Signs of Weakness
Trump's Totalitarian Tendencies Lose Support
President Trump’s authoritarian regime is starting to show some cracks. Dictators often rely on the solidarity brought about by the perception of overwhelming power. When events take a negative turn for the regime and members of the coalition start defecting, it can be a sign that the “mandate of Heaven,” as it is known in Chinese politics, has been lost. The recent detentions of law-abiding immigrants, Trump’s decision to withdraw the nomination of Elise Stefanik for UN Ambassador, and Senator Susan Collins’s recent criticism of the Trump Administration all show the President’s weakening power.
Immigration. ICE has started detaining law-abiding immigrants because it lacks the resources to arrest those with involvement in criminal acts. Although the interim gives a boost to ICE funding, it takes time to increase the number of agents in the field. Every administration prioritizes deporting immigrants who have committed criminal acts, but such people seldom obligingly present themselves for deportation, meaning that it takes significant manpower find and detain them. Law-abiding students and people coming to the US on temporary visas, on the other hand, can easily be found and detained. So, while we can be justifiably outraged by the Administration’s attacks on the free speech rights of immigrants, we should recognize these as what they are – a distraction from the fundamental failure of the Administration to deliver on its promise of more effective enforcement of immigration laws.
Representative Elise Stefanik. After a surprise Democratic win in a Pennsylvania state senate special election in a district that Trump won by 16 points and weak polling for the Republican candidates in two Florida House of Representative special elections, the President withdrew NY Rep. Elise Stefanik’s name from consideration for US Ambassador to the United Nations. While Rep. Stefanik won her last race by over 20 points, the Administration was concerned that they might lose the special election that would follow her likely confirmation for the UN position. The nomination process was already at a late stage; Rep. Stefanik’s staff had largely departed and she was in the middle of moving back to New York. However, with only slim Republican majority in the US House, the President was unwilling to risk a potential loss in filling her seat. Worrying about a loss in a 60/40 seat in a special election is a sign of significant concerns about the Administration’s popularity.
Collins defection. Recently Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) took the Trump Administration to task for refusing to spend $3 billion appropriated in the most recent continuing resolution. Collins is a moderate up for re-election in 2026. The votes of the Maine and New Hampshire congressional delegations on that resolution were largely bought on a promise to build an additional destroyer for the Navy in a shipyard on the state line. While Sen. Collins had defected on some of the Cabinet nominees, she had generally maintained silence on the Administration’s war on the much-hated-by-fiscal-conservatives Impoundment Control Act, which requires the Administration to spend what Congress appropriates. Her full-throated endorsement of the Impoundment Control Act, despite the President’s objections to it, represents a significant defection on one of the Administration’s highest priorities.
Finding a Message for the Future. For those of us who desire a return to a more normal system of government, where the parties compromise for the common good, these signs of weakness are encouraging. We can and should keep up the pressure. But fighting against the policies we disagree with is not enough. As Ezra Klein pointed out in a recent podcast, the 2028 Democratic candidate for President will require a positive vision of the future to inspire support. “Make America Great Again” resonated with many voters. It will take more than pointing out how the President’s policies actively undermine that goal; it will take a message that appeals to people on kitchen table issues. We need a new “Chicken in Every Pot” message that shows we support everyone’s right to an affordable education, meaningful work, healthcare, and stable housing. In my experience, the voters often pick the right messenger when they agree on the right message.
Local Activism - Eugene Save Our Services. Looking for a way to fight for your community? A coalition of local groups is fighting to ensure that Eugene can continue to fund important city services like the library, police, and fire services. SquareOne Villages, Greenhill Humane Society, AFSCME Local 1724, the Springfield Eugene Tenant Association, and The Friends and Foundation of the Eugene Public Library all support Eugene Save Our Services. Local activism matters. Follow the link to see how you can help.
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There you go again Marty - pretending that Democrats work for the common good. Trump is in office because Democrats promote the interests of the rich and powerful at the expense of the rest of us. Just like Republicans do. Both sides give us perpetual war for profit. The Biden Administration destroyed women's rights by reversing Title IX. They also broke the border, bringing in millions of undocumented aliens to take jobs from working Americans, especially black and brown people in blue collar fields.
Sure, Trump is a greedy, ignorant man. But Biden was probably senile for years. So who is actually in charge behind both the parties in our duopoly?
Democrats don't need “a new “Chicken in Every Pot” message.” They need to stop lying to us. Democrats should say, “We were wrong. Sex doesn't actually include gender identity. If men can claim a woman status and get female sex-based rights, then women no longer have female rights under the law.” That would earn back our vote. Not another phony messaging ploy where they pretend to support us again. Heck, Oregon is still claiming to support women's rights while putting male convicted rapists in female prisons. Guess what they're doing there. Yep, raping more women.
Instead, the Oregon Attorney General is suing for the right to transition more gender nonconforming kids, mostly youth who would become lesbians or gay. Our state literally commits conversion therapy on homosexual youth, tricking them into sterilizing themselves.
When Harris & Biden said the economy was doing great, you looked at your 401K and said, Yep, I'm getting richer off money I don't have to work for. Meanwhile, the rest of us were paying twice as much rent. Democrats give lip service but their policies actively hurt us. That's why 20 million Democrats refused to vote for Democrats last fall.
Let's just look at the people you list who could run for president in 2028.
Tim Walz – established a sanctuary state so a parent from another state who wants to secretly transition their child can hide from the kid's other parent. Nice.
Pete Buttigieg – supports male rights above female, as long as that male claims to be transgender, nonbinary or a woman
Gavin Newsom - same as the above, including hiding children from their parents and using public money to secretly transition kids. He also prevents teachers from telling parents the school is transitioning their child with California's law requiring teachers to lie to parents.
JB Pritzker – makes money off transitioning of children who can't possibly understand the ramifications of decision like cutting off your breasts, taking opposite sex hormones or surgically altering your genitals. What a nice guy, taking advantage of kids that way.
Gretchen Whitmer, Rahm Emanual & Jared Polic – more Dem politicians willing to sacrifice the health of children to remain in power. Go Democrats!
C'mon Marty. Be the one Democrat who helps our Party stop abusing children. Take a stand.
Good Morning. Do you know if the people opposed to the Fire Fee were able to get enough signatures to put it on the ballot (which then creates a mess for budgets thus year)? I haven't seen any follow up for this.
Thanks