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rustysgurl

(1,095 posts)
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 12:23 PM Apr 2025

Why Isn't Anyone Doing Anything?

At the risk of sounding naive and simplistic, where are our representatives in all this? No one is passing any meaningful legislation. And even if they did it would probably get ignored by those currently in power. Our reps are all going through the motions, making sound bites, and looking concerned -- but nothing is changing. What happened to checks and balances and consequences? If one branch doesn't listen to the other there are repercussions. Has anyone even mentioned the "I" word??? Or is it, as I suspect, a situation of everyone we've elected to represent us being too damned comfortable in their position and too afraid of retaliation (Murkowski) to do a damn thing about it? Are they just content to ride this right into the ground? Where are the true patriots? Where are our leaders? This isn't Europe facing Hitler with the US coming to their aid. Who's going to come to OUR aid? Do you see England, France, Germany, etc., coming to our shores to help us fight for freedom? I can't even picture it.

The fight must come from within. Frankly, I don't know if we have enough people here in America who care enough to do anything about it. We can complain about our 401ks, the stock market, prices, deportation, attacks on the environment, the decimation of government infrastructures, etc., but is anything actually being done to stop it? Bernie Sanders and AOC can tour the country, but other than some back slapping and cheering, tell me what that does to actually help? Planning for the next election? What if there isn't one? I'm not even sure we'll have mid-terms, let alone a Presidential election in 4 years. Given the obliteration that's taken place thus far, what else can happen in the next 3-1/2 years? I shudder to think of it.

I'm am fearful and at the same time hopeful. But the balance is tipping more toward fear for our future. My son asked me today what I thought was going to happen. I had to stop and think. I couldn't really give him a good answer. And that scared me most of all.

27 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Why Isn't Anyone Doing Anything? (Original Post) rustysgurl Apr 2025 OP
What legislation do you think they can pass? EdmondDantes_ Apr 2025 #1
Thank you wryter2000 Apr 2025 #3
Because, we have ZERO power. BlueTsunami2018 Apr 2025 #2
we do have power, and we best increase it and use it. unblock Apr 2025 #5
There is plenty we can do about it. "We have no power" is complete bullshit. And it will lose us our Democracy. Scrivener7 Apr 2025 #9
I mean in Congress. BlueTsunami2018 Apr 2025 #10
Please advise us on what they can do. kerry-is-my-prez Apr 2025 #12
I did. Scrivener7 Apr 2025 #13
I don't have much patience with people attacking Democrats right now. kerry-is-my-prez Apr 2025 #11
I don't have much hope that there will be midterms or another presidential election elocs Apr 2025 #18
Some are saying if Trump runs for a 3 rd term womanofthehills Apr 2025 #23
the letter posted on facebook by dr pru lee has the best recommendations for actual action unblock Apr 2025 #4
November 5th, 2024 NavyDem Apr 2025 #6
As Democrats, too many of us were not vigilant over the past 4 years. As well as complacent elocs Apr 2025 #19
Here is the list of action items from Dr. Pru Lee WestMichRad Apr 2025 #7
Democrats & the Left were not vigilant for these last 4 years. I bet now they wish they had been. n/t elocs Apr 2025 #20
Harvard is fighting back. So are large corporate law firms. Ponietz Apr 2025 #8
Huh? mcar Apr 2025 #14
IKR! 😞 sheshe2 Apr 2025 #27
The only question H2O Man Apr 2025 #15
No. That's not the only question. It's crucial now to demand our Scrivener7 Apr 2025 #16
Well ..... H2O Man Apr 2025 #17
Some do find simple disagreement to be disagreeable. Scrivener7 Apr 2025 #22
And yet H2O Man Apr 2025 #24
A few are out front and vocal. writerJT Apr 2025 #21
They are doing things- town halls, demonstrations and more in their districts Meowmee Apr 2025 #25
The speaker decides what gets put up for a vote drray23 Apr 2025 #26

EdmondDantes_

(1,248 posts)
1. What legislation do you think they can pass?
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 12:28 PM
Apr 2025

We are in the minority in both houses of Congress, and Trump is president so he'd veto anything. There are limited governmental tools we have.

But they are doing things like holding rallies, going to see the man wrongfully deported, doing press. That's really all that can be done now. Those things can build support for the 2026 midterms and with enough public outcry some Republicans will feel the heat and not move in lockstep with Trump.

BlueTsunami2018

(4,801 posts)
2. Because, we have ZERO power.
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 12:33 PM
Apr 2025

And the Republicans are either too afraid to actually do anything to stop the insanity or they’re 100% on board with it.

And quite frankly even if a bill was miraculously passed that would address these matters, Piss would just veto it.

There isn’t anything to do about it, we’re well and truly fucked.

unblock

(55,841 posts)
5. we do have power, and we best increase it and use it.
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 12:44 PM
Apr 2025

it's just that we don't have real power in congress, and we have very limited power in the courts.

but power isn't just what's officially given per the constitution and laws, as republicans have repeatedly demonstrated. they exert power over their own congresspeople through threats, defamation, and money to the point where they're responsive to donnie and billionaires to a far greater degree than they are responsive to their own constituents, who supposedly have power over their representatives.

our power, unfortunately, is limited to speech and various levels of protests. but we need to leverage whatever power we have to document everything and get the word out and increase our visibility and obstruct the fascists from cementing their hold on power.

BlueTsunami2018

(4,801 posts)
10. I mean in Congress.
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 07:49 PM
Apr 2025

All we have is the filibuster and that should be used as often as possible.

But the answer to why no legislation is being passed is because we (The Democratic Party) have zero power.

kerry-is-my-prez

(10,200 posts)
11. I don't have much patience with people attacking Democrats right now.
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 07:57 PM
Apr 2025

With Democrats attacking Democrats widely, I don’t have much hope for the midterms or with the presidential. People are going to protests and the Democratic crowd screams at the Democratic politicians who at least have showed up for the protest.

 

elocs

(24,486 posts)
18. I don't have much hope that there will be midterms or another presidential election
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 10:53 AM
Apr 2025

at the speed Trump is moving in less than 100 days in office. Who actually believes that he will have a Come to Jesus moment and allow either to happen?

unblock

(55,841 posts)
4. the letter posted on facebook by dr pru lee has the best recommendations for actual action
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 12:39 PM
Apr 2025

donnie has already corrupted congress and the supreme court to the point where meaningful pushback would likely be ignored.

the supreme court is unlikely to get tough with him and in any event, donnie can get just ignore them.

this congress will *never* remove him and very likely would never even impeach him, no matter what in practice.

his doj will never indict him for anything. they'll likely never even investigate him (well, possibly as a sham).


the only actions we can take are more along the lines of organizing, protesting, documenting their crimes and evil deeds, and fighting at every level of government for free and fair election, to reduce their power and restore democracy, and getting the truth out any way we can (which these days, mostly means independent and foreign journalistic sources and our own social media.

 

elocs

(24,486 posts)
19. As Democrats, too many of us were not vigilant over the past 4 years. As well as complacent
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 10:58 AM
Apr 2025

and overconfident. We thought Trump was a joke an underestimated him as well as his maga cult. I wonder how many Democrats or those on the Left failed to even vote for Biden?

WestMichRad

(2,860 posts)
7. Here is the list of action items from Dr. Pru Lee
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 12:47 PM
Apr 2025

1. Form an independent, civilian-powered investigative coalition.
I’m talking experts. Veterans. Whistleblowers. Journalists. Watchdog orgs.
Deputize the resistance. Build a real-time archive of corruption, overreach, and executive abuse.
Make it public. Make it unshakable.
Let the people drag the rot into the light.
If you can’t hold formal hearings, hold public ones.
If Congress won’t act, let the country act.
This isn’t about optics — it’s about receipts.

Because at some point, these people will be held accountable. And when that day comes, we’ll need every name, every signature, every illegal order, every act of silence documented. You’re not just preserving truth — you’re preparing evidence for prosecution. The more they vanish people and weaponize data, the more we need truth in the sunlight.

2. Join the International Criminal Court.
Yes, I said it. Call their bluff. You cannot control what the other side does. But you can control your own integrity. So prove it. Prove that your party is still grounded in law, human rights, and ethical leadership.

Join.

If you’ve got nothing to hide — join.

Show the world who’s hiding bodies, bribes, and buried bank accounts. Force the GOP to explain why they’d rather protect a war criminal than sign a treaty. And while you’re at it, publicly invite ICC observers into U.S. borders. Make this administration explain — on camera — why they’re terrified of international oversight.

3. Fund state-level resistance infrastructure.
Don’t just send postcards. Send resources.
Channel DNC funds into rapid-response teams, legal defense coalitions, sanctuary networks, and digital security training.
If the federal government is hijacked, build power underneath it.
If the laws become tools of oppression, help people resist them legally, locally, and boldly.

This is not campaign season — this is an authoritarian purge. Stop campaigning. Act like this is the end of democracy, because it is. We WILL REMEMBER the warriors come primaries. Fighting this regime should be your marketing strategy.

And let’s be clear:

The reason the other side always seems three steps ahead is because they ARE.

They prepared for this. They infiltrated school boards, courts, local legislatures, and police unions. They built a machine while you wrote press releases. We’re reacting — they’ve been executing a plan for years.

It’s time to shift from panic to blueprint.

You should already be working with strategists and military minds on PROJECT 2029 — a coordinated, long-term plan to rebuild this country when the smoke clears.
You should be publicly laying out:
• The laws and amendments you’ll pass to ensure this never happens again
• The systems you’ll tear down and the safeguards you’ll enshrine
• The plan to hold perpetrators of human atrocities accountable
• The urgent commitment to immediately bring home those sold into slavery in El Salvador

You say you’re the party of the people? Then show the people the plan.

4. Use your platform to educate the public on rights and resistance tactics.
If they’re going to strip us of rights and lie about it — arm the people with truth. Text campaigns. Mass trainings. Downloadable “Know Your Rights” kits. Multilingual legal guides. Encrypted phone trees.

Give people tools, not soundbites.
We don’t need more slogans.
We need survival manuals.

5. Leverage international media and watchdogs.
Stop hoping U.S. cable news will wake up. They’re too busy playing both sides of fascism. Feed the real stories to BBC, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Reuters, Der Spiegel — hell, leak them to anonymous dropboxes if you have to. Make what’s happening in America a global scandal. And stop relying on platforms that are actively suppressing truth.

Start leveraging Substack. Use Bluesky. That’s where the resistance is migrating. That’s where censorship hasn’t caught up. If the mainstream won’t carry the truth — outflank them. Get creative. Go underground. Go global.

If our democracy is being dismantled in broad daylight, make sure the whole world sees it — and make sure we’re still able to say it.

6. Create a digital safe haven for whistleblowers and defectors.
Not everyone inside this regime is loyal. Some are scared. Some want out. Build the channels. Encrypted. Anonymous. Protected. Make it easy for the cracks in the system to become gaping holes.

And while you’re at it? Stop ostracizing MAGA defectors. Everyone makes mistakes — even glaring, critical ones. We are not the bullies. We are not the ones filled with hate.
And it is not your job to shame people who finally saw the fire and chose to step out of it.

They will have to deal with that internal struggle — the guilt of putting a very dangerous and callous regime in power. But they’re already outnumbered. Don’t push them back into the crowd.

We don’t need purity. We need numbers. We need people willing to burn their red hats and testify against the machine they helped build.

7. Study the collapse—and the comeback.
You should be learning from South Korea and how they managed their brief rule under dictatorship. They didn’t waste time chasing the one man with absolute immunity. They went after the structure.

The aides. The enforcers. The loyalists. The architects.

They knocked out the foundation one pillar at a time — until the “strongman” had no one left to stand on. And his power crumbled beneath him.

You should be independently investigating every author of Project 2025, every aide who defies court orders, every communications director repeating lies, every policy writer enabling cruelty, every water boy who keeps this engine running.

You can’t stop a regime by asking the king to sit down. You dismantle the throne he’s standing on — one coward at a time.

Stop being scared to fight dirty when the other side is fighting to erase the damn Constitution.
They are threatening to disappear AMERICANS.
A M E R I C A N S.
And your biggest move can’t be another strongly worded email.

We don’t want your urgently fundraising subject lines. We want backbone. We want action. We want to know you’ll stand up before we’re all ordered to sit down — permanently.

We are watching. And I don’t just mean your base. I mean millions of us who see exactly what’s happening.
*******
(He wrote more urgings to accompany this list that I have omitted.)

You can critique his list (and I think his item on joining the ICC is off base, because only governments can do that), but critiquing his list misses the point: We need to take action, NOW!!

 

elocs

(24,486 posts)
20. Democrats & the Left were not vigilant for these last 4 years. I bet now they wish they had been. n/t
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 11:01 AM
Apr 2025

H2O Man

(78,405 posts)
15. The only question
Fri Apr 18, 2025, 08:23 PM
Apr 2025

is what are you doing? We all need to answer that. Plenty of people are answering it by stepping up their grass roots activity. There will be no super hero. It's up to us.

Scrivener7

(58,007 posts)
16. No. That's not the only question. It's crucial now to demand our
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 09:29 AM
Apr 2025

leaders do everything possible. They're doing better than a month ago, but there is still plenty more they can do.

Yes, we all need to do all we can do, but that includes them. And it's taken OUR voices and OUR complaints to get them off the, "we have no power, let them hang themselves while we do nothing" stance. That is unacceptable.

H2O Man

(78,405 posts)
17. Well .....
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 10:24 AM
Apr 2025

"It's crucial now to demand our leaders do everything possible" ....... that is, obviously, what each of us should be doing. It is one of the things. So actually you agreed with me, just in a disagreeablke way! (grin)

Meowmee

(9,212 posts)
25. They are doing things- town halls, demonstrations and more in their districts
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 02:03 PM
Apr 2025

In the county next to us D reps stopped a budget because the R were not funding D areas. I did not hear what happened with that.

They are trying to put in protections in their states etc. with various things.

As far as legislation is concerned they are out of power, R control the house, senate and executive and the psycho is ignoring the judicial. It will be up to R to remove him from power. That imo is the only current solution. Until midterms then if D take back the house and gain senate seats things can start. It is still going to rely on R to remove him, you need I believe 2/3 in senate to convict.

drray23

(8,559 posts)
26. The speaker decides what gets put up for a vote
Sat Apr 19, 2025, 02:12 PM
Apr 2025

The speaker of the house decides what to put on the floor for a vote. So democrats can not get a vote on any legislation they might propose.
There us a mechanism for introducing privileged resolutions which the speaker can't stop but this only works for a narrow range of bills that are for expulsion or censure or a rule pertaining to the running of congress itself.

Even then, it's hard to do since we are in the minority and would need gop votes to pass.

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