What To DO . . . And Krasnov — Really? March 2, 2025 The company that emails these posts to those of you who subscribe (the free trial period is now in its 29th year, but who’s counting?) encountered some kind of issue that kept Saturday night’s 9pm post from going out. (I retried at midnight, 1am and 10am as well — no luck.) So: I don’t know whether or when this one will reach subscribers, either. (I’m posting it Sunday afternoon.) If you did miss What To Do About Our Debt And Our Dictator, just click. I worked pretty hard on it. And now . . . The Krasnov file, so to speak. A thoughtful assessment of its credibility from “a former CIA Russia specialist who served in Moscow right about the time Trump first visited.” He concludes: One key misconception about espionage is the idea that ‘kompromat’ is the primary tool of recruitment. While kompromat can play a role, coerced agents are often unreliable and difficult to control. A much more effective intelligence relationship is one in which the collaborator sees mutual benefit. Trump’s rhetoric and actions in recent years—his reluctance to criticize Putin, his efforts to weaken NATO, and his alignment with Russian disinformation campaigns—do not suggest someone acting under duress. Instead, they suggest someone who, for his own reasons, has fully embraced the Russian position. Whether or not Trump was recruited in 1987 may ultimately be less important than the fact that today, he is aligned with Putin’s interests. Whatever the origins of that alignment, its current reality is undeniable. Watch 90 seconds of President Zelensky two weeks ago. Yes, he should be thanking us for your support — and has, over and over. But we should be thanking him, too. He and his countrymen have been doing all the fighting, dying, sacrificing, and suffering to protect NATO’s 32 democratic members from aggression.
What To Do About Our Debt And Our Dictator March 2, 2025March 2, 2025 I’ll quickly get to that — what to do — but first a quote . . . “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” — Ronald Reagan . . . and a few headlines, because I just have to. I don’t expect you to click on them; you’ve doubtless seen so many already: ‘A spectacle to horrify the world’: what the papers say about Trump and Vance’s meeting with Zelenskyy S.E.C. halts fraud prosecution of Chinese national who sent Trump millions The Trump Administration Is Playing With Fire in Germany Trump’s AG Is Disbanding Anti-Corruption Teams created in 2022 to target Russian oligarchs Trump Welcomes Russian Oligarchs With $5 Million Golden Card Trump administration retreats in fight against Russian cyber threats Maureen Dowd: Rootin’ for Putin Bernie Sanders — this capitalist Harvard Business School grad’s perhaps surprising choice to head our shadow Cabinet, as argued here — writes (even before Friday’s horrifying Oval Office event): America must not surrender its democratic values . . . Rather than side with our longstanding allies to preserve democracy and uphold international law, the president voted with authoritarian countries such as Russia, North Korea, Iran and Belarus to oppose the resolution. Many of the other opponents of that resolution are undemocratic nations propped up by Russian military aid. Let’s be clear: this was not just another UN vote. This was the president of the United States turning his back on 250 years of our history and openly aligning himself with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This was the president of the United States undermining the independence of Ukraine. And let us not forget who Putin is. He is the man who crushed Russia’s movement towards democracy after the end of the cold war. He steals elections, murders political dissidents and crushes freedom of the press. He has maintained control in Russia by offering the oligarchs there a simple deal: if you give me absolute power, I will let you steal as much as you want from the Russian people. He sparked the bloodiest war in Europe since the second world war. . . . Alongside his fellow oligarchs in Russia, Saudi Arabia and around the globe, Trump wants a world ruled by authoritarians in which might makes right, and where democracy and moral values cease to exist. Just over a century ago, a handful of monarchs, emperors and tsars ruled most of the world. Sitting in extreme opulence, they claimed that absolute power was their “divine right”. But ordinary people disagreed. Slowly and painfully, in countries throughout the world, they clawed their way toward democracy and rejected colonialism. At our best, the US has played a key role in the movement toward freedom. From Gettysburg to Normandy, millions of Americans have fought – and many have died – to defend democracy, often alongside brave men and women from other nations. This is a turning point – a moment of enormous consequence in world history. Do we go forward toward a more democratic, just and humane world? Or do we retreat back into oligarchy, authoritarianism, colonialism and the rejection of international law? As Americans, we cannot stay quiet as Trump abandons centuries of our commitment to democracy. Together, we must fight for our long-held values and work with people around the world who share them. So, okay — how? HOW WE +SHOULD+ BE LOWERING THE DEFICIT I. RAISE MORE 1. Let the Trump tax cuts expire on schedule but only for income above $400,000 a year. Bang: that saves $4 trillion over 10 years. 2. Raise the personal rate a little, but on only that portion above $1 million (and a little more on that portion above $10 million and a little more still above $100 million). Send thank you notes to all who pay these higher rates: we celebrate their success and deeply appreciate their contribution to our society. 3. Raise the corporate rate a little, but on only that portion of income above $100 million (and a little more still above $1 billion). At the same time, to avoid driving companies to relocate, rejoin the 15% Global Minimum Corporate Tax Rate agreement that the U.S. persuaded 140 nations to signed on to in 2021 (set to take effect this year), and which Trump last month bailed on. Urge those 140 nations, in fact, to raise the minimum rate from 15% to 18% . . . which should give us room to go a little higher. (Is a company really going to leave the U.S. over a small difference in the tax rate?) 4. Close estate-tax loopholes and raise the rate on estates above $25 million and even more above $100 million and $1 billion. Surely, it’s least painful to pay taxes after you’re dead. No? This would still leave billionheirs plenty of money — just less. And it would increase charitable giving (because, after tax, it would be less expensive). 5. Fund the IRS adequately to audit complicated high-dollar personal and corporate tax returns. Not all of them every year; but enough of them to (a) raise lots of revenue; (b) inspire an even higher rate of voluntary compliance. These five measures would raise trillions in deficit-reducing revenue with ZERO pain on the part of 98% of us, and minimal pain on those fortunate enough even to notice. They would not have to reduce their standard of living in any way. II. SPEND LESS 1. Root out fraud, not least by rehiring the 18 experienced, effective inspectors general Trump immediately (and illegally) fired without cause . . . whose job it was to root out fraud. Many if not all of them had the experience and passion to do the job well. 2. Reform Social Security along the lines I’ve been suggesting for more than 20 years. E.g., here. No current recipients would lose a dime; future recipients would have a decade or more to prepare for the very modest changes; and by the time those changes were slated to kick in — if we get our house in order — economic growth and productivity gains might have been sufficient to allow Congress to responsibly cancel them even before they ever did kick in. But enacting these adjustments now would signal to the bond market that we’re getting our long-term finances in order, which would help to lower interest rates. Lower interest rates would have an enormous impact on the cost of servicing our $36 trillion National Debt, and thus our annual deficit. 3. Stem the growth in health care costs NOT by penalizing Medicare and Medicaid recipients or Veterans, but by negotiating drug prices (why does Uncle Sam have to pay drastically more for drugs than I do here?); and by finding efficiencies in our bloated insurance system (which I admit will be harder, because so many lobbyists are employed to resist reform). 4. REDUCE tariffs, which are simply a tax on American businesses and consumers that raises inflation . . . which in turn raises interest rates, including the rate we pay on our massive National Debt. 5. Stop indiscriminately firing experienced public servants . . . which only weakens our economy and our society. Instead, do a deliberate, thoughtful review to find places government can be reorganized to run more efficiently. It won’t make much of a dent in the deficit (the federal workforce is a small part of our annual budget); but efficiency is always worth striving for, and every little bit helps. And don’t cancel the infrastructure investments we’re finally embarking on (other than any “bridges to nowhere” you might find, though I don’t expect there are any or many). Putting people to work on infrastructure projects provides jobs, which provides tax revenues (and purpose in people’s lives and more social cohesion) . . . and builds a more competitive, successful economy that itself will produce more tax revenues over the long run. 6. Pass the hard-bargained bi-partisan Immigration Reform bill Trump killed last year to keep the border in crisis as an election issue. Deport violent criminals — of course! — but don’t drain the country of labor needed to produce the goods and services — and groceries — we consume. Spending a fortune to rid the country of these workers will (a) add to the deficit; and more importantly, (b) drive up inflation and the interest rate we have to pay on our massive National Debt. HOW TO DEAL WITH THE DICTATOR As posted here Wednesday, wannabe capo di tutti capi — godfather of all the kleptocrat autocrats may be more apt than “dictator” — but whatever we call him, he’s in bed with the journalist-and-opposition-leader-murdering leaders of Russia and North Korea. We’ve switched sides. If you can find just a few more minutes (don’t hate me!), watch our former Ambassador to Russia make the case: Trump doesn’t want to be leader of the free world, he wants to be buddies with Putin and the rest. But as heartbroken as he is, Ambassador McFaul offers hope. He says that it’s the people’s country, not Trump’s; that the people are overwhelmingly against switching sides; and that he believes we, the people, can prevail. Watch. Join your local Indivisible chapter. Inspire your kids and grandkids to join theirs. Plant seeds of DIS-disinformation. Boost everyone you know: tell them that being distraught is entirely warranted — but not helpful. Helpful is to take action; which we will increasingly be called upon to do. Save money in all the insanely frugal ways I suggest in my book — here’s an example, $850 on iced tea — because saving democracy will require each of us to contribute what we can. Obviously, we have to see to it that free and fair mid-term elections are held and that we win them. But even before that we may need to give Republicans in the House and Senate the spine to impeach Trump and Vance. I know it sounds impossible — and it may be impossible. But . . . third time’s a charm?
What To Do About Our Debt And Our Dictator March 1, 2025 I’ll quickly get to that — what to do — but first a quote . . . “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” — Ronald Reagan . . . and a few headlines, because I just have to. I don’t expect you to click on them. You’ve doubtless seen so many already: ‘A spectacle to horrify the world’: what the papers say about Trump and Vance’s meeting with Zelenskyy S.E.C. halts fraud prosecution of Chinese national who sent Trump millions The Trump Administration Is Playing With Fire in Germany Trump’s AG Is Disbanding Anti-Corruption Teams created in 2022 to target Russian oligarchs Trump Welcomes Russian Oligarchs With $5 Million Golden Card Trump administration retreats in fight against Russian cyber threats Maureen Dowd: Rootin’ for Putin Bernie Sanders — this capitalist Harvard Business School grad’s perhaps surprising choice to head our shadow Cabinet, as argued here — writes (even before Friday’s horrifying Oval Office event): America must not surrender its democratic values . . . Rather than side with our longstanding allies to preserve democracy and uphold international law, the president voted with authoritarian countries such as Russia, North Korea, Iran and Belarus to oppose the resolution. Many of the other opponents of that resolution are undemocratic nations propped up by Russian military aid. Let’s be clear: this was not just another UN vote. This was the president of the United States turning his back on 250 years of our history and openly aligning himself with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This was the president of the United States undermining the independence of Ukraine. And let us not forget who Putin is. He is the man who crushed Russia’s movement towards democracy after the end of the cold war. He steals elections, murders political dissidents and crushes freedom of the press. He has maintained control in Russia by offering the oligarchs there a simple deal: if you give me absolute power, I will let you steal as much as you want from the Russian people. He sparked the bloodiest war in Europe since the second world war. . . . Alongside his fellow oligarchs in Russia, Saudi Arabia and around the globe, Trump wants a world ruled by authoritarians in which might makes right, and where democracy and moral values cease to exist. Just over a century ago, a handful of monarchs, emperors and tsars ruled most of the world. Sitting in extreme opulence, they claimed that absolute power was their “divine right”. But ordinary people disagreed. Slowly and painfully, in countries throughout the world, they clawed their way toward democracy and rejected colonialism. At our best, the US has played a key role in the movement toward freedom. From Gettysburg to Normandy, millions of Americans have fought – and many have died – to defend democracy, often alongside brave men and women from other nations. This is a turning point – a moment of enormous consequence in world history. Do we go forward toward a more democratic, just and humane world? Or do we retreat back into oligarchy, authoritarianism, colonialism and the rejection of international law? As Americans, we cannot stay quiet as Trump abandons centuries of our commitment to democracy. Together, we must fight for our long-held values and work with people around the world who share them. So, okay — how? HOW WE +SHOULD+ BE LOWERING THE DEFICIT I. RAISE MORE 1. Let the Trump tax cuts expire on schedule but only for income above $400,000 a year. Bang: that saves $4 trillion over 10 years. 2. Raise the personal rate a little, but on only that portion above $1 million (and a little more on that portion above $10 million and a little more still above $100 million). Send thank you notes to all who pay these higher rates: we celebrate their success and deeply appreciate their contribution to our society. 3. Raise the corporate rate a little, but on only that portion of income above $100 million (and a little more still above $1 billion). At the same time, to avoid driving companies to relocate, rejoin the 15% Global Minimum Corporate Tax Rate agreement that the U.S. persuaded 140 nations to signed on to in 2021 (set to take effect this year), and which Trump last month bailed on. Urge those 140 nations, in fact, to raise the minimum rate from 15% to 18% . . . which should give us room to go a little higher. (Is a company really going to leave the U.S. over a small difference in the tax rate?) 4. Close estate-tax loopholes and raise the rate on estates above $25 million and even more above $100 million and $1 billion. Surely, it’s least painful to pay taxes after you’re dead. No? This would still leave billionheirs plenty of money — just less. And it would increase charitable giving (because, after tax, it would be less expensive). 5. Fund the IRS adequately to audit complicated high-dollar personal and corporate tax returns. Not all of them every year; but enough of them to (a) raise lots of revenue; (b) inspire an even higher rate of voluntary compliance. These five measures would raise trillions in deficit-reducing revenue with ZERO pain on the part of 98% of us, and minimal pain on those fortunate enough even to notice. They would not have to reduce their standard of living in any way. II. SPEND LESS 1. Root out fraud, not least by rehiring the 18 experienced, effective inspectors general Trump immediately (and illegally) fired without cause . . . whose job it was to root out fraud. Many if not all of them had the experience and passion to do the job well. 2. Reform Social Security along the lines I’ve been suggesting for more than 20 years. E.g., here. No current recipients would lose a dime; future recipients would have a decade or more to prepare for the very modest changes; and by the time those changes were slated to kick in — if we get our house in order — economic growth and productivity gains might have been sufficient to allow Congress to responsibly cancel them even before they ever did kick in. But enacting these adjustments now would signal to the bond market that we’re getting our long-term finances in order, which would help to lower interest rates. Lower interest rates would have an enormous impact on the cost of servicing our $36 trillion National Debt, and thus our annual deficit. 3. Stem the growth in health care costs NOT by penalizing Medicare and Medicaid recipients or Veterans, but by negotiating drug prices (why does Uncle Sam have to pay drastically more for drugs than I do here?); and by finding efficiencies in our bloated insurance system (which I admit will be harder, because so many lobbyists are employed to resist reform). 4. REDUCE tariffs, which are simply a tax on American businesses and consumers that raises inflation . . . which in turn raises interest rates, including the rate we pay on our massive National Debt. 5. Stop indiscriminately firing experienced public servants . . . which only weakens our economy and our society. Instead, do a deliberate, thoughtful review to find places government can be reorganized to run more efficiently. It won’t make much of a dent in the deficit (the federal workforce is a small part of our annual budget); but efficiency is always worth striving for, and every little bit helps. And don’t cancel the infrastructure investments we’re finally embarking on (other than any “bridges to nowhere” you might find, though I don’t expect there are any or many). Putting people to work on infrastructure projects provides jobs, which provides tax revenues (and purpose in people’s lives and more social cohesion) . . . and builds a more competitive, successful economy that itself will produce more tax revenues over the long run. 6. Pass the hard-bargained bi-partisan Immigration Reform bill Trump killed last year to keep the border in crisis as an election issue. Deport violent criminals — of course! — but don’t drain the country of labor needed to produce the goods and services — and groceries — we consume. Spending a fortune to rid the country of these workers will (a) add to the deficit; and more importantly, (b) drive up inflation and the interest rate we have to pay on our massive National Debt. HOW TO DEAL WITH THE DICTATOR As posted here Wednesday, wannabe capo di tutti capi — godfather of all the kleptocrat autocrats may be more apt than “dictator” — but whatever we call him, he’s in bed with the journalist-and-opposition-leader-murdering leaders of Russia and North Korea. We’ve switched sides. If you can find just a few more minutes (don’t hate me!), watch our former Ambassador to Russia make the case: Trump doesn’t want to be leader of the free world, he wants to be buddies with Putin and the rest. But as heartbroken as he is, Ambassador McFaul offers hope. He says that it’s the people’s country, not Trump’s; that the people are overwhelmingly against switching sides; and that he believes we, the people, can prevail. Watch. Join your local Indivisible chapter. Inspire your kids and grandkids to join theirs. Plant seeds of DIS-disinformation. Boost everyone you know: tell them that being distraught is entirely warranted — but not helpful. Helpful is to take action; which we will increasingly be called upon to do. Save money in all the insanely frugal ways I suggest in my book — here’s an example, $850 on iced tea — because saving democracy will require each of us to contribute what we can. Obviously, we have to see to it that free and fair mid-term elections are held and that we win them. But even before that we may need to give Republicans in the House and Senate the spine to impeach Trump and Vance. I know it sounds impossible — and it may be impossible. But . . . third time’s a charm?
For God’s Sake, Carl: WATCH THIS March 1, 2025 Just click here. I’ve started the clip about 11 minutes in, to save you time. I beg you to watch the 15 minutes that follow. Thoughts on what we should DO about this nightmare — and Carl’s reaction, if he cares to share one — to follow soon.
Cognitive Dissonance February 27, 2025February 26, 2025 Mark Aaron James: This is what sucks about cognitive dissonance. Once you’ve committed, and defended a position, it is VERY difficult to rectify such a mistake with one’s sense of self. Humans are incredibly reluctant to see themselves as less informed, making bad decisions, unknowingly supporting evil, and being fooled. They will, honestly, die defending a choice, rather than admit they were flawed. It is one of our greatest weaknesses as a species. There is a gentle process, where you can lead people to figure it out themselves, but just telling them, even showing them evidence, often causes them to double down. I wish this weren’t true, but there are tons of studies about it. Ignorant people are fragile, and that sucks for anyone hoping to make change. → That’s the problem all right. Yet . . . . . . when the 79 million Americans on Medicaid see how hard Trump is trying to cut their benefits . . . while cutting taxes for millionaires and billionaires . . . and ballooning the deficit . . . . . . when farmers lose the sales they used to make to USAID to feed starving children (and win the world’s admiration and goodwill) . . . . . . when shoppers see the price of eggs double what got them to vote for Trump . . . . . . and hard-working public servants who voted for him are treated with contempt and laid off . . . . . . and government services get worse and air safety becomes a concern and measles spreads and 401k’s fall . . . . . . and they wonder how it makes America great to pardon cop beaters . . . . . . and to vote with Russia and North Korea against Ukraine and our allies . . . . . . I think more than a few of the good people who trusted Trump with their vote will feel betrayed. Whether this will happen in time to save the country — and whether free and fair elections will be allowed in 2026 — I don’t know. They have elections in Russia and North Korea, too. Join Indivisible! Take 20 minutes a day to spread DIS-disinformation! BONUS Will it be okay for Trump to murder people as Russia’s Putin and North Korea’s Kim do? Adam Schiff puts the question to a Trump nominee.
Two Alarms: Your Investments and Your Country February 26, 2025 YOUR COUNTRY Jonathan Rauch writes: Seeking to make the world safe for gangsterism, Putin used propaganda, subversion, and other forms of influence to spread the model abroad. Over time, the patrimonial model gained ground in states as diverse as Hungary, Poland, Turkey, and India. Gradually (as my colleague Anne Applebaum has documented), those states coordinated in something like a syndicate of crime families—“working out problems,” write Hanson and Kopstein in their book, “divvying up the spoils, sometimes quarreling, but helping each other when needed. Putin in this scheme occupied the position of the capo di tutti capi, the boss of bosses.” Until now. Move over, President Putin. So worth reading in full! Joe O’Neill in the New York Review: We’re in new territory—systemic democratic collapse. Things are coming at us fast. It’s hard to know which way to turn. . . . Democrats have disgraced themselves. They’ve looked terrified and defeated and confused. They’ve hidden behind consultant-devised talking points about grocery prices. They’ve cast votes to confirm Trump’s extremist cabinet nominees. Jim G.’s prescription: Democrats must stop conducting business as usual! > Declare an emergency—an ongoing lawless authoritarian takeover! > Designate a leader of the opposition — someone vigorous, passionate, and credible! [My choice.] > Hold a daily press briefing on the Capitol steps calling out every lie and illegal action of the previous day! > Refuse to cast any vote, confirm any nominee, agree to any unanimous consent resolution, until Republicans commit to return to the rule of law! There is a time for exclamation marks, and this is one of them. Join Indivisible! Spread DIS-disinformation! YOUR INVESTMENTS I think there’s a good chance of a major stock market decline in the not-too-distant future (did it start last week?). I could be wrong, of course. But you wouldn’t be alone if you liquidated some of your holdings (especially in retirement accounts where no tax is incurred). The world’s wisest investor, Warren Buffett, would be right there beside you, with well north of $300 billion on the sidelines, ready to scoop up bargains, should the bottom fall out. I’ve sold very little, because most of my holdings are “special situations” not all that closely correlated to the market as a whole. Take CHRB — suggested here two years ago at $13.50 (currently $18.89), a preferred stock paying an 8.5% dividend on its $25 face value — $2.125 per year, 53 cents each quarter (so 11% or so currently). That’s a pretty good current yield, and it is enhanced by the promise of redemption 6 quarters from now at its full $25 value. Should all go as planned, that would be a further 32% gain from here regardless of what the stock market does. Or take PRKR. If its lawsuits go well, the stock will do well. If they tank, it will tank. How this rank speculation fares is largely independent of the broader market. Or take OPRT. My fantasy is to imagine that I am a fund manager who owns 100,000 shares of TSLA, purchased a few years ago at $70. It’s plunged from its high but still over $300 a share (at least as of last night) sporting a price earnings ratio well over 100 . . . and I’ve read Warren Buffett’s latest annual letter and I’m getting nervous . . . so I sell it — and have $30 million to invest. Where do I put it? Maybe I see that OPRT is projecting earnings of $1.10-$1.30 a share and that, closing yesterday at $7.20, it’s selling for 6 times projected earnings. So maybe I think about buying 1 million shares. In a real panic, everything, certainly including OPRT, would fall. But (I like to think) OPRT would be the kind of stuck that bobbed back up pretty fast. Remember! Only with money you can truly afford to lose!
Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory February 25, 2025 U.S. VOTES AGAINST U.N. RESOLUTION CONDEMNING RUSSIA FOR UKRAINE WAR. Really. We did that. The Russian economy is on the brink of collapse but Trump is riding to Putin’s rescue — and fast destroying the largely successful 80-year post-War order. At home, everything he touches dies. Not least the FBI. An Obituary For the FBI: The 117-year-old Federal Bureau of Investigation, long heralded as the nation’s premier national law enforcement agency — an avowedly nonpartisan, independent investigator that for decades has pursued gangsters, mafioso, Nazis, terrorists, spies, cybercriminals, and corrupt politicians without fear, favor or political malice — died over the weekend. . . . The Sunday night announcement that Dan Bongino — a bombastic MAGA podcast host, fiery right-wing troll, one-time Secret Service agent, and three-time failed Republican congressional candidate — would be the new FBI deputy director and join the newly confirmed director Kash Patel, another MAGA loyalist better known for his hucksterism of Trump merchandise than his management, leadership, or law enforcement experience, and lead the FBI marked an almost certainly permanent alteration of the fabric of the institution. In the entire modern history of the bureau, the deputy director — the #2 person who serves as the day-to-day operational leader of the FBI — has always been a civil servant and career special agent, one who has worked his (they’ve always been men) way up the ranks over a two-decade career and is deeply familiar with the workings of the bureau, its wide-ranging missions, and curious culture. All previous modern directors, meanwhile, have had deep experience with the FBI — working in senior roles in law enforcement, atop the Justice Department, or as federal judges. Patel and Bongino . . . bring none of that acquired expertise or wisdom to the role; neither has worked for the FBI for a single day and neither has meaningful senior management experience. Both have been installed, effectively, to troll the libs . . . Don’t take my word for it — Bongino said it himself in 2018: “My entire life right now is about owning the libs.” He added then: “We win, you lose, the new rules are in effect.” That’s just an excerpt. It gets worse. So worth reading in full. If you wanted to become a dictator like the men you admire — Putin / Orban / Kim Jong Un / Xi — isn’t this exactly what you would do? We once held these truths to be self-evident: That democracy was better than authoritarianism; that murderous kleptocrats were the bad guys; that those who died for their country were heroes, not suckers; that beating cops defending democracy would be unforgiveable; that the Supreme Court, Justice Department and FBI should be above politics. Now, not all of us do. Putin is winning. Trump, one of his former Chiefs of Staff asserts, is “fascist to the core.” And, yes, though not a voracious reader, he for years kept a book of Hitler’s speeches by his bedside. If you missed Sunday’s column, here are some things we can do.
Condoms To Gaza February 24, 2025February 24, 2025 Yes, explained Fareed Zakaria at the end of Sunday’s show, USAID did send condoms to Gaza — but not that Gaza, the one in Mozambique! And he explains why. And presents the bigger picture so, so well. Maybe it could be one of your DIS-disinformation posts: It’s true! Even liberal CNN admits USAID sent condoms to Gaza!!! You gotta watch!!!! And don’t miss Fareed’s take on Ukraine and why we’re surrendering to Russia. Your feedback: Jonathan R.: “DIS-disinformation. It’s an interesting idea. I posted something innocuous on LinkedIn about “don’t we need the IRS guys to catch the billionaire tax cheats so that we can lower the deficit?” and got hundreds of misinformed messages, such as “the problem is not tax cheats, it’s that half of the jobs in America are for the Federal Government. I am tired of paying them.” (The correct number is 1.87% of the jobs, and that includes park rangers, FAA guys etc.) Jane B.: “I totally love this idea but may I make a suggestion? Spell a few words wrong. Don’t be overly grammatical. Add a bunch of !!!s. Will be more realistic.” Friedrike M.: “Avoid big words like ‘bewilderment’. Dead giveaway.” Jane S.: “Omg you’re reading my mind! I have been mulling this over for days. My daughter briefly dated a very handsome athlete who was QAnon. It was short-lived (thank God) but then she couldn’t shake him. Being fearful that she would run into him again she created a fictitious handle and signed up for a QAnon site so she could keep her eye on him.” Tom M.: “I think this is very clever and wonderfully subversive. Since I don’t use any of the platforms like X, I wouldn’t have an idea of how to start.” → There are endless opportunities. For example, I just went to Breitbart and clicked on a story . . . then scrolled down to the 525 comments it’s generated so far: Comments: Democrats Panic over President Trump’s Talk of Reforming U.S. Postal Service. Have at it! Bob P.: “Do you know any popular Catholic/Christian platforms to post on?” → Try these? Peter S.: “Good idea. BTW, Musk has 13 kids as of a day or two ago.” Danny G.: “I think we either have to stop listening to the news (life is quite nice that way) or do as several friends I know….they got citizenship in Portugal. Or hope that Trump f***s things up so badly that the people who thought he was their guy will turn on him. I have a saying on my refrigerator: ‘Some people are like Slinkies—generally useless but bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs!’ What are your thoughts?” → Love the Slinky line. Disagree we should tune out and give up. We owe it to all the folks who sacrificed so much for democracy, and to future generations (and to ourselves!), to resist. Have a great week.
Planting Seeds of DIS-disinformation February 23, 2025February 24, 2025 Trump is destroying everything. Musk, Putin and the Proud Boys are in pig heaven. All that, getting worse by the day, you already know. You also already know . . . . . . there are tons of great places to give money . . . . . . you can inspire your friends and relatives to join their local Indivisible chapters . . . . . . you can sell your Tesla . . . . . . you can join the one-day nationwide February 28 boycott: buy nothing. But here’s something else I’ve been thinking about: What if thousands or millions of us — starting with you and me — spent even just a few minutes each day going onto right-leaning message boards and chats? NOT to troll or shame or hector, not to insult or to scold, but to — somewhat subtly — spread DIS-disinformation? DIS-disinformation (once you unpack the double negative) has the virtue of being . . . or of at least striving to be . . . accurate information. It is exactly the kind that has a hard time getting through to the audiences of FOX News, Truth Social, Newsmax, Breitbart, OANN, or your uncle’s Instagram. By “somewhat subtly” I don’t mean (wink wink) dishonestly, like a psy-ops agent in St. Petersburg adopting the persona of a U. of Michigan cheerleader. I mean phrasing your comments and questions in ways that someone might assume you shared their views. The only reason even to approach the line of deception — but not cross it — is that if they knew you vote blue, they would also know you’re an idiot who hates America. Their minds would instantly snap shut. So! Having chosen a non-descript screen name — MustangSally96 — and perhaps different names on different platforms — find a post to comment on or a comment to reply to. Often with a question, looking for advice. What follow are a whole bunch of examples for your consideration and, perhaps, to get you started: Gallup just reported our President’s approval rating the lowest of any since they started polling. What’s going on??? If you get a response, whatever it is, you might follow up with: I found this: Presidential Approval Ratings — Donald Trump. I think I blame Musk. On a different site you might be OffensiveLineBackerBobby: One of my liberal friends (yes, I have some) just claimed Trump was recruited by Moscow in 1987 under the code name Krasnov. It’s ridiculous . . . but my friend says T’s changed his positions on everything (which I like: you’ve got to be nimble and flexible to make good deals) — one day he’s mocking “little Marco,” next he’s naming him Secretary of State — one day he’s pro-choice, the next day he’s pro-life with penalties for the mother — one day he’s threatening to blow the North Korean guy to smithereens, the next day they’re in love — and yet the one thing he’s never changed his mind on is Putin. Is it just me, or were any of you bewildered when he did that press conference in Helsinki where he told the world he trusted Putin more than he trusted the FBI. As a patriotic American, I gotta say I was . . . disconcerted. If you get a response, whatever it is, you might follow up with: I Googled around some and found this in a Business journal: Former Soviet Security Official, Makes Explosive Claims that Trump Was Recruited as Russian Spy. I don’t think it could be true. If it were, it would have been in that Mueller Report they tried to impeach him with. Did anybody read that? My idea isn’t that the discussions you may have will “convert” anyone. Just that they may plant seeds of doubt. Seeds have a way of growing. He really is so funny. Did you see the clip where he said Ukraine started the war? That Ukraine invaded Russia? You gotta hand it to our guy — he has balls! By now, I don’t believe much of what he says, but I love listening to him say it. And I’ve always been kind of grossed out by eggs, so I don’t actually care what they cost. You may want to express early signs of disappointment that others might relate to. Ultimately, some Trump voters may come to realize they’ve been conned. Betrayed, even: Hey, my hopes for the President’s success were high. Still are. But I gotta say he seems to be spending a lot more time firing people by mistake and then hiring them back than lowering my rent or my grocery bill. How do we get him back to being the guy America voted for? How is he going to lower the $36 trillion debt if he cuts taxes on billionaires? And why the hell is he letting drug companies and credit card companies off the hook? I’d resist the urge to make each comment an essay, with links to sources. Rather, I’d start small, and then, when challenged, link to something — ideally to FOX or the New York Post or Wall Street Journal — showing that it’s true. Pieces like this one in the New York Post — Putin is THE dictator and 10 Ukraine-Russia war truths we ignore at our peril — might actually get read. The same piece in the New York Times? Probably not. Then, perhaps, if you can get a friendly discussion going about Trump and Putin . . . Did you see our North Carolina senator? He’s voted with the President on most everything, but listen to what he says about Putin — I mean, OUCH! Is he wrong? Eager for your thoughts. Or how about: Hey, guys. My homeowner’s insurance has gone through roof with all the storms and fires and they say it’s only going to get worse. Meanwhile, Trump Tells Federal Scientists to End Climate Report Work. Are we sure this is a good way to save money? I have grandkids! I don’t want them living in a hellscape. Closing our eyes to what’s happening — or even just MAY be happening — doesn’t seem responsible. Am I crazy? Seriously: let me know what you think. Or: What should I tell my daughter who thinks Musk is “transphobic” for hating his 20-year-old daughter Vivian — who, until she was 16, was his 16-year-old son. He says he was tricked into giving permission. But his daughter is really glad he did. Hating your own child — I’m not comfortable with that. Then, if there’s a response, find a way to link to the New York Post: Here’s the New York Post story about her. I don’t know any trans people myself, but I know parents should love their kids no matter what. I did some googling — Musk has TWELVE kids? And he runs SIX businesses? AND he runs the United States Government? Maybe he doesn’t have time to do all this as carefully as he should? Yikes! Almost everyone agrees he shouldn’t have pardoned the January 6 cop-beaters. So: I’m sorry, but I’m a law and order guy. Pardoning 200 guys who beat cops halfway to death on Jan. 6. Not my idea of law and order. And on and on. I don’t mean to drown you. But if you’re distressed by where we find ourselves, give this a try? If you find that planting seeds of doubt — all of them 100% justified! — is actually kind of fun, then perhaps inspire 3 friends to do the same, and to inspire 3 of their friends to inspire 3 of their friends . . . Let me know your thoughts.
Must Watch: Siding With Putin February 20, 2025 Timothy Snyder, here with Lawrence O’Donnell. Trump is siding with Putin against Ukraine, just as he famously sided with Putin over the FBI. And just as — or at least reminiscent of the way that — Charles Lindbergh and the America First Party sided with Hitler in 1938 when he invaded Austria. And again in 1939 when he invaded Czechoslovakia and Poland. And in 1940 when he invaded Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, and France. And in 1941 (Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania, the Soviet Union) — until Pearl Harbor, when they dropped their opposition to opposing Hitler. And it got worse yesterday, as I’m sure you know, when Trump explicitly doubled and tripled down. Have you joined Indivisible? Signed up for today’s 3pm EDT call? Tomorrow I hope to make another suggestion. In the meantime, I hope you can find a few minutes to watch Timothy Snyder with Lawrence O’Donnell. UNIT David T.: “I bought UNIT a few years ago after you plugged it. They had broken off from Windstream as I recall… now they’re proposing a merger with them. I got the proxy vote email tonight. Is the merger something that shareholders should support?” → My Uniti guru thinks “it’s a winner.” “After the merger,” he says, “it’s a 12-dollar stock. I believe it’s being packaged to sell to Verizon or AT&T.” He doesn’t mean literally right after the merger; just somewhere down the road, in like the next year or two. Having quite a few shares, I’m hoping he’s right — but only with money I can truly afford to lose.