The Tide Is Beginning Yo Turn Against Trump

 

The following post is by Robert Reich:

The resistance is becoming an uprising.

 

Last Saturday, more than 7 million of us poured into the streets to reject Trump’s dictatorship. That’s more than 2 percent of the adult population of the United States.

 

Historical studies suggest that 3.5 percent of a population engaged in sustained nonviolent resistance can topple even the most brutal dictatorships — such as Chile under Pinochet and Serbia under Milosevic. 

Which means we’re almost there. 

Other evidence of the backlash is all around us. Seven of the nine universities Trump selected to join his extortion compact — offering preferential treatment for federal funds in exchange for a pledge to support his agenda — have rejected it. 

Most major airports have refused to show Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s propaganda video attacking Democrats for the government shutdown.

Almost all of America’s news outlets have refused to sign Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s media loyalty oath.

Trump’s destruction of the East Wing of the White House (after promising he wouldn’t) and posting an AI video of himself shitting on America is causing even loyal Trumpers to worry he’s losing his marbles. 

I believe future generations will look back on this scourge and see not just what was destroyed but also what was born.

Even prior to Trump, American democracy was deeply flawed. The moneyed interests were drowning out everyone else. Inequality was reaching record levels. Corruption — legalized bribery through campaign contributions — was the norm. The bottom 90 percent were getting nowhere because the system was rigged against them.

Many of you are now sowing the seeds of fundamental reform.

 

Whether it’s demonstrating as you did last Saturday, appearing at Republican town halls, jamming the Capitol and White House switchboards, generating mountains of emails and letters, protecting the vulnerable in your communities, or going door-to-door for candidates like Zohran Mamdani, your activism is paying off.

 

The backlash against Trump is growing. His approval rating has sunk to a level not seen since Richard Nixon last sat in the White House, according to the latest Gallup poll, out Wednesday. 

These are terrible times — the worst I’ve lived through, and I’ve lived through some bad ones. (Remember 1968? Nixon’s enemies list? Anyone old enough to recall Joe McCarthy’s communist witch hunts?)

But as long as we are alive, as long as we are resolved, as long as we are taking action to stop the worst of this, as long as we are trying to make America and the world even a bit better — have no doubt: We will triumph.

Courage Is Contagious

The following is part of an excellent post by Robert Reich: 

Hundreds of thousands of you turned out in your communities to condemn Trump and his regime. In front of the White House, protesters shouted “shame!”

This is the contagion of courage.

 

Every person who stands up to the Trump regime’s lawlessness and cruelty summons others to do the same. 

Every prominent politician who stands up to Trump’s tyranny invites other politicians to stand up to it. 

Every institutional leader who defies Trump’s orders encourages other institutional leaders to defy similar orders. 

When Harvard has the courage to say no to Trump, leaders of other universities are fortified to do the same. When law firms such as Perkins Coie and Williams & Connolly stand up to his tyranny, they make it easier for other firms to join them. 

It is not that America lacks courage. It is just that we’ve become so cut off from one another — so atomized and isolated — that many of us feel alone. That loneliness makes us feel vulnerable and fearful. 

Likewise, the leaders of many of our institutions — universities, law firms, museums, media — are so disconnected from one another that they fear their institutions are vulnerable to Trump’s tyranny. 

But when all of us are surrounded by courageous people and brave institutional leaders, all of us become more courageous. We gain strength from the courage of others.

The lesson of history is that tyrants cannot be appeased. Appeasement only feeds their insatiable hunger for power. 

Tyrants prey on people who feel unsafe and vulnerable. That’s the attraction of Trumpism — offering a false sense of security and inclusion. That’s what Hitler offered as well, and Stalin, and all the other “strongmen” in history — who ended up murdering millions. 

But without mass submission, a tyrant is powerless. 

As we resist Trump’s tyranny, America gains solidarity. 

As we gain solidarity, we feel more courageous.

 

As we feel courageous and stand up to Trump, we weaken him and his regime.

 

As we weaken Trump and his regime, we have less to fear.

Most People Say Democrats Are Not Doing Enough To Resist Trump

The chart above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between March 22nd and 25th of a nationwide sample of 1,600 adults (including 1,440 registered voters). The margin of error was 3.4 points for adults and 3.3 points for registered voters.

Trump Will Attack The Four Pillars Of Resistance

From Robert Reich:

Trump and his MAGA allies are already targeting the four major pillars of resistance to Trump during his first term. 

As we prepare for Trump’s second regime — which promises to be far worse than the first — it’s important to do what we can to protect and fortify these four centers of opposition. 

1. Universities

University faculties are dedicated to finding and exposing the truth — which has often meant calling out Trump’s lies. But Trump has warned that he’ll change the criteria for university accrediting in order to force university faculties into line.

In a campaign video, he said, “Our secret weapon will be the college accreditation system … When I return to the White House, I will fire the radical left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist Maniacs.”

Authorized by the federal government, these accreditors are essential to college operations. If a college isn’t accredited, it can’t get federal funds.

Trump’s Project 2025 calls for replacing the current system of independent, nonpartisan accreditors with more politically pliable state accreditors. This would have disastrous effects. 

Many of the worst educational gag orders at the state level, along with DEI bans and faculty tenure bans, have been voted down or toned down because state legislators realized they were putting their schools’ accreditation status in jeopardy. If Project 2025’s recommendations are adopted, that guardrail disappears.

Trump has also threatened to increase taxes on university endowments. 

Republicans in Congress believe they were instrumental in getting the presidents of Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard to resign over their alleged failures to stop protests against Israel’s bloodbath in Gaza. Some are eager to resume their attacks on major universities.

2. Nonprofits

America’s nonprofits have been at the forefront of efforts to protect the environment, voting rights, and immigrants’ rights. Trump and his allies are seeking to stop nonprofit activism.

 

The Republican House has already passed a bill that would empower the Treasury to eliminate the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit it deems to be supporting terrorism. An identical or similar bill could come across Trump’s desk after being reintroduced in the next Congress.

The legislation doesn’t distinguish between foreign and domestic terrorism — whether real or imagined — thereby making it easier for Trump’s authorities to intimidate nonprofit personnel and donors.

We’ve already seen something like this at the state level. In Texas, state authorities have attempted to shut down charities that assist immigrants. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has launched a probe of nonprofits, including the God Is Good Foundation, that have allegedly conspired to bring noncitizens to the state.

3. The media

I’ve been a critic of the mainstream media’s tendency to give “both sides” credence even when one side is clearly in the wrong and to “sanewash” some of Trump’s and his enablers’ rants. 

But journalists are an important bulwark against tyranny — which is why Trump and his allies are seeking to intimidate news outlets that have criticized or questioned Trump.

The flurry of defamation lawsuits — such as Trump launched against ABC (and ABC caved to) and the Des Moines Register — is the latest sign. Trump and his allies have also discussed revoking networks’ broadcast licenses and eliminating funding for public radio and television.

Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, has threatened to “take on the most powerful enemy that the United States has ever seen, and no it’s not Washington, D.C., it’s the mainstream media and these people out there in the fake news. That is our mission!” 

Already social media platforms such as Musk’s X and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram have caved to Trump, allowing vicious authoritarian lies to be magnified unimpeded.

 

4. Organized labor

In the 1950s and 1960s, labor unions were viewed as a source of countervailing power because of their activism on behalf of the working class and their significant political clout.

In those days, a third of workers in the private sector were union members. But today, only 6 percent of private-sector workers are union members, and it’s far from clear that organized labor will be an active source of resistance to Trump. (If government workers are included, the percentage of American workers who are members of unions is around 10 percent.)

Trump has warned organized labor that he will oppose their efforts to organize. The president of the Teamsters Union even appeared at the National Republican Convention in support of Trump.

Each of these centers of resistance to Trump has been a powerful source of truth-telling in America. It’s no surprise that all have been targeted by Trump and his allies.

 

We need to be vigilant and do what we can to protect and fortify them. Remember: We lose only if we stop fighting.

Warren Says GOP Attacks Must Not "Go Unanswered"

Here is Senator Elizabeth Warrens latest message to her supporters -- and to people everywhere who oppose the evil agenda of Trump and the Republicans.

The Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the House. When our government isn’t working for working families, they have nobody to blame but themselves.

Except me, apparently.

According to the political pundits, I’m the new villain of choice for the Republican Party. Just two days ago, Senate Republicans launched another new round of ads attacking moderate Democrats for – I believe – standing anywhere within 100 feet of me. The NRA is using video footage of me at the Logan Airport Muslim ban protest to launch their new “Counter Resistance” today.

Look, I’m a big girl. My feelings won’t be hurt when Mitch McConnell tells me to shut up – or by a bunch of nasty ads that make me look like a zombie or the boogeyman or the Wicked Witch of Massachusetts.

I’ve got news for the Republicans and their slick TV ad consultants: their attacks aren’t going to work. And here’s why:

• I believe that the big banks need tougher rules and more accountability – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting for Wall Street reform, but our agenda is America’s agenda. 
• I believe that students should be able to get an education without getting crushed by debt – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting for debt-free college, but our agenda is America’s agenda. 
• I believe that nobody who works full time should live in poverty – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting to raise the minimum wage, but our agenda is America’s agenda. 
• I believe that after a lifetime of hard work, seniors should be able to retire with dignity – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting to protect and expand Social Security and Medicare, but our agenda is America’s agenda. 
• I believe in climate change – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting to protect our air and water, but our agenda is America’s agenda. 
• I believe in common sense gun reform – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting to keep our kids safe from military-style assault weapons, but our agenda is America’s agenda. 
• I believe that a woman has a right to make health care decisions over her own body and I support Planned Parenthood – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting for women’s health, but our agenda is America’s agenda. 
• I believe that millionaires and billionaires should pay at least the same tax rates as their secretaries – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting to stop the special breaks and loopholes, but our agenda is America’s agenda. 
• And I believe that powerful corporations and billionaires have too much influence over our politics – and so do the majority of Americans. You can call me a boogeyman for fighting for campaign finance and ethics reform, but our agenda is America’s agenda.

I truly believe that people in Massachusetts and across the country can see through the Republicans’ shameful mudslinging. But we won’t be able to let their attacks go completely unanswered for the next two years.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth

(NOTE -- Those who wish to give a few dollars to help Warren keep up the fight can go here.)