The power of not giving up!
The power of not giving up!
November 15, 2024
After the preposterous nominations of Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, and Pete Hegseth1 on Wednesday, my inbox and the Comment section experienced a spike in reader comments that were a variation of, “This is too much! I give up. Democracy is done for!”
Those reactions are completely understandable. Trump has managed to exceed our worst fears for his cabinet picks. He did so again on Thursday by nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead Health & Human Services. Just weeks ago, RFK Jr. was too nutty and toxic for the Trump campaign, which had begun to distance itself from Kennedy, who believes that all vaccines are harmful, antidepressants are responsible for mass shootings, and COVID was engineered to target Caucasians and Blacks while sparing Ashkenazi Jews.
I get it. At this moment, it is easy to feel hopeless and powerless. That is the point of mind-numbing nominations that seek to place federal agencies under the control of unqualified hacks intent on destroying the agencies they will lead. The strongest defense against a psychological terror campaign designed to instill dread and provoke despair is to refuse to give up!
It is not a given that Trump's ludicrous nominees will be confirmed. Nor should we assume that they will be able to do their worst in agencies staffed with hundreds of thousands of qualified, dedicated public servants.
I am not saying that things won’t get bad. They will. I am saying that they will get worse if we give up merely because of threats and bluster by a man schooled in the dark arts of the long con and the Big Lie.
My favorite political writer, Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo, wrote about the dangers of giving up in advance. See The Most Pernicious Anticipatory Obedience Hides in Plain Sight, Talking Points Memo. (Although the discussion takes place in Josh’s paying members-only newsletter, this article should be accessible to all. My subscription to Talking Points Memo is the best investment I make.)
Marshall writes in part,
You may think there’s some kind of psychic or moral merit in jumping into every conversation and saying “No, it’s over! He said he was going to be a dictator! He said who he was! Believe him! Don’t be so naive!” But really that’s just rolling out a red carpet, the ultimate capitulation in advance.
At the very least, put him to the task. Make him execute on what he’s trying to do. It won’t be easy and there are a lot of ways to make it even less easy. That’s the first role of a political opposition. [¶¶]
[Giving up is] the most pernicious form of anticipatory obedience. Deciding that all of this stuff has already happened is not only inaccurate but self-defeating. It’s amplifying threats Trump hasn’t been able or willing to make good on.
A better answer, both more effective and more dignified, is to say, “Okay, let’s see you try.” It’s not easy. There are lots of road blocks. It requires maintaining a lot of public support. It requires patience.
In citing Marshall’s essay, I do not mean to criticize anyone who wrote to me in exhaustion and fear today to say, “It’s too much. I give up. All is lost.” If that is how you feel, those feelings are understandable and firmly rooted in reality.
But as I responded to some readers today, “You don’t mean that. It is exhaustion and despair talking. You aren’t giving up. You and I both know that.”
There is power in the simple act of not giving up. Even if there is little that we can do in the moment to stop the ludicrous nominations and threats.
Do not give up. If the only thing you can muster is the will not to give up, that is enough—for now.
But we can do more than not giving up. We can engage in small acts of daily resistance. Make a phone call. Write a letter. Send a text or email. For those of you already involved in the grassroots movement, you know the drill.
If you are just joining the fight, there is no better place than Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water newsletter on Substack. Jessica’s daily column includes small acts that you can take to make your voice heard.
On Thursday, Jessica Craven’s newsletter included a script and directions for calling your representatives in Congress, urging them to reject the nomination of Matt Gaetz. Check it out!
Take a small action and feel the power of refusing to give up!
Recess appointments
As Trump's nominations become ever more ludicrous, the reason for his demand for recess appointments becomes clearer: Many of his nominees will never make it through the confirmation process. See Salon, "Totally unqualified": Congress reacts to RFK Jr. nomination.
When Trump first floated the idea of recess appointments, I assumed it was bluster. I now believe he is deadly serious. Senator John Thune, the new Majority Leader in the Senate, says that recess appointments are “still an option.”
The issue of recess appointments is complicated and nuanced. Previous presidents have made recess appointments, although the trend over the last two decades has been to block all recess appointments. See generally, Vox, Trump’s demand for recess appointments, explained.
But here is the constitutional takeaway about recess appointments: The rule is that nominations are confirmed by the Senate and recess appointments are the rare exception. Trump seeks to make the exception (recess appointments) the rule.
Whatever the history and nuances of recess appointments, no president has ever demanded that Congress go into recess for the purpose of circumventing the Senate’s obligation to provide “advice and consent” regarding presidential nominations. See Can the President Adjourn Congress? - ConstitutionNEXT.
Trump's demand that the Senate abdicate its constitutional duty is the first step in abolishing the constitutional system of checks and balances. If Republicans agree to surrender the constitutional oversight role of Congress, they are co-conspirators in an effort to overthrow the Constitution.
Don’t let anyone tell you that Trump's demand that the Senate go into recess is consistent with historical norms. It is not. Trump's demand is outrageous and should be condemned by every member of Congress and every responsible media outlet in the nation.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a danger to America’s health
Trump's nomination of RFK Jr. crossed another line of sanity and decency. Kennedy is a dangerous, unserious, deeply flawed choice who will imperil the health of Americans if he is confirmed. See The Guardian, RFK Jr condemned as ‘clear and present danger’ after Trump nomination.
Per The Guardian,
Public Citizen, a progressive nonprofit organization focusing on consumer advocacy, said: “Robert F Kennedy Jr is a clear and present danger to the nation’s health. He shouldn’t be allowed in the building at the department of health and human services (HHS), let alone be placed in charge of the nation’s public health agency.”
“Donald Trump’s bungling of public health policy during the Covid pandemic cost hundreds of thousands of lives. By appointing Kennedy as his secretary of HHS, Trump is courting another, policy-driven public health catastrophe,” the organization added.
Alastair McAlpine, a pediatric physician at British Columbia’s children’s hospital, wrote: “It is hard to overstate what a terrible decision this is. RFK Jr has no medical training. He is a hardcore anti-vaccine and misinformation peddler. The last time he meddled in a state’s medical affairs (Samoa), 83 children died of measles.”
Despite the danger presented by Kennedy, no congressional Republicans have gone on record criticizing Kennedy. To the contrary, they have described him as “brilliant” and “exciting.” It is despicable that Republicans would play politics with the health of America’s children, elderly, and vulnerable.
Update on Matt Gaetz
Shock over Matt Gaetz’s nomination continues. One reason (among many) are allegations that Gaetz was involved in moving underage girls across state lines for sex. On Thursday, the attorney for one of those underage girls spoke out. See Newsweek, Lawyer for Teenager at Center of Matt Gaetz Investigation Speaks Out.
Per Newsweek, the girl’s lawyer said,
Mr. Gaetz's likely nomination as Attorney General is a perverse development in a truly dark series of events. We would support the House Ethics Committee immediately releasing their report. She was a high school student and there were witnesses.
It is bewildering and maddening that a president-elect who is an adjudicated sexual abuser nominated a man under investigation for transporting underage girls across state lines for sex to be the Attorney General of the United States. Most of the Trump voters who are parents of teenage daughters would not allow their daughters to remain alone in the same room with Trump or Gaetz. And yet, they voted for Trump.
Opportunities for Reader engagement
Join me and my Managing Editor for a reader meeting on Saturday
My Managing Editor and I will hold another reader meeting via Substack Livestreaming and Zoom on Saturday, November 16 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific / 11:00 a.m. Eastern.
If you have the Substack App, you will receive a notification on your phone when we go live. Just click on the notification to join. There is no limit on the number of attendees via the Substack App.
For those of you who don’t have the Substack App who want to join from you desktop via Zoom, click on this link at the appointed time: Zoom link for Today's Edition Readers. The Zoom portal is limited to 300.
The meeting is an opportunity to hang out together. We will continue to hold such meetings until people get bored and stop showing up—which we will take as a sign that we are on our collective path to recovery!
Watch the founders of Indivisible discuss plans to defeat the MAGA agenda
Jessica Craven recommends this video from Indivisible:
I encourage you to watch the Indivisible “Worth Fighting For” call from last night. Elizabeth Warren spoke on it, and co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg did a superb presentation on how we’re going to push back on and ultimately defeat the MAGA agenda. They also introduced their new guide, which can help us all navigate this next chapter. I highly recommend taking a look.
Opportunities for Ballot Curing
There is still time to affect down ballot races across the nation through ballot curing. Tom Bonier posted a note today saying
Meanwhile, in the House, there are still a few races to be called, but it looks like that it would have taken a flip of about 4k votes across the 4 closest GOP wins in order for Dems to have taken control of the House.
Democrats were incredibly close to taking back the House. Join ballot curing efforts below to help erode Republican control. The following opportunities were complied by reader Joe English:
CALIFORNIA Ballot curing events
If you live in California, please canvass:
Ballot cure CANVASSING in California:
https://linktr.ee/Ballot.Curing
Virtual opportunities:
11/12-11/26: Ballot Cure Phone Bank for Adam Gray (CA-13) - 5 -7pm PST https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/743374/
11/13-11/26: Recruitment Phone bank for Derek Tran (CA- 45) 6-8pm PST
https://www.mobilize.us/grassrootsdemocratslahq/event/743029/
11/13-11/2; Ballot Cure Phone bank for Derek Tran (CA- 45) 3 daytime shifts PST
https://www.mobilize.us/derektranforcongress/event/742562/
Take Back the House: CA 11/14-17
Concluding Thoughts
It has been a tough week. Part of the reason is that we can’t play defense yet. We are simply waiting as Trump makes one outrageous announcement after another. I admit to feeling frustrated. Over the summer, the Biden and Harris campaigns raised the alarm about the anti-democratic, revenge-based agenda planned by Trump. Pundits and scolds warned that “democracy issues” were not resonating with voters and Democrats needed to shift to “kitchen table issues.”
Kamala Harris made a masterful pivot to policies focusing on the middle and working classes. Those campaign themes gained some traction, but not enough. And now we are faced with the anti-democratic, revenge-based agenda that many warned was coming. That agenda is surprising Trump supporters and some Democrats. And it is worse than we imagined.
We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it. There is no such thing as raising the alarm about Trump's dictatorial aspirations too loudly or frequently. We must resist every step of the way.
I have largely abandoned the NYTimes as a source of news. Today, as I was fact-checking this newsletter, I clicked on my icon for the NYT, expecting to see full-throated condemnation of Trump's ridiculous anti-government, anti-science, anti-America nominations. Instead, I saw David Brooks (still) explaining to Democrats how they (allegedly) blew it. At some point, Brooks will have to find something new to write about. I suggest he start with an alleged child sex trafficker heading the DOJ, an anti-science anti-vaxxer heading HHS, a Putin-friendly neophyte heading the DNI, and a white nationalist heading the DOD.
While there is power in not giving up, at some point we need to rouse righteous anger about what is happening to America. It is not right. It is not acceptable. And we should not let it happen on our watch.
Talk to you tomorrow! Stay strong!
Daily Dose of Perspective
Nebula IC 433 is a remnant from a supernova explosion that occurred 30,000 years ago. IC 433 is also known as the Jellyfish Nebula (for obvious reasons). The nebula is located 5,000 light years from Earth. I published an earlier photo of IC 433 that failed to capture the blue areas that are prominent below. Blue in a nebula is generally associated with oxygen molecules.
Why did this attempt capture the blue color while the earlier attempt did not? If I was a better astrophotographer, I would know the answer to that question. For now, I am just accepting the fact that the second image is more pleasing than the first.
Enjoy!
In yesterday’s newsletter, I inexplicably said that Pete Hegseth was a sitting member of Congress. My only explanation is that I confused a Fox morning show with the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. On second thought, anyone could have made that mistake!
I'm not giving up either; I'm growing increasingly angry and determined to kick this MF to the curb. However (and i would love to be proven wrong) I'm not sanguine about the Senate. I think they're a bunch of craven ass-kissers who will confirm every one of these dimbulbs to the agencies they want to destroy.
What can we do? I think we have to build a strong network, so we have as loud a megaphone on the left as they do on the right; i.e., we have to have a Fox News of our own. Here is where I wonder if you and Simon Rosenberg, Joyce Vance, HCR, et al, should get together under one umbrella to cut through the noise. We need to start building this now so it's effective by 2026.
I also think it's time we get back on talk radio, even though whoever does that has to have the hide of a rhinoceros.
Finally, since we are probably going to lose access to vaccines and will have to examine food ourselves, so we don't get massive doses of E. Coli and other diseases, we are going to have to do this on the local level. This means sharing what we know about stuff like food handling, convincing our local hospitals and clinics to find alternative sources of medicines if they can't get them from the toothless CDC, etc. IOW, we are going to have to be self-reliant, and we, and our friends and neighbors, are going to have to learn how to live and thrive without a functioning government.
I do need my Social Security though, and Medicare. He has promised not to touch them, but we'll see. So many people depend on these services though, that they may (MAY) be safe. I think keeping us in suspense about these vital programs is another way to keep us off-balance and complaint. Nice try, asshole. God, I'm angrier than I thought. :D
Do you really thing the Senate will hold? I have no faith, but the House did vote down that measure to classify whatever non-profit organization they like as "terrorist" and revoke their tax-exempt status, so there's that.
I'm thinking of running for PCO (precinct committee officer) even though it's way outside my comfort zone. But hell, I sign my real name anyway, so the Gestapo can find me easily enough. And boy will they be surprised. I'll be 79 on the 26th of this month, and pissing off old women is a mistake because we have no fucks left to give. Bring it on!
I’m interested in the reactions you report to Trump’s preposterous (too weak a word, but I can’t think of a better one) cabinet nominations, because mine is the opposite. The election results had me so down that I pretty much checked out. The nominations of the unqualified, the disloyal, the corrupt and the pernicious are bringing me back into the game. The demand that the Senate abdicate its constitutional role is stark proof that the warnings of Trump’s fascism were right, and a call to action. We may be, like those few who joined DeGaulle in London in June 1940, about to see our nation turn its back on what is good and decent, but how can we not resist? I don’t know about you, but I still have to look at myself in the mirror.