We frame economic power as a contest between capital and labor, but the real star of the American economy is consumer spending, which accounts for 68% of GDP. The Great Recession saw a 3.4% drop in consumer spending — at the time, the most severe year-over-year decline since World War II. The U.S. economy registered a 9.8% drop in consumer spending during the second quarter of 2020, when Covid shut down the world as we knew it. In both instances the U.S. government responded aggressively, spending hundreds of billions, primarily on bailouts, to pull us out of the Great Recession, and trillions, primarily in direct aid, to get us through the pandemic. The lesson? When consumers stop spending, American leaders start listening. As Geo Hussar explained to his YouTube followers at the end of September, “this is not seizing the means of production, but seizing the means of consumption,” adding that if every American dropped their consumption, on average, by 2%, “that would be the most loud and potent form of protest.”
We remain on the same page and right now Trump is helping the cause because the longer this goes on, the more damage is done to an economy that is already under stress. This IS going to hurt Trump no question. I can’t believe MAGA has gone after Netflix to help things along too. 🤣🤣🤣
BUT, herding the cats of humanity is daunting, where it takes an event, like Jimmy Kimmel, and reducing spending is nothing like that. We need a coalition of millions to give people a sense of belonging, that would create a force for boycotts, marches, and other concerted actions.
How much do you want to stop His Royal Heinous and the fascist takeover of the country?
Enough that you’re willing to make a small sacrifice? Like altering your spending habits for a month or two or three? That could be all it would take to get the attention of the oligarchs (formerly known as The Robber Barons in the first Gilded Age, also The Fat Cats, The Greedy Bastards).
A brief demonstration of We, the People’s, power of the purse could persuade them to quit supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
We quit spending, except on essentials, businesses lose money, stock market goes down, Greedy Bastards pay attention to our demands.
Greedy Bastards own most of the politicians of both major parties. GBs start losing money, tell politicians to change course and do what We, the People want.
We are running out of peaceful options. The legislature and Supreme Court are controlled by HRH. He controls the executive branch, including the Military, Justice Department, FBI, ICE, the IRS. He controls all levers of power.
We, the people, still have the power of the purse. No one can control our spending, or lack of spending. When all else fails we can go on a spending strike until the business community stops supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
Economic warfare is the only thing the oligarchs, the business community will understand and act on. Call it a Surreptitious General Strike (Quiet Quitting). Go to work, do as little as possible. Stop spending money except on essentials. Quit feeding the corporate beast that supports HRH.
Stop participating. Nearly 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. All of us. Hobble the economy and the stock market. Mahatma Gandhi drove the British from India by peaceful civil disobedience. We can stop the fascist takeover in the same way.
We can keep rehashing past and present atrocities until our access to the internet is taken away by the regime, or we can DO something!
Now is the time for this Peaceful Solution.
Why a Spending Strike is the Best Option
TINA: There Is No Alternative. There is no peaceful alternative.
Other proposed peaceful options:
Soft Secession
Federal funds make up 35% of California’s state budget, with $173 billion in federal grants awarded in Fiscal Year 2021 alone, making up a significant portion of state and local budgets for programs like health, education, and infrastructure.
Are they really going to pissoff HRH to the extent that he cuts off their federal funding?
Soft secession? Only to the point when HRH feels threatened.
He will move in with all his resources and stop it.
This soft secession idea is a political ploy by state officials to get their constituents to believe the officials are doing something to stop the takeover.
It’s also another distraction to the resistance in that it keeps us from organizing and uniting around what must be done and what will work. It’s another example of hoping for an easy fix, one that will not take any sacrifice.
In addition, soft secession is divisive, pitting blue states against red states, playing into the narrative of the Rat, who wants to start a civil war. MAGA not only wants to “own the libs”, they’d like to kill as many as possible, to eliminate the opposition.
Targeted boycotts
Why targeted boycotts are ineffective
Boycotts often fail because they require massive, sustained participation to create meaningful financial pressure, lack clear alternatives for consumers, generate insufficient negative media attention, and are easily weathered by companies waiting for the protest to fade. Additionally, the complex nature of modern capitalism and the proliferation of corporate conglomerates can make it difficult for boycotters to effectively target and impact a company's bottom line or reputation, especially when companies have multiple revenue streams, like real estate, that aren't affected by consumer boycotts.
In 2020, Goya Foods praised President Donald Trump on social media, which caused those in opposition to Trump to boycott their products. Trump loyalists simultaneously initated a counter-boycott, where consumers bought mass quantities of their products, in response. The boycott caused Goya profits to increase dramatically because Trump supporters started an opposing campaign.
The midterm election
Will it be free and fair? It won’t be. Will it occur at all? HRH has already said that if we’re at war there’ll be no election. Guess what? If it’s looking bad for him, we’ll be at war to stop the election. The election is important to him because having the majority in the legislature gives the fascist regime the look of legitimacy.
People are putting too much faith in what the midterms will do. They may have a beneficial psychologic effect but in reality the outcome will have little or no practical effect, unless the Dems can get 2/3 majority in the house and senate, which they won’t. They will not be able to undo anything HRH has done or pass new legislation because of his veto power.
SCOTUS members Roberts and Barrett may have an epiphany and save the country from civil war, but it’s doubtful. It’s going to be up to us to stop this.
Time is running out for a Peaceful Solution. Please spread the word.
How to accomplish a Spending Strike
“It’s the economy, stupid” as James Carville famously told Bill Clinton. It was then, and still is, in politics. The reelection of His Royal Heinous is largely attributed to the misperceived state of the economy. That’s what must be attacked, not individual corporations. The overall economy must suffer before the Greedy Bastards will pay attention.
HRH will not destroy the economy on his own (TACO). He will find a way to prop it up (like lower interest rates) because the economy and stock market are his report card and key to keeping power. The key to keeping power, as it is in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey. They give the people a somewhat decent standard of living, and in exchange, the people have no political power. Only the autocrat has that. Unlimited.
Our best chance of success lies in obtaining high profile, national leadership and spokespersons. Fragmented, unknown groups leading the charge might work but would take much longer, and time is of the essence. Since the Disney boycott there have been more “bigger” names taking up the cause.
There will have to be a great amount of grassroot support before a national “leader” will take up the cause. Most of our supposed leaders are really followers of movements. They’ll get out front after it’s shown to have popular support. So, we recruit more foot soldiers, like ourselves, and spread the word on various Substacks and other social media platforms.
After mustering much grassroots support we can then approach some Substack writers who have many subscribers and appeal to them to take up the cause and spread the word. Writers like Jen Rubin, Steve Schmidt, Robert Reich, Heather Richardson, Paul Krugman. Again, a good amount of grassroots support will have to be demonstrated.
We will need an organized effort to encourage those writers to concentrate on this method of opposition. Possibly coordinated mass emails to them promoting the idea, or coordinated posts to their Substacks.
Then, hopefully, one or more national leaders will take up the cause. Possibly a steering committee composed of left, center and right individuals, but not current office holders. It should be seen as non partisan.
This will be a tough sell. Americans are addicted to buying. We are brainwashed from the cradle by advertising, popular culture, peer pressure, to consume. If you want to be happy and fulfilled, you must have this or that product. To overcome this, our fellow citizens must be convinced that this is the only viable peaceful solution to stop and reverse the fascist takeover. And it is.
Defeating the fascists in WWII did not happen without sacrifice from the citizens of the Allied countries. We will have to sacrifice to stop and reverse the fascist takeover of our country. We can sacrifice a little now or a much greater amount later. What kind of world will our children and grandchildren live in if we allow this to continue? Spending Strike, Spending Freeze, Spending Suspension, Spending Pause, Economic Disengagement, Economic Warfare, Stop Spending!, even Boycott. Choose your favorite but Do It, and Spread the Word!
If a single dollar doubles every day for 30 days, it reaches a total of over $536 million ($536,870,912) at the end of the 30th day.
So, would it follow, that a single voice that doubled everyday would become 536 million voices after 30 days? That seems doable.
Can you boil all that down to simple language as I bet many in the poorer states won’t understand. And then send fliers. To their homes schools. Etc tv stations. I wish you well. Regards from Australia. We are horrified at the fascists Gestapo. Running amuck. And dumpy and miller. And Vance yelling. And shouting. And causing. Hatred
How much do you want to stop His Royal Heinous and the fascist takeover of the country?
Enough that you’re willing to make a small sacrifice? Like altering your spending habits for a month or two or three? That could be all it would take to get the attention of the oligarchs (formerly known as The Robber Barons in the first Gilded Age, also The Fat Cats, The Greedy Bastards).
A brief demonstration of We, the People’s, power of the purse could persuade them to quit supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
We quit spending, except on essentials, businesses lose money, stock market goes down, Greedy Bastards pay attention to our demands.
Greedy Bastards own most of the politicians of both major parties. GBs start losing money, tell politicians to change course and do what We, the People want.
We are running out of peaceful options. The legislature and Supreme Court are controlled by HRH. He controls the executive branch, including the Military, Justice Department, FBI, ICE, the IRS. He controls all levers of power.
We, the people, still have the power of the purse. No one can control our spending, or lack of spending. When all else fails we can go on a spending strike until the business community stops supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
Economic warfare is the only thing the oligarchs, the business community will understand and act on. Call it a Surreptitious General Strike (Quiet Quitting). Go to work, do as little as possible. Stop spending money except on essentials. Quit feeding the corporate beast that supports HRH.
Stop participating. Nearly 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. All of us. Hobble the economy and the stock market. Mahatma Gandhi drove the British from India by peaceful civil disobedience. We can stop the fascist takeover in the same way.
We can keep rehashing past and present atrocities until our access to the internet is taken away by the regime, or we can DO something!
Now is the time for this Peaceful Solution.
Why a Spending Strike is the Best Option
TINA: There Is No Alternative. There is no peaceful alternative.
Other proposed peaceful options:
Soft Secession
Federal funds make up 35% of California’s state budget, with $173 billion in federal grants awarded in Fiscal Year 2021 alone, making up a significant portion of state and local budgets for programs like health, education, and infrastructure.
Are they really going to pissoff HRH to the extent that he cuts off their federal funding?
Soft secession? Only to the point when HRH feels threatened.
He will move in with all his resources and stop it.
This soft secession idea is a political ploy by state officials to get their constituents to believe the officials are doing something to stop the takeover.
It’s also another distraction to the resistance in that it keeps us from organizing and uniting around what must be done and what will work. It’s another example of hoping for an easy fix, one that will not take any sacrifice.
In addition, soft secession is divisive, pitting blue states against red states, playing into the narrative of the Rat, who wants to start a civil war. MAGA not only wants to “own the libs”, they’d like to kill as many as possible, to eliminate the opposition.
Targeted boycotts
Why targeted boycotts are ineffective
Boycotts often fail because they require massive, sustained participation to create meaningful financial pressure, lack clear alternatives for consumers, generate insufficient negative media attention, and are easily weathered by companies waiting for the protest to fade. Additionally, the complex nature of modern capitalism and the proliferation of corporate conglomerates can make it difficult for boycotters to effectively target and impact a company's bottom line or reputation, especially when companies have multiple revenue streams, like real estate, that aren't affected by consumer boycotts.
In 2020, Goya Foods praised President Donald Trump on social media, which caused those in opposition to Trump to boycott their products. Trump loyalists simultaneously initated a counter-boycott, where consumers bought mass quantities of their products, in response. The boycott caused Goya profits to increase dramatically because Trump supporters started an opposing campaign.
The midterm election
Will it be free and fair? It won’t be. Will it occur at all? HRH has already said that if we’re at war there’ll be no election. Guess what? If it’s looking bad for him, we’ll be at war to stop the election. The election is important to him because having the majority in the legislature gives the fascist regime the look of legitimacy.
People are putting too much faith in what the midterms will do. They may have a beneficial psychologic effect but in reality the outcome will have little or no practical effect, unless the Dems can get 2/3 majority in the house and senate, which they won’t. They will not be able to undo anything HRH has done or pass new legislation because of his veto power.
SCOTUS members Roberts and Barrett may have an epiphany and save the country from civil war, but it’s doubtful. It’s going to be up to us to stop this.
Time is running out for a Peaceful Solution. Please spread the word.
How to accomplish a Spending Strike
“It’s the economy, stupid” as James Carville famously told Bill Clinton. It was then, and still is, in politics. The reelection of His Royal Heinous is largely attributed to the misperceived state of the economy. That’s what must be attacked, not individual corporations. The overall economy must suffer before the Greedy Bastards will pay attention.
HRH will not destroy the economy on his own (TACO). He will find a way to prop it up (like lower interest rates) because the economy and stock market are his report card and key to keeping power. The key to keeping power, as it is in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey. They give the people a somewhat decent standard of living, and in exchange, the people have no political power. Only the autocrat has that. Unlimited.
Our best chance of success lies in obtaining high profile, national leadership and spokespersons. Fragmented, unknown groups leading the charge might work but would take much longer, and time is of the essence. Since the Disney boycott there have been more “bigger” names taking up the cause.
There will have to be a great amount of grassroot support before a national “leader” will take up the cause. Most of our supposed leaders are really followers of movements. They’ll get out front after it’s shown to have popular support. So, we recruit more foot soldiers, like ourselves, and spread the word on various Substacks and other social media platforms.
After mustering much grassroots support we can then approach some Substack writers who have many subscribers and appeal to them to take up the cause and spread the word. Writers like Jen Rubin, Steve Schmidt, Robert Reich, Heather Richardson, Paul Krugman. Again, a good amount of grassroots support will have to be demonstrated.
We will need an organized effort to encourage those writers to concentrate on this method of opposition. Possibly coordinated mass emails to them promoting the idea, or coordinated posts to their Substacks.
Then, hopefully, one or more national leaders will take up the cause. Possibly a steering committee composed of left, center and right individuals, but not current office holders. It should be seen as non partisan.
This will be a tough sell. Americans are addicted to buying. We are brainwashed from the cradle by advertising, popular culture, peer pressure, to consume. If you want to be happy and fulfilled, you must have this or that product. To overcome this, our fellow citizens must be convinced that this is the only viable peaceful solution to stop and reverse the fascist takeover. And it is.
Defeating the fascists in WWII did not happen without sacrifice from the citizens of the Allied countries. We will have to sacrifice to stop and reverse the fascist takeover of our country. We can sacrifice a little now or a much greater amount later. What kind of world will our children and grandchildren live in if we allow this to continue? Spending Strike, Spending Freeze, Spending Suspension, Spending Pause, Economic Disengagement, Economic Warfare, Stop Spending!, even Boycott. Choose your favorite but Do It, and Spread the Word!
If a single dollar doubles every day for 30 days, it reaches a total of over $536 million ($536,870,912) at the end of the 30th day.
So, would it follow, that a single voice that doubled everyday would become 536 million voices after 30 days? That seems doable.
I really believe a nationwide strike and spending freeze is the only effective way to stop this regime and their First Felon. Losing profits are the only thing that will hurt them. Greed is the only thing driving them. We need to stop providing them with endless funds. Stop buying stuff and only buy food from your neighborhood grocer. Stop giving billionaires your hard earned money. It's not that hard and you might have more in your own pocket.
Thank you for mentioning Graham Platner in Maine. I attended a town hall in Rockport Maine on Wednesday where he spoke for an hour. The venue was small and the organizers, at the time of booking, expected a turnout of 30-40 people. It was in fact, attended by almost 900 people. This gives me hope that Platner's message, and the message of candidates like him, will start to resonate with the disenfranchised silent majority.
Thank you for featuring Graham Platner of Maine. He has a powerful message and vision for a more just and equitable society. As a Mainer, I am very proud of the great leaders from Maine, including Margaret Chase Smith, who responded to the McCarthy hearings with her Declaration of Conscience, and George Mitchell, who negotiated peace between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Platner could be very effective with Bernie and AOC, who both endorsed him for Senator.
“These voters represent a devastating indictment of US representative democracy.”
I believe people don’t vote is that they are intellectually lazy, not unintelligent necessarily, just not interested in educating themselves about what is going on in politics. Or perhaps too overwhelmed, so ignore the whole damn thing.
You make sound points. I think many people just shut out the constant noise (from the “flooded zone”). Neither party offers a good path; Dems still have not cleared a clear or compelling or appealing path!! I always vote and of course vote against Trump/MAGA/fascism. But people want to vote “for” something.
Shame on Dems! Except for local races, nobody is out there with platforms that address positive change
Yes Meryl it seems as if some candidates feel like they have to concentrate their efforts on several bullet points in campaigns instead of casting a broader net to include a vast majority of voters. Their advisers don’t always have the best perspective on how to gain voters.Most people can walk and chew gum at the same time. And I’ve been saying for years that people are not curious but lazy when it comes to politics and the impact it has on society. They choose to be comfortable instead of aware of what’s actually happening to those who aren’t in their own safe bubbles. IMO America has a lot of selfish people!
Even if you are correct, and you may be, it's still an indictment that the educational system, families, friends of whomever is in this group (of people who don't vote) seem unable to find ways to reduce the laziness. It is already "lazy" voters -- those who vote but who barely skim the surface of what candidates stand for that contributes mightily to our current situation.
As an American I’d say that the problem is that Americans are dumb, self-centered and uneducated. I saw an in-depth analysis of the 2024 election that concluded that if more people would have voted, Trump would have won with a bigger margin. I have no idea what the solution is but I think it may be hard to really appreciate that lack of intelligence and critical thinking of most of the US population.
But not most are dumb. No no no no. Just lethargic when apathy no longer suffices. Big activation going on, where we're a lot smarter for the struggle. Better to see it that way.
Thank you very much for your writing. I wonder if that percentage of apathetic voters will change in future elections. Sometimes I think people like to complain but don't do anything to change the situation. I am very concerned that if the democrats do not change their approach, democracy is doomed in this country.
I’m sharing this with my friends at the DNC National Call Crew. It will provide them with great talking points as they speak with voters! BTW: their work has already begun. They are looking for more callers. Join them! ~ Jean Moreau, Volunteer Moderator Captain for Zoom Phone Banks
To the people who sat this one out because they though their vote didn't matter. Now that you're getting screwed out of your healthcare, your pension and investments took massive hit, paying higher prices because of tariffs, losing your farms, going bankrupt etc. Don't even bother whining or crying the blues to me.
Not my intention to view them as an enemy. They are suffering through this just the same. Unfortunately, their complacency is coming back to bite them in the ass. Although their cries may fall on deaf ears. My hope is those tears and screams will now turn into action.
If we keep framing the issues this way, people will continue to see little air between the two parties. Yes -;we should talk about living wages, health care, etc. But people aren't voting for Democrats -;or aren't voting at all - because they see the party as behden to corporate interests, and understand that it is true that their vote doesn't matter. In Congress, bills that pass or don't pass simply have little connection to public desires. This won't change until we have publicly financed elections with no private or corporate money allowed, as well as other election reform, giving elections and a say back to the people. People actually aren't stupid. Democrats have talked about better wages, etc for years, but they haven't delivered - they don't want to upset their corporate sponsors. Until that changes, people - if they vote at all - will figure, "let's just blow up the system. It can't be any worse than this."
Rome wasn’t built in a day. However your talk about blowing up the system may happen by default, because when the AI bubble bursts it’s going to make 2008 look like a tea party.
I’m not sure you give up on a vision because you’re fearful nobody will buy in, I still believe in the audacity of hope.
I also believe in hope. But hope doesn't remove us from the necessity of seeing things clearly. While it's noted that the majority aren't voting because they don't see air between Republicans and Dems, it goes back to the same promises Dems have been making for years. People need more than more promises. If Dems want people to vote for them, they can't wait until Rome is finally built. They need, more than anything else, to know that their voice counts, because that's where the frustration lies. They need to see real change, that Dems are serious. Until that happens, they won't vote - or, frustrated, they’ll vote for more bomb-throwers.
They’ve worked 14 days since July they need to do the job they are getting highly paid for. No work no pay is the way for anyone employe, why should it be different for the republicans their not any more special then and other government employee. I bet they’re still getting paid during the shut down and paid for creating KAOS!
And, separately, this one is a big important article series. Been thinking about this for 10-15 years before the accident . . . you're really going to like it and the DPI graph will be a part of your "toolbox"!
The Democratic Power Index (DPI): Spock’s Chess Board (1/6)
Setting the stage, defining the terms, explaining the measurement approach in plain English baby steps, and walking you through one concrete year.
Hi Martin. Thank you so much YET AGAIN for your recent attention to the SBOR here on Substack. Please subscribe if you can. The SBOR needs more subscribers, donors, and evangelizers every single day. And, do you use any other social media? We need extra help every day spreading our good news far and wide. Steven
The 2024 election was rigged. See electiontruthalliance.org and smart elections.us. Republicans stole the voting software. Sydney Powell went to jail for this. Musk said in Oct 2024 that he wouldn’t trust an election not hand counted because code is too easy to alter. He was right and the swing states didn’t hand count the votes. If they had, Harris won.
From No mercy/No malice
By Professor Scott Galloway
We frame economic power as a contest between capital and labor, but the real star of the American economy is consumer spending, which accounts for 68% of GDP. The Great Recession saw a 3.4% drop in consumer spending — at the time, the most severe year-over-year decline since World War II. The U.S. economy registered a 9.8% drop in consumer spending during the second quarter of 2020, when Covid shut down the world as we knew it. In both instances the U.S. government responded aggressively, spending hundreds of billions, primarily on bailouts, to pull us out of the Great Recession, and trillions, primarily in direct aid, to get us through the pandemic. The lesson? When consumers stop spending, American leaders start listening. As Geo Hussar explained to his YouTube followers at the end of September, “this is not seizing the means of production, but seizing the means of consumption,” adding that if every American dropped their consumption, on average, by 2%, “that would be the most loud and potent form of protest.”
We remain on the same page and right now Trump is helping the cause because the longer this goes on, the more damage is done to an economy that is already under stress. This IS going to hurt Trump no question. I can’t believe MAGA has gone after Netflix to help things along too. 🤣🤣🤣
BUT, herding the cats of humanity is daunting, where it takes an event, like Jimmy Kimmel, and reducing spending is nothing like that. We need a coalition of millions to give people a sense of belonging, that would create a force for boycotts, marches, and other concerted actions.
How much do you want to stop His Royal Heinous and the fascist takeover of the country?
Enough that you’re willing to make a small sacrifice? Like altering your spending habits for a month or two or three? That could be all it would take to get the attention of the oligarchs (formerly known as The Robber Barons in the first Gilded Age, also The Fat Cats, The Greedy Bastards).
A brief demonstration of We, the People’s, power of the purse could persuade them to quit supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
We quit spending, except on essentials, businesses lose money, stock market goes down, Greedy Bastards pay attention to our demands.
Greedy Bastards own most of the politicians of both major parties. GBs start losing money, tell politicians to change course and do what We, the People want.
We are running out of peaceful options. The legislature and Supreme Court are controlled by HRH. He controls the executive branch, including the Military, Justice Department, FBI, ICE, the IRS. He controls all levers of power.
We, the people, still have the power of the purse. No one can control our spending, or lack of spending. When all else fails we can go on a spending strike until the business community stops supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
Economic warfare is the only thing the oligarchs, the business community will understand and act on. Call it a Surreptitious General Strike (Quiet Quitting). Go to work, do as little as possible. Stop spending money except on essentials. Quit feeding the corporate beast that supports HRH.
Stop participating. Nearly 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. All of us. Hobble the economy and the stock market. Mahatma Gandhi drove the British from India by peaceful civil disobedience. We can stop the fascist takeover in the same way.
We can keep rehashing past and present atrocities until our access to the internet is taken away by the regime, or we can DO something!
Now is the time for this Peaceful Solution.
Why a Spending Strike is the Best Option
TINA: There Is No Alternative. There is no peaceful alternative.
Other proposed peaceful options:
Soft Secession
Federal funds make up 35% of California’s state budget, with $173 billion in federal grants awarded in Fiscal Year 2021 alone, making up a significant portion of state and local budgets for programs like health, education, and infrastructure.
Are they really going to pissoff HRH to the extent that he cuts off their federal funding?
Soft secession? Only to the point when HRH feels threatened.
He will move in with all his resources and stop it.
This soft secession idea is a political ploy by state officials to get their constituents to believe the officials are doing something to stop the takeover.
It’s also another distraction to the resistance in that it keeps us from organizing and uniting around what must be done and what will work. It’s another example of hoping for an easy fix, one that will not take any sacrifice.
In addition, soft secession is divisive, pitting blue states against red states, playing into the narrative of the Rat, who wants to start a civil war. MAGA not only wants to “own the libs”, they’d like to kill as many as possible, to eliminate the opposition.
Targeted boycotts
Why targeted boycotts are ineffective
Boycotts often fail because they require massive, sustained participation to create meaningful financial pressure, lack clear alternatives for consumers, generate insufficient negative media attention, and are easily weathered by companies waiting for the protest to fade. Additionally, the complex nature of modern capitalism and the proliferation of corporate conglomerates can make it difficult for boycotters to effectively target and impact a company's bottom line or reputation, especially when companies have multiple revenue streams, like real estate, that aren't affected by consumer boycotts.
In 2020, Goya Foods praised President Donald Trump on social media, which caused those in opposition to Trump to boycott their products. Trump loyalists simultaneously initated a counter-boycott, where consumers bought mass quantities of their products, in response. The boycott caused Goya profits to increase dramatically because Trump supporters started an opposing campaign.
The midterm election
Will it be free and fair? It won’t be. Will it occur at all? HRH has already said that if we’re at war there’ll be no election. Guess what? If it’s looking bad for him, we’ll be at war to stop the election. The election is important to him because having the majority in the legislature gives the fascist regime the look of legitimacy.
People are putting too much faith in what the midterms will do. They may have a beneficial psychologic effect but in reality the outcome will have little or no practical effect, unless the Dems can get 2/3 majority in the house and senate, which they won’t. They will not be able to undo anything HRH has done or pass new legislation because of his veto power.
SCOTUS members Roberts and Barrett may have an epiphany and save the country from civil war, but it’s doubtful. It’s going to be up to us to stop this.
Time is running out for a Peaceful Solution. Please spread the word.
How to accomplish a Spending Strike
“It’s the economy, stupid” as James Carville famously told Bill Clinton. It was then, and still is, in politics. The reelection of His Royal Heinous is largely attributed to the misperceived state of the economy. That’s what must be attacked, not individual corporations. The overall economy must suffer before the Greedy Bastards will pay attention.
HRH will not destroy the economy on his own (TACO). He will find a way to prop it up (like lower interest rates) because the economy and stock market are his report card and key to keeping power. The key to keeping power, as it is in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey. They give the people a somewhat decent standard of living, and in exchange, the people have no political power. Only the autocrat has that. Unlimited.
Our best chance of success lies in obtaining high profile, national leadership and spokespersons. Fragmented, unknown groups leading the charge might work but would take much longer, and time is of the essence. Since the Disney boycott there have been more “bigger” names taking up the cause.
There will have to be a great amount of grassroot support before a national “leader” will take up the cause. Most of our supposed leaders are really followers of movements. They’ll get out front after it’s shown to have popular support. So, we recruit more foot soldiers, like ourselves, and spread the word on various Substacks and other social media platforms.
After mustering much grassroots support we can then approach some Substack writers who have many subscribers and appeal to them to take up the cause and spread the word. Writers like Jen Rubin, Steve Schmidt, Robert Reich, Heather Richardson, Paul Krugman. Again, a good amount of grassroots support will have to be demonstrated.
We will need an organized effort to encourage those writers to concentrate on this method of opposition. Possibly coordinated mass emails to them promoting the idea, or coordinated posts to their Substacks.
Then, hopefully, one or more national leaders will take up the cause. Possibly a steering committee composed of left, center and right individuals, but not current office holders. It should be seen as non partisan.
This will be a tough sell. Americans are addicted to buying. We are brainwashed from the cradle by advertising, popular culture, peer pressure, to consume. If you want to be happy and fulfilled, you must have this or that product. To overcome this, our fellow citizens must be convinced that this is the only viable peaceful solution to stop and reverse the fascist takeover. And it is.
Defeating the fascists in WWII did not happen without sacrifice from the citizens of the Allied countries. We will have to sacrifice to stop and reverse the fascist takeover of our country. We can sacrifice a little now or a much greater amount later. What kind of world will our children and grandchildren live in if we allow this to continue? Spending Strike, Spending Freeze, Spending Suspension, Spending Pause, Economic Disengagement, Economic Warfare, Stop Spending!, even Boycott. Choose your favorite but Do It, and Spread the Word!
If a single dollar doubles every day for 30 days, it reaches a total of over $536 million ($536,870,912) at the end of the 30th day.
So, would it follow, that a single voice that doubled everyday would become 536 million voices after 30 days? That seems doable.
Can you boil all that down to simple language as I bet many in the poorer states won’t understand. And then send fliers. To their homes schools. Etc tv stations. I wish you well. Regards from Australia. We are horrified at the fascists Gestapo. Running amuck. And dumpy and miller. And Vance yelling. And shouting. And causing. Hatred
This is not responsive to what I wrote.
How much do you want to stop His Royal Heinous and the fascist takeover of the country?
Enough that you’re willing to make a small sacrifice? Like altering your spending habits for a month or two or three? That could be all it would take to get the attention of the oligarchs (formerly known as The Robber Barons in the first Gilded Age, also The Fat Cats, The Greedy Bastards).
A brief demonstration of We, the People’s, power of the purse could persuade them to quit supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
We quit spending, except on essentials, businesses lose money, stock market goes down, Greedy Bastards pay attention to our demands.
Greedy Bastards own most of the politicians of both major parties. GBs start losing money, tell politicians to change course and do what We, the People want.
We are running out of peaceful options. The legislature and Supreme Court are controlled by HRH. He controls the executive branch, including the Military, Justice Department, FBI, ICE, the IRS. He controls all levers of power.
We, the people, still have the power of the purse. No one can control our spending, or lack of spending. When all else fails we can go on a spending strike until the business community stops supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
Economic warfare is the only thing the oligarchs, the business community will understand and act on. Call it a Surreptitious General Strike (Quiet Quitting). Go to work, do as little as possible. Stop spending money except on essentials. Quit feeding the corporate beast that supports HRH.
Stop participating. Nearly 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. All of us. Hobble the economy and the stock market. Mahatma Gandhi drove the British from India by peaceful civil disobedience. We can stop the fascist takeover in the same way.
We can keep rehashing past and present atrocities until our access to the internet is taken away by the regime, or we can DO something!
Now is the time for this Peaceful Solution.
Why a Spending Strike is the Best Option
TINA: There Is No Alternative. There is no peaceful alternative.
Other proposed peaceful options:
Soft Secession
Federal funds make up 35% of California’s state budget, with $173 billion in federal grants awarded in Fiscal Year 2021 alone, making up a significant portion of state and local budgets for programs like health, education, and infrastructure.
Are they really going to pissoff HRH to the extent that he cuts off their federal funding?
Soft secession? Only to the point when HRH feels threatened.
He will move in with all his resources and stop it.
This soft secession idea is a political ploy by state officials to get their constituents to believe the officials are doing something to stop the takeover.
It’s also another distraction to the resistance in that it keeps us from organizing and uniting around what must be done and what will work. It’s another example of hoping for an easy fix, one that will not take any sacrifice.
In addition, soft secession is divisive, pitting blue states against red states, playing into the narrative of the Rat, who wants to start a civil war. MAGA not only wants to “own the libs”, they’d like to kill as many as possible, to eliminate the opposition.
Targeted boycotts
Why targeted boycotts are ineffective
Boycotts often fail because they require massive, sustained participation to create meaningful financial pressure, lack clear alternatives for consumers, generate insufficient negative media attention, and are easily weathered by companies waiting for the protest to fade. Additionally, the complex nature of modern capitalism and the proliferation of corporate conglomerates can make it difficult for boycotters to effectively target and impact a company's bottom line or reputation, especially when companies have multiple revenue streams, like real estate, that aren't affected by consumer boycotts.
In 2020, Goya Foods praised President Donald Trump on social media, which caused those in opposition to Trump to boycott their products. Trump loyalists simultaneously initated a counter-boycott, where consumers bought mass quantities of their products, in response. The boycott caused Goya profits to increase dramatically because Trump supporters started an opposing campaign.
The midterm election
Will it be free and fair? It won’t be. Will it occur at all? HRH has already said that if we’re at war there’ll be no election. Guess what? If it’s looking bad for him, we’ll be at war to stop the election. The election is important to him because having the majority in the legislature gives the fascist regime the look of legitimacy.
People are putting too much faith in what the midterms will do. They may have a beneficial psychologic effect but in reality the outcome will have little or no practical effect, unless the Dems can get 2/3 majority in the house and senate, which they won’t. They will not be able to undo anything HRH has done or pass new legislation because of his veto power.
SCOTUS members Roberts and Barrett may have an epiphany and save the country from civil war, but it’s doubtful. It’s going to be up to us to stop this.
Time is running out for a Peaceful Solution. Please spread the word.
How to accomplish a Spending Strike
“It’s the economy, stupid” as James Carville famously told Bill Clinton. It was then, and still is, in politics. The reelection of His Royal Heinous is largely attributed to the misperceived state of the economy. That’s what must be attacked, not individual corporations. The overall economy must suffer before the Greedy Bastards will pay attention.
HRH will not destroy the economy on his own (TACO). He will find a way to prop it up (like lower interest rates) because the economy and stock market are his report card and key to keeping power. The key to keeping power, as it is in Russia, China, Hungary, Turkey. They give the people a somewhat decent standard of living, and in exchange, the people have no political power. Only the autocrat has that. Unlimited.
Our best chance of success lies in obtaining high profile, national leadership and spokespersons. Fragmented, unknown groups leading the charge might work but would take much longer, and time is of the essence. Since the Disney boycott there have been more “bigger” names taking up the cause.
There will have to be a great amount of grassroot support before a national “leader” will take up the cause. Most of our supposed leaders are really followers of movements. They’ll get out front after it’s shown to have popular support. So, we recruit more foot soldiers, like ourselves, and spread the word on various Substacks and other social media platforms.
After mustering much grassroots support we can then approach some Substack writers who have many subscribers and appeal to them to take up the cause and spread the word. Writers like Jen Rubin, Steve Schmidt, Robert Reich, Heather Richardson, Paul Krugman. Again, a good amount of grassroots support will have to be demonstrated.
We will need an organized effort to encourage those writers to concentrate on this method of opposition. Possibly coordinated mass emails to them promoting the idea, or coordinated posts to their Substacks.
Then, hopefully, one or more national leaders will take up the cause. Possibly a steering committee composed of left, center and right individuals, but not current office holders. It should be seen as non partisan.
This will be a tough sell. Americans are addicted to buying. We are brainwashed from the cradle by advertising, popular culture, peer pressure, to consume. If you want to be happy and fulfilled, you must have this or that product. To overcome this, our fellow citizens must be convinced that this is the only viable peaceful solution to stop and reverse the fascist takeover. And it is.
Defeating the fascists in WWII did not happen without sacrifice from the citizens of the Allied countries. We will have to sacrifice to stop and reverse the fascist takeover of our country. We can sacrifice a little now or a much greater amount later. What kind of world will our children and grandchildren live in if we allow this to continue? Spending Strike, Spending Freeze, Spending Suspension, Spending Pause, Economic Disengagement, Economic Warfare, Stop Spending!, even Boycott. Choose your favorite but Do It, and Spread the Word!
If a single dollar doubles every day for 30 days, it reaches a total of over $536 million ($536,870,912) at the end of the 30th day.
So, would it follow, that a single voice that doubled everyday would become 536 million voices after 30 days? That seems doable.
I really believe a nationwide strike and spending freeze is the only effective way to stop this regime and their First Felon. Losing profits are the only thing that will hurt them. Greed is the only thing driving them. We need to stop providing them with endless funds. Stop buying stuff and only buy food from your neighborhood grocer. Stop giving billionaires your hard earned money. It's not that hard and you might have more in your own pocket.
Totally agree. Please help Spread the Word!, far, wide, and quickly, before the fascists takedown our means of communication.
Yes. People-first.
Thank you for mentioning Graham Platner in Maine. I attended a town hall in Rockport Maine on Wednesday where he spoke for an hour. The venue was small and the organizers, at the time of booking, expected a turnout of 30-40 people. It was in fact, attended by almost 900 people. This gives me hope that Platner's message, and the message of candidates like him, will start to resonate with the disenfranchised silent majority.
Exactly, we must make him known everywhere. The presence of 900 instead of 40 proves that people want a leader,
an honest voice to work for them, one of theirs who knows what they need and listens to them.
And one who isn’t just concerned Simon like his opponent who’s waaaaay past her prime
From your lips Robin🤞🏼….
Thank you for featuring Graham Platner of Maine. He has a powerful message and vision for a more just and equitable society. As a Mainer, I am very proud of the great leaders from Maine, including Margaret Chase Smith, who responded to the McCarthy hearings with her Declaration of Conscience, and George Mitchell, who negotiated peace between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Platner could be very effective with Bernie and AOC, who both endorsed him for Senator.
“These voters represent a devastating indictment of US representative democracy.”
I believe people don’t vote is that they are intellectually lazy, not unintelligent necessarily, just not interested in educating themselves about what is going on in politics. Or perhaps too overwhelmed, so ignore the whole damn thing.
You make sound points. I think many people just shut out the constant noise (from the “flooded zone”). Neither party offers a good path; Dems still have not cleared a clear or compelling or appealing path!! I always vote and of course vote against Trump/MAGA/fascism. But people want to vote “for” something.
Shame on Dems! Except for local races, nobody is out there with platforms that address positive change
You and I I’m sure would have an interesting chat over a coffee. You are on the money here Meryl. We are on the same page.
A cup for me, too!
Yes Meryl it seems as if some candidates feel like they have to concentrate their efforts on several bullet points in campaigns instead of casting a broader net to include a vast majority of voters. Their advisers don’t always have the best perspective on how to gain voters.Most people can walk and chew gum at the same time. And I’ve been saying for years that people are not curious but lazy when it comes to politics and the impact it has on society. They choose to be comfortable instead of aware of what’s actually happening to those who aren’t in their own safe bubbles. IMO America has a lot of selfish people!
Even if you are correct, and you may be, it's still an indictment that the educational system, families, friends of whomever is in this group (of people who don't vote) seem unable to find ways to reduce the laziness. It is already "lazy" voters -- those who vote but who barely skim the surface of what candidates stand for that contributes mightily to our current situation.
As an American I’d say that the problem is that Americans are dumb, self-centered and uneducated. I saw an in-depth analysis of the 2024 election that concluded that if more people would have voted, Trump would have won with a bigger margin. I have no idea what the solution is but I think it may be hard to really appreciate that lack of intelligence and critical thinking of most of the US population.
But not most are dumb. No no no no. Just lethargic when apathy no longer suffices. Big activation going on, where we're a lot smarter for the struggle. Better to see it that way.
You’re right. 🙏
LIONS AND DONKEYS
In the heart of the Democratic fold,
Lions roar with stories untold.
Eager and ready, they seek their due,
A call for justice, a vision anew.
Yet the donkeys, leaders of the pack,
Drag their feet, reluctant to act.
Kicking and screaming, they resist the call,
Forgetting the people, they risk it all.
But the lions persist, their voices clear,
“People before party,” they declare with cheer.
A rallying cry for a brighter day,
To lead with compassion, come what may.
In unity, they strive for a common goal,
To heal the nation, to mend the soul.
For the lions and donkeys, hand in hand,
Will forge a future, a better land.
Thank you very much for your writing. I wonder if that percentage of apathetic voters will change in future elections. Sometimes I think people like to complain but don't do anything to change the situation. I am very concerned that if the democrats do not change their approach, democracy is doomed in this country.
I’m sharing this with my friends at the DNC National Call Crew. It will provide them with great talking points as they speak with voters! BTW: their work has already begun. They are looking for more callers. Join them! ~ Jean Moreau, Volunteer Moderator Captain for Zoom Phone Banks
To the people who sat this one out because they though their vote didn't matter. Now that you're getting screwed out of your healthcare, your pension and investments took massive hit, paying higher prices because of tariffs, losing your farms, going bankrupt etc. Don't even bother whining or crying the blues to me.
I feel your frustration. What I would say though, is they are not the enemy. Like it or not, they are the key to unlock transformative change.
Not my intention to view them as an enemy. They are suffering through this just the same. Unfortunately, their complacency is coming back to bite them in the ass. Although their cries may fall on deaf ears. My hope is those tears and screams will now turn into action.
If we keep framing the issues this way, people will continue to see little air between the two parties. Yes -;we should talk about living wages, health care, etc. But people aren't voting for Democrats -;or aren't voting at all - because they see the party as behden to corporate interests, and understand that it is true that their vote doesn't matter. In Congress, bills that pass or don't pass simply have little connection to public desires. This won't change until we have publicly financed elections with no private or corporate money allowed, as well as other election reform, giving elections and a say back to the people. People actually aren't stupid. Democrats have talked about better wages, etc for years, but they haven't delivered - they don't want to upset their corporate sponsors. Until that changes, people - if they vote at all - will figure, "let's just blow up the system. It can't be any worse than this."
Rome wasn’t built in a day. However your talk about blowing up the system may happen by default, because when the AI bubble bursts it’s going to make 2008 look like a tea party.
I’m not sure you give up on a vision because you’re fearful nobody will buy in, I still believe in the audacity of hope.
I also believe in hope. But hope doesn't remove us from the necessity of seeing things clearly. While it's noted that the majority aren't voting because they don't see air between Republicans and Dems, it goes back to the same promises Dems have been making for years. People need more than more promises. If Dems want people to vote for them, they can't wait until Rome is finally built. They need, more than anything else, to know that their voice counts, because that's where the frustration lies. They need to see real change, that Dems are serious. Until that happens, they won't vote - or, frustrated, they’ll vote for more bomb-throwers.
They’ve worked 14 days since July they need to do the job they are getting highly paid for. No work no pay is the way for anyone employe, why should it be different for the republicans their not any more special then and other government employee. I bet they’re still getting paid during the shut down and paid for creating KAOS!
And, separately, this one is a big important article series. Been thinking about this for 10-15 years before the accident . . . you're really going to like it and the DPI graph will be a part of your "toolbox"!
The Democratic Power Index (DPI): Spock’s Chess Board (1/6)
Setting the stage, defining the terms, explaining the measurement approach in plain English baby steps, and walking you through one concrete year.
https://thesecondbillofrights.substack.com/p/the-democratic-power-index-dpi-spocks
Hi Martin. Thank you so much YET AGAIN for your recent attention to the SBOR here on Substack. Please subscribe if you can. The SBOR needs more subscribers, donors, and evangelizers every single day. And, do you use any other social media? We need extra help every day spreading our good news far and wide. Steven
https://thesecondbillofrights.substack.com/subscribe?plan=annual
The 2024 election was rigged. See electiontruthalliance.org and smart elections.us. Republicans stole the voting software. Sydney Powell went to jail for this. Musk said in Oct 2024 that he wouldn’t trust an election not hand counted because code is too easy to alter. He was right and the swing states didn’t hand count the votes. If they had, Harris won.
Thank you. Let’s get to work.