It's not Trump we should be worried about. It's the puppet-master Russell Vought who is pulling the strings. He is one of the authors (if not THE author) of Project 2025, and he is NOT an elected official. Trump just wants people to massage his ego and throw money at him. Vought et al. want to destroy America and make it a misogynistic theocracy. It's Margaret Atwood's vision come true! How do we go after someone so carefully hidden? We could, of course, shine a spotlight on him and IGNORE Trump and Musk. That would really upset all of them. But the media is afraid of having to pay enormous fines––more important than truth, it seems.
Help!! It's necessary for our survival as a country to do better!!!
The thing about removing trump is he’s the only one who has the cult appeal. He’s the best used car salesman around, evidently. No one is going to follow after Vought.
Russell Vought, and Stephen Miller are dangerous. Trump is their pawn. As a 50 year old member of the Democratic Party, I know that the message needed to be more real and they should have screamed ‘Democrats did that’ after every single initiative that helped America.
For example:
(Some people think the pandemic relief funds came from Trump 1.0. They did NOT! )
The checks were delayed because Felonius wanted his name on them.
I agree, but the cabal is much bigger than those two malign characters.
I respect and applaud your lifelong membership of the Democratic Party.
I am merely offering an objective and I hope pragmatic assessment. Nothing would please me more to be wrong. Only time will tell, but in the meantime, I think the polling is pretty clear.
Democrats can continue with the same old same old, or acknowledge maybe there’s a problem if they lost the House, the Senate, the White House and the popular vote to a convicted criminal.
I believe one of the reasons a lot of young voters voted for Trump and the Republican Party was due to feeling like Democrats were complicit in the genocide in Gaza. If Democrats had listened to those young people, we would be in a different place. It is imperative that they take that into consideration now if they hope to change the landscape.
I’m with River. A substantial portion of the Democratic base was appalled at the Biden/Harris administration’s support of Israel’s brutal war against a civilian population, against a nation, a people, a culture, which was (past tense) Palestinian Gaza. Sending more than 100 billion dollars worth of weapons, bombs that amounted to weapons of mass destruction, to Israel made the US complicit with the horrors happening in Gaza. Furthermore, the state-sanctioned brutalization of students on University campuses alienated millions of voters on the left, particularly young voters. Even in blue states such as NY, CA and MA, Democratic governors and mayors approved the use of clubs, tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets by police against unarmed students and professors who were protesting violence. Appalling to see peaceful demonstrators at the University of Massachusetts beaten with clubs. State-sanctioned violence against people protesting violence. Not a good visual when trying to rally your base to vote for you.
Gaza was Biden’s Vietnam war. As Vietnam derailed Johnson’s bid for the presidency in 1968, Gaza may have been the issue most responsible for the Democrat’s loss in 2024. Alienating voters of color, young voters, and women. Once again, millions, including myself, swallowed my distaste for the Biden/Harris team and voted not for them, but against the alternative.
The trouble is that Democratic leadership still doesn’t understand why people hate them, are so furious at them.
I don’t agree. Democrats lost because of inflation, their immigration policy and taxpayer’s money going to student loans and wars. Voters also believed Trump’s lies and Harris had not done anything notable as VP. Now the Democrats have lost support because they can’t stop Trump. But how can they when they don’t have the votes? Only getting majorities in both Houses in 2026 will the tide turn but IF Trump’s “big beautiful bill” gets passed in the Senate, he will be able to prevent mid-term elections from happening.
As an observer and an independent I have noticed somethings I think are important about the people who voted for Trump in this last election. Specifically in my area. There are three things.
1. MAGA members tend to be followers and many have a limited vocabulary. Not all.
2. The Independent voters were unhappy with the economy especially the speed of recovery. Many also were not sure what Harris had to offer. Also there was very little details on what her plans were.
3. The Non-voters. They didn't like Trump and couldn't in good conscience vote for him even though they were Conservative, but refused to vote Democrat no matter who was running.
The one thing the Independent and the Non-voter both seem to agree on now is whoever runs for 2026 needs to cut the B.S., use plain speak, stop talking up or down to voters, and tell the truth ALWAYS. No lies, no grey area speak, no blame game, no dodging your faults, no cover ups, no corruption, no blah blah blah.
Simple speak, simple plans, simple ideas, honest behavior, and simply be a real and true American. Don't pretend to be something you're not.
Short a sweet. Nearly everyone I know is working multiple jobs, have very little time to read or watch the news and frankly are so fed up they just don't care much anymore. And some have limited vocabulary or lower education and don't understand many Democrats speeches.
Reality is the most important part. In a world of AI, fake news, and a compulsive lier in office. Honesty and truth is what is not only how people will win. It's how the United States survives.
At least that is how I have observed things in my patch of the US.
“So pick the bones out of that one for me. If women prefer a sociopathic liar and convicted criminal over a black, highly respected former attorney general and sitting Vice President, there is a much deeper issue at play. Answers on a postcard, please.”
The issue isn’t deep. It’s been loud and obvious for 250 years and in fact it’s written into our foundational document: the fugitive slave clause and the 3/5ths clause - negated by the 13th and 14th Amendments, respectively.
Racism, racism, racism, racism … ad nauseam. Those are your bones. I keep telling you every wrong in this country can be directly traced back to racism. And articles like this one are nice but until we talk about and address our original sin of embedded racism - nothing will change.
And “women” don’t prefer a sociopathic liar. White women do. And please don’t say “not all white women.”
Now I think I understand where you’re at. No question racism is systemic and baked in. I would not even attempt to dispute that. My point is, in the here and now we have a problem. The problem is the biggest threat to an already fragile democracy.
OK I just told you about five different ways that I am autistic. And I’ve also legitimately criticized you for being simplistic and focusing on the wrong things.
So those two things right there should give you a clue that I don’t have a “plan” in the way I think you mean it. I have ideas, and opinions and historical evidence. But a comprehensive, thoroughly researched and scrupulously fact checked, step-by-step, bullet point “plan?” No. And if you ask the proper autistic person for a “plan,” expect to have delivered to your house a tome containing just that. But somehow, I suspect you really didn’t expect me or indeed hope that I would give you a plan. I could be wrong.
So stop asking for something so simplistic as a “plan.” And since you’re the one with a substack post, not me, who is asking for people to give you money - learn how to engage without being defensive and reductive. Or stop letting people comment.
And to your larger point of how to hang onto our fragile democracy- we all lack the necessary hubris to pretend we are even remotely qualified to give you a blueprint on how to fix America. We are a nation of 300 million rugged individualists and we don’t agree with each other and can’t come together to recognize even the most basic, bedrock principles. And half of us live in an alternate reality; if we don’t agree on the definition of words and basic facts, we can’t even communicate.
And I know you’re going to say “well what do you have to contribute to this discussion?” Because all I’ve done so far is told you why I lack, and why any one person lacks, the ability to formulate a magic “plan” to solve all our problems.
So we are back at the beginning. I think the first step is to recognize America’s original sin of slavery and talk about it constantly until we all agree on this fact. Even if it makes white conservatives feel bad about themselves.
That was exhausting. Please don’t ask me to do that again. I hope you’re able to get through all of it, and I hope you’ve learned that when you ask an autistic person (or any deep-thinking person) a blanket non-answerable question and especially when you ask it blithely and without first engaging with what they have already communicated directly to you - this is the kind of response you are liable to receive.
TikTok is definitely in Trump’s pocket! Has been since the inauguration! They started taking down everything I say so I quit and it’s just full of nasty bullying maga trolls! 🧌 everyone with any decency doesn’t need to be on TikTok 😡😡😈
I get it, but if that’s the best you’ve got in this moment, you have my sympathy. Until Dems own the failure there is no way to win this fight.
Which part of they lost the House, the Senate, the White House and the popular vote are you struggling with? The black male vote swung right as did the Hispanic vote. It’s time to stop shooting the messenger and own the problem I’m afraid.
If you are insinuating I’m racist, shame on you. Check out some of the Ads I did for Kamala Harris then come back and apologize.
No one called you a racist. But I would be willing to bet you are a Neurotypical individual, which is why you are taking a perfectly valid criticism personally instead of reading her post literally and inferring insult where none was implied.
And no, Neurotypical is not an insult either. It describes a cognition and emotional processing style.
OK, I don’t even know what that means. Are you implying that I put you to sleep? And if you’re asleep, how can you type the emoji? And if my comments were so boring as to be soporific - why bother responding? Use your words.
I’m not criticizing you just for fun. I’m not a troll. I’m trying to educate. And learn myself. Isn’t that what you’re doing? If you aren’t interested in learning about your biases, and only care about criticizing others, what is the point of going to all the trouble that you are constantly humble bragging about?
And why are you taking everything so personally? You aren’t perfect. Acknowledge your blind spots and your biases and do better.
I’d like to think that my posts inspire some reflection on your part, but I have lived in this country with people of your demographic for far too long to expect so
I fear we are simply going to have to agree to disagree. I don’t even know what your original point was? For clarification are you saying my commentary was racist?
If so I respectfully disagree. I’m happy to reflect if I know what I’m reflecting on.
And I told you which comment was racist. But again, I will reiterate, even though I shouldn’t have to. “Check out all the ads I did for Kamala” is no different than “ some of my best friends are black.” And if you don’t know why the second part of that statement is racist, again, I can’t help you.
OK, well if you can’t figure it out from the plain language of my posts, I’ll reiterate: America is a racist country. Always has been. Started that way. Except for a few dramatic twists and turns it has continued on that same trajectory. And we should be talking about that nonstop instead of dithering about messaging and culture wars and ideology. And other things we should avoid that I’m not mentioning here because they aren’t relevant to this discussion. And if I did, then you would lose focus on America’s racist soul. And I don’t want to distract your brain.
That’s the point of my original post.
And then, as an Autistic woman I was attempting to communicate with an Allistic male, which never ends well, and you lost the thread of the narrative by refusing to honestly engage with me and instead posting some dumb snoozing emoji.
Of course I wasn’t calling you racist. If you confuse the legitimate calling out of racist things you wrote with me actually calling you a racist, that’s on you. All white people are racist to some extent. Just as all men are sexist and all gentiles are Islamaphobes or antisemites. Again, this is where it’s important to acknowledge our biases and blind spots and do better. Because once those things are pointed out to you, you no longer have the excuse of not knowing and continuing on with business as usual.
And you know I wasn’t calling you racist because I didn’t use those words. Once again for all the Neurotypical people in the back - if we don’t literally say something, we don’t mean it. Read the words I actually wrote, not the words that your hyper insecure, overly defensive brain needs to see in order for you to feel justified in a non sequitur, demeaning response.
Again, I should not have to tell you these things. Don’t you read hundreds of news sources a day?
It's not Trump we should be worried about. It's the puppet-master Russell Vought who is pulling the strings. He is one of the authors (if not THE author) of Project 2025, and he is NOT an elected official. Trump just wants people to massage his ego and throw money at him. Vought et al. want to destroy America and make it a misogynistic theocracy. It's Margaret Atwood's vision come true! How do we go after someone so carefully hidden? We could, of course, shine a spotlight on him and IGNORE Trump and Musk. That would really upset all of them. But the media is afraid of having to pay enormous fines––more important than truth, it seems.
Help!! It's necessary for our survival as a country to do better!!!
Oh I’ve written all about that and I agree, but you can’t sack Vought, it goes much deeper than Vought too. Trump is just the delivery mechanism.
I terms of focus, you have to have a target, not someone hiding in a bunker.
So getting rid of the delivery mechanism takes us to Vance. Awk!! Now what?? What CAN we do???
There’s a lost in translation moment here. I’m aware of Voght. Read this,
https://open.substack.com/pub/politicsusa46/p/this-is-not-the-moment-for-the-same?r=54ihjc&utm_medium=ios
Is your proposition to remove Voght? By what mechanism?
My message in my post is not about who, but how in terms of a media strategy.
PS: It's Vought
The thing about removing trump is he’s the only one who has the cult appeal. He’s the best used car salesman around, evidently. No one is going to follow after Vought.
But he needs to be the one to go after. I’m reasonably sure there are skeletons in his closet, after all he is a republican autocrat.
Russell Vought, and Stephen Miller are dangerous. Trump is their pawn. As a 50 year old member of the Democratic Party, I know that the message needed to be more real and they should have screamed ‘Democrats did that’ after every single initiative that helped America.
For example:
(Some people think the pandemic relief funds came from Trump 1.0. They did NOT! )
The checks were delayed because Felonius wanted his name on them.
I agree, but the cabal is much bigger than those two malign characters.
I respect and applaud your lifelong membership of the Democratic Party.
I am merely offering an objective and I hope pragmatic assessment. Nothing would please me more to be wrong. Only time will tell, but in the meantime, I think the polling is pretty clear.
Democrats can continue with the same old same old, or acknowledge maybe there’s a problem if they lost the House, the Senate, the White House and the popular vote to a convicted criminal.
I joined Centered America because these are young ‘kids’ with fresh ideas! I agree with you whole heartedly.
I believe one of the reasons a lot of young voters voted for Trump and the Republican Party was due to feeling like Democrats were complicit in the genocide in Gaza. If Democrats had listened to those young people, we would be in a different place. It is imperative that they take that into consideration now if they hope to change the landscape.
I’m with River. A substantial portion of the Democratic base was appalled at the Biden/Harris administration’s support of Israel’s brutal war against a civilian population, against a nation, a people, a culture, which was (past tense) Palestinian Gaza. Sending more than 100 billion dollars worth of weapons, bombs that amounted to weapons of mass destruction, to Israel made the US complicit with the horrors happening in Gaza. Furthermore, the state-sanctioned brutalization of students on University campuses alienated millions of voters on the left, particularly young voters. Even in blue states such as NY, CA and MA, Democratic governors and mayors approved the use of clubs, tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets by police against unarmed students and professors who were protesting violence. Appalling to see peaceful demonstrators at the University of Massachusetts beaten with clubs. State-sanctioned violence against people protesting violence. Not a good visual when trying to rally your base to vote for you.
Gaza was Biden’s Vietnam war. As Vietnam derailed Johnson’s bid for the presidency in 1968, Gaza may have been the issue most responsible for the Democrat’s loss in 2024. Alienating voters of color, young voters, and women. Once again, millions, including myself, swallowed my distaste for the Biden/Harris team and voted not for them, but against the alternative.
The trouble is that Democratic leadership still doesn’t understand why people hate them, are so furious at them.
I don’t agree. Democrats lost because of inflation, their immigration policy and taxpayer’s money going to student loans and wars. Voters also believed Trump’s lies and Harris had not done anything notable as VP. Now the Democrats have lost support because they can’t stop Trump. But how can they when they don’t have the votes? Only getting majorities in both Houses in 2026 will the tide turn but IF Trump’s “big beautiful bill” gets passed in the Senate, he will be able to prevent mid-term elections from happening.
As an observer and an independent I have noticed somethings I think are important about the people who voted for Trump in this last election. Specifically in my area. There are three things.
1. MAGA members tend to be followers and many have a limited vocabulary. Not all.
2. The Independent voters were unhappy with the economy especially the speed of recovery. Many also were not sure what Harris had to offer. Also there was very little details on what her plans were.
3. The Non-voters. They didn't like Trump and couldn't in good conscience vote for him even though they were Conservative, but refused to vote Democrat no matter who was running.
The one thing the Independent and the Non-voter both seem to agree on now is whoever runs for 2026 needs to cut the B.S., use plain speak, stop talking up or down to voters, and tell the truth ALWAYS. No lies, no grey area speak, no blame game, no dodging your faults, no cover ups, no corruption, no blah blah blah.
Simple speak, simple plans, simple ideas, honest behavior, and simply be a real and true American. Don't pretend to be something you're not.
Short a sweet. Nearly everyone I know is working multiple jobs, have very little time to read or watch the news and frankly are so fed up they just don't care much anymore. And some have limited vocabulary or lower education and don't understand many Democrats speeches.
Reality is the most important part. In a world of AI, fake news, and a compulsive lier in office. Honesty and truth is what is not only how people will win. It's how the United States survives.
At least that is how I have observed things in my patch of the US.
“So pick the bones out of that one for me. If women prefer a sociopathic liar and convicted criminal over a black, highly respected former attorney general and sitting Vice President, there is a much deeper issue at play. Answers on a postcard, please.”
The issue isn’t deep. It’s been loud and obvious for 250 years and in fact it’s written into our foundational document: the fugitive slave clause and the 3/5ths clause - negated by the 13th and 14th Amendments, respectively.
Racism, racism, racism, racism … ad nauseam. Those are your bones. I keep telling you every wrong in this country can be directly traced back to racism. And articles like this one are nice but until we talk about and address our original sin of embedded racism - nothing will change.
And “women” don’t prefer a sociopathic liar. White women do. And please don’t say “not all white women.”
Now I think I understand where you’re at. No question racism is systemic and baked in. I would not even attempt to dispute that. My point is, in the here and now we have a problem. The problem is the biggest threat to an already fragile democracy.
Over to you, give me a plan.
OK I just told you about five different ways that I am autistic. And I’ve also legitimately criticized you for being simplistic and focusing on the wrong things.
So those two things right there should give you a clue that I don’t have a “plan” in the way I think you mean it. I have ideas, and opinions and historical evidence. But a comprehensive, thoroughly researched and scrupulously fact checked, step-by-step, bullet point “plan?” No. And if you ask the proper autistic person for a “plan,” expect to have delivered to your house a tome containing just that. But somehow, I suspect you really didn’t expect me or indeed hope that I would give you a plan. I could be wrong.
So stop asking for something so simplistic as a “plan.” And since you’re the one with a substack post, not me, who is asking for people to give you money - learn how to engage without being defensive and reductive. Or stop letting people comment.
And to your larger point of how to hang onto our fragile democracy- we all lack the necessary hubris to pretend we are even remotely qualified to give you a blueprint on how to fix America. We are a nation of 300 million rugged individualists and we don’t agree with each other and can’t come together to recognize even the most basic, bedrock principles. And half of us live in an alternate reality; if we don’t agree on the definition of words and basic facts, we can’t even communicate.
And I know you’re going to say “well what do you have to contribute to this discussion?” Because all I’ve done so far is told you why I lack, and why any one person lacks, the ability to formulate a magic “plan” to solve all our problems.
So we are back at the beginning. I think the first step is to recognize America’s original sin of slavery and talk about it constantly until we all agree on this fact. Even if it makes white conservatives feel bad about themselves.
That was exhausting. Please don’t ask me to do that again. I hope you’re able to get through all of it, and I hope you’ve learned that when you ask an autistic person (or any deep-thinking person) a blanket non-answerable question and especially when you ask it blithely and without first engaging with what they have already communicated directly to you - this is the kind of response you are liable to receive.
TikTok is definitely in Trump’s pocket! Has been since the inauguration! They started taking down everything I say so I quit and it’s just full of nasty bullying maga trolls! 🧌 everyone with any decency doesn’t need to be on TikTok 😡😡😈
You’re welcome Paula. I will ensure it reaches the right ears. I just wanted to measure general feedback first.
I get it, but if that’s the best you’ve got in this moment, you have my sympathy. Until Dems own the failure there is no way to win this fight.
Which part of they lost the House, the Senate, the White House and the popular vote are you struggling with? The black male vote swung right as did the Hispanic vote. It’s time to stop shooting the messenger and own the problem I’m afraid.
If you are insinuating I’m racist, shame on you. Check out some of the Ads I did for Kamala Harris then come back and apologize.
https://youtu.be/vRe2f2CCVHY?si=FUAKy69-jvsKqH0t
By the way I paid for this Ad out of my own pocket.
Also, shame is never helpful. Again, tell me you’re a white boomer without telling me that explicitly.
No one called you a racist. But I would be willing to bet you are a Neurotypical individual, which is why you are taking a perfectly valid criticism personally instead of reading her post literally and inferring insult where none was implied.
And no, Neurotypical is not an insult either. It describes a cognition and emotional processing style.
And “check out these ads I did for Kamala” is very much the digital version of “some of my best friends are black.”
Honestly, you really should know better by now. How long have you lived in this country?
💤
OK, I don’t even know what that means. Are you implying that I put you to sleep? And if you’re asleep, how can you type the emoji? And if my comments were so boring as to be soporific - why bother responding? Use your words.
I’m not criticizing you just for fun. I’m not a troll. I’m trying to educate. And learn myself. Isn’t that what you’re doing? If you aren’t interested in learning about your biases, and only care about criticizing others, what is the point of going to all the trouble that you are constantly humble bragging about?
And why are you taking everything so personally? You aren’t perfect. Acknowledge your blind spots and your biases and do better.
I’d like to think that my posts inspire some reflection on your part, but I have lived in this country with people of your demographic for far too long to expect so
I fear we are simply going to have to agree to disagree. I don’t even know what your original point was? For clarification are you saying my commentary was racist?
If so I respectfully disagree. I’m happy to reflect if I know what I’m reflecting on.
And I told you which comment was racist. But again, I will reiterate, even though I shouldn’t have to. “Check out all the ads I did for Kamala” is no different than “ some of my best friends are black.” And if you don’t know why the second part of that statement is racist, again, I can’t help you.
OK, well if you can’t figure it out from the plain language of my posts, I’ll reiterate: America is a racist country. Always has been. Started that way. Except for a few dramatic twists and turns it has continued on that same trajectory. And we should be talking about that nonstop instead of dithering about messaging and culture wars and ideology. And other things we should avoid that I’m not mentioning here because they aren’t relevant to this discussion. And if I did, then you would lose focus on America’s racist soul. And I don’t want to distract your brain.
That’s the point of my original post.
And then, as an Autistic woman I was attempting to communicate with an Allistic male, which never ends well, and you lost the thread of the narrative by refusing to honestly engage with me and instead posting some dumb snoozing emoji.
Of course I wasn’t calling you racist. If you confuse the legitimate calling out of racist things you wrote with me actually calling you a racist, that’s on you. All white people are racist to some extent. Just as all men are sexist and all gentiles are Islamaphobes or antisemites. Again, this is where it’s important to acknowledge our biases and blind spots and do better. Because once those things are pointed out to you, you no longer have the excuse of not knowing and continuing on with business as usual.
And you know I wasn’t calling you racist because I didn’t use those words. Once again for all the Neurotypical people in the back - if we don’t literally say something, we don’t mean it. Read the words I actually wrote, not the words that your hyper insecure, overly defensive brain needs to see in order for you to feel justified in a non sequitur, demeaning response.
Again, I should not have to tell you these things. Don’t you read hundreds of news sources a day?