I love the idea of threatening future prosecution for anyone who participates in Trump's open bribery schemes. Put every corrupt act on a website with names, the laws they violated, and the criminal penalty they would face in a future prosecution.
I agree with your description of MaGA government as a criminal organization. Restoring democracy, refilling our agencies again with experts, etc rifting out culprits and making them stand trial I also identify the urgent need, but is it realistic, in the present state of affairs to think that throwing the thugs out now would be possible? What I see is that a fast-moving and aggressive, extremely cruel coup is in its late stages now. If my perception is accurate, then we’re looking at a few decades of a neofascist rule and it won’t be fun. That or immediate relocation to another country. I don’t see any other scenario now for Americans and our young democracy.
"The democratic opposition should be taking careful notes and planning comprehensive public hearings once legitimate governance is restored."
You have made an assumption here that "legitimate governance" will be restored. When do you think that will happen? The Republicans are doing everything they can to rig the 2026 elections, but I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't held anyway due to a "national emergency" - and if they are held and the Republicans lose, I wouldn't be surprised if they throw the result out. ("And third, I want a recount! And no matter how it turns out, I want my old job back!")
On top of that, you assume that if the Democrats win, that will constitute a return to "legitimate governance". There are enough "Blue Dogs," "Problem Solvers," and "both-siders" to prevent that from happening in 2026. We didn't get back to "legitimate governance" during Trump 1 despite several attempts, and we barely squeaked back to legitimate governance in 2020 (and it could be argued that we didn't actually get there). Sure, there will be a hue and cry from the "liberal left-wing crazies" (i.e. the legitimate center), but in the end, the oligarchy will continue its rule unimpeded.
Worse still, if the Democrats win in 2026, the government will likely completely stall with 2 of 3 branches still firmly in the hands of the oligarchs, causing a backlash right back to autocracy in 2028.
The Republicans are implementing extremism to destroy civil governance and seize absolute power, and to implicate law enforcement and local officals in crimes to bind them to regime survival and compel them to fight violently against normal democratic processes, elections, amd transitions.
As long as ordinary Republican voters say through primary contests that the current elected representatives are the ones they want in charge, the party brass can really do very little because political parties as understood in developed democracies are functionally illegal in the United States due to Progressive Era reforms.
It also ut seems more pedophile than anyone would have expected. Every day I see here on Substack another one has been arrested bought into day light. Next. Him in the gaudy house needs to release the Epstein files. And be arrested.
While the Repugnican Cult won't ever get around to it, the retired military could protect the current officer corps to invoke the 25th Amendment, with or without Repugnican participation in the Congressional vote (I think a number of erstwhile Republicans would join under the circumstances).
We might recall "conservatism" in its original guise as monarchism, or call it "reactionary", a more modern term. In either case, "criminal enterprise" is the more appropriate designation.
Only the Vice President and the Cabinet (by majority vote of the latter) can invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. Unless Congress provides for some other body also to enjoy such authority (which to my knowledge it has not) then this is the only way that Section 4 can be invoked.
This is a major flaw in the US Constitution, seen as late as the enactment of the 25th Amendment: the assumption that political actors will always put country before ideological faction.
The Republican Party is no longer a legitimate political organization. It has transformed into a corrupt, immoral, and criminal enterprise that serves the interests of one man’s power while systematically destroying the constitutional principles this nation was founded upon.
True as far as it goes, but individual Americans need to take action to stop the slide, too. There will not be institutional courage until it is clear that millions of Americans are prepared to stand up and demonstrate this is not the way this country should operate. October 18 is coming, an opportunity for millions of Americans across the country to demonstrate their rejection of Trump authoritarian cosplay in more than 3,000 locations. If we care, we will be there.
These No Kings protests are the very definition of controlled opposition. We show up, march, make no concrete demands and impede no critical economic functions, the GOP smirks and continues, while those millions of people have dissipated their energies by *feeling* as if they've done something. Staking any kind of hope on these marches is a complete misunderstanding of where we are on the slide to authoritarianism. Working people in europe protest harder and more menaingfully for a single change to pension law than we do to a full-scale loss of our freedoms. It's irresponsible to pretend these get-togethers are what is needed.
That's how I understand it, too, but it seems that Congress' power to enact enabling legislation is the big "loophole" that needs to be exploited, and this could be prompted by the right pressure: surely the military still has clout with many Repugnicans in Congress.
Amen, Mike! Very well said! There is simply no moral, legal, rational, constitutional, or patriotic argument to support what’s happening to our country. We all know a fascist takeover when we see one.
Yes.
Correct on all counts.
I love the idea of threatening future prosecution for anyone who participates in Trump's open bribery schemes. Put every corrupt act on a website with names, the laws they violated, and the criminal penalty they would face in a future prosecution.
I agree with your description of MaGA government as a criminal organization. Restoring democracy, refilling our agencies again with experts, etc rifting out culprits and making them stand trial I also identify the urgent need, but is it realistic, in the present state of affairs to think that throwing the thugs out now would be possible? What I see is that a fast-moving and aggressive, extremely cruel coup is in its late stages now. If my perception is accurate, then we’re looking at a few decades of a neofascist rule and it won’t be fun. That or immediate relocation to another country. I don’t see any other scenario now for Americans and our young democracy.
"The democratic opposition should be taking careful notes and planning comprehensive public hearings once legitimate governance is restored."
You have made an assumption here that "legitimate governance" will be restored. When do you think that will happen? The Republicans are doing everything they can to rig the 2026 elections, but I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't held anyway due to a "national emergency" - and if they are held and the Republicans lose, I wouldn't be surprised if they throw the result out. ("And third, I want a recount! And no matter how it turns out, I want my old job back!")
On top of that, you assume that if the Democrats win, that will constitute a return to "legitimate governance". There are enough "Blue Dogs," "Problem Solvers," and "both-siders" to prevent that from happening in 2026. We didn't get back to "legitimate governance" during Trump 1 despite several attempts, and we barely squeaked back to legitimate governance in 2020 (and it could be argued that we didn't actually get there). Sure, there will be a hue and cry from the "liberal left-wing crazies" (i.e. the legitimate center), but in the end, the oligarchy will continue its rule unimpeded.
Worse still, if the Democrats win in 2026, the government will likely completely stall with 2 of 3 branches still firmly in the hands of the oligarchs, causing a backlash right back to autocracy in 2028.
The Republicans are implementing extremism to destroy civil governance and seize absolute power, and to implicate law enforcement and local officals in crimes to bind them to regime survival and compel them to fight violently against normal democratic processes, elections, amd transitions.
https://jwmason.org/slackwire/political-parties-are-illegal-in-the-united-states/
As long as ordinary Republican voters say through primary contests that the current elected representatives are the ones they want in charge, the party brass can really do very little because political parties as understood in developed democracies are functionally illegal in the United States due to Progressive Era reforms.
It also ut seems more pedophile than anyone would have expected. Every day I see here on Substack another one has been arrested bought into day light. Next. Him in the gaudy house needs to release the Epstein files. And be arrested.
While the Repugnican Cult won't ever get around to it, the retired military could protect the current officer corps to invoke the 25th Amendment, with or without Repugnican participation in the Congressional vote (I think a number of erstwhile Republicans would join under the circumstances).
We might recall "conservatism" in its original guise as monarchism, or call it "reactionary", a more modern term. In either case, "criminal enterprise" is the more appropriate designation.
Only the Vice President and the Cabinet (by majority vote of the latter) can invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. Unless Congress provides for some other body also to enjoy such authority (which to my knowledge it has not) then this is the only way that Section 4 can be invoked.
This is a major flaw in the US Constitution, seen as late as the enactment of the 25th Amendment: the assumption that political actors will always put country before ideological faction.
It seems so clear yet half of the country is more worried about “radical left violence” or whatever.
Clear, concise, and spot-on analysis. Thank you.
*chef’s kiss*
The Republican Party is no longer a legitimate political organization. It has transformed into a corrupt, immoral, and criminal enterprise that serves the interests of one man’s power while systematically destroying the constitutional principles this nation was founded upon.
True as far as it goes, but individual Americans need to take action to stop the slide, too. There will not be institutional courage until it is clear that millions of Americans are prepared to stand up and demonstrate this is not the way this country should operate. October 18 is coming, an opportunity for millions of Americans across the country to demonstrate their rejection of Trump authoritarian cosplay in more than 3,000 locations. If we care, we will be there.
These No Kings protests are the very definition of controlled opposition. We show up, march, make no concrete demands and impede no critical economic functions, the GOP smirks and continues, while those millions of people have dissipated their energies by *feeling* as if they've done something. Staking any kind of hope on these marches is a complete misunderstanding of where we are on the slide to authoritarianism. Working people in europe protest harder and more menaingfully for a single change to pension law than we do to a full-scale loss of our freedoms. It's irresponsible to pretend these get-togethers are what is needed.
I agree. But what does that say about the other party?
That's how I understand it, too, but it seems that Congress' power to enact enabling legislation is the big "loophole" that needs to be exploited, and this could be prompted by the right pressure: surely the military still has clout with many Repugnicans in Congress.
Agreed. How to get the big wide world to realize this is the challenge.
I went out in a limb and predicted that the Comey indictment might be the drone strike we need.
That was BEFORE the generals speech.
https://open.substack.com/pub/citizen99/p/a-lethal-blow-part-2?r=2sauq&utm_medium=ios
Amen, Mike! Very well said! There is simply no moral, legal, rational, constitutional, or patriotic argument to support what’s happening to our country. We all know a fascist takeover when we see one.