I could have listed 1000 things on this list if I wasn’t busy cooking and eating and enjoying the holiday.
But no matter how many I listed, all of you would ALWAYS be the most important to me. In this mess, you all have kept me sane and hopeful. Thank you.
1. Our electoral power
In NYS, Democrats flipped over 50 county legislative seats across the state. Republicans flipped one.
2. His waning popularity
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There are many things I'm thankful for today - friends, family, my Hopium community, proud patriots fighting for their democracy all across the country.
But I'm also deeply grateful to the American people for having so comprehensively rejected Trump and his rancid regime. A holiday thread:
— Simon Rosenberg (@simonwdc.bsky.social) 2025-11-27T13:48:00.135Z
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Two polls released today have Trump at 35% job approval, his lowest yet.
35%-62% ARG
35%-56% High Point University
Economist/YouGov track had him at 38%-57%, their lowest reading this year. He just keeps dropping.
Wag the dog time!
Data and graph from fiftyplusone.news/polls/approv...
— Simon Rosenberg (@simonwdc.bsky.social) 2025-11-25T17:15:52.598Z
3. the creativity of our movement
People in inflatable costumes. Dancing. Singing. Drumming.
I could not be happier with us fighting fascism with the things it cannot survive: joy, love, and mockery.
Here are some of the signs I enjoyed this protest season:
4. Democrats
When people trash the Democrats what they are usually doing is trashing the 1 or 2 people who they have decided are “the democrats.” For example, if you don’t like Schumer, it doesn’t mean you don’t like Democrats. Are you really telling me you don’t like Jasmine Crockett? Or Hakeem Jeffries? Maybe you like AOC and Bernie. ALL OF THOSE ARE DEMOCRATS. Maybe you love how Newsom has been taking on Trump. Democrats. All of them.
You know who else is a democrat? Me. And you. Your friends. The people you protest with. Maybe you like ALL OF US and all the work we do to make America better. Because, my friends, we are the Democrats! We are the party. And we are awesome.
Democrats. We get the job done.
Democrats: They’re Fighting For Us
Check out these recent New York Times headlines about the state of the Democratic Party:
Many Americans Say the Democratic Party Does Not Share Their Priorities
‘The Damage to the Party Is Profound’: Three Opinion Writers on What Happened to the Democrats
Trump Leaves Democrats Dazed and on the Defensive
‘We Have No Coherent Message’: Democrats Struggle to Oppose Trump
Powerless, Democrats Debate Just How Deep in the Wilderness They Are
Democratic Party is a Rotting Corpse Unworthy of a Decent Burial
Okay, I made that last one up. But it’s only a matter of time before the Times prints it.
Here’s a headline I’d propose:
Democrats Across the US are Fighting Back
That one might not be clickbait, but it has the benefit of being true.
The corporate media’s “coverage” of the Democrats has chosen to overlook the party’s most spectacular asset: a roster packed with gifted politicians. In fact, I’d argue that the Democrats have more talent than they’ve had in a generation.
And they’re fighting for us.
Some reader nominations:
JB Pritzker from Illinois. He is the best Governor we've had in a very long time
My vote for the Democrat to lead the resistance is either AOC or Jasmine Crockett. Both of whom are easily able to overwhelm either Trump or Musk.
Jamie Raskin, who said, "Given that I was marching at age three, you know I’m not letting any coup-plotting, election-denying, insurrection-supplying autocrat, kleptocrat, plutocrat or theocrat, or any techno-feudalist Silicon Valley broligarch aspiring dictator, turn me around now. I am going to honor and participate every day in this urgent national fight for strong constitutional democracy, personal freedom and social progress."
Senator: Raphael Warnock. House: Sarah McBride (Del); Becca Balint (Vt). If you haven’t heard of them, find them. Brilliant minds and kick-ass attitude. Governor: Gretchen Whitmer.
CT Sen. Chris Murphy –
David Hogg. He lived through the hell of a Florida high school massacre as a student, and hasn't stopped since then.
You can find a deep dive into Democrats being awesome here.
5. Historical perspectives
It is easy to get lost in the awful of this moment and not realize that we have always struggled for good to win over bad and America has faced lots of tough moments before.
Realizing that this is a normal part of the human condition can help it from feeling overwhelming and it can remind us of all the times that good has won in the past.
It can remind us of our place in history.
It can keep us from catastrophizing.
from Robert Hubbell
History teaches us that those who fight to preserve their country will outlast those who capitulate in a futile attempt to preserve their wealth, power, and privilege. During World War II, the members of the Vichy regime sought to protect France (and themselves) by surrendering to and collaborating with Nazi Germany. Other French citizens resisted Hitler by organizing an underground armed resistance (the French Resistance), a government in exile (Free France), and an army in exile (the Free French Army).¹
History remembers the Vichy collaborators and capitulators as traitors to France. Members of Free France, the French Resistance, and the Free French Army are rightfully remembered as the saviors of France. They resisted in exile for four long years.
Initially, the forces in exile lacked support from most French citizens and the country’s territories. Those in exile watched in horror as France’s political, social, and military elite collaborated with the Nazi regime, including the deportation of French Jews to Nazi concentration camps. Under the Vichy regime, collaborators continued to live lives of privilege, power, and affluence while those in exile lived in tent encampments for four years.
Support for the French resistance grew over time as the resistance and the Allies made advances against German forces. Eventually, the French resistance prevailed because they were fighting for France while the Vichy regime fought to preserve their power, wealth, and privilege.
There are parallels to our present position and that of France in World War II.
The tide is shifting in our favor. Trump and the Republicans know and fear that truth. They are trying to inflict as much damage and extract as much profit as possible during their shrinking time in power.
From Mike Madrid
I want to offer some perspective.
Every generation of Americans has been summoned to defend the promise of democracy. Some have stood in snow-covered camps with no shoes and no certainty of survival. Others have crossed oceans into fire, fighting for freedom not only for themselves but for the world. Some marched in the Deep South against the racist laws that have scarred us since our founding. And some have stood their ground at home, marching, organizing, speaking up, so that our institutions might endure and our ideals might live.
Now, it is our turn.
Our moment may not look like Valley Forge, Gettysburg, or Omaha Beach. We are not dodging bullets or charging trenches.
But make no mistake, we too are in a war for democracy. It is a different kind of battle, fought not with muskets and bayonets, but with ballots and truth, with civic engagement and institutional defense. The stakes, while less visible than physical combat, are no less meaningful. If we fail to engage, if we lose faith in truth or drift into apathy, the American project, the promise that people can govern themselves, will erode from within. This bloodless war may be quieter than its predecessors, but defeat for our freedoms and our Constitution would be no less final.
Let us be clear-eyed: we are not asked to cross icy rivers or charge into enemy fire. We are asked to vote, to speak, to organize, to protest, to resist authoritarianism not with muskets or tanks, but with conviction and clarity. It is not glory we are called to, but responsibility.
To believe that our time is uniquely cursed is a form of arrogance. We are heirs to people who endured far worse and prevailed. But to believe that democracy will survive without our effort is a form of delusion.
This nation has survived civil war, global war, economic collapse, racial injustice, and constitutional crisis. It has done so not by accident, but because enough people, sometimes just barely enough, rose to the challenge.
We must do the same.
This is a moment of choosing. Between fact and fiction. Between hope and fear. Between democracy and something much colder.
Let us be worthy of the moment. Let us honor Washington's quiet plea for courage, Lincoln's call to finish the work, and Eisenhower's faith in ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Today, fear has gripped millions of Americans, but the moment must be met with catalyzing action, not paralysis. Turn fear into righteous anger. Do not let it leave you frozen.
The cause of liberty has always depended on imperfect citizens rising to perfect occasions.
Now it depends on us.
I don’t know about you, but I find some comfort in the knowledge that this is a not a completely new battle and that we have won it again and again and again.
6. The cracks
We are now in a beautiful cycle where he becomes weaker and that leads to more cracks and then the cracks lead to him becoming weaker and that leads to more cracks which lead to…. ad infinitum
Despite the best efforts of Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Congress voted almost unanimously for the Justice Department to release the Epstein files. Trump failed to persuade the Senate to eliminate the filibuster and his “health care plan” has been rejected by the House’s MAGA caucus. Now, a contingent of congressional Republicans are rebelling against his proposed sell-out to Russia and his staunch ally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., defied him and then announced her resignation, prompting whispers that she’s just the first of many House Republicans who are considering leaving Congress before the 2026 midterms — and possibly even prompting a shift in the majority.
7. People standing up for the most in need of help
I’ve talked about this before, but when my family was being murdered in Germany, no one stood up for them. To be clear, there were some very brave people in Europe who stood up for Jews but they were NOT the norm. Most people turned the other way. And that is honestly what we have seen throughout history. The majority group members don’t stand up for others. We saw that in the civil rights movement in the US in the 60s. Sure, some White people were there, but they were few and far between. And that is just the truth.
Not today. Today we are seeing people all over the country fight against ICE. Protecting fellow humans.
8. The Legal Wins
We have won and won and won in the courts. Not every time. Not every fight. But A LOT.
It has been inspiring and essential and I am so grateful for it.
A lot of examples here if you want to see them
9. Our economic power
We are making a real difference
As historian Heather Cox Richardson wrote in her newsletter this week, there is a burgeoning consumer protest movement as well. In response to Trump’s appointment of Tesla CEO Elon Musk to take his famous chainsaw to the federal government, average folks organized “Tesla Takedowns” at the company’s showrooms to persuade people not to buy his cars. The results were major brand damage and sinking stock prices. ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, following pressure from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr and Trump himself, proved that consumers have the kind of clout that can move a giant corporation — Disney in this case — to defy the administration’s attempts to crackdown on free speech. The loss of subscribers and again, brand damage, was substantial.
Richardson recounted the history of successful consumer movements, particularly those run by women in the years before they were allowed to vote. Her conclusion? These movements have teeth — and they work. Richardson mentioned the upcoming “We Ain’t Buyin’ It!” campaign scheduled for Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Its organizers are urging people to pause their shopping at Target, Amazon and Home Depot from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 in an effort to protest what they call “corporations enabling the Trump Administration’s abuses of power.”
10. This Comminity
Not only do you show up here and elsewhere to stand up for Democracy and one another and add JOY and HOPE and LOVE to the world, but you have been there for me when I have asked.
I started a substack to share joy midweek (via my job as a behavioral scientist) and so many of you have followed me there and subscribed and supported that effort. I can’t even begin to tell you what that means to me. I am humbled and happy.
Here is this week’s post on comfort foods and wellbeing
Pass the Comfort, Please: The Psychology Behind Thanksgiving Food and Social Belonging
Thank you. 💛💜💚
What can you do to save democracy?
First, continue to find joy in your life! Don’t let that fuckface live rent free in your mind! This is your life!!!!!
Second, if you can, it is time to start donating. I set up a fundraising page!
It splits our donations among the 15 seats held by Republicans in swing districts. These are seats that were either won by a margin of 4% or less or were won by Harris in 2024. In other words, these are seats we can win in 2026. None of them are in CA or TX (and thus likely to be redistricted). Any money you donate will go directly to whomever our candidate will be in 2026. We only need to flip three of these!
Here is the link:
Some other ways to get involved
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If you can, I strongly recommend going to an in person meeting in your area. One way to find a local group is through indivisible: indivisibleproject.formstack.com/…
- Join the truth brigade! Grassroots-powered lie-stopping. Person by person; mind by openewww.dailykos.com/...d mind
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Election Response Center is a project hosted by Working Families Party, MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible, and Public Citizen. They are organizing lots of events to get people fighting. Join one at this link
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The ACLU plays a key role in filing lawsuits that often stop voter suppression. Get involved with them at this link.
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Get involved with the Democratic party. We aren’t perfect, but they are fucking evil.
- Get involved with the States Project They are working on turning state legislatures blue
- Get involved with Swing Left. They are working on races right now!
- People For the American Way is a national progressive advocacy organization that inspires and mobilizes Americans to defend freedom, justice, and democracy from those who threaten to take them away. Get involved with them here
- Center for American Progress Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan policy institute and advocacy organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Get involved with them here
Looking for something more specific?
Want to focus on the ENVIRONMENT:
Want to focus on CIVIL RIGHTS:
HUMAN RIGHTS - GENERALLY:
LGBTQ+:
WOMEN:
Huge thanks to DKos user dabug for help with this list.
Don’t let the options overwhelm you! Try to pick one thing and see if it calls to you. If it doesn’t find something else.
There are so many ways to get involved and help!
Some inspiration before I say goodbye
“Whatever happens, stay alive.
Don't die before you're dead.
Don't lose yourself, don't lose hope, don't lose direction.
Stay alive, with yourself, with every cell of your body, with every fiber of your skin.
Stay alive, learn, study, think, read, build, invent, create, speak, write, dream, design.
Stay alive, stay alive inside you, stay alive also outside, fill yourself with colors of the world, fill yourself with peace, fill yourself with hope.
Stay alive with joy.
There is only one thing you should not waste in life,
and that's life itself..."
by Virginia Woolf
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At Albany Bulb with Elaine
By Alison Luterman
Side by side on a log by the bay.
Sunlight. Unleashed dogs,
prancing through surf, almost exploding
out of their skins with perfect happiness.
Dogs who don't know about fired park rangers,
or canceled health research, or tariff wars,
or the suicide hotline for veterans getting defunded,
or or or. We've listed horror upon horror
to each other for weeks now, and it does no good,
so instead I tell her how I held a two-day old baby
in my arms, inhaling him like a fresh-baked loaf of bread,
then watched as a sneeze erupted through his body
like a tiny volcano. It was the look of pure
astonishment on his face, as if he were Adam
in the garden of Eden making his debut achoo,
as if it were the first sneeze that ever blew,
that got me. She tells me how her dog
once farted so loudly he startled himself
and fell off the bed where he'd been lolling,
and then the two of us start to laugh so hard
we almost fall off our own log. And this
is our resistance for today; remembering
original innocence. And they can't
take it away from us, though they ban
our very existence, though they slash
our rights to ribbons, we will have
our mirth and our birthright gladness.
Long after every unsold Tesla
has vaporized, and earth has closed over
even the names of these temporary tyrants,
somewhere some women like us
will be sitting side by side, facing the water,
telling human stories and laughing still.
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please, keep this in mind when you despair:
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The Third Reich didn't last 1,000 years.Pinochet was ousted with a referendum.And the US isn't exactly dealing with the smartest, most competent fascists.Those of you insisting that 2025 is forever need to read a book, touch grass, go to therapy, anything other than trying to make others quit.
— Nicholas Grossman (@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social) 2025-09-18T15:02:19.789Z
I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with all of you. ✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 💙❤️💛💚✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
