Part of the issue is messaging and let's be honest Democrats really do suck at it. Big Beautiful Bill is countered with Big Beautiful Betrayal, which sucks when Big Bad Bill is right there and is more quotable and memorable. Politicians pay people to come up with these slogans and sayings and thats what the Democrats came up with? I'd want my money back and would fire the PR firm.
Exactly. It is beyond disingenuity to suggest that actions striking at the heart of our long-established political and social structures could ever be mere distractions, especially when those actions lay at the heart of the regime's authoritarian push. The illegal military deployments - and there will be more of them - are the current manifestation of the active systemic threat, while the budget bill is the funding mechanism, a few steps short of implementation. Both are important threats, but we need to prioritize (triage) the threats and deal with the most immediate and grave breaches of our Constitution and laws with the more intense response while simultaneously building resistance to the rest of them. Rep. Murphy should continue to stir opposition in Congress to the abominably budget bill, but should not be discounting the need to respond with strength to the military deployments and other indicia of fascism.
In Russia, the "rule" is "For my friends, anything; for my opponents, the law." After the recent tsunami of pardons, that "rule" is now being followed here. The regime's refusal to even pretend that it is following the Constitution or federal statutes reflects this breakdown of core rule of law principles. For that, you can draw a line directly to the reckless and unfounded SCOTUS grant of purportedly "qualified" immunity to djt - a grant about which he will recognize no boundary in practice.
In WWII, we fought intense wars on opposite sides of the earth for years and prevailed. We can focus on planning and implementing several critical tasks simultaneously. Let's not diminish our strength by false calls claiming that we need to concentrate our "fire" by allowing substantial incursions elsewhere to go unchallenged. It only opens us to the risk of being outflanked.
The Founders pledged "their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor" to their great undertaking. It required many years, many resources, and many casualties. The protection of our democratically-elected republic deserves no less of a commitment and effort from us.
This attack from the authoritarian oligarchy has been building and preparing for 50 years - all the while, I am ashamed to say, my generation slept and distracted ourselves with consumerist concerns and increasingly trivial entertainments. It will not be defeated overnight, but it will prevail unless we finish waking up from our "bread and circuses" somnolence and respond both strategically and tactically with strength and perseverance. The new generation leaders are available, but we as a movement need to break through the largely ossified old guard paralyzed by their apparently immutable dedication to a political rules environment that hasn't existed since the early 1990s - not only to preserve the essence of our governmental structure but also to modify our policies and programs to meet the pressing needs and respect the dignity of all of us. Buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Personally, my problem is that I get so easily overwhelmed and then internalize it all. I'm working on that, and one aspect that helps is how you are able to explain and link intricacies suck as these. They are distinct, but they are not separate. I appreciate your ability to communicate this so well!!!
Part of the issue is messaging and let's be honest Democrats really do suck at it. Big Beautiful Bill is countered with Big Beautiful Betrayal, which sucks when Big Bad Bill is right there and is more quotable and memorable. Politicians pay people to come up with these slogans and sayings and thats what the Democrats came up with? I'd want my money back and would fire the PR firm.
Exactly. It is beyond disingenuity to suggest that actions striking at the heart of our long-established political and social structures could ever be mere distractions, especially when those actions lay at the heart of the regime's authoritarian push. The illegal military deployments - and there will be more of them - are the current manifestation of the active systemic threat, while the budget bill is the funding mechanism, a few steps short of implementation. Both are important threats, but we need to prioritize (triage) the threats and deal with the most immediate and grave breaches of our Constitution and laws with the more intense response while simultaneously building resistance to the rest of them. Rep. Murphy should continue to stir opposition in Congress to the abominably budget bill, but should not be discounting the need to respond with strength to the military deployments and other indicia of fascism.
In Russia, the "rule" is "For my friends, anything; for my opponents, the law." After the recent tsunami of pardons, that "rule" is now being followed here. The regime's refusal to even pretend that it is following the Constitution or federal statutes reflects this breakdown of core rule of law principles. For that, you can draw a line directly to the reckless and unfounded SCOTUS grant of purportedly "qualified" immunity to djt - a grant about which he will recognize no boundary in practice.
In WWII, we fought intense wars on opposite sides of the earth for years and prevailed. We can focus on planning and implementing several critical tasks simultaneously. Let's not diminish our strength by false calls claiming that we need to concentrate our "fire" by allowing substantial incursions elsewhere to go unchallenged. It only opens us to the risk of being outflanked.
The Founders pledged "their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor" to their great undertaking. It required many years, many resources, and many casualties. The protection of our democratically-elected republic deserves no less of a commitment and effort from us.
This attack from the authoritarian oligarchy has been building and preparing for 50 years - all the while, I am ashamed to say, my generation slept and distracted ourselves with consumerist concerns and increasingly trivial entertainments. It will not be defeated overnight, but it will prevail unless we finish waking up from our "bread and circuses" somnolence and respond both strategically and tactically with strength and perseverance. The new generation leaders are available, but we as a movement need to break through the largely ossified old guard paralyzed by their apparently immutable dedication to a political rules environment that hasn't existed since the early 1990s - not only to preserve the essence of our governmental structure but also to modify our policies and programs to meet the pressing needs and respect the dignity of all of us. Buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Resist. React. Repeat.
Well said, Bob!
Personally, my problem is that I get so easily overwhelmed and then internalize it all. I'm working on that, and one aspect that helps is how you are able to explain and link intricacies suck as these. They are distinct, but they are not separate. I appreciate your ability to communicate this so well!!!