To Steve’s first question, about who were the people who handcuffed these humans… I had the same sort of thoughts in Trump 1.0. Who were the people who snatched little children from their parents, listening to what must have been screams of terror and reaching for their moms and dads? I wondered what they told their spouses when they got home? Did the screams haunt their dreams? How did they face their own kids? And yet before they did those deeds, we would have considered them friends, neighbors, ordinary people. Afterwards, they were monsters who walked among us.
We have to focus on what we can control. Much of what is occurring now is beyond our control to stop or pause. For anyone, such as myself, who has MAGA Senators and a MAGA Rep, it has been deaf ears from them. We’re seeing what was promised.
In 2026, Senator Tillis, if he chooses to run, is up for re-election for Senator in North Carolina. If things go badly, and it seems like it will, then his seat can be won. We will work toward that end. One step at a time because the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
John - I am also in NC. I agree with you completely. Out west, our rep supports a president who wants to impose conditions on federal aid, and abolish FEMA. As do the senators we share. We are also working to hang all this around Tillis’ neck.
I hope you can elect someone with courage to fight against the scourge we face. Here in MD, I contact my elected officials to urge them to speak out forcefully and try to do something to try to turn the tide, but only a few speak out loudly. Complacency is a losing stance.
You are right...things will ultimately have to go badly before Americans stand up and demand more from their Reps. And the Democratic party needs to replace those who accept the status quo with members willing to uphold the Constitution and fight for Americans of all stripes.
I email my senators, my rep. is Lauren Boebert, so you know where that gets me! I also sign as many petitions as I can, knowing that Boebert has to see those! If we keep pounding 24/7, we just might reach them. BTW: I am just as disappointed with my two Democratic senators, who remain silent, and in my mind, their silence is just as bad!
It is possible we will be in a situation with martial law and suspended elections. I generally am inclined not to think it will happen, but given I am actually thinking it is possible is rather nerve wracking.
If a recent article in The Atlantic is accurate, there are 40 million Americans who don’t believe in the Constitution and only adhere to a goal to create a Christian Theocracy.
There may not be real elections in our future. There may be no elections. Or we may have rigged elections similar to those in Russia. Donald wants to establish an empire where he is in charge. If he’s still alive, he won’t leave office at the end of his term if he wants to remain in power. If donald is not on future ballots, we may see a president Ivanka then Donnie Jr then Eric then Barron.
Please continue a tide of contact by phone or email with your MAGA representatives! And ask any friends in your state to do the same. Many MAGA elected folks are weak,they do what TrumpMusk demands because they think it will get them re-elected. The more that they hear from constituents who do not agree, the better. Even friends who might agree with some aspects of MAGA may disagree with other aspects, maybe they could be encouraged to complain about those. And Tillis being up for reelection in 2026 may be perfect, just enough time for MAGA adherents to be utterly discredited!
Don't forget, their candidate made many promises which we know he either cannot keep or has no intention of keeping. That can change peoples minds big time. So yes, everyone must keep at it.
My expectation is this week or next week will see Fort Bragg again. Frankly, it does not bother me. I’m used to calling it Fort Bragg. We’ll go back to having one of the largest military bases on Planet Earth back to being named for some bumbler from the Confederacy.
We are a willingly fascist nation under the tyrannical rule of a dictator. WE CAN DO NOTHING. However, We do have two possible choices of action;
1)We must stage guerilla warfare, unfortunately, against our fellow citizens, as all oppressed peoples must do, such as the Algerians did against the French, etc.
OR
2) We must wait until the world collapses under the maniac's incompetent rule.
Either choice is repugnant.
IT IS ALL THE RESULT OF OUR BRAND OF OBSCENE CAPITALSIM. We need a brand new constitution and brand new economic system.. Here it is my proposal; one I have been working on all my life---:
1) We the People shall treat all human being as our brothers, no matter what their skin color or place of birth originally. We are all responsible for the well-being and health of one another and shall love one another as though they are our brothers and sisters, through all adversities of life. 2) We all shall accept responsibility for the fine education, free healthcare, and guaranteed job opportunity in total equality for all women and men throughout this land. No one shall ever be unemployed as long as they are good citizens and loyal to this document's premises. 3) We, the people, shall not allow a classist society to exist with billionaires and poor side by side. The rich shall be taxed until their income is no more than two times that of the highest paid blue-collar worker 4) All housing shall be equally fine for all our people. 5) There will be no Poor class, and all citizens people will share in the national wealth equitably. 6) All citizens shall study economics thoroughly so no leader can fool them and become a demagogue. All citizens shall take two years studying the economic basis of Henry George and vote every two years on whether they want to be a Georgist society or not,
Steve, that was an incredible analysis. While only a paid subscriber for less than a week, this 74 year old guy feels like he has found a home amongst the like-minded. It seems somewhat odd to me as a life-long Democrat, that I have gravitated to receiving pertinent information from former Republicans like yourself and those on the Bulwark. I personally have a bizarre pedigree. My second cousin was the late Moshe Arens, Former Israeli ambassador to the US, former Israeli defense minister, and Bibi Netanyahu’s mentor. I am also distantly related by marriage only, to the Kushners and Trump. Go figure,
After reading your last few warnings, I did cry...as I have been writing...not as eloquently as you, but I managed to write over 600 letters to the editors for the past 8-9 years...since Trump came down his golden escalator at Trump Tower. I tried and had many published basically saying the same as you are now...but...why are we here? A test? It does not help saying he is doing what he said he would do...America needs a HERO! Dems pushed back on young voices like AOC and David Hogg...a big mistake. We lost ...not because we were too progressive...but rather because we were not! We can't be more like them...we have to define ourselves...and not be afraid of changing the future once and for all ...to be for all!
Good for you for speaking out. Letters to the Editor (which I also do) are a way to impart info to those stuck in the far right echo chamber. Keep it up.
As always, well said, amazing analysis. I would only add that according to Greg Palast, who is a statistician and was recently interviewed on the Tham Hartmann podcast, Trump actually lost and voter suppression won. Millions of provisional ballots and mail in ballots were thrown away, mainly affecting people on color and the young voters. Because of that, we are living in this nightmare. It seems s that for every election going forward, we need to fight voter suppression, but I don’t know how.
I strongly fear you are right and yet, nothing was done to take even a cursory look. And now tRump said at his pre-inauguration rally that Elonia fixed the counts in PA and the trumpified media does not report it.
That comment came and went like a dish soap bubble, didn’t it? Maybe, maybe that’s a thing. Maybe every reader here should call one MSM outlet and ask for complete coverage of that comment.
Palast said that his analysis showed Kamala Harris would have earned 286 electoral votes and won Michigan, Wisconsin and one other state - sorry, I had to turn it off just as he was listing them. An astonishing number of mail-in votes were disqualified and a disturbing number of those were from voters of color and young people. Maybe in 2026 and beyond we vote on Election Day? Republicans are determined to suppress our votes; we need to outwit them at every turn.
Agree. But unfortunately people of color were removed from the list of eligible voters to begin with and therefore given provisional ballots which were thrown away. The corrupt republicans have been at this voter suppression for a long time now.
Thank you for this. Reality is difficult. Your clear eyed analysis gives hope. But hope is just a dream. D's have a moral obligation to fulfill the dream. It will take new leadership born in town halls, statehouse and eventually realized in Washington. We can achieve a moral, just and compassionate government of the people. It will take a complete rethink of D politics.
Exactly. Encourage those you think will make a difference to run for office. It's one thing we can do...put a spark in the mind of a person who may turn out to be effective in government if they ran. And support the stars, like AOC, Jamie Raskin, and others who defend the Constitution and all people.
Agree, they are strong. But it will take next generation Ds to make a real difference. AOC, West Moore, Gretchen Whitmer and others yet unknown to the general public. We need new ideas, faces and youthful presentations aligned with "working people." We've got the academic vote, we need many others.
You bet, and there are more. Gretchen Witmer. Mayor Pete. And so many more upstanding Americans we haven't named. We need to join together and battle against these nazi thugs breaking our laws and defiling our good name, as well as destroying lives on their racist whims.
I appreciate your work, Steve, especially to recognize the history of Auschwitz on this 80th anniversary. As a young girl in England, I vividly remember a neighbor showing me some photographs of the survivors of one of the camps. We are indeed at a horrible time in America but I think perhaps there are good people trying to thwart the dictator. As a naturalized citizen, I believe the Democratic Party is trying hard to make the system work but the flood of money has sullied the process. The MAGA party thrives on dishonesty and division.
You think there are “perhaps good people trying to thwart the dictator”? Where? Who? Please be specific. Otherwise, let’s start thinking about what WE have to do. HAVE to do.
She is my Senator. I call her office often and will do so more frequently. In her votes, she opposes. In her everyday actions, she appeases and normalizes and “hopes for the best.” A lot of our reps seem to be holding on to the hope that if they treat him like a normal president, he will become one. A lot of the country deludes itself that term 2 will be no more destructive than term 1.
A sobering reflection on our pathological human condition in America and admonition to save our self-respect, human decency, freedom and, indeed, our lives from the Hitlerian-reminiscent evil of a malignantly narcissistic psychopath -- mistaken through the delusion of cognitive dissonance for a visionary and courageous leader -- and his malign, pro-death and destruction cult movement That Project 2025 is Trump’s Wannsee Conference could not be clearer to anyone minimally cognizant and morally sensate. Now we, the genuine American patriots and humanitarian tribunes of freedom of thought and body must forge solidarity, brainstorm and heartbend toward truth and justice, organize and plan a mass nonviolent uprising to slay the moral cancer of Trumpian fascism that pollutes the halls of power and eviscerates its acolytes’ souls. We must start by studying the theory of nonviolent action and its successful practice in recent history around the globe, following the guidebook legacy bequeathed to us by its greatest analyst and realization exponent, the late Dr. Gene Sharp, that can be found through his still thriving organization, The Albert Einstein Institution in Boston. (https://www.aeinstein.org) Now is the time to cauterize ourselves against the banality of evil of which Hannah Arendt so powerfully and presciently warned us.
Yes, F them! We need to say it often, loudly, and with the goal of restoring our democracy. Germany in the '30s fell much less quickly or easily. Whoever said it can't happen here certainly was not paying attention. Boycotts, work stoppages, general strikes, tax revolts, marching in the streets. ALL need to be happening. It is so obvious and yet so many refuse to see.
This is the best of Steve’s many great writings. It hits me like no other. How can we shake sense into our “representatives”? Question for all of us readers: HOW do we turn this around and very soon, as Steve says we must do? What would make a difference? What kind of pressure campaign, what kind of stunt, WHAT would be effective and not just performative? Not rhetorical questions. Please reply with ideas.
I agree, Kay. Get involved with all local elections. This does matter. Whether it's school boards, township councils, mayor, governor, etc. Keep your town, your state Blue. Although the Dems in Congress are spineless and useless right now, laws to protect us in our states will matter more than ever, whether it's reproductive freedom, education, or healthcare. Find local organizations, possibly via Indivisible (https://indivisible.org/) or SwingLeft (https://swingleft.org/), or any other local group.
I'm in a township with our own action-oriented group. They are organized and proactive, not reactive. We are currently mobilizing to get a Democratic governor elected, to keep NJ Blue. And we also must keep knocking on doors of our locally elected politicians. Attend township meetings. In less than one year, I, with a small band of committed residents, managed to persuade our township council to implement a 100% ban on 2-stroke gas-powered leaf blowers. We attended every town council monthly meeting for seven months. As a result, we once again live in a town without the deafening and polluting sounds and stench of leaf blowers.
A more extreme action, which I and some of my friends are considering, is to start visiting our Democratic senators and representatives and demand answers to why they sit idle, silent, complicit. You don't have to go to D.C., you can visit them in their local offices, which every one has in each state.
Cancel subscriptions to X, FaceBook, Instagram, NYTimes, WaPo, Amazon. Don't buy a Tesla, don't shop at Whole Foods or on Amazon. I've eliminated these and my life is just as convenient. That's all I have for now.
WE MUST HAVE: Leaders of non-violent revolutions through general strikes, massive marches, tax revolt, boycotts etc. Movements such as led by Icelandic Women, MLK, Gandhi and used throughout history to start resistance to tyranny and threats of violence from those whom WE enable to erase our power. WE need to take it back from the oligarchs, judges, representatives, theocrats, states, hospitals, ---everyone who collects peoples' dignity, lives, money, futures as tokens for their journey to absolute power over us all.
Thank you for that brilliant double picture side by side you posted of the ss officer shooting a Jew and Alex pretti being shot in the head. I sent that to a few of my friends and I’m thinking of sending it to a few of my maga acquaintances. So prophetic on holocaust Remembrance Day.
On the day humanity remembers the Holocaust, we reflect. As we remember the depravity of our past human selves, we must strive to not repeat the evil of our past. Avner Less was correct, there are many little Eichmanns among us even in a democracy. When democracy fails us because we failed democracy, we elect leaders like Trump. Individuals who have no capacity of human kindness or the ability for understanding. People have said Trump and his maga supporters are Nazis. Nazis first changed the laws so their depravity was shielded by the Nuremberg Laws. Trump has no regard for the law and believes he is above it. Unfortunately for us, he now has a corrupt Congress and a Supreme Court who will not check his powers.
We are staring at the edge of human depravity. Trump treats us like lemmings and will guide us over the edge if we do not turn away. Donald has surrounded himself with weak people, who think mistreatment of the less fortunate is power. Trump started life near the top of society where he failed many times but was held up by family wealth. He was given many chances to succeed and failed. If not for the wealth of family he would not be where he is today. His claims of being a good business man are myth. The only thing legendary are his failures.
The corrupt Media made Trump, what he is today and his wealth has protected him from prosecution. He is corrupt and has no remorse for his depravity. His defiance of laws has given him fame and followers who give him cover. His rise to power will be our downfall. We are a law based system of government that was base on respect of the law. President Trump has no respect for the laws meant to restrict and restraint our worst impulses and there is no longer a court who will stand up and hold him accountable.
Your writing is factual, emotional and hopefully stirring enough to get us out of our crushed psyche and near complete exhaustion. I have been pleased by the Catholic response and the Lutheran ELCA church responses and, of course, YOURS, Mr. Schmidt. We MUST turn this around as quickly as is possible. I have a bit more trust in some of our more idealist Democrats; however, we need to show our solitary with them and shake off our crushed psyches and exhaustion that I first mentioned. This can be considered a war between good and evil; and we need our strength and understanding to come from God who alone can be called GOOD.
Did you see where JD dissed the pope for speaking up for the migrants? I hope to see a continued strong response from the Catholic hierarchy, right down to the local parish pulpit.
Sadly, Ronald Lauder is currently speaking now at the 80th Anniversary of the Auschwitz Liberation. He should not be standing there. Yes, he fueled Central and Eastern Europe with funds to revive Jewish culture and institutions; that was a positive. However, "since 2016, he has donated more than $1.6 million to pro-trump organizations. He contributed $200,000 to his 2020 presidential campaign and he attended the 2025 Trump inauguration." Also, no politicians or heads of state are speaking. He should be included on that list. Hypocrite to the millionth power. Never Again!
The most self-deceptive mantra for all of us who, at least for a few weeks, saw in Harris's candidacy the emergence of a new Dem coalition that would strengthen American democracy, grow opportunities, and consign Trump to the rear view mirror of history is to now look around at the visible initial displays of Trump's malice and lust for power and, when we foresee a worsening situation, tell ourselves, "He wouldn't go that far." For those of us who are of retirement age, it is almost impossible to imagine that the America of freedoms and programs and projects focused on improving lives of ordinary people -- a government that took shape first under FDR and was advanced in post-WWII America, and where we have lived our entire lives with a sense of security and confidence in a democracy we were told was the envy of the world -- has become so incredibly vulnerable. It is unimaginable that America as we know it has become so disrespected and even despised by a great many of our fellow citizens that they want to see Trump tear it down, and they don't care if America becomes an autocracy and an oligarchy where elections simply do not matter. Trump and his henchmen/women won't stop with the "low hanging fruit." They will go farther than any of us imagine because they can. Take over California, where I live, and effectively "oust" its elected officials and repurpose its resources? "Whiten" the whole US population by de-naturalizing citizens who came here as children in immigrant families from Asia and who have lived and worked in this country as Americans for decades? It is a failure of imagination to think these are idle threats or the musings of a man "in decline" because such destruction would be counter-productive or simply impossible. Steve is right that we're seeing a collective abnegation by elected leaders who went to Washington to be legislators and didn't think they were signing up for a job that requires their courage and leadership every day. Most of us, along with our elected leaders, have learned too little from the lessons Steve is presenting from Nazi Germany because it all seems so fundamentally "foreign," but it's not. America has been here before, but the America First movement in pre-WWII America did not take hold. Trump broke through -- broke what seemed like an impermeable resistance to autocracy built into the government of our Constitutional republic by finding corruptible people holding Constitutional or economic power, and he is now repopulating the entire government with loyalists who will do his bidding. It is entirely possible that the structural tools of resistance provided by the Constitution may prove wholly inadequate to stand up to his array of tactics. No doubt when misgivings about Hitler's intentions crept into the psyches of intelligent Germans, their first thought was also something like, "He wouldn't go that far." But malevolence knows no boundaries, and we underestimate Trump at our peril.
To Steve’s first question, about who were the people who handcuffed these humans… I had the same sort of thoughts in Trump 1.0. Who were the people who snatched little children from their parents, listening to what must have been screams of terror and reaching for their moms and dads? I wondered what they told their spouses when they got home? Did the screams haunt their dreams? How did they face their own kids? And yet before they did those deeds, we would have considered them friends, neighbors, ordinary people. Afterwards, they were monsters who walked among us.
We have to focus on what we can control. Much of what is occurring now is beyond our control to stop or pause. For anyone, such as myself, who has MAGA Senators and a MAGA Rep, it has been deaf ears from them. We’re seeing what was promised.
In 2026, Senator Tillis, if he chooses to run, is up for re-election for Senator in North Carolina. If things go badly, and it seems like it will, then his seat can be won. We will work toward that end. One step at a time because the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
John - I am also in NC. I agree with you completely. Out west, our rep supports a president who wants to impose conditions on federal aid, and abolish FEMA. As do the senators we share. We are also working to hang all this around Tillis’ neck.
I hope you can elect someone with courage to fight against the scourge we face. Here in MD, I contact my elected officials to urge them to speak out forcefully and try to do something to try to turn the tide, but only a few speak out loudly. Complacency is a losing stance.
You are right...things will ultimately have to go badly before Americans stand up and demand more from their Reps. And the Democratic party needs to replace those who accept the status quo with members willing to uphold the Constitution and fight for Americans of all stripes.
I email my senators, my rep. is Lauren Boebert, so you know where that gets me! I also sign as many petitions as I can, knowing that Boebert has to see those! If we keep pounding 24/7, we just might reach them. BTW: I am just as disappointed with my two Democratic senators, who remain silent, and in my mind, their silence is just as bad!
Thanks for those efforts. It's that kind of "pounding" that will make the difference.
If you think there will be elections in two years, I've got a bridge to sell you. We cannot wait.
It is possible we will be in a situation with martial law and suspended elections. I generally am inclined not to think it will happen, but given I am actually thinking it is possible is rather nerve wracking.
I had heard that there are some out there already wanting Trump to run for a third term, and to change the Constitution in order to do that!
If a recent article in The Atlantic is accurate, there are 40 million Americans who don’t believe in the Constitution and only adhere to a goal to create a Christian Theocracy.
Sad, but true!
There may not be real elections in our future. There may be no elections. Or we may have rigged elections similar to those in Russia. Donald wants to establish an empire where he is in charge. If he’s still alive, he won’t leave office at the end of his term if he wants to remain in power. If donald is not on future ballots, we may see a president Ivanka then Donnie Jr then Eric then Barron.
Please continue a tide of contact by phone or email with your MAGA representatives! And ask any friends in your state to do the same. Many MAGA elected folks are weak,they do what TrumpMusk demands because they think it will get them re-elected. The more that they hear from constituents who do not agree, the better. Even friends who might agree with some aspects of MAGA may disagree with other aspects, maybe they could be encouraged to complain about those. And Tillis being up for reelection in 2026 may be perfect, just enough time for MAGA adherents to be utterly discredited!
Don't forget, their candidate made many promises which we know he either cannot keep or has no intention of keeping. That can change peoples minds big time. So yes, everyone must keep at it.
My expectation is this week or next week will see Fort Bragg again. Frankly, it does not bother me. I’m used to calling it Fort Bragg. We’ll go back to having one of the largest military bases on Planet Earth back to being named for some bumbler from the Confederacy.
We are a willingly fascist nation under the tyrannical rule of a dictator. WE CAN DO NOTHING. However, We do have two possible choices of action;
1)We must stage guerilla warfare, unfortunately, against our fellow citizens, as all oppressed peoples must do, such as the Algerians did against the French, etc.
OR
2) We must wait until the world collapses under the maniac's incompetent rule.
Either choice is repugnant.
IT IS ALL THE RESULT OF OUR BRAND OF OBSCENE CAPITALSIM. We need a brand new constitution and brand new economic system.. Here it is my proposal; one I have been working on all my life---:
1) We the People shall treat all human being as our brothers, no matter what their skin color or place of birth originally. We are all responsible for the well-being and health of one another and shall love one another as though they are our brothers and sisters, through all adversities of life. 2) We all shall accept responsibility for the fine education, free healthcare, and guaranteed job opportunity in total equality for all women and men throughout this land. No one shall ever be unemployed as long as they are good citizens and loyal to this document's premises. 3) We, the people, shall not allow a classist society to exist with billionaires and poor side by side. The rich shall be taxed until their income is no more than two times that of the highest paid blue-collar worker 4) All housing shall be equally fine for all our people. 5) There will be no Poor class, and all citizens people will share in the national wealth equitably. 6) All citizens shall study economics thoroughly so no leader can fool them and become a demagogue. All citizens shall take two years studying the economic basis of Henry George and vote every two years on whether they want to be a Georgist society or not,
Many pieces of this broader conversation reminds me of an old saying. "There is no time like the present".
Steve, that was an incredible analysis. While only a paid subscriber for less than a week, this 74 year old guy feels like he has found a home amongst the like-minded. It seems somewhat odd to me as a life-long Democrat, that I have gravitated to receiving pertinent information from former Republicans like yourself and those on the Bulwark. I personally have a bizarre pedigree. My second cousin was the late Moshe Arens, Former Israeli ambassador to the US, former Israeli defense minister, and Bibi Netanyahu’s mentor. I am also distantly related by marriage only, to the Kushners and Trump. Go figure,
Welcome aboard the sanity train! I get my dose of sanity every day on this site!
After reading your last few warnings, I did cry...as I have been writing...not as eloquently as you, but I managed to write over 600 letters to the editors for the past 8-9 years...since Trump came down his golden escalator at Trump Tower. I tried and had many published basically saying the same as you are now...but...why are we here? A test? It does not help saying he is doing what he said he would do...America needs a HERO! Dems pushed back on young voices like AOC and David Hogg...a big mistake. We lost ...not because we were too progressive...but rather because we were not! We can't be more like them...we have to define ourselves...and not be afraid of changing the future once and for all ...to be for all!
Good for you for speaking out. Letters to the Editor (which I also do) are a way to impart info to those stuck in the far right echo chamber. Keep it up.
As always, well said, amazing analysis. I would only add that according to Greg Palast, who is a statistician and was recently interviewed on the Tham Hartmann podcast, Trump actually lost and voter suppression won. Millions of provisional ballots and mail in ballots were thrown away, mainly affecting people on color and the young voters. Because of that, we are living in this nightmare. It seems s that for every election going forward, we need to fight voter suppression, but I don’t know how.
I strongly fear you are right and yet, nothing was done to take even a cursory look. And now tRump said at his pre-inauguration rally that Elonia fixed the counts in PA and the trumpified media does not report it.
That comment came and went like a dish soap bubble, didn’t it? Maybe, maybe that’s a thing. Maybe every reader here should call one MSM outlet and ask for complete coverage of that comment.
I didn’t hear that. I was curious how they suppressed votes in PA. The podcast specifically said it was all voter suppression rather than other means.
Palast said that his analysis showed Kamala Harris would have earned 286 electoral votes and won Michigan, Wisconsin and one other state - sorry, I had to turn it off just as he was listing them. An astonishing number of mail-in votes were disqualified and a disturbing number of those were from voters of color and young people. Maybe in 2026 and beyond we vote on Election Day? Republicans are determined to suppress our votes; we need to outwit them at every turn.
Agree. But unfortunately people of color were removed from the list of eligible voters to begin with and therefore given provisional ballots which were thrown away. The corrupt republicans have been at this voter suppression for a long time now.
Thank you for this. Reality is difficult. Your clear eyed analysis gives hope. But hope is just a dream. D's have a moral obligation to fulfill the dream. It will take new leadership born in town halls, statehouse and eventually realized in Washington. We can achieve a moral, just and compassionate government of the people. It will take a complete rethink of D politics.
Exactly. Encourage those you think will make a difference to run for office. It's one thing we can do...put a spark in the mind of a person who may turn out to be effective in government if they ran. And support the stars, like AOC, Jamie Raskin, and others who defend the Constitution and all people.
Let’s not forget Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse. They continue to be vocal and challenging to Dump.
Agree, they are strong. But it will take next generation Ds to make a real difference. AOC, West Moore, Gretchen Whitmer and others yet unknown to the general public. We need new ideas, faces and youthful presentations aligned with "working people." We've got the academic vote, we need many others.
You bet, and there are more. Gretchen Witmer. Mayor Pete. And so many more upstanding Americans we haven't named. We need to join together and battle against these nazi thugs breaking our laws and defiling our good name, as well as destroying lives on their racist whims.
Who wants to come up with the pro and con list? That way we can write letters of support for the pros and exert pressure on the cons!
Just read that our state AG (Rhode Island) is one of the good guys.
Two voices are not enough. If there were 100 or 1,000 Avner Lesses, what would they do?
Yes, we need far more than we have. We need to challenge the rest. And shame the ones who have gone MAGA.
“We” have to decide how much time “we” and the “D’s” really have.
I appreciate your work, Steve, especially to recognize the history of Auschwitz on this 80th anniversary. As a young girl in England, I vividly remember a neighbor showing me some photographs of the survivors of one of the camps. We are indeed at a horrible time in America but I think perhaps there are good people trying to thwart the dictator. As a naturalized citizen, I believe the Democratic Party is trying hard to make the system work but the flood of money has sullied the process. The MAGA party thrives on dishonesty and division.
You think there are “perhaps good people trying to thwart the dictator”? Where? Who? Please be specific. Otherwise, let’s start thinking about what WE have to do. HAVE to do.
DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS is right. When I saw Amy Klobucher’s grinning, fawning face at the inauguration, I was sickened.
She is my Senator. I call her office often and will do so more frequently. In her votes, she opposes. In her everyday actions, she appeases and normalizes and “hopes for the best.” A lot of our reps seem to be holding on to the hope that if they treat him like a normal president, he will become one. A lot of the country deludes itself that term 2 will be no more destructive than term 1.
A sobering reflection on our pathological human condition in America and admonition to save our self-respect, human decency, freedom and, indeed, our lives from the Hitlerian-reminiscent evil of a malignantly narcissistic psychopath -- mistaken through the delusion of cognitive dissonance for a visionary and courageous leader -- and his malign, pro-death and destruction cult movement That Project 2025 is Trump’s Wannsee Conference could not be clearer to anyone minimally cognizant and morally sensate. Now we, the genuine American patriots and humanitarian tribunes of freedom of thought and body must forge solidarity, brainstorm and heartbend toward truth and justice, organize and plan a mass nonviolent uprising to slay the moral cancer of Trumpian fascism that pollutes the halls of power and eviscerates its acolytes’ souls. We must start by studying the theory of nonviolent action and its successful practice in recent history around the globe, following the guidebook legacy bequeathed to us by its greatest analyst and realization exponent, the late Dr. Gene Sharp, that can be found through his still thriving organization, The Albert Einstein Institution in Boston. (https://www.aeinstein.org) Now is the time to cauterize ourselves against the banality of evil of which Hannah Arendt so powerfully and presciently warned us.
Yes, F them! We need to say it often, loudly, and with the goal of restoring our democracy. Germany in the '30s fell much less quickly or easily. Whoever said it can't happen here certainly was not paying attention. Boycotts, work stoppages, general strikes, tax revolts, marching in the streets. ALL need to be happening. It is so obvious and yet so many refuse to see.
Exactly, just like the French citizens do: paralyze their nation in protest.
I just heard that Columbia capitulated. That would have been a nail in trump's coffin if people had to pay more for their caffeine fix.
This is the best of Steve’s many great writings. It hits me like no other. How can we shake sense into our “representatives”? Question for all of us readers: HOW do we turn this around and very soon, as Steve says we must do? What would make a difference? What kind of pressure campaign, what kind of stunt, WHAT would be effective and not just performative? Not rhetorical questions. Please reply with ideas.
I agree, Kay. Get involved with all local elections. This does matter. Whether it's school boards, township councils, mayor, governor, etc. Keep your town, your state Blue. Although the Dems in Congress are spineless and useless right now, laws to protect us in our states will matter more than ever, whether it's reproductive freedom, education, or healthcare. Find local organizations, possibly via Indivisible (https://indivisible.org/) or SwingLeft (https://swingleft.org/), or any other local group.
I'm in a township with our own action-oriented group. They are organized and proactive, not reactive. We are currently mobilizing to get a Democratic governor elected, to keep NJ Blue. And we also must keep knocking on doors of our locally elected politicians. Attend township meetings. In less than one year, I, with a small band of committed residents, managed to persuade our township council to implement a 100% ban on 2-stroke gas-powered leaf blowers. We attended every town council monthly meeting for seven months. As a result, we once again live in a town without the deafening and polluting sounds and stench of leaf blowers.
A more extreme action, which I and some of my friends are considering, is to start visiting our Democratic senators and representatives and demand answers to why they sit idle, silent, complicit. You don't have to go to D.C., you can visit them in their local offices, which every one has in each state.
Cancel subscriptions to X, FaceBook, Instagram, NYTimes, WaPo, Amazon. Don't buy a Tesla, don't shop at Whole Foods or on Amazon. I've eliminated these and my life is just as convenient. That's all I have for now.
WE MUST HAVE: Leaders of non-violent revolutions through general strikes, massive marches, tax revolt, boycotts etc. Movements such as led by Icelandic Women, MLK, Gandhi and used throughout history to start resistance to tyranny and threats of violence from those whom WE enable to erase our power. WE need to take it back from the oligarchs, judges, representatives, theocrats, states, hospitals, ---everyone who collects peoples' dignity, lives, money, futures as tokens for their journey to absolute power over us all.
Thank you for that brilliant double picture side by side you posted of the ss officer shooting a Jew and Alex pretti being shot in the head. I sent that to a few of my friends and I’m thinking of sending it to a few of my maga acquaintances. So prophetic on holocaust Remembrance Day.
On the day humanity remembers the Holocaust, we reflect. As we remember the depravity of our past human selves, we must strive to not repeat the evil of our past. Avner Less was correct, there are many little Eichmanns among us even in a democracy. When democracy fails us because we failed democracy, we elect leaders like Trump. Individuals who have no capacity of human kindness or the ability for understanding. People have said Trump and his maga supporters are Nazis. Nazis first changed the laws so their depravity was shielded by the Nuremberg Laws. Trump has no regard for the law and believes he is above it. Unfortunately for us, he now has a corrupt Congress and a Supreme Court who will not check his powers.
We are staring at the edge of human depravity. Trump treats us like lemmings and will guide us over the edge if we do not turn away. Donald has surrounded himself with weak people, who think mistreatment of the less fortunate is power. Trump started life near the top of society where he failed many times but was held up by family wealth. He was given many chances to succeed and failed. If not for the wealth of family he would not be where he is today. His claims of being a good business man are myth. The only thing legendary are his failures.
The corrupt Media made Trump, what he is today and his wealth has protected him from prosecution. He is corrupt and has no remorse for his depravity. His defiance of laws has given him fame and followers who give him cover. His rise to power will be our downfall. We are a law based system of government that was base on respect of the law. President Trump has no respect for the laws meant to restrict and restraint our worst impulses and there is no longer a court who will stand up and hold him accountable.
Your writing is factual, emotional and hopefully stirring enough to get us out of our crushed psyche and near complete exhaustion. I have been pleased by the Catholic response and the Lutheran ELCA church responses and, of course, YOURS, Mr. Schmidt. We MUST turn this around as quickly as is possible. I have a bit more trust in some of our more idealist Democrats; however, we need to show our solitary with them and shake off our crushed psyches and exhaustion that I first mentioned. This can be considered a war between good and evil; and we need our strength and understanding to come from God who alone can be called GOOD.
Did you see where JD dissed the pope for speaking up for the migrants? I hope to see a continued strong response from the Catholic hierarchy, right down to the local parish pulpit.
Sadly, Ronald Lauder is currently speaking now at the 80th Anniversary of the Auschwitz Liberation. He should not be standing there. Yes, he fueled Central and Eastern Europe with funds to revive Jewish culture and institutions; that was a positive. However, "since 2016, he has donated more than $1.6 million to pro-trump organizations. He contributed $200,000 to his 2020 presidential campaign and he attended the 2025 Trump inauguration." Also, no politicians or heads of state are speaking. He should be included on that list. Hypocrite to the millionth power. Never Again!
Did not know about this. Thank you. Disgusting.
The most self-deceptive mantra for all of us who, at least for a few weeks, saw in Harris's candidacy the emergence of a new Dem coalition that would strengthen American democracy, grow opportunities, and consign Trump to the rear view mirror of history is to now look around at the visible initial displays of Trump's malice and lust for power and, when we foresee a worsening situation, tell ourselves, "He wouldn't go that far." For those of us who are of retirement age, it is almost impossible to imagine that the America of freedoms and programs and projects focused on improving lives of ordinary people -- a government that took shape first under FDR and was advanced in post-WWII America, and where we have lived our entire lives with a sense of security and confidence in a democracy we were told was the envy of the world -- has become so incredibly vulnerable. It is unimaginable that America as we know it has become so disrespected and even despised by a great many of our fellow citizens that they want to see Trump tear it down, and they don't care if America becomes an autocracy and an oligarchy where elections simply do not matter. Trump and his henchmen/women won't stop with the "low hanging fruit." They will go farther than any of us imagine because they can. Take over California, where I live, and effectively "oust" its elected officials and repurpose its resources? "Whiten" the whole US population by de-naturalizing citizens who came here as children in immigrant families from Asia and who have lived and worked in this country as Americans for decades? It is a failure of imagination to think these are idle threats or the musings of a man "in decline" because such destruction would be counter-productive or simply impossible. Steve is right that we're seeing a collective abnegation by elected leaders who went to Washington to be legislators and didn't think they were signing up for a job that requires their courage and leadership every day. Most of us, along with our elected leaders, have learned too little from the lessons Steve is presenting from Nazi Germany because it all seems so fundamentally "foreign," but it's not. America has been here before, but the America First movement in pre-WWII America did not take hold. Trump broke through -- broke what seemed like an impermeable resistance to autocracy built into the government of our Constitutional republic by finding corruptible people holding Constitutional or economic power, and he is now repopulating the entire government with loyalists who will do his bidding. It is entirely possible that the structural tools of resistance provided by the Constitution may prove wholly inadequate to stand up to his array of tactics. No doubt when misgivings about Hitler's intentions crept into the psyches of intelligent Germans, their first thought was also something like, "He wouldn't go that far." But malevolence knows no boundaries, and we underestimate Trump at our peril.
Nobody here underestimates Trump. Who else should read this….?