How are you feeling? The information cycle seems like a twister that’s sweeping us all up. However listed here are two issues I’m conserving entrance of thoughts about what’s occurring within the U.S. proper now (and please share your ideas within the feedback)…
1. Keep regular, keep centered. The Trump administration created a selected plan for kicking off his second time period: shock and awe. They figured they’d flood the media and overwhelm the general public, in order that we’d get so muddled we wouldn’t know what to do after which simply…freeze.
“If you happen to overwhelm the media — when you give it too many locations it must look, abruptly, when you hold it transferring from one factor to the subsequent — no coherent opposition can emerge,” defined Ezra Klein on his podcast final Sunday.
However don’t imagine what Trump says, Klein urges. Trump makes wild, horrifying proclamations, however, as a lot as he could need to, the President can’t rewrite the Structure, and lots of of his proposals are being stopped out of the gate. “Inside days, the birthright citizenship order was frozen by a decide,” writes Klein. “A decide froze the spending freeze earlier than it was even scheduled to enter impact, and shortly thereafter, the Trump administration rescinded the order, partly to keep away from the courtroom case.”
This isn’t to say that issues usually are not unhealthy — they’re. I don’t need to reduce the wreckage. Individuals are dwelling in immense concern, and lots of are being harmed, together with trans of us, immigrants, federal employees, the checklist goes on. Even the threats Trump makes and the language he makes use of make folks much less secure by selling racism, sexism and “us vs. them” pondering.
As a substitute of freezing in shock, nevertheless, we will act collectively. “The tempo and frequency of those offenses is supposed to flood the zone with shit, as Steve Bannon put it; to confuse, bamboozle, and immobilize us,” writes Jay Michaelson, a rabbi, activist, and former professor, in his publication Each/And. “They promised that they’d do ‘Shock and Awe’ and that’s what they’ve accomplished. Nothing right here must be shocking. Don’t lose your composure.” We’ll stand agency.
2. Get the 5 Calls app, which makes it very straightforward to name your reps. You may make 5 calls in 5 minutes; they provide the cellphone numbers and let you know precisely what to say about main points (like defending the Division of Schooling or preventing in opposition to Elon Musk’s authorities takeover or opposing RFK Jr. for Secretary of Well being and Human Providers). It’s easy and simple, and these calls make a distinction.
Additionally, take into account studying Indivisible: A Sensible Information to Democracy on the Brink, which presents crystal clear methods for preventing again over the subsequent 4 years. Written by two very sensible, humorous folks, this information felt bolstering to learn.
Please share your ideas beneath — these are extraordinarily troublesome instances, however now we have a variety of good folks on this nation and a variety of vitality and bandwidth. Sending huge hugs and solidarity.
P.S. Poetry, when you want some proper now.
(Picture by Jess Woodhouse/Stocksy.)