The trap in this case is focusing too much on Kilmar's specific situation. The real fight is for due process for those who are innocent and those who are guilty. The real fight is for due process for those accused of illegal immigration and for those accused of fraud in the government
I think the focus on Kilmar's case is because the administration admitted it made a mistake. If they can get him brought back it makes the fight for all the others easier. Van Hollen stated on his return from El Salvador that this is a fight for due process for ALL.
I agree with you. The Trump regime is fighting so hard not to bring Kilmar back and give him due process because it realizes that doing so is the first domino that will then cause all the other dominoes to fall. At the same time, we need to bring the names and stories of the others forward as well. Homeland Security is looking at it as a numbers game, not a matter of fair due process. We cannot allow that violation of the Constitution.
I think this is such an important point. The administration is trying to dehumanize these men. They need to be humanized and have their stories kept in the media: Neri (picked up for an autism tattoo in support of his brother), Andry (make-up artist),Jerce (the soccer coach) and all the others not getting coverage.
Someone responding to a recent post by Jen Rubin on this subject at The Contrarian is working to compile a list of names and stories. I will check back there to see what progress she has made.
That person found four additional names, listed here with the state from which the people were taken and shipped to the EL Salvador gulag:
Merwil Gutieerez, 19, from Bronx NY. (name should have an accent mark over second "e" but cannot figure it out on my computer). ICE was looking for someone else but grabbed him because it's all about the numbers.
And now I think they just said they’re giving El Salvador 15 million dollars!! Oh no !! That’s our taxpayers money to be used for growing America!! Building factories for jobs ! Trump didn’t think we should be giving money to Ukraine! We should not be handing out money to El Salvador either !!
In his comments upon returning Senator Van Hollen mentioned that Congress has not approved that so he will be working to determine where the money is coming from.
Americans need non-stop talk about this immigration issue to be focused on DUE PROCESS bcuz DT is talking about deporting "homegrown" criminals (Americans)!
Focus on the one case also exposes to the public the desperate and lawless measures this regime is prepared to take. The likes of Drumpf and Liar Leavitt have been forced into egregious and pathetic lies to give cover to the brutal treatment of someone who comes across as just a normal everyday guy.
But then, that idiot Trump and his cronies turned around and said it was not a mistake, and that Kilmar is the worst criminal there is. Lies, lies, lies! They don't like to keep admitting they made a mistake. Now they're saying he can NEVER be returned. If that's all right with you, it is NOT all right with me. And let's get the other 300 who were shipped (that is, planed) to El Salvador even when the judge told Trump to turn the planes around. Get them ALL our of prison. Period.
Indeed. Though I really hope that this poor man gets back to his family soon. But we do not know if those plane loads or bus loads to El Salvador were criminals at all or gang members. Due process!
We should be clear about what "illegal immigration" really is. It's not at all what it sounds like. You're "illegal" if you haven't yet had the opportunity to get a hearing and are waiting for one. It takes awfully long to get such a hearing. You're marked an "illegal" for no fault of your own.
I Agree with David Hogg we need new stronger and younger leaders. Because these old school democrats are too weak and can’t stand up to evil trump and his evil regime.The American people doing more than Schumer and others like him.
It's not just age though; I think we need vigorous ethical leaders. Van Hollen is no youngster, but his mission has not ever seemed to be enriching himself or gaining power (I live in MD)...and look at how well Bernie inspires. Neither of these people are rich. Pelosi and Schumer are often cited as not representing the people. Having money is not bad in and of itself, but neither is being older. I would like to see ethics, intelligence (vs education) and commitment to service being the standard we hold for our representatives.
Wrong take. Unless you consider Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders over the hill. Senator Warnock is not a young man, nor is Senator Widen. In the House, Jamie Raskin was 60 during his first term. He's in his third. Crockett would make a fine whip (were the Dems in the majority). Yesterday I heard snide dismissal of Bernie, of AOC, and of Cory Booker by Bill Maher, and presented as if that were the centrist view. Maher has clearly passed his use by date. The problem is that people want ward-healers for their own districts and that invites a selfish and narrow view of government. The people I've listed above are true representatives of sectors of all American communities, particularly those whose fealty they have lost. The politicians they support have learned too well from Tip O'neil. All politics is local, said he, and he may have been correct in olden times (1970s-80s), but today we are much more connected and aware of global and regional problems, hence not so insular.
In other words, it's not the age of the pol, but the age of their ideas.
Maher went to Mar a Lago to bend the knee, and Trump made it through a dinner acting civilized. And then one of the producers of "The Apprentice" makes a statement afterwards, "he saw Trump do that dozens of times, Trump can be whoever the person wants him to be, tell them what they want to hear, then he walks away laughing at how easy they are to play."
I quit watching Maher when he had Ben Shapiro and Malcolm Nance on, as I recall Maher asked Malcom Nance to explain "woke" which Nance did through the perspective of a black man's experience, Maher asked Shapiro if he agreed with what Nance said, Shapiro did agree with Nance on the definition, but then he went on with his Gish gallop to bigot-splain how Nance's description was invalid because these two white priveleged men had never experienced what Nance had. And Maher set there and agreed with Shapiro. They literally told a black man what his experience was. DONE. So very done. Maher took smug asshole to an ugly level. I never expected better of Shapiro.
Maher did NOT go to Mar-a-Lago. He went to the White House, where he dined with the Mango Mussolini and his "good friend", Kid Rock, ostensibly to dine, but Maher is a vegetarian and except for Drumpf's children, there are no veggies in the residence. Maher is no ordinary Morning Joe, a Chamberlain-like appeaser. He has gone full Quisling and has, for some time, been collaborating with Agent Orange. Who knows? Putin may have some kompromat on Bill.
Schumer may be weak but Bernie Sanders certainly is not. Please stop with the ageism. We do have new, younger leaders who are great, but we also have a mix of ages/generations as it should be.
I agree to some degree about age becuz the babyboomer generation is dying off. The Gen Z and the millennials are going to want their leaders to be able to appeals to their needs/desires in a tech/information age.
We also need to keep experienced members. We can’t have a Democracy without rules laws - as painful as it is to say this in the face of such destruction.
Energy without knowledge & ability is about as effective as garden sprinklers in a weed patch, when we need targeted water canons for precision and guided but overwhelming tsunamis for their sheer force and volume.
This is not about taking the higher road. It’s about not devolving into lawlessness and chaos.
We don’t want corrupt members of government. We want to get rid of them. If we let the people on our side get away with being unconstitutional & illegal, we won’t have anyone that anyone can trust.
I'm not that impressed with Hogg. There ARE younger leaders out there who are active and speaking out, and also putting in the time and energy to learn how to work with people, pulling them together instead of just hammering at one issue over and over. One of the most powerful things in the resistance we have right now is the diversity of the people showing up of all ages, from many kinds of backgrounds (including political), bringing their experiences and their concerns. We have leaders, but we may not know yet who is going to emerge as the leaders of the future who will help guide us there. David Hogg may be one of them, but his approach makes me uncomfortable by his dismissal of experienced leaders, who know that not all leadership takes place in the open. I am leery of people who are self-proclaimed "leaders. We work on this together and we don't create artificial barriers if we are serious about reclaiming and protecting our democracy.
i think specifically Charles Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Cory Booker should be ready to defer media questions to key "generals" working all these various topics (battle fronts) of this democracy war.
when they try to be all-answer; all-knowing, on all fronts, the result is they end up looking silly and never look as if the party is united with a plan. ALL these trump issues should be addressed, but do not fall into the trap of thinking or having "one person answer completely actions on all topics". this is the oportunity to defer to strong younger leaders to polish their metal for furture battles in this war for our republic.
Senator Van Hollen went to El Salvador so he already stepped up to this topic. Bernie and AOC are attacking the front on taxing the rich and the overall oligarchy. Others are slamming tariffs, inflation, Ukraine, "trump as dictator", defying the courts, etc.
have the "big boys" make brief answers but defer to key "generals" of these new fronts against the republic. that way they look organized, (are actually organized), expose the public to the next leaders of the party, and themselves aren't so overwhelmed on the project of fighting for our democracy.
Career politicians and all these old white dudes need to go. Just like in corporations you need to get rid of the deadwood. The younger generations call us Boomers and they are usually not saying it in a respectful or positive way. And then there are the others in Congress that have money that can’t relate to the ordinary people. The presidents & prime ministers of other countries are much younger. Nancy Pelosi…85! Come on! She’s so past it she doesn’t even recognize it is time to step down when her husband needs iher after taking a hammer to his head for her!!
Yesterday, in our little town, 1000 people gathered peacefully to denounce this regime. Reading comments about the protest/rally, it’s obvious many in our community just plainly hate us liberals so they support the evil regime. Yes, they hate us ‘liberals” but we will prevail.
Our protest yesterday was much smaller (red town in Indiana) but we were definitely noticed by those in our community who hate us! Scary to read the comments. Also, we had MAGA men racing down the street in their pickups, gunning the motor to show us how much they hated us. Leaving clouds of black fumes in their wake...
We had some of that too, as we were in the reddest part of our state. But we got a number of raised fists/thumbs and honking horns, so maybe there are more folks who are tired of all the chaos than we realize now.
I find it interesting that young men in big loud trucks with modified exhaust sytems seem to be a common element in a lot of places holding protests. What does that tell us? I suspect one possibility is that the visible MAGA movement at this point is mainly younger men unable to see beyond their high school years who are their "activists". They are among the victims but don't know it. I want to emphasize that this means little: these people are not representative of those who are creating the chaos we are seeing in our government, economy, international relations, targeting schools and universities, blackmailing law firms, disappearing people at random. They have nothing to do with this, which is Project 2025 in action, instigated and promoted by wealthy men wearing suits and attended by women who derive their influence by emulating the men with power.
I know that red Indiana is different from my small blue-ish town in Vermont, but at our demonstrations, we see far more waves and honks of support than the guys blowing smoke. And our numbers are growing, across the country. My town and yours and others like it, taken together prove that together we can make a movement.
Oh wow, your group are the real heroes!! We had about 1000-ish show up too, but we're a blue town in a red state, and although I did see some of those really obnoxious lifted pickup trucks, they didn't do anything at all, and otherwise there were zero counter protestors. Most people driving by honked like crazy waving their own signs and pumping fists and flashing victory/peace signs. The police in our town are on our side (for the most part) and we even had a big USPS truck drive by honking his horn...that thing sounded like a train horn!! He drove by twice honking!! That was a sight to behold, just incredible!!!
Does anyone else feel like the poll numbers are totally inaccurate on everything right now? Just prior to the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, Susan Crawford was down 5%. She won by almost 10%. Are some people afraid to tell someone how they actually feel, but will vote their true feelings privately? More people need to find the courage to speak out against what is happening.
Boston didn’t have a big rally yesterday. The marathon takes over the city every Patriot’s Day weekend. The large number of smaller protests all over Massachusetts was AWESOME. None of them were shown on our local ABC station at all. The news isn’t reporting on what is happening, but we will make sure that we are heard.
In general, since Trump 1.0, Democrats have been outperforming polls and election predictions far more often than Republicans. Some 2018 midterm predictions had Republicans keeping the House and getting 60 seats in the Senate. Neither happened.
Then the '22 midterms, most predicted a landslide for Republicans in the House and Senate, and that most of the voters who matter most would get over any anger over Dobbs and attacks on abortion rights. Instead, Democrats took an outright majority, and even though Republicans did get the House back, they ended up with a razor thin majority, which no poll or prediction suggested. And on the state level in '22, things largely turned out just as badly for Republicans.
Our rally yesterday wasn't as big as the one two weeks ago, but we had events going on too. Also, the day before Easter Sunday which is traditionally a big deal here, although not the big deal it once was.
My mom watches ABC network news (why, I do not know, she knows what's up with them and Rump too)...although she does watch it on an antenna...anyway, I noticed the protests were shoved waaayyyyy down in the second block of news. Even though they showed a collage of massive numbers of people from big cities around the country...like, do they watch their own coverage??!? Did they not happen to notice they covered about the same numbers if not more just two short weeks ago??? Friends, my fellow Americans, we cannot rely on the press right now. Thank God for social media, The Atlantic, and Substack, otherwise this place really WOULD be 1930s Germany!!
"Nothing mattered, in the end. Not the probable dementia, the unfathomable ignorance, the emotional incontinence; not, certainly, the shambling, hate-filled campaign, or the ludicrously unworkable anti-policies.
The candidate out on bail in four jurisdictions, the convicted fraud artist, the adjudicated rapist and serial sexual predator, the habitual bankrupt, the stooge of Vladimir Putin, the man who tried to overturn the last election and all of his creepy retinue of crooks, ideologues and lunatics: Americans took a long look at all this and said, yes please.
There is no sense in understating the depth of the disaster. This is a crisis like no other in our lifetimes. The government of the United States has been delivered into the hands of a gangster, whose sole purpose in running, besides staying out of jail, is to seek revenge on his enemies. The damage Donald Trump and his nihilist cronies can do – to America, but also to its democratic allies, and to the peace and security of the world – is incalculable." - Robert Reich
It’s a pretty sad day when fighting for liberty and due process is considered a distraction. I am pissed that Gavin Newsome said this. Sure, I am upset about the economy and my declining retirement account but I am also very upset about the disappearing of people. The idea that we should keep quiet until he comes for American citizens is ludicrous to me. It really upsets me that a majority of Americans might not appreciate the seriousness of the moment.
It always starts like this. There is a kind of disbelief that I not only understand, but sometimes share- and I was one of the people who warned of this a long time ago. The solution is to get involved in whatever way you can, not just to raise awareness, but most of all, show people that they are not alone. Also it's important to cut people some slack as they absorb the reality of what's happening, and also when they need to step back a little to recharge.
I try not to let certain people pull me down. I don't waste time and energy on them, but put that energy toward doing things that can help move our resistance forward. I focus on people who are uncertain and trying to figure things out- by pointing out places they can start without feeling they have to think a certain way or do some big thing they are not ready for yet. There are some magnificent resources out there to point to: Indivisible.org, MoveOn, 50501, many others. Most are umbrellas for small local working groups, online and off, and it is exciting to see those larger umbrellas collaborating on actions that support joint concerns. I can attest there is a large and growing response to the disappearances. This is an affront to all of us.
I so disappointed in most of our Democratic legislators. They are just not up to this challenge. They will WAIT until he sends citizens to the gulag? WTH? Sure, we can sacrifice a few US citizens to get people motivated to act. NO! Cut him off at the knees on this one. Give NOT ONE INCH. Force the crisis. IDK what it will take to awaken this numb party. We may just need to walk past them. It seems they do not understand that they will be among the first to go if this monster consolidates his power. There are enough of us to focus our wrath on different issues. Let those who voted for him and are now furious about the economy take that issue. Why can’t we firehouse them with opposition as they firehouse us with blatant lies horrific policies. We are at a tipping point and I and getting damn sick of doing the work
Of those whose salaries I pay. The Dems need to get with the people or they will be replaced. The must be.
We lose our morality if we do not focus on the evils being done with immigration. How can we ignore people being shipped to a concentration camp, to die there. There is no due process, but even if there were, if someone is found guilty and needing deportation, it does not mean a life sentence in a concentration camp. We believed we were a nation based on a constitution that banned cruel and unusual punishment, that gave everyone a chance to defend themselves. If we do not focus on the immigration abuses we have lost our way.
I am incensed by the comment by the centrist Dem “just one hairdresser” …ugh unbelievably disgusting!! Just one human! Just one person in the US who did not get his Constitutional right to due process! Just one person sent to a gulag for who knows how long (while we pay over 18K a day for each prisoner we sent there, further incentivizing their permanent incarceration). Yes, our Constitution protects EVERYONE ON U.S.SOIL. We must not ever play that game of allowing *just one* to be thrown under the wheels of injustice…”just one” is too many!!! And not speaking up is what Timothy Snyder would call “Obeying in advance” -that’s the first thing to not do if you want to oppose tyranny.
Remember when Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate and we thought there would be a reckoning -and then nothing happened? That was under Trump also. Khashoggi was a US resident. There should have been consequences for that. It let Trump know without a doubt that powerful rich men didn’t pay the price that other people pay for crimes.
Now we all know…we hang together or we hang separately. If the least powerful among us don’t have constitutional protections, then none of us do. Hold the line!!
We keep focusing on Drumpf's multi pronged, slight of hand, look over here tactics, disregarding this direct attack on the fundamental Tennant's of the US constitutional and especially the rule of law! And, don't think it's him putting on this show! Just like the "Apprentice" stint, where he's given script and direction, told where to stand, what to say, how to ACT. He's the true face of his role in this attempt to alter the law and direction, the road this country is currently traveling!! It's the Heritage Foundation that's the puppeteer here! FOCUS PEOPLE! PLEASE!!!🙏🏾
How best to focus on them? What are you suggesting we do?
I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of federal employees who could file a complaint on their agency head's surety bond: https://bondsforthewin.com/ and perhaps have more impact than a court case. But what of the rest of us?
Thank you. I totally agree...and there are so many areas where we are being attacked that it's almost a shell game. But EVERYTHING is important and NONE of this is normal. I do not want to play the "Blame" game about ANY of our Democrats because all of our Senators and Reps are caught in between.. Our Supreme Court should have been able to have stopped this BEFORE we ever got to this point, almost four months into this regime...but since the majority of our Supreme Court was paid for, by the felon..we are now in this position.. IF we ever got out of this mess we need to assure that our government can never BE BOUGHT ever again.. If the extremely wealthy won't carry their share they shouldn't be allowed the power they are now exhibiting and WE MUST HANGE THIS>>> We've got to get more citizens to CARE enough to pay attention!! This goes back to education...Hindsight is such a great teacher...alas.... Hang in there everybody...DIG IN Do what's right!! It ain't OVER until it's OVER...
Deporting people, as in sending them to their home country after fair due process, is one thing. Dumping a human being in a death camp in a foreign country is something else entirely. It is never, ever justified.
Are we lacking prisons here? We have a private prison industry here, sickeningly large, hungry for money and seriously under supervised. Plenty of waste, fraud, abuse there. Why are those hellholes not bad enough for the regime’s targets?
I love the phrase that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. I participated in the economic blackout Friday while also participating in a rally Saturday. It’s possible to care, focus, voice our anger on more than one thing at a time. I’m still sending postcards and emails. Everything is possible when it comes to getting rid of this administration.
Thank you, Lori, for your simple reminder that this isn't about doing big things, but about all of us doing what we can to resist. Altogether we add up to a huge force that is just beginning to be felt- and responded to. We just need to keep going.
and of course the whole point is that without due process for EVERYONE no one can know for a certainty WHO is being deported - are they a criminal, a citizen, on a visa, not on a visa? without due process you don't know for sure. Democrats, how about standing up on this one BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO? not because a focus group or polling numbers tell you so.
And as Snyder said (about why we all have to stand up for due process for everyone): "It is due process, and due process alone, that allows you to demonstrate that you are a citizen. Without it, the masked men in the black vans can simply claim that you are a foreign terrorist and disappear you."
I agree that the real fight needs to be for due process for all. When we have a specific name in the news , the public seems to quickly forget about the “Mahmoud’s” moving on to Kilmar, then on to the next who dominates news stories. Due process for all please.
The trap in this case is focusing too much on Kilmar's specific situation. The real fight is for due process for those who are innocent and those who are guilty. The real fight is for due process for those accused of illegal immigration and for those accused of fraud in the government
I think the focus on Kilmar's case is because the administration admitted it made a mistake. If they can get him brought back it makes the fight for all the others easier. Van Hollen stated on his return from El Salvador that this is a fight for due process for ALL.
I agree with you. The Trump regime is fighting so hard not to bring Kilmar back and give him due process because it realizes that doing so is the first domino that will then cause all the other dominoes to fall. At the same time, we need to bring the names and stories of the others forward as well. Homeland Security is looking at it as a numbers game, not a matter of fair due process. We cannot allow that violation of the Constitution.
I think this is such an important point. The administration is trying to dehumanize these men. They need to be humanized and have their stories kept in the media: Neri (picked up for an autism tattoo in support of his brother), Andry (make-up artist),Jerce (the soccer coach) and all the others not getting coverage.
Someone responding to a recent post by Jen Rubin on this subject at The Contrarian is working to compile a list of names and stories. I will check back there to see what progress she has made.
That person found four additional names, listed here with the state from which the people were taken and shipped to the EL Salvador gulag:
Merwil Gutieerez, 19, from Bronx NY. (name should have an accent mark over second "e" but cannot figure it out on my computer). ICE was looking for someone else but grabbed him because it's all about the numbers.
Julio Zambrano, taken from North Carolina
Arturo Suarez Trejo, taken from Texas
Neri Alvarado Borgas, taken from Texas
And now I think they just said they’re giving El Salvador 15 million dollars!! Oh no !! That’s our taxpayers money to be used for growing America!! Building factories for jobs ! Trump didn’t think we should be giving money to Ukraine! We should not be handing out money to El Salvador either !!
In his comments upon returning Senator Van Hollen mentioned that Congress has not approved that so he will be working to determine where the money is coming from.
Good to hear !
Americans need non-stop talk about this immigration issue to be focused on DUE PROCESS bcuz DT is talking about deporting "homegrown" criminals (Americans)!
And after the American criminals we’re next.
Focus on the one case also exposes to the public the desperate and lawless measures this regime is prepared to take. The likes of Drumpf and Liar Leavitt have been forced into egregious and pathetic lies to give cover to the brutal treatment of someone who comes across as just a normal everyday guy.
But then, that idiot Trump and his cronies turned around and said it was not a mistake, and that Kilmar is the worst criminal there is. Lies, lies, lies! They don't like to keep admitting they made a mistake. Now they're saying he can NEVER be returned. If that's all right with you, it is NOT all right with me. And let's get the other 300 who were shipped (that is, planed) to El Salvador even when the judge told Trump to turn the planes around. Get them ALL our of prison. Period.
Indeed. Though I really hope that this poor man gets back to his family soon. But we do not know if those plane loads or bus loads to El Salvador were criminals at all or gang members. Due process!
We should be clear about what "illegal immigration" really is. It's not at all what it sounds like. You're "illegal" if you haven't yet had the opportunity to get a hearing and are waiting for one. It takes awfully long to get such a hearing. You're marked an "illegal" for no fault of your own.
Boy oh boy do I agree with that!!
I Agree with David Hogg we need new stronger and younger leaders. Because these old school democrats are too weak and can’t stand up to evil trump and his evil regime.The American people doing more than Schumer and others like him.
It's not just age though; I think we need vigorous ethical leaders. Van Hollen is no youngster, but his mission has not ever seemed to be enriching himself or gaining power (I live in MD)...and look at how well Bernie inspires. Neither of these people are rich. Pelosi and Schumer are often cited as not representing the people. Having money is not bad in and of itself, but neither is being older. I would like to see ethics, intelligence (vs education) and commitment to service being the standard we hold for our representatives.
Wrong take. Unless you consider Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders over the hill. Senator Warnock is not a young man, nor is Senator Widen. In the House, Jamie Raskin was 60 during his first term. He's in his third. Crockett would make a fine whip (were the Dems in the majority). Yesterday I heard snide dismissal of Bernie, of AOC, and of Cory Booker by Bill Maher, and presented as if that were the centrist view. Maher has clearly passed his use by date. The problem is that people want ward-healers for their own districts and that invites a selfish and narrow view of government. The people I've listed above are true representatives of sectors of all American communities, particularly those whose fealty they have lost. The politicians they support have learned too well from Tip O'neil. All politics is local, said he, and he may have been correct in olden times (1970s-80s), but today we are much more connected and aware of global and regional problems, hence not so insular.
In other words, it's not the age of the pol, but the age of their ideas.
"Maher has clearly passed his use by date." 👏👏👏 Very well said! And I agree. Great overall comment. 🙌
Maher went to Mar a Lago to bend the knee, and Trump made it through a dinner acting civilized. And then one of the producers of "The Apprentice" makes a statement afterwards, "he saw Trump do that dozens of times, Trump can be whoever the person wants him to be, tell them what they want to hear, then he walks away laughing at how easy they are to play."
I quit watching Maher when he had Ben Shapiro and Malcolm Nance on, as I recall Maher asked Malcom Nance to explain "woke" which Nance did through the perspective of a black man's experience, Maher asked Shapiro if he agreed with what Nance said, Shapiro did agree with Nance on the definition, but then he went on with his Gish gallop to bigot-splain how Nance's description was invalid because these two white priveleged men had never experienced what Nance had. And Maher set there and agreed with Shapiro. They literally told a black man what his experience was. DONE. So very done. Maher took smug asshole to an ugly level. I never expected better of Shapiro.
Maher Yes I totally agree
Maher did NOT go to Mar-a-Lago. He went to the White House, where he dined with the Mango Mussolini and his "good friend", Kid Rock, ostensibly to dine, but Maher is a vegetarian and except for Drumpf's children, there are no veggies in the residence. Maher is no ordinary Morning Joe, a Chamberlain-like appeaser. He has gone full Quisling and has, for some time, been collaborating with Agent Orange. Who knows? Putin may have some kompromat on Bill.
Good points!!
Not all but most but I agree I love Bernie and Jamie and others as well the ones who speak up and stand up to trump.
Schumer may be weak but Bernie Sanders certainly is not. Please stop with the ageism. We do have new, younger leaders who are great, but we also have a mix of ages/generations as it should be.
I agree to some degree about age becuz the babyboomer generation is dying off. The Gen Z and the millennials are going to want their leaders to be able to appeals to their needs/desires in a tech/information age.
We also need to keep experienced members. We can’t have a Democracy without rules laws - as painful as it is to say this in the face of such destruction.
Energy without knowledge & ability is about as effective as garden sprinklers in a weed patch, when we need targeted water canons for precision and guided but overwhelming tsunamis for their sheer force and volume.
This is not about taking the higher road. It’s about not devolving into lawlessness and chaos.
We don’t want corrupt members of government. We want to get rid of them. If we let the people on our side get away with being unconstitutional & illegal, we won’t have anyone that anyone can trust.
I'm not that impressed with Hogg. There ARE younger leaders out there who are active and speaking out, and also putting in the time and energy to learn how to work with people, pulling them together instead of just hammering at one issue over and over. One of the most powerful things in the resistance we have right now is the diversity of the people showing up of all ages, from many kinds of backgrounds (including political), bringing their experiences and their concerns. We have leaders, but we may not know yet who is going to emerge as the leaders of the future who will help guide us there. David Hogg may be one of them, but his approach makes me uncomfortable by his dismissal of experienced leaders, who know that not all leadership takes place in the open. I am leery of people who are self-proclaimed "leaders. We work on this together and we don't create artificial barriers if we are serious about reclaiming and protecting our democracy.
Bravo Brian, Dems need activist oriented leadership, with
committees covering i1mmigration/ border, economy/ fiscal policy/taxes,laws/ constitution,
i think specifically Charles Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Cory Booker should be ready to defer media questions to key "generals" working all these various topics (battle fronts) of this democracy war.
when they try to be all-answer; all-knowing, on all fronts, the result is they end up looking silly and never look as if the party is united with a plan. ALL these trump issues should be addressed, but do not fall into the trap of thinking or having "one person answer completely actions on all topics". this is the oportunity to defer to strong younger leaders to polish their metal for furture battles in this war for our republic.
Senator Van Hollen went to El Salvador so he already stepped up to this topic. Bernie and AOC are attacking the front on taxing the rich and the overall oligarchy. Others are slamming tariffs, inflation, Ukraine, "trump as dictator", defying the courts, etc.
have the "big boys" make brief answers but defer to key "generals" of these new fronts against the republic. that way they look organized, (are actually organized), expose the public to the next leaders of the party, and themselves aren't so overwhelmed on the project of fighting for our democracy.
Career politicians and all these old white dudes need to go. Just like in corporations you need to get rid of the deadwood. The younger generations call us Boomers and they are usually not saying it in a respectful or positive way. And then there are the others in Congress that have money that can’t relate to the ordinary people. The presidents & prime ministers of other countries are much younger. Nancy Pelosi…85! Come on! She’s so past it she doesn’t even recognize it is time to step down when her husband needs iher after taking a hammer to his head for her!!
Yesterday, in our little town, 1000 people gathered peacefully to denounce this regime. Reading comments about the protest/rally, it’s obvious many in our community just plainly hate us liberals so they support the evil regime. Yes, they hate us ‘liberals” but we will prevail.
Our protest yesterday was much smaller (red town in Indiana) but we were definitely noticed by those in our community who hate us! Scary to read the comments. Also, we had MAGA men racing down the street in their pickups, gunning the motor to show us how much they hated us. Leaving clouds of black fumes in their wake...
We had some of that too, as we were in the reddest part of our state. But we got a number of raised fists/thumbs and honking horns, so maybe there are more folks who are tired of all the chaos than we realize now.
And maybe we can convince others that what MAGA wants is not just bad but evil and destructive. Resist.
I think you are right. As people realize they are not alone, they will become more willing to stand up.
I find it interesting that young men in big loud trucks with modified exhaust sytems seem to be a common element in a lot of places holding protests. What does that tell us? I suspect one possibility is that the visible MAGA movement at this point is mainly younger men unable to see beyond their high school years who are their "activists". They are among the victims but don't know it. I want to emphasize that this means little: these people are not representative of those who are creating the chaos we are seeing in our government, economy, international relations, targeting schools and universities, blackmailing law firms, disappearing people at random. They have nothing to do with this, which is Project 2025 in action, instigated and promoted by wealthy men wearing suits and attended by women who derive their influence by emulating the men with power.
I know that red Indiana is different from my small blue-ish town in Vermont, but at our demonstrations, we see far more waves and honks of support than the guys blowing smoke. And our numbers are growing, across the country. My town and yours and others like it, taken together prove that together we can make a movement.
We did also get a lot of honks and waves, I should have mentioned that. We love Vermont! My husband spent a good deal of his childhood in Burlington!
Keep the faith, resist!
Oh wow, your group are the real heroes!! We had about 1000-ish show up too, but we're a blue town in a red state, and although I did see some of those really obnoxious lifted pickup trucks, they didn't do anything at all, and otherwise there were zero counter protestors. Most people driving by honked like crazy waving their own signs and pumping fists and flashing victory/peace signs. The police in our town are on our side (for the most part) and we even had a big USPS truck drive by honking his horn...that thing sounded like a train horn!! He drove by twice honking!! That was a sight to behold, just incredible!!!
Does anyone else feel like the poll numbers are totally inaccurate on everything right now? Just prior to the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, Susan Crawford was down 5%. She won by almost 10%. Are some people afraid to tell someone how they actually feel, but will vote their true feelings privately? More people need to find the courage to speak out against what is happening.
Boston didn’t have a big rally yesterday. The marathon takes over the city every Patriot’s Day weekend. The large number of smaller protests all over Massachusetts was AWESOME. None of them were shown on our local ABC station at all. The news isn’t reporting on what is happening, but we will make sure that we are heard.
In general, since Trump 1.0, Democrats have been outperforming polls and election predictions far more often than Republicans. Some 2018 midterm predictions had Republicans keeping the House and getting 60 seats in the Senate. Neither happened.
Then the '22 midterms, most predicted a landslide for Republicans in the House and Senate, and that most of the voters who matter most would get over any anger over Dobbs and attacks on abortion rights. Instead, Democrats took an outright majority, and even though Republicans did get the House back, they ended up with a razor thin majority, which no poll or prediction suggested. And on the state level in '22, things largely turned out just as badly for Republicans.
You know ABC paid Frump $15million, right?
ABC is not a reliable source of news.
It was court ordered.
Our rally yesterday wasn't as big as the one two weeks ago, but we had events going on too. Also, the day before Easter Sunday which is traditionally a big deal here, although not the big deal it once was.
In Boston, it is April School Vacation. A lot of people are away on vacation. It will be interesting to see the numbers at the May rally.
Did you see anything on CBS or NBC, CNN, MSNBC??? I haven't seen much if anything on any off those stations either.
My mom watches ABC network news (why, I do not know, she knows what's up with them and Rump too)...although she does watch it on an antenna...anyway, I noticed the protests were shoved waaayyyyy down in the second block of news. Even though they showed a collage of massive numbers of people from big cities around the country...like, do they watch their own coverage??!? Did they not happen to notice they covered about the same numbers if not more just two short weeks ago??? Friends, my fellow Americans, we cannot rely on the press right now. Thank God for social media, The Atlantic, and Substack, otherwise this place really WOULD be 1930s Germany!!
"Nothing mattered, in the end. Not the probable dementia, the unfathomable ignorance, the emotional incontinence; not, certainly, the shambling, hate-filled campaign, or the ludicrously unworkable anti-policies.
The candidate out on bail in four jurisdictions, the convicted fraud artist, the adjudicated rapist and serial sexual predator, the habitual bankrupt, the stooge of Vladimir Putin, the man who tried to overturn the last election and all of his creepy retinue of crooks, ideologues and lunatics: Americans took a long look at all this and said, yes please.
There is no sense in understating the depth of the disaster. This is a crisis like no other in our lifetimes. The government of the United States has been delivered into the hands of a gangster, whose sole purpose in running, besides staying out of jail, is to seek revenge on his enemies. The damage Donald Trump and his nihilist cronies can do – to America, but also to its democratic allies, and to the peace and security of the world – is incalculable." - Robert Reich
The problem is that all these pundits won't even look into the evidence of election interference.
https://electiontruthalliance.org/
Brilliant!
It’s a pretty sad day when fighting for liberty and due process is considered a distraction. I am pissed that Gavin Newsome said this. Sure, I am upset about the economy and my declining retirement account but I am also very upset about the disappearing of people. The idea that we should keep quiet until he comes for American citizens is ludicrous to me. It really upsets me that a majority of Americans might not appreciate the seriousness of the moment.
It always starts like this. There is a kind of disbelief that I not only understand, but sometimes share- and I was one of the people who warned of this a long time ago. The solution is to get involved in whatever way you can, not just to raise awareness, but most of all, show people that they are not alone. Also it's important to cut people some slack as they absorb the reality of what's happening, and also when they need to step back a little to recharge.
I try not to let certain people pull me down. I don't waste time and energy on them, but put that energy toward doing things that can help move our resistance forward. I focus on people who are uncertain and trying to figure things out- by pointing out places they can start without feeling they have to think a certain way or do some big thing they are not ready for yet. There are some magnificent resources out there to point to: Indivisible.org, MoveOn, 50501, many others. Most are umbrellas for small local working groups, online and off, and it is exciting to see those larger umbrellas collaborating on actions that support joint concerns. I can attest there is a large and growing response to the disappearances. This is an affront to all of us.
Your empathy is a lesson to me. I will try to exercise it in order to bring others into the tent.
I so disappointed in most of our Democratic legislators. They are just not up to this challenge. They will WAIT until he sends citizens to the gulag? WTH? Sure, we can sacrifice a few US citizens to get people motivated to act. NO! Cut him off at the knees on this one. Give NOT ONE INCH. Force the crisis. IDK what it will take to awaken this numb party. We may just need to walk past them. It seems they do not understand that they will be among the first to go if this monster consolidates his power. There are enough of us to focus our wrath on different issues. Let those who voted for him and are now furious about the economy take that issue. Why can’t we firehouse them with opposition as they firehouse us with blatant lies horrific policies. We are at a tipping point and I and getting damn sick of doing the work
Of those whose salaries I pay. The Dems need to get with the people or they will be replaced. The must be.
We must write or call them daily and tell them we are keeping track.
Oh yea I know. I am stating to call those who don’t even represent me.
We lose our morality if we do not focus on the evils being done with immigration. How can we ignore people being shipped to a concentration camp, to die there. There is no due process, but even if there were, if someone is found guilty and needing deportation, it does not mean a life sentence in a concentration camp. We believed we were a nation based on a constitution that banned cruel and unusual punishment, that gave everyone a chance to defend themselves. If we do not focus on the immigration abuses we have lost our way.
Absolutely 💯 yes!!
Thank you for your article Brian Tyler Cohen!!
I am incensed by the comment by the centrist Dem “just one hairdresser” …ugh unbelievably disgusting!! Just one human! Just one person in the US who did not get his Constitutional right to due process! Just one person sent to a gulag for who knows how long (while we pay over 18K a day for each prisoner we sent there, further incentivizing their permanent incarceration). Yes, our Constitution protects EVERYONE ON U.S.SOIL. We must not ever play that game of allowing *just one* to be thrown under the wheels of injustice…”just one” is too many!!! And not speaking up is what Timothy Snyder would call “Obeying in advance” -that’s the first thing to not do if you want to oppose tyranny.
Remember when Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate and we thought there would be a reckoning -and then nothing happened? That was under Trump also. Khashoggi was a US resident. There should have been consequences for that. It let Trump know without a doubt that powerful rich men didn’t pay the price that other people pay for crimes.
Now we all know…we hang together or we hang separately. If the least powerful among us don’t have constitutional protections, then none of us do. Hold the line!!
Well, Schumer and Jeffries think the best strategy is to “wait this out” until his approval hits 40%. And yet, here we are, and crickets.
They’re not taking the bait. They already ate it. Neville Chamberlains, all.
Not Bill Maher. He's a Quisling.
We keep focusing on Drumpf's multi pronged, slight of hand, look over here tactics, disregarding this direct attack on the fundamental Tennant's of the US constitutional and especially the rule of law! And, don't think it's him putting on this show! Just like the "Apprentice" stint, where he's given script and direction, told where to stand, what to say, how to ACT. He's the true face of his role in this attempt to alter the law and direction, the road this country is currently traveling!! It's the Heritage Foundation that's the puppeteer here! FOCUS PEOPLE! PLEASE!!!🙏🏾
How best to focus on them? What are you suggesting we do?
I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of federal employees who could file a complaint on their agency head's surety bond: https://bondsforthewin.com/ and perhaps have more impact than a court case. But what of the rest of us?
https://www.impeachtrumpagain.org/
Thank you. I totally agree...and there are so many areas where we are being attacked that it's almost a shell game. But EVERYTHING is important and NONE of this is normal. I do not want to play the "Blame" game about ANY of our Democrats because all of our Senators and Reps are caught in between.. Our Supreme Court should have been able to have stopped this BEFORE we ever got to this point, almost four months into this regime...but since the majority of our Supreme Court was paid for, by the felon..we are now in this position.. IF we ever got out of this mess we need to assure that our government can never BE BOUGHT ever again.. If the extremely wealthy won't carry their share they shouldn't be allowed the power they are now exhibiting and WE MUST HANGE THIS>>> We've got to get more citizens to CARE enough to pay attention!! This goes back to education...Hindsight is such a great teacher...alas.... Hang in there everybody...DIG IN Do what's right!! It ain't OVER until it's OVER...
Deporting people, as in sending them to their home country after fair due process, is one thing. Dumping a human being in a death camp in a foreign country is something else entirely. It is never, ever justified.
Are we lacking prisons here? We have a private prison industry here, sickeningly large, hungry for money and seriously under supervised. Plenty of waste, fraud, abuse there. Why are those hellholes not bad enough for the regime’s targets?
Someone needs to sue Frump over the allocation of $5million to a foreign prison camp.
(and while they're at it, the more millions he spends to go golfing)
I love the phrase that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. I participated in the economic blackout Friday while also participating in a rally Saturday. It’s possible to care, focus, voice our anger on more than one thing at a time. I’m still sending postcards and emails. Everything is possible when it comes to getting rid of this administration.
Thank you, Lori, for your simple reminder that this isn't about doing big things, but about all of us doing what we can to resist. Altogether we add up to a huge force that is just beginning to be felt- and responded to. We just need to keep going.
and of course the whole point is that without due process for EVERYONE no one can know for a certainty WHO is being deported - are they a criminal, a citizen, on a visa, not on a visa? without due process you don't know for sure. Democrats, how about standing up on this one BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO? not because a focus group or polling numbers tell you so.
And as Snyder said (about why we all have to stand up for due process for everyone): "It is due process, and due process alone, that allows you to demonstrate that you are a citizen. Without it, the masked men in the black vans can simply claim that you are a foreign terrorist and disappear you."
I agree that the real fight needs to be for due process for all. When we have a specific name in the news , the public seems to quickly forget about the “Mahmoud’s” moving on to Kilmar, then on to the next who dominates news stories. Due process for all please.