The cover of Monday's Süddeutsche Zeitung has a photograph of Saturday's demonstration auf der Wies'n, where 250,000 - 320,000 people took part in an anti-right wing extremist demonstration- two weeks *before* the election. Here in the US fascism is in full swing and what are Americans doing? Watching a football game. What a country.
I don't mean to minimise the threat, just to say that Stephen perhaps downplays the response to the administration's overreach. For example, today you have Trump, Vance and Musk all ranting against federal judges who have imposed injunctive rulings blocking the birthright citizenship order, the suspension of USAID workers, Musk's access to Treasury information and the release of the names of FBI agents involved in the J6 prosecutions. That's because they're angry that they're not being allowed to do whatever they want.
And today Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian aluminum. You know, Canada, the long-standing enemy of the US. They are pretty much allowed to do whatever they want. The obstacles are fairly inconsequential.
I suspect that the impact on American consumers of reciprocal tariffs that Canada and others will doubtless impose will be anything but inconsequential, but I agree that no one is going to stop Trump on this issue, not even a Wall Street Journal headline.
Don't even TALK ABOUT a "counter-coup"! Trump is just itching to invoke the Insurrection Act from the 1790s and really clamp down on all of us for as long as he can get away with it. If that happens, we obviously can't hope that the 6 GOPs on the Supreme Court would come to our rescue in any way.
Psychopathic narcissists is what they are, like many men in their generations. Both conditions present serious mental health issues that begin in childhood. It's complicated.
These psychopaths were brought to power by the left's insane policies. I trust you know what they are. The Democrats have been on the wrong side of every issue important to the American electorate, from immigration and DEI to the transgender lunacy and men in women's sports.
You are spot on; this is a coup. The Democrats in Congress have to come out of their post-election coma and start fighting back. They may be focusing on winning the midterms in two years. But they should not assume that those elections will be free and fair. Trump is already moving to destroy the independent press, so he can control public opinion. We don't have two months, let alone two years, to stop these tyrants from destroying our democracy.
Yes, of course it’s a coup. We understand that the nature of warfare has changed and that our social patterns have forever been altered by technology, so why can’t we see this for what it really is? J6 followed even a more traditional model of coup and still, many proceed through their day to day as if anything were remotely normal the past four—no, the past ten—years.
Is it our adherence to American exceptionalism, our unfailing American optimism, our belief in an upward trajectory, our faith in a moral arc, that blinds us to what we are living through? Or does the same technology that has been weaponized lull us into a submissive state where we are just too distracted to stop and act?
Again: Why don’t we see this for what it really is? What will wake us up to the horror we are living under?
Trump's margin of victory ( a measly 1.6%) was the fourth-smallest in the history of US elections. He won the popular vote but, unlike Obama in 2008 and 2012 and Biden in 2020, he failed to win the majority vote. Trump claims he has common sense, but he also claims to know more than any one else about virtually everything - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GqJna9hpTE&t=13s. You're a fool for believing him.
Thank you, Russell for calling out the disinformation. It must be so sad to be Jaroslaw. They appear to not understand the American Spirit, which although seems to be a bit dormant at this time, still burns. In 30 words, J exposed their lack of freedom of thought. They regurgitated four piles of bullxxx of what is widely understood to be disinformation. Disinformation is the weapon used on Americans right now. Call it out. We will fight back!
You're absolutely right. It's tiresome, it's exasperating and there's so much of it as well now, but if you treat it as mere background noise then it becomes normalised. Sadly, that's what seems to have already happened. As the old adage goes: “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” The other problem is that lies that are investigated and debunked get recycled again and again. Trump himself is a major culprit.
I should have written this earlier but, after seeing/experiencing the last 3 weeks of chaos and insanity (Mump, minions and major-league, frightening cabinet appointees and soon-to-be appointees), your recommendation of setting up a "Shadow Cabinet" is more relevant than ever. Every day, in addition to the highly visible moves happening in the executive branch, I note little-covered actions which will have outsized effects, and no one is really following or covering them. How do we push for the establishment of a Shadow Cabinet? It's the only way that everything can be tracked, monitored, recorded and reported on across the executive branch. And it's going to get worse, and I fear that the court system will not be able to hold back the tide. In addition, who exactly will enforce any court decision? Certainly not DOJ, FBI, law enforcement or the military. Who would spearhead the effort or should spearhead it? Amy Klobuchar (third highest ranking Democrat in Senate), Chris Murphy (who is becoming the most articulate Senator fighting what is going on), who else? In terms of Governors, I don't think it can be a progressive one like Newsom or Pritzger, and I don't see anyone else yet rising to the occasion. I have no connections but would work to help get it off the ground.
You have to work hard to share the information with everyone I shared posts with 20 or 30 representatives of sorts. But on Friday when I called Senator Chris Murphys office. I asked. Have you heard about Historian Timothy Snyders proposal for a Peoples Cabinet. Answer no. Write this down please the Peoples Cabinet… ask the Senator to look on his substack or look up . There are links there Thinking About Timothy Snyder The Shadow Cabinet now thought of as the People’s Cabinet. Thank you ! I just want to add Sen Chris Murphy and his staff are awesome. I think the deluge of information they are getting doesn’t allow them time to vet everything
It certainly is a coup; but that conclusion doesn’t provide a remedy. The remedy of impeachment, though very frustrating, should be commenced by the house, which is authorized to issue an indictment. There is no 2/3 vote required until the process moves to the Senate. This process should begin, and musk should be arrested for various crimes. Trump should be exposed to the impeachment process for his “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
What is largely unsaid here is that those who voted for Trump would also have their data taken. Authoritarians are famous for turning on their own in an instant.
Don’t you think it might be helpful if we pay attention to our world citizens that were successful in stopping coups in their countries such as the South Koreans, Brazilians and the Ukrainians who in 2015 ran Yanukovych out of town?
Hi, Meanie Beanie. I agree, and said the same thing in the comments section of the written version of "Of Course It's a Coup" but my experience has been that Americans don't pay much attention to events across the world; it's unlikely that most of them even know about what happened in South Korea, Brazil, and Ukraine. The Georgians, too, continue to protest, even though it *looks* like the Putinverstehers in their government have won. The fact that Georgian people refuse to give up, though, means that they still see that it's *possible* for them to win.
Ron Filipkowski just posted this one of his daily bulletins here a taste regarding what trump wants from Ukraine ….. While Russia wants to seize occupied territory and get assurances that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO (at a minimum), Trump also wants a piece of the action to extort our ally. Trump said he wants $500 million worth rare-earth minerals and gas from Ukraine as part of any agreement to end the war. So this is essentially like Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia agreeing to carve up Poland in 1939.” https://open.substack.com/pub/meidastouch/p/this-weekend-in-politics-bulletin-bda?r=fa5ey&utm_medium=iosqaa
I knew, saw, and wrote that Trump was a fascist in 2015 when he first announced he was running. I've been screaming it ever since, aloud and in my head. I'm dismayed that others haven't seen it as soon as they should have. I blame the watered-down school curriculum for this problem. There is only one thing I find agreeable with what he threatens to do: abolish the Department of Education. We need an entirely new system of teaching and learning, and none of it enforces kids to enter a single classroom, ever, in their lifetime. (But we still need good teachers.) How? I have a book for you to read.
How does abolishing the federal ED change anything except for enlarge class sizes, reduce equitable access for students with special needs or disabilities (because they also want to abolish Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act which would cover accommodations for kids with disabilities who do not have (or need) an IEP), eliminate financial supports for under-resourced schools, particularly in low income areas, and get rid of the federally managed student loan program? Curriculum is set at the state level. Teachers are hired at the local level and subject to the whims of their local Boards. If you want an entirely new system of teaching and learning, blowing up the federal Dept of Education will not bring about such a change; that kind of change is only possible at the state level.
I said I had a book for you to read: It Takes the Whole Damn Village. The tech in the book is much better today; I wrote it in 2006 and I need to focus more on how we can use the Internet. No more classrooms. Keep the teachers.
While Trump's proposal for ethnic cleansing/forced evacuation & other war crimes will likely never be realized (in his lifetime), much of MSM engages in shameless normalization of depraved criminality…
MAGA GOP intend to carry on Trump's criminality well after he's gone & MSM’s normalization of their criminality enables it.
“There’s nothing admirable about tossing off absurd and impossible solutions to intractable dilemmas. If smart people are convincing themselves otherwise, it suggests to me a desperation to find rationality where there is none.
…(with Trump’s) renewed rhetoric of American empire, he’s removed any pretense that other countries should be limited by anything except their own might. He has created a de facto justification not only for Israeli expansionism, but for Chinese and Russian expansionism as well."
Who has seized control of ~20% of federal payment & employment control systems with his illegal hackers? Musk with tens of billions in government contracts & companies that paid zero taxes...who has promised pain for the middle class & needy while he enriches himself & other uber wealthy authoritarians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QXQWHdSMcM
But there are so many ways to support local media, local civil society, and to engage and encourage others.
There are so many ways to try to reform the Democratic Party to reform laws that right now are enabling oligarchical overreach.
There are other organizations such as the ACLU and Ralph Nader linked advocacy groups that work to shape law, legislation, and institutions which include corporations as well as institutions of civil society.
There are almost TOO many ways to get active, stay informed, and be assisted in using reflection to guide future actions.
Here is a piece that some may find useful for navigating away from despair and helplessness in our efforts to matter and be effective.
Russell: Both Heather Cox Richardson and Rachael Bithofer in their substack newsletters today discuss the likelihood that the administration will simply ignore court orders. We will see, won't we? This is a lawless group, and I see no indication that they will adhere to the rule of law. There are already indications that Musk and his minions are doing so.
The cover of Monday's Süddeutsche Zeitung has a photograph of Saturday's demonstration auf der Wies'n, where 250,000 - 320,000 people took part in an anti-right wing extremist demonstration- two weeks *before* the election. Here in the US fascism is in full swing and what are Americans doing? Watching a football game. What a country.
That's a little unfair, Stephen. The Observer news paper reported yesterday on protests against ICE deportations (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/09/protests-trump-ice-raids-colorado). There has also been a blizzard of court actions that have already blocked Trumps' birthright citizenship order, restricted Musk's access to Treasury data and stopped the administration from releasing the names of FBI agents (https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/). Even the Democrats are finally mobilising against the administration in Congress and on the streets, albeit slowly (https://www.vox.com/trump-administration/398459/trump-resistance-musk-democratic-opposition-democrats).
The US response is not appropriate to the threat to itself, and other nations. Mr Schiff is right. Trump and Musk chose their target well.
I don't mean to minimise the threat, just to say that Stephen perhaps downplays the response to the administration's overreach. For example, today you have Trump, Vance and Musk all ranting against federal judges who have imposed injunctive rulings blocking the birthright citizenship order, the suspension of USAID workers, Musk's access to Treasury information and the release of the names of FBI agents involved in the J6 prosecutions. That's because they're angry that they're not being allowed to do whatever they want.
And today Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian aluminum. You know, Canada, the long-standing enemy of the US. They are pretty much allowed to do whatever they want. The obstacles are fairly inconsequential.
I suspect that the impact on American consumers of reciprocal tariffs that Canada and others will doubtless impose will be anything but inconsequential, but I agree that no one is going to stop Trump on this issue, not even a Wall Street Journal headline.
Would it be useful to remind readers that we are dealing with two psychopaths? You could spell that out in detail.
I beg for a counter coup.
Don't even TALK ABOUT a "counter-coup"! Trump is just itching to invoke the Insurrection Act from the 1790s and really clamp down on all of us for as long as he can get away with it. If that happens, we obviously can't hope that the 6 GOPs on the Supreme Court would come to our rescue in any way.
Psychopathic narcissists is what they are, like many men in their generations. Both conditions present serious mental health issues that begin in childhood. It's complicated.
What I see is racists, children of racists, no love.
These psychopaths were brought to power by the left's insane policies. I trust you know what they are. The Democrats have been on the wrong side of every issue important to the American electorate, from immigration and DEI to the transgender lunacy and men in women's sports.
Are you suggesting overturning the results of the elections? I think anyone proposing that is a psychopath. Shame on you Virginia.
Only if the Constitution is being violated. And it is.
You are spot on; this is a coup. The Democrats in Congress have to come out of their post-election coma and start fighting back. They may be focusing on winning the midterms in two years. But they should not assume that those elections will be free and fair. Trump is already moving to destroy the independent press, so he can control public opinion. We don't have two months, let alone two years, to stop these tyrants from destroying our democracy.
Yes, of course it’s a coup. We understand that the nature of warfare has changed and that our social patterns have forever been altered by technology, so why can’t we see this for what it really is? J6 followed even a more traditional model of coup and still, many proceed through their day to day as if anything were remotely normal the past four—no, the past ten—years.
Is it our adherence to American exceptionalism, our unfailing American optimism, our belief in an upward trajectory, our faith in a moral arc, that blinds us to what we are living through? Or does the same technology that has been weaponized lull us into a submissive state where we are just too distracted to stop and act?
Again: Why don’t we see this for what it really is? What will wake us up to the horror we are living under?
It was not a coup. It was a revolution of common sense, approved by the vast majority of the electorate. BTW, look up the definition of a coup.
Trump's margin of victory ( a measly 1.6%) was the fourth-smallest in the history of US elections. He won the popular vote but, unlike Obama in 2008 and 2012 and Biden in 2020, he failed to win the majority vote. Trump claims he has common sense, but he also claims to know more than any one else about virtually everything - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GqJna9hpTE&t=13s. You're a fool for believing him.
Thank you, Russell for calling out the disinformation. It must be so sad to be Jaroslaw. They appear to not understand the American Spirit, which although seems to be a bit dormant at this time, still burns. In 30 words, J exposed their lack of freedom of thought. They regurgitated four piles of bullxxx of what is widely understood to be disinformation. Disinformation is the weapon used on Americans right now. Call it out. We will fight back!
You're absolutely right. It's tiresome, it's exasperating and there's so much of it as well now, but if you treat it as mere background noise then it becomes normalised. Sadly, that's what seems to have already happened. As the old adage goes: “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” The other problem is that lies that are investigated and debunked get recycled again and again. Trump himself is a major culprit.
I should have written this earlier but, after seeing/experiencing the last 3 weeks of chaos and insanity (Mump, minions and major-league, frightening cabinet appointees and soon-to-be appointees), your recommendation of setting up a "Shadow Cabinet" is more relevant than ever. Every day, in addition to the highly visible moves happening in the executive branch, I note little-covered actions which will have outsized effects, and no one is really following or covering them. How do we push for the establishment of a Shadow Cabinet? It's the only way that everything can be tracked, monitored, recorded and reported on across the executive branch. And it's going to get worse, and I fear that the court system will not be able to hold back the tide. In addition, who exactly will enforce any court decision? Certainly not DOJ, FBI, law enforcement or the military. Who would spearhead the effort or should spearhead it? Amy Klobuchar (third highest ranking Democrat in Senate), Chris Murphy (who is becoming the most articulate Senator fighting what is going on), who else? In terms of Governors, I don't think it can be a progressive one like Newsom or Pritzger, and I don't see anyone else yet rising to the occasion. I have no connections but would work to help get it off the ground.
You have to work hard to share the information with everyone I shared posts with 20 or 30 representatives of sorts. But on Friday when I called Senator Chris Murphys office. I asked. Have you heard about Historian Timothy Snyders proposal for a Peoples Cabinet. Answer no. Write this down please the Peoples Cabinet… ask the Senator to look on his substack or look up . There are links there Thinking About Timothy Snyder The Shadow Cabinet now thought of as the People’s Cabinet. Thank you ! I just want to add Sen Chris Murphy and his staff are awesome. I think the deluge of information they are getting doesn’t allow them time to vet everything
The courts have already blocked his birthright citzenship order, restricted Musk's access to Treasury data, blocked the suspension of over 2,000 USAID workers and stopped Trump from releasing the names of FBI agents. (https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/)
It certainly is a coup; but that conclusion doesn’t provide a remedy. The remedy of impeachment, though very frustrating, should be commenced by the house, which is authorized to issue an indictment. There is no 2/3 vote required until the process moves to the Senate. This process should begin, and musk should be arrested for various crimes. Trump should be exposed to the impeachment process for his “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
I recognize it all. But Americans are humming along in total denial. It’s making me crazy.
What is largely unsaid here is that those who voted for Trump would also have their data taken. Authoritarians are famous for turning on their own in an instant.
Don’t you think it might be helpful if we pay attention to our world citizens that were successful in stopping coups in their countries such as the South Koreans, Brazilians and the Ukrainians who in 2015 ran Yanukovych out of town?
Hi, Meanie Beanie. I agree, and said the same thing in the comments section of the written version of "Of Course It's a Coup" but my experience has been that Americans don't pay much attention to events across the world; it's unlikely that most of them even know about what happened in South Korea, Brazil, and Ukraine. The Georgians, too, continue to protest, even though it *looks* like the Putinverstehers in their government have won. The fact that Georgian people refuse to give up, though, means that they still see that it's *possible* for them to win.
Ron Filipkowski just posted this one of his daily bulletins here a taste regarding what trump wants from Ukraine ….. While Russia wants to seize occupied territory and get assurances that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO (at a minimum), Trump also wants a piece of the action to extort our ally. Trump said he wants $500 million worth rare-earth minerals and gas from Ukraine as part of any agreement to end the war. So this is essentially like Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia agreeing to carve up Poland in 1939.” https://open.substack.com/pub/meidastouch/p/this-weekend-in-politics-bulletin-bda?r=fa5ey&utm_medium=iosqaa
I knew, saw, and wrote that Trump was a fascist in 2015 when he first announced he was running. I've been screaming it ever since, aloud and in my head. I'm dismayed that others haven't seen it as soon as they should have. I blame the watered-down school curriculum for this problem. There is only one thing I find agreeable with what he threatens to do: abolish the Department of Education. We need an entirely new system of teaching and learning, and none of it enforces kids to enter a single classroom, ever, in their lifetime. (But we still need good teachers.) How? I have a book for you to read.
How does abolishing the federal ED change anything except for enlarge class sizes, reduce equitable access for students with special needs or disabilities (because they also want to abolish Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act which would cover accommodations for kids with disabilities who do not have (or need) an IEP), eliminate financial supports for under-resourced schools, particularly in low income areas, and get rid of the federally managed student loan program? Curriculum is set at the state level. Teachers are hired at the local level and subject to the whims of their local Boards. If you want an entirely new system of teaching and learning, blowing up the federal Dept of Education will not bring about such a change; that kind of change is only possible at the state level.
I said I had a book for you to read: It Takes the Whole Damn Village. The tech in the book is much better today; I wrote it in 2006 and I need to focus more on how we can use the Internet. No more classrooms. Keep the teachers.
While Trump's proposal for ethnic cleansing/forced evacuation & other war crimes will likely never be realized (in his lifetime), much of MSM engages in shameless normalization of depraved criminality…
MAGA GOP intend to carry on Trump's criminality well after he's gone & MSM’s normalization of their criminality enables it.
Michelle Goldberg NYT 2/7/25 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/opinion/trump-gaza-war-crimes.html?smid=url-share
“There’s nothing admirable about tossing off absurd and impossible solutions to intractable dilemmas. If smart people are convincing themselves otherwise, it suggests to me a desperation to find rationality where there is none.
…(with Trump’s) renewed rhetoric of American empire, he’s removed any pretense that other countries should be limited by anything except their own might. He has created a de facto justification not only for Israeli expansionism, but for Chinese and Russian expansionism as well."
Who has seized control of ~20% of federal payment & employment control systems with his illegal hackers? Musk with tens of billions in government contracts & companies that paid zero taxes...who has promised pain for the middle class & needy while he enriches himself & other uber wealthy authoritarians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QXQWHdSMcM
Maybe someone will hear- listen to this and get the message. Thank Professor I just started listening to this emergency bulletin from Keith Olbermann. I can tell from the first 2 minutes he’s on point agreeing. It’s a coup https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Qf8B6xiMOsSI9oGssVY6G?si=L9AUseT7Rt6QYsQuYLIVDg&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A6MtDqyk168BEWgYTx587aW. Adding I watched the sign painter a Latvian drama. With the lettering being removed from federal building it also is prescient. https://www.menemshafilms.com/the-sign-painter. Out for the second round of shoveling. At least it’s snow. And not….. and Tim. Keith quotes you as he signs off Minute 25. Block A
OF COURSE it’s a coup!
Some people are struggling for ways to respond.
But there are so many ways to support local media, local civil society, and to engage and encourage others.
There are so many ways to try to reform the Democratic Party to reform laws that right now are enabling oligarchical overreach.
There are other organizations such as the ACLU and Ralph Nader linked advocacy groups that work to shape law, legislation, and institutions which include corporations as well as institutions of civil society.
There are almost TOO many ways to get active, stay informed, and be assisted in using reflection to guide future actions.
Here is a piece that some may find useful for navigating away from despair and helplessness in our efforts to matter and be effective.
https://open.substack.com/pub/cassandratheodora/p/nazi-germany-fotus-and-learned-helplessness-6b4?r=f79z7&utm_medium=ios
Timothy Snyder Rafael Del Pino Feb 4 2025 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0dv01BfwOUI&pp=ygUOVGltb3RoeSBzbnlkZXI%3D
Russell: Both Heather Cox Richardson and Rachael Bithofer in their substack newsletters today discuss the likelihood that the administration will simply ignore court orders. We will see, won't we? This is a lawless group, and I see no indication that they will adhere to the rule of law. There are already indications that Musk and his minions are doing so.