Long ago I was a lowly intern for US Senator William Proxmire. My job was to keep count of phone calls and mail from constituents by issue. The data was used to guide his positions and votes. Calls matter!
This is gold. It’s easy to feel powerless, people don’t realize it’s literally counted and briefed. Your comment is more proof that pressure gets tracked and used. Thank you for bringing this perspective here.
I'm mostly concerned that congress will continue to sit by and let Trump get away with stepping on our sacred constitution. Which will.pave the way for other authoritarians to do the same. It needs to stop now with the full force of a unified congress and senate.
I read in an article that if there isn’t a major protest in a mass scale by July, we won’t be able to turn back. When I first read it, I didn’t believe it. After the constitutionally illegal war began in Venezuela, my opinion has changed. The constitution is in ruins. The Supreme Court doesn’t have a backbone. Rather than having a few large protest groups, those groups must combine into one massive group. The leaders in these groups are very knowledgeable and powerful. They have connections and resources. Imagine all of those combined and what we could do.
Congress already is complicit. Tom Cotton is backing this regime 100% and Chuck Schumer "hopes" his republican "colleagues" will step up. That's not leadership, it's complacency. The world is about to burn down and no one will stand up for law and order, national and international.
Schumer is about as useful as an extra toe. We’ve got to get these older folks out of office who can’t seem to understand the US is going down. Things. are. different. NOW.
None of this should surprise anyone who has been paying attention to Donald Trump as he's pushed his way into noterity. His entire life is dedicated to his own pursuit of money and power. A society built upon celebrity worship now suffers his position as president. A servile media, rampant capitalism, an easily corrupted political establishment, not a solid support system for educated voting. The tragedy of this dibacle is watching so many unworthy people hanging onto Trump's coat tails, bowing to his slightest ignorant demands. Beware of the oligarchs who are supporting him. Their position is entrenched in our society. The rule of law must be restored and it becomes more difficult every day. We are required to protest with all the strength and determination possible because it's our duty to resist this evil. There are no easy answers because the ideology of those now in power lacks any degree of integrity and our society shows its willingness to succomb to being easily influenced by the worthless enablers. Smarten up, stand up for the original promise of the birth of America. We can out number the vile creatures now in power. Don't stop protesting. Increase the pressure to save democracy.
We talk a lot. We say how dangerous the Trump regime is, But No one is stopping it. Our military leaders are absent. Congress and SCOTUS are Corrupt. Where can I find the right people who are honest, ready to fight and are intimately knowledgeable of the processes? We don't need violence. We need courage, commitment, knowledge and strategy. Whom can we work with?
I don't believe Congress will do anything to truly stop this until we the people force them to. I believe we may have to rely on International Law and the ICC. It may take years, but accountability WILL happen.
Completely agree: “we the people” is the forcing function. Even if international accountability is slow, the record we create now is what makes any future accountability possible.
The world is full of strongmen: MBS, Putin, Bolsonaro (until recently), Orban. So, Trump should be going there next, not Greenland, eh? This has absolutely nothing to do with removing a "bad guy," we ALL know this. So, Dems need to stop with the preamble of "he was a bad guy but..." Why do politicians fall into these narratives?
Sadly, I can’t count on Congress to check this administration YET. There seems to be a bit of a shift but until we can change the balance of power in both the House and the Senate nothing will be done. A very sad and dangerous time in our Country’s history.
It really does feel heavy right now. I’m holding onto hope that even when Congress won’t “lead,” they do respond to consistent pressure like calls, emails, showing up locally. It’s slow, but it’s something.
Is there a method/procedure available to the people to stop this madness and remove his administration?
The legislative branch won't do its job, the judicial branch is complicit in allowing this continue….short of protesting until the midterms (whereupon if Republicans lose, the administration will cry foul), what options are open to us short of another civil war/armed insurrection?
I'm also concerned that by then, there won't be any midterm elections…with no guardrails currently working/existing, what's to stop him from declaring Congress as illegitimate or dissolved as a useless relic ??
I'm disturbed by the damage to international order, especially when we are trying to have the moral authority to oppose Russia's invasion of Ukr.Ukraine. Russia claimed that ir had good reasons as well.
As an American citizen, I am extremely disturbed by further errosion of our own Constitution. The pushback has been wholly insufficient to protest other violations, but this is too much of a slap. Sure, everyone knows we are in the minority, but resolutions mean somebody cares enough to complain. We say no kings, but do we mean it? I'm shocked that so many people I am interacting with, including my Venetian son-in-law, applaud what Trump did, but didn't realize what it meant for Trump, a wanna-be king, running the country. No democracy building, just colonization.
I fear that unless the leaders in the military start to refuse to follow illegal unconstitutional orders, our form of government will be lost. Republicans in Congress have shown no interest in wielding their power. The Supreme Court has enabled and protected our lawless president. An impeachment won’t even matter because next in line are all Trump sycophants and enablers. Unless many million Americans move to the streets in collective action, this government will continue its lawless behavior.
All of the above all at once are more than concerning. I’m beginning to view this administration as having reached the point of no return. They (those maneuvering Trump) are able to do whatever they want now with no fear of consequences. Who or what will stop them? Yes, write, email, call and protest. What else can we do? But I’m afraid that they don’t care if people protest, write, or make phone calls because they plan to ensure that future votes don’t matter by using their brown shirt militants and the US military if necessary. Sorry to be so negative….i know despair is what they want. Historians, legal and constitutional experts did their best to inform the public about Project 2025 but Trump won anyway.
I don't trust Congress to act against this, even with pressure. This is what worries me most. Respecting and advancing the rule of law is critical to democracy here and world order internationally. Republican leadership support for this illegal, unconstitutional action is unfortunately one more indicator that they support an ideology (Project 2025 lays it out) no matter how its aims are achieved. And that holding onto power and leveraging more and more money out of folks with less and less of both is acceptable to them.
It also worries me when Congressional representatives who are elected don't feel they need to act in the public interest or work to deliver on what they said to their constituencies when they ran. Why aren't they afraid of losing their seats (if running) or seeing their party get trounced? They appear not to act in their own self-interest as politicians. Why would people vote for them next time? Potentially there will be few voters who will not be affected negatively by at least some of the reckless and cruel administrative actions. So why isn't the Republican majority worried? What do they know or assume about the 2026 midterm elections that keeps them from acting positively?
Further to my comment below, the WashPo is reporting that about 1/2 of Americans polled about the illegal military action in Venezuela seem to think it’s OK???
Congress will continue to be complicit. Since telephone calls and protests haven't been enough to stop this administration this far, as their activities continue to worsen, what makes you think that will do any good now?!!!! The great leaders of our nation, and I believe there are still some of those in existence, need to rise up together in numbers greater than those of Congress, travel to D.C., stand before them and demand changes right there and then. Let's have them break through that transfixed group of psychophants to demand change, demand impeachment with jail sentences, and start using their brains to save our country while there's still something to change.
Long ago I was a lowly intern for US Senator William Proxmire. My job was to keep count of phone calls and mail from constituents by issue. The data was used to guide his positions and votes. Calls matter!
This is gold. It’s easy to feel powerless, people don’t realize it’s literally counted and briefed. Your comment is more proof that pressure gets tracked and used. Thank you for bringing this perspective here.
I'm mostly concerned that congress will continue to sit by and let Trump get away with stepping on our sacred constitution. Which will.pave the way for other authoritarians to do the same. It needs to stop now with the full force of a unified congress and senate.
For sure! If Congress won’t enforce the limits, the limits don’t really exist.
I read in an article that if there isn’t a major protest in a mass scale by July, we won’t be able to turn back. When I first read it, I didn’t believe it. After the constitutionally illegal war began in Venezuela, my opinion has changed. The constitution is in ruins. The Supreme Court doesn’t have a backbone. Rather than having a few large protest groups, those groups must combine into one massive group. The leaders in these groups are very knowledgeable and powerful. They have connections and resources. Imagine all of those combined and what we could do.
Congress already is complicit. Tom Cotton is backing this regime 100% and Chuck Schumer "hopes" his republican "colleagues" will step up. That's not leadership, it's complacency. The world is about to burn down and no one will stand up for law and order, national and international.
Schumer is about as useful as an extra toe. We’ve got to get these older folks out of office who can’t seem to understand the US is going down. Things. are. different. NOW.
None of this should surprise anyone who has been paying attention to Donald Trump as he's pushed his way into noterity. His entire life is dedicated to his own pursuit of money and power. A society built upon celebrity worship now suffers his position as president. A servile media, rampant capitalism, an easily corrupted political establishment, not a solid support system for educated voting. The tragedy of this dibacle is watching so many unworthy people hanging onto Trump's coat tails, bowing to his slightest ignorant demands. Beware of the oligarchs who are supporting him. Their position is entrenched in our society. The rule of law must be restored and it becomes more difficult every day. We are required to protest with all the strength and determination possible because it's our duty to resist this evil. There are no easy answers because the ideology of those now in power lacks any degree of integrity and our society shows its willingness to succomb to being easily influenced by the worthless enablers. Smarten up, stand up for the original promise of the birth of America. We can out number the vile creatures now in power. Don't stop protesting. Increase the pressure to save democracy.
We talk a lot. We say how dangerous the Trump regime is, But No one is stopping it. Our military leaders are absent. Congress and SCOTUS are Corrupt. Where can I find the right people who are honest, ready to fight and are intimately knowledgeable of the processes? We don't need violence. We need courage, commitment, knowledge and strategy. Whom can we work with?
I don't believe Congress will do anything to truly stop this until we the people force them to. I believe we may have to rely on International Law and the ICC. It may take years, but accountability WILL happen.
Completely agree: “we the people” is the forcing function. Even if international accountability is slow, the record we create now is what makes any future accountability possible.
Love your optimism, but when has ANYONE been held accountable for Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, etc, etc, etc?!
The world is full of strongmen: MBS, Putin, Bolsonaro (until recently), Orban. So, Trump should be going there next, not Greenland, eh? This has absolutely nothing to do with removing a "bad guy," we ALL know this. So, Dems need to stop with the preamble of "he was a bad guy but..." Why do politicians fall into these narratives?
Sadly, I can’t count on Congress to check this administration YET. There seems to be a bit of a shift but until we can change the balance of power in both the House and the Senate nothing will be done. A very sad and dangerous time in our Country’s history.
It really does feel heavy right now. I’m holding onto hope that even when Congress won’t “lead,” they do respond to consistent pressure like calls, emails, showing up locally. It’s slow, but it’s something.
Thank you for the many ways of how to shock Congress awake. Best wishes for Uruguay!
We CANNOT continue to think that no one can DO anything until the Dems are back in power. It may already be too late.
Is there a method/procedure available to the people to stop this madness and remove his administration?
The legislative branch won't do its job, the judicial branch is complicit in allowing this continue….short of protesting until the midterms (whereupon if Republicans lose, the administration will cry foul), what options are open to us short of another civil war/armed insurrection?
I'm also concerned that by then, there won't be any midterm elections…with no guardrails currently working/existing, what's to stop him from declaring Congress as illegitimate or dissolved as a useless relic ??
I'm disturbed by the damage to international order, especially when we are trying to have the moral authority to oppose Russia's invasion of Ukr.Ukraine. Russia claimed that ir had good reasons as well.
As an American citizen, I am extremely disturbed by further errosion of our own Constitution. The pushback has been wholly insufficient to protest other violations, but this is too much of a slap. Sure, everyone knows we are in the minority, but resolutions mean somebody cares enough to complain. We say no kings, but do we mean it? I'm shocked that so many people I am interacting with, including my Venetian son-in-law, applaud what Trump did, but didn't realize what it meant for Trump, a wanna-be king, running the country. No democracy building, just colonization.
I fear that unless the leaders in the military start to refuse to follow illegal unconstitutional orders, our form of government will be lost. Republicans in Congress have shown no interest in wielding their power. The Supreme Court has enabled and protected our lawless president. An impeachment won’t even matter because next in line are all Trump sycophants and enablers. Unless many million Americans move to the streets in collective action, this government will continue its lawless behavior.
All of the above all at once are more than concerning. I’m beginning to view this administration as having reached the point of no return. They (those maneuvering Trump) are able to do whatever they want now with no fear of consequences. Who or what will stop them? Yes, write, email, call and protest. What else can we do? But I’m afraid that they don’t care if people protest, write, or make phone calls because they plan to ensure that future votes don’t matter by using their brown shirt militants and the US military if necessary. Sorry to be so negative….i know despair is what they want. Historians, legal and constitutional experts did their best to inform the public about Project 2025 but Trump won anyway.
I don't trust Congress to act against this, even with pressure. This is what worries me most. Respecting and advancing the rule of law is critical to democracy here and world order internationally. Republican leadership support for this illegal, unconstitutional action is unfortunately one more indicator that they support an ideology (Project 2025 lays it out) no matter how its aims are achieved. And that holding onto power and leveraging more and more money out of folks with less and less of both is acceptable to them.
It also worries me when Congressional representatives who are elected don't feel they need to act in the public interest or work to deliver on what they said to their constituencies when they ran. Why aren't they afraid of losing their seats (if running) or seeing their party get trounced? They appear not to act in their own self-interest as politicians. Why would people vote for them next time? Potentially there will be few voters who will not be affected negatively by at least some of the reckless and cruel administrative actions. So why isn't the Republican majority worried? What do they know or assume about the 2026 midterm elections that keeps them from acting positively?
Further to my comment below, the WashPo is reporting that about 1/2 of Americans polled about the illegal military action in Venezuela seem to think it’s OK???
Congress will continue to be complicit. Since telephone calls and protests haven't been enough to stop this administration this far, as their activities continue to worsen, what makes you think that will do any good now?!!!! The great leaders of our nation, and I believe there are still some of those in existence, need to rise up together in numbers greater than those of Congress, travel to D.C., stand before them and demand changes right there and then. Let's have them break through that transfixed group of psychophants to demand change, demand impeachment with jail sentences, and start using their brains to save our country while there's still something to change.