Image: The Hartmann Report
Image: The Hartmann Report
The inaction of high profile and leadership Democrats is not just weakness—it's a betrayal of Democratic principles and thus our nation.
Republished with permission from Thom Hartmann
Is Trump’s, Musk’s, and Putin’s coup against democracy complete?
Under the guise of a 44-year campaign to reverse the middle-class advances of the New Deal and Great Society, rightwing billionaires and the Republicans they own have pushed a fundamentally fascist agenda that is now openly at war with America. They are engaging in a coup, finishing the work Trump started on January 6, 2021.
Trump is nakedly breaking the law right in front of the entire country, just as progressive Democrats have been predicting. Not a single elected Republican has had the courage to try to stop him or even speak out against his lawlessness, and only a handful of Democrats have found that fearlessness. That has to change.
- Trump is illegally firing career Civil Service prosecutors in the DOJ and agents in the FBI. The principal message he is conveying is, “Donald Trump, his family, and his friends are above the law. Investigate them and you will lose your job.”
- He’s illegally fired Inspectors General who search out and prosecute corruption within their own agencies.
- He’s illegally impounded money appropriated by Congress.
- He’s illegally imposing tariffs against Mexico and Canada, turning our friends against us, just like Putin has dreamed for years.
- USAID, created by President Kennedy, is our single most effective tool for keeping poor countries on America’s side instead of joining Russia or China. Musk has declared war on this Agency, and the only beneficiaries will be those two dictatorships.
- And now this South African billionaire has apparently downloaded all of your and my private information from the federal agencies responsible for making six trillion dollars’ worth of payments every year, with the explicit permission of Treasury Secretary and billionaire Scott Bessent—who was put into his job with the votes of 15 compliant Democratic senators.
As Senator Patty Murray (who voted against Bessent) noted on Bluesky yesterday:
“All of your most sensitive data and our country’s checkbook are in the hands of an unelected billionaire. This is the most corrupt administration in history and it’s putting our economy & government in serious jeopardy.
“It’s time to speak out and fight back. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/u…”
Hell, it’s way past time to speak out and fight back.
Ever since Reagan’s Revolution on behalf of the billionaire class, many of us have been shouting from the rooftops about the inevitability of this day. I’ve published multiple books and hundreds of articles (see * below), as have many of my colleagues, warning of this exact scenario.
This is the tail-end of the battle, not the beginning:
- When Republicans claimed that corporations were “persons” with rights guaranteed under the Bill of Rights (including the right to fund political campaigns), Democrats could have spoken out, but—other than the progressives—didn’t. Instead, Bill Clinton encouraged corporate contributions to his “New Democrats.”
- When Republicans said billionaires and corporations bribing politicians was legal (and could even be considered “tips”), Democrats could have spoken out, but—other than the progressives—didn’t. Instead the “Problem Solvers” and many others simply put their hands out.
- When Republicans gutted union protections, borrowed $34 trillion to fund tax breaks for billionaires, and ended support for college tuition, Democrats could have spoken out, but—other than the progressives—didn’t. Instead, many “moved to the center.”
- When Republicans fought voting rights and purged over 50 million voters from the rolls over the past decade (giving Trump the White House last year), Democrats could have raised hell, but—other than the progressives—didn’t. Instead, they abandoned Red states, often not even bothering to run candidates.
- When Republicans denied climate change and went to the mat to protect the hundreds of billions in subsidies the fossil fuel industry gets every year, Democrats could have stopped them, but—other than the progressives—didn’t. Instead, they complained about “disruptive” groups protesting pipelines.
- When Republicans raised an entire Astroturf Tea Party movement to fight progressive efforts to put into place a national healthcare system that would include a buy-in option for Medicare at all ages, Democrats could have fought for their constituents, but—other than the progressives—didn’t. Instead, they offered a privatized Obamacare and weak “negotiation” with drug companies to lower prices on 10 drugs while ignoring the creeping privatization of Medicare with the Medicare Advantage scam.
In each case, progressive Democrats were ahead of the curve and corporate Democrats either ignored or even obstructed needed reforms.
Republicans, meanwhile, have been steamrolling ahead with their plan—first laid out by Lewis Powell in 1971—to turn our country into an oligarchy that’s no longer accountable to its people.
And now they’re just months away from finishing off our democratic republic, silencing all voices of dissent, and guaranteeing—like Trump promised—that we may never be able to even vote again in a meaningful election with candidates who aren’t pre-vetted by billionaires.
The greatest danger America is facing today—because Democratic messaging and outrage have been so weak for so long—is that average people won’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Democratic Party—Hakeem Jefferies in the House and Chuck Schumer in the Senate—are both saying that they’re not going to challenge Trump on every crime he commits, and Democratic senators voted unanimously for Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, who’s now in Panama threatening that sovereign government.
Trump is working as hard as possible to make his fascist vision of America a reality by attacking, threatening, and suing reporters and media outlets while his billionaire buddies and AIPAC threaten to fund primary challenges against any politician—Democrat or Republican—who dares to challenge them.
And the threats are working:
- The media is walking on pins and needles, trying to avoid pissing off Trump or Musk.
- The FCC just launched an investigation that could lead to the end of NPR and PBS.
- Major networks are paying off Trump to settle frivolous lawsuits.
- Democrats are treating Vichy Republicans as if they were good faith colleagues during normal times, many even voting for Trump’s cabinet nominees.
But these are not normal times: Our democracy is hanging by a thread. The simple reality is that the MAGA takeover of the GOP has turned it into, essentially, an agent of Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China. And an immigrant billionaire is deconstructing our government like a toddler busting up a Lego set.
Democrats—who campaigned on the allegation that Trump was a fascist—must now behave like their claim was true and fight back, before Trump and Musk finalize Orbán’s and Putin’s neofascist governance model, making such a response impossible.
- Shut down the House and the Senate.
- Challenge Johnson’s speakership.
- Fight every unanimous consent vote.
- Use quorum calls to bring floor business to a standstill.
- Put holds on every Trump nominee, even for things like naming Post Offices or noncontroversial positions.
- Hold a major press conference every day and coordinate with Democrats across the nation to amplify that day’s message across local and national media.
- Organize political guerilla theater and mass protest events.
Average people can reach out to their elected officials—the phone number for Congress is 202-224-3121—and raise absolute holy hell. Blow up social media with protest and outrage posts. Share your concerns with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.
As Bernie Sanders—who’s been fighting this fight his entire life and was on my radio/TV show every Friday for 11 years—shared yesterday with people subscribed to his newsletter:
“We must fight back—effectively. This is not a time for wallowing in despair and hiding under the covers. The stakes are too high. We’re not just fighting for ourselves. We’re fighting for our kids and for future generations. We’re fighting for the future of this planet.
“Further, we must not become overwhelmed and think that Trump has some kind of extraordinary mandate and an inevitable glide path into the future. That’s what the right-wing mouthpieces want you to believe, but it’s not true. Trump won the election because Kamala Harris and a very weak and out-of-touch Democratic Party received 5 million votes LESS than Biden did in 2020, not because Donald Trump or his agenda were popular. His agenda can be defeated. …
“We cannot just play defense. We have got to be on offense. Please, never forget, the agenda that we are fighting for is widely supported by working families all across this country. And we must continue to fight for that agenda.”
It only took Hitler 53 days to use legal means to turn Germany from a functioning democracy into a dictatorship. We’ve officially gone way too far down that same road, and if Trump and Project 2025 aren’t stopped now it may well be too late by as soon as this Spring.
Thom Hartmann, one of America’s leading public intellectuals and the country’s #1 progressive talk show host, writes fresh content six days a week. The Monday-Friday “Daily Take” articles are free to all, while paid subscribers receive a Saturday summary of the week’s news and, on Sunday, a chapter excerpt from one of his books.
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