Hi folks, I hope you’re holding it together. Count me as one of the millions who are truly afraid for the future of American democracy. If you haven’t seen it, check out last week’s quick guide to citizen activism in this new era.
Right now I’m working on pieces about Democratic grassroots, field organizing and what it means to meet voters where they are, and I hope to roll those out in the next few days. In the meantime, I have three (free) trainings coming up for you to check out. The first is taking place Thursday:
- February 13: Building a Practical Digital Advocacy Strategy for a Tough Political Environment [Register now via Eventbrite]
- February 19: Preparing for Digital Rapid Response: How To Be Ready When the Moment Strikes [Register now via Eventbrite]
- March 6: Online Fundraising 101 [Register now via Eventbrite]
As an experiment, I also rolled out a paid tier on the Epolitics Substack newsletter. In its eighteen years, Epolitics.com has never charged admission, and this is one way to support the work going forward. I hope to live up to your trust.
Top photo: Julius Caesar, who brought the Roman Republic to an end. Photo via Wikipedia.
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Watching the Authoritarian Playbook Play Out in America
The modern authoritarian playbook is clear. Take executive power. Coopt or intimidate the institutions of society that could oppose or expose you, including the government bureaucracy, the press, academia and the courts. Undercut our common understanding of truth. As many have pointed out, we’re seeing it happen before our eyes.. Here are just a few examples:
- Donald Trump’s Orbán Playbook Is Working Exactly as Intended
- Trump’s New Line of Attack Against the Media Gains Momentum “First Amendment experts say Mr. Trump’s lawsuits, based on an unproven legal theory, lack merit. But more could be on the way.”
- The right-wing bubble absorbs D.C. “During Trump’s first term, misinformation was not nearly as rampant as it is today.”
- The Constitutional Crisis Is Here: If Congress won’t stop Donald Trump and Elon Musk from arrogating its power over federal spending, who will?
- Trump fires top government ethics, whistleblower officials
- This time, the anti-Trump resistance is in the courts, not in the streets
- Judge orders CDC, FDA to restore websites taken down after Trump gender order. “U.S. District Judge John D. Bates granted a restraining order temporarily reversing the Trump administration’s moves to remove scientific data.”
- FEMA official ignores judge’s latest order, demands freeze on grant funding. “Federal workers are being swept into the fight between Donald Trump and federal courts, with four FEMA aides fired Tuesday for being ‘deep state activists.'”
- Trump threatened college research, culture and funding. Confusion reigns.
- Archivists Work to Identify and Save the Thousands of Datasets Disappearing From Data.gov
- Why Is the Trump Administration Deleting a Paper on Suicide Risk?
- The ‘Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly’ of the United States Government. Elon Musk’s bureaucratic coup is under way.
- Elon Musk’s DOGE Is Working on a Custom Chatbot Called GSAi
- The real reason DOGE is using #AI? “If human workers are widely replaced with AI, executives will have unilateral authority to instantaneously alter the behavior of the government, profoundly raising the stakes for transitions of power in democracy.”
- DOGE Employees Ordered to Stop Using Slack While Agency Transitions to a Records System Not Subject to FOIA
- Erasing Dissent: Trump’s Slow Burn War on the Arts
- How Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover could change the arts. “The government has enormous coercive power over the cultural sector. The Trump administration is poised to use it.”
- Ye’s website is selling swastika shirts after boosting its profile with Super Bowl ad. Welcome to our new arts scene.
- Here Are All The Companies Rolling Back DEI.
- Google Calendar removed events like Pride and BHM because its holiday list wasn’t ‘sustainable’
If you’re not scared….
– cpd