Our Problem


POST 1132

This Piece is Entirely One-Sided

Here’s why.

No Democrat is threatening violence on anyone. No Democrat is in a militia practicing to assault the Capitol Building on January 6, 2025 or is preparing to send Christmas cards with pictures of themselves brandishing an AR-15 and lusting over the blood of patriots. No Democrat is making death threats to poll workers or to Republicans who support Trump. No Democrat went to an election rally and applauded hateful and racist slurs or chanted about death to anyone.

And no Democratic leader is inciting anger and hatred or promising to terminate our Constitution and crush our institutions that protect us and make the trains run on time.

That’s why.

We’re Running Out of Time
It isn’t over until it’s over.

– Yogi Berra – also Lenny Kravitz

You might like this version better:

The opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings.

– Dan Cook, writing for the San Antonio News-Express, Texas, ~ 1976

And the fat lady ain’t sung – yet. The burning issue for us now and for the foreseeable future (that means always) is to keep the savages at bay, to prevent the Huns from sacking our country.

We have truths that we proclaim to be self-evident but which some abandon as soon as there’s profit to it. There’s great profit to be made right now by abandoning those truths. That’s what Trump, Musk and the Republicans are doing.

Be clear that we are at terrible risk. This is a fight to the political death, where, in the end, either democracy or fascism will lie dead on the floor. At issue here is how we fight for what is right, the patriotic fight, the fight for truth, justice and the American way, so that democracy prevails.

Can You Spot What’s Missing From This Picture?
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That’s right: In this fight for the heart and soul of America, the Democrats are MIA. They’ve self-neutered. Customarily the Republicans/MAGAs bring automatic weapons to a fight and Democrats bring bean bags. Now the Democrats aren’t even showing up.

The Republicans are “flooding the zone with shit,” as the daddy-issue-encumbered and hateful Steve Bannon calls it. It’s the same thing Trump has always done – spew one outrage after another, whether in actions or lies, such that responding is an overwhelming task.

Far worse, now he has all MAGAs doing it, lying, making up shit, claiming victories that aren’t theirs, demonizing everyone not MAGA, promising whatever they can think of but will never deliver – like lowering food prices. As they do that, the Democrats self-disable. What happened to that “protect and defend” thing in the oath they swore to? Why aren’t they rising to the occasion bare knuckled?

Democrats don’t seem able to understand going on offense. Enough of the cute golden retriever puppies. We need an army of pit bulls and they’re nowhere to be seen.

We need to employ political savagery. No genius is necessary to see this, because the nice guy Dems get the snot beat out of them over and over. We consistently need something far more visceral and aggressive than standard wimpy Democratic Party patty cake.

Consider the presidential debate. Trump declared that Haitians in Ohio are illegals in our country (false) and that they’re eating the dogs and cats of the local residents (false). Kamala laughed derisively at him. That would have been an appropriate come back at a cocktail party, but not in a street fight.

She should have told him, “No! Either you’re a big enough fool that you believe whatever crap you’re told by conspiracy idiots or you’re lying right now. I will not let you get away with lying to the American people!”

But she didn’t say that. No one else in the Democratic Party is fighting like that, either. They look like lap dogs.

Voters couldn’t be more clear about wanting a strong leader, a tough guy, but Dems consistently show them they’re amiable guys, polite guys who smile derisively when they should be throwing a knock out punch.

I love Jamie Raskin, but he sounds like the law professor that he is. That doesn’t reach working people.

I love Mallory McMorrow, but she’s a Michigan legislator and doesn’t have a national platform.

Hakeem Jeffries occasionally shows signs of life. AOC does that all the time, but the Dems muzzle her.

Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer both died years ago and nobody told them.

We don’t need Romney-esque, “Oh, golly, that’s unfortunate” pablum. The American people are primed and ready for an attack by Democrats, but the Dems continue to refuse to fight.

Where are the snarling dogs with ripped flesh and blood dripping from their teeth? Where is the chorus singing the same song over and over, the one that actually reaches voters? Oh, right: that’s the Republicans.

The MAGAs are submarining our economy, our institutions and our Constitution and they aren’t even sworn in yet. Meanwhile, the Dems are silent or inept. Harris and Walz are nowhere to be seen, even though over 75 million people voted for them and want to hear from them. They want them to punch back, to attack over and over, but they aren’t even in the ring, much less taking a swing at the anti-patriots.
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Thom Hartmann dove into this last week, in part detailing what happened at a fancy DC restaurant the night of President Obama’s first inauguration. The Republican movers and shakers and power brokers in attendance focused on throwing Obama’s presidency into a dumpster. From Hartmann:

After the meeting, Kevin McCarthy famously said of their commitment to obstruction:

“If you act like you’re the minority, you’re going to stay in the minority. We’ve gotta challenge them on every single bill and challenge them on every single campaign.” [He was right. JA]

And, sure enough, they did. And continue to do so to this day. And the voters rewarded them, “shellacking” Obama’s Democrats in the next election.

Where are the Democrats today with that kind of spine? Where is our resolve to fight, rather than enable, fascists? What happened to our principles and commitment to democracy? [emphasis original]

Following that meeting these Republican snakes announced that job number one was ensuring that Obama would be a one-term president.

That was their notion of their sacred duty in Congress: focus on trashing the opponent in order to help themselves. They had no concern for growing American jobs, the welfare of our vets, dealing with George W. Bush’s disastrous wars, healthcare – nothing. They were all about slash and burn, jam up the gears so that nothing would get done, this in order to make Obama look bad. That’s what Republicans did and it’s what they still do.

And Democrats can’t even call out blatant Republican lies.

That is our problem.

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The fat lady hasn’t sung yet, but she’s waiting in the wings, as Elon Musk asserts the power of the presidency.

  • Democrats: You’re way late.

  • ***** WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? *****

Required Reading

Jamelle Bouie’s brilliant piece, Don’t Surrender and Call It Compromise.

Rahm Emanuel’s wake up call, The Road Back to Power For Democrats.

  • _____________________________
  • PS: Feel free to thank me for omitting all the anger-dripping sarcasm I did not print here.
  • NOTE: No post this Wednesday.

Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.


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7 Responses to Our Problem

  1. David Lindgren December 22, 2024 Reply

    Your assessment of Trump and his supporters is accurate. And endearing himself to Elon Musk is definitely anti-democracy. Then Johnson, whom I don’t trust, apparently stood up and defended the government not being shut down, at least until March. Hakeem Jefferys and Chris Murphy are taking definitive stances. The biggest problem is that Biden in his dignity has stood back, which has indignantly unfortunate that the Liberal press along with the FOX idiots but has been accused of “mental fatigue.” So?

    And push back is happening all over the place. Yeah, I know Trump is still a dork, now wanting to take over ownership of the Panama Canal. The question is how to rebel. Sometimes non-warriors can fall on their face. Perhaps standing up to Trump by catching him in his failures. He and Musk have exposed themselves. Western Europe, Canada and Mexico are standing up to Trump. Schumer and Durbin are not quiet. The real issue is trusting in the laws of our democracy. Fighting Trump is not blabbing away and blaming him. It is exposing him. He has nominated virtually no one with any election background. We just need to bond together. And am saying this as you know I have been in fights and “expect” to win. Reveal not Rebel. Torrents of “fighting” can bring on more idiots like MAGA.

  2. Gavin Muldowney December 22, 2024 Reply

    Democrats have been bringing butter knives to a gun fight. I appreciate your passion

  3. Frank Levy December 22, 2024 Reply

    Jack – You are right. The Dems are MIA. They are not going to save us. They are not even going to lead us. So, the fuck what? They have been MIA for a long, long time. The only thing that will save us and our on-life-support democracy is what has always saved us – WE THE PEOPLE!

    With no disrespect my longtime friend – you are suffering from a serious case of useless pundit syndrome. We all know what the problem is. We know it all too well. There is no shortage of media pundits (all of whom incorrectly predicted the election), scholars, and the like explaining ad nauseam what went and is wrong. There is no shortage of useless verbiage telling us how bad things will be. We know all of that.

    What we need are people willing to offer some solutions: a defensive or even offensive strategy or tactical plan so “we the people” can survive the coming catastrophe and maybe even restore liberal democracy to America sometime in the future.

    So with no lack of arrogance I am offering my own save yourself and democracy to do list:

    1) Never miss an opportunity to inform elected officials – Republican and Democrat, local and national – about your position on an every issue. Write them, Call them. Make them hear you!
    2) Get together with like minded people to form a local resilience and resistance force. Meet regularly. Make plans to do meaningful acts of resistance. There really is strength in numbers. (This is our John Lewis moment)
    3) Make a plan to protect your job, your savings, your retirement funds, your healthcare plan, your health, your home.
    4) If you live in a red state, make plans, create an underground railroad, to help women needing an abortion or healthcare get what they need.
    5) Create or work with a local food bank so when food prices skyrocket and there are food shortages people can get affordable food.
    6) Raise your own livestock (cattle, pigs, chickens, turkeys) or find a farmer to raise it for you – there will be food shortages. Be prepared.
    7) Again, if your live in a red state create an underground railroad to help LGBTQIA + individuals get to states where it is safe to live, be married, and get gender affirming health care
    8) Find new, reliable, courageous news sources. The media for the most part has surrendered to MAGA and Trump’s threats.
    9) Stop trying to make nice with MAGA people. They do not share your values. They will not agree to the same set of facts. Without agreement of those two things there is nothing to talk about.
    10) Buy a copy of Timothy Snyder’s book, “On Tyranny – Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” Read it. It is your new Bible. Do not leave home without it.
    11) If you think you will need to leave this country to go somewhere safe – get or renew your passport now.
    12) Decide whether or not you have the means and are willing to provide sanctuary for those immigrants Trump and his evil henchmen want to deport or incarcerate.
    13) Join a group like Indivisible, they have great information and resources to help us in this fight. (indivisible.org)
    14) Contact me one on one. I will be happy to share what I know, and what my friends and I in Alabama are doing. ([email protected])

    I am sure there are other things we can and should be doing in this terrifying time, but this is a start. This is what my friends and I are doing now.

  4. Mardy Grothe December 22, 2024 Reply

    Thanks, Jack. A powerful reminder that we’re in the fight for our lives here, and can never forget what happens to people who bring a knife to a gun fight.

  5. Michael Parke December 22, 2024 Reply

    Jack, you are 100% right. Trump and Republicans didn’t win; the democrats lost this election, and they could have won. Enough being Mr. Right Guy. Challenge them at every point, challenge their lies and hold them accountable on everything they do and say.