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More Wisdom from Wise People: GNR [1]
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Date: 2025-01-04
I hope everyone had a lovely NYE and NYD and is feeling rested and as content as possible. I have to admit, there are days when I am like ‘WTAF, how is this man really going to be president this month???” But then I remind myself that we are in this together and that he is a pathetic loser and I feel a bit better. Anyway, here are some works from people who are much smarter than I am: From Amy Siskind · I have come to believe that Trump is going to hate 2025 and his second time in office. Republicans have already showed that they will openly defy him, both in the House and the Senate. He finds himself in the middle of a battle between his Silicon Valley billionaires and the MAGA people he is supposed to be the voice for. I also believe that Americans had very selective memories of what it was truly like during the first regime, and he is about to remind them how awful he is. Some of these marginal voters that gave him a chance because they wanted change are going to regret that decision soon. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, no one is paying attention to him. He is truly going to hate that. He is doing all his moves of chaos and crazy machinations, and they are largely going unnoticed because people are just tuning him out. He lives to be the center of attention , and the American people are going to deny him that. Mark my words, it will be a miserable four years for him.  Some things I am grateful for as we close out 2024: * I am grateful for the current slow and normal news cycles. * I am grateful for all the pushback to Trump, some from very unexpected corners like House Republicans and Senators, even Mitch McConnell. * I am grateful that most Americans are exhausted of the divisiveness, and are not going to abide Trump's hateful rhetoric. There are signs that he knows this already and is tamping down his behavior. * I am grateful that Americans of all political parties have had it with the horse race and provocative-for-clicks and -views media, and are showing their dissatisfaction by tuning out and canceling subscriptions. * Similarly, I am grateful that people left what was formerly known as Twitter, in mass, and that with that the platform has lost the majority of its relevance. * I am grateful that most Americans want to find a better way forward.  * I am grateful the Democratic Party is going through a reckoning of sorts, because truly we had lost our way and lost the masses. * I am also grateful for and looking forward to the reckoning for Trump, which has already started, for his showing his true self, siding with billionaires, revealing how bogus his populist message is, and for all of the disappointed voters who are going to turn on him in the coming weeks, months and years, and for him being miserable. In 2025, I encourage you all to continue to not dream of nightmares, live in the moment, practice self-care, and be there to support one another.
From Asli Aydintasbas
Trump will overplay his hand. Be ready for when he does. .Don’t Panic — Autocracy Takes Time President-elect Donald Trump’s return to power is unnerving but America will not turn into a dictatorship overnight — or in four years. Even the most determined strongmen face internal hurdles, from the bureaucracy to the media and the courts. It took Erdoğan well over a decade to fully consolidate his power. Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Poland’s Law and Justice Party needed years to erode democratic norms and fortify their grip on state institutions. I am not suggesting that the United States is immune to these patterns, but it’s important to remember that its decentralized system of governance — the network of state and local governments — offers enormous resilience. 2. Don’t Disengage — Stay Connected After a stunning electoral loss like this, there’s a natural impulse to shut off the news, log off social media and withdraw from public life. I’ve seen this with friends in Turkey and Hungary with opposition supporters retreating in disillusionment after Erdogan’s or Orbam’s victories. Understandably, people want to turn inwards. Dancing, travel, meditation, book clubs — it’s all fine. But eventually, in Poland, Hungary and Turkey, opponents of autocracy have returned to the fight, driven by a belief in the possibility of change. So will Americans. Have Hope Nothing lasts forever and the U.S. is not the only part of the world that faces threats to democracy — and Americans are no different than the French, the Turks or Hungarians when it comes to the appeal of the far right. But in a country with a strong, decentralized system of government and with a long-standing tradition of free speech, the rule of law should be far more resilient than anywhere in the world. Trump’s return to power certainly poses challenges to U.S. democracy. But he will make mistakes and overplay his hand — at home and abroad. America will survive the next four years if Democrats pick themselves up and start learning from the successes of opponents of autocracy across the globe.
from Robert Reich
Working people are once again being exploited and abused, child labor is returning, unions are being busted, the poor are again living in unhealthy conditions, homelessness is on the rise, and the gap between the ultra-rich and everyone else is nearly as large as in the first Gilded Age. So once again we need to protect the rights of workers to organize, invest in social safety nets, and revive guardrails to protect against the abuses of great wealth and power. Seeking these goals may seem quixotic right now, just weeks before Trump and his regime take power with a bilious bunch of billionaires. But if history is any guide, they will mark the last gasp of America’s second Gilded Age. We will reach the tipping point where Americans demand restraints on robber-baron greed. The challenge is the same as it was at the start of the 20th century: To fight for an economy and a democracy that works for all rather than the few. I realize how frightening and depressing the future may look right now. But we have succeeded before, when we fought against the abuses of the first Gilded Age. We can — and must — do so again now, in America’s second Gilded Age.
More from Robert Reich
As a practical matter, where will we find a firewall against the excesses of the Trump regime? The federal courts. You might say it doesn’t matter because the Supreme Court will rubber-stamp whatever Trump and his cronies want to do. Not so. The Supreme Court didn’t support all of Trump’s moves in his first administration (remember Trump’s Muslim ban?). More importantly, fewer than 1 percent of federal cases ever reach the Supreme Court. Given the amount of federal litigation likely to be created by the upcoming Trump administration, the Supreme Court probably won’t be able to deal with even 1 percent. Most disputes will be decided instead by 1,457 federal judges across 209 courts in the federal court system. Most of these federal judges were appointed by Democratic presidents. Of the 680 federal district court judges, 370 were appointed by Democrats compared to 267 by Republicans. Of the 179 federal courts of appeals judges, 89 were appointed by Republican presidents and 89 by Democratic presidents. Judges appointed by Democratic presidents hold the majority of seats on seven of the 13 regional courts of appeal. (Biden nominated and the Senate confirmed 235 federal judges — a quarter of all federal judges, and one more than Trump.)
From Simon Rosenberg
We’ve had early, important wins these last few weeks and he has a series of repeated, almost shocking losses - the Gaetz withdrawal, Trump getting rolled by his own party on the debt ceiling, his further destabilizing of an already unstable Republican House leadership, the fall of Assad and the dramatic weakening of the Russia-Iran alliance, the Fed and the markets raising the alarm about his inflationary economic agenda, his craven capitulation to Musk on H1-B visas and the internal strife it has caused, the embarrassing release of the lurid Gaetz report, and two very important losses in his ongoing trials for sexual assault, defamation and fraud. As I wrote to you yesterday this has been a remarkably bad run for Trump, and it is important we understand this and say so. He is losing, stumbling, f-cking up even before he gets into the White House. He is showing weakness, repeated weakness, and while the public may not see it yet official Washington and his Congressional allies have seen it. He is entering the New Year in a far more wobbly state that we ever could have imagined, and we need to learn how to see and accept him as weak and not allow his own strongman protection of himself become our own. So yes, part of our job in the coming months is to keep pulling back the curtain on the orange Wizard every day, and keep chipping away at his desperate attempt to make the ugliest political thing we’ve even seen look strong and successful. In 2025 we need to take, celebrate and build on the wins when they come, and my friends, the last few weeks we’ve had far more wins than we ever could have expected at this point. It bodes well for next year, and perhaps it will be a happier year than we had any right to believe a few weeks ago. But as I like to say, we will only keep winning if we stay engaged, and keep doing the work. Remember - Trump is not a strong man, he is a weak man. He remains a serial assaulter of women, fraudster, traitor, 34 times felon and the ugliest political thing we have ever seen. We cannot let his projection of himself onto the world become our own.
From Ben Meiselas
Look, we are tested most in times of adversity and hardship. Will we meet this moment? Will we join together and fight harder? Will we build our coalition in size and strength? Will we rally around each other, support each other, uplift each other, and set positive examples? We will meet this moment. I am sure of it. As I wake up on this first day of 2025, I feel a renewed and refreshed sense of purpose. I feel more energized than ever. I am confident that this community is now equipped with the tools and strength in numbers to push back against the threats to democracy and move the pendulum of history back to progress and freedom here in the United States and across the world. I wake up on this first day of 2025 knowing I am part of the Meidas Mighty. We don’t give up. We don’t submit. We fight. And despite inevitable setbacks, in the end, we win. Because love beats hate. Truth beats lies. Freedom beats oppression. Let’s start 2025 strong, Meidas Mighty. We got this!
more from Ben Meiselas
I know 2024 didn’t end the way we had hoped, but in the darkness, I see many signs of hope. MAGA is at war with itself. Americans are waking up to Trump’s massive grift and con (I wish they had earlier). Trump is still losing his civil cases in federal courts, like his massive loss in the E. Jean Carroll appeal. Foreign leaders are standing up to Trump. Corporate media that brought us and promoted the Trump sh*t show is facing a death spiral, and independent media, led by the MeidasTouch Network, is now soaring. Perhaps I am the congenital optimist, as President Biden told me he was during our interview, but I feel optimistic about 2025. I feel this way because, like you, I refuse to be a passive bystander to the MAGA wrecking ball.
A couple of good news tidbits
Schumer endorses Ben Wikler for Democratic National Committee chairman
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) on Thursday endorsed Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, to lead the national party, making Schumer the highest-ranking Democratic official to weigh in on the race so far. “As one of the best state party chairs in the country, Ben possesses all the qualities Democrats across the country are looking for in our next DNC Chair,” Schumer said in a statement. “He’s a tenacious organizer — one of the best organizers in the country — a proven fundraiser, a sharp communicator, and able to reach out to all segments of the Democratic Party.” “Most importantly,” Schumer added, “he knows how to win.”
Ukraine Halts the Flow of Natural Gas From Russia to Europe
The flow of natural gas through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe was cut off early Wednesday after Ukraine refused to renew an agreement that allowed for the transit of Russian gas through its territory. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine had warned for months that he would not renew the prewar contract, which expired at midnight on Dec. 31, because of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv’s decision to suspend the flow of gas through a pipeline that had carried Soviet and then Russian gas to Europe for decades is part of a broader campaign by Ukraine and its Western allies to undermine Moscow’s ability to fund its war effort and to limit the Kremlin’s ability to use energy as leverage in Europe.
On the Lighter Side
Here are some photos from NYE celebrations from this past week from around the world
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