“I’m told that we can’t post our way out of fascism but they literally posted us right into it. Just another of the many unfair things about fascism.”
—Luke O’Neil, Welcome to Hell World
I get it, but it will take more than posting. Reminds me of a meme I read recently but can’t source:
If billionaires were shot at the same rate as schoolchildren, we would run out of billionaires in less than two weeks.
Can’t verify that statistic but it sounds plausible. Not that I’m advocating offing the rich, but now that our top billionaire is illegally and unconstitutionally running roughshod over federal agencies in his own behalf, who will stop them? The combined might of leftists on social media and blogs?
Congressional Democrats? Don’t hold your breath. Look at this post from my own Senator Markey, a progressive Democrat Democrat from a deep blue state:
We were just denied entrance into the EPA after asking to meet with a DOGE representative. More to come.
— Senator Ed Markey (@markey.senate.gov) February 6, 2025 at 4:46 PM
The guard who confronted them is a rent-a-cop working for Trump donor Eric Prince’s private security firm, not an actual Capitol Policeman. So what did this august delegation of Democratic senators do? Instead of brushing by, they turned around and left. Can you believe that?
Then there’s House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries:
So now what? Let me tell you, there are more of us than them. Lots more. We saw that on February 5th when thousands of protestors turned out in front of dozens of state houses and the US Capitol for a hastily-organized nationwide demonstration tagged #50501 (Fifty states, fifty protests, one day) organized via via Reddit, Instagram, BlueSky, and websites. Click the map up top for more info from https://50protests.com.
I went to the demo at the Mass State House. I estimate there were some 2000 bodies gathered there, many displaying placards. My favorite one was “IKEA MAKES BETTER CABINETS.” I also chuckled at one that simply said “BAD DOGE!” To my relief, everyone was respectful, and the handful of Boston Police officers I saw behaved themselves. There were no speeches that I heard but plenty were given across the country.
Multiply that by 50 demonstrations, some bigger, some smaller, and that’s 100K people who are outraged enough to show up in the cold. Then there are millions of federal employees who might not have been able to attend but are even more put out.
Some of these protests got covered by local TV stations but for the mainstream media it was close to being a nothingburger. The Times seems to have devoted one after-the-fact article on it.
Some protesters chanted “This is what democracy looks like,” but make no mistake my friends, this is what a fascist coup looks like, as it acts out the Project 2025 playbook. Here’s what P2025 say about itself:
The project is the effort of a broad coalition of conservative organizations that have come together to ensure a successful administration begins in January 2025. With the right conservative policy recommendations and properly vetted and trained personnel to implement them, we will take back our government.
The 2025 Presidential Transition Project is being organized by The Heritage Foundation and builds off Heritage’s longstanding “Mandate for Leadership,” which has been highly influential for presidential administrations since the Reagan era. Most recently, the Trump administration relied heavily on Heritage’s “Mandate” for policy guidance, embracing nearly two-thirds of Heritage’s proposals within just one year in office.
Be sure to peruse the “broad coalition” link to familiarize yourself with what we’re up against. They’re playing for keeps and so should we.
We the People are at war with billionaires and their minions, not just a few “muskrats.” Signs of resistance are everywhere. Already, sales of Tesla cars are suffering. If turning down a deal on a Tesla isn’t something you’re likely to do, boycotting capitalist parasites such as Koch Industries (producers of dirty energy and makers of Charmin bath tissues, Vanity Fair napkins, and other consumer products) is another good option. Koch money is behind ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council), which has bankrolled conservative legislators across the nation to introduce anti-regulatory, anti-women, anti-labor, and anti-civil-rights bills in state houses across the nation. See a description of their current agenda here.
However, it seems Democrats also like billionaires.
“There are a lot of good billionaires out there that have been with Democrats, who share our values, and we will take their money,” Ken Martin, [recently elected] Chair of the Democratic Party, said at a forum on Sunday. “But we’re not taking money from those bad billionaires.” — from Jacobin, reprinted by Z
Right. Elon Musk once was a “good” one. So was Bill Gates. Whoever they are, they back candidates who will advance their agendas, not from the goodness of their hearts. At least they still have George Soros, that all-purpose punching bag for nutty conspiracists.
Billionaires have antipathy toward the “administrative state” that they see as limiting their dictatorial aspirations. Of course, corporations maintain their own administrative machinery, some of which they devote to waging war on their rivals and regulators, or needed to manage employees (“Human Relations”) and clients (Sales, Marketing and Customer Service). Their leaders’ antipathy toward government regulations makes them susceptible to Trumpism—a symbiosis of corporate and state power otherwise known as fascism. In turn, Trump is susceptible to billionaires because he worships money and power, and they have plenty to spare (as evidenced by those who ponied up* for his inaugurations).
With a cabinet full of some particularly nasty ones, the way has been cleared for systemic corruption. Trump’s bespoke playbook aims to put federal employees into a state of metanoia, a transformative mental state, usually instilled by epiphany or psychosis, that upends the ego and reorganizes cognition. They are told to either abandon their missions or their jobs. Those that don’t will resist in ways they must invent, with warrior consciousness. Look for passive-aggressive noncooperation, infighting, and sabotage.
But don’t expect to read about unless you became an ally. Mainstream media will be either the last to know or choose not to pay attention. Watch for signs resistance on social media. It’s going to be one helluva battle down there in DC and in field offices where a lot of the work tends to get done. Shower them with likes and ask how you can help. Sign up to keep informed about plans for a general strike across America and join it when it happens.
And turn out to bear witness wherever you can. Keep calm and carry on.
* Open Secrets lists 666(!) donors to Trump’s 2017 inauguration, thirty of which contributed $1M or more. I haven’t yet found a tally for his second inaugural.
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The man and his team has grabbed the world by the balls. i can’t see a way out. A poor example of democracy at work.