The wolf is in the house. Check the living room room. He is sitting in the La-Z-Boy, smoking a cigar and watching reruns of The Loveboat while scheming about who he will first eat alive. Will it be grandpa? Your uncle, a disabled veteran? Your niece with special needs? Your neighbor fighting an addiction to alcohol?
By now, it should be crystal clear. There is no one to save us but ourselves. No special army of Patriots trained in CIA ways. No Congress with the aim of putting people before their own power and wee fiefdoms.
Today is economic boycott day. Do your patriotic duty. Flood the offices of your representatives with calls and visits. And be prepared to March. At this point, they do succumb when there is immense pressure from us little guys in the trenches.
Hold tight to your values, Your heart and your history. They are prepared to strip away and bury all of it.
And I don’t care what your religion is or is not, find a chapel. Pray if you do, or sit in silence. Quiet the rising tide of bile and fear.
You need to show up for me and know that I will be there for you.
On my agenda today: write my Senators and Congressman again, BUY NOTHING, especially nothing from Amazon, pass the word to anyone who’ll listen that I’ve cancelled my decades-long subscription to the Washington Post and why I did, rework my Sunday grocery list to include more beans and lentils and less possibly iffy meat and eggs, call my daughter, whose job puts her square in the crosshairs of today’s issues and controversies, comfort, too, my husband who as a naturalized citizen is feeling particularly traumatized by his adopted country’s descent into corruption and chaos. After that I think I’ll polish the cabinet that holds the flag from my dad’s military funeral, and weep that his sacrifice for democracy might have been for naught.
What is legal anymore? We are fortunate to have Andrew, Joyce, Mary, Harry, Neil and others interpreting the acts of the felon and his gang based on the law as originally written. They have the supreme court six who are not following the law but creating justifications for allowing right wing ideology to continue. They have federal judges who ignore the law and precedent to fit their agenda. I always thought that our laws, our country, was based on moral imperatives. It seems that the federal government is now controlled by a bunch of immoral individuals.
Thanks for saying what I feel but have been wondering if I am getting paranoid, there is no benign reason to understand what’s happening. I trust your prospective and your willingness to say what you see helps me reach out to my family/friends and neighbors circles that has been ‘conditioned to avoid political discussions’.
I have a maga republican that won’t listen. Won’t hold town hall. My group of activists are planning to host town halls in our rural community and allow concerned citizens to share what they’re experiencing. It’ll be reflective of hearings that people get in line to speak, have 3 minutes. We’ll set the goal to simply just share our experiences as farmers, vets, consumers (eggs)…this won’t be a political debate. We”ll have house rules (be safe and respectful) , a meeting recorder and peacekeepers. We’ll send the town hall minutes to our federal legislators for their records. Most importantly we will be nurturing our community. As Joyce says ‘we’re in this together’!
So glad you’re doing this. I’ve been thinking if I lived in a red district, I’d do the same. You might alert the press. Great story showing how the Rs aren’t there for constituents, literally.
Yes, folks have already been spreading the word as others are doing it, as well. I heard Thom Hartmann just wrote about it, as well, though he’s suggesting slightly different format, which matters not!
I have been following you for years. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak with such despair as you did in this recording. Everything you said is true and it must’ve been very hard for you to say the obvious of what is going on.
When Bezos declined to run the endorsement of Harris, I canceled my online subscription to the WP, I stopped ordering anything from Amazon and stopped shopping at Whole Foods. Today I am canceling my subscription to Amazon prime. I want nothing to do with this man. I will not give him my money.
I am marching in the streets on Tuesday, March 4. Making calls and doing everything I can.
I just retired. I never expected this to be the life that I would lead in my Golden Years.
I know this is hard for you, but I certainly appreciate your hard work.
Thank you for such an insightful post. I’ve watched it twice. I live in a very red area of Upstate NY, and the people I know who voted for Trump are beginning to regret their votes. There are others who believe what we’re experiencing are growing pains, and once everyone is in place, things will run smoothly, and we’ll all be better off. These are not wealthy people. Some were surprised that they may lose SNAP and Medicaid benefits.
Some really believe Elon is there to cut out the pork. I beg to differ. While there is no doubt excesses in government, it seems to me at least, that his primary purposes are to deconstruct the government by getting rid of people and departments he and Trump feel are unnecessary. (Read: that they don’t like.) And then, of course, create even more tax advantages for the very rich.
Then there’s the Cabinet. Most of the selections have us shaking our heads in disbelief. And I’m not being hyperbolic when I admit it scares me to think about what’s going to happen to the DOJ, CIA, and FBI.
In the end, it’s not likely to matter whether we are experiencing a coup or a constitutional crisis. Whatever we’re going through, and will continue to go through, we’re seeing our government being shaken to its core. Can we count on our senators and representatives to protect the country? If past is prologue, the answer is no. Many of those who seemed to be Republicans in the traditional use of the label now do whatever will please Trump and Musk. Once people learn what the proposed and enacted changes means to them, well, let’s just say that Republicans having town halls and meetings has been discouraged to avoid providing news footage showing that not all constituents agree with their choices.
And the courts? I used to think we could count on them. Many came through for us during the Biden years. But with a stacked Supreme Court (not in the way FDR proposed), I’m not as positive. While I admire the government attorneys who recently resigned rather than be fired because they were told to do something they (and most people) considered illegal, part of me wishes they’d stayed put and let themselves be fired. That’s a personal decision though.
The United States, once the pillar of democracy (ok, constitutional republic), is now the laughingstock to the world. Except for Russia, China, and the other countries they sided with in the most recent UN vote regarding Ukraine. Fortunately, it passed.
We need Substacks and like yours (and your cable hits and writings and whatever I forgot), Professor Weissmann, to help us stay abreast about what’s going on and what it means. We need to get and stay informed. And we need to remember what Governor JB Pritzker said last week: “It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and forty minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic.” We know what’s coming; just look at Project 2025. It doesn’t have to happen here.
Keep talking to this Trump voters where you live and giving them room to join us in our fight against the destruction of everything America stands for.
Donald Trump is a Russian asset and, according to “The Guardian” (1/29/21), he has been for decades. When will America FINALLY confront this spinal realization ?
Andrew, I realize it’s not healthy to continuously look back, wring our hands and ask Why did this happen, how did so many people find trump irresistible and why only he could lead America? I can’t help but wonder whether all of this can be answered by one simple fact, that Merrick Garland did not act fast enough, that his so-called cautiousness created what we now know as a callous, amoral, evil man doing tremendous - I think irreparable — damage to our country. Actually 50% of our country knew this 6 years ago. Is this the simple reason why trump has risen from the ashes? My despair for our country is beyond any reasonable emotion I have. Thank you Andrew.
It lays at the feet of Mitch McConnell & the GOP choosing party over country during both impeachments. Trump could have been impeached & precluded from further office.
Also at the feet of Trump’s 1st cabinet who knew full well he needed to be removed from office, but again, chose party over the rule of law.
Yes, of course you’re correct. To say once again that these GOP who ought to know better are “spineless” is too mealy-mouth a word, there should be a stronger word to say exactly how the GOP have behaved these last 7-8 years. But, knowing exactly that the GOP would not react in an ethical manner, how can we account for slow-motion Merrick Garland, who at one point I admired greatly. It took 2 years for him to start an investigation. The Insurrection happened right before our eyes. The slow moving Justice Dept has made these 34 felony counts arrive too late, Garland ought to have known that trump would do everything his MAGA donors could provide for him to get the fiercest lawyers and throw roadblocks and other obstacles at ever turn. We should have known better that we were not dealing with any ordinary criminal. This is trump we are talking about.
This link may lighten you as to the timeline & obstacles Merrick Garland faced. He wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t sit on his hands for two years, either.
Moscow Mitch McConnell could have prevented all of this, all of it, with a thumbs down and impeachment conviction in the Senate to surpass 67%.
Milquetoast Merrick Garland certainly failed us, but mostly Mitch is responsible.
Sadly, many complicit old Republican fucks will die of old age before facing the guillotine. But maybe turtle-boy’s carcass can be exhumed and taken to the public square on the day of reckoning (which day may or may not happen soon enough, but it WILL come).
Sure they could have prevented this but about a decade ago the first signs appeared on what their agenda really was. They were willing to strike a bargain with the devil to stay in power. We must realize that they cannot be bargained with but they must be defeated no matter the cost. It has been hard to believe where we now stand. My question is have 74 million voters signed on to destroy this republic?
That’s why I call the GOP craven. From the moment Mitch said his “job” was to make sure Obama didn’t get a second term, it was obvious that party meant more than country. His job was to be a Senator representing the people of KY!
Thx Andrew for voicing what we all needed to hear! Now is the time for each of us to act. Keep making contacts to your local and state representatives Call your state Democratic office and ask what they have planned. We’ve been getting volunteers from neighboring states here in Wisconsin with our April 1st election. We can’t stand by any longer waiting to be saved!
I've been following you since the impeachment hearings. In my small way, I am not buying anything today and will not continue my subscription to the Washington Post. Your video today actually made me emotional. Lastly, I am on a fixed income but want to be a paid subscriber on your Substack platform. Will start March 1st.
It is clear to me that Donald Trump is a Russian agent I believe that after he was unable to obtain loans for his business ventures, he turned to the Russian oligarchs, including Putin, who gladly obliged The “ vig” he is now paying to Putin is the deconstruction of the American government
Further proof is his new idea of selling US citizenship I suspect that most of those “purchases” will be by Russians who will then bw put to use by Our Dear Leader
Sobering analysis. If our worst fears come to pass (e.g. Trump ignoring court orders), what’s really going to save us are individuals within the military and DOJ who refuse to carry out illegal orders and turn their weapons against other Americans, even if there’s no IG or JAG to issue an official ruling against the bad actors. Trump and his cabinet can issue whatever orders they want. They still require PEOPLE to carry them out. Let’s hope there are enough people of conscience to counteract their nefarious intentions. My hope is that this overreach will backfire, especially when it impacts MAGA supporters directly
The wolf is in the house. Check the living room room. He is sitting in the La-Z-Boy, smoking a cigar and watching reruns of The Loveboat while scheming about who he will first eat alive. Will it be grandpa? Your uncle, a disabled veteran? Your niece with special needs? Your neighbor fighting an addiction to alcohol?
By now, it should be crystal clear. There is no one to save us but ourselves. No special army of Patriots trained in CIA ways. No Congress with the aim of putting people before their own power and wee fiefdoms.
Today is economic boycott day. Do your patriotic duty. Flood the offices of your representatives with calls and visits. And be prepared to March. At this point, they do succumb when there is immense pressure from us little guys in the trenches.
Hold tight to your values, Your heart and your history. They are prepared to strip away and bury all of it.
And I don’t care what your religion is or is not, find a chapel. Pray if you do, or sit in silence. Quiet the rising tide of bile and fear.
You need to show up for me and know that I will be there for you.
We are Americans.
On my agenda today: write my Senators and Congressman again, BUY NOTHING, especially nothing from Amazon, pass the word to anyone who’ll listen that I’ve cancelled my decades-long subscription to the Washington Post and why I did, rework my Sunday grocery list to include more beans and lentils and less possibly iffy meat and eggs, call my daughter, whose job puts her square in the crosshairs of today’s issues and controversies, comfort, too, my husband who as a naturalized citizen is feeling particularly traumatized by his adopted country’s descent into corruption and chaos. After that I think I’ll polish the cabinet that holds the flag from my dad’s military funeral, and weep that his sacrifice for democracy might have been for naught.
What is legal anymore? We are fortunate to have Andrew, Joyce, Mary, Harry, Neil and others interpreting the acts of the felon and his gang based on the law as originally written. They have the supreme court six who are not following the law but creating justifications for allowing right wing ideology to continue. They have federal judges who ignore the law and precedent to fit their agenda. I always thought that our laws, our country, was based on moral imperatives. It seems that the federal government is now controlled by a bunch of immoral individuals.
Thanks for saying what I feel but have been wondering if I am getting paranoid, there is no benign reason to understand what’s happening. I trust your prospective and your willingness to say what you see helps me reach out to my family/friends and neighbors circles that has been ‘conditioned to avoid political discussions’.
I have a maga republican that won’t listen. Won’t hold town hall. My group of activists are planning to host town halls in our rural community and allow concerned citizens to share what they’re experiencing. It’ll be reflective of hearings that people get in line to speak, have 3 minutes. We’ll set the goal to simply just share our experiences as farmers, vets, consumers (eggs)…this won’t be a political debate. We”ll have house rules (be safe and respectful) , a meeting recorder and peacekeepers. We’ll send the town hall minutes to our federal legislators for their records. Most importantly we will be nurturing our community. As Joyce says ‘we’re in this together’!
So glad you’re doing this. I’ve been thinking if I lived in a red district, I’d do the same. You might alert the press. Great story showing how the Rs aren’t there for constituents, literally.
Our hope is that this format spreads across the nation. We only need a few repubs to help impeach. We have to act fast. Passing on the idea helps.
Yes, folks have already been spreading the word as others are doing it, as well. I heard Thom Hartmann just wrote about it, as well, though he’s suggesting slightly different format, which matters not!
I have been following you for years. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak with such despair as you did in this recording. Everything you said is true and it must’ve been very hard for you to say the obvious of what is going on.
When Bezos declined to run the endorsement of Harris, I canceled my online subscription to the WP, I stopped ordering anything from Amazon and stopped shopping at Whole Foods. Today I am canceling my subscription to Amazon prime. I want nothing to do with this man. I will not give him my money.
I am marching in the streets on Tuesday, March 4. Making calls and doing everything I can.
I just retired. I never expected this to be the life that I would lead in my Golden Years.
I know this is hard for you, but I certainly appreciate your hard work.
Where are you marching on tuesday? Wondering if anything organized in DC?
Thank you for such an insightful post. I’ve watched it twice. I live in a very red area of Upstate NY, and the people I know who voted for Trump are beginning to regret their votes. There are others who believe what we’re experiencing are growing pains, and once everyone is in place, things will run smoothly, and we’ll all be better off. These are not wealthy people. Some were surprised that they may lose SNAP and Medicaid benefits.
Some really believe Elon is there to cut out the pork. I beg to differ. While there is no doubt excesses in government, it seems to me at least, that his primary purposes are to deconstruct the government by getting rid of people and departments he and Trump feel are unnecessary. (Read: that they don’t like.) And then, of course, create even more tax advantages for the very rich.
Then there’s the Cabinet. Most of the selections have us shaking our heads in disbelief. And I’m not being hyperbolic when I admit it scares me to think about what’s going to happen to the DOJ, CIA, and FBI.
In the end, it’s not likely to matter whether we are experiencing a coup or a constitutional crisis. Whatever we’re going through, and will continue to go through, we’re seeing our government being shaken to its core. Can we count on our senators and representatives to protect the country? If past is prologue, the answer is no. Many of those who seemed to be Republicans in the traditional use of the label now do whatever will please Trump and Musk. Once people learn what the proposed and enacted changes means to them, well, let’s just say that Republicans having town halls and meetings has been discouraged to avoid providing news footage showing that not all constituents agree with their choices.
And the courts? I used to think we could count on them. Many came through for us during the Biden years. But with a stacked Supreme Court (not in the way FDR proposed), I’m not as positive. While I admire the government attorneys who recently resigned rather than be fired because they were told to do something they (and most people) considered illegal, part of me wishes they’d stayed put and let themselves be fired. That’s a personal decision though.
The United States, once the pillar of democracy (ok, constitutional republic), is now the laughingstock to the world. Except for Russia, China, and the other countries they sided with in the most recent UN vote regarding Ukraine. Fortunately, it passed.
We need Substacks and like yours (and your cable hits and writings and whatever I forgot), Professor Weissmann, to help us stay abreast about what’s going on and what it means. We need to get and stay informed. And we need to remember what Governor JB Pritzker said last week: “It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and forty minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic.” We know what’s coming; just look at Project 2025. It doesn’t have to happen here.
Keep talking to this Trump voters where you live and giving them room to join us in our fight against the destruction of everything America stands for.
Donald Trump is a Russian asset and, according to “The Guardian” (1/29/21), he has been for decades. When will America FINALLY confront this spinal realization ?
Can’t he be held for treason?
Andrew, I realize it’s not healthy to continuously look back, wring our hands and ask Why did this happen, how did so many people find trump irresistible and why only he could lead America? I can’t help but wonder whether all of this can be answered by one simple fact, that Merrick Garland did not act fast enough, that his so-called cautiousness created what we now know as a callous, amoral, evil man doing tremendous - I think irreparable — damage to our country. Actually 50% of our country knew this 6 years ago. Is this the simple reason why trump has risen from the ashes? My despair for our country is beyond any reasonable emotion I have. Thank you Andrew.
It lays at the feet of Mitch McConnell & the GOP choosing party over country during both impeachments. Trump could have been impeached & precluded from further office.
Also at the feet of Trump’s 1st cabinet who knew full well he needed to be removed from office, but again, chose party over the rule of law.
Craven opportunists all!
Yes, of course you’re correct. To say once again that these GOP who ought to know better are “spineless” is too mealy-mouth a word, there should be a stronger word to say exactly how the GOP have behaved these last 7-8 years. But, knowing exactly that the GOP would not react in an ethical manner, how can we account for slow-motion Merrick Garland, who at one point I admired greatly. It took 2 years for him to start an investigation. The Insurrection happened right before our eyes. The slow moving Justice Dept has made these 34 felony counts arrive too late, Garland ought to have known that trump would do everything his MAGA donors could provide for him to get the fiercest lawyers and throw roadblocks and other obstacles at ever turn. We should have known better that we were not dealing with any ordinary criminal. This is trump we are talking about.
https://www.muellershewrote.com/p/the-facts-about-merrick-garland
This link may lighten you as to the timeline & obstacles Merrick Garland faced. He wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t sit on his hands for two years, either.
The GOP wasn’t spineless…they were craven & complicit in the destruction of democracy for white power.
But first…
Moscow Mitch McConnell could have prevented all of this, all of it, with a thumbs down and impeachment conviction in the Senate to surpass 67%.
Milquetoast Merrick Garland certainly failed us, but mostly Mitch is responsible.
Sadly, many complicit old Republican fucks will die of old age before facing the guillotine. But maybe turtle-boy’s carcass can be exhumed and taken to the public square on the day of reckoning (which day may or may not happen soon enough, but it WILL come).
Sure they could have prevented this but about a decade ago the first signs appeared on what their agenda really was. They were willing to strike a bargain with the devil to stay in power. We must realize that they cannot be bargained with but they must be defeated no matter the cost. It has been hard to believe where we now stand. My question is have 74 million voters signed on to destroy this republic?
That’s why I call the GOP craven. From the moment Mitch said his “job” was to make sure Obama didn’t get a second term, it was obvious that party meant more than country. His job was to be a Senator representing the people of KY!
Protest, boycott and vote!
The last time you recommended what the hypothetical “old lady” watching current events could do, I donated to NYU Law’s Just Security.
Mr. Weissman, please make more specific recommendations so we can be Spartacus!
We need to say the hard things out loud every day.
Thx Andrew for voicing what we all needed to hear! Now is the time for each of us to act. Keep making contacts to your local and state representatives Call your state Democratic office and ask what they have planned. We’ve been getting volunteers from neighboring states here in Wisconsin with our April 1st election. We can’t stand by any longer waiting to be saved!
Wonderful (sad) metaphor of the weeping willow tree. Thanks as always for your contributions.
I've been following you since the impeachment hearings. In my small way, I am not buying anything today and will not continue my subscription to the Washington Post. Your video today actually made me emotional. Lastly, I am on a fixed income but want to be a paid subscriber on your Substack platform. Will start March 1st.
It is clear to me that Donald Trump is a Russian agent I believe that after he was unable to obtain loans for his business ventures, he turned to the Russian oligarchs, including Putin, who gladly obliged The “ vig” he is now paying to Putin is the deconstruction of the American government
Further proof is his new idea of selling US citizenship I suspect that most of those “purchases” will be by Russians who will then bw put to use by Our Dear Leader
Sobering analysis. If our worst fears come to pass (e.g. Trump ignoring court orders), what’s really going to save us are individuals within the military and DOJ who refuse to carry out illegal orders and turn their weapons against other Americans, even if there’s no IG or JAG to issue an official ruling against the bad actors. Trump and his cabinet can issue whatever orders they want. They still require PEOPLE to carry them out. Let’s hope there are enough people of conscience to counteract their nefarious intentions. My hope is that this overreach will backfire, especially when it impacts MAGA supporters directly