We can push back against bullies. But they don’t just roll over. They fight back. They use dirty tricks. They have an enemies list. They are the Watergate burglars, people who use their power to harass and punish. They use their power to get more power. When WE get in power and DON’T go after them, it means they get away with it.
If we fight them, they will go after us. We will prepare for it. When they do hit us, we USE that attack to gather more strength. Americans love the underdog. So much so that even the rich and powerful want to be the underdog. They always position themselves as the victim and want people to feel bad for them when they get their feeling hurt by someone calling them “fat cats.”
Don’t give up people! It’s not about just “surviving” this, it’s about seeing this as an opportunity for great things.
My friend Athenae has a piece about “surviving.”
Women got the vote in no small part because Alice Paul starved herself in prison to ask rights of a Democratic president. Because Susan B. Anthony was beaten in the street. Because Ida B. Wells lived under daily threat of lynching. Those people didn’t “survive” something. That wasn’t their goal.
And a lot of them didn’t survive. A lot of them threw their bodies on the wheels and gave everything they had to stop what was happening.
America didn’t survive their losses. America is America because of their losses. Because of their sacrifices. Because of their heroism.
I’m not gonna take this! And neither should you.
Push for investigations. Spending time on investigations isn’t a waste of time if it uncovers actually lawlessness.
The right is going to govern for their buddy lobbyists. But there are now a lot of pissed off women and men whose lives are going to be destroying who have nothing left to lose. There are people whose lives were destroyed but the left didn’t want prosecute.
If we are successful with investigations and prosecutions Trump might get credit, but justice will still be done, and don’t we still want that? If we fail, then that is another thing that his supporters can see he failed in and lied about.
For years I’ve noted that the things that upset the left aren’t the same things that upset the right. If you wanted to leak something that upsets his base you leak him calling them suckers or how he is planning to rip them off and laughing at them. You don’t show how he cheated China, you show evidence of deals he cut with China and Russia that keep US jobs going offshore.
I wonder why oppo research people didn’t leak stuff that would upset Trump’s base? I think it’s because they only thought about what would upset them as rational people. What would upset people who considered themselves moral?
People who believe they were looked down upon and picked on for being “normal” see themselves as victims. You don’t use the same message with all audiences. What works with one audience doesn’t always work for another.
To satisfy the fact-based law side, look into all the hacking
- Voting machine hacks
- Personnel and financial records
- Email and database hacks
If it’s not the NSA taking our data, who is?
Prosecute, Prosecute, Prosecute
The government didn’t want to go after the state powers that hacked the Office of Personnel Management. or the massive JPMorgan Chase hack. But they do know who did it. They didn’t act because they didn’t think the foreign power would use it–widely. But evidence shows that data from hacks was used to assist in the DNC phishing attacks.
Look into voting machine hacks and the manipulation of social media. Examine the attacks on the US internet.
There is a lot if data and hard evidence there. I’ve talked to tech journalists who have written about this in detail, but I’ve noticed that nobody in the political press have picked up on this. Partly this is because the government doesn’t’ want to talk about it. But now?
Did all of this have an impact on the election? Hell yes!
Did people in Trump’s organization give aid and comfort to our enemies? I think so, but let’s find out for sure because there is a law about this in the constitution.
Imagine all the men and women who are privy to information they might leak. They were afraid of the consequences of leaking data before, imagine the consequences after Trump is in power.
The good news is the mainstream media just might take this seriously now. If they don’t, we can, and screw them for not doing their job in the first place.
The media followed Trump around listening to his alternative reality instead of calling up the people who could provide info about Trump that would disgust EVEN HIS BASE. Somewhere out there is a woman who was a 13-year-old girl with a story to tell about her and Trump. Are the allegations real? We don’t know, but whatever it was, now it’s a cover up.
Look into the voting suppression and voter intimidation with guns at polls
Then change the laws! We have evidence why it matters.
Look for violations of federal laws and prosecute people NOW, during the next 8 weeks while laws are still in effect. For people who think “It’s a lame duck session, what’s the point?” This work doesn’t have to stop in January! It can intensify!
Remember this guy from Animal House? He’s a fictional character but he didn’t take it either! I’m a real person, based on a fictional character, but Star Trek and Spock inspired me. So let Bluto inspire you! After all, he became a senator!
I’ve modified his speech a bit to fit the moment. But the SPIRIT, the GUTS he talks about are what we need. And maybe this situation does require a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.
LLAP
Spocko
Animal House, “I’m not I’m not gonna take this! (link to quote)
“What the f–k happened to the Progressives I used to know? Where’s the spirit? Where’s the guts, huh? This could be the greatest day of our lives, but you’re gonna let it be the worst. ‘Ooh, we’re afraid to go with you, Spocko, we might get in trouble.’ (shouting) Well, just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I’m not gonna take this. Trump, he’s a done man! Pence, done! Giuliani…
Kirk “Spocko’s right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now, we could fight ’em with conventional weapons. That could take years and cost millions of lives. No, in this case, I think we have to go all out. I think this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.”
We’re just the guys to do it…LET’S DO IT!
Animal House clip
