every day i see hundreds of comments of people spinning elaborate scenarios to explain how trump can control everything and all opposition is futile. a) i think a lot of you need to log off and stop following professional doomsayers. b) i think a lot of you are cowards
bsky.app/profile/tedg...
The Allies didn't win WW2 by starting off in a winning position. In 41-42 the Axis had the upper hand. Good thing the Allies didn't just say "Oh. Well he is winning now, better just surrender and not resist."
Maybe and/or c) this shit wasn't covered on The West Wing.
A-FRIGGING-MEN!
I ran into this when I tried to explain that no, he cannot in fact run for a third term.
You’re the only reason I’m still subscribed to the NYT, Jamelle. Ok fine, you and The Athletic.
Don't discount the possibility that some of these are bots or operatives charged with spreading a sense of futility in pushing back against King Donald's edicts.
found one
This is a distinct possibility. They were used to convince a lot of people that Trump won the 2020 election, for example.
And I think the majority are bots. Block them and move on. Do not engage.
A lot are foreigners who don’t understand the US political system.
As a coward, I can confirm this
I say those things, not because opposition is futile, but because people need to realize the task in front of them and fight THAT fight. I'm happy to try and win the next election, I'm also not stupid or naive enough to think that these lying, cheating bastards are going to make sure voting is fair.
If you're fighting Tyson in his prime you wouldn't say "If we can just get him to agree to not wear his black trunks, I think we'll be ok!" You'd be saying "We HAVE to stop his uppercut or he's going to knock us the hell out." We HAVE to stop pretending these are normal times with normal remedies.
sorry but's not "spinning elaborate scenarios" when SCOTUS rubber stamps his power grabs in virtually every instance
you can live your life like a coward then
A lot of people who feel extremely discouraged share your values. It’s not your responsibility to encourage them, but it’s hard to see how dismissing them as cowards does anything good for the political coalition we need to build.
Sorry I read this in a recent dissent by Justice Jackson and believed her. I guess that's my bad: “This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this administration always wins.”
Absolutely this.
all I'm saying is that it's not crazy to think his obviously unconstitutional edicts are likely to become constitutional because of the Roberts court
I'm not saying resistance is futile, it's just harder when SCOTUS green lights his power grabs.
No, you’re just cynical. You can’t even formulate what SCOTUS would be greenlighting before declaring that it will be greenlighted.
Great point I'm not Nostradamus we have zero clue what SCOTUS will do they're generally very fair and impartial apologies for being a cowardly cynic oh wait
Again, you don’t even have a wisp of a concept of what the court would supposed to be ruling on, yet you already have the decision. That’s a you problem.
You’re a coward with no ideas and no basic understanding of how elections work and you think you can convince us otherwise with a GIF. Interesting.
Great point. Or maybe I just agree with fellow coward/dummy Justice Jackson's take on the Roberts Court in a recent dissent: “This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this administration always wins.”
My guy, fear is contagious, but so is courage. It's your choice of which to project. Choose wisely.
The only elaborate scenario being spun up is about my cowardice. Trump says he's mandating voter ID. It's not wild to think this SCOTUS eventually rules this was the founders intent. That's the only argument I'm making.
Are you in imminent danger? If Trump is so powerful, why hasn't he just completely taken over yet? Why is he even fiddling around with voter ID nonsense? Who needs votes when they've got guns? The system is not completely broken, and what we say and do still matters. Keep calm and carry on.
Everyone on this website, either themselves or their parents/grandparents, lived in this country when it was a literal apartheid state. We are not that now (for now) and people need to buck up a bit to keep it that way
Most people who are descendants of immigrants have someone in their line who escaped or survived an actual dictatorship or failed state that wasn’t the rinky dinky shit we’re looking at. Don’t embarrass them
I love this comment so much. One of those descendants myself. I had a relative who didn't survive --sent to Stalin's gulag. I am so tired of today's shrill doomers.
I think most of them are paid trolls.
I don't think ALL opposition is futile. I believe PEACEFUL opposition within the normal bounds of the law and/or standard administrative procedure is futile. I believe the opposition brought a chess board to a knife fight. "Yes you stabbed me again, but my knight is still about to take your rook!"
✔️ They at least need to read the Constitution and understand it. And know the three branches of government and the purpose of the separation of powers. Bonus, understanding what the United States revolution was about.
I am in Oslo and just visited the Resistance Museum. Good reminder of how many people it took including printers, actors, teachers, the church, etc. Norwegians probably had no idea in 1939 what they would have to do.
I will note here; a lot of people here and out there ain't cowards. But a lot of democratic mayors and governors are. The mechanism you're looking for is an elected Dem walking out to a press conference to announce local police cooperation with ICE because they are cowards.
You are correct that any resistance would stop this shit in it's tracks. It's just frustrating that I haven't seen any actual damn residence from people like Mayor Bowser. Or fuckin Newsom. Or Mayor Bass. Just slogans. And until they are tested, I worry about Hochul and Pritzger and Walz.
And movements aren't really built off of of elected politicians and really never have. So why are we waiting for establishment Dems to lead for us when we can work on organizing ourselves. Find out what people are doing in your own community to organize and join them.
It's not him, per se. It's the 77.3 million people who voted for him KNOWING that he was a convicted frauster who ripped people off with his bankrupt casino, his fake university and his fake charities that stole money from kids with cancer. ALL THIS INFO WAS PUBLIC. EVERYONE KNEW.
It's an entire political party that lies to give him what he wants, and the billions he's made from selling favors to Crypto. And the Supreme Court that has insulated him from criminality while in office. Yes, I feel very bad-- depressed, actually-- about this.
he'll send ICE to intimidate us. if i see an ICE agent at my polling place i'm going to walk right past him.
Great! But how many might actually be afraid? And will media talk about the varied & constant GOP methods of voter suppression & intimidation? Or will it always just be about how Democrats are “too extreme” & “need to learn how to talk to moderates”. What’s “moderate” about voter intimidation?
what if the ICE guy shoots the man in front of you, just to watch him die?
Unless he’s in Reno, it doesn’t count
lol you beat me to it
What?
@thelouvreof.bsky.social just to add to your queue
I think Johnny Cash references should be exempt
Depends if they're in Reno.
gotta admit, i didn't expect to see "Folsom Prison Blues" referenced in this thread.
at least someone appreciates my humor...
offer only valid in reno nevada
What
Personally, I think though that white people should use whatever privilege we have (personally, in addition to pale skin, I was born with killer Resting Bitch Face, and now have the shield of age) to loudly comment on how shameful it is when LEO officers work to undermine democracy.
yes! Old white female here too. I video every police interaction I see. Maybe we can’t record in polling places..dunno
Probably not inside, but if ICE is outside, I'm guessing that's probably OK, as long as you're far enough back. Probably worth checking local rules.
Same here! says this 58 year old white guy
Us white guys have nothing to fear. They won't be there for us.
just the "mexcans" and all those that look like them, like the native people who have been here for thousands of years
“Do not surrender in advance”. Also, once he’s gone I have serious doubts maga will hold: jd doesn’t have his clout, things (house/senate) will splinter because his actions are extremely unpopular.
My hope is that once he’s gone, the in-fighting to replace him as the next god-king will turn into a circular firing squad. Vance is terrifying in his evilness and because he has Thiel’s power behind him but he has the charisma of an overly full litter box. I’m not sure he’ll be as effective as DT.
Upvoted. Considering that one of the most popular pro Trump/Vance accounts on X was a guy named Catturd, Vance having the charisma of a full litter box checks out.
Yeah, I look Latine. What happens to me if I see ICE at my polling place?
I look it and I am Latino. I won't let Trump's Gestapo intimidate me into not voting or otherwise engaging in my constitutional rights.
As US Grant said about Robert E Lee, "Stop thinking about what he's going to do to you, and start thinking about what you're going to do to him."
Damn, I'm from Maryland and never learned any of this, but that photo was too compelling not to look up. Thanks for alt tagging it. washingtonareaspark.com/tag/gloria-r...
nah piss on his shoes and say you could not help yourself - at my age (86) I might get away with it😇
Im gonna shove em right out the door
Do you think SOME people would be scared off of voting? Things like voter ID, no mail in, long lines, etc aren't to prevent all voting, just put their thumbs on the scale just enough.
The problem with this argument is Trump saying there should be voter ID or mail in voting shouldn’t exist doesn’t make those things actually change.
Right, but the vast majority of this country is fairly low information on politics. He just signs something, declares it's real, the NYT doesn't push back... And now you have two different groups fighting about it. Now people are confused and a few of them decide the easiest path is to not try.
I live in a swing state so maybe it's different where you are but we get hounded with text messages and mailers and canvassers to make sure we're registered, how to request a mail-in ballot or vote in person, what ID to bring, etc. If someone doesn't know, it's because they live in a cave.
Maybe? But by definition anyone showing up is roeatively safe from ICE. They could hassle you, maybe even lock up a few thousand folks. But for a country that largely loves to be oppositional, ice patrolling polling places would send even more folks out to vote.
And with every ounce they put on the scale people keep showing up more and more.
Good idea -- wait until youre on your way out to tell them to get fucked.
(ms rachel voice) look baby lloyd! an ice officer! let’s take a picture! now let’s go vote!
🤣
You will. I will. But if you or I were Latino, we might just stay home.
Courage is the antidote
Indifference is the best criticism!
My worry is this: it's not just ICE that'll be there. There'll be vigilantes. Likely dressed like and supported by ICE. Intimidating, delaying, maybe even detaining anyone from a blue-leaning demographic, questioning IDs, disrupting, trying to incite and escalate as well as scare people away. 1/2
And if it kicks off, and/or they're outnumbered, the counter-movement will be called out as "attempted election interference" and cops/ICE/National Guard troops will swoop in and close the location. So where they have the advantage they police the count and where they don't they just stop it.
Me too, but the person who has to miss a shift at work to vote, fits their quota profile, has a friend lost in ice detention, might avoid the polling place. Voter intimidation & suppression is supposed to be illegal for a good reasons
How can someone who fits their deportation quotas also be a voter? Non-citizens (even legal immigrants) can’t vote in federal/state elections.
I spend a lot of time thinking about this because I run a polling place. Ultimately, like when I used to worry about armed yahoos *without* Fed authority, there are too many polling places for them all to be targets, and mine at ~5000 is going to be way down the list.
The goonier they get, the bigger the outcry / lawsuits, with enough interference nobody would accept the outcome. County commissioners won't just sit there and let Trump cost them their seats, they are totally petty enough to bring it all down.
Well, maybe, but where I live there’s no shortage of dumb assholes with camo, vests, guns, and balaclavas who have no problem pretending to be federal agents.
not enough to swing an election larger than a county
Other blue states need to cut the shit and start doing mail in voting only like my great state of Washington! I get a little text when my ballot is mailed, it comes two weeks before the election with a little booklet introducing the candidates etc and another text after it’s been received/counted.
I’m not really worried about what YOU will do. I’m worried that enough voters, even a fraction of a percent of the total, will be intimidated enough to not walk right past him, and will throw the election as a result. Early authoritarianism works on the margins until they can consolidate power.
Not so much concerned what NYT commentators individually are going to do.
I’ll probably flip him off on the way in though
These are dudes that can be stopped with a subway sandwich, what are we even doing being scared of them?
I'll be bringing a subway sandwich.
How's your throwing arm?
Maybe it's an ICE agent, maybe it's a random Proud Boys goon with Etsy tacticool swag and a meth-steroid problem. Who's to say?
This white man will say something to the fool's face as I walk by. Anything derogatory. Most likely pertaining to criminal fraud sTump or the useless coward repub leadership that sucks his dick.
If nothing else, remind them that what they are doing is patently illegal.
Vote, and then perform a citizens arrest. It’s illegal for those fuckers to be at the polls. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
I'll make sure to speak Spanish as I do.
So will I but lots of normies are going to be intimidated! All he needs is to scare enough people in enough places, and make a few people w/out ID confused enough to stay home, to be successful.
We need to have conversations with folks, identify who is nervous, and accompany them to the polls. Nobody votes alone unless they want to.
We have to define success
Quite a large gap between “successful at imposing de facto hereditary dictatorship” and “successful at re-imposing southern one-party systems in light red states” (picking two extremes)
I agree with this and I think about it all of the time...what will I do personally if/when I come face to face with ICE either trying to arrest my peaceful hard working neighbors down the street or as you say at a polling place...but truth is I need to know what I can and can't do...I am not sure
I'll insult him and ask him why he's being a thug
“Are you a resident of this townsite? No? You have no right to be at my polling place. Not your jurisdiction. Calling the state police.”
And I will flip him the bird as a I go by.
I might even wave at the ice guy
I would think of waving a middle finger at them.
An audible “get fucked Nazi” would be directed at him as I walked past.
I'm planning to shout, "sorry about your penis" but "get fucked Nazi" is good, too.
My personal favorite to say (if I see them which I have not, yet) is “Nuremberg” If they don’t get it, too bad for them.
Everyone needs to rewatch Judgement At Nuremberg. Even better on the stage if you can.
They'll get it sooner or later.
Might want to let them know that there there’s going to be no statute or limitations on how long it takes to track them down either…point to the elderly camp guards being tried
I'll remember that if I come across some of these thugs and tell them to think about the fact there is not statute of limitations on the crimes they are committing.
Offer him a sandwich, perhaps. Insist even.
I'd probably wave with a single digit extended....
that's on the way out
Good point - in case they decide to "detain" hostile looking voters until the polls close.
Both directions.
Oh I’ll wave all right
Maybe tell him I hope he doesn’t make it home.
And it will be only one because there are more voting precincts in the US than federal agents.
I will still go vote.
What if he stops you and demands ID?
First, ignore and keep walking. If he physically interferes, call the police and demand to speak to the Returning Officer responsible for the vote to report voting interference. While you wait, ask to see *his* ID. Confirm some kind of law enforcement officer. Note his name and badge number.
Make it clear that you consider this election interference, and make it as awkward as possible for them to continue.
Thanks-great!
If I see an ICE agent here in California I’m calling the sheriffs office because it’s illegal to be near a polling place with a weapon unless you’re in the process of voting.
This. If I see ICE or National Guard at a polling place, I’ll walk right past them without giving them the time of day and vote. All they can do is stand there and look scary, which is a stretch because the doughballs that currently make up ICE look like the Pillsbury Doughboy with a tac vest on.
I might even have a few choice words to share with them
"Go away."
mine might be more PG-13
you *are* allowed to say "fuck" once and still keep a PG-13 rating!
all hail the MPAA
Fair. I tried to make mine absolutely clear while giving them no excuse for action.
No more Mr. ICE guy
Heck yeah
Thank you Jamelle!! 👏🏼💙 This is the way citizens need to carry themselves! 😊
I'll call him a coward first. But then I look right.
I'll say hello even
#ICE #Texas #Houston #NationalGuard #USMilitary #ICEBarbie #Republicans #MAGA #GOP #Trump homeowner shoots and kills two men who claimed to be ICE agents www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Jamelle, my dad's a poll worker in Indiana. If an ICE agent showed up at his polling place, my dad would call the cops on him. And that ICE agent would be lucky, because Indiana is a "Constitutional Carry" state, and a lot of people have guns.
I think Trump doesn't realize that a lot of the poll workers who actually oversee the elections are in this for love of the game, and thus won't enable his shit.
who do you think the cops would support in this scenario
One thing people don’t get is that polling places all already busy places with a lot of people, even authority figures, walking in and out, milling about, etc. you’d probably need a presence of 5-10 ICE agents for someone to even notice.
Not in my polling place in suburbia! One looming giant doofus wearing a too-tight shirt, tactical gear, body armor, and a face gaiter will stand out like a sore thumb, and shock a lot white people.
The problem with deploying to suburbia is are you sure that only the right voters get intimidated and stay away?
If I see an ICE agent at my polling place, I’m going to stuff him in a locker. 🦁≠🐑
A nation’s sovereignty flows from our personal sovereignty, and takes root in our shared solidarity. 🫓 The USA is not sovereign without Arizona. The USA is only sovereign with the consent of the pueblo. 💪 We do not consent. 🚫 👑🌵🏜️
The thing everyone misses with the Weimar Republic comparisons is that every major political faction in Weimar Germany was comprised of former WW1 soldiers who’d gotten used to killing people. ICE can’t handle having a sandwich thrown at them
The Germans also still had a king who had had true authoritarian power up less than a decade ago, slipping back into that was not a hard sell for people.
*And* that the different political factions were frequently engaged in armed conflict in the streets on a regular basis. There was a level of violence there that just isn't currently present in the US, no matter how much Trump wishes there were
Ah - thanks for reminding me to bring plenty of sloppy sandwiches to the polls when I vote!
Sure me too but the median American voter is patently a coward
I'm thinking a selfie with them, AFTER I am done voting, of course.
Ill flip the asshole off too!
I plan to confront them.
Preferably after you have voted
Great suggestion, yes, definitely.
Most states have early voting. We aren't talking about a single day here -- we're talking about a couple weeks of early voting (or mail-in voting). And while I will vote early, you can bet I'll take election day off to somewhere at risk to make sure things are ok for voters there.
theyre gonna harass people checking paperwork and scare hispanics
I’m an election judge in Minneapolis and I can guarantee that if ICE agents show up at my polling place, we will kick them out.
What options do you have to marshal some sort of force to implement this? I only ask because ICE has shown contempt for court orders and basically anything other than violence
We outnumber them. They back down when we show some spine. Plenty of examples of this all over the internet.
I am a chairperson for a precinct in Detroit. If ICE shows up I am prepared to waste an insane amount of their time with technicalities and procedure
ALL. OF. THIS. We are a *federation*. 50 states, 50 different elections. Very few countries do this & it’s a major bulwark against fuckery he & Bannon et al would or could do nationally
There is a c) trolls. And I’d argue it’s far more impactful than a) and b)… And bs doesn’t seem to be waking up to the fact it’s a coordinated campaign, not singular misanthropes. Facebook, Twitter, TikTok - not sure how many times we need to see the pattern..
I think people are more idiots than cowards.
Trumpism doesn't outlive Trump.
Trump won't come to Chicago because he knows Chicago is not afraid to fight back. Bullies always back off when you punch them in the mouth.
TBF, it may be worth imagining some scenarios, not to conclude that opposition is futile, but to thwart them or prepare to respond. It's also a corrective to some in the Democratic establishment who seem complacent about "guardrails" when those are collapsing or at least very rubbery all around us.
people and especially politicians need to expand their imaginations to include entirely feasible political solutions between the two extremes of “let him do everything, he’s unstoppable” and “do something to him so horrible we must not speak of it ever”—both cop-outs
Cowardice and profound apathy
Thank you. Someone needed to say it.
can I pin somebody else’s post to my profile just asking
make it a quote
Is there anything more ephemeral than Internet clout?
Like that grant quote about Lee pulling a double somersault and landing in their rear and both flanks. Vic Ketchum used to say “winning fixes everything” and this’ll go away when we win a few I think
Lincoln fired a bunch of generals along the way. Until Democrats start replacing the peacetime political leaders, don't expect many wins.
We're watching reams of primary challengers line up against dems, and I don't even think half of them have to win for the party to get the point
Are you saying people will need to take up arms? They now have the military might. How else do we fight his brown shirts?
I also think they underestimate the stupidity of fascists.
Harsh. Sorry I had a low moment
That part. People have already been tricked into believing in authoritarianism, which was by design. Snap out of it!
Call me a doomer if you have to. I just think there is a very real chance that we're going to be yelling, "Trump can't DO this!" from the gulags.
I agree & also as an Indigenous woman, I'm tired of hearing about how "this or that will NEVER happen, roe v. wade will NEVER be overturned, they'll NEVER sell off public lands, they'll NEVER defund this or that..." Like, heed a mf'ing warning once in a while chicken littles & the sky won't fall.
Join organizing groups, y’all. Don’t be defeatist. You’ll discover creativity and inspiration by coordinating with others too. There’s plenty of them out there. @indivisible.org @unitedwedream.org @moveon.org @workingfamilies.org @swingleft.bsky.social @sunrisemvmt.bsky.social …
Robbery is also unlawful but the mugger is still walking away with your watch, phone, and wallet. And if the highest court doesn’t hold him accountable, he’s keeping them
Yep, this is what all these internet badasses never want to answer. The one dude that was "I'll act like a free person" ... okay, all the people in El Salvador did that, too, until they ended up in a foreign prison. 🤷♂️
Bots sowing despair
One of your recent pieces in the NYT coalesced several things I've been thinking, & made me realize that this "presidency" is just ONE. BIG, REALITY SHOW.Think about it: -rick grenell saying Kennedy Center dance programmng should be more like "So You Think You Can Dance" (shitty reality show) 1)
- most of the cabinet comes from acutal reality show world (mcmahom) of reality show/news (fox) -trump only knows how to make things "look like" they work/ are happening. - Surface is all that matters. Reality/real numbers etc are not allowed. Choices of personnel made for cosmetic reasons 2)
All very good points!
- "you're fired' - fake EVERYTHING including documents that were "signed" by trump & leaders like Starmer, used for photo op -largely visible (to tv) "signature" on probably mostly blank pages or EO's he has never read and doesn't know content of - shitty spray tan vheap ass tv "makeup" jobs and 3)
REALLy bad cosmetic sugery/ fox-level hairstyling - cheap crappy merch on sale at "the show" All of the players are inexperienced and incompetent wannabes who want to play act at being "cabinet members" etc. The country is basically being run as "So You Think You Can Govern" 4 end)
The most basic fact is that Trump has surrounded himself with incompetent renfields who are at their hearts cowards. The slightest pushback and they immediately fold. The only path forward if for states to go “you can’t. Go away”.
Time and time again it shows they are ONLY going after the weakest, easiest targets. The folks that already folded. They are completely avoiding anyone who even lightly, quietly says “no”.
Yes. But what, specifically, is the plan?
what, specifically, is the plan *for what*? like, what problem are you asking for a plan to solve?
Bouie's post
the problem jamelle is talking about is the delusional belief that as soon as trump orders something it magically happens
Not magic. Just the other branches of govt
again, what, specifically, do you want a plan for? a plan is a set of steps to solve an actual real specific problem but you seem unable to elucidate what that problem is
If you can't see it, l can't explain it to you
lmao
"what — just because i won't say it, that means i don't know what it is? of course i know what it is. why don't *you* tell *me*, to make sure *you* know what it is!"
Bye
OK, call your state's Secretary of State. *They* are the people ho have the plans. I have full confidence in Steve Simon. I have friends who've worked for decades in election integrity in MN and *they* have confidence in Simon. And Simon and other Dem S.O.S.s meet regularly to game out & plan.
Waffling in "Woe is us!" when leaders ARE DOING THE WORK is pathetic. Look around you. Way more than Gov. Pritzker are rising to the challenges. You should try it yourself, rather than couch-bitching that everything is ruined.
Thank you
the plan is to behave like you are a free citizen
This👆👆. Vote, sue, protest, organize!
The plan is four words: “Fuck you, make me.”
Which means?
Acting like you can't read and insisting people explain something to you, what are you stuck in 2012? Get a new bit bud
Wow Class
Are you incapable of thinking for yourself what that means?
I know what that means, obviously. Lots of complaining and whining accomplishes nothing
Some classic projection here lol
?
“I believe this thing he would absolutely love me to believe” - maybe … don’t?
So many losers and cowards.
This is an excellent take. I’m sick of these whiney fucking pissbabies. I guess I need to remember to come watch you play Chrono Trigger sometime.
True. Enough loser talk. Never give in, never give up
If your mantra is "The media needs to save us, but they're not" yeah log off
📌
As do I!
Professional cowards. The liberals need to wake up to a reality where we take back the America that was given to us either by ballot or by bullets. The left is ready. The center left is ready to capitulate.
Other way around, actually.
Decided to wake up and choose violence today I see
