I am weary, confused, and nauseous. I am not alone. I tried to organize a locally-focused Friends of Democracy group in my community of 2,000. Three people responded, confirming my perception. Like you, I also know that many are gleeful as it’s “bombs away” on democracy. Yes, this is a real-time horror story and there are too few leading a countermovement. We need Tim Snyder and are grateful for his public voice. We need more people like him who are fact driven, and know relevant facts, and work in concert. A few years ago, Elizabeth Kolbert, a science-oriented writer with The New Yorker, wrote an unforgettable, clear-eyed essay “Why Facts Don’t Change Minds.” It’s easily accessible and, I think, a necessary foundation to the work of a moving toward a modern democracy.
I cannot help but end with a brilliant stanza from Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin’”.
Don't give up just because so few people initially responded. As the horror settles in, we need people like you to keep telling people their voice counts. It is public movements that bring change (think about how long it took women to get the vote!)
Been thinking of Dylan and Paul Simon a lot these days. Music and lyrics sung & spoken to unperson audiences, are very much needed. What are college campuses doing these days?
When "Day One" arrives we must watch for the Executive Orders that come out. I'm sure they are already printed & signed & ready to go. Will the first one be to declare a national emergency & call out the troops?
We need to watch what happens in meat packing facilities, farm labor camps, neighborhoods that are mostly Hispanic in their population. We need to see who is doing the round ups. Will it be armed people with no insignias on their uniforms that go into places & haul off individuals & groups? We need to watch our military & see what happens when they are given the orders.
I have no illusions about what is coming & it isn't looking good. Are we really going to depend on Republican Senators to step up? I'm not in the mood to laugh so please don't try to make me laugh by holding out hope that NOW they see the danger & will act accordingly. They will fear for their jobs first, their lives & then their families. Revenge has no barriers especially when the leader is a megalomaniac!
There were anonymous armed individuals arresting protestors in Summer 2020, so I wouldn't be surprised if similar individuals show up at the deportations.
Musk & Trump, in their vision of kleptocracy, believe that democracy is for sale & that they've bought control of the US government...that Trump/Musk & their MAGA oligarchs can act with impunity.
The battles to rescue democracy & the rule of law will require resilient resistance...
Bondi as AG and Patel at the FBI are clear signs that the ONLY role for the DoJ under Trump 2.0 will be as an instrument of revenge and enforcer of his power as Supreme Leader. In spite of what he and the MAGAs think, this will have profound consequences that will blowback on them and on any and all Republican Senators who voted to confirm them. Add in Hegseth and Gabbard, ensuring that our intelligence services will be blind to real threat and unwelcome to our allies, and you have a recipe for disaster. How long before Republican senators find themselves in the Nixonian vise, caught between loyalty to Trump and loyalty to the party and to their own political careers? In my opinion, it is not impossible to see an impeachment and conviction after an abuse of power to beyond the pale to tolerate, or after an unforeseen incident, unforeseen because of incompetence or total focus on vengeance against Trump's tormentors.
Re: Patel: He was an aide to Devon Nunes. He, along with Ezra Cohen, was appointed to a position of power *after* the coup plot was afoot, and in fact did aid the attempt. In January, 2021, he conspired with Johnny McEntee in an effort to withdraw forces from Afghanistan abruptly, end-running General Milley and other defense figures. The effort to blame Ukraine for interfering with the 2016 election, not Russia, has been determined to have been a Russian active measure; Patel was the staffer who laid materials regarding it on Trump's desk--thus, he, like Gabbard, should be suspected to be a Russian asset on some level. Patel *lied* about Nigerian buy-in to a Seal Team 6 raid to rescue hostages there, jeopardizing the mission, then denied lying. During the first Trump administration, several members of the national security community recoiled in horror at the suggestion that Patel would be placed in in a position of power . The man has scant experience with the justice system, other than as a public defender, and no experience in the law enforcement end.
"A pattern is emerging: the federal government is to be used only as an instrument of revenge, which means that the law will be subverted as such. Laws that were passed to improve the [lives] of citizens, meanwhile, will simply not be implemented."
Yes, absolutely! And among the most important laws intended to improve the lives of citizens are the laws designed to constrain the excesses of our nation's many hate groups such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Boogaloo Boys, KKK, and many others who have been waiting -- impatiently -- and planning for this day for well over 40 years.
The ascendance of Trump II represents nothing short of tacit (if not explicit) endorsement and empowerment of their various hateful agendas, which include, but are not limited to, white supremacy, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, xenophobia, misogyny, etc. Their hatreds go on and on. And they view Trump as their latter day Messiah. Oh, and did anyone mention that they are really, really well armed and looking eagerly for any excuses -- however flimsy -- to go ballistic?
For additional details, I recommend 'God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America' by Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware. Quoting from the book:
". . . according to American University scholar Cynthia Miller-Idriss's 'best estimate' at least 75,000 to 100,000 individuals are actively involved with white supremacist extremist groups, in addition to the 15,000 to 20,000 people who belong to armed militia organizations comprising some three hundred different groups, the threat of wide-spread acts of domestic terrorism -- perhaps leading to a sustained insurgency campaign and even civil war -- is not hyperbolic."
Don't be shocked to see conspicuous formations of hate groups in attendance at Trump's 20 January 2025 inauguration standing proudly and giving the Heil Hitler salute.
Even Elon Musk may not be able to buy his way out of the hate groups' long-awaited "Day of the rope."
Our 5 November 2024 election loosened the cork in the bottle containing the angry, centuries-old evil, hateful genie; our 20 January 2025 inauguration/coronation of President Trump will remove the cork fully. Many of us foresaw this and tried to warn our fellow citizens; elections have consequences, often unintended consequences. Welcome to dystopia.
Remember that General Milley met with Acting Secretary of Defense Miller and his side-kick Patel after the election in 2020 and told them the following:
""Don't do it. Don't even try to do it. I can smell it. I can see it. And so can a lot of other people. The military will have no part of this shit." (From Baker and Glasser's book)
Milley also told them that he would have no problem seeing them go to prison.
I am a Canadian and we have already felt the impact of the "Trumpification" of our world. Last week Trump announced a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports. This has put Canadians into a panic. To what end? We are your most important trading partner and best friend.
There is little that Canadians can do to prevent Trump from causing chaos in our country and elsewhere. However, YOU can make a difference—write to your senators and urge them not to bow to that authoritarian. Make your voice heard because, if you don't, the entire world will face dire consequences!
Thanks T. I am most concerned about the reaction of the Military to unlawful, or "quasi-lawful" order. In your hugely valued opinion, what needs to happen to ensure that the military protects us against the Blowligarchs? Is there a plan you could come up with, or do we just sit here and hope/trust in their adherence to the constitution and our safety? Even scenarios would help.
I’ve been reading a lot of right wing posts in various media extolling the virtues of “We the People” as explanation for Trump’s electoral victory. One didn’t hear much of that following Biden’s victory. Then it was, of course all those ‘lefties’ who were out to destroy America and turn it into some sort of socialist paradise.
If one looks at the record of “We the People” one finds, among other things, that “We the People’ once supported slavery, the exclusion of women from the franchise, the initiation and extension of the Jim Crow era, the slaughter of those who held the land before us, and the imprisonment of thousand of American citizens in concentration camps during WWII (while many of their sons fought fascism with exceptional bravery and sacrifice in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team). These are (BTW) positions Donald Trump would almost certainly have held had he been there at the time. Anyone who doesn’t believe that has never really listened to him.
There is no inherent virtue in “We the People” except when we all recognize the promise of our Founding, that all Americans are equal under the law, not just the ones we happen to agree with.
The fact is that we have never been equal under the law. Women and people who are not white have had to fight for everything using their nails. The lands were taken away from the original inhabitants and the thievery has just continued throughout our lives. Putin has been planning this for at least 30 years. He planted Russian agents posing as “Americans” by infiltrating Congress. Diabolical and frightening, both of which we have only been exposed to in movies or by watching other countries get devoured up by evilness. Now it’s our turn, to feel the wrath of all that we have feared. Our laws and systems are flawed. Perhaps this is a time to change them where they really do benefit everyone…as long as we have the chance to do so.
Putin has had no need to plant Russian agents - he has Donald Trump and many of his myrmidons who would love to have the power Putin has at home, and who have pulled off the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the American people by any American politician - that they actually understand or respect our electoral process, our Constitution, or the rule of law.
I totally agree with your time line, although I don't know who planted Ivana in Trump's way. That's when it really started. I think there have been a lot of congressmen who were filmed/photographed over the years since, and that's why we see so much trouble with Congress.
"Flood the Zone" is Steve Bannon's technique for disruption. That is the playbook which Trump is following. Bannon's actual quote is "Flood the Zone with shit. Make it stink." That is exactly what Trump is doing. He is flooding the zone with anti-qualified, craven sycophants. The Supreme Court is no longer a bulwark against the dismantling of democracy. It became complicit by providing immunity for the incoming autocrat. The Legislative Branch of government is the last barrier to the assault being waged by a criminal syndicate. It is essential that the Senate shed its invertebrate propensity and develop the required internal fortitude.
I'm sorry to make matters worse, but given his age, family history of dementia, and obvious mental decline, it seems very likely to me that he will not survive to the end of his term, and we will have JD as president. JD Vance, a man whose documented behavior reveals him to be devoid of principles, whose strings are pulled by Vladimir Putin and Peter Thiel. He has his full mental faculties, and thus represents a more severe threat. Moreover, everything is being set up to enable him to act unimpeded.
1. Excerpt: "Senators, regardless of party, should understand that the United States Senate will not outlast the United States, insist on voting, and vote accordingly." (This strikes me as a key point.)
2. Request from Tim Snyder: "Please share this post with people who might benefit from reading it."
I put 1. and 2. together and conclude that it would be useful to get some flavor (crisp summary with punchline up front?) of this piece to all of our Senators. I will do this even though I know mine are already directionally aligned. This gets shared language and truth out there in a way that might create momentum.
If somebody draws up a playbook, they intend to use it. - Coach Walz #Project2025
We need that playbook at minimum for defense, Kirsten. At best for offense.
Nobody needs project 2025 playbook.
Trump's denial of any knowledge of Project 25 will go down as being a Very Large Lie rivaling the infamous Big Lie.
What else to expect from a pathological liar, America 🤥
I am weary, confused, and nauseous. I am not alone. I tried to organize a locally-focused Friends of Democracy group in my community of 2,000. Three people responded, confirming my perception. Like you, I also know that many are gleeful as it’s “bombs away” on democracy. Yes, this is a real-time horror story and there are too few leading a countermovement. We need Tim Snyder and are grateful for his public voice. We need more people like him who are fact driven, and know relevant facts, and work in concert. A few years ago, Elizabeth Kolbert, a science-oriented writer with The New Yorker, wrote an unforgettable, clear-eyed essay “Why Facts Don’t Change Minds.” It’s easily accessible and, I think, a necessary foundation to the work of a moving toward a modern democracy.
I cannot help but end with a brilliant stanza from Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin’”.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'
Don't give up just because so few people initially responded. As the horror settles in, we need people like you to keep telling people their voice counts. It is public movements that bring change (think about how long it took women to get the vote!)
🍀 Thanks so much. 🍀
Been thinking of Dylan and Paul Simon a lot these days. Music and lyrics sung & spoken to unperson audiences, are very much needed. What are college campuses doing these days?
From American Tune. “For we lived so well so long…” 😢
Not much, as far as I'm aware. Social media, memes, funny posts are the diet nowadays.
When "Day One" arrives we must watch for the Executive Orders that come out. I'm sure they are already printed & signed & ready to go. Will the first one be to declare a national emergency & call out the troops?
We need to watch what happens in meat packing facilities, farm labor camps, neighborhoods that are mostly Hispanic in their population. We need to see who is doing the round ups. Will it be armed people with no insignias on their uniforms that go into places & haul off individuals & groups? We need to watch our military & see what happens when they are given the orders.
I have no illusions about what is coming & it isn't looking good. Are we really going to depend on Republican Senators to step up? I'm not in the mood to laugh so please don't try to make me laugh by holding out hope that NOW they see the danger & will act accordingly. They will fear for their jobs first, their lives & then their families. Revenge has no barriers especially when the leader is a megalomaniac!
There were anonymous armed individuals arresting protestors in Summer 2020, so I wouldn't be surprised if similar individuals show up at the deportations.
yes, that's why I posted that comment,
I just posted related thoughts regarding Day One and Executive Orders. MEH
Great minds? or is it worried minds? : )
Musk & Trump, in their vision of kleptocracy, believe that democracy is for sale & that they've bought control of the US government...that Trump/Musk & their MAGA oligarchs can act with impunity.
The battles to rescue democracy & the rule of law will require resilient resistance...
Thank you, Prof. Snyder, for a brilliant piece of writing.
Bondi as AG and Patel at the FBI are clear signs that the ONLY role for the DoJ under Trump 2.0 will be as an instrument of revenge and enforcer of his power as Supreme Leader. In spite of what he and the MAGAs think, this will have profound consequences that will blowback on them and on any and all Republican Senators who voted to confirm them. Add in Hegseth and Gabbard, ensuring that our intelligence services will be blind to real threat and unwelcome to our allies, and you have a recipe for disaster. How long before Republican senators find themselves in the Nixonian vise, caught between loyalty to Trump and loyalty to the party and to their own political careers? In my opinion, it is not impossible to see an impeachment and conviction after an abuse of power to beyond the pale to tolerate, or after an unforeseen incident, unforeseen because of incompetence or total focus on vengeance against Trump's tormentors.
Trouble with the word "revenge," Peter, is that it associates with things already done.
By Dems. By decent people in the media.
A whole new scenario may be underway, composed by Putin, Iranian mullahs, etc.
Re: Patel: He was an aide to Devon Nunes. He, along with Ezra Cohen, was appointed to a position of power *after* the coup plot was afoot, and in fact did aid the attempt. In January, 2021, he conspired with Johnny McEntee in an effort to withdraw forces from Afghanistan abruptly, end-running General Milley and other defense figures. The effort to blame Ukraine for interfering with the 2016 election, not Russia, has been determined to have been a Russian active measure; Patel was the staffer who laid materials regarding it on Trump's desk--thus, he, like Gabbard, should be suspected to be a Russian asset on some level. Patel *lied* about Nigerian buy-in to a Seal Team 6 raid to rescue hostages there, jeopardizing the mission, then denied lying. During the first Trump administration, several members of the national security community recoiled in horror at the suggestion that Patel would be placed in in a position of power . The man has scant experience with the justice system, other than as a public defender, and no experience in the law enforcement end.
As a Californian, I apologize for Nunes and Patel, and for the people in Bakersfield who supported Nunes.
And his cow? Nunes’ cow is ok?
Your wrote:
"A pattern is emerging: the federal government is to be used only as an instrument of revenge, which means that the law will be subverted as such. Laws that were passed to improve the [lives] of citizens, meanwhile, will simply not be implemented."
Yes, absolutely! And among the most important laws intended to improve the lives of citizens are the laws designed to constrain the excesses of our nation's many hate groups such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Boogaloo Boys, KKK, and many others who have been waiting -- impatiently -- and planning for this day for well over 40 years.
The ascendance of Trump II represents nothing short of tacit (if not explicit) endorsement and empowerment of their various hateful agendas, which include, but are not limited to, white supremacy, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, xenophobia, misogyny, etc. Their hatreds go on and on. And they view Trump as their latter day Messiah. Oh, and did anyone mention that they are really, really well armed and looking eagerly for any excuses -- however flimsy -- to go ballistic?
For additional details, I recommend 'God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America' by Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware. Quoting from the book:
". . . according to American University scholar Cynthia Miller-Idriss's 'best estimate' at least 75,000 to 100,000 individuals are actively involved with white supremacist extremist groups, in addition to the 15,000 to 20,000 people who belong to armed militia organizations comprising some three hundred different groups, the threat of wide-spread acts of domestic terrorism -- perhaps leading to a sustained insurgency campaign and even civil war -- is not hyperbolic."
Don't be shocked to see conspicuous formations of hate groups in attendance at Trump's 20 January 2025 inauguration standing proudly and giving the Heil Hitler salute.
Even Elon Musk may not be able to buy his way out of the hate groups' long-awaited "Day of the rope."
Our 5 November 2024 election loosened the cork in the bottle containing the angry, centuries-old evil, hateful genie; our 20 January 2025 inauguration/coronation of President Trump will remove the cork fully. Many of us foresaw this and tried to warn our fellow citizens; elections have consequences, often unintended consequences. Welcome to dystopia.
Remember that General Milley met with Acting Secretary of Defense Miller and his side-kick Patel after the election in 2020 and told them the following:
""Don't do it. Don't even try to do it. I can smell it. I can see it. And so can a lot of other people. The military will have no part of this shit." (From Baker and Glasser's book)
Milley also told them that he would have no problem seeing them go to prison.
I am a Canadian and we have already felt the impact of the "Trumpification" of our world. Last week Trump announced a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports. This has put Canadians into a panic. To what end? We are your most important trading partner and best friend.
There is little that Canadians can do to prevent Trump from causing chaos in our country and elsewhere. However, YOU can make a difference—write to your senators and urge them not to bow to that authoritarian. Make your voice heard because, if you don't, the entire world will face dire consequences!
THIS TIME
This time we are the ones who flew the planes
devastating our very own towers.
Bygone parchments that enshrined our powers:
we’ve shredded them. It’s not clear what remains.
There were no firemen, charging up the stairs.
Remember, awful, seeing people leap.
The movement this time feels more like a creep
snaking down from doubts to abject despairs.
God bless America. Only He’s dead.
That’s OK. So are we. Two of a kind.
Like their chosen savior, out of our mind,
but not so gone that we can’t feel the dread.
Eleven-five: homegrown nine-eleven
So, we hold these truths to be self-riven
Are there even five Republican Senators with the abilliy to see and the courage to resisit.
Send this to GregOlear at Prevail or on x & bluesky, he’ll love it.
Thanks.
Thanks T. I am most concerned about the reaction of the Military to unlawful, or "quasi-lawful" order. In your hugely valued opinion, what needs to happen to ensure that the military protects us against the Blowligarchs? Is there a plan you could come up with, or do we just sit here and hope/trust in their adherence to the constitution and our safety? Even scenarios would help.
Excellent question. I worry about that too.
I’ve been reading a lot of right wing posts in various media extolling the virtues of “We the People” as explanation for Trump’s electoral victory. One didn’t hear much of that following Biden’s victory. Then it was, of course all those ‘lefties’ who were out to destroy America and turn it into some sort of socialist paradise.
If one looks at the record of “We the People” one finds, among other things, that “We the People’ once supported slavery, the exclusion of women from the franchise, the initiation and extension of the Jim Crow era, the slaughter of those who held the land before us, and the imprisonment of thousand of American citizens in concentration camps during WWII (while many of their sons fought fascism with exceptional bravery and sacrifice in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team). These are (BTW) positions Donald Trump would almost certainly have held had he been there at the time. Anyone who doesn’t believe that has never really listened to him.
There is no inherent virtue in “We the People” except when we all recognize the promise of our Founding, that all Americans are equal under the law, not just the ones we happen to agree with.
The fact is that we have never been equal under the law. Women and people who are not white have had to fight for everything using their nails. The lands were taken away from the original inhabitants and the thievery has just continued throughout our lives. Putin has been planning this for at least 30 years. He planted Russian agents posing as “Americans” by infiltrating Congress. Diabolical and frightening, both of which we have only been exposed to in movies or by watching other countries get devoured up by evilness. Now it’s our turn, to feel the wrath of all that we have feared. Our laws and systems are flawed. Perhaps this is a time to change them where they really do benefit everyone…as long as we have the chance to do so.
Putin has had no need to plant Russian agents - he has Donald Trump and many of his myrmidons who would love to have the power Putin has at home, and who have pulled off the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the American people by any American politician - that they actually understand or respect our electoral process, our Constitution, or the rule of law.
More piquant, James, electing a convicted criminal for their further criminality.
I totally agree with your time line, although I don't know who planted Ivana in Trump's way. That's when it really started. I think there have been a lot of congressmen who were filmed/photographed over the years since, and that's why we see so much trouble with Congress.
"Flood the Zone" is Steve Bannon's technique for disruption. That is the playbook which Trump is following. Bannon's actual quote is "Flood the Zone with shit. Make it stink." That is exactly what Trump is doing. He is flooding the zone with anti-qualified, craven sycophants. The Supreme Court is no longer a bulwark against the dismantling of democracy. It became complicit by providing immunity for the incoming autocrat. The Legislative Branch of government is the last barrier to the assault being waged by a criminal syndicate. It is essential that the Senate shed its invertebrate propensity and develop the required internal fortitude.
I'm sorry to make matters worse, but given his age, family history of dementia, and obvious mental decline, it seems very likely to me that he will not survive to the end of his term, and we will have JD as president. JD Vance, a man whose documented behavior reveals him to be devoid of principles, whose strings are pulled by Vladimir Putin and Peter Thiel. He has his full mental faculties, and thus represents a more severe threat. Moreover, everything is being set up to enable him to act unimpeded.
1. Excerpt: "Senators, regardless of party, should understand that the United States Senate will not outlast the United States, insist on voting, and vote accordingly." (This strikes me as a key point.)
2. Request from Tim Snyder: "Please share this post with people who might benefit from reading it."
I put 1. and 2. together and conclude that it would be useful to get some flavor (crisp summary with punchline up front?) of this piece to all of our Senators. I will do this even though I know mine are already directionally aligned. This gets shared language and truth out there in a way that might create momentum.