Morning all. What’s just sticking with me this morning is how everything is going to shit for Trump - economically, geopolitically, electorally - and yet he seems unwilling, unable to do anything about it. He’s become the opposite of powerful - impotent.
Sure he has his ballroom, his Qatari plane, the arch, the Kennedy Center, his state dinners - the trappings of power - but it is just not clear that in his idiocy, many manifest failures, mental and physical decline, and historic rejection that he still has power itself.
Look at this headline from Reuters, a form of “Trump got played”:
He’s completely lost control of his war in the Middle East. Brent crude is back up to $108 a barrel this morning:
The Fed raised interest rates against his commands and the global markets’ vote of no confidence in his leadership is becoming more intense and dangerous by the day:
It’s not like he hasn’t tried to make things better. It’s just that everything has tried - some of it batshit crazy - has failed:
His party has begun breaking from him in a very public way on AI and data centers:
Republicans are running away from mass deportation all over the country:
There has been bi-partisan condemnation of his inviting Putin to the G20:
Every day he is getting stories like this:
And of course the most profound evidence of his flaccid impotency comes every day in the polls (via FiftyPlusOne):
The power that remains is the power given to Trump not by the consent of the governed - which he no longer has - or our Constitution but by the corrupt Roberts Court, and by the illicit money of the oligarchs. It is not clear at this point that the money of the oligarchs can prevent the coming wave from wiping out Republicans across the country this November. Which means that he is likely to lean much harder in the coming days on that one last vestige of power that he has left - that somehow the Court will allow his dark, desperate, and illiberal schemes to remain in power without winning the election, as they did in their decision to allow his ridiculous SAVE database to proceed last week.
We’ve gotten a glimpse of what might be coming our way last week when Trump 1) at the UN both threatened genocide and war crimes against Iran and celebrated his taking of Venezuela, acts that brazenly violate the UN Charter and International Law 2) defied lower court orders and banned MS NOW, Politico, and CNN from the White House 3) Started running wildly illegal commercials bolstering himself in the election, paid for by stolen monies from taxpayers. Here’s the second of those two ads, which ran across the county this weekend. I will admit there is almost something comical about it now…..
I write all this for I think this election is becoming not just an opportunity to regain power in Washington and all across the country but to do severe damage to the * legitimacy of the regime* and the MAGA project itself. For the people will have spoken. A significant course correction will be required. Trump will have to let go of his tariffs, of his barbaric assault on health care, of his ruinous and gluttonous tax cuts, of the most ridiculous parts of his cabinet, of his support of Russia, of his power, of his ballroom, of his arch - all things he should have let go of before this election. Or what, Simon, what if he doesn’t? I don’t know how it is going to happen but he will have to give all that up for if we have the election we all want to have he will have lost more than an election - he will have lost legitimacy, and power; and we will have to use the legitimacy and power we will now have to do what the American people demand and let the Trumpian chips fall where they may……
As we’ve heard from so many this cycle the best way to ensure Trump doesn’t get away with something in the coming months is by winning this election by a huge margin, making whatever dark schemes he is conjuring now far less likely to be successful. But in our planning we must assume this battle to win a free and fair election and take power next January is contested by Trump and his quisling AG every step of the way……which is why we not only support our battleground candidates and start parties but also the New Battlefield Project of the state parties, a project which is helping the state parties across the country prepare and then execute for whatever he and his global allies throw our way in the coming months……
And so, my friends, it is that time……
Three things you can do in addition to supporting our intrepid candidates and state parties:
Become an
Early Vote Championin your networks, communities, and organizations.Sign up to become a
Democracy Protectortoo. Our next training is this Wednesday, Sept 30th at 8pm ET.Email photos of your electoral work or physical act of voting to community@hopiumchronicles.com or via links on our daily chat. We want to start showcasing them here on Hopium.
**Our Winning The House - Stake In The Ground Fund **- Donate | $1,398,100 raised, $2,000,000 goal (new stretch goal) | This is our #1 fund, updated now with new intel to include the twelve most competitive races where money and volunteers are most needed (largely due to the expense of the district, and understanding now where Republicans have decided to spend and contest).
If we win these twelve races the House flips - period.
Our * Stake In The Ground Fund* now includes Jamie Ager (NC-11), Rebecca Bennett (NJ-7), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Cait Conley (NY-17), Sarah Trone Garriott (IA-03), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), Christina Hines (MI-10), Brian Poindexter (OH-7), Bobby Pulido (TX-15), Manny Rutinel (CO-8), and Randy Villegas (CA-22). You can meet all there remarkable candidates by
Our Winning The Senate Fund - $1,129,100 raised, $1,500,000 goal - Donate | This fund splits a single donation to our six candidates must likely to flip a Senate seat this November - Sherrod Brown (OH), Roy Cooper (NC), Troy Jackson (ME), Mary Peltola (AK), James Talarico (TX), and Josh Turek (IA).
These are the majority makers in the Senate this cycle.
You can watch our interviews with each of these exciting candidates and/or contribute directly to any of them here. Our fundraising total includes money we’ve raised directly for each of the six candidates.
**Our New Growing Our House Majority Fund **- Donate | $508,100 raised, $1,000,000 goal | We’ve combined our Second and Third Waves Funds and added some candidates from our OG Winning The House Fund in a new fund we are calling Growing The House Majority. The idea is simple. We win the House with the first fund. We grow our majority with this one.
This fund now splits a contribution evenly among 18 candidates - Bob Brooks (PA-07), Rebecca Cooke (WI-03), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Sean McCann (MI-04), Johnny Garcia (TX-35), Bob Harvie (PA-01), Lindsay James (IA-02), Jake Johnson (MN-01), Jessica Killin (CO-5), Nancy Lacore (SC-01), Chaz Molder (TN-05), Jonathan Nez (AZ-02), Dr. Richard Pan (CA-06), Denise Powell (NE-02), Dr. Amish Shah (AZ-01), Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and Marni von Wilpert (CA-48). You can watch interviews and learn more about these great candidates here.
**Our Wining The States Series **- Due to space limitations we’ve moved our state “Winning” series to this new page. Head there to make state specific investments in Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin!
Support The State Parties’ Election Protection Program - Donate | $72,100 raised, $100,000 new stretch goal | We’ve launched a new, targeted fundraising campaign to help get the new election protection program of the State Democratic Parties, one this community helped develop, off the ground.
Friends, we’ve hit out $100,000 goal for home stretch funds for Hopium and our work. So grateful, so thankful to all of you who have contributed.!!! I am retiring the fund for now and will get back to working hard for our candidates and party committees!
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Keep working hard all. For we have a country to save, and elections to win all across the country, together! - Simon
