«We will not make it through this unless we exploit every single break that Republicans make with Trump. We will not make it through this unless we convince a significant number of Trump voters to push back or better yet disavow their vote.

Only if we do make it through this do we have time for recriminations against the people who allowed themselves to believe a lie.»

https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/06/09/no-trump-voters-did-not-vote-for-this/

This sort of captures my feelings, which are muddled. On the one hand, people voted for evil because evil convinced them it was ok to do so. They allowed themselves to be corrupted, and they should have known better.

On the other hand, convincing tens of millions of voters to repent (which, as I understand it, literally means “change the direction in which you are facing”) is a big ask, and not something that will yield quick results, and in the meantime, we need to be more pragmatic.

(Long-term, the stereotype needs to be “lazy selfishness is bad”, directed at the middle third, but how do we make that happen?)

No, Google, I did not.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/07/trump-national-guard

«“The coordinated ICE raids across Los Angeles today were violent and intentionally cruel. These were not acts of justice. They were calculated displays of power meant to terrify working families and rip communities apart. Families who came here to build a better life were targeted and terrorized simply for existing.

“Among those harmed was our union brother David Huerta, President of SEIU California who was injured and arrested while exercising his constitutional right to assemble and speak out. His detention was an attack on every worker who has ever stood up for what is right. ICE agents were not acting to protect the public. They were sent to intimidate, to punish, and to silence voices calling for dignity.

“Teamsters Joint Council 7 and 42 stand with every working family under attack. We fight for justice for all workers as we know that it is our work that keeps our country moving. The values of our labor movement demand that we speak out in moments like this. The California labor movement will not be intimidated, will not be divided, and will never stop fighting for the right of every worker to live safely, and with dignity.”»

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19ddKABEy6/

«Teamsters Joint Councils are set up in areas with three or more local unions. Joint Councils help coordinate Teamsters activities in those areas. They also help solve problems and decide some jurisdictional and judicial matters.»

https://teamster.org/about/teamsters-structure/#:~:text=Joint%20Councils%20help%20coordinate%20Teamsters,some%20jurisdictional%20and%20judicial%20matters.

«Teamsters Joint Council 42 represents 23 Teamsters Union Locals located in Southern California, Southern Nevada, Guam, Saipan and Hawaii. Nearly 250,000 working Teamsters and retirees are affiliated with the JC 42 family.»

https://www.teamstersjc42.com/

«Teamsters Joint Council 7 represents nearly 100,000 members in 23 Local Unions in 48 counties of Northern California, the Central Valley, and 14 Northern Nevada counties. (This territory would be the 10th largest state in the country.) With 40,000 members between Bakersfield and Sacramento, Teamsters Joint Council 7 is the largest union in the Central Valley»

https://teamstersjc7.org/who-we-are/the-teamster-difference

The kakistocracy will continue until morale improves.

«Newsom’s suggestion came after CNN reported the president was considering a “full termination” of federal grant funding for California’s universities.»

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/06/newsom-floats-withholding-federal-taxes-00393386

https://www.axios.com/2025/06/06/mary-miller-sikh-house-prayer-deletes-post

Well… I guess, out of 435 Representatives, a certain fraction of them are going to be total idiots.

Spoke to a polite aide and he (said he) recorded my opposition to the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act. First time I’ve called since I got hung up on, but I was able to keep my voice down (and the call short).

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/jun/06/i-asked-readers-which-wordular-grammaticalisms-they-would-ban-people-literally-lost-their-minds

I’m sorry I missed this comment period. I would have asked them to make the Nëw Yörkër‘s ïncrëdïbly ïrrïtätïng dïärësës ILLEGAL.

https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/last-day-to-weigh-in-on-trumps-plan

Only 34,000 people so far? C’mon, y’all! You know the MAGAs are spamming this list.

“Childeric had never wielded practical power—one dismissive chronicler thought his sole function was “to sit back on his throne . . . satisfied with the name of king and the appearance of ruling”” – Powers and Thrones (Dan Jones) https://bookshop.org/ebooks/quotes/2d0ddfd4-6c50-42e5-8ffb-7729153f9772

I think I know somebody like that.