military leaders and “we the people”. Day-by-day we underestimate what is happening, we under-imagine just how fast and how bad. This is not being dramatic… it’s just pointing out what’s evolving in front of our own eyes and we stand collectively stunned.
Well, it’s here and some write letters and send emails, but those are weak (albeit understandable) interventions and attempts using rationality against an irrational foe. And most don’t do anything at all. They just carry on as if it has nothing to do with them, as if it’s all just fine.
It’s almost too late already for our country and for democracy, and yet we still under-respond day-by-day because we lack leadership to organize and sustain much more impactful efforts. We need those efforts yesterday, not tomorrow. Tomorrow we will have needed them today. We need leadership and a plan and massive engagement… yesterday.
Maybe, just maybe, today is not too late, but it’s certainly very rapidly becoming too late.
Ellen here-Agree this is the moment to stop this coup. As time passes they will find a way to disable the American people. trump is seriously underestimated at our peril. Our Democratic leaders are not facing the urgency of the moment. They should not attend trump's speech and instead give their own address. It should be a call that we are all in this together. Right now, it feels like our leaders can't see what's right in front of them. The dissolution of the United States of America.
I am heading down to Phoenix shortly to participate in a 50501 sponsored protest at the state capitol. I'm hoping we get a good turnout. We have to work our way up to hundreds of thousands in the near future in order to reach the goal of 11 million nationwide. It's the only way.
I get emails from the Obamas and Valerie Jarrett asking for donation for the Presidential Center here in Chicago. The Obamas are fabulously wealthy after their time in the White House and do not need my money. They need to Do Something! Donate to our candidates, including the two special elections in Florida on April 1 (Gay Valimont and Josh Weil are our candidates). There is also the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1. Our candidate is Judge Susan Crawford.
You do know Obama was the first American president to prove our word was no good in Ukraine when he failed to respond as called for in the 1994 agreement protecting Ukraine in return for their giving up their nuclear arsenal when Putin invaded eastern Ukraine and took Crimea back in 2014? Yes? Like so much of that administration, the commitment turned out to be smoke and mirrors. (I hate saying that; I worked my ass off in 2007-08 and personally raised $500,000 for the campaign as a fund-raiser. But it's true if you want to remove your blinders.)
Obama definitely missed the mark when he did nothing about Crimea. I once saw great hope and promise in Obama when he first became president. But as time has revealed he was and continues to be a disappointment. A great deal of smoke and mirrors in his administration.
Use your energy for Trump/Musk. Don't know what Obama could have done about Crimea without American troops. After his first term, he had a Republican Congress. Don't think Zelenskyy was President yet. Correct me if wrong.
One commenter remarked that Obama somehow lost his courage somewhere between the inauguration stage and the White House. Though I credit him with finally getting a healthcare bill passed he left so much on the cutting room floor including upholding our promise to support Ukraine. And Joe also should have done so much more, like personally going to Zelenskyy to warn him in late '21 using all our intel and offering US "peacekeepers" before Russia invaded. I still maintain Putin would have never invaded when faced with US peacekeeping troops. Zelenskyy could have always refused the troops but we would have done our best.
Can we stop trashing our own side, friends? It’s not Obama’s fault that Musk and Trump are destroying our country with the blessing of congressional Republicans. Let’s give credit where credit is due, and turn our anger where it belongs: our opponents. And then, we must do something more about it than posting comments on substack. I would love to hear what everyone is actually doing. Thanks!
I randomly chose Obama. I am equally unhappy with Josh Stein and Jim Hunt's daughter that is now Lt Gov. Stein was a potent AG. Cooper was easily more outspoken than him and consistently (as Gov).
Our country is being destroyed. Our alliances are being broken. Trump is doing everything he can to empower Putin as he abandons Ukraine and dismantles our intelligence services.
Today, I’m going to two rallies to protest the illegal and unconstitutional coup now underway.
Kamala Harris is a private citizen. She applied for the job to lead our country and unfortunately due to the electoral college and many other reasons, she did not win. I am as sad and angry as anyone here. But shouldn't we direct our ire, and our actions, towards the people who currently hold office?
There is a Tesla protest this Saturday I am attending and also invisible east bay planning session on sunday I will be at...I call and email almost daily and spread the info as much as possible
It's not Obama 's responsibility to make you, or anyone of us, feel better. I doubt that we will ever know the number of credible threats that he and hus family faced during his presidency, or continue to receive.
I remember seeing FB "friends " post absolutely vile lies about the Obamas.
He campaigned for Harris, he tried to tell people who Trump is. They didn't want to listen. If Obama doesn't want to put himself in further jeopardy, that is his decision.
Yes all the Dem leaders worked hard for Harris last year. At one point Bill made some not ideal on a campaign stop so he was sorta put aside a bit. But he still made other appearances.
thank you Laine, I agree... Obama wasn't perfect and I think there were serious forces against him... but we need his voice right now. NO MORE OBAMA BASHING PLEASE!
Excellent Joe! I called my Colorado Senators and local House Representative yesterday to tell them to identify a strong voice to respond to Trump’s speech (aka bullshit) tonight). The responder must call out his lies and forcefully offer a very different perspective making clear Democrats are going to resist his destruction and compliance with Vladimir Putin.
He won't lead us. He is on Martha's Vineyard cashing in. our "leaders" won't save us. The anti Vietnam War Movement was not led by elected officials (zero) but was led by us. It will be the people that do something (or not). Unfortunately the only reason the Vietnam War protest worked was the draft and then the lottery which ensured that many Americans were personally impacted by the fact their sons were sent to war. Congress learned quickly and got rid of the draft and we have never been united as a nation again.
RE leaders past and present: I wonder if how much one is insulated (aka how much wealth one has) from the fear Musk/Trump are generating determines the degree they are willing to go out and work hard for the restoration of ordinary Americans access to healthcare, medicaid, and to be sure SS isn't cut. Are the well-insulated ok with thinking they can wait it out for the mid-terms? Their finances are safe and may feel a pinch but they won't be in a state of poverty from all this. And how do they feel about the reputation of the US as it relates to our neighbors' (worldwide) sense of safety and security? It's GONE!!! But is all the insulation around so many of our leaders keeping them in their soft, warm nests and they're too sleepy to care?
Robert, it is amazing that you spend the requisite hours to read the news, digest it, and then write your customarily astute newsletter while "vacationing" in the UK! Thank you!
I want to note that another important victory was won today: the defeat of the Republican Senate effort to legislate hate on the backs of trans girls. They fell 9 votes short of the needed 60 for cloture on S9, the Hate Trans Girls and Punish Them Act (my name for it). I hope you will count all of the victories for the resistance. For more on this, see my Substack Column Sheathed Sword at https://sheathedsword.substack.com/p/fear-not-fairness
Thank you for your work here, Abby. The trans hatred focus on atheletes is not only misplaced as you clearly point out in your article, but notice how it is only trans girls that are the concern in this argument. How about the trans boys? The number of trans individuals is a small precentage of the population, and the number of trans girls who are potentially competitive athletes a small percentage of those. As you point out, the hormone therapy trans girls use to assist their transition also makes their muscles, etc., more like girls. It simply does not make sense that non-trans male athletes would rush out to become trans girls to obtain some imaginary advantage in competition with cis girls. Once again ignorance-based fear is used to manipulate the dialog.
In your SS acct under Messages (I think) there's a Benefits Verification Letter which comes annually, at least. They also come in the mail but maybe that's an option I chose. Also, there should be a COLA adjustment letter. That's what I printed and saved.
The important fact about Social Security is that it is by far the largest money investment Americans have in the DC government. Its not a "pay as you go" term insurance policy. It's like real life insurance, but instead of paying off when you die it pays you while you live your final years of life to insure you have the necessities of life, without which you die early.
If we lose that investment a huge number of us will have little further need for what the current government is doing to us.
And for those of you who are comfortable middle class and don't see a real need for Social Security in their coming retirement consider if you are ready to support those elders who are important to you. Especially in a collapsing economy.
Think about that.
And tell your republican loving friends that if the SS system ever knew who was who politically, that is pretty much gone now as Trump fires the SS staff. There will be equality in the pain.
I'm beginning to believe that those with money, who've spent their lives focused on making massive amounts of money are convinced those who don't have that focus don't deserve any help. Good people who are service-oriented are WOKE. They "don't deserve to have that paycheck" as MTG announced last week regarding the veterans who were fired. Same with SS which Musk characterized as a ponzi scheme. Trump / Musk and many others are not fighting for Americans who literally may not survive these cuts. Why? Because the waste and fraud they are cutting starts with those who they believe are a waste of money. You're not self-sufficient, so suffer and die. Harsh, but that's the message I'm hearing.
Although Robert does a good job of that, you have the power too! Some real detail in your message and all the people who comment here will go ahead and do what you ask.
I am so proud of our senator, Ron Wyden. He is holding a virtual town hall at the same time as the trump speech instead of attending. I wish others would be brave and boycott or Walk out mid-speech.
Yes, I think it would be most powerful if Dems did both. Attend, raise hell, call the orange clown messiah a "LIAR!" repeatedly and even more loudly than that racist pig did to Obama, and then march out half way through. We need spectacle to get the attention of the media!
I’ve sent this message to my congressional representatives:
I encourage you and your Democratic colleagues to boycott Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
The speech is sure to be filled with lies, threats, self-praise, and policy positions that are un-American and unconstitutional . Do not give Donald Trump the satisfaction of seeing a full chamber from the dais. I will be one of the thousands of Americans who will not watch or listen to this appalling man spew his hate. I hope you will be as well.
I don't think Democrats should boycott the speech. It will be far more impactful if many go and are disruptive. Many of them are bringing fired government employees. I’d also support a walkout from the speech, but just not showing up won't have the kind of impact we need.
I think the dems should attend with their guests and be as disruptive as possible. Then all of them walk out together.
I am 76 but every morning I want to get in front of my house and yell,"to arms to arms" and go to war with the maga group. My children and my grandkids and their children I fear for.
Good point. A walk out would indeed make a point. I’m just so sick of the traitor sucking all the oxygen out of the world that I don’t think I can watch. I will watch to Senator Slotkin’s rebuttal and read commentary on the SOTU.
I identify with readers who would like to disrupt Trump’s upcoming speech. However, I think it may backfire.
Most Americans still want to respect the *Presidency*, even if they don’t respect this incumbent. To many, open, vocal disrespecting Trump’s speech will be seen as disrespecting the Presidency.
Yes, voters should tell their representatives in Congress that they should not allow themselves to be demeaned as cheap extras in this despicable reality show.
But you and every other concerned voter should watch and certainly suffer through the spectacle. If anything it will show what we all are up against and it should energize us.
I disagree! Lowest viewing ratings ever will infuriate Trump. and that's all he cares about. Put the Tv on cartoons or a shopping channel and watch one of the many alternative speeches online. I'll be watching Timothy Snyder on redwine-blue zoom.
Where are the Democrat members of the Senate and House?? The only push-back I've read is from CT Senator Murphy. Where is the outrage? Where is the leadership? It's great that protestors are shutting down tesla and that Vermonters have ruined Vance's vacation. But why aren't we hearing from Schumer? Jeffries? It is shocking that neither Democrat not Republican members of Congress are standing up for democracy! Why are they silent in the face of this constitutional crisis? It is simply unbelievable.
I can't read everything all the time, but I do read a fair amount of news. It has literally been days since I have seen Chuck Schumer's name mentioned (merely mentioned, never mind with respect to any meaningful substance) except for reports about the US Attorney's attempt to pursue him. How is it possible for the Senate minority leader to stay out of the news at any time much less these times? It is way past time for Chuck to go.
Other than Pete Buttigieg and Chris Murphy the Dems have been largely AWOL at a crucial time. As Robert has repeatedly said, we can't wait for them, but that doesn't mean their dereliction of duty and responsibility is acceptable.
Senator Schumer occupies a position that, logically, could make him a spokesperson for opposition to Trump. However, he is a dreadful speaker, who drones on and on, no matter how brief his remarks.
Democrats need to home in on a replacement defender.
The Rosetta Stone! I love it. That is perspective indeed.
Traditional civility in Congress allowed racist Southern Democrats to "win" the Civil War through policy until the 1960s. Now that same civility by spineless Republican cowards and super-cautious Democrats is allowing the dismantling of our government. From where I sit, the only organized effective public opposition is coming from pro-democracy lawsuits by various organizations ,and from strategic activism by Indivisible and like-minded grassroots groups, including the protesters at Tesla dealers.
Everyone, call your Members of Congress daily to demand they stop allowing Trump to give our country to Putin.
As I reflect on all this I'm starting to realize that the he best way for the average middle class person to protest is to stop spending money on things they don't need. Keep a little shopping list of such things for future reference. You may be surprised at how many you cross off as the weeks go by. Maybe donate some of that money you didn't spend to people who have been hurt by the selfish side of America or just bad luck.
And with the coming recession you may well find waiting for the inevitable lower prices on many things may be a good idea.
Another thing to do is start paying serious attention to the health of yourself and loved ones. The last thing you need right now is expensive health care that you could have avoided. Don't fall for the advice of quacks and phonies.
Excellent. I'm a minimalist and recently retired. I'm doing what I can in donations to causes I believe in every month. It's all set up on recurring donations.
Rachael Maddow tonight elaborated on Krasnov's, aka Trump's, systematically undoing all our cybersecurity and counterintelligence programs. Rachael asked the pertinent questions. Who/what swing voters voted to hand over our security to Vladimir Putin? Of course, the answer is no right-thinking American would do that. What American interests are served by weakening our cybersecurity, intelligence or counterintelligence? The answer is obvious, yet Krasnov aka Trump is doing exactly that.
We need to make this the new narrative on social media, and in corresponding with politicians. Relentlessly hammer this Krasnov/Trump narrative, rinse and repeat the President of the United States is a Russian asset. It won't be hard to do since Krasnov has already provided ample fodder: Zelensky ambush, UN resolution, firing CIA and FBI personnel, direction to ignore direct cyber and intelligence threats. Repeat, repeat, and repeat, make this take hold, use the republican strategy to our advantage. It really does walk like a duck!
Agree - Republicans are giving us so much to work with. If they had been quieter about dismantling the govt, they might have gotten away with it. But we know what's going on and we the people need to be hammering Republicans every day on the phones/social media/ townhalls - wherever/whenever. We also need to be holding Dems accountable but let's also acknowledge the work they are doing. Until I started reading Ariella Elm's two daily newsletters - Three Wins and Daily Dems Doing the Work - I had no idea how much Dems were doing. Highly recommend adding her to your inbox - here's today's post: https://open.substack.com/pub/ariellaelm/p/daily-dems-doing-the-work-making-dc6?r=51f18&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Quieter and more methodical, perhaps more gradual. This shock and awe firehose is overwhelming, but at the same time, betrays incompetence and chaos that won't all hold up.
There's a distinct possibility that the Ukraine Minerals Agreement was BS all along. Julie Ioffe reported today at Puck that in fact, the amount or rare earth deposits in Ukraine is actually unknown, but what is known is that the majority of the possible areas lie in eastern Ukraine which is occupied by the Russian thieves, and the majority of the possible reserves in unoccupied Ukraine are privately held and therefore would not be subject to the terms of the agreement. So Krasnov may have been sold a bill of goods, super-businessman and crackerjack deal maker that he isn't.
No. If you want to impeach Trump and fire Musk, find and take concrete steps toward those ends; don’t posture and make chants that people will ignore as mindless.
Remember that elections are won by convincing people who are in the political center.
I have been thinking lately of a way to contextualize the profoundly disturbing reversal in allegiances spurred by Friday's vulgar meltdown in the White House. I was also trying to alleviate my own grief and frustration. One crucial point that stuck with me was an observation by the great Ruth Ben Ghiat in her substack, Lucid. Ben Ghiat noted that the Russia investigation during the first Trump admin was in fact a major setback for Putin's initiatives, despite its ultimate defusing and sanitizing in the U.S. political / legal sphere. I had not recognized this as a genuine setback for Putin, likely due to effective sanitizing -- intelligence efforts might have significantly obstructed Putin from his sinister motives back then. Think how "Russia hoax" stuck in the collective memory circa 2018+, and poisoned most all critical reflection on the subject, across the political divide. The "hoax" was trotted out again by Trump in a revealing Freudian slip, during Friday's WH assault.
Yet when I think of these infiltrations as a singular, malevolent lever, Russian machinations can be viewed as a consolidated effort to subvert the U.S. over decades. The U.S. is the piece, par excellence, in the overturning of Western democracies writ large. This, due to U.S. prosperity, military prowess, liberal beacon and preeminent footprint on the democratic Western stage. And the elevation of Trump, a useful theatrical tool and narcissistic cosplay boss, has proven an ideal vessel to wage this subversion. Then between Russia and the power vacuum left by the U.S., the bulk of allied democracies that lie between and around this dual power axis are more vulnerable for subversion, as we now see via aspiring right / autocratic parties assuming more power in the EU, etc.
All this is to say that Friday's repulsive bullying of Zelensky, while not inevitable as isolated event, may indeed come as some kind of summation of a much longer-term agenda. Ergo, the U.S. was intended as a target via many means, on a very patient and calculated timeline, to infiltrate and exploit vulnerabilities in the U.S. system. As Kruschev intimated all the way back in 1956, the post-rapprochement aim would be would overturn the U.S. from the inside, rather than overtly attack it from without. And the past week's indicators (Rachel Maddow did an excellent, stomach-turning rundown) of exploitation can be seen more like the culmination of a tsunami that had been building very slowly in the ocean, far far away from the shore. While it doesn't make this hell more palatable, this could have happened years earlier.
Putin's masterful longterm plan to groom an American President has certainly paid off. But we haven't yet seen the culmination of the tsunami. Putin and Trump are not done yet.
Yes. They are still busy. I also don't mean to say all is inevitable, and I still believe 2026 can shift the field and at least place some checks. It's an historical turn, though. Disconcerting and epistemic. Tsunami wasn't even quite what I meant, but it can serve for now.
Maddow has a darkly humorous segment of all the times where DT just can't comment whether he's talked with VP. Oh, I can't comment on that. Just can't comment. Can't talk about those documents. Oh, no.
Still, the backlash against what's coming here shouldn't be discounted, either. It's just a mess right now.
I disagree with you. Foreign policy varies tremendously with who the head of state is, in both Russia and the United States. I worked in a very successful joint venture with Russians from 1980 to 1992, when rapprochement was thought possible and even succeeded in reducing nuclear arms and fostering many cooperative projects. This is purely Putin's war. He wants to put Humpty Dumpy, i.e., the Soviet Union, back together again, by force if necessary. History could have gone either way, and still might, but we have the two worst leaders possible to come up with a solution acceptable to all.
I agree with you. I did not mean to imply an unbroken line from Kruschev, but rather that Kruschev's approach actually did bear fruit. It was not an easy concept to distill in a comment like this (even a book would be a challenge.) Will try to amend later. I do believe Ben Ghiat's observation. Belton's book on Putin is also worthwhile. Thanks for your comment.
What if every American who believes in Ukraine's cause contributed $1 to a general fund for Ukraine. It would be a symbolic gesture and quantify the number of Americans who support Ukraine. The timing would be good as Trump has stopped the military and financial aid to Ukraine. Just a thought as I have no idea how to implement such a project.
“If you are thinking today about how to help Ukrainians, here are some possibilities: Come Back Alive (Ukrainian NGO that supports soldiers on the battlefield and veterans), United 24 (the Ukrainian state platform for donations, with many excellent projects), RAZOM (an American NGO, tax-deductible for US citizens, which cooperates with Ukrainian NGOS to support civilians), and Documenting Ukraine (a project that helps to give Ukrainians a voice, also tax-deductible for Americans).”
Are you also feeling abandoned? I went on the Obama's website and wrote a message to him. You can also contact her too.
Barackobama.com
Dear President Obama,
Where did you go? America is going through a coup. Over the weekend the group 18F in the government was summarily destroyed. It's importance cannot be described regarding their achievements after only 11 years They live on on BlueSky. Also on Saturday 20,000 people came out at over 120 National Parks/Forests, led by the Resistance Rangers (about 650 former federal employees) rallies, to call for a reversal of those mass firings.
And so forth. Although the only person that I can identify with regularity is Pete Buttiegeg, among a handful. Yes Harris gave a nice speech at the NAACP Awards, but it was in generalities. Where are all the former Presidents, Vice-presidents, and their spouses?
I plead with you to become far more public and vocal (as you were last year) in supporting American democracy!
Thank you.
Joseph English
Fellow Americans, we are grossly under-responding to what is happening. Same with the Dems. The same with the never Trump Republicans. Same with us all… military leaders including. Day-by-day we underestimate what is happening, we under-imagine just how fast and how bad. This is not being dramatic… it’s just pointing out what’s evolving in front of our own eyes and we stand collectively stunned.
Well, it’s here and some write letters and send emails, but those are weak (albeit understandable) interventions and attempts using rationality against an irrational foe. And most don’t do anything at all. They just carry on as if it has nothing to do with them, as if it’s all just fine.
It’s almost too late already for our country and for democracy, and yet we still under-respond day-by-day because we lack leadership to organize and sustain much more impactful efforts. We need those efforts yesterday, not tomorrow. Tomorrow we will have needed them today. We need leadership and a plan and massive engagement… yesterday.
Maybe just maybe, today’s not too late, but it’s certainly very rapidly becoming too late.
Here is a slightly edited version hopefully without typos. We - we the people - need to start responding now…
——-
Fellow Americans, we are grossly under-responding to what is happening - the Dems, the never Trump Republicans, military leaders and “we the people”. Day-by-day we underestimate what is happening, we under-imagine just how fast and how bad. This is not being dramatic… it’s just pointing out what’s evolving in front of our own eyes and we stand collectively stunned.
Well, it’s here and some write letters and send emails, but those are weak (albeit understandable) interventions and attempts using rationality against an irrational foe. And most don’t do anything at all. They just carry on as if it has nothing to do with them, as if it’s all just fine.
It’s almost too late already for our country and for democracy, and yet we still under-respond day-by-day because we lack leadership to organize and sustain much more impactful efforts. We need those efforts yesterday, not tomorrow. Tomorrow we will have needed them today. We need leadership and a plan and massive engagement… yesterday.
Maybe, just maybe, today is not too late, but it’s certainly very rapidly becoming too late.
Charles, can you enlighten us about the actions you are taking to appropriately respond to what is happening? Perhaps we could emulate you.
Ellen here-Agree this is the moment to stop this coup. As time passes they will find a way to disable the American people. trump is seriously underestimated at our peril. Our Democratic leaders are not facing the urgency of the moment. They should not attend trump's speech and instead give their own address. It should be a call that we are all in this together. Right now, it feels like our leaders can't see what's right in front of them. The dissolution of the United States of America.
I am heading down to Phoenix shortly to participate in a 50501 sponsored protest at the state capitol. I'm hoping we get a good turnout. We have to work our way up to hundreds of thousands in the near future in order to reach the goal of 11 million nationwide. It's the only way.
I agree. What are a few specific ideas that you would like to see in a plan developed by leaders that have the state and National
platform?
I get emails from the Obamas and Valerie Jarrett asking for donation for the Presidential Center here in Chicago. The Obamas are fabulously wealthy after their time in the White House and do not need my money. They need to Do Something! Donate to our candidates, including the two special elections in Florida on April 1 (Gay Valimont and Josh Weil are our candidates). There is also the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1. Our candidate is Judge Susan Crawford.
You do know Obama was the first American president to prove our word was no good in Ukraine when he failed to respond as called for in the 1994 agreement protecting Ukraine in return for their giving up their nuclear arsenal when Putin invaded eastern Ukraine and took Crimea back in 2014? Yes? Like so much of that administration, the commitment turned out to be smoke and mirrors. (I hate saying that; I worked my ass off in 2007-08 and personally raised $500,000 for the campaign as a fund-raiser. But it's true if you want to remove your blinders.)
Obama definitely missed the mark when he did nothing about Crimea. I once saw great hope and promise in Obama when he first became president. But as time has revealed he was and continues to be a disappointment. A great deal of smoke and mirrors in his administration.
Use your energy for Trump/Musk. Don't know what Obama could have done about Crimea without American troops. After his first term, he had a Republican Congress. Don't think Zelenskyy was President yet. Correct me if wrong.
One commenter remarked that Obama somehow lost his courage somewhere between the inauguration stage and the White House. Though I credit him with finally getting a healthcare bill passed he left so much on the cutting room floor including upholding our promise to support Ukraine. And Joe also should have done so much more, like personally going to Zelenskyy to warn him in late '21 using all our intel and offering US "peacekeepers" before Russia invaded. I still maintain Putin would have never invaded when faced with US peacekeeping troops. Zelenskyy could have always refused the troops but we would have done our best.
I think you can credit Nancy Pelosi--rather than Obama--with getting the healthcare bill passed.
Can we stop trashing our own side, friends? It’s not Obama’s fault that Musk and Trump are destroying our country with the blessing of congressional Republicans. Let’s give credit where credit is due, and turn our anger where it belongs: our opponents. And then, we must do something more about it than posting comments on substack. I would love to hear what everyone is actually doing. Thanks!
I randomly chose Obama. I am equally unhappy with Josh Stein and Jim Hunt's daughter that is now Lt Gov. Stein was a potent AG. Cooper was easily more outspoken than him and consistently (as Gov).
My message to President Obama.
Mr. President,
Our country is being destroyed. Our alliances are being broken. Trump is doing everything he can to empower Putin as he abandons Ukraine and dismantles our intelligence services.
Today, I’m going to two rallies to protest the illegal and unconstitutional coup now underway.
What are you doing?
Beautiful. Strongly worded and brief. We can do the same at:
Kamala Harris.com/connect
I wouldn’t bother with Biden!
Kamala Harris is a private citizen. She applied for the job to lead our country and unfortunately due to the electoral college and many other reasons, she did not win. I am as sad and angry as anyone here. But shouldn't we direct our ire, and our actions, towards the people who currently hold office?
Send the same to Hillary, Bill, Al, and Tipper. Seriously.
(Al & Tipper are divorced.)
There is a Tesla protest this Saturday I am attending and also invisible east bay planning session on sunday I will be at...I call and email almost daily and spread the info as much as possible
I just sent one too. Hope.he speaks up. Doing nothing means you don't care. They have a large voice, why not use it?
Who is the “he” as you start this post?
It's not Obama 's responsibility to make you, or anyone of us, feel better. I doubt that we will ever know the number of credible threats that he and hus family faced during his presidency, or continue to receive.
I remember seeing FB "friends " post absolutely vile lies about the Obamas.
He campaigned for Harris, he tried to tell people who Trump is. They didn't want to listen. If Obama doesn't want to put himself in further jeopardy, that is his decision.
Not looking to have him make me feel better. Looking for him to step up as a leading Democrat.
Yes all the Dem leaders worked hard for Harris last year. At one point Bill made some not ideal on a campaign stop so he was sorta put aside a bit. But he still made other appearances.
Oh yeah. Every past president and vice president and would be president who ever ran should be out there doing what Bernie is doing at the very least.
I say thank you Bernie!!! and also Chris Murphy, but he does so much requesting of donations... they have good voices though
Yes there were a couple typos. If someone has a suggestion for contacts for all former leaders and their spouses, then please share.
Enough bashing of Obama!!! Put your energy into bashing TrumpMusk and Project 2025!! Get out in the street - plenty of protests to join!!!
I concur. My post is meant to inspire and call upon our former leaders to join us as we lead.
Well, whining and bashing Obamas doesn't inspire me.
thank you Laine, I agree... Obama wasn't perfect and I think there were serious forces against him... but we need his voice right now. NO MORE OBAMA BASHING PLEASE!
Excellent Joe! I called my Colorado Senators and local House Representative yesterday to tell them to identify a strong voice to respond to Trump’s speech (aka bullshit) tonight). The responder must call out his lies and forcefully offer a very different perspective making clear Democrats are going to resist his destruction and compliance with Vladimir Putin.
I called Foushee's office a 2nd time today at 445 pm. Sammy (the intern) again answered. She didn't deny this week has been unprecedented.
My reason for calling was to tell Foushee to boycott the speech. She couldn't confirm, but it was obvious what was happening...
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1E79DsxEUa/
He won't lead us. He is on Martha's Vineyard cashing in. our "leaders" won't save us. The anti Vietnam War Movement was not led by elected officials (zero) but was led by us. It will be the people that do something (or not). Unfortunately the only reason the Vietnam War protest worked was the draft and then the lottery which ensured that many Americans were personally impacted by the fact their sons were sent to war. Congress learned quickly and got rid of the draft and we have never been united as a nation again.
RE leaders past and present: I wonder if how much one is insulated (aka how much wealth one has) from the fear Musk/Trump are generating determines the degree they are willing to go out and work hard for the restoration of ordinary Americans access to healthcare, medicaid, and to be sure SS isn't cut. Are the well-insulated ok with thinking they can wait it out for the mid-terms? Their finances are safe and may feel a pinch but they won't be in a state of poverty from all this. And how do they feel about the reputation of the US as it relates to our neighbors' (worldwide) sense of safety and security? It's GONE!!! But is all the insulation around so many of our leaders keeping them in their soft, warm nests and they're too sleepy to care?
I just wrote him, telling him he's needed in these treacherous times.
Robert, it is amazing that you spend the requisite hours to read the news, digest it, and then write your customarily astute newsletter while "vacationing" in the UK! Thank you!
Yes we are incredibly grateful.
Ditto!
I want to note that another important victory was won today: the defeat of the Republican Senate effort to legislate hate on the backs of trans girls. They fell 9 votes short of the needed 60 for cloture on S9, the Hate Trans Girls and Punish Them Act (my name for it). I hope you will count all of the victories for the resistance. For more on this, see my Substack Column Sheathed Sword at https://sheathedsword.substack.com/p/fear-not-fairness
Thank you for your work here, Abby. The trans hatred focus on atheletes is not only misplaced as you clearly point out in your article, but notice how it is only trans girls that are the concern in this argument. How about the trans boys? The number of trans individuals is a small precentage of the population, and the number of trans girls who are potentially competitive athletes a small percentage of those. As you point out, the hormone therapy trans girls use to assist their transition also makes their muscles, etc., more like girls. It simply does not make sense that non-trans male athletes would rush out to become trans girls to obtain some imaginary advantage in competition with cis girls. Once again ignorance-based fear is used to manipulate the dialog.
Hi Robert, could you please ask everyone to call their representatives to stop raiding social security? It's real now.
The inimitable Jessica Craven has a script for calling our electeds in regard to the alarm about Social Security:
https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-33-cd2
And we need to document our Social Security eligibility by printing out the SSA documents and saving pdf copies.
Also,if you have any type of government pension,screen shoot and print info.
“Proposed laws would allow billions in Florida retirement, other funds to be invested in risky Bitcoin.”
https://www.floridabulldog.org/2025/02/proposed-laws-allow-billions-florida-funds-invested-bitcoin/
I want to do this. I’m unsure which particular documents need to be saved. Thanks in advance for some advice. 💙
In your SS acct under Messages (I think) there's a Benefits Verification Letter which comes annually, at least. They also come in the mail but maybe that's an option I chose. Also, there should be a COLA adjustment letter. That's what I printed and saved.
Thank you. I have the one I got in the mail but now have printed and saved the BVF. Didn’t think to save the COLA letter. Thank you. 💙
Yes, I called all 3 of my representatives today after I read that the former director of Social Security said he expects the system will collapse in 30 to 90 days due to all the firings & changes. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/01/doge-actions-may-cause-social-security-benefit-interruption-ex-agency-head.html. Terrible. I hope many people call.
Thank you for this story, Ellie! It's very comprehensive.
I hope people call too!
The important fact about Social Security is that it is by far the largest money investment Americans have in the DC government. Its not a "pay as you go" term insurance policy. It's like real life insurance, but instead of paying off when you die it pays you while you live your final years of life to insure you have the necessities of life, without which you die early.
If we lose that investment a huge number of us will have little further need for what the current government is doing to us.
And for those of you who are comfortable middle class and don't see a real need for Social Security in their coming retirement consider if you are ready to support those elders who are important to you. Especially in a collapsing economy.
Think about that.
And tell your republican loving friends that if the SS system ever knew who was who politically, that is pretty much gone now as Trump fires the SS staff. There will be equality in the pain.
I'm beginning to believe that those with money, who've spent their lives focused on making massive amounts of money are convinced those who don't have that focus don't deserve any help. Good people who are service-oriented are WOKE. They "don't deserve to have that paycheck" as MTG announced last week regarding the veterans who were fired. Same with SS which Musk characterized as a ponzi scheme. Trump / Musk and many others are not fighting for Americans who literally may not survive these cuts. Why? Because the waste and fraud they are cutting starts with those who they believe are a waste of money. You're not self-sufficient, so suffer and die. Harsh, but that's the message I'm hearing.
Frances Perkins was brilliant indeed.
Although Robert does a good job of that, you have the power too! Some real detail in your message and all the people who comment here will go ahead and do what you ask.
Thank you Pam! I think so too!
I am so proud of our senator, Ron Wyden. He is holding a virtual town hall at the same time as the trump speech instead of attending. I wish others would be brave and boycott or Walk out mid-speech.
Yes, I think it would be most powerful if Dems did both. Attend, raise hell, call the orange clown messiah a "LIAR!" repeatedly and even more loudly than that racist pig did to Obama, and then march out half way through. We need spectacle to get the attention of the media!
MoveOn and Senator Chris Murphy are also holding alternatives: front.moveon.org
I’ve sent this message to my congressional representatives:
I encourage you and your Democratic colleagues to boycott Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
The speech is sure to be filled with lies, threats, self-praise, and policy positions that are un-American and unconstitutional . Do not give Donald Trump the satisfaction of seeing a full chamber from the dais. I will be one of the thousands of Americans who will not watch or listen to this appalling man spew his hate. I hope you will be as well.
I don't think Democrats should boycott the speech. It will be far more impactful if many go and are disruptive. Many of them are bringing fired government employees. I’d also support a walkout from the speech, but just not showing up won't have the kind of impact we need.
I think the dems should attend with their guests and be as disruptive as possible. Then all of them walk out together.
I am 76 but every morning I want to get in front of my house and yell,"to arms to arms" and go to war with the maga group. My children and my grandkids and their children I fear for.
Good point. A walk out would indeed make a point. I’m just so sick of the traitor sucking all the oxygen out of the world that I don’t think I can watch. I will watch to Senator Slotkin’s rebuttal and read commentary on the SOTU.
I identify with readers who would like to disrupt Trump’s upcoming speech. However, I think it may backfire.
Most Americans still want to respect the *Presidency*, even if they don’t respect this incumbent. To many, open, vocal disrespecting Trump’s speech will be seen as disrespecting the Presidency.
Yes, voters should tell their representatives in Congress that they should not allow themselves to be demeaned as cheap extras in this despicable reality show.
But you and every other concerned voter should watch and certainly suffer through the spectacle. If anything it will show what we all are up against and it should energize us.
I disagree! Lowest viewing ratings ever will infuriate Trump. and that's all he cares about. Put the Tv on cartoons or a shopping channel and watch one of the many alternative speeches online. I'll be watching Timothy Snyder on redwine-blue zoom.
Great idea!
Patty Murray is doing the same here in WA.
Where are the Democrat members of the Senate and House?? The only push-back I've read is from CT Senator Murphy. Where is the outrage? Where is the leadership? It's great that protestors are shutting down tesla and that Vermonters have ruined Vance's vacation. But why aren't we hearing from Schumer? Jeffries? It is shocking that neither Democrat not Republican members of Congress are standing up for democracy! Why are they silent in the face of this constitutional crisis? It is simply unbelievable.
Agree, we need a leader to rally all the Dems. I hear a lot of them speaking out, but doesn't seem to be a coordinated daily effort.
Another commenter posted this substack:
https://ariellaelm.substack.com/p/daily-dems-doing-the-work-making-dc6?r=51f18&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true
All of us can be doing more to draw attention to the Dem’s who are speaking out!
I can't read everything all the time, but I do read a fair amount of news. It has literally been days since I have seen Chuck Schumer's name mentioned (merely mentioned, never mind with respect to any meaningful substance) except for reports about the US Attorney's attempt to pursue him. How is it possible for the Senate minority leader to stay out of the news at any time much less these times? It is way past time for Chuck to go.
Other than Pete Buttigieg and Chris Murphy the Dems have been largely AWOL at a crucial time. As Robert has repeatedly said, we can't wait for them, but that doesn't mean their dereliction of duty and responsibility is acceptable.
I have mixed feelings:
Senator Schumer occupies a position that, logically, could make him a spokesperson for opposition to Trump. However, he is a dreadful speaker, who drones on and on, no matter how brief his remarks.
Democrats need to home in on a replacement defender.
The Rosetta Stone! I love it. That is perspective indeed.
Traditional civility in Congress allowed racist Southern Democrats to "win" the Civil War through policy until the 1960s. Now that same civility by spineless Republican cowards and super-cautious Democrats is allowing the dismantling of our government. From where I sit, the only organized effective public opposition is coming from pro-democracy lawsuits by various organizations ,and from strategic activism by Indivisible and like-minded grassroots groups, including the protesters at Tesla dealers.
Everyone, call your Members of Congress daily to demand they stop allowing Trump to give our country to Putin.
As I reflect on all this I'm starting to realize that the he best way for the average middle class person to protest is to stop spending money on things they don't need. Keep a little shopping list of such things for future reference. You may be surprised at how many you cross off as the weeks go by. Maybe donate some of that money you didn't spend to people who have been hurt by the selfish side of America or just bad luck.
And with the coming recession you may well find waiting for the inevitable lower prices on many things may be a good idea.
Another thing to do is start paying serious attention to the health of yourself and loved ones. The last thing you need right now is expensive health care that you could have avoided. Don't fall for the advice of quacks and phonies.
Excellent. I'm a minimalist and recently retired. I'm doing what I can in donations to causes I believe in every month. It's all set up on recurring donations.
Rachael Maddow tonight elaborated on Krasnov's, aka Trump's, systematically undoing all our cybersecurity and counterintelligence programs. Rachael asked the pertinent questions. Who/what swing voters voted to hand over our security to Vladimir Putin? Of course, the answer is no right-thinking American would do that. What American interests are served by weakening our cybersecurity, intelligence or counterintelligence? The answer is obvious, yet Krasnov aka Trump is doing exactly that.
We need to make this the new narrative on social media, and in corresponding with politicians. Relentlessly hammer this Krasnov/Trump narrative, rinse and repeat the President of the United States is a Russian asset. It won't be hard to do since Krasnov has already provided ample fodder: Zelensky ambush, UN resolution, firing CIA and FBI personnel, direction to ignore direct cyber and intelligence threats. Repeat, repeat, and repeat, make this take hold, use the republican strategy to our advantage. It really does walk like a duck!
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/02/28/trump-putin-collusion-russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy/
Agree - Republicans are giving us so much to work with. If they had been quieter about dismantling the govt, they might have gotten away with it. But we know what's going on and we the people need to be hammering Republicans every day on the phones/social media/ townhalls - wherever/whenever. We also need to be holding Dems accountable but let's also acknowledge the work they are doing. Until I started reading Ariella Elm's two daily newsletters - Three Wins and Daily Dems Doing the Work - I had no idea how much Dems were doing. Highly recommend adding her to your inbox - here's today's post: https://open.substack.com/pub/ariellaelm/p/daily-dems-doing-the-work-making-dc6?r=51f18&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Quieter and more methodical, perhaps more gradual. This shock and awe firehose is overwhelming, but at the same time, betrays incompetence and chaos that won't all hold up.
I just started following Ariella Elm too, it's encouraging. Our electeds are doing more than many realize.
Thanks for this link—very encouraging!
There's a distinct possibility that the Ukraine Minerals Agreement was BS all along. Julie Ioffe reported today at Puck that in fact, the amount or rare earth deposits in Ukraine is actually unknown, but what is known is that the majority of the possible areas lie in eastern Ukraine which is occupied by the Russian thieves, and the majority of the possible reserves in unoccupied Ukraine are privately held and therefore would not be subject to the terms of the agreement. So Krasnov may have been sold a bill of goods, super-businessman and crackerjack deal maker that he isn't.
That is a beautifully lit profile of the Rosetta Stone. Helps take one's mind off the accelerated destruction.
A walk-out by the Democrats tomorrow night is a terrific idea! Before that, they should chant loudly in unison "Impeach Trump! Fire Musk!" Go Robert!
No. If you want to impeach Trump and fire Musk, find and take concrete steps toward those ends; don’t posture and make chants that people will ignore as mindless.
Remember that elections are won by convincing people who are in the political center.
I have been thinking lately of a way to contextualize the profoundly disturbing reversal in allegiances spurred by Friday's vulgar meltdown in the White House. I was also trying to alleviate my own grief and frustration. One crucial point that stuck with me was an observation by the great Ruth Ben Ghiat in her substack, Lucid. Ben Ghiat noted that the Russia investigation during the first Trump admin was in fact a major setback for Putin's initiatives, despite its ultimate defusing and sanitizing in the U.S. political / legal sphere. I had not recognized this as a genuine setback for Putin, likely due to effective sanitizing -- intelligence efforts might have significantly obstructed Putin from his sinister motives back then. Think how "Russia hoax" stuck in the collective memory circa 2018+, and poisoned most all critical reflection on the subject, across the political divide. The "hoax" was trotted out again by Trump in a revealing Freudian slip, during Friday's WH assault.
Yet when I think of these infiltrations as a singular, malevolent lever, Russian machinations can be viewed as a consolidated effort to subvert the U.S. over decades. The U.S. is the piece, par excellence, in the overturning of Western democracies writ large. This, due to U.S. prosperity, military prowess, liberal beacon and preeminent footprint on the democratic Western stage. And the elevation of Trump, a useful theatrical tool and narcissistic cosplay boss, has proven an ideal vessel to wage this subversion. Then between Russia and the power vacuum left by the U.S., the bulk of allied democracies that lie between and around this dual power axis are more vulnerable for subversion, as we now see via aspiring right / autocratic parties assuming more power in the EU, etc.
All this is to say that Friday's repulsive bullying of Zelensky, while not inevitable as isolated event, may indeed come as some kind of summation of a much longer-term agenda. Ergo, the U.S. was intended as a target via many means, on a very patient and calculated timeline, to infiltrate and exploit vulnerabilities in the U.S. system. As Kruschev intimated all the way back in 1956, the post-rapprochement aim would be would overturn the U.S. from the inside, rather than overtly attack it from without. And the past week's indicators (Rachel Maddow did an excellent, stomach-turning rundown) of exploitation can be seen more like the culmination of a tsunami that had been building very slowly in the ocean, far far away from the shore. While it doesn't make this hell more palatable, this could have happened years earlier.
Putin's masterful longterm plan to groom an American President has certainly paid off. But we haven't yet seen the culmination of the tsunami. Putin and Trump are not done yet.
Yes. They are still busy. I also don't mean to say all is inevitable, and I still believe 2026 can shift the field and at least place some checks. It's an historical turn, though. Disconcerting and epistemic. Tsunami wasn't even quite what I meant, but it can serve for now.
Putin just loves "elections." I am sure he will pass on some useful advice to his buddy how to deal with 2026.
Maddow has a darkly humorous segment of all the times where DT just can't comment whether he's talked with VP. Oh, I can't comment on that. Just can't comment. Can't talk about those documents. Oh, no.
Still, the backlash against what's coming here shouldn't be discounted, either. It's just a mess right now.
What makes you think there will be an election in 20226 or 2028?
Wow: “groom an American President”! *That* might be the kernel of critiques of Trump: say and repeat that Trump has been groomed by Putin.
I disagree with you. Foreign policy varies tremendously with who the head of state is, in both Russia and the United States. I worked in a very successful joint venture with Russians from 1980 to 1992, when rapprochement was thought possible and even succeeded in reducing nuclear arms and fostering many cooperative projects. This is purely Putin's war. He wants to put Humpty Dumpy, i.e., the Soviet Union, back together again, by force if necessary. History could have gone either way, and still might, but we have the two worst leaders possible to come up with a solution acceptable to all.
I agree with you. I did not mean to imply an unbroken line from Kruschev, but rather that Kruschev's approach actually did bear fruit. It was not an easy concept to distill in a comment like this (even a book would be a challenge.) Will try to amend later. I do believe Ben Ghiat's observation. Belton's book on Putin is also worthwhile. Thanks for your comment.
What if every American who believes in Ukraine's cause contributed $1 to a general fund for Ukraine. It would be a symbolic gesture and quantify the number of Americans who support Ukraine. The timing would be good as Trump has stopped the military and financial aid to Ukraine. Just a thought as I have no idea how to implement such a project.
Go to Timothy Snyder and some ways to contribute are given.
Timothy Snyder⬇️
“If you are thinking today about how to help Ukrainians, here are some possibilities: Come Back Alive (Ukrainian NGO that supports soldiers on the battlefield and veterans), United 24 (the Ukrainian state platform for donations, with many excellent projects), RAZOM (an American NGO, tax-deductible for US citizens, which cooperates with Ukrainian NGOS to support civilians), and Documenting Ukraine (a project that helps to give Ukrainians a voice, also tax-deductible for Americans).”
https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/five-failures-in-the-oval-office?