Now that Republicans in the Congress have renounced their power to legislate in deference to their Commander in Cheat, it's time for good Dems to maximize the cost of the Big Bad Bill in next year’s elections.  

Expecting Legislators to Lead the Resistance Is a Category Error.

From Daily Kos: “About 3 months ago I was a candidate in a special election in Florida, we raised a few bucks, knocked on a TON of doors…and turned out an electorate where 80% of the independent voters in a rural red district voted for the Democrat….I want to tell you what I’ve learned knocking thousands of doors myself in rural Florida, so hopefully you can apply my experience.” 

“A protest is an invitation to a better world. It’s a ceremony. No one accepts a ceremonial invitation when they’re being screamed at….The audience is always the American people, who are trying to decide who they can trust; who will not embarrass them.” - Peter Coyote

The hypocrisy and dishonesty of Trump and his Congress are now so great that it seems like every day is Opposite Day. (Letter to the Editor by Jim Mahon in The Berkshire Eagle, May 28, 2025.)

“Just down the road from Lexington and Concord, American patriots scurried to defend their immigrant neighbors.”

Get inspiration from the historical parallels in Harold Meyerson’s blog at The American Prospect !

In The Atlantic, Adrienne LaFrance compares our experience with that of Russia and the Philippines. Her conclusions ought to alarm us.

Fourth Circuit Appeals Court Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, an old-line staunch conservative and a Reagan nominee, defends the rule of law against our lawless, mendacious President in the Kilmar Abrego case. An opinion for the ages, people.

With the Insurrection Act looming, now is the time to learn how it might unfold and the strategic ways to respond — including the power of ridicule.

(From Daniel Hunter in Waging Nonviolence, April 4, 2025.)

(From xaxnar on Daily Kos, April 17, 2025.)

Dear Democratic Party

I need more from you.

You keep sending emails begging for $15, while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time.

Among many, the two most currently harmful ones are these: first, that the US cannot compel El Salvador to return Kilmar Abrego; and second, that Ukraine started the war with Russia.

While a lot of what Norton says applies best to really big and diverse protest events, it’s still worth reflecting on what works best politically, and in terms of personal safety, for people who just want to exercise their free speech rights and aren’t looking for a confrontation with the police.

https://x.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1912177316353970419

Meanwhile, this happened in New Bedford.

In a stinging, heartfelt column, conservative Andrew Sullivan calls out the Trump administration for its cruelty, ignorance, and anti-American actions.

In Vox, Eric Levitz interviews David Shor about his analysis of a massive sample of election data from last November. His conclusions differ from those you’ve probably read in the last few months, based as they were on exit-poll data,

The always-valuable Marcy Wheeler surveys the many acts of legal and political resistance beneath the noise. Take heart, people!

(Letter to the Editor by Jim Mahon, Berkshire Eagle, March 6, 2025)

A lot of people are shocked and bewildered by the chaos in Washington.  Musk and Trump are acting like thoughtless vandals.  Nobody voted in November to end medical research or undermine the VA.  So what’s up? 

The fightback is gathering steam and even our more cautious Democratic leaders, Jeffries and Schumer, are finding their backbones. Our champions are our firebrands: Senators Warren, Markey, Chris Van Hollen, Brian Schatz, Sheldon Whitehouse and, of course, Bernie; members of Congress Jamie Raskin, Jim McGovern, AOC, and Melanie Stansbury, among others.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board, a traditional voice of mainstream Republicans, rips Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine. Meanwhile, as the New York Times reports, Republicans in Congress are silent as their President undermines their own foreign policy principles.

Anne Applebaum reminds us of the stakes in modern public administration—and what Trump and Musk are destroying—in The Atlantic (Feb. 13, 2025). (Text below.)