Featuring Norm Ornstein, Jen Rubin & Adam Kinzinger, Miranda S. Spivack, Jen & Andrew Weissmann, Yael Eisenstat, Meredith Blake, Jen & Jared Bernstein, and Talking Feds
Exactly. This isn’t just an executive overreach problem—it’s a full-blown systemic failure where multiple branches are complicit. The Republican-controlled Senate and House refusing to act in good faith makes traditional checks and balances meaningless. This isn’t just about a rogue president; it’s about an entire political faction abandoning democratic norms to hold onto power. That means solutions have to go beyond just the courts—we need a full-spectrum strategy to restore democratic accountability.
1. Judiciary Must Escalate Its Response
• Courts must start enforcing contempt orders against executive officials who defy rulings.
• If the DOJ won’t act, the U.S. Marshals Service must be pressured to make arrests for obstruction of justice.
• Judges can issue direct emergency orders targeting agencies and bypassing corrupt leadership where possible.
2. States as a Counterbalance
• State governors & attorneys general must step up—if federal officials won’t enforce the law, state leaders can.
• State law enforcement agencies can refuse cooperation with unlawful federal actions and even issue state-level arrest warrants for officials who commit crimes under state law.
• Interstate coalitions (e.g., California, New York, Massachusetts) could function as a shadow federal enforcement system in the absence of a functional federal government.
3. Economic Leverage
• Major corporations, banks, and tech platforms can refuse to cooperate with unconstitutional actions.
• The business sector has power—big donors can be pressured to withhold funding from GOP politicians enabling this crisis.
• Public-sector unions (e.g., federal employees, postal workers) can engage in legal work stoppages to grind unlawful government actions to a halt.
4. Direct Congressional Disruption
• If the Democratic minority in Congress has any backbone, they need to bring legislative business to a halt—filibuster, procedural blockades, and full-scale obstruction until Republican leadership negotiates in good faith.
• Expel or censure members who are openly violating democratic norms (14th Amendment, Section 3 allows disqualification for aiding insurrection).
• Use House committees (if they control them) to investigate corruption and issue subpoenas aggressively.
5. Mass Mobilization
• This isn’t the time for polite protests—organized, sustained mass civil resistance needs to happen:
• General strikes – If the government is broken, the economy should reflect that.
• Mass civil disobedience – Peaceful but direct action to block the implementation of unlawful policies.
• Whistleblower protections – Encourage federal employees to leak evidence of corruption and obstruction.
6. International Pressure
• Allied governments can impose sanctions on corrupt U.S. officials who violate democratic norms (as has been done in authoritarian regimes worldwide).
• The UN & ICC could be pressured to investigate human rights violations if the administration refuses to follow U.S. law.
• Foreign media must be mobilized to expose the crisis internationally.
7. Electoral Hardball
• Voting reform must be a priority at the state level to counteract federal voter suppression efforts.
• Strategic litigation should target gerrymandering, voter purges, and election subversion laws.
• Public figures, celebrities, and cultural influencers must use their platforms to communicate the urgency of the situation.
Bottom Line: It’s Time for a Democracy Defense Plan
This is not a standard political fight. This is an authoritarian consolidation of power, and the normal rules don’t apply anymore. If good-faith governance is dead, then pro-democracy forces must escalate their tactics—legally, financially, politically, and in the streets.
If Republicans in power won’t follow the Constitution, then it’s time for everyone else to use every constitutional, legal, and nonviolent tool available to stop the collapse of democracy.
What do you think? Are people finally ready to take this level of action, or is more groundwork needed?
Olwen Dowling: I'll repost this exceptional note to the Ravitch blog--assuming it's okay with you . . . I'll cite your name--I'll wait for a day or so . . . so if that's not okay with you, please let me know here. I'll be back online here circa noon West Coast Time.
I waited from 2 until my yoga class at 5:45 and then a live video dropped during my class so I have no idea what it was about even though I’m a paid subscriber.
I did the same thing out here on Mountain Time. Waited to the last minute before my gym class. Bummed. Followed the link from my email just a black screen with video ended.
Now DOGE is spreading beyond departments to independent agencies. How is this being allowed to happen?
From Alt National Park Service:
Elon Musk’s staffers have entered an independent government agency by force. Employees from DOGE are now inside the Washington offices of the United States Institute of Peace. This comes just days after agency representatives were unable to gain access to the building on Friday being blocked by lawyers. Two of the individuals involved were the same DOGE officials who, with the help of federal marshals, forcibly entered another small government office—the U.S. African Development Foundation—earlier this month.
This isn’t just an executive overreach problem—it’s a full-blown systemic failure where multiple branches are complicit. The Republican-controlled Senate and House refusing to act in good faith makes traditional checks and balances meaningless. This isn’t just about a rogue president; it’s about an entire political faction abandoning democratic norms to hold onto power. That means solutions have to go beyond just the courts—we need a full-spectrum strategy to restore democratic accountability.
1. Judiciary Must Escalate Its Response
• Courts must start enforcing contempt orders against executive officials who defy rulings.
• If the DOJ won’t act, the U.S. Marshals Service must be pressured to make arrests for obstruction of justice.
• Judges can issue direct emergency orders targeting agencies and bypassing corrupt leadership where possible.
2. States as a Counterbalance
• State governors & attorneys general must step up—if federal officials won’t enforce the law, state leaders can.
• State law enforcement agencies can refuse cooperation with unlawful federal actions and even issue state-level arrest warrants for officials who commit crimes under state law.
• Interstate coalitions (e.g., California, New York, Massachusetts) could function as a shadow federal enforcement system in the absence of a functional federal government.
3. Economic Leverage
• Major corporations, banks, and tech platforms can refuse to cooperate with unconstitutional actions.
• The business sector has power—big donors can be pressured to withhold funding from GOP politicians enabling this crisis.
• Public-sector unions (e.g., federal employees, postal workers) can engage in legal work stoppages to grind unlawful government actions to a halt.
4. Direct Congressional Disruption
• If the Democratic minority in Congress has any backbone, they need to bring legislative business to a halt—filibuster, procedural blockades, and full-scale obstruction until Republican leadership negotiates in good faith.
• Expel or censure members who are openly violating democratic norms (14th Amendment, Section 3 allows disqualification for aiding insurrection).
• Use House committees (if they control them) to investigate corruption and issue subpoenas aggressively.
5. Mass Mobilization
• This isn’t the time for polite protests—organized, sustained mass civil resistance needs to happen:
• General strikes – If the government is broken, the economy should reflect that.
• Mass civil disobedience – Peaceful but direct action to block the implementation of unlawful policies.
• Whistleblower protections – Encourage federal employees to leak evidence of corruption and obstruction.
6. International Pressure
• Allied governments can impose sanctions on corrupt U.S. officials who violate democratic norms (as has been done in authoritarian regimes worldwide).
• The UN & ICC could be pressured to investigate human rights violations if the administration refuses to follow U.S. law.
• Foreign media must be mobilized to expose the crisis internationally.
7. Electoral Hardball
• Voting reform must be a priority at the state level to counteract federal voter suppression efforts.
• Strategic litigation should target gerrymandering, voter purges, and election subversion laws.
• Public figures, celebrities, and cultural influencers must use their platforms to communicate the urgency of the situation.
Bottom Line: It’s Time for a Democracy Defense Plan
This is not a standard political fight. This is an authoritarian consolidation of power, and the normal rules don’t apply anymore. If good-faith governance is dead, then pro-democracy forces must escalate their tactics—legally, financially, politically, and in the streets.
If Republicans in power won’t follow the Constitution, then it’s time for everyone else to use every constitutional, legal, and nonviolent tool available to stop the collapse of democracy.
What do you think? Are people finally ready to take this level of action, or is more groundwork needed
Having so many video/audio gives me great choice to listen to while I’m trudging on the treadmill at the gym …. And then I don’t have to spend other time reading a transcript! Thanks, Jen and Norm!
I agree! I like the options. While I am cleaning the house, baking treats (to help me with the constant Trump info), walking etc. Not letting the negative settle in my body.
What's Really Behind Trump's Ridiculous Claim that Biden's Pardons are Invalid?
Trump Contends That Biden Used the Wrong Pen
This is all a ruse, and a transparently silly one at that. But Trump has an ulterior motive. And it's all about Trump's fanatical obsession to inflict vengeance on those who crossed his path, such as those in the House who investigated his attempted violent insurrection on January 6.
Trump knows that his argument to invalidate Biden's pardons is absurd, but he's using this sham claim as a pretext for his toadies in the DOJ to bring specious indictments as an act of revenge to force the defendants to spend big bucks to hire lawyers to litigate this specious claim all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Eventually, all these cases will be dismissed, but not before Trump will have exacted his pound of flesh.
Trump will then contend that these indictments would have proven the defendants' guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, just the way Jack Smith asserted that his Grand Jury indictment would have proven Trump's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Trump has filled the DOJ with right-wing legal hacks whose only job is to follow his orders, legal or illegal, and whose only loyalty is to Donald J. Trump, and not to the Constitution. These orders focus on exacting revenge on his enemies and making the most specious, if not laughable, arguments in support of Trump's illegal schemes and scams - just the way they did in 2020 in arguing, and losing, in all 80+ cases, that Trump won the 2020 election.
His sleazy DOJ lawyers, in the corruption of their duties, will disgrace the integrity of all federal prosecutors who preceded them and forever carry the stigma of having served as Trump's legal hit men, though they will later find themselves to be unemployable by every respectable law firm, and by law schools and universities.
I guess they could always fall back on serving as caddies on Trump's golf courses.
I am asking this question to all of you whom I admire and count on for truth and inspiration. THANK YOU! Now my ugly question: Do you honestly feel, sense, believe that we can stop the Republican Regime?
The Supreme Court now has justification to rule the 2024 election void, because Trump lied when he took the oath of office. This also nullifies his cabinet appointments and and all others sworn into public office. The applicable legal terms are misfeasance and malfeasance of office.
With the Chuck Schumer approval of the GOP no-win budget and his comments about conversations with GOP leaders in the gym, I was reminded of the British commander (Alec Guiness) in the movie "The Bridge over the River Kwai" who got so chummy with the Japanese prison camp leader that he almost foiled the overall plan to blow up the bridge of which he would have been a part had he understood what was going on **in the moment.**
Dems need to establish a new department of DOPE to mock and expose the bullschittery all day every day. Sorry but obeying is not an item on the DOPE agenda…idea from Steady substack. Needed yesterday
Exactly. This isn’t just an executive overreach problem—it’s a full-blown systemic failure where multiple branches are complicit. The Republican-controlled Senate and House refusing to act in good faith makes traditional checks and balances meaningless. This isn’t just about a rogue president; it’s about an entire political faction abandoning democratic norms to hold onto power. That means solutions have to go beyond just the courts—we need a full-spectrum strategy to restore democratic accountability.
1. Judiciary Must Escalate Its Response
• Courts must start enforcing contempt orders against executive officials who defy rulings.
• If the DOJ won’t act, the U.S. Marshals Service must be pressured to make arrests for obstruction of justice.
• Judges can issue direct emergency orders targeting agencies and bypassing corrupt leadership where possible.
2. States as a Counterbalance
• State governors & attorneys general must step up—if federal officials won’t enforce the law, state leaders can.
• State law enforcement agencies can refuse cooperation with unlawful federal actions and even issue state-level arrest warrants for officials who commit crimes under state law.
• Interstate coalitions (e.g., California, New York, Massachusetts) could function as a shadow federal enforcement system in the absence of a functional federal government.
3. Economic Leverage
• Major corporations, banks, and tech platforms can refuse to cooperate with unconstitutional actions.
• The business sector has power—big donors can be pressured to withhold funding from GOP politicians enabling this crisis.
• Public-sector unions (e.g., federal employees, postal workers) can engage in legal work stoppages to grind unlawful government actions to a halt.
4. Direct Congressional Disruption
• If the Democratic minority in Congress has any backbone, they need to bring legislative business to a halt—filibuster, procedural blockades, and full-scale obstruction until Republican leadership negotiates in good faith.
• Expel or censure members who are openly violating democratic norms (14th Amendment, Section 3 allows disqualification for aiding insurrection).
• Use House committees (if they control them) to investigate corruption and issue subpoenas aggressively.
5. Mass Mobilization
• This isn’t the time for polite protests—organized, sustained mass civil resistance needs to happen:
• General strikes – If the government is broken, the economy should reflect that.
• Mass civil disobedience – Peaceful but direct action to block the implementation of unlawful policies.
• Whistleblower protections – Encourage federal employees to leak evidence of corruption and obstruction.
6. International Pressure
• Allied governments can impose sanctions on corrupt U.S. officials who violate democratic norms (as has been done in authoritarian regimes worldwide).
• The UN & ICC could be pressured to investigate human rights violations if the administration refuses to follow U.S. law.
• Foreign media must be mobilized to expose the crisis internationally.
7. Electoral Hardball
• Voting reform must be a priority at the state level to counteract federal voter suppression efforts.
• Strategic litigation should target gerrymandering, voter purges, and election subversion laws.
• Public figures, celebrities, and cultural influencers must use their platforms to communicate the urgency of the situation.
Bottom Line: It’s Time for a Democracy Defense Plan
This is not a standard political fight. This is an authoritarian consolidation of power, and the normal rules don’t apply anymore. If good-faith governance is dead, then pro-democracy forces must escalate their tactics—legally, financially, politically, and in the streets.
If Republicans in power won’t follow the Constitution, then it’s time for everyone else to use every constitutional, legal, and nonviolent tool available to stop the collapse of democracy.
What do you think? Are people finally ready to take this level of action, or is more groundwork needed?
Olwen Dowling: I'll repost this exceptional note to the Ravitch blog--assuming it's okay with you . . . I'll cite your name--I'll wait for a day or so . . . so if that's not okay with you, please let me know here. I'll be back online here circa noon West Coast Time.
22 Republican senators, dozens of Republican House members voted to fund Ukraine. Many of them call Trump a liar about Putin.
Get those Republicans who oppose Putin on the record!
Impeach. Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/remove-impeach-impeach
I thought Norm had an announcement today? Hope everything is okay 🤞
I waited from 2 until my yoga class at 5:45 and then a live video dropped during my class so I have no idea what it was about even though I’m a paid subscriber.
I did the same thing out here on Mountain Time. Waited to the last minute before my gym class. Bummed. Followed the link from my email just a black screen with video ended.
I missed it and cannot find it on the app!
Now DOGE is spreading beyond departments to independent agencies. How is this being allowed to happen?
From Alt National Park Service:
Elon Musk’s staffers have entered an independent government agency by force. Employees from DOGE are now inside the Washington offices of the United States Institute of Peace. This comes just days after agency representatives were unable to gain access to the building on Friday being blocked by lawyers. Two of the individuals involved were the same DOGE officials who, with the help of federal marshals, forcibly entered another small government office—the U.S. African Development Foundation—earlier this month.
This isn’t just an executive overreach problem—it’s a full-blown systemic failure where multiple branches are complicit. The Republican-controlled Senate and House refusing to act in good faith makes traditional checks and balances meaningless. This isn’t just about a rogue president; it’s about an entire political faction abandoning democratic norms to hold onto power. That means solutions have to go beyond just the courts—we need a full-spectrum strategy to restore democratic accountability.
1. Judiciary Must Escalate Its Response
• Courts must start enforcing contempt orders against executive officials who defy rulings.
• If the DOJ won’t act, the U.S. Marshals Service must be pressured to make arrests for obstruction of justice.
• Judges can issue direct emergency orders targeting agencies and bypassing corrupt leadership where possible.
2. States as a Counterbalance
• State governors & attorneys general must step up—if federal officials won’t enforce the law, state leaders can.
• State law enforcement agencies can refuse cooperation with unlawful federal actions and even issue state-level arrest warrants for officials who commit crimes under state law.
• Interstate coalitions (e.g., California, New York, Massachusetts) could function as a shadow federal enforcement system in the absence of a functional federal government.
3. Economic Leverage
• Major corporations, banks, and tech platforms can refuse to cooperate with unconstitutional actions.
• The business sector has power—big donors can be pressured to withhold funding from GOP politicians enabling this crisis.
• Public-sector unions (e.g., federal employees, postal workers) can engage in legal work stoppages to grind unlawful government actions to a halt.
4. Direct Congressional Disruption
• If the Democratic minority in Congress has any backbone, they need to bring legislative business to a halt—filibuster, procedural blockades, and full-scale obstruction until Republican leadership negotiates in good faith.
• Expel or censure members who are openly violating democratic norms (14th Amendment, Section 3 allows disqualification for aiding insurrection).
• Use House committees (if they control them) to investigate corruption and issue subpoenas aggressively.
5. Mass Mobilization
• This isn’t the time for polite protests—organized, sustained mass civil resistance needs to happen:
• General strikes – If the government is broken, the economy should reflect that.
• Mass civil disobedience – Peaceful but direct action to block the implementation of unlawful policies.
• Whistleblower protections – Encourage federal employees to leak evidence of corruption and obstruction.
6. International Pressure
• Allied governments can impose sanctions on corrupt U.S. officials who violate democratic norms (as has been done in authoritarian regimes worldwide).
• The UN & ICC could be pressured to investigate human rights violations if the administration refuses to follow U.S. law.
• Foreign media must be mobilized to expose the crisis internationally.
7. Electoral Hardball
• Voting reform must be a priority at the state level to counteract federal voter suppression efforts.
• Strategic litigation should target gerrymandering, voter purges, and election subversion laws.
• Public figures, celebrities, and cultural influencers must use their platforms to communicate the urgency of the situation.
Bottom Line: It’s Time for a Democracy Defense Plan
This is not a standard political fight. This is an authoritarian consolidation of power, and the normal rules don’t apply anymore. If good-faith governance is dead, then pro-democracy forces must escalate their tactics—legally, financially, politically, and in the streets.
If Republicans in power won’t follow the Constitution, then it’s time for everyone else to use every constitutional, legal, and nonviolent tool available to stop the collapse of democracy.
What do you think? Are people finally ready to take this level of action, or is more groundwork needed
Having so many video/audio gives me great choice to listen to while I’m trudging on the treadmill at the gym …. And then I don’t have to spend other time reading a transcript! Thanks, Jen and Norm!
I agree! I like the options. While I am cleaning the house, baking treats (to help me with the constant Trump info), walking etc. Not letting the negative settle in my body.
What's Really Behind Trump's Ridiculous Claim that Biden's Pardons are Invalid?
Trump Contends That Biden Used the Wrong Pen
This is all a ruse, and a transparently silly one at that. But Trump has an ulterior motive. And it's all about Trump's fanatical obsession to inflict vengeance on those who crossed his path, such as those in the House who investigated his attempted violent insurrection on January 6.
Trump knows that his argument to invalidate Biden's pardons is absurd, but he's using this sham claim as a pretext for his toadies in the DOJ to bring specious indictments as an act of revenge to force the defendants to spend big bucks to hire lawyers to litigate this specious claim all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Eventually, all these cases will be dismissed, but not before Trump will have exacted his pound of flesh.
Trump will then contend that these indictments would have proven the defendants' guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, just the way Jack Smith asserted that his Grand Jury indictment would have proven Trump's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Trump has filled the DOJ with right-wing legal hacks whose only job is to follow his orders, legal or illegal, and whose only loyalty is to Donald J. Trump, and not to the Constitution. These orders focus on exacting revenge on his enemies and making the most specious, if not laughable, arguments in support of Trump's illegal schemes and scams - just the way they did in 2020 in arguing, and losing, in all 80+ cases, that Trump won the 2020 election.
His sleazy DOJ lawyers, in the corruption of their duties, will disgrace the integrity of all federal prosecutors who preceded them and forever carry the stigma of having served as Trump's legal hit men, though they will later find themselves to be unemployable by every respectable law firm, and by law schools and universities.
I guess they could always fall back on serving as caddies on Trump's golf courses.
∙
If anyone listens to Trump and doesn't already expect a ruse, I have an island in the Pacific you can have for $40.00 bucks.
Excellent interviews! For whatever amazing reason, my exploding brain continues to absorb all the amazing information you are giving us.
Where is Norm? I am concerned for his well being.
Happy Birthday, Andrew Weissmann! You do have a bit of the look of a leprechaun. We love you.
I am asking this question to all of you whom I admire and count on for truth and inspiration. THANK YOU! Now my ugly question: Do you honestly feel, sense, believe that we can stop the Republican Regime?
What happened to breaking news from yesterday?
I admire all of you who can speak as well as you do, but a synopsis would ALWAYS be appreciated. Transcripts don’t suffice. Am I asking too much?
The Supreme Court now has justification to rule the 2024 election void, because Trump lied when he took the oath of office. This also nullifies his cabinet appointments and and all others sworn into public office. The applicable legal terms are misfeasance and malfeasance of office.
With the Chuck Schumer approval of the GOP no-win budget and his comments about conversations with GOP leaders in the gym, I was reminded of the British commander (Alec Guiness) in the movie "The Bridge over the River Kwai" who got so chummy with the Japanese prison camp leader that he almost foiled the overall plan to blow up the bridge of which he would have been a part had he understood what was going on **in the moment.**
Dems need to establish a new department of DOPE to mock and expose the bullschittery all day every day. Sorry but obeying is not an item on the DOPE agenda…idea from Steady substack. Needed yesterday