Heroes of Democracy
It seems bleak after Trump's victory, but heroes are emerging to defend American democracy.
by Bob Cesca
WASHINGTON, DC – By all accounts, be it personal or political, 2024 sucked. I hate to be that guy who writes off entire years, but wow, on the list of unpleasant things, 2024 has to land somewhere between pink eye and that liquid gunk they make you drink before a colonoscopy. I can’t recall a more stressful election cycle in the 20 years I’ve been doing this professionally – and that was before the lucid nightmare that was November 5.
At least on paper, 2025 doesn’t look like it’ll be much better.
But as we lurch toward inauguration day, some heroes are gratefully emerging. Yes, there’s a frustrating lack of leadership from top tier Democratic leadership. If we pay attention, however, the heroes are out there. On my podcast, I’ve created a new regular segment highlighting voices – here and abroad – who are doing the hard work of defending democracy and setting an example we should all follow.
State Officials
From the attorney general of Washington state to Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer to inevitable 2028 contender Gavin Newsom to my own governor Wes Moore, and many others, state level Democrats almost immediately stepped up to let us know they’re not planning on genuflecting before Donald.
Plans are underway to block some of his most egregious plans, like ordering the military into our cities and suburbs to arrest migrants and legal immigrants alike, likely sweeping up citizens in the process. Even LAPD chief Jim McDonnell declared shortly after the election that his officers will not be helping Donald with his mass deportations.
Incidentally, the democracy activist organization Indivisible reminded us this week that Democrats are expanding their numbers in state legislatures.
“In 2017, we had only 6 Democratic trifecta states. In 2025, we’ll have 15. And we control even more mayorships and city councils. There’s enormous opportunity to go on offense in states and cities to protect residents and offer a safe-haven to red state residents under threat.”
In 2025, both Virginia and New Jersey will hold gubernatorial and legislative elections. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin will hold elections for their state supreme courts. Dozens of cities will elect mayors – super important elections given Donald’s plans.
State and local elections aren’t historically sexy, but in order to push back against authoritarianism, we need to make them sexy. We need to prioritize winning at every level. It’s our federalism – our constitutional distribution of power between state, local, and federal governments – that could ultimately protect us from becoming Hungary or Turkey. So it’s imperative that we all activate to elect more leaders from the pro-democracy movement.
Ohio Teacher Karen Cahall
Cahall was suspended after school district officials discovered a book in her classroom library about coming to terms with being a member of the LGBTQ+ community. No sex. Nothing lurid. Just a story about being accepted.
The book wasn’t required reading, but it apparently violated school district policy about featuring “controversial issues” without approval. Long story short, Cahall is refusing to back down. She filed a lawsuit against the district and its superintendent. According to Judd Legum, Cahall claims, “that their actions were unconstitutional. She argues the policy is impermissibly vague and targets her for her moral and religious beliefs in violation of the 14th and First Amendments.”
More like this, please.
The ACLU
In a story that was largely ignored when it dropped, the ACLU is suing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for details about its forthcoming mass deportations. According to the Washington Post:
The federal lawsuit alleges that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has failed to respond to requests for basic information about its existing contracts with private airline companies that make up “ICE Air,” as well as ground transportation services, airfields and policies governing deportation flights, including those carrying children.
Lawyers said the information is urgent because of Trump’s election victory this month and his upcoming inauguration on Jan. 20. Advocates for immigrants have accused ICE and its contractors of treating migrants harshly and holding them in inhumane conditions.
I also suspect the ACLU will be instrumental in providing pro bono legal services for reporters, pollsters, and others who speak out in support of democracy when and if they face Donald’s obvious attempts to silence dissenters. If you’re looking for a non-profit to donate money this year, please consider the ACLU.
The People of South Korea
After South Korea’s conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, the people took to the streets and demanded he reverse that order. The public outcry was so intense that not only did the president reverse his declaration, but the national legislature moved to impeach Yoon.
There’s inspiration and a lesson to be learned here. We don’t have to watch the Trump Crisis unfold passively. And, no, posting on social media won’t do much good without on-the-ground action.
Obama and Clinton-appointed Federal Judges
Several federal judges have reversed their decisions to retire, given that Donald Trump would appoint their replacements. Fourth Circuit Judge James Wynn Jr. is the latest to announce his reversal. There’s also U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn Jr. of North Carolina and U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley.
It’s these and many other acts of defiance that will buttress our democratic norms and hopefully inspire many more examples. We’re not alone. Strong, heroic leadership will emerge, some from familiar places, others from total anonymity. Yes, it seems bleak after such a harrowing episode in our national history, but nearly 250 years of sacrifice to protect democracy won’t be sold out easily. In 2025 and beyond, look for the helpers.
Read an excerpt from the latest for Banter Members:
Tulsi Gabbard: America's Most Dangerous Political Chameleon
Tulsi Gabbard rode the wave of anti-establishment politics all the way into Donald Trump's inner circle.
by Ben Cohen
I get a strange feeling every time I watch Tulsi Gabbard speak. Her body language, tone, and speech pattern elicit a powerful reaction of mistrust, as if something dark and sinister lies beneath the stony, manicured exterior. It isn’t necessarily what Gabbard says that makes my skin crawl, it’s how she says it.
Gabbard grew up in a cult and appears to have refined the techniques used by charismatic leaders to hold sway over their followers. Her deep, soothing voice, glamorous makeup, piercing gaze, and neatly coiffed hair create an odd kind of magnetism. Gabbard doesn’t talk to people, but rather lulls them into a suggestive states with her calm, rhythmic vocal timbre. Once entranced, she implants mistruths and dark conspiracies about sinister forces only she understands. There are Deep State enemies working to hurt Americans. Democrats who want to control speech and shut down dissent. Brave truth tellers like Tulsi Gabbard are exposing the monsters, but only if you ignore all the evidence.
The former Democratic congresswoman has become a star in alt-media circles over the past few years, neatly hopping from alt-left to alt-right just in time for Donald Trump’s second term.
The truth is that Tulsi Gabbard has no core principle and no real ideology. She is a political chameleon and an opportunist who turned her back on the Democratic party and rode the wave of anti-establishment politics deep into Donald Trump’s inner circle. Gabbard, who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, pleased Trump so much that the president-elect has nominated her for the role of director of national intelligence.
Gabbard is an extremely dangerous choice for this role, and not just because she isn’t qualified to run an organization in charge of all 18 Intelligence Community (IC) agencies. Why? Because Gabbard’s foreign policy….
This is an excerpt from today’s Members Only article. To continue reading, get a 30 day free trial on a Banter Membership and go here:
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Thank you for mentioning Governor Moore. Just wrote to him to thank him.
If anyone wants to help Karen Cahall, the teacher suspended for merely having a book with an LGBTQ character in her classroom (not assigned, not promoted, just sitting among a hundred other books on a shelf) , her GoFund Me is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-a-dedicated-teacher-stand-up-for-lgbtq-students-right