How No Kings, affordability anger, DSA's rise, ,AI- data centers flap, federalized elections,are all connected

 Watching the medterms shape up, I get the impression that Democrats are on two separate tracks, yet the two are joined at the hip.  One was the fear that Trump was destroying democracy to be replaced by something more akin to fascism, and the other was affordability and other related pocketbook issues. They are just separate sides of the same coin: Trump the authoritarian believes he can ignore the economic pain of the masses to stay in power because he is so powerful. Tyrants and dictators have always believed they can ignore the unrest of the masses they govern because they gain the power, not from the voters, but from control of the reins of force.  In mid-August in Michigan, rumbles of complaint about the cost of gas were met by Trump with "suck it up" .Trump has called "affordability" a "hoax", a "con job".  

JD Vance was reported to tell a Florida political candidate with affiliation with Democratic Socialism that she did not belong in America. Aside from his insult to the First Amendment, it was an obvious appeal to Cuban-Americans in that state, and reminded them that they fled to America because of socialism. I am no Democratic Socialist, and I object to replacing capitalism with that failed economic system. However, Socialism as practiced in Scandinavian countries is also firmly grounded in democracy. It works for them, and polls show them among the happiest in the world, and it works well for their traditions and sociology.  What is different about those from Cuba, Latin America,  and others that sparked the surge to the US in the past recent history is socialism and /or capitalism combined with dictatorship forms of government wth disdain for human rights, punishment of dissenters,  rule of a strong man instead of the rule of law, and control of courts and police powers. Leaders were stuffing their pockets, or so devoted to retaining power that they failed to deal with poverty. That created the exit from their country of those seeking "freedom", freedom from poverty and freedom from oppression of their human rights.  Desperate people with no hope for the future take desperate measures. 

When dictatorships are combined with the captains of private industry and the military elsewhere, we have called that fascism, but the instruments and methods of governing by a dictator are similar even if the ideology is communism or a form of socialism. Elections are for show; the strong hand of the leader dictates who, where ,and how the elections happen. When the agenda is set, and government chosen that is responsive to the people, directly or through their elected representatives, in free and fair elections,  we call that one a democracy.  

 https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/angie-nixon-jd-vance-ashley-moody-florida-senate-october-2026/

(My preferred economic system favors "capitalism with a social safety net, in case you wonder. No one goes bankrupt being sick or giving birth; everybody can have an education; no one is left on the streets. Basic human rights" as expressed so well in  a recent post I saw.)

Others abroad are watching us closely, and how they view us may come as a shock.  They are seeing how this midterm is unfolding and are disturbed. How some in the German press see it, MAGA is on the fascist track, offset or challenged by a revolt against Trump's economy that favors the rich at the expense of a struggling middle class. They see the connection between the two tracks, too.  

From my prior post: https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2026/09/once-us-was-model-to-world-of-how.html

Until recently, and since my junior year abroad in Berlin in the late 1950's, a unified Germany had sought to construct a liberal democracy using the US as a model (though the parliamentary system differs).  Der Spiegel's editorial expressed fear that the rest of Germany was just hand-wringing, with no idea what to do when the far-right political party, the AfD,  won a state election in Saxony.  Were the neo Nazis reviving? AfD has sometimes been accused of promoting fascist governance. (Der Spiegel is the German magazine version of Time or Newsweek, centrist)  The new model of how to stop this AfD march to more power was: brace yourself- the resistance to Trump in the USA, and in particular, the immediate reaction of his banning reporters from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico, followed by the boycott of other media in solidarity to even cover the White House.   (Update: the judge reviewing the suit filed against Trump by the banned networks temporarily restored their press passes.)

The  Der Spiegel opinion piece was a shocker to me, too, that  Trump was even viewed in the same category as the AfD, and that instead of the government of the US being the role model for how democracy should be run and act, it was the USA's local grassroots resistance movement to Trump and his policies that was now a model. If anyone understands "far right", or fascism, it is Germany.  There is a great fear among many there of its resurgence.

How does Der Spiegel see Trump and his regime in the US?  "Compared to the situation in the United States, the far right has not made significant inroads in Germany. .... In the US, by contrast, Trump holds the most powerful office in the world – for a second time. He is surrounded by a nationalist circle of advisers, backed by majorities in both chambers of Congress, supported by paramilitary police units, and secure in the knowledge that three of the nine justices on the Supreme Court were chosen by him."

The  Der Spiegel opinion piece was inspired by examples of US resistance, such as the immediate boycott by unbanned White House reporters also refusing to cover the White House media pool when Trump attempted to ban CNN, MSNow, and Politico, because he did not like how they reported his news.  Also cited as examples of resistance in the US were the local nature of the anti-AI data centers, the Minneapolis grassroots action against ICE, and more.  Der Spiegel urged those in Germany who feared the AfD to go and do likewise. 

I might add that NO Kings Day on Oct. 17 is an opportunity for those in Germany to see how peaceful resistance is done, and to add their moral support to the "resistance' in the US."

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/08/17/michigan-gas-prices/91335542007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z1150xxp001050l001050c001050e1150xxv002267d--55--b--55--&gca-ft=170&gca-ds=soph

ihttps://derspiegel.substack.com/

https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/alternative-germany-afd-party-what-you-need-know

(My preferred economic system favors "capitalism with a social safety net, in case you wonder. No one goes bankrupt being sick or giving birth; everybody can have an education; no one is left on the streets. Basic human rights" as expressed so well in  a recent post I saw.)

From Google AI for sources, search Trump and affordability

President Donald Trump dismissed the term "affordability" as a Democrat scam and a "con job", claiming that cost-of-living concerns are a fake narrative pushed by political opponents despite ongoing high prices for housing and groceries. [1, 2, 3]

Dismissal as a Hoax: Trump asserted that affordability is a political construct created by Democrats. [1, 2]

The answer to extremists on both the right and the left iis a vigorous pro-democracy movement

The recent success of both MAGA and the Democratic Socialists of America is an alarm bell clanging loudly that extremism in the guise of sheep-bleating appealing messages is wolves in sheep's clothing who lust after the manipulation or outright end of democracy, including replacement by autocracy,  to gain control for their narrow and defined interests. The answer to combatting extremism from both left and right, my friends, is to fight like hell for democracy as we have known it. Reform to strengthen it, cherry-pick some pubic policy ideas from either camp you like or object to, but be glad those of you in the middle can still have the ability to make your voices heard now and in the future.  Democracy is a benefit that includes all of those that are governed ....not just a benefit for one class, or race, or religion, that provides a level field for those aspiring to get their priorities on the table for consideration without fear of retribution and punishment by government.  It is inclusive of all, not just a designated group that is limited to those with shared self-interests.

This opinion is based on a theory that the two-party system requires compromise early in the election cycles and that essentially Americans are not inclined to support extremist platforms hook, line, and sinker. They are mostly looking for problem-solving. There is a significant middle that sloshes back and forth between the two parties, sometimes leaning to the right and sometimes to the left, sometimes retaining party affiliation or registering independent. Ideas from the extremes are cherry-picked and included under a party's umbrella if they narrowly focus on a pragmatic solution to a problem that becomes a voter-pollled demand to fix. https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-big-tent-of-two-party-system-is-not.html

 At this moment, this is becoming more and more evident as progressive candidates hoping for party and independent support have been quick to deny they support the entire Democratic Socialists agenda.,which includes the end of capitalism. However, ;rogressive Democrats do share with the Democratic Socialists concerns about the affordability of health care, gas at the pump, grocery prices, rent, and utilities, and many even embrace universal health care and rail at the stranglehold the ultrarich have on the economy and resulting income inequality,  The impact of the Democratic Socialist will be absorption into progressive wing of the Democratic party of some specific issues and public policies, and a rejection of other specifics in the Democrtic Socialist platform.

The MAGA base is another case, given the hard core cult like loyality to Trump himself and a current purge of those not deemed loyal enough. It is not so much focused on bringing more into their umbrella, but ridding the GOP of non-MAGA and suppressing the opposition with control of media and the process of rules of who can vote and who counts it.  It ridicules the affordability issue at its great peril. Nearly every public policy plank in the MAGA platform is viewed negatively by at least 60  percent of voters polled . Instead, iMAGA is attempting to appeal to social and racial attitudes to consolidate their base and the structure of gerrymandering and hyper-federal control of government power, wielding the weapons of fear and favor..  Their leader is approved by only 39% of voters per current polling. 

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The answer to the emergence of these extremists is to reveal hidden or open agendas and to promote, not just protect, the structure of democracy we have had for 250 years and to strengthen it.   At issue with both extremists is who controls the policies and powers of government: the people of all stripes who have the ability and chance to influence the direction of leaders, or is it the rule in use of power and policies by one ideology, or "strong leader," an autocracy, who issues edicts and orders as laws to be followed?.  

 Both Democratic Socialists and MAGA have it as a strategy to alter the form of representative democracy as we have known it and reshape it to their advantage. If not the form is altered, there are other ways to subvert and reshape it to help accomplish their goals. Their proposals are not equal or alike in the details, but do share some characteristics. Both Democratic Socialists and MAGA are about what kinds of control over the issues of who can and how people vote. Both are essentially anti-democratic because they subtly or openly advocate that one particular economic or social or racial class should rule over the rest of us using the tools of fear and/or favor.  

MAGA's agenda is subtle and often unspoken, but by their deeds, actions, and suppression of opposition's rights, and those they try to suppress are the tell-tales.  To get where they are going is a matter of deduction. On the other hand, the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America is right there for you to read at https://program.dsausa.org/.  Do a Google or ChatGPT search for better bluntness and clarity.   The question becomes what part of this platform does a candidate running as a democratic socialist support. It may vary a great deal, but the exposure is fair game and easy to do.  When it comes to pinning down MAGA candidates, watch for evasion and code words and dog whistles.  That is much more of a challenge, since overt racism is still not politically acceptable, making it hard to get at to what extent it is a factor. Instead, there is more reliance on deduction of observed impacts, practices, and public policy issue stances.

The platform of the Democratic Socialists of America is now under attack by MAGA, and a walk through Google.com  reveals their real goals: restructuring our form of democracy to give power, not to all of the people, but to one economic class, and the elimination of capitalism. There will be plenty of others from the right to decry this platform and call it out.  It is all there in black and white and in print. and easy to do, but in calling it out, the challenge should be truthful and not attach planks onto the backs of every candidate who claims affiliation with Democratic Socialists.  The movement may have a written platform, but adherence is not uniform.    However, there are those in the left who will correctly call out the MAGA movement's portion that empowers white nationalists,, while suppressing those who rightfully object to attempts to control their rights to vote,  or to participate in governance to which they have been entitled by law to do so, and puts an undo burden on large swathes of women and elderly who will find themselves disengranchised by the harshness of the SAVE act to prove citizenship.

On the other hand, the MAGA platform is also an attempt to change the democracy of rule, by and for the people, to rule by one party for the benefit of one leader, for the benefit of a specific cultural/racial group and suppression of those who oppose that. What is driving it is mostly not spoken, or in print,  but what, in dulcet tones, it promotes if rule by white Christians by their actions.  There is no written platform other than a carefully phrased blueprint in the documents of Project 2025.  IN that regard, the MAGA movement is more insidious than Democratic Socialists, but what issues and practices MAGA promotes are also just as destructive of democracy.  The old "by their deeds you will know them," like the replacement of those of color in the halls of DC and the Pentagon, and actions of ICE and others trampling civil rights, such actions are the marker of a movement whose focus and purpose is to boost those of a certain race and gender.  Democracy is government by participation of all of the people, not just for a chosen socio/econommic/racial group.

Neither Democratic Socialists nor MAGA represent the views of most Americans, who are either not aware of how their control of who governs them is being taken away or are too absorbed with day-to-day life to pay attention. Effective politicians may make hay by painting a political party as taken over by extremists or name-calling them as fascists or communists, but it is not that simple. Simple memes and slogans are for simple minds.  Take the time to think and demand answers.  Ask individual candidates a question: do you want one party, one person, to tell you what to vote for and to disadvantage you if you speak out, or are afraid to. My guess is, most Americans would want to be in control, and not controlled by  some one-party, one-ideology, with overt or hidden agendas.  Americans as a whole are just not into political science or ideology so long as they can vote and have a say.   The NO Kings marches, anti-ICE demonstrations against concentration camps, outrage against ICE brutality,  and the demonstrators' success in changing the outcome show that the power is still with the people. However,  if either Democratic Socialists or MAGA have their way, that too, the will of the people, can be shifted away in favor of the rule of one economic class or racial/cultural class.   Democracy is a system that allows for all to be heard to convince others to follow without fear of reprisals.. Democracy is not for the benefit of selected groups to lead and control over others they disdain.. Neither Democratic Socialists nor MAGA look to govern in the benefit of all in their jurisdictions with even-handed fairness. Instead, both favor benefitting some groups over others. MAGA even uses or tolerates threats and fear with unevidenced pretenses to enforce loyalty beyond the ballot box. 

The answer to both extremes is for the great American middle to become aware and alarmed by either extreme end and to support candidates who will represent all Americans, not just their ideological kin, and who support the institutions of Democracy that have served us well. None should rule out reforming those parts that need reform, especially those concerning grift, corruption,  and exploitation of the weaker, however.  There are loopholes and ways through and around laws unimagined by our founders.

 In micro terms, when specific planks of the extremists are frightening to many, each candidate must be asked if they approve what their ideology/religion promotes.  Step one is learning what either extremist movement truly sees as their end game and how they strive to empower a narrow interest that suppresses yours.  Step two is to support and elect candidates who, likewise, support democracy as we have known it for 250 years, which, in the long run, keeps all people being governed with fair and equal exercise of democracy. 

The alternative to democracy is rule by one or a few, with rights of the opposition suppressed by various means and degrees.  This past year and a half illustrates what happens when those put their trust in one person, and that person goes off the rails, and there is no good recourse, except the ballot box.  Trump was elexted in 2024 by promoses of no more foreign wars, and a reduction of the cost of lving: He has now done the opposite, and given his rule by fear and favor, there is no way out of this excepy by fair and free elections, not elections with voting and tabulaiton contorlled by his federal loyalists, but by the fragmentation and folliwing the rules laid out in every jurisdiction to ensure that the vote and count are open with many bi-partisan eyes on the process and not under threat by armed representatives of the federal government.

What is MAGA. How do you define it? The British tried to explain it in their recent AI version of their famous encyclopedia, but it was mostly a description and history of its trail of beliefs. https://www.britannica.com/topic/MAGA-movement. 

Merriam-Webster :political movement calling for strict limits on immigration and a return to policies and practices in place before globalization and especially before the era of globalization that began in the late 20th century"

Wikipedia :'Defining elements of MAGA include Republicans who voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election and deny the results of that election,^[2] cult-like behavior as followers of Trump, ^[3] political radicalisation, white nationalism,^[4] anti-immigrant beliefs (including nativism), an emotionally intense sense of shared identity, resentment of specific groups of people, identity fusion, moral self-righteousness, belief in social dominance orientation, and prejudiced aggressiveness.^[

My own definition and a pretty sure indication you are a MAGA if you wear the red MAGA hat and still claim the 2020 election really elected Trump.  Election denialism is a mantra that those loyal to MAGA and Trump must utter to qualify as a member of the movement.  It is more than just a pledge of allegiance to Trump and a membership ritual in MAGA. It is MAGA's foundation and rationale of the Jan 6th attempted coup, of federal one-party takeover of elections determining who can vote, how they can vote, and who counts and keeps control of the ballots per the SAVE ACT, and the basis for ICE cruelty,use of violence, paramilitarism,  and concentration camp internments. Evidence is not important to MAGA.  Just "believe"  those who are brown and black are the likely culprits.

Election deniers on the ballot in Colorado:

 https://electiondeniers.org/colorado/#state-candidates-section

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Why does Trump seem not to care he facing plunging polls and a loss of the House in November?

Updated: 3/1/ 2026 Whether the Iran attack will change Trump's approval ratings by November or influence the outcome of the midterms is yet a matter of speculation, but there will be time for the longer-term impact to be revealed and felt. That ridding the world of the odious Iranian leadership in power until a day ago was indeed an impressive display of the US and Israel's military/intelligence capability, but whether what follows is an improvement in the West's eyes is a gamble. If the US gets involved on the ground in another forever war will be seen as a failure of Trump's foreign policy and military strategy.

 That Trump does not care a whit what even his followers think,  nor even making a serious attempt to make a clear case in the leadup to the attack, is a further sign that Trump thinks he is a dictator who can ignore polls, public opinion, war powers acts, and commit a reversal of promises not to get in the mud mire of mid -east wars. The initial reaction by Trump's supporters in Congress is that they are happy to continue to anoint him as "their" dictator and to give up their own power to benefit his lust for more and more power.

Updated: 2/3/2026

Polls today, nearly all of them, show Trump's approval is sinking into Nixon territory, and nearly 60% of Americans disapprove of his top issues: immigration, affordability, and land grabs of foreign territories. He is already brushing off the loss of the House this November. Why does he seem not to care that voters feel the pain, and instead, just doubles down? He seems in a hurry to get revenge and punish his enemies and is engaged in stuffing his personal wealth with crypto converted to dollars and exchange fees while the getting is good. He is acting like a deranged fascist dictator gorging himself in a candy shop and satiating an appetite that craves for more and more power and control, domestic and abroad, and getting away with it before he is stopped in November: Why? He keeps issuing executive orders that he treats like they are the law, but that are blatantly unconstitutional. He counts on court delays and appeals to give him time and let him keep on violating the Constitution. He is hinting at calling off even the November 2026 and 2028 elections or confiscating ballot boxes, or declaring some national emergency or a cooked-up insurgency, as a pretext for military occupation.  Observers fear he is hoping that the streets turn so ugly he can use ICE as a pretext to invoke the insurrection act, using military,  and his ICE paramilitary, even Joe Rogan calls it a Gestapo,  funded and in place and able to act as his personal army. Why?  MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Trump wants to GOP nationalize elections and control the vote count: that's what dictators do

 Why has this happened? 

(1). First and foremost, there is no one or no way to stop Trump's lust for power, and he knows it.  He has whipped Congress into subservience as they cower in fear of crossing him. Court rulings? He just figures a way around them and keeps on enforcing and executing his orders while the courts delay, delay, delay decisions and hear appeals upon appeals.  He may even ignore court rulings if there is an insurgency, he hinted to the New York Times recently. He believes he has the power to do it. Update 1 20 2026: A comprehensive report of how Trump and conservative GOP leaders are turning America into a unitary form of governement. (Unitary form: all power to the executive with eliminating checks and balances of the legislature and judiciary...( That in my view is a polite description of an autocracy) Trump Tests Presidential Power: Venezuela Operation, Iran Bombing and More - The New York Times

 (2)  He is a lame duck who will never have to face angry voters again, so he can ignore them, even those in his own party.

(3)"His" Supreme Court gave him immunity from criminal prosecution, so breaking the law is of no concern to him.

.(4) He is counting on his partisan loyalists of about 40% of all adults polled, to keep him going and have his back. 

(5) Update: 1/27/2026 He is planning some dirty tricks to disenfranchise votes of citizens in blue states...and especially in Colorado. Trump's attempt to federalize voter counts and elections in direct contradiction to the Constitution. Expect Trump et al will try to keep Colorado's vote from being counted, as well as any blue states,  throwing the results of who gets the majority in Congress into chaos and dispute. They will meet a buzz saw if they try such tricks on Colorado. Colorado has a plan and backup plans. Threat of force won’t change Colorado secretary of state’s mind on voter rolls, mail-in ballots   

Tump's false pretense of such dirty tricks is still: the 2020 election was stolen because all of those illegals voted and mail-in votes are all a fraud, their propagandists and a deluded Trump claim.. In over 6 years such attempts to prove these claims have failed. They think if they can get voters' personal information, they can prove their pretext.  In reality, this is just a pretext to keep themselves in power by throwing the 2026 midterms into chaos.   

 What to do; what to do, hand wringers? The only way to stop two more years of this is still an overwhelming vote and kicking out his political allies up and down the ballot in the midterms. In the meantime, angry voters have to deny Trump a fascist style pretext for such a military-like takeover of democracy by keeping their protests peaceful, large, and focusing on voter registration and turnout. FYI: an insurrection is not peaceful protestors nor even a handful of violent protestors...but Trump threatens to invoke the insurrection act, nonetheless. Those threats will go nowhere if the protests remain peaceful.

 In the meantime, cool it, hot heads, you who want to vent anger with violence.  As Minnesota officials say, "Don't take the bait". ICE hopes you do lose self-control and become violent. They will then have a pretext to invoke the Insurrection Act and oppress you with overwhelming military-like force. As they escalate their violent behavior, they are provoking you to answer in kind. Don't. If you play this right, your day will come to oust these MAGA. The real power, the opinions of the majority of the people, is the force that is already with you. So is a federal judge. Don't mess it up. 

Judge Restricts Immigration Agents’ Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters - The New York Times Renee Good killing is the straw that broke the camel's back. Judge clamps down on ICE actions to suppress Minneapolis protesters exercising their constitutional rights with flash bangs, pepper spray, chemical agents, and excessive force by combat-ready ICE paramilitary-garbed agents... We are not yet a militarized police state working on behalf of a government leadership determined to get its way by any means, including violence. Let's see if this gets appealed or ignored.

These ICE are not patriots or just police. They are a masked paramilitary, claiming they are a law enforcement agency, while using excessive force techniques to take down their targets and use violent weapons of crowd control, inflaming, not de-escalating, being overtly racist, targeting those who are brown or looks like a migrant, in a way that would have gotten local policemen fired, suspended, prosecuted, and even imprisoned. The agents wear masks and display no badge numbers, so citizens cannot hold individual agents accountable. Their leader claims they have total immunity from prosecution and conceals evidence that could lead to prosecution, even for murder. Wearing masks makes them look fierce and threatening as well. No local police agency condones this.  

Here is the real value of organizations like Indivisible and 50501. They give the opposition cover and safety in numbers,, and give them the guts, non-violent techniques, and the discipline to stand up peacefully. They provide a non-party-based outlet, support, and protest opportunity for disaffected GOP members, independent,  unaffiliated voters, and Democrats dissatisfied with their own party's leadership.  The tent of these groups is welcoming, with room for a wide variety of ideologies and public policy issues.   They have the ability with vast lists of activists and their emails, leaders trained,  ready, able, and willing to galvanize voters in November. This is not the MLK civil rights movement of 50 or so years ago, but it is similar in its spirit, and it has drawn on many of the same peaceful and effective techniques of protest. The Indivisible types of protesters know from their education what kind of democracy we have and why it is so valuable. They know the difference between our kind of democracy and dictatorships. They have also inspired other organizations, grassroots, and neighborhood groups to adopt their same techniques, so it is creating a movement that goes far beyond the influence of the Indivisible lists of participants. 

 Sometimes polls do not get the complete picture if they fail to ask the right questions: I looked at the most recent one at the beginning of February.  The question of whether you believe Trump is damaging democracy was not asked....or even if that was an issue in some rankings. The closest to testing that is do you approve of Trump's job or performance? When asked that way, Trump's slide is only from 49% to 45%, yet the special election results show a decisive shift in the matter of 15 or more points.  Something is not adding up and there seems to be a disconnect between polling and voter action.

  Trump approval rating falls across every major issue in new poll   Here is another view by a heavyweight think tank taken before the Minneapolis murders. This one says the reason for the shifts in job approval is that Trump is losing blocks of voters who voted for him in 2024: young voters, independents, Hispanics. As President Trump loses support, Republican prospects in the 2026 midterms grow darker | Brookings  Such polls must give Trump comfort that his job approval has not fallen before 40% (usually below 40% signals real trouble). 

What gives Trump discomfort is  what happens in November 2026 could very likely shift Congress blue, opening him up to impeachment (again) and trimming his budget wings, as well as stopping ICE's cruel dragnet approach that sweeps up and imprisons non-criminals, legal immigrants with no criminal records, and even American citizens.  Doing it cruelly and trampling civil rights seems part of their plan now.. 

Trump is rightly correct in pointing out he is not on the ballot in November, and that is why he is likely lose Congress in any case. The other way he can get around this is if he tries to interfere with our elections using dirty tricks he has up his sleeve as feared in terms of takeover of the election process nationally..Another factor will be how many protesters marching in the street are increasing to over 3.5% of the voters (12 million), usually a threshold of success for peaceful protests successfully causing regime change elsewhere in the world per political scientists studying that history, though even smaller percentages have been successful. .  The Minneapolis effect could well boost the ranks of marching protesters to that level. The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world | Harvard Kennedy School

 As much as the Trump regime tries to say these are paid agitators and organizers, they are fooling themselves and MAGA. Without millions themselves realizing they are the only way to stop this wannabe dictator, since the guardrails against such have failed, Indivisible could never have succeeded in turning out so many, mostly white, educated middle-class people of all ages.  The participants have been willing to risk Trump's threats and abuse of power, "screw their courage to a sticking post" (Shakespeare) all across America, and for many, for the first time in their lives, to get out and march in support of democracy. They know a wannabe King, tyrant, dictator when they see one because they remember what they learned about the history of the 1930s  in Europe, the 1950's to current times in South America, and how ordinary people suffered under such rule, causing many to flee their home countries to western democracies. (There is a reason the migrants are not hordes flowing to such dictatorships.) They see it happening here and now.  Above all, they are a pro-democracy force that wants to preserve the kind of democracy we have had for 250 years, of, by, and for the people  (not of, by, and for a one-man, small minority,  or oligarchic ruler). They know about such dictatorships that, once in power, they only care enough to trickle down just enough to the masses to keep them from violently revolting. The rest of the tax benefits and grift is for their personal lifestyles and the causes that serve them. The goal of such autocrats is to stay in power by whatever means, including violence.  

CNN poll: Democrats are deeply motivated for the midterms despite having dismal views of party leaders

 

Are Trump's supporters getting what they want from his second term? Here's what a new poll shows

A post from mid December which  dives deeper into why and what of Trump's brand of fascism, or whatever you call how he is acting. MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: My nagging question: why does fascism keep raising its ugly head

A post written in October: MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: What is MAGA? Whatever you call it, it is not conservative, but something else.

Why are ICE agents so prone to violence and so dedicated to taking down anyone who looks like a migrant. Look at who they are recruiting. Whatever could go wrong? . The US government seems to have a clear message for white nationalists | CNN Politics

Grocery price inflation end of 2025: up 2.4 percent  tariff role per an ABC news report.Grocery inflation is picking up, defying Trump's claims. Here's why.

Gas prices at pump..just below $3 per gallon; mid Jan 2026 AAA Fuel Prices  Not..below $2 per gal as Trump claims.

Housing price inflation:Housing price inflation, 1967→2026

Energy cost inflation: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/21/why-electricity-prices-are-surging-for-us-households.html#:~:text=Electricity%20prices%20are%20rising%20quickly,the%20electric    Nearly 5% in 2025

The GOP's sneak attack on our democracy hidden in the budget bill

 The GOP's budget bill is more than just an assault on humane priorities to benefit the rich, it is a Trojan Horse with a clause that would kill the rule of law in the US, and the ability for courts to hold the Trump administration accountable.. keeping them from being held to court orders and being held in contempt of court for violating their rulings.It emasculates the court's ability to enforce rulings. It is enough that the Supreme Court granted a wannabe dictator immunity from criminal prosecution, but now the GOP House wants to write into law that the administrative branch can ignore the courts and be protected from being charged with contempt of court. This is Congress now granting Trump immunity from the courts and his violation of the Constitution.. This clause has nothing to do with the budget...but it is about ending the system of checks and balances and separation of powers...and it is sneaky. Clause buried in GOP bill would handcuff courts as Trump's legal battles grow.

Reaction to Day One: Yes, hate won and that wasn't all.

 Yes, hate won in November 2024 and on January 20, 2025. Those happiest with Trump's Day One executive edicts and executive orders( some clearly requiring a change in the Constitution or laws passed by Congress) should be the white nationalist racists who had hoped for the end of affirmative action (no more DEI that put nonwhites and women into the military and governmental.(Trump just placed on leave all DEI administrators), and end birthright citizenship. He cannot amend the Constitution or violate civil service rules with an executive order. ; instead, there will be an attempt to end their rights by amending the Constitution, and the lawsuits against wrongful termination will be flying. The homophobes should be clicking their heels. They won on their gender issues. No more trans to be respected or tolerated or required to be included in sports or even in and educational institutions.. The green light to make such hate politically correct has just been given. Civility, tolerance, and inclusiveness are no longer in vogue in government.

Of great importance to democracy is the rule of law, not the rule of a ruler, dictator, autocrat, or "strong man." Without adherence to the rule of law, we are no longer a democracy by and for the people because the constraints of law to a law-breaking leader are key to keeping our republic. Both Trump's day one executive orders and his prior announced intents make a mockery of the rule of law and seriously undermine the democracy we have known for 250 years. This topic has been moved to its own post. https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/welcome-to-brave-new-world-where-some.html

Left from the Day One list for now are details to be determined later: tariffs, ending aid to Ukraine, and Schedule F replacing civil servants with Trump loyalists with allegiance to him rather than to the intent of laws they administer and were sworn to uphold. All administrative rules are frozen, pending review...and probably reversed if they are too green or a burden to business bottom lines. Among those on the table are Trump's touting freedom of speech while having threatened in the past to delicense media who opposed him. The extent of his actual actions and practice of "mass deportations" is yet to be seen in practice. Also yet to be seen what social programs and health insurance will be affected by his edict on Day One to cut government expenses. Stay tuned for that. Oligarchs like Musk, who are in charge of proposing them, have no clue how a person on a budget lives. What they care about is keeping and increasing tax breaks for the very wealthy instead, cutting services to ordinary struggling Amercicans to get their tax breaks while not impacting the national debt.

https://apnews.com/article/dei-trump-executive-order-diversity-834a241a60ee92722ef2443b62572540

President Donald Trump executive orders: See full Day 1 list – NBC New York

MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: New resistance opportunity arises: Rule by oligarchs and class warfare updated 1 14 and 16 2025

MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Democracy has an oligarch problem updated 1/17/2025

MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: With General Milley calling Trump "fascist to the core", what's a fascist?

MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: The BS of "drill baby drill"; makes unnecessary useless

As Trump takes office, he will be inheriting a quiet border : NPR

Trump's cabinet picks; smarter for Trump than you think updated 1 20 2925

Update 1 30 2025  Ooops. https://www.nbcnews.com/.../trump-administration-rescinds... Another stupid is as stupid does by the Trump administration that does not have its act together and put Plan 2025 ideologues in charge at the OMB. https://www.nbcnews.com/.../trump-project-2025-russell... 

Original post continues:Trump's cabinet picks are smarter for  Trump's agenda than you think. Some of Pres. Elect Trump's cabinet picks are being savaged because they are not qualified as administrators of large organizations. He is programming a reality show instead of planning to govern in the traditional sense of providing a smooth-running agency that delivers services consumers want while reflecting the administration's positions. The critics are missing the point. Trump is creating a propaganda-based government to reach his goal, to gain and to keep power, whatever you call that, autocracy, king, dictator, or "strong leader". He is using loyal appointees as the public voice to support and shape the credibility of his message and by also controlling the data and outcome describing its accomplishments. What those Trump-appointed public faces say needs to be taken with a grain of salt and challenged if evidence of distortions and failures is found. 

Those in subordinate agency positions will be doing the administrative work and making sure those below them are carrying out Trump's policies. Project 2025 is the  "what" and "how to" manual ready to be activated on Day One. I would not bank on administrative incompetence to cause Trump's problems, but on the unpopular policies that hurt people they enacted with or without Congressional approval. https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/dem-rep-cabinet-picks-reveal-project-2025-is-donald-trump-s-2025-225279045661

That is the challenge facing the Democratic party, to support and preserve that democracy as best they can. There is a silver lining in the 2024 election as the dust settles. It is still approximately a 50-50 country, give or take a few percentage points tilting public opinion one way or the other. In the long run, if the Trump administration fails to deliver on its promises on the economy, that still may be democracy's best hope for its survival when half of the electorate does not care if democracy survives. Democrats do not need to lie or distort facts but can expose the connection between Trump's method of governance that results in the pain to daily lives of making ends meet or takes away their personal liberty to pursue happiness. Democrats also need to make the case of how they would do better or even did better. Attack is not enough.  We need a comparable voice or voices to deliver that message. I hope someone emerges.

Politicians have always sought to get and keep personal power and spin their messages, but most have some ideology and ideals besides self-aggrandizement, some respect for the democratic system, some sense of abiding by the constraints of the Constitution, some moral or religious compass, some abidance to the rule of law and the boundaries laws set. Even fascists and communists hid their lust for power behind some kind of ideology, or rationale that had popular appeal. It was either " the dictatorship of the proletariat" or hyper-pure-blooded nationalism.  Never, though, have we ever had a president like Trump, who has no personal guardrails like these and transacts policy policy decisions based on what benefits him.  This means lies and distorting facts are tools to shape public support and are not off limits and he is a master in using them to his benefit. His perpetuation of the "2020 election was stolen" and "consumers do not pay for tariffs" are examples of this kind of public opinion shaping based on lies with no basis in facts repeated like a religious mantra that becomes his "truths" his followers are expected to swallow. Trump reflects his followers and shapes their perceptions with such tools.  Threats of bodily harm and total political destruction are also approved if they support his goals, and he uses fear of revenge and "retribution" as his most powerful tools. 

One of the most fascinating experiences in my political science education was spending my college junior year in pre-wall Berlin, watching how the Soviets used propaganda to consolidate control over the minds of post world war II East Germans they governed and later, I personally experienced how dictators used fear threats to keep thinking minds under control and silenced in communist Yugoslavia.  In short: I have a pretty good idea of how propaganda works and how a dictator can use and control the media message to control minds. 

Donald Trump is not yet there, but he aspires to have that kind of power and uses some of the same techniques to attain it, including propaganda.  His ideology may be missing, and instead of some moral compass,  he expects and demands loyalty to him instead of above everything, even to the rule of law. After four years of this, if democracy survives his attempts to become an "autocrat", it will be a miracle if the institutions promoting and respecting democracy survive. 

Are my fears overblown? I wish they were. However,  I have reasons to fear. Trump had no problem in his first term demanding the president of Ukraine to dig up dirt on the "Biden crime family" after a year of investigations by Ukraine itself, finding no proof or to call officials in Georgia to find enough missing votes to make him the winner of electoral votes. The implications: fabricate them if necessary. Both were threatened with harmful consequences if they did not: withholding US weaponry or losing their law licenses, delivered in language and hints that even the Godfather would have used.  Like a mob boss, Trump also threatens total political destruction by primary, or revenge and retribution is also not off limits to keep his supporters and opposition in line. The use of the active military to put down political opponents' demonstrations in the summer of George Floyd's civil unrest resulted in his threats against military brass to court martial Gen. Mlley for refusing to provide the active military and is core to his current campaign to force the military to swear loyalty to him instead of loyalty to the rule of law and the Constitution.  Earlier, Trump had asked his defense secretary if he could use the military to shoot demonstrators in their legs.  His history is that he expects his military appointees to break laws on his behalf. He also has acquired a Supreme Court decision that he, too, can break criminal laws if it is part of his administrative duties.  

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/if-its-economy-stupid-magas-rise-is-its.html

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/trumps-achilles-heels-unintended.html

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/09/1097517470/trump-esper-book-defense-secretary

  

Trump's con games: he is "protecting women" and "defender of democracy"

Trump knows his Achilles heels are his positions on women's reproductive health and his wanting to be a dictator on day one.  Democracy and women's control over their bodies' health are the issues on the table that have given his opponents par or a slight edge.  His attempt to turn the tables is worthy of a belly laugh:  No'"I will protect women" and" I am the defender of democracy," he proclaimed within this past week.  Those are very hard sells after all he has done in the past to grab women in their private parts, cheat on his wives, and make it his goal to overturn Roe v Wade.  An even harder sell is having promised he would be a dictator on day one as the one to defend democracy.   He is the one who said he wanted to be a dictator and who engineered a violent coup or who forced those who once were loyal to him to defy the law and arbitrarily count fake electors in place of the certified ones or to "find" his missing votes. With that kind of defender of women, it's the women who need real protection from him.   With that kind of defender of democracy,  who needs a dictator? He already fits the job description.

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/10/trump-cannot-be-trusted-to-protect.html

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/how-project-2025-could-turn-us-into.html

Let's at least agree on the definition of terms. 

DEMOCRACY: This one from Meriam Webster:  a

: government by the people especially : rule of the majority.,,," a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections." That is roughly the kind of government we have had for 250 years.  (Thank you, Trump, you almost succeeded the first time in overthrowing the vote of the people, and you are already planning to do it better the second time)

DICTATORSHIP From  Cambridge:
"Dictatorship is a form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute
 power without effective constitutional limitations. (Thank you, Supreme Court, for that immunity gift to Trump)
 

AUTOCRACY: from Cambridge: "government by a single person or small group that has unlimited power or authority. "     My observation: This differs only from dictatorship because it is the rule of a person,  not of a group.  

Kamala Harris takes the offiense on immigration. There is more she needs to do.Updated 9/4/24

Update 9/4/24: (Also reproduced as a separate posting)  Fear and loathing of all immigrants is key to Trump's campaign. However, it is based on factual BS.  The facts on the immigrant crime wave? There is not one. Trump sabotaged the only bipartisan bill to address it this past winter. Biden used what executive powers he had and the result was the lowest illegal crossing in 3 years. Catch and release is down 65%. We would have been on our way to even lower figures without Trump's wrecking the bill..  The executive orders Biden utilized face court challenges, but for now it has been effective and is still in effect. In addition, Mexico has cracked down on migrants, too.  Trump's campaign of fear and hatred of immigrants causing crime is debunked by statistics, ignored by  Trump's MAGA.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/border-crossings-us-mexico-border-june-2024

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/26/border-crossings-drop-biden-policy-00165055          

Immigrants, as a whole, are less likely to commit violent crimes. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/08/1237103158/immigrants-are-less-likely-to-commit-crimes-than-us-born-americans-studies-find

Illegal immigrants are not more likely to commit violent crimes: in fact, the opposite is true: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/debunking-myth-migrant-crime-wave

Will Biden's executive order survive a legal challenge? "Biden's proclamation leans on Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that lets a president limit entry of specific migrants if it is "detrimental" to national interest. Trump used the same provisions with his 2017 banning of people from Muslim-majority countries and a later policy barring asylum seekers that was ultimately struck down by courts. Biden administration officials insist the new proposal is very different, but that will likely do little to prevent expected lawsuits to stop it. The American Civil Liberties Union vowed to challenge the order in court. "It was illegal when Trump did it, and it is no less illegal now," said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the organization's Immigrants’ Rights Project. "   https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/04/texas-mexico-border-biden-immigration-asylum-poliBiden's exec order faces legal challengescy/

A humane approach to immigration policy is the bi-partisan bill Trump killed because he wanted the issue to still be hot as he campaigns. There is also a possibility to contrast policies that may have a broader appeal to those who indeed want the border crisis to be handled, but not with the cruelty of Trump's plan.  What the bi-partisan bill lacks is Trump's plan to use the US Army to break up families with mixed status (an estimated 6.7 million families) and deport 20K total without documents, putting them in concentration camps waiting for deportation. 

Harris  needed to revive flagging Hispanic support of Democrats (Trump 46%; Biden was 40%) that was a reverse of past statistics and the left flank of Democrats uneasy with even the bi-partisan bill Trump killed. The first step is to attack Trump for killing the bi-partisan bill. which Harris just did. With illegal border crossings now equal to Trump's data as he left office, the Democrats have highlighted that update.  Harris has gained significant approval by Hispanics, but there is still more to do. https://www.semafor.com/article/09/03/2024/kamala-harris-poll-hispanic-voters-climate-healthcare The next could be to paint the Trump approach based on racism, hate, cruelty, and fear, while the bipartisan bill approach is both humane and effective. With many in the Latino community also resenting the flood of migrants at the border, the humane plan of Harris might have some appeal. Harris is following the old bit of wisdom: the best defense is a great offense. However, she still needs to reverse the loss of Hispanic voters...https://thehill.com/homenews/4801766-kamala-harris-donald-trump-border  

Update 8/9/2024 (The amount of misinformation coming from Trump and his MAGA camp about immigration is in such volume, it is difficult to keep up. There was a comprehensive whistle blowing on a recent Trump ad hyping fear and hatred of immigrants that is worthy of keeping it pinned for future reference.  It was from my favorite fact checker FactCheck.org, non-partisan, non-profit.   https://www.factcheck.org/2024/08/trump-tv-ad-repeats-false-border-czar-illegal-immigration-claims/

(On Venezuelan elections, drama still unfolding, there is an example of how difficult it is to unseat an autocrat. Maduro has just provided a how to overturn an election course.  Elements of his attempts are can be attempted here, particularly with the MAGA emphasis in controlling the count at the very local election office, usually the County Clerk level...or in a county election board. Maduro is stealing Venezuela's election and the U.S. seems powerless to do anything about it (msnbc.com), It is happening in the US as well.  the recent Georgia GOP legislature just gave the County Clerk the power to make decisions about what they would certify contrary to their own state constitution which says they shall just forward results to the state.  Who controls the count at the local level in Colorado is central to the federal prosecution of a county clerk Tima Peters who gave an unauthorized partisan activist codes to the voting machine tabulators. Here case is going to trial this month.)      

From an earlier Muftic Forum blog post: "46% of Latinos support Trump and 40% Biden via a recent NY Times poll. Perhaps those figures also include immigrants from Cuba and Venezuela who seem eager to substitute a Trump dictatorship for the ones they had fled. Latinos of all kinds make up 15% of the US vote. All migrants, documented or not, will be impacted. Every traffic stop or encounter or a nosy neighbor "turning them in" will cause anyone who looks "Mexican" to be "showing their papers" if they are documented. If they are not, they will be sent first to concentration camps and then deported. 16.7 million families have both documented and undocumented members in them, and all would be at risk if Trump/Vance won."

https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/07/hispanic-vote-gop-cruelty-is-their.html

Trump is all about cruelty. Trump's putting undocumented residents in concentration camps as part of his draconian plan to deport 20 thousand from the US, wrecking many families with mixed documented/undocumented members with its cruelty. He tried to paint Kamala Harris as a failed immigration czar, but Harris quickly struck back from a rally platform on 7/30/24 in Atlanta and followed it up with an attack ad...turning the issue back on Trump for killing the bill...and "talk not walking the talk", not caring about immigration, but only himself.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-other-big-shift-in-the-presidential-race/ar-AA1oNm9v?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=2a9d137f33bb45f69834150e005f55c3&ei=15     

Both crime and border crossing data in this site