Is anyone else feeling a bit overwhelmed today? Guessing that I am not alone, so this feels like the perfect day to run this guest post from Felony Govt.
Big thanks to Felony Govt and everyone else who has expressed interest in participating in this series!
Reminder: these guest posts are not open threads.
Reminder 2: we would love to see more guest posts on your thoughts about moving forward!
Go Big or Go Home!
by Felony Govt
To begin with, I don’t really have any answers. I’m still devastated and in shock over the election results, as I know most of you are. I spent the first month or two blaming various demographics who didn’t vote or voted the wrong way. First and foremost I blamed young white women. The people directly affected by Dobbs– what the hell were they thinking? And then the male Hispanics (including some of my in-laws) whose misogyny and, in many cases, racism, helped elect a vile racist. And some others. I’m now gradually putting all that aside and thinking about what I personally want to and can do and how we as a party and a group move forward.
I sent WaterGirl an article written by David Litt, an Obama speechwriter, for the Contrarian called “How to Drink From a Firehouse” about some strategies for opposing the barrage of executive orders and other atrocities from Trump’s first week in office in 2025. She asked me to summarize the salient points to add to the collection of “how can we move forward” ideas.
In re-reading it, I can’t agree with everything he says. But here are a few things I think are particularly important.
First, this laundry list of MAGA wish fulfillment, pardons, and general unhinged pronouncements (Greenland; The Gulf of America! WTF) is actually a message. Trump is trying to show that he is “getting things done”, betting that Americans might not like everything he’s doing but that they will go along, thinking he’s being strong and decisive, or else will be terrified.
In response, this article suggests that we “go small in our response.” Don’t focus on his pausing $40 billion in medical research, for example, because such a huge number is abstract and hard to comprehend. Don’t generalize that Trump is “ruining America”, because his fans and voters think that means he’s being effective and accomplishing what THEY want.
Instead, what are some of the tangible things that are resulting from these actions? Increased prices on specific commodities resulting from tariffs, or the threat of tariffs, are one example. The current “how does this bring down the price of eggs?” and “Trump is ruining breakfast” memes are a a great way of expressing this.
Another tangible effect is the many people being caught by surprise by the federal hiring freeze. The “Leopards Ate My Face” subreddit has a lot of these accounts (That subreddit, in addition to providing great schaudenfreude, is a good indicator of possible buyer’s remorse as it develops.)
Another point – don’t let Trump be the main character of the story you’re telling. Many Americans (inexplicably) like or admire him. Focus your attention on someone else instead. The example Litt provides is a good one:
“There’s a guy named Daniel Rodriguez. On January 5th, 2021, he texted his friends ‘There will be blood.’ On January 6th, when he stormed the Capitol, he grabbed a police officer and shocked him repeatedly in the neck with a stun gun. A jury of peers sentenced him to twelve years in prison for his violent crime. And less than 24 hours after taking office, Trump let Daniel Rodriguez back out on the street.”
In summary, Litt says we should stay “disciplined, focus on one story at a time, and keep the stakes small, clear and personal”. The point is to combat Trump’s clear overreaching.
Right now I’ve been concentrating my few efforts in trying to help my devastated Los Angeles. Going forward, I will continue to reflect on all of this, pick my battles based on what is most important to me and my family and people I care about, and try to strengthen my community.
Moving Forward – Felony Govt – Go Big or Go Home! um, no, I Really Mean Go SmallPost + Comments (29)