To allow Trump's autocratic allies to prosper, our military and intelligence must take on new roles at home. We can sound the alarm with those who serve.
So if ICE is Trump’s new private army, who will stop them from preventing free and fair elections? He’s putting together a group to oversee “free and fair elections”, aka an election czar and we know that works.
Both supposedly co-equal branches of government. Congress and the courts are supposed to check these abuses of power. Congress is completely useless as is the majority of the SCOTUS. Local and district courts are our only hope. It is going to take generations to clean this mess up if that is even possible.
We need to stop kidding ourselves. America is no longer a two party democracy. It has become a Monarchy with one opposition party. It's the Kingdom of Trump vs the Democratic Party. From now until 2028 we need to keep fighting for our freedoms, equal rights and human decency against the malevolent forces of a fascist monarchy. We were here in 1776 and in 1860. Hopefully we won't need a shooting war to undo this faux Monarchy. Hopefully, public humiliation will shame enough Americans back to real common sense and tolerance that MAGA will fade.
We are living in a terrible nightmare. I took the Metro to the “Smithsonian stop” here in DC last Friday. Upon leaving the station, there were groups of National guardsman milling around. For the first time, I wasn’t sure what to say, - and saying “thank you for your service” didn’t seem quite appropriate. I don’t believe these guys are necessarily “protecting me”, - but rather, monitoring me. As a vibrant protestor and activist, I believe these guys are “in place” now, to quell and subdue future protests. I’m also aware that “proud-boy” types could easily INFILTRATE and then INSTIGATE trouble purposely at upcoming protests, - so then activists will taper off and stop attending our protests. Our enemies are watching this unfold with glee, as we are destroying ourselves from within. It’s utterly shameful. - BTW, I went to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture, - while it’s still there and in its ‘original’ and intended form. Who knows what they’re going to do with THAT museum?
The special Nat Guard units that tRump has created via exec order seem to be more of a anti-dissent/anti free speech militia. They are not about law and order. tRump will try to ban dissent soon.
Steve Rasmussen: The seeds of autocracy were in our country from the beginning.
Tramp's pretext will be a national emergency.
A case will go before the Supreme Court.
The Court of restraint jurisdiction, small Government, and "Originalism" -- going back to the meanings intended by the Founders -- will determine that the "Unitary Executive" correctly interprets Article 2 of the Constitution -- "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America" -- and that the President, under the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1797, has plenary power to shoot dissidents.
John Roberts, Chief Justice, will write the opinion. Justices Thomas and Alito will concur fully with the opinion.
Concurring in the result, Justice Kavanaugh will write separately that this decision is limited to the President's unquestioned power to enable law enforcement to shoot dissidents during times when the President himself invokes the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1797. That lower courts should not read the case broader.
Justice Amy Comey-Barrett will concur in the result, writing a separate opinion that, although the Court today allows the President to order indiscriminate shooting and killing of dissidents by members of police and armed services, this is only under the circumstances where, as here, the President himself determined a state of national emergency, and under the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1797, the Department of Justice, admittedly under false pretenses, obtained from an Article III Court a search warrant of Democratic Party Headquarters, and found proof of a planned national dissent movement against police actions intimidating protest. As a result of the search, the President erroneously, but permissibly under his plenary powers as the Executive, issued a binding order on soldiers of the U.S. Army to shoot protesters indiscriminately, because of a national emergency under the Alien and Sedition Act of 1797. Justice Amy Comey-Barrett cautions that the courts and public should not read CJ Roberts' opinion, with which she concurs in the result, too broadly, but that the Court only authorizes the Executive to order indiscriminate shooting when it uses the safeguard of a Fourth Amendment search warrant, issued by an Article III Court, admittedly under false pretenses. Only because of these safeguards, Justice Amy Comey-Barrett today concurs with today's opinion of CJ Roberts.
There was a strongly worded dissent, something about a total inconsistency of today's Ruling and Concurring Opinions with the history of First Amendment jurisdiction throughout American History, an unprecedented break with First Amendment jurisprudence, that no longer threatens, but actually CONSISTS IN THE END OF DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA. The dissent was written by Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson, and Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
The next day, President Tramp ordered the U.S. Army to destroy the facility and property of the New York Times and to take over Columbia and Harvard Universities, because documents obtained, admittedly under false pretenses, under a search authorized by an Article III Court, showed that the Democratic Party was planning a peaceful, nationwide protest over Free Speech. So, of course, MAGA recognizes a national emergency and invokes the Alien and Sedition Act of 1797.
At a campaign-rally type address at the RFK Stadium, before thousands of raging MAGA supporters, President Trump declared that he has now made America safe again for Aryan-White-Nation. The crowds cheered, with kids eating cotton-candy and ice cream.
Fascists will always rationalize their deviant behavior and try to normalize their vices. Convincing half the voters to accept fascism was quite a trick. Once they polarized the electorate so thoroughly, it was easy to convince the MAGA crowd that the left were monsters that needed to be punished.
After all the sanewashing of tRump on the fascist networks, his base is convinced that he is normal. He was called a psychopath by Dr Lance Dodes a few years ago. His niece, Mary Trump, PhD says he is extremely dangerous. I believe he is as dangerous as Pinochet or Hitler.
My God, Armed Forces patrolling Union Station and Dupont Circle in Washington DC is MONSTROUS.
The attack on the CDC and the universities!
The recent sycophantic cabinet meeting resembled an event in Pyongyang with the Department heads pouring praise all over Dear-Leader (Kim Jong-Un or Orange-TRAMP, respectively).
At the same disgusting cabinet meeting, Department Heads GLOATED over Government persecution of Harvard.
Kidnappings! Like in Pinochet. Government goons, masked, hooded and armed COWARDS surrounded Tufts Graduate Student Rumeysa Ozturk and KIDNAPPED HER.
We have "Alligator Alcatraz" -- whose conditions are so horrific, they won't let legislators inspect it.
In the Third Reich, already in 1933 they had a detention center outside of Munich.
Do “strongmen” leaders ever worry that their actions against the populace will also endanger their lives? Trump is so full of himself that the thought has probably not crossed his mind but I bet his security detail worries about it
I ask you to consider using the term "Trump regime" instead of "Trump administration". Administration is a term for democratic times, not autocratic times. We understand that when we try to describe Putin's regime as "an administration." The Trump regime is not administering anything but violence and destruction. It does not administer to the needs of the people or the nation, only to Trump's desire for absolute power. He and his cronies have built a regime, not an administration.
Trump and Republicans installed a drunken weekend Fox News mouthpiece as SecDef knowing that he would never ever tell Dear Leader that he was wrong. Since his arrival he has steadily purged flag rank officers who would tell him he was wrong. And here we are with red state National Guardsmen, armed red state Guardsmen, occupying LA and DC with Chicago and New York up next. In my opinion this doesn't end until one of two things happens - a courageous general stands up and says "No Mr. President, I will not obey your illegal order" or the inevitable happens - a nervous kid from East Armpit, terrified by the big city, missing little Emmy Sue, kills someone. That could result in torches and pitchfork time demanding an end to the Trump Regime.
It is time to revitalize the "Coffee House Movement" from the Vietnam era. This set up R&R cafes near military bases where rank and file solders could be supported and nourished - and reminded they serve to protect the Constitution from foreign enemies and not one man from domestic critics. They do not want to be in a position to be ordered to assault fellow Americans. DO IT NOW!
To the best of my knowledge, many of the Guard troops are part timers who have full time jobs elsewhere. When do their employers declare that enough is enough?
Jim Crow has returned only this time to the whole country (mainly Blue States first) with real weapons of war and the blessings of Dementia Donald Crow (DDC), Esq., fake president of the States of America. He has created his own Brown Shirts SA (State National Guard Units) and his own ICE SS. Always the loyalty oath to DDC, not the US Constitution.
Here's a poem that should be on everybody's mind. That is everybody who is really concerned about the path this regime of a wannabe dictator-king is taking.
It should be recited in every city, town, village across your (once?) great country, the United States of America.
Martin Niemöller (1892-1984).
WW1 officer on U-boats, recipient of the Iron Cross 1st class (no bone spurs here!).
Became a Protestant pastor in 1919. Fervent anti-communist. Supporter of what the Austrian corporal was doing until roughly 1934 when the Austrian corporal advocated supremacy of the state over religion. Arrested in 1937 and sent to Sachsenhausen and Dachau. Liberated April 29th in 1945..... by US soldiers!!
Here's the original one (many versions exist).
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I kept quiet; I wasn't a communist.
When they came for the trade unionists, I kept quiet;
I wasn't a trade unionist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I kept quiet;
I wasn't a social democrat.
When they locked up the Jews, I kept quiet;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to protest.
speaking of algorithms /syllogisms, this is a new one for our times, and one I like! (right up there, with "Socrates is a man. All men are mortal. Therefore Socrates is mortal.")
We who oppose Trump, et. al., and favor an ever-better America and its governance sorely need a unifying force to help lead and drive these altogether good, necessary, but disparate efforts. I fear that the vast majority of our efforts — your and others’ Substack posts and podcasts, widespread and targeted protests, Democratic lawmakers’ and governors’ bold actions and speeches, civil litigation, and more — are falling short, absent a nationwide galvanizing force and guide.
As one tool toward that end, I'm compelled by a recommendation that political scientist Norman Ornstein issued Tuesday — an idea also advocated in January by historian Timothy Snyder and last November by former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) — that key political and other leaders develop and deploy a sort of “shadow government” and perhaps a “shadow cabinet” or a “people’s cabinet” or an “America’s cabinet.”
They could serve as a strong, coordinated counterpoint to Trump and his minions’ egregious, too often dangerous, even deadly, words and actions and also could articulate and work to implement a much more positive and beneficial vision and future for our country.
Following are links to those essays. If you, too, find value in the “shadow government/cabinet” idea, please advocate for it on your Substack platform and elsewhere!
As always, Ruth, thank you for your work! And a request, please:
We who oppose Trump, et. al., and favor an ever-better America and its governance sorely need a unifying force to help lead and drive these altogether good, necessary, but disparate efforts. I fear that the vast majority of our efforts — your and others’ Substack posts and podcasts, widespread and targeted protests, Democratic lawmakers’ and governors’ bold actions and speeches, civil litigation, and more — are falling short, absent a nationwide galvanizing force and guide.
As one tool toward that end, I'm compelled by a recommendation that political scientist Norman Ornstein issued Tuesday — an idea also advocated in January by historian Timothy Snyder and last November by former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) — that key political and other leaders develop and deploy a sort of “shadow government” and perhaps a “shadow cabinet” or a “people’s cabinet” or an “America’s cabinet.”
They could serve as a strong, coordinated counterpoint to Trump and his minions’ egregious, too often dangerous, even deadly, words and actions and also could articulate and work to implement a much more positive and beneficial vision and future for our country.
Following are links to those essays. If you, too, find value in the “shadow government/cabinet” idea, please advocate for it on your Substack platform and elsewhere!
So if ICE is Trump’s new private army, who will stop them from preventing free and fair elections? He’s putting together a group to oversee “free and fair elections”, aka an election czar and we know that works.
Both supposedly co-equal branches of government. Congress and the courts are supposed to check these abuses of power. Congress is completely useless as is the majority of the SCOTUS. Local and district courts are our only hope. It is going to take generations to clean this mess up if that is even possible.
We need to stop kidding ourselves. America is no longer a two party democracy. It has become a Monarchy with one opposition party. It's the Kingdom of Trump vs the Democratic Party. From now until 2028 we need to keep fighting for our freedoms, equal rights and human decency against the malevolent forces of a fascist monarchy. We were here in 1776 and in 1860. Hopefully we won't need a shooting war to undo this faux Monarchy. Hopefully, public humiliation will shame enough Americans back to real common sense and tolerance that MAGA will fade.
We are living in a terrible nightmare. I took the Metro to the “Smithsonian stop” here in DC last Friday. Upon leaving the station, there were groups of National guardsman milling around. For the first time, I wasn’t sure what to say, - and saying “thank you for your service” didn’t seem quite appropriate. I don’t believe these guys are necessarily “protecting me”, - but rather, monitoring me. As a vibrant protestor and activist, I believe these guys are “in place” now, to quell and subdue future protests. I’m also aware that “proud-boy” types could easily INFILTRATE and then INSTIGATE trouble purposely at upcoming protests, - so then activists will taper off and stop attending our protests. Our enemies are watching this unfold with glee, as we are destroying ourselves from within. It’s utterly shameful. - BTW, I went to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture, - while it’s still there and in its ‘original’ and intended form. Who knows what they’re going to do with THAT museum?
The special Nat Guard units that tRump has created via exec order seem to be more of a anti-dissent/anti free speech militia. They are not about law and order. tRump will try to ban dissent soon.
Steve Rasmussen: The seeds of autocracy were in our country from the beginning.
Tramp's pretext will be a national emergency.
A case will go before the Supreme Court.
The Court of restraint jurisdiction, small Government, and "Originalism" -- going back to the meanings intended by the Founders -- will determine that the "Unitary Executive" correctly interprets Article 2 of the Constitution -- "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America" -- and that the President, under the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1797, has plenary power to shoot dissidents.
John Roberts, Chief Justice, will write the opinion. Justices Thomas and Alito will concur fully with the opinion.
Concurring in the result, Justice Kavanaugh will write separately that this decision is limited to the President's unquestioned power to enable law enforcement to shoot dissidents during times when the President himself invokes the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1797. That lower courts should not read the case broader.
Justice Amy Comey-Barrett will concur in the result, writing a separate opinion that, although the Court today allows the President to order indiscriminate shooting and killing of dissidents by members of police and armed services, this is only under the circumstances where, as here, the President himself determined a state of national emergency, and under the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1797, the Department of Justice, admittedly under false pretenses, obtained from an Article III Court a search warrant of Democratic Party Headquarters, and found proof of a planned national dissent movement against police actions intimidating protest. As a result of the search, the President erroneously, but permissibly under his plenary powers as the Executive, issued a binding order on soldiers of the U.S. Army to shoot protesters indiscriminately, because of a national emergency under the Alien and Sedition Act of 1797. Justice Amy Comey-Barrett cautions that the courts and public should not read CJ Roberts' opinion, with which she concurs in the result, too broadly, but that the Court only authorizes the Executive to order indiscriminate shooting when it uses the safeguard of a Fourth Amendment search warrant, issued by an Article III Court, admittedly under false pretenses. Only because of these safeguards, Justice Amy Comey-Barrett today concurs with today's opinion of CJ Roberts.
There was a strongly worded dissent, something about a total inconsistency of today's Ruling and Concurring Opinions with the history of First Amendment jurisdiction throughout American History, an unprecedented break with First Amendment jurisprudence, that no longer threatens, but actually CONSISTS IN THE END OF DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA. The dissent was written by Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson, and Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
The next day, President Tramp ordered the U.S. Army to destroy the facility and property of the New York Times and to take over Columbia and Harvard Universities, because documents obtained, admittedly under false pretenses, under a search authorized by an Article III Court, showed that the Democratic Party was planning a peaceful, nationwide protest over Free Speech. So, of course, MAGA recognizes a national emergency and invokes the Alien and Sedition Act of 1797.
At a campaign-rally type address at the RFK Stadium, before thousands of raging MAGA supporters, President Trump declared that he has now made America safe again for Aryan-White-Nation. The crowds cheered, with kids eating cotton-candy and ice cream.
Fascists will always rationalize their deviant behavior and try to normalize their vices. Convincing half the voters to accept fascism was quite a trick. Once they polarized the electorate so thoroughly, it was easy to convince the MAGA crowd that the left were monsters that needed to be punished.
Steve Rasmussen: Concur totally.
As an example --
Today, Tramp removed the secret-service protection from the Honorable Kamala Harris.
Vindictive and sadistic.
After all the sanewashing of tRump on the fascist networks, his base is convinced that he is normal. He was called a psychopath by Dr Lance Dodes a few years ago. His niece, Mary Trump, PhD says he is extremely dangerous. I believe he is as dangerous as Pinochet or Hitler.
Steve Rasmussen: I am in total harmony with you.
Sanewashing is exactly the mode in the TV news.
My God, Armed Forces patrolling Union Station and Dupont Circle in Washington DC is MONSTROUS.
The attack on the CDC and the universities!
The recent sycophantic cabinet meeting resembled an event in Pyongyang with the Department heads pouring praise all over Dear-Leader (Kim Jong-Un or Orange-TRAMP, respectively).
At the same disgusting cabinet meeting, Department Heads GLOATED over Government persecution of Harvard.
Kidnappings! Like in Pinochet. Government goons, masked, hooded and armed COWARDS surrounded Tufts Graduate Student Rumeysa Ozturk and KIDNAPPED HER.
We have "Alligator Alcatraz" -- whose conditions are so horrific, they won't let legislators inspect it.
In the Third Reich, already in 1933 they had a detention center outside of Munich.
It was called Dachau.
Do “strongmen” leaders ever worry that their actions against the populace will also endanger their lives? Trump is so full of himself that the thought has probably not crossed his mind but I bet his security detail worries about it
I ask you to consider using the term "Trump regime" instead of "Trump administration". Administration is a term for democratic times, not autocratic times. We understand that when we try to describe Putin's regime as "an administration." The Trump regime is not administering anything but violence and destruction. It does not administer to the needs of the people or the nation, only to Trump's desire for absolute power. He and his cronies have built a regime, not an administration.
Trump and Republicans installed a drunken weekend Fox News mouthpiece as SecDef knowing that he would never ever tell Dear Leader that he was wrong. Since his arrival he has steadily purged flag rank officers who would tell him he was wrong. And here we are with red state National Guardsmen, armed red state Guardsmen, occupying LA and DC with Chicago and New York up next. In my opinion this doesn't end until one of two things happens - a courageous general stands up and says "No Mr. President, I will not obey your illegal order" or the inevitable happens - a nervous kid from East Armpit, terrified by the big city, missing little Emmy Sue, kills someone. That could result in torches and pitchfork time demanding an end to the Trump Regime.
It is time to revitalize the "Coffee House Movement" from the Vietnam era. This set up R&R cafes near military bases where rank and file solders could be supported and nourished - and reminded they serve to protect the Constitution from foreign enemies and not one man from domestic critics. They do not want to be in a position to be ordered to assault fellow Americans. DO IT NOW!
Trump-appointed judge rejects Trump's frivolous lawsuit against all federal judges in Maryland & slams “smear” campaign against the judiciary. “This concerted effort by the Executive to smear & impugn individual judges who rule against it is both unprecedented and unfortunate” offending the rule of law. https://newrepublic.com/post/199611/donald-trump-doj-appointed-judge-lawsuit-deportation?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_ticker_rss
[Paul Krugman NYT 8/27/25] Now the Lord of the Lies & his crazies come for clean energy: "Windmills -- we're just not gonna allow them. They are ruining are country.” Never underestimate the power of irrational prejudice. https://open.substack.com/pub/paulkrugman/p/the-crazy-comes-for-clean-energy?r=aexlz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
The words "French Revolution" are sounding better and better.
To the best of my knowledge, many of the Guard troops are part timers who have full time jobs elsewhere. When do their employers declare that enough is enough?
Jim Crow has returned only this time to the whole country (mainly Blue States first) with real weapons of war and the blessings of Dementia Donald Crow (DDC), Esq., fake president of the States of America. He has created his own Brown Shirts SA (State National Guard Units) and his own ICE SS. Always the loyalty oath to DDC, not the US Constitution.
Here's a poem that should be on everybody's mind. That is everybody who is really concerned about the path this regime of a wannabe dictator-king is taking.
It should be recited in every city, town, village across your (once?) great country, the United States of America.
Martin Niemöller (1892-1984).
WW1 officer on U-boats, recipient of the Iron Cross 1st class (no bone spurs here!).
Became a Protestant pastor in 1919. Fervent anti-communist. Supporter of what the Austrian corporal was doing until roughly 1934 when the Austrian corporal advocated supremacy of the state over religion. Arrested in 1937 and sent to Sachsenhausen and Dachau. Liberated April 29th in 1945..... by US soldiers!!
Here's the original one (many versions exist).
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I kept quiet; I wasn't a communist.
When they came for the trade unionists, I kept quiet;
I wasn't a trade unionist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I kept quiet;
I wasn't a social democrat.
When they locked up the Jews, I kept quiet;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to protest.
algorithm of the day:
'fear' is the weapon of choice, of the 'mafia' - state, non-state, or just 'neighbourhood'.
'terrorism' is 'fear' - on steroids.
therefore trump is a terrorist.
QED.
speaking of algorithms /syllogisms, this is a new one for our times, and one I like! (right up there, with "Socrates is a man. All men are mortal. Therefore Socrates is mortal.")
We who oppose Trump, et. al., and favor an ever-better America and its governance sorely need a unifying force to help lead and drive these altogether good, necessary, but disparate efforts. I fear that the vast majority of our efforts — your and others’ Substack posts and podcasts, widespread and targeted protests, Democratic lawmakers’ and governors’ bold actions and speeches, civil litigation, and more — are falling short, absent a nationwide galvanizing force and guide.
As one tool toward that end, I'm compelled by a recommendation that political scientist Norman Ornstein issued Tuesday — an idea also advocated in January by historian Timothy Snyder and last November by former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) — that key political and other leaders develop and deploy a sort of “shadow government” and perhaps a “shadow cabinet” or a “people’s cabinet” or an “America’s cabinet.”
They could serve as a strong, coordinated counterpoint to Trump and his minions’ egregious, too often dangerous, even deadly, words and actions and also could articulate and work to implement a much more positive and beneficial vision and future for our country.
Following are links to those essays. If you, too, find value in the “shadow government/cabinet” idea, please advocate for it on your Substack platform and elsewhere!
* Political scientist Norman Ornstein, Aug. 26, 2025 — “Our Guardrails are Failing Us: But with discipline, Democrats can get the message out.” Substack: https://contrarian.substack.com/p/our-guardrails-are-failing-us
* Historian Timothy Snyder:
- Jan. 6, 2025 — “Shadow Cabinet: A positive form of opposition.” Substack: https://snyder.substack.com/p/shadow-cabinet
- Jan. 11, 2025 — “The People’s Cabinet: Naming a positive form of opposition.” Substack: https://snyder.substack.com/p/an-alternative-cabinet?utm_source=publication-search
* Former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, Nov. 11, 2024 — “What should Democrats Do Now? Form a Shadow Cabinet: The venerable British institution of the opposition would serve America well today.” “Washington Post” gift article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/11/shadow-cabinet-democrats-opposition-trump/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzU2MjY3MjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzU3NjQ5NTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NTYyNjcyMDAsImp0aSI6ImQ3ZjhiYTAyLWUwMmMtNDBhOC04NWM5LTRjZTQxNWFmZTI1MyIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vcGluaW9ucy8yMDI0LzExLzExL3NoYWRvdy1jYWJpbmV0LWRlbW9jcmF0cy1vcHBvc2l0aW9uLXRydW1wLyJ9.XApPoXNplhp-qt9ryDsOx5P6T8JSXYqaUbzKTN-nqNQ
As always, Ruth, thank you for your work! And a request, please:
We who oppose Trump, et. al., and favor an ever-better America and its governance sorely need a unifying force to help lead and drive these altogether good, necessary, but disparate efforts. I fear that the vast majority of our efforts — your and others’ Substack posts and podcasts, widespread and targeted protests, Democratic lawmakers’ and governors’ bold actions and speeches, civil litigation, and more — are falling short, absent a nationwide galvanizing force and guide.
As one tool toward that end, I'm compelled by a recommendation that political scientist Norman Ornstein issued Tuesday — an idea also advocated in January by historian Timothy Snyder and last November by former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) — that key political and other leaders develop and deploy a sort of “shadow government” and perhaps a “shadow cabinet” or a “people’s cabinet” or an “America’s cabinet.”
They could serve as a strong, coordinated counterpoint to Trump and his minions’ egregious, too often dangerous, even deadly, words and actions and also could articulate and work to implement a much more positive and beneficial vision and future for our country.
Following are links to those essays. If you, too, find value in the “shadow government/cabinet” idea, please advocate for it on your Substack platform and elsewhere!
* Political scientist Norman Ornstein, Aug. 26, 2025 — “Our Guardrails are Failing Us: But with discipline, Democrats can get the message out.” Substack: https://contrarian.substack.com/p/our-guardrails-are-failing-us
* Historian Timothy Snyder:
- Jan. 6, 2025 — “Shadow Cabinet: A positive form of opposition.” Substack: https://snyder.substack.com/p/shadow-cabinet
- Jan. 11, 2025 — “The People’s Cabinet: Naming a positive form of opposition.” Substack: https://snyder.substack.com/p/an-alternative-cabinet?utm_source=publication-search
* Former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, Nov. 11, 2024 — “What should Democrats Do Now? Form a Shadow Cabinet: The venerable British institution of the opposition would serve America well today.” “Washington Post” gift article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/11/shadow-cabinet-democrats-opposition-trump/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzU2MjY3MjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzU3NjQ5NTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NTYyNjcyMDAsImp0aSI6ImQ3ZjhiYTAyLWUwMmMtNDBhOC04NWM5LTRjZTQxNWFmZTI1MyIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vcGluaW9ucy8yMDI0LzExLzExL3NoYWRvdy1jYWJpbmV0LWRlbW9jcmF0cy1vcHBvc2l0aW9uLXRydW1wLyJ9.XApPoXNplhp-qt9ryDsOx5P6T8JSXYqaUbzKTN-nqNQ