I was a Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren supporter when Joe Biden was chosen to run in 2020. I was actually a Bernie supporter before then, even when Hillary was the candidate. Everybody said that he couldn’t win because he was a Socialist. Are we still that stupid? We would have been a lot better off with those Democrats than we were with Joe Biden.
Me too. Bernie has had my support ever since he took issue with the Citizens United decision. I would love to see a US female president but Hillary was a disappointment for me. On the other hand, she won the popular vote. If we could eliminate the electoral college, she would have been our first female president. Bernie is a Democratic socialist and this is what this country needs even though too many people don't think so. Democratic socialism prioritizes people over profit. I believe we would be in a much better place if we prioritized the basic needs of people and left the military to find creative ways to fund their war machine. I can only dream.
That is true, but too many people do not even understand what Democratic Socialism is. It is a much more egalitarian system, but would still permit a capitalist economy. Just would be fewer billionaires. There would be a more equitable tax system and we would not be drowning in debt. That is going to collapse our economy. Do you think any of these billionaires will stick around to save the country? I don’t.
Canada is a democratic socialist country, I’d say. We’re ok paying higher taxes to ensure people have healthcare, decent schools, safe cities, etc. We could be doing more, but were pointed in the right direction. We haven’t let billionaires take over our government. So, when people support gun control, there’s no lobby to drown out the democratic wishes of society. I used to think highly of the USA. I can’t believe it has gone to the dumps so quickly. I think the principal author of this piece to which we’re all replying makes tremendous sense.
How much do you want to stop the Rat 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 the Rat and the Ratsucking 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 the Rat. 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 the Rat 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 the Rat.
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!
Well Martin I have to say that I’ve not read one of your posts here for a month or more and I now know how I’ve missed it tbh as a Brit and I therefore know how you will understand,I’ve had to be brief with my visits to Substack for the sake of my health. The knock on effect of the abomination that reigns in the White House is, I believe having devastating consequences across the globe. Israel Ukraine Iran and all of Europe China I could go on….Putin and Netanyahu are emboldened with a new killing spring in their step so yes we are all worried sick. For me this paragraph speaks volumes “People need to be aware that the assassination of Charlie Kirk has just made it more urgent than ever that Democrats get a grip, because Trump IS coming for the elections. Far more seriously than that, he’s coming for ActBlue and all the funding valves that sustain the Democrats. This has been a five-alarm fire for far too long. It’s time to stop bringing a pencil to a gunfight” the frustration ( that word doesn’t actually work well it’s far worse !) that we all feel re the Democrats is consuming us do they not begin to realise that a 78 yr old in UK worries daily because it’s looking like Trump is unstoppable? Anyway I’ll stop ranting now Martin but thank you as ever for the read here .
There is plenty of talent among the young Democrats, but something needs to compel a few of them to step up and assume the mantle of leadership. This can't wait until the 2028 election. Hell, it can't even wait until the 2026 mid-terms.
The root cause of the division in this country is not Red vs. Blue, not urban vs. rural, nor many other polarities you can think of. The root cause is the absurd inequality of income and wealth in this country. It is the haves vs. the don't haves. The haves are comfortably in control, and the have-nots are hungry and angry. It is the have-nots that elected Trump, with financial support from the haves.
Economic inequality is largely a matter of policy. Policies can be changed.
Here are some:
1 - End gerrymandering. The Constitution apportions us by "the number of whole persons" in a state. No mention of using political affiliation, race, or wealth. Let's get back to that.
2 - A congress of 435 representatives is way too small to effectively represent the people. We should expand the House to 1,000 - 1,600 members.
3 - Income tax reform. Tax all income the same, restore progressive income tax rates. Put some teeth back into the estate tax.
4 - Instead of subsidizing Big Ag and Big Oil, subsidize families with paid family leave, meaningful childcare, affordable healthcare, and free public education through four years of college.
5 - End corporate financing of political campaigns. Corporations are not people, and money is not speech, despite what the supreme court has to say.
Lots more to say, but it has been a long day for this 82-year-old Democrat. Thanks.
I’ve been following your work for awhile now and am very impressed with your writing and how you analyze things. As I read your words I find my mind responding with “yes….exactly…absolutely…you’re so right”. I can’t believe anyone hasn’t contacted you to at least hire you as a consultant. So, tell me how we can make that happen. I’ve called, written , protested and so on and so on. Everyone I know feels the same and we know that we can’t just wait for someone to come forward.
Thank you for those words of encouragement Marilyn. I’ve only been here for seven months and it has taken me a little time to find my feet. In the last month or so, I’ve finally begun to feel comfortable in what is a new skin for me as a writer. There it is, I said it, I’m a writer as people refer to me more often.
let me tell you it feels good and I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to my subscribers to always try to get it right which is a pressure I’m still wrestling with.
I have a real depth of knowledge when it comes to US politics, UK politics and geopolitics. I have no formal training, but have been around politics all my life. I also have a degree in common sense from the University of life.
I like to think my strength comes from my ability to just tell it as I see it and no more has this been evident than in the last 72 hours. I never would have thought of diving into the world of the alt-right and gaming and the relationship between the two, but I always like to be able to stand behind everything I write.
This is a new world for me, I’m sort of coming out of retirement and absolutely loving it. I feel like I’m making a contribution in the world.
I think the Dems are just outmatched in this fight right now and it will take a younger person to pull them out of this quagmire. Hogg was too young is not an acceptable reason to discard him. The right owns us on social media and on the messaging. People like you are the ones that can stir the right ones up from their comfort zones and get us back on the right track. Thanks to you and contributions from MeidasTouch!
I don’t see how a good democrat (or a good republican) make an impact on an inherently dysfunctional system.
We must go deeper. Deeper than even the “founding fathers” went.
Political Parties MUST be outlawed! Anyone wishing to run for public servant must do so by affiliation with POLICY rather than party.
How can we be unified when all our government happens through division? The system is dysfunctional from the roots.
Partisan politics are what divides America. Look at the power they have. And they’re not even constitutionally protected or constitutionally recognized! They are parasites of democracy.
The system is broken. It’s broken because it’s over infested with parasitic consciousness aka partisan politics. Government has become too sophisticated to be ruled by the people. It is ruled by partisan politics & of course the billionaires…
I am neither a blue democrat or red republican. I have lost faith in both as is the appropriate & intelligent thing to do.
I am a red white & blue American that is so weary of watching the theft of America by the two parties & their insufficient politics.
I’m so tired of the political yo-yoing. We’re not going anywhere. We just tread water and get no permanent traction. The only thing we can build on is the constitution that this administration uses as a toilet wipe.
I think we need more than what the two parties could ever allow us to have.
Despite the general opinion of independent voters, they are not stupid. They saw how Bernie was not respected by the democratic party, they saw how he was denied debates & turned away. These people were desperate for the vision of democratic socialism. Some believed the lie of Shitler that he would work for the unrepresented. The rest is history. Some have woken up to te lie and are still waiting for someone to grow a spine. They do not trust the democrats because time & time again they have sold out their constituents with half measures.
The only way for democrats to win is with a ruthless campaign of retribution. Guaranteeing that every traitor will stand before the Hague for crimes against humanity. Every person, entity or corporation that was complicent in the plan to destroy this country will go to jail & serve a meaningful sentence. Every corporation that contributed will be dissolved because they are monopolies. Hate speech will be a treasonable offence, along with outlawing confederate, nazi & white supremist paraphernalia. Comprehensive gun laws, equal rights for everyone full stop, eliminating the need for laws on people bodies, choices, etc.
Supreme court justices need to be impeached, along with senators & congress men. Only when the people believe that justice will be served, will we be able to rebuild. The people are sick of watching felons, con men, corporations, banks & billionaires never being meaningfully punished. They must prove that no one is above the law.
Here is the major sticking point. People must be patient. It took 6 months to destroy everything, it will take YEARS to build it back. Whoever is in charge, whether democrat or social democrats, they must win big or they will not be able to implement the changes. We cannot have a simple majority, it must be overwhelming. My personal solution is to have the best free educational system in the world, from cradle to college. Knowledge is power. That is why the republican party has been chipping away at education since reagan.
It will take a long time for the world to trust us again. We must go big or it is over.
I also want to comment that I've seen encouraging changes with new leadership in the Democratic National Committee. They are investing more in all state parties, implementing year-round operations (rather than a short campaign focus right before elections). They are sending more funds to red states, to help state and local democratic party folks to show up in places they haven't in years past.
Dems and other organizations like Indivisible are encouraging people to organize locally, rather than passively waiting for democratic elected leaders to get their act together. (Don't get me wrong, they definitely need to do that!) I have never been involved in politics or activism, but this makes sense to me and I am starting to try. My first toe in the water is a local Indivisible group.
Thanks for the info Cindy, yes I am aware of investment in state operations which is a positive step. Certainly better late than never, so we should be grateful for that.
I highly recommend this article. The concept of neo-confederate states and liberal states, rather than red and blue states, makes sense to me. This is the first part of an upcoming series. I'm looking forward to future installments.
This is marvellous stuff and I’m closing in on the possibility of entering my first paid subscription . A thought from an under informed British type. The President and much of his staff were not even remotely described as lawmakers, prior to being appointed. Is it time for the Democrats to see the election process as theatre and choose the cast accordingly?
This is a particularly sharp indictment of us – as just one of the thought-provoking things this wonderful writing by Kahlil Greene includes -- that I haven’t seen elsewhere. I subscribed to his Substack and restacked what he wrote with this note:
“So well-argued for how to hold this killing, particularly as he addresses us, with all our leaders’ cookie-cuttering pleas for no more violence and all those hearts and minds offered in prayers that actually aren’t minds but mindlessness.”
I was a Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren supporter when Joe Biden was chosen to run in 2020. I was actually a Bernie supporter before then, even when Hillary was the candidate. Everybody said that he couldn’t win because he was a Socialist. Are we still that stupid? We would have been a lot better off with those Democrats than we were with Joe Biden.
Me too. Bernie has had my support ever since he took issue with the Citizens United decision. I would love to see a US female president but Hillary was a disappointment for me. On the other hand, she won the popular vote. If we could eliminate the electoral college, she would have been our first female president. Bernie is a Democratic socialist and this is what this country needs even though too many people don't think so. Democratic socialism prioritizes people over profit. I believe we would be in a much better place if we prioritized the basic needs of people and left the military to find creative ways to fund their war machine. I can only dream.
That is true, but too many people do not even understand what Democratic Socialism is. It is a much more egalitarian system, but would still permit a capitalist economy. Just would be fewer billionaires. There would be a more equitable tax system and we would not be drowning in debt. That is going to collapse our economy. Do you think any of these billionaires will stick around to save the country? I don’t.
Canada is a democratic socialist country, I’d say. We’re ok paying higher taxes to ensure people have healthcare, decent schools, safe cities, etc. We could be doing more, but were pointed in the right direction. We haven’t let billionaires take over our government. So, when people support gun control, there’s no lobby to drown out the democratic wishes of society. I used to think highly of the USA. I can’t believe it has gone to the dumps so quickly. I think the principal author of this piece to which we’re all replying makes tremendous sense.
Great read
How much do you want to stop the Rat 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 the Rat and the Ratsucking 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 the Rat. 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 the Rat 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 the Rat.
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.
Next, Part 2-Why this is the best option.
Then, Part 3-How to accomplish this.
Let’s add Rep. Robert Garcia from California. He is very impressive and a presidential hopeful.
I concur
Well Martin I have to say that I’ve not read one of your posts here for a month or more and I now know how I’ve missed it tbh as a Brit and I therefore know how you will understand,I’ve had to be brief with my visits to Substack for the sake of my health. The knock on effect of the abomination that reigns in the White House is, I believe having devastating consequences across the globe. Israel Ukraine Iran and all of Europe China I could go on….Putin and Netanyahu are emboldened with a new killing spring in their step so yes we are all worried sick. For me this paragraph speaks volumes “People need to be aware that the assassination of Charlie Kirk has just made it more urgent than ever that Democrats get a grip, because Trump IS coming for the elections. Far more seriously than that, he’s coming for ActBlue and all the funding valves that sustain the Democrats. This has been a five-alarm fire for far too long. It’s time to stop bringing a pencil to a gunfight” the frustration ( that word doesn’t actually work well it’s far worse !) that we all feel re the Democrats is consuming us do they not begin to realise that a 78 yr old in UK worries daily because it’s looking like Trump is unstoppable? Anyway I’ll stop ranting now Martin but thank you as ever for the read here .
Hey Elizabeth. I absolutely understand you stepping back. I’m taking a day off myself tomorrow, I’m mentally exhausted after this week.
You have to safeguard your mental health at all costs. Just dip in when you feel up to it. Take care - Martin
There is plenty of talent among the young Democrats, but something needs to compel a few of them to step up and assume the mantle of leadership. This can't wait until the 2028 election. Hell, it can't even wait until the 2026 mid-terms.
The root cause of the division in this country is not Red vs. Blue, not urban vs. rural, nor many other polarities you can think of. The root cause is the absurd inequality of income and wealth in this country. It is the haves vs. the don't haves. The haves are comfortably in control, and the have-nots are hungry and angry. It is the have-nots that elected Trump, with financial support from the haves.
Economic inequality is largely a matter of policy. Policies can be changed.
Here are some:
1 - End gerrymandering. The Constitution apportions us by "the number of whole persons" in a state. No mention of using political affiliation, race, or wealth. Let's get back to that.
2 - A congress of 435 representatives is way too small to effectively represent the people. We should expand the House to 1,000 - 1,600 members.
3 - Income tax reform. Tax all income the same, restore progressive income tax rates. Put some teeth back into the estate tax.
4 - Instead of subsidizing Big Ag and Big Oil, subsidize families with paid family leave, meaningful childcare, affordable healthcare, and free public education through four years of college.
5 - End corporate financing of political campaigns. Corporations are not people, and money is not speech, despite what the supreme court has to say.
Lots more to say, but it has been a long day for this 82-year-old Democrat. Thanks.
Thank you for taking the time to add to this important conversation. I look forward to hearing more from a voice of experience John
I’ve been following your work for awhile now and am very impressed with your writing and how you analyze things. As I read your words I find my mind responding with “yes….exactly…absolutely…you’re so right”. I can’t believe anyone hasn’t contacted you to at least hire you as a consultant. So, tell me how we can make that happen. I’ve called, written , protested and so on and so on. Everyone I know feels the same and we know that we can’t just wait for someone to come forward.
At a loss for solution……….
Thank you for those words of encouragement Marilyn. I’ve only been here for seven months and it has taken me a little time to find my feet. In the last month or so, I’ve finally begun to feel comfortable in what is a new skin for me as a writer. There it is, I said it, I’m a writer as people refer to me more often.
let me tell you it feels good and I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to my subscribers to always try to get it right which is a pressure I’m still wrestling with.
I have a real depth of knowledge when it comes to US politics, UK politics and geopolitics. I have no formal training, but have been around politics all my life. I also have a degree in common sense from the University of life.
I like to think my strength comes from my ability to just tell it as I see it and no more has this been evident than in the last 72 hours. I never would have thought of diving into the world of the alt-right and gaming and the relationship between the two, but I always like to be able to stand behind everything I write.
This is a new world for me, I’m sort of coming out of retirement and absolutely loving it. I feel like I’m making a contribution in the world.
I’ll be quiet now 😂
Please don't be quiet for long!!!
I think the Dems are just outmatched in this fight right now and it will take a younger person to pull them out of this quagmire. Hogg was too young is not an acceptable reason to discard him. The right owns us on social media and on the messaging. People like you are the ones that can stir the right ones up from their comfort zones and get us back on the right track. Thanks to you and contributions from MeidasTouch!
Thank you Brad appreciate your support my friend
Absolutely 💯 I am so grateful for your voice and I am a proud subscriber.💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸
You are most welcome and thank you so much for being a subscriber my friend. I appreciate you.
I don’t see how a good democrat (or a good republican) make an impact on an inherently dysfunctional system.
We must go deeper. Deeper than even the “founding fathers” went.
Political Parties MUST be outlawed! Anyone wishing to run for public servant must do so by affiliation with POLICY rather than party.
How can we be unified when all our government happens through division? The system is dysfunctional from the roots.
Partisan politics are what divides America. Look at the power they have. And they’re not even constitutionally protected or constitutionally recognized! They are parasites of democracy.
The system is broken. It’s broken because it’s over infested with parasitic consciousness aka partisan politics. Government has become too sophisticated to be ruled by the people. It is ruled by partisan politics & of course the billionaires…
I am neither a blue democrat or red republican. I have lost faith in both as is the appropriate & intelligent thing to do.
I am a red white & blue American that is so weary of watching the theft of America by the two parties & their insufficient politics.
I’m so tired of the political yo-yoing. We’re not going anywhere. We just tread water and get no permanent traction. The only thing we can build on is the constitution that this administration uses as a toilet wipe.
I think we need more than what the two parties could ever allow us to have.
It’s an interesting conversation but the world in which we operate needs to be stabilised first before change can be effected in my humble opinion.
Despite the general opinion of independent voters, they are not stupid. They saw how Bernie was not respected by the democratic party, they saw how he was denied debates & turned away. These people were desperate for the vision of democratic socialism. Some believed the lie of Shitler that he would work for the unrepresented. The rest is history. Some have woken up to te lie and are still waiting for someone to grow a spine. They do not trust the democrats because time & time again they have sold out their constituents with half measures.
The only way for democrats to win is with a ruthless campaign of retribution. Guaranteeing that every traitor will stand before the Hague for crimes against humanity. Every person, entity or corporation that was complicent in the plan to destroy this country will go to jail & serve a meaningful sentence. Every corporation that contributed will be dissolved because they are monopolies. Hate speech will be a treasonable offence, along with outlawing confederate, nazi & white supremist paraphernalia. Comprehensive gun laws, equal rights for everyone full stop, eliminating the need for laws on people bodies, choices, etc.
Supreme court justices need to be impeached, along with senators & congress men. Only when the people believe that justice will be served, will we be able to rebuild. The people are sick of watching felons, con men, corporations, banks & billionaires never being meaningfully punished. They must prove that no one is above the law.
Here is the major sticking point. People must be patient. It took 6 months to destroy everything, it will take YEARS to build it back. Whoever is in charge, whether democrat or social democrats, they must win big or they will not be able to implement the changes. We cannot have a simple majority, it must be overwhelming. My personal solution is to have the best free educational system in the world, from cradle to college. Knowledge is power. That is why the republican party has been chipping away at education since reagan.
It will take a long time for the world to trust us again. We must go big or it is over.
I also want to comment that I've seen encouraging changes with new leadership in the Democratic National Committee. They are investing more in all state parties, implementing year-round operations (rather than a short campaign focus right before elections). They are sending more funds to red states, to help state and local democratic party folks to show up in places they haven't in years past.
Dems and other organizations like Indivisible are encouraging people to organize locally, rather than passively waiting for democratic elected leaders to get their act together. (Don't get me wrong, they definitely need to do that!) I have never been involved in politics or activism, but this makes sense to me and I am starting to try. My first toe in the water is a local Indivisible group.
Thanks for the info Cindy, yes I am aware of investment in state operations which is a positive step. Certainly better late than never, so we should be grateful for that.
I highly recommend this article. The concept of neo-confederate states and liberal states, rather than red and blue states, makes sense to me. This is the first part of an upcoming series. I'm looking forward to future installments.
https://open.substack.com/pub/michaelpodhorzer/p/monsters-and-their-enablers?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=197kn
Good read....
This is marvellous stuff and I’m closing in on the possibility of entering my first paid subscription . A thought from an under informed British type. The President and much of his staff were not even remotely described as lawmakers, prior to being appointed. Is it time for the Democrats to see the election process as theatre and choose the cast accordingly?
Pay attention to this, that I'm putting in my next Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-173365870
This is a particularly sharp indictment of us – as just one of the thought-provoking things this wonderful writing by Kahlil Greene includes -- that I haven’t seen elsewhere. I subscribed to his Substack and restacked what he wrote with this note:
“So well-argued for how to hold this killing, particularly as he addresses us, with all our leaders’ cookie-cuttering pleas for no more violence and all those hearts and minds offered in prayers that actually aren’t minds but mindlessness.”