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Evening Shade-- Resistance Rising-- Wednesday May 14 [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-05-14
WHEN YOU FIND SOMETHING in the DIARY that you LIKE
THE PERSON who MAKES the FIRST COMMENT WILL GET TWO CRITTERS
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Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the spring season and getting plenty of time outdoors. We are in the thick of pine pollen and birch seeds here and let me tell you, it is INSANE. We seem to be tracking in birch seeds by the buckets full. I feel just like PigPen with the pollen that must be riding in on me. And you wouldn’t believe the emergence of the 17-year cicadas! There are THOUSANDS of them! 😮
How is everyone feeling these days? I’m thrilled to see so much pushback to the corruption and illegalities. There are stories galore about all the protesting and court wins and U-turns this maladministration is making as a result of these. Under it all, though, there’s still this slow burn of dread. It’s like what I felt during his first term but maybe even worse since the people he has in positions of power are even more horribly corrupt, incompetent, and evil. The hypocrisy from the Rs makes my blood boil. This first article is a rework of one I posted last week, but I think the message is useful. It gets really difficult to keep a level head sometimes.
Chris Bowers lays out Life in Activism: Three Common Mental Cul-de-sacs for Activists Right Now
✂️ There are three problems significant numbers of activists seem to be having in recent weeks that I call “mental cul-de-sacs.” That is, lines of thought that lead to unproductive dead ends, from which no personal progress or productive activism can be achieved. Once you enter these cul-de-sacs you are simply stuck until you manage to put yourself in reverse, pull back out onto the main road, and start moving forward again. Musing about removing Trump from office People seem to be obsessed with the idea of mounting a campaign to have Trump removed from office. The three most common means of removal that people suggest are, in order, impeachment and conviction, a mass street demonstration, or simply arresting him. Here's the thing: None of this is going to happen. There is no chance of it. There will never be 67 votes to convict Trump in the Senate. There will never be a street demonstration large enough to cause Trump to leave office either through shame or through force of popular will. There is no legal authority that is going to arrest Trump. Thinking otherwise just demonstrates a failure to accept the reality that we are all living in—namely, that Trump will either complete his term in office all the way through noon on January 20, 2029 or, in the unlikely but not impossible event that he is unable to do so for health reasons (he is almost 79, after all), J.D. Vance will complete it in Trump's place. ✂️ Fear that the 2026 elections will not take place ✂️ Further, even though Trump has a lot of sway over Republicans right now, he can't even convince them to confirm all of his nominees, or to include all of his desired taxes and tax breaks in congressional legislation. If he can't convince them of those things, then he certainly does not have the power to convince Republicans to just start cancelling elections. Also, Trump pulls back from the brink whenever the market craters, and if you thought it cratered when Trump introduced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, that was a tea party compared to what would happen if he tried to engineer a military coup to cancel elections (and the military wouldn't go along with that, either). We are going to have free and fair elections in 2026. We need to accept this, so that we can begin the work of making sure that the outcomes of those elections restrain Trump's power as much as is possible. Casual defeatism and doomerism will not help us. Saying “do something” to no one in particular ✂️ Well, I don't know what “something” is, but I do know what the following actions are: Supporting the organizations who are filing lawsuits against Trump—lawsuits that are taking place at a dizzying rate and which are often at least somewhat successful
Supporting Democratic candidates running in 2025 and 2026 elections—candidates who so far this year haven proven to be quite successful
Contacting your elected officials telling them that you oppose specific Trump policies
Participating in anti-Trump protests and political meetings, both of which are happening with high frequency, and on a large scale, around the country
Learning about the specifics of Trump's policies, and using it to craft your personal anti-Trump messaging to your friends, family and other acquaintances
I understand what he’s saying about impeachment, but when the Dems take control of the House and, if the stars align, the Senate, I do think impeachment is proper. The thing is the felon commits impeachable offenses all the time. We cannot just sit back and allow him to get away with this. He needs to have that on his record as being impeached 3 (or 4 or 5) times just so history understands there were people trying to stop him, but he was enabled in his crime spree by all the MOCs who voted against impeachment or conviction.
As for the free and fair elections, I agree but with a caveat. We MUST remain engaged and vote for the Democrats on the ballots in special elections, especially those for state offices who can guard against R shenanigans. Just look at WI! With the SC win there, they have announced an end to the gerrymandered maps for 2026!
We must also keep calling and emailing our MOCs to vote against the SAVE act and other horrendous legislation specifically intended to make voting more difficult. This won’t just happen. We need to make our voices heard on this and so many other atrocities this maladministration is pushing.
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The latest edition of The Blue Print is HERE
It’s a great place to see all the things the Democrats are doing to hold the Rs accountable. We all know the media will never report on this so we need to at least keep ourselves informed and share the information when we can. Many thanks to bilboteach, Janesaunt, lpeacock, Dfh1, and all others who write diaries so faithfully to let us know the good our D reps and senators are up to. 💙
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Reality Strikes Back
A central tenet of the MAGA movement is devotion to a world view of their creation. The Biden economy was the worst in history. Biden opened the borders and let crime run rampant. The 2020 election was stolen. The January 6 insurrectionists were freedom fighters. Vaccines are harmful. Alliances make us weaker. Tariffs are paid by other countries. Trump is restoring America. All of these assertions can be challenged and most can be factually disputed, but in MAGA world, they are gospel. During the campaign, Donald Trump was able to persuade enough people to accept MAGA-friendly views on the economy, crime and immigration to win a narrow victory. However, I contended that Trump would struggle to impose his fake reality on the country once he was in charge and had to confront the hard truth of his actions. Specifically, I wrote: I think there is sufficient reason to consider the possibility that Trump will be subjected to some version of the restraints experienced by other presidents. We may be about to jump through the looking glass, but reality is not likely to be suspended entirely. This is now coming to pass. ✂️ Trump needs Americans to believe that the hit they’re taking to their personal finances is not a big deal, that the tariffs he’s imposing will not cause endless pain, that the destruction he’s doing to programs they depend on is making government more efficient, that he’s in complete control even though things feel chaotic. This is an immense challenge even for the most skillful and natural of liars. It’s possible to persuade people that things are bad when they are good. It’s much harder to persuade people that things are good when they are bad. (Bolding mine) And because Trump is failing to sell the central MAGA premise that he is a savior sent to repair a collapsing country, the entire MAGA project is teetering. Hard reality is inconveniently intruding on Trump’s fake reality and dashing his attempts to define the world on his terms. It is intervening to sink Trump’s public standing, forcing him into a defensive crouch, undermining his perceived strength in Washington, and jeopardizing his legislative program. ✂️
The whole article is worth a read if you have the time.
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From Marc Elias and Democracy Docket
newsletters.democracydocket.com/…
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is not one to hide her feelings. A plainspoken New Yorker, she is known as a tough questioner who challenges lawyers who appear before the Supreme Court on their assumptions and the consequences of the legal positions they advocate. In an era when judges are often assessed by their commitment to democracy, she stands as a stalwart in the pro-democracy camp. Yet, she remains a Justice, and those on the high court often exercise caution in their choice of words. That is why it was striking when she used an audience of lawyers to deliver a stern message to the legal profession: stand up for democracy, take on the hard fights and do whatever you can to win. “I tell law students if you’re not used to fighting losing battles, don’t become a lawyer. Our job is to stand up for people who can’t do it themselves. Our job is to be the champion of lost causes. But right now, we can’t lose the battles we are facing. We need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight. With all the uncertainty that exists at this moment, this is our time to stand up and be heard. For me, being here with you is an act of solidarity.” ✂️
Again, there’s more to the article that’s worth a few minutes when you have it to spare. I can’t believe the number of large law firms who have capitulated, but I’m thrilled to know many more have not. It’s also a great sign that the ones that did are being ostracized.
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x There is no plan. There is no 3D chess. The president has a toddler’s understanding of the economy and will continue to just do things (and then undo them, and then do them again). — James Medlock (@jdcmedlock.bsky.social) May 12, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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Nanny reported this last night, but repetition is good!!!
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x Now there's going to be a surge in shipments from China, which will result in surging ocean freight rates just like after the pandemic. Everything is on a lag, but just as the tariff impacts wane, prices will get hit by freight. We're still in for plenty of pain.
[image or embed] — James Medlock (@jdcmedlock.bsky.social) May 12, 2025 at 10:27 AM
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I am so sick of hearing the felon talk about his deals. He is a blithering idiot.
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I know this is a hot button issue. I side with Ken Martin on this. I like David Hogg, but he is being impetuous. I did not like the way he went about wanting to primary older democrats; just because they are older, doesn’t make them all ineffective. In fact, I stand firmly on the belief that age brings wisdom. I love the younger democrats, however, the interview with Bill Maher, which I did not watch, but read about, cemented my view that David Hogg needs to figure out some things. First thing is not going on Bill Maher for crying out loud.
At the end of the day, democrats are going to be the ones to save this country from sliding into fascism. The last thing we need is internal fighting. I get that we are a big tent party and that’s why our party is the best, frankly. But this is way too important to risk squandering our chance to restore democracy and therefore, I believe we need to let the voters decide who our candidates will be, not David Hogg.
Chair Ken Martin: Why the Democratic Party must stay neutral in primaries
In recent weeks, there's been renewed conversation about my longstanding support for a neutrality pledge within the Democratic National Committee. Some critics have wrongly framed this as an effort to shut people out of the party or to discourage contested primaries. Let me be unequivocally clear: that's not only false, it's the opposite of what I stand for. I've always believed that we win elections through addition, not subtraction. The strength of the Democratic Party lies in its diversity of thought, background, and experience. We are the party that welcomes debate and dissent—it's what sets us apart from the Republican Party. Without new voices challenging the status quo, we never would have made progress on critical issues like civil rights, reproductive freedom, or marriage equality. Change doesn't come from the top down; it comes from the grassroots up, from new voices pushing the party to do better, to be better. That's why l've championed the idea that every Democrat—whether you're young or old, progressive or moderate, rural or urban—deserves a fair and equal voice in our party. A neutrality pledge isn't about silencing anyone. It's about protecting everyone. It ensures that candidates, and the millions of supporters behind them, can participate in our primary process without interference from party leadership. It means no thumb on the scale, no backroom deals, no favoritism. Imagine the message it would send if party insiders could quietly influence outcomes. If the perception takes hold that decisions are made behind closed doors by a few powerful actors, we risk alienating the very people we claim to represent. That's not democracy. That's not our party. Party officers have one job: to be fair stewards of a process that invites every Democrat to the table—regardless of personal views or allegiances. This is not a new position for me. After the 2016 election, I helped usher in superdelegate reforms to reduce insider influence. I championed neutrality pledges before they were common practice and successfully enacted a neutrality policy in the Minnesota DFL—one of the most grassroots—driven state parties in the country. When I ran for DNC Chair, I ran on a platform of democratizing the party. That meant expanding committees to include more voices from the rank and file, giving up unilateral appointment authority in favor of direct elections, and holding ourselves—party officers—to a higher standard of neutrality. These reforms weren't about any one person, and they certainly aren't about me versus David Hogg, someone I deeply respect. They're about principle, not personality. Long before David was ever involved in politics, I was pushing reforms within our Democratic Party—as I've said many times over the years, I represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party and will continue to advocate for a party that is open, fair, transparent and honors the grassroots voices within our Party. Whether you're a challenger or an incumbent, 18 or 80, the rules must apply equally. Do I have opinions? Of course. But when you lead the institution tasked with calling the balls and strikes, you don't get to also swing the bat. Our role is clear: let the voters decide, then work like hell to support the nominee they choose. I am more committed than ever to introduce the slate of structural reforms that enshrine these values into the official rules of the Democratic Party. These reforms will require all party officers—including myself—to remain neutral in primaries. They will ensure no party official can abuse their position to tilt the outcome of an election. The Democratic Party's charter says it best: “A party which asks for the people's trust must prove that it trusts the people.” That's a principle worth fighting for—and one I intend to uphold, now and as long as I am Chair of this great institution.
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x trump has thoroughly destroyed the prestige and honor of the office of the President of the United States. By selling himself and openly accepting bribes, he is officially the Prostitute of the United States. — BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan.bsky.social) May 13, 2025 at 12:18 AM
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x If America's Founders wanted the president to be able to accept a $400 million gift from a foreign country, they probably wouldn't have put this in the Constitution:
[image or embed] — CREW (@citizensforethics.org) May 13, 2025 at 5:26 PM
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This is one of the main issues we need to address: the literal fake news. Hilarious that Marc Elias chose to post it. I think by doing that more often it will lessen the effect of the lies. I hope more people start following Elias’ lead.
On that issue there may be some good news. At least some people are talking about it.
Trump is destroying his own presidency — let’s finish the job
✂️ One of the people I am listening to is Rob Flaherty, who directed digital strategy for the Biden White House and was a deputy campaign manager for Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign. Flaherty recently shared insights about the MAGA movement’s effectiveness at communicating with millions of Americans who are not politics-obsessed activists, people who are sick of traditional politics and don’t trust politicians or the mainstream media. Flaherty describes how “opt-out” voters were introduced to right-wing politics through “a network of influencers, personalities, podcasters and TikTokers who both inflame their bases and push messages into nonpolitical subcultures” — parenting, fitness and the so-called “manosphere,” among others. This profitable and thus sustainable network pushes political messages into nonpolitical outlets and subcultures far more effectively than strategies that are aimed at reaching people through traditional news and advertising. Flaherty is calling for a strategic re-think that requires a major investment in building both “our corner of the cultural honeycomb” and “pipelines to everyone else.” That makes a lot of sense to me. My organization, People For the American Way, was founded by television producer Norman Lear, who was driving political conversations through shows like “All in the Family” years before right-wing strategist Andrew Breitbart ever talked about politics being downstream from culture. Lear started a national conversation about the dangers of authoritarian religious nationalism by producing a short TV ad featuring a forklift driver who didn’t like preachers or politicians decreeing whether he or his wife was a better Christian based on their political beliefs. “That’s not the American Way,” he said. The hardhat ad engaged people at an emotional level, the way the humor in Lear’s TV shows reached people’s hearts and opened their minds. We must combine Lear’s ideals and Flaherty’s insights into more effective advocacy within today’s radically different media environment. I believe Democratic Party leaders understand the need to move in that direction as well. ✂️ That’s how we’ll reach the millions of Americans who instinctively get the danger of too much power concentrated in any one politician’s hands, whose values lean toward fair play, an economy that works for more of us, and laws that apply to and protect all of us. That’s how we’ll build a better America over the next 100, 1,000 and 10,000 days.
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There are many fun observances today. (Feel free to click on any of them if you’d like more information.)
Celebrated annually on the second Wednesday in May, this is a day to show appreciation for and to honor those often-forgotten workers who toil through the night to keep countless companies and businesses running smoothly.
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World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. It has a global outreach and is an effective tool to help raise global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.
This is a fun one!!! I have been enjoying seeing many different birds showing up in my yard on their spring migration. The most recent have been rose breasted grosbeaks. Here is a male and a female that have visited my Bird Buddy feeder. They’ve been passing through for a few weeks now. I was seeing at least a dozen or more at a time for a while. It’s really thrilling! I’m happy to offer them food and water to help them get to their breeding areas.
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