The signs have been right there in front of our face for the past 10 years, but as a nation, we chose to ignore it. Not all of us, but each presidential election showed many millions were, and are, perfectly fine with it. After yesterday’s fiasco in the Oval Office, with the disrespectfulness the Trump administration showed towards a visiting dignitary, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, it is more than confirmed. The United States is now under Russia’s thumb. Putin took the country without firing a shot.
What’s so devastating about the confirmation of the end is knowing that nothing will come of it. The Republican’s will roll over and play dead, or worse, try to spin it as if Trump and Vance shouting at Zelenskyy is normal. Or possibly even worse, say the broadcast spectacle was the perfect meeting, occurring in the most perfect way, with the best most perfect of any meeting by any president in history. Basically, the Republicans will continue to have their heads up the rectum of Trump who seems to have his head up the rectums of Putin and Musk. Sadly, all of Trumpists will not see the irony of the situation, nor the death of a once great nation. A nation other country’s wanted to be.
To add insult to injury, the Democrats and Independents, will continue to play the same tired playbook. They will go on legacy media with the equivalent of thoughts and prayers. They will act is if they have no power or influence. They will wring their hands and tell us how bad it is right now, so make sure to vote in 2026. But, they will take no real action.
The Democrats will stick to their safe zone. They will not rally around the Democratic candidates currently in special election races. No extra money will go to them. None of the stars of the Democratic Party will show up to campaign for those candidates. The Democratic National Committee and big donors will leave Gay Valimont (FL District 1) and Joshua Weil (FL District 6) hanging out to dry. Harris will not show up to campaign for them. Obama will not show up to campaign for them. Jeffries will not show up to campaign for them. I would garner neither AOC, Jasmine Crockett, nor Bernie Sanders will show up to campaign for them. This will be due solely to the fact Valimont and Weil are in Florida, a state the Democrats have conceded to the Republicans. I will also take a guess Valimont and Weil will be on local TV and radio, but will ignore any podcasters, non-English speaking media, TikTok and Instagram influencers, and non-traditional campaign stops in Districts 1 and 6. Because of the traditional playbook, these candidates will lose and the U.S. House will remain in Republican control.
In Wisconsin, the national Democratic Party will most likely do the same to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford. The race is officially nonpartisan, so none of the candidates have declared any party affiliation. However, the Wisconsin Democratic Party has endorsed Crawford.
Another race in Wisconsin is for the Superintendent of Instruction. Jill Underly, currently serving her first term as state superintendent, has been endorsed by the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which has donated to her campaign. Where is the national party in helping win this race?
What’s so disappointing is the lack of leadership in the support of these key special elections. What’s even more disappointing is the lack of national leadership in saving our democracy. Where is the moral courage and principled men and women who have the power to stop this madness—the FBI, Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, House and Senate Democrats (at the national and state levels), the military? Where are all of these people who have sworn to protect the United States agains foreign and DOMESTIC enemies!? We know many of these agencies, departments, and office holders have been compromised, but since almost no one is taking a stand, nor making arrests, have we reached the point where the infiltration of foreign operatives, white supremacists, and the power- and money-hungry is too great?
The only glimmer, however faint, of hope is how a smattering of strong principled people are speaking out, mostly Democrats, against the Republican and Musk/Trump regime. We are also seeing a rise in active peaceful demonstrations (but to see them, you have to get off legacy media) across the nation. Community organizers are bringing people together for civil disruptions, such as the small business spending only on February 28, Five Calls a Day, and 50501 events. There are people demonstrating in front of Tesla dealers and charging stations, and internationally, people are disrupting Tesla profits and value by not purchasing Teslas (sales in some places are down by over 50%).
And finally, finally, and it needed to happen, people who voted for Trump are starting to feel the pain of what they did in voting for a convicted felon, serial liar, and according to news reports, a Russian asset. They are losing their jobs, seeing kitchen table costs are still rising, and experiencing family being rounded up and deported. Some people need to learn the hard way, to see the consequences of their actions. I do wish they had seen the Republicans for what they are before the election, but maybe the pain will bring them around, snap them out of the MAGA coma, and start defending our democracy and freedoms.
Maybe…
I’ve often said we all need to be involved in saving democracy in the ways which fit our lives and our comfort levels. These efforts can be from blogging, to reposting on social media, to calling your elected officials, to letters to the editor, to donating to organizations, to marching in the streets. Nothing is too little or too much. Here are some ways to get involved from the comfort of your own homes over the next few weeks:
- Call your congressional members and let them know as one of the people they represent, it is past time for Musk to be fired and DOGE dismantled. Call this number and the switchboard will connect you to your representative or senator: 202-224-3121. Even if you don’t know who your members are, they will find them for you based on your address, which they will ask you to provide.
- Call the White House switchboard to express your disappointment in what is happening and that Musk must go: 202-456-1414 (switchboard) or 202-456-1111 (comments). I recommend the switchboard myself.
- Sign up for General Strike and commit to participating.
- Download the app Five Calls to help let your elected officials know you are paying attention and don’t approve. Website: https://5calls.org/
- Continue to boycott companies who have bent the knee or no longer believe in equality based on their recent actions. Don’t buy from national chains or companies, such as Target, Amazon, or Walmart.
- Write letters to your local papers expressing your disappointment and tell your stories of how the Republican administration is harming your families.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 