Where Have All
The Democrats Gone ? By 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 .”
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 .
The Trial Lawyer 61