My biggest concern is after the inevitable crash of this regime. Many of the country's special places have been contracted to corporations for extraction. Wilderness, watersheds, faultlines filled with gases, sacred spaces for First Nations, endangered species territory. And numbers of dangerous toxins have been greenlit for extended use. Unless you are keyed into environmental issues you will not see many reports on these sales. Corporations are good at providing themselves a lot of time to make money while they are fighting in court. I am very concerned at the damage post-Trump.
That’s easy put politicians in who will go after everyone that did the American people wrongly. Let the people of the United States of America sue each and every person that was complicit in each state court. Where the Trump pardon doesn’t count. Let the American people get them all back in each and every state court. Then we go after each and every person involved in the Trumpstein File and everyone who was complicit in hiding the fact and not doing there Jobs. That mean all the complicit politicians also all there benefits there retirement everything along with all illegal gains while in office.
Those contracts are subject to change. If the next administration is acting in the public interest, I think that it can reverse the legal abuses of the Trump regimes. Contracts exist in the context of a government that gives them validity. I don't think the corporations want to create an adversarial relationship with the federal government by refusing to change the contracts. The government can enact laws that favor environmental good actors. We just need to minimize the damage to the land until then. Relentless lawsuits can tie the corporations up in court for years. Also, direct and massive advocacy campaigns can force the corporations to either capitalize or be demonized, poisoning their business.
Think, cigarette companies, oil companies, computer services, all the things that cause so much damage yet continue to operate because people want what they provide. Even with the government opposing them they can survive a long time. I know. I've been part of the many working against them for decades. I'm sure a benevolent pro-environment administration can cut some of the damage. But that also means cutting the jobs that damage provided. It goes on.
The physical damage will take a lot of effort and resources to repair. The opportunity cost of time lost to counteract CO2 emissions is high because it will take longer to counter the effect of the accelerated emissions than it took to accelerate. Those are very unfortunate, but we will keep working. My focus was on the changed policy that will continue to damage if it is not reversed.
His next target is Cuba. Remember the WMDs that were never there? Let’s hope that those in power who can really do something about ridding our country of this “moron” remember that disaster also. Before it’s too late - for everyone. I was born in the 1930s. It’s a shame how this country has fallen so far and so fast.
It's not just Trump voters, though I hope their disillusionment is in fact an acquired lesson but not holding my breath. It's more globally the 25+% of eligible voting-age adults who are not registered and the 10% of registered voters who did/do NOT vote. And BTW in 2024 the registered voters who are High School graduates had the highest %age of non-voters at 48% non-voting, per census.org. So Dems/progressives indeed have some serious messaging to do.
I’m not a big believer in campaign promises although it’s fine to listen. I’m trying to determine the person behind the promises. Honesty, decency, the ability to listen, to work together, kindness, building allies internationally and not least, intelligence. If I think there is a solid person to believe in and work with, I know they are someone I can get behind. Not many meet my criteria.
"Beyond the details, a larger theme emerged. It was more than just frustration. It was disenchantment. Even embarrassment for having believed the promises Trump made."
Embarrassment must be respected and a path to redemption offered for those who've sinned. I find it interesting that Trump's agenda of retribution is blaming the Dems for weaponizing the Justice Department when, if anything, the Biden administration was probably too lenient towards crooks and insurrectionists. It is important to open the tent to those who have seen the error of their ways and want to help clean up the mess left in Trump's wake.
The task for the next President will be Herculean. It will require a person of exceptional charisma, accompanied by a team of experienced professionals dedicated to action and results. Lingering despair will fester if not channeled towards realistic solutions and quick results. The entire world is watching as well. May we choose carefully...
Thank you, Elliot. At the heart of your your piece lies a question un-written, "Why did America elect Trump not once but twice?" We are tasked with answering this question right now and right here. There are answers but none are final. Final answers lead to "final solutions". We are already living in an age of extreme anxiety. Trumpism (a.k.a. fascism) multiplies those feelings and offers fixes. Solutions.
Sometimes I think he was elected twice because we have become a nation believing in the easy fix, resolving issues in a one hour TV program, not to mention the entertainment “value” of the current administration writ large.
Isn't is sad that we have a post entitled Exploiting Trump's Weaknesses instead of one that says something like Here's what the GOP plan for providing health care for all Americans says and here's what the Dems are proposing. Here are the similarities, here are the differences, and here are how those things impact various groups from senior citizens, single persons, persons with preexisting conditions, persons earning minimum wage with children, small businesses just barely making it and big businesses who are rolling in the money and so on. It is possible that a group of persons other than Democrats could come up with a plan that combined with what the Dems proposed would be really beneficial for all Americans, but we will never know because we have to focus on the horror that are trump and the total support he gets from the GOP regardless of the proposal, even when it can totally change from one day to the next.
This administration is sneaky to the max. I read an article last Friday about a proposed SS rule change for SSI eligibility for SSI recipients who live with family or friends. This rule is being proposed very quietly. This rule proposes that not only the assets of the SSI recipient be used to determine eligibility but also the assets and income of the family and friends they live with. Depending on the asset and income thresholds, this could throw a lot of people off SSI. The only option would be for them to find other living arrangements but many of these SSI recipients are living with others because they can’t live on their own. There are not many options for other living arrangements either. If they can’t live on their own, they would need assisted living options which are already stretched to their limits. There are not enough other options now due to other social welfare cuts. If the SSI recipients stay in a home where their caregivers income and assets are over the limit they will lose their SSI and probably also their Medicaid. The families of most of them will probably not have the financial resources to support them if they lose SSI. This could affect several hundred thousand SSI recipients. Yes, it is important to address the impending SS shortfalls, but this rule change will not fix the entire shortfall. It could just cause other budget problems for the government and the social service system.
Mr Kirschner I love your columns. I am a lifelong Democrat. But I admit the Dems have never been great at creating a narrative of hope, including the disaffected, and explaining to the American people what we have done to improve lives, on the many fronts that we now miss so much, like gay rights, abortion rights, fair voting laws, etc. Not to mention free speech. Guess we don't appreciate stuff until it's gone, ain't that so?
I hope all the Democratic Strategists are reading this! We don’t need to act like Trump. We need to clarify our vision and communicate and articulate it against what we’ve been seeing.
The graphic at the beginning with workers on a scaffold trying to patch up the United States map reminds me of the Depression era art-nouveau murals in Coit Tower.
My deepest concern is the S-L-O-W movement by the Democrats. Blindsided is a word that only has potency because we lack another to replace it. WHAT have we been telling ourselves for these past years? What is preventing us from locating and supporting a powerful individual with a powerful message from the Democrats so that we capture the attention of the sleeping masses? WHAT? WHO? AND WHEN? The game is on and most of us realize who is still pulling/manipulating the strings of our puppet government. Do we not have enough courage to take with us no prisoners? The courts are not and will not be on our side for yeas to come. Alas.
Excellent essay and one every democratic public servant at all levels from school board to Senate, must heed. We are at a turning point. Yes, we need visionaries with courage. The status quo cannot stand! The elders of our party must give way to younger folk, even the imperfect. Which of course all are. So let us not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. We need good women and men, indeed all Americans, to step up right now and put their shoulders to the wheel. We can save our Republic!
With the constant stream of the terrible, it appears we only have time to counterattack. But we must show there’s a better way and offer solutions to issues people care about. And those have to break through the highly successful noise coming from the administration. We must show connections and consequences and, yes, take responsibility where we have failed. Hate to say it, but we need a project 2026-28 ready to go.
My biggest concern is after the inevitable crash of this regime. Many of the country's special places have been contracted to corporations for extraction. Wilderness, watersheds, faultlines filled with gases, sacred spaces for First Nations, endangered species territory. And numbers of dangerous toxins have been greenlit for extended use. Unless you are keyed into environmental issues you will not see many reports on these sales. Corporations are good at providing themselves a lot of time to make money while they are fighting in court. I am very concerned at the damage post-Trump.
That’s easy put politicians in who will go after everyone that did the American people wrongly. Let the people of the United States of America sue each and every person that was complicit in each state court. Where the Trump pardon doesn’t count. Let the American people get them all back in each and every state court. Then we go after each and every person involved in the Trumpstein File and everyone who was complicit in hiding the fact and not doing there Jobs. That mean all the complicit politicians also all there benefits there retirement everything along with all illegal gains while in office.
Those contracts are subject to change. If the next administration is acting in the public interest, I think that it can reverse the legal abuses of the Trump regimes. Contracts exist in the context of a government that gives them validity. I don't think the corporations want to create an adversarial relationship with the federal government by refusing to change the contracts. The government can enact laws that favor environmental good actors. We just need to minimize the damage to the land until then. Relentless lawsuits can tie the corporations up in court for years. Also, direct and massive advocacy campaigns can force the corporations to either capitalize or be demonized, poisoning their business.
Think, cigarette companies, oil companies, computer services, all the things that cause so much damage yet continue to operate because people want what they provide. Even with the government opposing them they can survive a long time. I know. I've been part of the many working against them for decades. I'm sure a benevolent pro-environment administration can cut some of the damage. But that also means cutting the jobs that damage provided. It goes on.
The physical damage will take a lot of effort and resources to repair. The opportunity cost of time lost to counteract CO2 emissions is high because it will take longer to counter the effect of the accelerated emissions than it took to accelerate. Those are very unfortunate, but we will keep working. My focus was on the changed policy that will continue to damage if it is not reversed.
His next target is Cuba. Remember the WMDs that were never there? Let’s hope that those in power who can really do something about ridding our country of this “moron” remember that disaster also. Before it’s too late - for everyone. I was born in the 1930s. It’s a shame how this country has fallen so far and so fast.
Bill Hayes from Maine
It's not just Trump voters, though I hope their disillusionment is in fact an acquired lesson but not holding my breath. It's more globally the 25+% of eligible voting-age adults who are not registered and the 10% of registered voters who did/do NOT vote. And BTW in 2024 the registered voters who are High School graduates had the highest %age of non-voters at 48% non-voting, per census.org. So Dems/progressives indeed have some serious messaging to do.
I’m not a big believer in campaign promises although it’s fine to listen. I’m trying to determine the person behind the promises. Honesty, decency, the ability to listen, to work together, kindness, building allies internationally and not least, intelligence. If I think there is a solid person to believe in and work with, I know they are someone I can get behind. Not many meet my criteria.
"Beyond the details, a larger theme emerged. It was more than just frustration. It was disenchantment. Even embarrassment for having believed the promises Trump made."
Embarrassment must be respected and a path to redemption offered for those who've sinned. I find it interesting that Trump's agenda of retribution is blaming the Dems for weaponizing the Justice Department when, if anything, the Biden administration was probably too lenient towards crooks and insurrectionists. It is important to open the tent to those who have seen the error of their ways and want to help clean up the mess left in Trump's wake.
The task for the next President will be Herculean. It will require a person of exceptional charisma, accompanied by a team of experienced professionals dedicated to action and results. Lingering despair will fester if not channeled towards realistic solutions and quick results. The entire world is watching as well. May we choose carefully...
Thank you, Elliot. At the heart of your your piece lies a question un-written, "Why did America elect Trump not once but twice?" We are tasked with answering this question right now and right here. There are answers but none are final. Final answers lead to "final solutions". We are already living in an age of extreme anxiety. Trumpism (a.k.a. fascism) multiplies those feelings and offers fixes. Solutions.
Sometimes I think he was elected twice because we have become a nation believing in the easy fix, resolving issues in a one hour TV program, not to mention the entertainment “value” of the current administration writ large.
Lynn, There is more truth in your comment than I care to credit. Hang in there. I will too.
Isn't is sad that we have a post entitled Exploiting Trump's Weaknesses instead of one that says something like Here's what the GOP plan for providing health care for all Americans says and here's what the Dems are proposing. Here are the similarities, here are the differences, and here are how those things impact various groups from senior citizens, single persons, persons with preexisting conditions, persons earning minimum wage with children, small businesses just barely making it and big businesses who are rolling in the money and so on. It is possible that a group of persons other than Democrats could come up with a plan that combined with what the Dems proposed would be really beneficial for all Americans, but we will never know because we have to focus on the horror that are trump and the total support he gets from the GOP regardless of the proposal, even when it can totally change from one day to the next.
This administration is sneaky to the max. I read an article last Friday about a proposed SS rule change for SSI eligibility for SSI recipients who live with family or friends. This rule is being proposed very quietly. This rule proposes that not only the assets of the SSI recipient be used to determine eligibility but also the assets and income of the family and friends they live with. Depending on the asset and income thresholds, this could throw a lot of people off SSI. The only option would be for them to find other living arrangements but many of these SSI recipients are living with others because they can’t live on their own. There are not many options for other living arrangements either. If they can’t live on their own, they would need assisted living options which are already stretched to their limits. There are not enough other options now due to other social welfare cuts. If the SSI recipients stay in a home where their caregivers income and assets are over the limit they will lose their SSI and probably also their Medicaid. The families of most of them will probably not have the financial resources to support them if they lose SSI. This could affect several hundred thousand SSI recipients. Yes, it is important to address the impending SS shortfalls, but this rule change will not fix the entire shortfall. It could just cause other budget problems for the government and the social service system.
Mr Kirschner I love your columns. I am a lifelong Democrat. But I admit the Dems have never been great at creating a narrative of hope, including the disaffected, and explaining to the American people what we have done to improve lives, on the many fronts that we now miss so much, like gay rights, abortion rights, fair voting laws, etc. Not to mention free speech. Guess we don't appreciate stuff until it's gone, ain't that so?
Yes, entirely possible. Trump is Herbert Hoover. Our FDR is in the wings.
I hope all the Democratic Strategists are reading this! We don’t need to act like Trump. We need to clarify our vision and communicate and articulate it against what we’ve been seeing.
The graphic at the beginning with workers on a scaffold trying to patch up the United States map reminds me of the Depression era art-nouveau murals in Coit Tower.
My deepest concern is the S-L-O-W movement by the Democrats. Blindsided is a word that only has potency because we lack another to replace it. WHAT have we been telling ourselves for these past years? What is preventing us from locating and supporting a powerful individual with a powerful message from the Democrats so that we capture the attention of the sleeping masses? WHAT? WHO? AND WHEN? The game is on and most of us realize who is still pulling/manipulating the strings of our puppet government. Do we not have enough courage to take with us no prisoners? The courts are not and will not be on our side for yeas to come. Alas.
Elliot, you said: "Democrats now have a chance to start a new story". Can they be trusted to do just that? I am posing the question.
Excellent essay and one every democratic public servant at all levels from school board to Senate, must heed. We are at a turning point. Yes, we need visionaries with courage. The status quo cannot stand! The elders of our party must give way to younger folk, even the imperfect. Which of course all are. So let us not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. We need good women and men, indeed all Americans, to step up right now and put their shoulders to the wheel. We can save our Republic!
With the constant stream of the terrible, it appears we only have time to counterattack. But we must show there’s a better way and offer solutions to issues people care about. And those have to break through the highly successful noise coming from the administration. We must show connections and consequences and, yes, take responsibility where we have failed. Hate to say it, but we need a project 2026-28 ready to go.