I live in a small, very red Texas county (80% red at last count). While there are activities scheduled in a larger town thirty minutes from here, I really don’t want to miss my daily chores with my animals, so I decided to take an hour and stand in front of our courthouse with a sign saying HANDS OFF. I only notified my FB friends, since national politics is not discussed on our local chat, but some of those folks are definitely not sympathetic (because we became friends for non-controversial reasons !). I am just going to stand there for an hour and chat with whoever wanders by. It’s a tourist town, so I may have a variety of folks to visit with. I’m done hiding!
Good for you, Susan. Remember the picture of the man who stood [alone] on front of the tank in Tiannamon Square. And Cory Booker. All it takes is a lot of "one of us". You will inspire more.
Booker standing at a podium speaking to an empty hall to literally no tangible effect is NOT the same as The Tank Man’s selfless protest that quite literally cost him his life. This is precisely the forum to call out our penchant to be satisfied and placated and distracted by short term feels. I am sure it felt good, briefly, for people who didn’t vote in November because Kamala misgendered someone or used an incorrect pronoun or whose daughter lost a 100 M dash to one of the 6 transgender students competing in sports. Honesty, how does it feel now? I respect Booker, certainly, but let’s now inflate this into something it wasn’t. We need to stop deluding ourselves…talk is cheap…even if it is for 25 hours behind a podium in an empty hall…as someone correctly stated Trump is performative as well. But to his credit, he is able to distract and manipulate stupid, fearful people into acting against their own best interests. All Corey Booker did was to allow folks to delude themselves into believe everything is going to be OK. It’s not. That is not negativity. That is reality. It is going to take seismic action to stop this. Not a stern lecture.
I have another problem, quite serious for me, with him - taking many from Jewish lobbysts, and now voting against boycotting Israel at the time of the genocide in Gaza. This is not a secondary issue, this touches into the core of democracy.
I live in a Texas red town of 25,000. We are protesting at the county courthouse Saturday, and we have had a couple of other protests before(Roe overturned, immigration, postal service), and we got a few middle fingers, but mostly, thumbs up from passersby. All peaceful, but important moments. Good for you. Stand up speak out. Thanks!!
Good for you in Texas, Susan! I will be thinking about you! Courage is contagious! I hope at least one person joins you tomorrow, but if not you have planted seeds of resistance.
I hope you will be surprised and joined by others. Last week I attended a tesla protest . 350 signed up but over 500 came. May it be so everywhere. Hang in with your gentle stance.
Remember, when you leave your home-you are not alone. With the anticipated thousands [million+?] of heroic protestors on April 5th (actually any and all days, including Women's March) here's an updated partial list of those fighting back every day [as of 4-3--25).
I'm also adding courageous law firms who haven't caved. Besides upstanding lawyers (e.g. Brenna Trout Frey, and law-abiding honorable (present and former) judges (including James Boasberg, chief judge, D.C. District Ct.), here's a growing list of Profiles in Courage men, women, and advocacy groups who refuse to be cowed or kneel to the force of Trump/Musk/MAGA/Fox "News" intimidation:
I'll begin (again) with Missouri's own indomitable Jess[ica] (à la John Lewis's "get in good trouble") Piper/"The View from Rural Missouri," then, in no particular order, Francie Garber Pepper (1940-2025), Heather Cox Richardson/"Letters from an American," Joyce Vance/"Civil Discourse," Bernie Sanders, AOC, Rep. Maxwell Frost,, Gov. Tim walz, Sarah Inama, Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Rev. William J. Barber II, Jasmine Crockett, Adam Smith, Jamie Raskin, Ken Harbaugh. Ruth Ben-Ghait, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Hayes, Ali Velshi, Prof. Lawrence Tribe, Stephanie Miller, Gov. Janet Mills, Gov. Beshear, Gov. JB.Pritzker, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Amb. Susan Rice, Mayor Michelle Wu, Jim Acosta, Jen Rubin And the Contrarians, Dan Rather, Robert Reich, Jay Kou, Steve Brodner, Rachel Cohen, Brian TylerCohen, Jessica Craven, Scott Dworkin, Brett Meiselas, Joy Reid, D. Earl Stevens, Melvin Gurai, Dan Pfeiffer, Anand Giridharadas Anne Applebaum, Lucian Truscott IV, Chris Murphy, Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley, Michael Bennett, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Sheldon Whitehouse, Adam Schiff, Jon Ossoff, Elyssa Slotkin, Tristan Snell, Delia Ramirez,Tim Snyder, Robert B. Hubbell, Ben Meiseilas, Rich wilson, Ron Filpkowski, Jeremy Seahill, Thom Hartmann, Jonathan Bernstein, Simon Rosenberg, Marianne Williamson, Mark Fiore, Jamie Raskin, Rebecca Solnit, Steve Schmidt, Josh Marshall, Paul Krugman, Andy Borowitz, Jeff Danziger, Ann Telnaes,͏ ͏Will Bunch, Jim Hightower, Dan Pfeifer, Dean Obeidallah, Michel Zeitgeist, Liz Cheney, Adam Kimzinger, Cassidy Hutchinson, John Cusack, Judd Legum (Popular Information) Qasim Rachid, Sue Nethercott, Mary L.trump, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Jonathan V Last, Sarah Longwell, Andrew Egger, Aaron Parnas, Rep.Don Beyer, Greg OlearAmerican Bar Association, 23 blue state Attorney Generals, Indivisible. FiftyFifty one, MoveOn, DemCast, Blue Missouri, Third Act, Democracy Forward, Public Citizen, Democracy Index, Protect Democracy, DemocracyLabs, Fred Wellman/On Democracy, Hands Off, Marc Elias/Democracy Docket, Public Citizen, League of Women Voters, Lambda Legal, CREW, CODEPINK, ACLU, The 19th/Errin Haines, Working Families Party, American Oversight, Every State Blue, Run for Something, Jessica Valenti/Abortion Everyday, The American Manifesto, The Dr. Martin Luther King Center, Bulwark Media, Bill Kristol/all NeverTrumpers, The States Project, Field Team 6, The Union,AICN ( last 4 all from North Carolina) The Lincoln Project,Blue Wave, Blue Future, The Civic Center, Olivia Troy,The Politics GirlAnd, as Joyce Vance says, "We're in this together"--or via Jess Piper, from rural Missouri: "Solidarity." FIGHT BACK! WE ARE NOT ALONE! (Latest addition h/t , Robert B. Hubbell: Law firms, see below). All suggestions are welcome.* Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling have resisted Trump, fighting back with the help of other courageous firms like Williams & Connolly. Per The ABA Journal, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, representing fired inspectors general. (Law.com)Hogan Lovells, seeking to block executive orders to end federal funding for gender-affirming medical care. (Law.com)Jenner & Block, also seeking to block the orders on cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com, Reuters) Ropes & Gray, also seeking to block cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com)Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, representing the Amica Center for Immigrants Rights and others seeking to block funding cuts for immigrant legal services. (Law.com)Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.Wilmer HaleKeker, Van Nest & PetersSouthern Poverty Law CenterPerhaps
I should add our nation's motto--and on our Great Seal--the phrase "E pluribus unum" (out of many, One ). Ii's 13 letters makes its use symbolic of the original 13 Colonies which rebelled against the rule of the Kingdom of George III . . .And now we protest together against King Donald. As my rural MO. indomitable Jess Piper always says: "Solidarity."
Thank you, Susan Hull! Standing up and being open to respectful dialogue about the political “elephant in the room” (the over-throw of our constitutional rule of law and due process by trump/musk) in your community where you are known is laudable.
I just want to say I am very moved by the support and encouragement I have received here! I will definitely report back in a comment on Jen’s article about what happens tomorrow! Thank you all !❤️
I salute you, Susan, and those like you. As an old soldier, I thank you for your service.
We all need to set aside mere partisan politics and unite to save our nation from someone who threatens us all. Trump is no Republican. He may be the most dangerous RINO in the world. He is an unhinged megalomaniac served by sycophants. We would do well to emulate Thomas Jefferson, who declared in 1801 "every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists." See https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/thomas-jefferson-first-inaugural-address-1801.
"We the People of the United States" created our Constitution and constituted federal government to "establish Justice" and "provide for [our] common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." We all need to act accordingly, and you and those like you are leading by example. Thank you!
Old Wisconsin guy here. We showed Tuesday that it can be done. Now, let's turn out Saturday and show that people across the country want to stop the carnage!
We showed WHAT can be done? Two days later, Trump fired off another round of illegal tariffs and continued his deliberate assault on our economy, our Democracy and our Republic. So…what exactly…did poor Cory Booker…do?
Booker and Wisconsin inspired people, and Trump tanked the stock market. Plus Musk is more toxic to Republicans than they may have believed. Tomorrow is a day of protest that will bring even more positive activists together. I remember the last time Trump was in office -- it took time and work to push him out.
Would you honestly have preferred that Booker didn't break Strom Thurmond's record, and get so many people engaged?
I am sincerely curious what actual action you are expecting from the minority party? We live in an age of performative spectacle, whether we like it or not. Booker's speech and endurance inspired and offered much-needed hope for this Dem and many others I know. I also expect it will light a fire under his fellow Dems in Congress to stop quietly sitting on the sidelines watching history, instead of working to make a history we can all be proud of.
Fair question. We can take a chapter from countries like France or Panama who have civil disobedience down to a science. General strikes. Transit strikes. Highway blockades. Tax revolt. Harassment, en masse, of Trump’s enablers where they live. Refusal of service to MAGA in stores and restaurants. There is a lot that can be done. In this age of endless and nauseating self gratification, you all make think it’s good enough that Cory Booker made you feel good for a day. But it is pissing up a rope. It is effectively useless. Go into your employer on Monday and change your tax deduction to 0 (pretend you are Elon Musk) and then on April 15, mail in your tax return with FUCK YOU written in big red letters across the 1040. A hundred million people do that, you will get their attention.
United--You are preaching to the choir--be careful what you wish for . . . if the protests tomorrow don't cause THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS and SCOTUS to take the kind of action you speak of, and if Social Security and Medicare dry up, I fear what the next step (over the line) of The People might be. . . . simmering, and very close to boiling over.
Sure, Senator Booker was performative and to date it has had no visible, tangible effect on Trump/Musk rampages but I and most people here felt good and that is worth something if only fleeting. It also feels good to know that one is not alone - that can inspire action and consequence. No one here is denying that "action" is necessary but there's no reason to denigrate a symbolic moment of resistance in a time of despair. Everyone here knows things have to change (and probably each of us have different ideas of how to accomplish that) but you are in the wrong forum if you want to slam people's momentary joy.
I’ve already provided about a half dozen…but to your point, there is little one CAN do, which is why normalizing this in terms of how we used to do things (wait, the market will bounce back, the courts will hold him accountable, etc.) simply do not work. Which is why what CAN be done is last resort kind of stuff as I’ve mentioned a number of times. Tax revolt - go into HR on Monday, set your deductions to zero and then file your 1040 with FUCK TRUMP written on it in lipstick. Traffic blockades. A general strike, mobilized nationwide. Highway blockades, coast to coast. Join protests and camp outside your representatives homes and make their lives miserable. Look to countries like France and Panama’ who have raised civil disobedience to an art form. As for me, I call my former state senators once or twice a day. I email them weekly. I have donated to every special election and will continue to do so at least until Trump suspends them after tomorrow. Block ICE in your neighborhoods…they show up on private property in a mask with no ID and no warrant, they have no grounds.
To you point, one HAS to do something besides wallowing here in our own self pity and hoping the feels we get here will get us through. They won’t…which is why we should’ve be lulled into complacency by them. The courts are fighting back…woo hoo. So what? No one is going to enforce their judgements. Cory Booker spoke for 25 and BROKE A RECORD. Swell….Trump fired off another round of illegal tariffs the next day. This is a long way around the barn to say I agree with you. What can we do?
It’s pretty clear. He voiced concerns about democracy sliding into autocracy. He calls attention to the need for working together as a people for bettering our country.
Nothing poor about Corey Booker, and unlike Trump, he knows exactly what he's doing. Trump? He's exhibiting the depth of his ignorance to the known world. And a few uninhabited islands.
This weekend, the opening salvo in the anti-Trump mass protest movement, I believe it's important to get our arms around the scale of Trump's attack on Liberalism and Freedom. Here's a short list:
1. Free speech
2. Fact based education
3. Government support for the poor and disadvantaged in the US and abroad
4. American leadership of world democracy vs Facism
5. 70 years of open trade policies that lowered barriers and built global wealth
I was hoping Cory Booker would be the Contrarians' Undaunted honoree of the week. I kept him on in the background the entire day, often stopping what i was doing to listen, with a smile to his wit, or with tears to his stories of peoples' lives brought down, admiration for his off-the-cuff remarks, his passion, and his truth telling. We should all be inspired, not only by what Cory Booker did, but by what he said and how he said it: with respect, humbleness, good humor, joy, and passion. In coming days let's show him we got his message and join him in good trouble.
Trump's professor at Penn's prestigious Wharton School, William T. Kelley, stated "Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had."
Trump traded in a formal education and even the development of a vocabulary beyond the 4th grade for the life of a morally dissolute playboy after his father arranged for him to evade the draft to join the family's real estate firm.
Over the years, Trump hungered for more and more publicity and constantly appeared in the tabloids surrounded by fawning women. We now know that along the route, he bragged about grabbing women by their genitals, one of whom successfully sued him for sexual molestation and defamation, cheating on his wives and cooking his company's books to "catch and kill" the revelation of his sexual forays with a porn star.
He also managed to set up a self-glorifying university which turned out to be a fraud on its students, as did his applications to numerous creditors whom he swindled out of hundreds of millions of dollars by vastly overvaluing his assets.
So how did Donald Trump get to go from being a rich dissolute playboy with the morals of an alley cat to being a rich dissolute President with the morals of an alley cat?
The closest explanation I can think of is by means of a riff on a comment made by Samuel Johnson to his biographer James Boswell about an acquaintance: " Sir, he was repugnant in his company, he was repugnant in his style, he was repugnant everywhere. He was repugnant in a new way and that made many people think him great."
Yes. He was repugnant in a new way. Paying a ghostwriter to write "The Art of the Deal" in Trump's name and with his wealth, swagger, ego and bluster, this blowhard and clown came to be the perfect sitcom attraction for prime-time t.v. And the more he growled, grated, gloated, grimaced and glamorized himself on t.v., the greater his audience swelled to be entertained by his bloated ego, bombast and put-downs.
In short. No one had even seen such a pompous, obnoxious and egotistical blowhard before, with the possible exception of Don Rickles's onstage persona. He was novel and refreshing, and offered a new face and style to enter the political arena with the support of right-wing conservatives, along with wealthy and influential friends, domestic and foreign, who learned how to manipulate his insecurities through flattery, money and promises of power.
During his first term in office, the dark side of him palpably emerged, in which he revealed his insecurity and desperation and lust for power and admiration, relying on lies and self-delusions to sustain his mental equilibrium. Over time, even his staff openly admitted that he relied on conjuring "alternate truths " and "alternate facts" to hold his world of illusions together. Even his niece, a psychologist with a Ph. D. in psychology, has openly referred to his serious mental unbalance and delusions of grandeur.
As we all too painfully know, his unwillingness to accept reality and to accept defeat in the 2020 election led to his desperate lies to his gullible cult followers that he actually won the election, though he was unable to convince a single court among the 80+ law suits he filed that his election was stolen. To this day, he is mentally incapable of letting go of his delusion that he won the 2020 election.
And while his victory in 2024 was more a repudiation of Joe Biden than a vote of confidence in him, he still cannot let go of the fact that he was a loser and that most people know he was and may still be.
I believe that it this obsession to crush his perceived enemies and non-believers through promises, threats, manipulations and extortion, and blackmail that drives his every waking hour.
And though Donald Trump now believes that he is on the verge of dominating every facet of life in the United States, it is not enough to satiate his unquenchable ego.
It is the entire world to which he now looks to become the Master of the Universe by turning upside down every country's economy and evoking the fear and admiration of every human being on this planet, all of whose lips will now be talking about the mighty and powerful Donald Trump.
So at what price to all of us does Trump aspire to be top of the world?
It conjures up visions of Jimmy Cagney's movie character's self-immolation shouting:
I don't hear much mention of the power of social media echo chambers. The source of information provides their own alternative reality in which everything they're doing is right. This is extremely dangerous to society of March. I hope the EU holds social media to account.
There’s some truth in that, but the fact of our ossified binary political party system itself stokes a good deal of our problems, tending to force us into one of two opposing camps every four years come presidential election time.
It does appear that way,but the "idea" of America is that we are united under one great flag for we the people and common beliefs...freedom of speech, blah blah
The ‘idea’ of America was promulgated by men and women prior to the formation of what they called ‘factions’, and they understood the danger such behavior posed in potentially creating a system of political loyalty to political party instead or at least over and above loyalty to the ‘idea’. Then, of course, being human, they went ahead and created the first factions themselves. The process reached the formal state in the 1830’s and we’ve been stuck with it ever since.
Well told. But I challenge "novel and refreshing" - as I recall, he remained obnoxious from start to unexpected and entirely undeserved finish. How could he have survived those grotesque "debates" with Hillary Clinton? With the help of a rouble or two, maybe. Not even maybe, given his repeated denials.
I'm on a plane to DC from Miami. It's costing me a pretty penny I guess it could have protested in Miami but I want to see the streets of DC bursting with people
I live in Maryland and work in DC 5 days a week. So while I will not be in DC tomorrow, I have made contact with a rally coordinator (or two). I will be in touch from my majority-minority neighborhood, where support for the ongoing boycotts is nearly unanimous, and behind the scenes support is high. The last count I saw was 20,000; have no idea how accurate that is, but I suspect that's a low estimate. Praying for a higher number and for safety for *everyone*. So take care while here, and if so inclined, be loud!
A few Congressional Republicans need to stand up.....
Heather Cox Richardson: "Republican members of Congress could stop Trump at any time. In the case of tariffs, they could simply reassert their constitutional power to manage tariffs. If they choose not to and the economy doesn’t recover and thrive as Trump keeps promising, voters can be expected to hold them, as well as him, to account.".
Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, joined Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington in introducing a bipartisan bill to rein in presidential authority over tariffs and give Congress more control over future trade duties.
Why It Matters
The bipartisan bill comes a day after President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day," in which he imposed a new round of sweeping tariffs on foreign imports, reigniting debate over executive power in trade policy.
Several Republicans, many of whom are Trump allies, have raised concerns about Trump's tariffs, warning that they will raise prices and derail the economy. Many economists have warned that significant tariffs could spark a recession and that American consumers would end up shouldering the burden of the tariffs as importers pass on costs in the form of higher prices.
I think this is called closing the barn door after the horse bolted. It doesn't relieve me, it makes my blood boil. Where the hell was that decrepit old idiot from Iowa BEFORE he got "liberated"?
Kind of like awarding Mother Pence a JFK Profile in Courage award just because he performed his only constitutional duty in 2021. How about awarding it to Officer Michael Fanone instead?
Corbin: Something deadening must get in their brains when they get elected to Congress--but then there is Sheldon Whitehouse. If we ever get through this in one democratic piece, I think holding regular town halls should be an absolute requirement for being a Congressperson. And all high school students should be required to attend--regularly. In my view, not enough American people really know who we are politically or even what can happen when one lives in a different political situation. It's got to be "coming home" to MAGA about now, but I really do not think most or even all of them know what's actually happening.
D. Solomon: The world is blowing up financially (yeah for China for pushing back on Trump's pre-grift efforts!) But all the bricks are going to fall on the American people and our bank accounts, health, education, safety, sense of well-being (I don't have a 401K but those too), while there's Trump de Dump in Mara Lago rolling around in his little golf cart with his entourage following behind.
(A lawsuit was just filed against the China tariff by a company who sells stationary. I can imagine.)
I keep thinking that there is something terribly wrong with a political situation where one nasty person can create havoc with the lives of entire nations of people.
D. Solomon: In the morning, Grassley was saying that he trusts Trump. Then in the early afternoon (in CA) he was talking about that bill. I don't know who talked to Grassley in between, but I'd like to thank him or her.
On October 9, 2021, Trump endorsed Grassley's senate campaign, and he's been a Trump toadie ever since. That night Grassley told the crowd, with Trump standing next to him. “I was born at night, but not last night. So if I didn’t accept the endorsement of a person who has 91% of the Republican voters in Iowa, I wouldn’t be too smart. I’m smart enough to accept that endorsement.”
He's also smart enough to have retired, but he never will. At 92, Grassley is the oldest sitting United States senator, the longest-serving Republican in congressional history, and the seventh-longest-serving U.S. senator in history. He served as president pro tempore emeritus of the Senate from 2021 to 2025. Talk about needing "new blood" in Congress...yikes and I'm 75.
SusanB: (BTW, I'm 78). I knew it was bad with Grassley, but not that bad. Thanks for filling me in. Also, I will always hold Nancy Pelosi in high esteem (even more than before) for knowing when to leave, and even though she probably could have helped us through this. RBG, not so much.
I also wonder about the "republicans" who, from the get-go and for generations now, have hated Social Security. Long story, but it makes you wonder if there's something in the blood, so to speak. For so many, it's the difference between easing into old age and being dropped off a social and political cliff. I never believed NOT FOR A MINUTE what the Trump-Musk said about what's wrong with Social Security or anything they are doing at all. It was/is just another cover story that has a brief ring of plausibility, but then when you think about it, not, for more grift and carelessness about the well-being of the American people.
And what other countries' leaders are saying now about us is heartbreaking, but true. All of us are being painted with the brush of ignorance, bias, and hatefulness of the people who voted Trump in . . . TWICE.
I hope there are plenty of cameras out there, all over the nation, to catch pictures of the April 5 crowds. I don't know what to expect this next week, except for it to be a doozie.
Catherine, you’re welcome for the info about Grassley. I had researched him a few years ago, and learned there was a lot he did, with which I strongly disagreed. But, my memory isn’t what it used to be, so I just googled a few recent articles.
In terms of Social Security and Medicare, there is fraud, but it isn’t something new. I spent a few days a few months ago, researching Medicare. I learned about an investigation, Biden had sanctioned a year ago, and they made some changes, which saved millions of dollars on an annual basis. It was something that should have been continued, and expanded, but I’m not sure what happened. The fraud is mostly the fault of hospitals, and dishonest doctors, rather than recipients. And, while it needs to be fixed, seniors shouldn’t be punished, because Congress hasn’t done the necessary oversight.
And, there probably is some fraud within Social Security, but it is our money, and they shouldn't be able to touch it. Since there are no longer qualified people at the helm of the DOJ and FBI, one can't trust that any investigations will be impartial, and conducted within the law.
The purpose of everything Trump does is to destroy and destabilize our government, and our democracy, fire as many people as possible--Project 2025 recommends firing 50,000 civil servants--and replacing them with Trump loyalists that The Heritage Foundation recommends.
Hopefully, tomorrow's protests will be so big that Congressional Republicans will find their consciences, and start doing their jobs. One can only hope!
I just saw where Trump "tweeted" to investors to come invest in America. You can get rich here. No wonder. There are no regulations on polluters, Trump pardons all felons, Social Security and Medicare are soon to be dead, and the more beggars we have, the less political pressure they can put on investors. Let's party.
"Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, joined Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington in introducing a bipartisan bill to rein in presidential authority over tariffs and give Congress more control over future trade duties."
Congress should never have delegated the authority to levy tariffs to the President in the first place. Tariffs are a revenue-generating mechanism, and that authority is only for the House of Representatives.
Voted GOP? If the past 10 weeks aren't what you'd anticipated, then join the crowd. Maybe change your instinctive votes for GOP candidates in 2026 to Dem. We can keep our ship of state off the rocks, but we need your help.
Every single person is called to stand tomorrow and protest the chaos, cruelty and erosion of our rights and the Constitution! The sign I am carrying says: POWER WITH NO HONOR IS TYRANNY. the back says:,PROTECT OUR RIGHTS. It was difficult narrowing it down from the many folks suggested. However, more than what our signs say, our presence says it all. Be there! Be brave! Step out of your comfort zone! Stand with Cory and those of us who care so desperately for our freedoms, our liberty, our country!
The purpose of government is to serve the people. If that's not happening, the people must disobey until the government falls. I've made the pilgrimage to Karl Marx's tomb.
I live in a small, very red Texas county (80% red at last count). While there are activities scheduled in a larger town thirty minutes from here, I really don’t want to miss my daily chores with my animals, so I decided to take an hour and stand in front of our courthouse with a sign saying HANDS OFF. I only notified my FB friends, since national politics is not discussed on our local chat, but some of those folks are definitely not sympathetic (because we became friends for non-controversial reasons !). I am just going to stand there for an hour and chat with whoever wanders by. It’s a tourist town, so I may have a variety of folks to visit with. I’m done hiding!
Good for you, Susan. Remember the picture of the man who stood [alone] on front of the tank in Tiannamon Square. And Cory Booker. All it takes is a lot of "one of us". You will inspire more.
Booker standing at a podium speaking to an empty hall to literally no tangible effect is NOT the same as The Tank Man’s selfless protest that quite literally cost him his life. This is precisely the forum to call out our penchant to be satisfied and placated and distracted by short term feels. I am sure it felt good, briefly, for people who didn’t vote in November because Kamala misgendered someone or used an incorrect pronoun or whose daughter lost a 100 M dash to one of the 6 transgender students competing in sports. Honesty, how does it feel now? I respect Booker, certainly, but let’s now inflate this into something it wasn’t. We need to stop deluding ourselves…talk is cheap…even if it is for 25 hours behind a podium in an empty hall…as someone correctly stated Trump is performative as well. But to his credit, he is able to distract and manipulate stupid, fearful people into acting against their own best interests. All Corey Booker did was to allow folks to delude themselves into believe everything is going to be OK. It’s not. That is not negativity. That is reality. It is going to take seismic action to stop this. Not a stern lecture.
I have another problem, quite serious for me, with him - taking many from Jewish lobbysts, and now voting against boycotting Israel at the time of the genocide in Gaza. This is not a secondary issue, this touches into the core of democracy.
I live in a Texas red town of 25,000. We are protesting at the county courthouse Saturday, and we have had a couple of other protests before(Roe overturned, immigration, postal service), and we got a few middle fingers, but mostly, thumbs up from passersby. All peaceful, but important moments. Good for you. Stand up speak out. Thanks!!
Good for you in Texas, Susan! I will be thinking about you! Courage is contagious! I hope at least one person joins you tomorrow, but if not you have planted seeds of resistance.
May your back be straight and your eyes bright! And a warm smile ready.
You are brave! Standing alone, with so much hatred demonstrated by the other side is incredibly brave.
I hope you will be surprised and joined by others. Last week I attended a tesla protest . 350 signed up but over 500 came. May it be so everywhere. Hang in with your gentle stance.
This takes so much courage, at a time when the rhetoric from many has become so vitriolic. Thanks for being a beacon of peace and sanity.
Remember, when you leave your home-you are not alone. With the anticipated thousands [million+?] of heroic protestors on April 5th (actually any and all days, including Women's March) here's an updated partial list of those fighting back every day [as of 4-3--25).
I'm also adding courageous law firms who haven't caved. Besides upstanding lawyers (e.g. Brenna Trout Frey, and law-abiding honorable (present and former) judges (including James Boasberg, chief judge, D.C. District Ct.), here's a growing list of Profiles in Courage men, women, and advocacy groups who refuse to be cowed or kneel to the force of Trump/Musk/MAGA/Fox "News" intimidation:
I'll begin (again) with Missouri's own indomitable Jess[ica] (à la John Lewis's "get in good trouble") Piper/"The View from Rural Missouri," then, in no particular order, Francie Garber Pepper (1940-2025), Heather Cox Richardson/"Letters from an American," Joyce Vance/"Civil Discourse," Bernie Sanders, AOC, Rep. Maxwell Frost,, Gov. Tim walz, Sarah Inama, Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Rev. William J. Barber II, Jasmine Crockett, Adam Smith, Jamie Raskin, Ken Harbaugh. Ruth Ben-Ghait, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Hayes, Ali Velshi, Prof. Lawrence Tribe, Stephanie Miller, Gov. Janet Mills, Gov. Beshear, Gov. JB.Pritzker, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Amb. Susan Rice, Mayor Michelle Wu, Jim Acosta, Jen Rubin And the Contrarians, Dan Rather, Robert Reich, Jay Kou, Steve Brodner, Rachel Cohen, Brian TylerCohen, Jessica Craven, Scott Dworkin, Brett Meiselas, Joy Reid, D. Earl Stevens, Melvin Gurai, Dan Pfeiffer, Anand Giridharadas Anne Applebaum, Lucian Truscott IV, Chris Murphy, Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley, Michael Bennett, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Sheldon Whitehouse, Adam Schiff, Jon Ossoff, Elyssa Slotkin, Tristan Snell, Delia Ramirez,Tim Snyder, Robert B. Hubbell, Ben Meiseilas, Rich wilson, Ron Filpkowski, Jeremy Seahill, Thom Hartmann, Jonathan Bernstein, Simon Rosenberg, Marianne Williamson, Mark Fiore, Jamie Raskin, Rebecca Solnit, Steve Schmidt, Josh Marshall, Paul Krugman, Andy Borowitz, Jeff Danziger, Ann Telnaes,͏ ͏Will Bunch, Jim Hightower, Dan Pfeifer, Dean Obeidallah, Michel Zeitgeist, Liz Cheney, Adam Kimzinger, Cassidy Hutchinson, John Cusack, Judd Legum (Popular Information) Qasim Rachid, Sue Nethercott, Mary L.trump, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Jonathan V Last, Sarah Longwell, Andrew Egger, Aaron Parnas, Rep.Don Beyer, Greg OlearAmerican Bar Association, 23 blue state Attorney Generals, Indivisible. FiftyFifty one, MoveOn, DemCast, Blue Missouri, Third Act, Democracy Forward, Public Citizen, Democracy Index, Protect Democracy, DemocracyLabs, Fred Wellman/On Democracy, Hands Off, Marc Elias/Democracy Docket, Public Citizen, League of Women Voters, Lambda Legal, CREW, CODEPINK, ACLU, The 19th/Errin Haines, Working Families Party, American Oversight, Every State Blue, Run for Something, Jessica Valenti/Abortion Everyday, The American Manifesto, The Dr. Martin Luther King Center, Bulwark Media, Bill Kristol/all NeverTrumpers, The States Project, Field Team 6, The Union,AICN ( last 4 all from North Carolina) The Lincoln Project,Blue Wave, Blue Future, The Civic Center, Olivia Troy,The Politics GirlAnd, as Joyce Vance says, "We're in this together"--or via Jess Piper, from rural Missouri: "Solidarity." FIGHT BACK! WE ARE NOT ALONE! (Latest addition h/t , Robert B. Hubbell: Law firms, see below). All suggestions are welcome.* Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling have resisted Trump, fighting back with the help of other courageous firms like Williams & Connolly. Per The ABA Journal, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, representing fired inspectors general. (Law.com)Hogan Lovells, seeking to block executive orders to end federal funding for gender-affirming medical care. (Law.com)Jenner & Block, also seeking to block the orders on cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com, Reuters) Ropes & Gray, also seeking to block cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com)Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, representing the Amica Center for Immigrants Rights and others seeking to block funding cuts for immigrant legal services. (Law.com)Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.Wilmer HaleKeker, Van Nest & PetersSouthern Poverty Law CenterPerhaps
I should add our nation's motto--and on our Great Seal--the phrase "E pluribus unum" (out of many, One ). Ii's 13 letters makes its use symbolic of the original 13 Colonies which rebelled against the rule of the Kingdom of George III . . .And now we protest together against King Donald. As my rural MO. indomitable Jess Piper always says: "Solidarity."
Thank you, Larry, for that list of names we have learnt to love. And there are more.
I hope you come back and give a "report." More power to you, Susan!
Brava, Susan!! 👏👏👏👏
You are an inspiration!
Thank you, Susan Hull! Standing up and being open to respectful dialogue about the political “elephant in the room” (the over-throw of our constitutional rule of law and due process by trump/musk) in your community where you are known is laudable.
I just want to say I am very moved by the support and encouragement I have received here! I will definitely report back in a comment on Jen’s article about what happens tomorrow! Thank you all !❤️
Heather Richardson emphasizes that America produces heroes when in crisis. You are one of them now. Thank you.
I bet you will have more allies than you think. Stand proud, Susan.
Very proud of you!💙
I salute you, Susan, and those like you. As an old soldier, I thank you for your service.
We all need to set aside mere partisan politics and unite to save our nation from someone who threatens us all. Trump is no Republican. He may be the most dangerous RINO in the world. He is an unhinged megalomaniac served by sycophants. We would do well to emulate Thomas Jefferson, who declared in 1801 "every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists." See https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/thomas-jefferson-first-inaugural-address-1801.
"We the People of the United States" created our Constitution and constituted federal government to "establish Justice" and "provide for [our] common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." We all need to act accordingly, and you and those like you are leading by example. Thank you!
Fitting praise for Cory Booker's altogether impressive, virtuoso performance. May it have legs! And wings!
Old Wisconsin guy here. We showed Tuesday that it can be done. Now, let's turn out Saturday and show that people across the country want to stop the carnage!
https://handsoff2025.com
We showed WHAT can be done? Two days later, Trump fired off another round of illegal tariffs and continued his deliberate assault on our economy, our Democracy and our Republic. So…what exactly…did poor Cory Booker…do?
Booker and Wisconsin inspired people, and Trump tanked the stock market. Plus Musk is more toxic to Republicans than they may have believed. Tomorrow is a day of protest that will bring even more positive activists together. I remember the last time Trump was in office -- it took time and work to push him out.
Would you honestly have preferred that Booker didn't break Strom Thurmond's record, and get so many people engaged?
I would prefer much fewer performative stunts and self aggrandizement and more actual action…yes.
I am sincerely curious what actual action you are expecting from the minority party? We live in an age of performative spectacle, whether we like it or not. Booker's speech and endurance inspired and offered much-needed hope for this Dem and many others I know. I also expect it will light a fire under his fellow Dems in Congress to stop quietly sitting on the sidelines watching history, instead of working to make a history we can all be proud of.
Fair question. We can take a chapter from countries like France or Panama who have civil disobedience down to a science. General strikes. Transit strikes. Highway blockades. Tax revolt. Harassment, en masse, of Trump’s enablers where they live. Refusal of service to MAGA in stores and restaurants. There is a lot that can be done. In this age of endless and nauseating self gratification, you all make think it’s good enough that Cory Booker made you feel good for a day. But it is pissing up a rope. It is effectively useless. Go into your employer on Monday and change your tax deduction to 0 (pretend you are Elon Musk) and then on April 15, mail in your tax return with FUCK YOU written in big red letters across the 1040. A hundred million people do that, you will get their attention.
United--You are preaching to the choir--be careful what you wish for . . . if the protests tomorrow don't cause THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS and SCOTUS to take the kind of action you speak of, and if Social Security and Medicare dry up, I fear what the next step (over the line) of The People might be. . . . simmering, and very close to boiling over.
You're not helping... Rub your two neurons together and come up with something better/different.
Action is the ONLY way to help. What is not helping are circle jerks like these forums.
Sure, Senator Booker was performative and to date it has had no visible, tangible effect on Trump/Musk rampages but I and most people here felt good and that is worth something if only fleeting. It also feels good to know that one is not alone - that can inspire action and consequence. No one here is denying that "action" is necessary but there's no reason to denigrate a symbolic moment of resistance in a time of despair. Everyone here knows things have to change (and probably each of us have different ideas of how to accomplish that) but you are in the wrong forum if you want to slam people's momentary joy.
Nobody is forcing you to participate, jerkoff.
Like what? Give us some examples of what you are doing against this regime.
I’ve already provided about a half dozen…but to your point, there is little one CAN do, which is why normalizing this in terms of how we used to do things (wait, the market will bounce back, the courts will hold him accountable, etc.) simply do not work. Which is why what CAN be done is last resort kind of stuff as I’ve mentioned a number of times. Tax revolt - go into HR on Monday, set your deductions to zero and then file your 1040 with FUCK TRUMP written on it in lipstick. Traffic blockades. A general strike, mobilized nationwide. Highway blockades, coast to coast. Join protests and camp outside your representatives homes and make their lives miserable. Look to countries like France and Panama’ who have raised civil disobedience to an art form. As for me, I call my former state senators once or twice a day. I email them weekly. I have donated to every special election and will continue to do so at least until Trump suspends them after tomorrow. Block ICE in your neighborhoods…they show up on private property in a mask with no ID and no warrant, they have no grounds.
To you point, one HAS to do something besides wallowing here in our own self pity and hoping the feels we get here will get us through. They won’t…which is why we should’ve be lulled into complacency by them. The courts are fighting back…woo hoo. So what? No one is going to enforce their judgements. Cory Booker spoke for 25 and BROKE A RECORD. Swell….Trump fired off another round of illegal tariffs the next day. This is a long way around the barn to say I agree with you. What can we do?
You don't like performative stunts and self-aggrandisement? But wait, you must be talking about Trump. We're on a crossed wire.
It’s pretty clear. He voiced concerns about democracy sliding into autocracy. He calls attention to the need for working together as a people for bettering our country.
Which we were all aware of BEFORE he took to the podium. Now what.
Nothing poor about Corey Booker, and unlike Trump, he knows exactly what he's doing. Trump? He's exhibiting the depth of his ignorance to the known world. And a few uninhabited islands.
This weekend, the opening salvo in the anti-Trump mass protest movement, I believe it's important to get our arms around the scale of Trump's attack on Liberalism and Freedom. Here's a short list:
1. Free speech
2. Fact based education
3. Government support for the poor and disadvantaged in the US and abroad
4. American leadership of world democracy vs Facism
5. 70 years of open trade policies that lowered barriers and built global wealth
6. The rule of law and an unbiased justice system
The fight will be long. Get ready!!
Target Congressional Republicans, especially those who represent Dem majority districts, like mine.
Target their consituents, their donors. Only need 3 Republican House members to get started.
Feathers of Hope.
YES.
Well said!! Inspiration from Cory Booker when inspiration was desperately needed. We DO have Statesmen!!
I was hoping Cory Booker would be the Contrarians' Undaunted honoree of the week. I kept him on in the background the entire day, often stopping what i was doing to listen, with a smile to his wit, or with tears to his stories of peoples' lives brought down, admiration for his off-the-cuff remarks, his passion, and his truth telling. We should all be inspired, not only by what Cory Booker did, but by what he said and how he said it: with respect, humbleness, good humor, joy, and passion. In coming days let's show him we got his message and join him in good trouble.
Absolutely.
" MADE IT MA! TOP OF THE WORLD!"
Trump's professor at Penn's prestigious Wharton School, William T. Kelley, stated "Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had."
Trump traded in a formal education and even the development of a vocabulary beyond the 4th grade for the life of a morally dissolute playboy after his father arranged for him to evade the draft to join the family's real estate firm.
Over the years, Trump hungered for more and more publicity and constantly appeared in the tabloids surrounded by fawning women. We now know that along the route, he bragged about grabbing women by their genitals, one of whom successfully sued him for sexual molestation and defamation, cheating on his wives and cooking his company's books to "catch and kill" the revelation of his sexual forays with a porn star.
He also managed to set up a self-glorifying university which turned out to be a fraud on its students, as did his applications to numerous creditors whom he swindled out of hundreds of millions of dollars by vastly overvaluing his assets.
So how did Donald Trump get to go from being a rich dissolute playboy with the morals of an alley cat to being a rich dissolute President with the morals of an alley cat?
The closest explanation I can think of is by means of a riff on a comment made by Samuel Johnson to his biographer James Boswell about an acquaintance: " Sir, he was repugnant in his company, he was repugnant in his style, he was repugnant everywhere. He was repugnant in a new way and that made many people think him great."
Yes. He was repugnant in a new way. Paying a ghostwriter to write "The Art of the Deal" in Trump's name and with his wealth, swagger, ego and bluster, this blowhard and clown came to be the perfect sitcom attraction for prime-time t.v. And the more he growled, grated, gloated, grimaced and glamorized himself on t.v., the greater his audience swelled to be entertained by his bloated ego, bombast and put-downs.
In short. No one had even seen such a pompous, obnoxious and egotistical blowhard before, with the possible exception of Don Rickles's onstage persona. He was novel and refreshing, and offered a new face and style to enter the political arena with the support of right-wing conservatives, along with wealthy and influential friends, domestic and foreign, who learned how to manipulate his insecurities through flattery, money and promises of power.
During his first term in office, the dark side of him palpably emerged, in which he revealed his insecurity and desperation and lust for power and admiration, relying on lies and self-delusions to sustain his mental equilibrium. Over time, even his staff openly admitted that he relied on conjuring "alternate truths " and "alternate facts" to hold his world of illusions together. Even his niece, a psychologist with a Ph. D. in psychology, has openly referred to his serious mental unbalance and delusions of grandeur.
As we all too painfully know, his unwillingness to accept reality and to accept defeat in the 2020 election led to his desperate lies to his gullible cult followers that he actually won the election, though he was unable to convince a single court among the 80+ law suits he filed that his election was stolen. To this day, he is mentally incapable of letting go of his delusion that he won the 2020 election.
And while his victory in 2024 was more a repudiation of Joe Biden than a vote of confidence in him, he still cannot let go of the fact that he was a loser and that most people know he was and may still be.
I believe that it this obsession to crush his perceived enemies and non-believers through promises, threats, manipulations and extortion, and blackmail that drives his every waking hour.
And though Donald Trump now believes that he is on the verge of dominating every facet of life in the United States, it is not enough to satiate his unquenchable ego.
It is the entire world to which he now looks to become the Master of the Universe by turning upside down every country's economy and evoking the fear and admiration of every human being on this planet, all of whose lips will now be talking about the mighty and powerful Donald Trump.
So at what price to all of us does Trump aspire to be top of the world?
It conjures up visions of Jimmy Cagney's movie character's self-immolation shouting:
"Made It Ma !Top of the World!"
This question might be best answered by understanding how hate stimulated endorphins impact political behavior. That's Trump's expertise.
I don't hear much mention of the power of social media echo chambers. The source of information provides their own alternative reality in which everything they're doing is right. This is extremely dangerous to society of March. I hope the EU holds social media to account.
Thank you for another perspective. 180 degrees from what I believe. Or at least try to practice, even though it exists in my own family I missed it.
It would sure help if the Democratic party stopped shooting itself in the foot every chance it gets.(Speaking as a lifelong Independent)
the problem is we the people not the dem party
Plus Russian psy ops.
There’s some truth in that, but the fact of our ossified binary political party system itself stokes a good deal of our problems, tending to force us into one of two opposing camps every four years come presidential election time.
It does appear that way,but the "idea" of America is that we are united under one great flag for we the people and common beliefs...freedom of speech, blah blah
The ‘idea’ of America was promulgated by men and women prior to the formation of what they called ‘factions’, and they understood the danger such behavior posed in potentially creating a system of political loyalty to political party instead or at least over and above loyalty to the ‘idea’. Then, of course, being human, they went ahead and created the first factions themselves. The process reached the formal state in the 1830’s and we’ve been stuck with it ever since.
truly a fuck up for the ages...
I mean trump..this goes w/L.D. Michael's post
You analogy should be read out loud in town halls and on YouTube.
Well told. But I challenge "novel and refreshing" - as I recall, he remained obnoxious from start to unexpected and entirely undeserved finish. How could he have survived those grotesque "debates" with Hillary Clinton? With the help of a rouble or two, maybe. Not even maybe, given his repeated denials.
We should be reminded of this often. Please don’t just let this column be 1 and done!
I'm on a plane to DC from Miami. It's costing me a pretty penny I guess it could have protested in Miami but I want to see the streets of DC bursting with people
Thank you, Michael. Good work, and safe travels.
Good for you, Michael. We in DC welcome you with open arms.
What Corbin said - seconded, Welcome.
I live in Maryland and work in DC 5 days a week. So while I will not be in DC tomorrow, I have made contact with a rally coordinator (or two). I will be in touch from my majority-minority neighborhood, where support for the ongoing boycotts is nearly unanimous, and behind the scenes support is high. The last count I saw was 20,000; have no idea how accurate that is, but I suspect that's a low estimate. Praying for a higher number and for safety for *everyone*. So take care while here, and if so inclined, be loud!
A few Congressional Republicans need to stand up.....
Heather Cox Richardson: "Republican members of Congress could stop Trump at any time. In the case of tariffs, they could simply reassert their constitutional power to manage tariffs. If they choose not to and the economy doesn’t recover and thrive as Trump keeps promising, voters can be expected to hold them, as well as him, to account.".
Grassley asserts congressional authority to oversee trade. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republican-pushes-congressional-approval-presidents-tariffs-2025-04-03/
Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, joined Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington in introducing a bipartisan bill to rein in presidential authority over tariffs and give Congress more control over future trade duties.
Why It Matters
The bipartisan bill comes a day after President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day," in which he imposed a new round of sweeping tariffs on foreign imports, reigniting debate over executive power in trade policy.
Several Republicans, many of whom are Trump allies, have raised concerns about Trump's tariffs, warning that they will raise prices and derail the economy. Many economists have warned that significant tariffs could spark a recession and that American consumers would end up shouldering the burden of the tariffs as importers pass on costs in the form of higher prices.
Maybe this is the start of shared government. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
'Coming a day AFTER "Liberation Day..."'
I think this is called closing the barn door after the horse bolted. It doesn't relieve me, it makes my blood boil. Where the hell was that decrepit old idiot from Iowa BEFORE he got "liberated"?
Kind of like awarding Mother Pence a JFK Profile in Courage award just because he performed his only constitutional duty in 2021. How about awarding it to Officer Michael Fanone instead?
Corbin: Something deadening must get in their brains when they get elected to Congress--but then there is Sheldon Whitehouse. If we ever get through this in one democratic piece, I think holding regular town halls should be an absolute requirement for being a Congressperson. And all high school students should be required to attend--regularly. In my view, not enough American people really know who we are politically or even what can happen when one lives in a different political situation. It's got to be "coming home" to MAGA about now, but I really do not think most or even all of them know what's actually happening.
AOC would be able to enlighten them in words they could understand.
Something is better than nothing.
D. Solomon: The world is blowing up financially (yeah for China for pushing back on Trump's pre-grift efforts!) But all the bricks are going to fall on the American people and our bank accounts, health, education, safety, sense of well-being (I don't have a 401K but those too), while there's Trump de Dump in Mara Lago rolling around in his little golf cart with his entourage following behind.
(A lawsuit was just filed against the China tariff by a company who sells stationary. I can imagine.)
I keep thinking that there is something terribly wrong with a political situation where one nasty person can create havoc with the lives of entire nations of people.
D. Solomon: In the morning, Grassley was saying that he trusts Trump. Then in the early afternoon (in CA) he was talking about that bill. I don't know who talked to Grassley in between, but I'd like to thank him or her.
On October 9, 2021, Trump endorsed Grassley's senate campaign, and he's been a Trump toadie ever since. That night Grassley told the crowd, with Trump standing next to him. “I was born at night, but not last night. So if I didn’t accept the endorsement of a person who has 91% of the Republican voters in Iowa, I wouldn’t be too smart. I’m smart enough to accept that endorsement.”
He's also smart enough to have retired, but he never will. At 92, Grassley is the oldest sitting United States senator, the longest-serving Republican in congressional history, and the seventh-longest-serving U.S. senator in history. He served as president pro tempore emeritus of the Senate from 2021 to 2025. Talk about needing "new blood" in Congress...yikes and I'm 75.
SusanB: (BTW, I'm 78). I knew it was bad with Grassley, but not that bad. Thanks for filling me in. Also, I will always hold Nancy Pelosi in high esteem (even more than before) for knowing when to leave, and even though she probably could have helped us through this. RBG, not so much.
I also wonder about the "republicans" who, from the get-go and for generations now, have hated Social Security. Long story, but it makes you wonder if there's something in the blood, so to speak. For so many, it's the difference between easing into old age and being dropped off a social and political cliff. I never believed NOT FOR A MINUTE what the Trump-Musk said about what's wrong with Social Security or anything they are doing at all. It was/is just another cover story that has a brief ring of plausibility, but then when you think about it, not, for more grift and carelessness about the well-being of the American people.
And what other countries' leaders are saying now about us is heartbreaking, but true. All of us are being painted with the brush of ignorance, bias, and hatefulness of the people who voted Trump in . . . TWICE.
I hope there are plenty of cameras out there, all over the nation, to catch pictures of the April 5 crowds. I don't know what to expect this next week, except for it to be a doozie.
Catherine, you’re welcome for the info about Grassley. I had researched him a few years ago, and learned there was a lot he did, with which I strongly disagreed. But, my memory isn’t what it used to be, so I just googled a few recent articles.
In terms of Social Security and Medicare, there is fraud, but it isn’t something new. I spent a few days a few months ago, researching Medicare. I learned about an investigation, Biden had sanctioned a year ago, and they made some changes, which saved millions of dollars on an annual basis. It was something that should have been continued, and expanded, but I’m not sure what happened. The fraud is mostly the fault of hospitals, and dishonest doctors, rather than recipients. And, while it needs to be fixed, seniors shouldn’t be punished, because Congress hasn’t done the necessary oversight.
And, there probably is some fraud within Social Security, but it is our money, and they shouldn't be able to touch it. Since there are no longer qualified people at the helm of the DOJ and FBI, one can't trust that any investigations will be impartial, and conducted within the law.
The purpose of everything Trump does is to destroy and destabilize our government, and our democracy, fire as many people as possible--Project 2025 recommends firing 50,000 civil servants--and replacing them with Trump loyalists that The Heritage Foundation recommends.
Hopefully, tomorrow's protests will be so big that Congressional Republicans will find their consciences, and start doing their jobs. One can only hope!
I just saw where Trump "tweeted" to investors to come invest in America. You can get rich here. No wonder. There are no regulations on polluters, Trump pardons all felons, Social Security and Medicare are soon to be dead, and the more beggars we have, the less political pressure they can put on investors. Let's party.
"Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, joined Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington in introducing a bipartisan bill to rein in presidential authority over tariffs and give Congress more control over future trade duties."
Congress should never have delegated the authority to levy tariffs to the President in the first place. Tariffs are a revenue-generating mechanism, and that authority is only for the House of Representatives.
Booker for President!!!
Bravo, bravo to this articulate and courageous man.
My goodness. Someone in Congress actually has spheres!!
Booker replaces Thurmond in the history books: hurrah!
Now he should replace Schumer
Voted GOP? If the past 10 weeks aren't what you'd anticipated, then join the crowd. Maybe change your instinctive votes for GOP candidates in 2026 to Dem. We can keep our ship of state off the rocks, but we need your help.
Every single person is called to stand tomorrow and protest the chaos, cruelty and erosion of our rights and the Constitution! The sign I am carrying says: POWER WITH NO HONOR IS TYRANNY. the back says:,PROTECT OUR RIGHTS. It was difficult narrowing it down from the many folks suggested. However, more than what our signs say, our presence says it all. Be there! Be brave! Step out of your comfort zone! Stand with Cory and those of us who care so desperately for our freedoms, our liberty, our country!
The purpose of government is to serve the people. If that's not happening, the people must disobey until the government falls. I've made the pilgrimage to Karl Marx's tomb.
We want more. Keep going. You are an inspiration to us all