The Struggle for the Soul of America: Are You Really Going to Sit on Your Couch and Let Trump Destroy Our Democracy?

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Without a doubt, 2024 promises to be one of the most challenging years in American history as the very survival of our democracy is at stake. The question each of us must ask ourselves is what am I willing to do now to save American democracy?

Donald Trump has clearly stated his authoritarian leanings. His autocratic positions mandate that he must be stopped from regaining the White House or it’s curtains for our democracy. For example:

He intends to be a dictator on day one if he is elected.[1]
He expects to use the federal government to punish critics and imprison opponents should he win a second term.[2]
He plans to create a federal workforce that can be fired by the president at will and must follow his personal whims;[3] and
He wants to pardon people convicted of federal crimes for their involvement in the January 6^th assault on the U.S. Capitol.[4]

Defeating Trump and his autocratic agenda is critical. We cannot wait for Biden and the Democrats to take action. Nor can we count on the courts to find Trump guilty of undermining our democracy. Given Trump’s delaying tactics and the slow-moving legal process, there is at least a fair chance that the courts will not finally settle the ex-president’s legal culpability before November’s election.

It is up to us, the people who still believe in the Constitution, to step up and make sure that voters understand that the survival of our democracy is the central question in this year’s elections.

Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, put it this way:

My hope for 2024 is that the silent majority of Americans who still believe in freedom will stop wallowing in despair and waiting for the worst. Instead, these voters should rise up from their couches, get organized, and start taking action to save democracy now, and not 10 months and one week from now when it will be too late.

There needs to be an active, pro-democracy movement in the United States that is bigger, more visible, and more determined than the MAGA movement that seeks to destroy it. They should be organizing right now, crafting new messages, posting on TikTok, making themselves known, knocking on doors, registering every voter, and talking to—and listening to—millions of disillusioned young people.

We can enter a new year with high hopes, and not existential dread, but we have to remember that hopes only come true through action.[5]

Now is the time for all of us to take action. Write letters to the editor, register voters, connect with disillusioned youth, campaign door-to-door, attend town halls, primary debates, and political rallies, and talk with friends and neighbors.

We must make democracy the issue. If we don’t stop Trump, our voices and our votes will be crushed, and America will be changed forever. We must organize and act now before it’s too late.

Bruce Berlin

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.), the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/12/trump-says-hell-be-a-dictator-on-day-one/676247/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/05/trump-revenge-second-term/

[3] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/donald-trump-15-most-dangerous-statements/675970/

[4] Ibid.

[5] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/save-democracy-in-2024

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Enjoy the Holidays! Don’t Get Overwhelmed!

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

We live in very trying times. So many difficult critical situations demand our attention:

Will Congress provide more funding for Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian invasion?

Will the U.S. send more funds to support Israel’s war against Hamas? Will the funds be with or without conditions? Will President Biden put more pressure on Israel to narrow its offensive in Gaza? Should the U.S. change its position on a cease-fire?

What will the Supreme Court decide on the question of Trump’s immunity from prosecution for unlawful acts he committed while president? When will it rule? Will the March 4^th D.C. trial regarding Trump’s culpability for the January 6^th attack on the Capital and attempted coup be delayed?

What happens if Trump gets elected president next November?

Of course, there are many more shaky balls up in the air for us to be concerned about, like climate change, immigration policy, abortion rights, gun violence, and on and on.

But let’s not forget that it’s the holiday season. Time for family gatherings, exchanging gifts, contributing to worthy causes, catching a new movie, and enjoying a good party or two.

I do my best to maintain a balance between my personal life and what’s going on in our world. If you’ve been reading my blog posts (See https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog/), you know how concerned I am about a number of these issues. Still, I try not to let such pressing problems overwhelm me. While I stay informed and contribute, in some matters, both financially and in other ways, I also make considerable time for fun and relaxation.

Additionally, as the year comes to a close, I will be reflecting on 2023 to examine my successes and shortfalls, and what I might have done differently. I will also be looking forward to 2024: how I might up my game and what I’d like to do or accomplish in the coming year.

Finally, in keeping with my need for balance and desire for leisure, I am taking a two-week break over the holidays from writing my blog. That will give me more time to work on my memoir, which I hope to finish by late spring, as well as for the other activities I mentioned above.

So, Happy Holidays! Wishing everyone contentment, joy and good health in the new year!

And Peace on Earth; Goodwill to all!

Namaste!

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Can Trump Be Stopped?

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

In a recent Washington Post column, Editor-at-Large Robert Kagan wrote, “Let’s stop the wishful thinking and face the stark reality: There is a clear path to dictatorship in the United States, and it is getting shorter every day….The idea that he (Trump) is unelectable in the general election is nonsense — he is tied or ahead of President Biden in all the latest polls…”[1]

Kagan calculates that Trump will wrap up the Republican nomination three months from now on Super Tuesday. Once that happens, Kagan asserts that Trump will “become far more powerful than he already is” and people will be “falling into line.”[2]

One Republican who will not be “falling into line” is former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney. She has vowed “to do everything I can to stop Donald Trump,” which may include a third-party run of her own for the presidency next year.[3]

But it’s not just about stopping Trump in Cheney’s view. She wants the Democrats to win the majority in Congress as well in 2024. Cheney believes that a Republican majority presents a ‘threat’ to the nation: “We have to ensure that we don’t have a situation where an election that might be thrown into the House of Representatives is overseen by a Republican majority.”[4]

It is not at all clear that a Cheney third-party run would help prevent Trump from taking the White House. It could boost his chances if her campaign attracted Independents, conservative Democrats, and moderate Republicans who might have otherwise voted for Biden. In fact, any third-party candidacy that draws support from potential Biden voters will actually help Trump.

In addition to Cheney, numerous groups are working to defeat Trump’s campaign for the presidency. In last week’s blog,[5] I recommended joining Indivisible and reading its A Practical Guide to Defeating MAGA.[6] Other groups you might want to join and support are:

1. Protect Democracy (https://www.protectdemocracy.org) is dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom and liberal democracy.

2. Call To Activism (https://www.calltoactivism.com/) helps Democrats with messaging by defining issues on strong emotional terms that resonate with voters. It strives to stop the GOP from winning arguments and the Democrats from playing defense.

3. The Lincoln Project (lincolnproject.us/) works to protect the American Republic from Donald Trump and those who identify (publicly or privately) as MAGA supporters. It agrees with Trump on only one thing: 2024 is a battle for America’s future.

Finally, there is one other way of stopping Trump. Lawsuits in several states are now seeking to disqualify Trump from running for president under section 3 of the 14^th Amendment. Section 3 disqualifies anyone from holding public office if they have taken an oath to the United States and subsequently “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same” unless Congress votes to remove that disqualification by a two-thirds vote. In Colorado, the state supreme court just heard arguments on the matter. In Michigan, a state appeals court will soon render a decision. And, in Minnesota, the state supreme court dismissed a similar case for the time being.[7]

In the end, it all comes down to you and me. How much do we care about the future of our country? How much time, energy and money are we each willing to contribute to saving our democracy? We all must pitch in and do whatever we can to defeat the greatest threat to our fragile American Republic since the Civil War. Contact one of the above groups to find out how you can help. Your country needs you now more than ever!

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/30/trump-dictator-2024-election-robert-kagan/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_popns&utm_campaign=wp_opinions_pm

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.npr.org/2023/12/05/1217282237/liz-cheney-oath-and-honor-memoir#:~:text=Former%20Wyoming%20representative%20Liz%20Cheney,can%20to%20stop%20Donald%20Trump.%22

[4] https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/03/liz-cheney-would-rather-see-democrats-win-2024-00129796 / bm

[5] https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog/

[6] https://indivisible.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/20220104_Indivisible_%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Defeating%20MAGA.pdf

[7] https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/06/colorado-supreme-court-trump-insurrection-00130271;

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/04/can-trump-be-removed-ballot-insurrection-clause-colorado

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Can American Democracy Survive Trump’s Sedition?

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

There’s a lot going on these days that makes my blood boil. The tragic war between Israel and Hamas is on the front burner, along with Biden’s refusal to recognize it’s time he passed the presidential torch to the next generation.

But I just read a recent column by my new favorite journalist, Lucian K. Truscott IV, that made my blood boil even more. In it, Truscott reminds us that:

“…while Judge Engoron (who is presiding over Donald Trump’s NY civil fraud case) and his clerk are undergoing a tsunami of harassment and threats that took 250 single-spaced pages to list, Trump is riding around in armored Secret Service “Beast” SUV’s and traveling on his private jet, surrounded by Secret Service agents carrying M-4 automatic submachine guns, as he continues to egg-on his hordes of MAGA followers.”[1]

I am outraged. How can we law-abiding taxpayers be footing the bill for Trump’s protection while our government’s judges continue to allow the indicted, fascist-leaning ex-president to incite his followers to violence?

What the hell is happening in our country that allows such seditious, if not, criminal behavior to go unchecked? How can protecting this lawless, insurrectionist ex-president and his subversive conduct be more important than safeguarding American democracy? This must be stopped!

It’s clear that our democracy is under attack and Trump is leading the charge. So clear that the federal government has indicted him on three criminal conspiracy counts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election.[1] (Including three other cases against him, Trump faces a total of 91 felony counts.) Still, even if Trump is convicted, it probably will not stop his supporters from doing whatever they can to put him back in the White House.

No question we have our work cut out for us if we are to save our besieged democracy from Trump and his unruly gang. Fortunately, Indivisible has published A Practical Guide to Defeating MAGA[2] which provides a promising way forward. They know it won’t be easy. In fact, they warn, “It’s going to take all of us working together to beat back the MAGA movement and save our democracy.”[3]

In their 19-page Guide, Indivisible lays out two strategies that executed well together can defeat MAGA Republicans and preserve our democracy. Simply put, they are:

Push Democrats to fight for important wins and sell those wins to the public, and

Define the GOP as the unpopular extremists they are.

I urge you to join Indivisible in this critical effort. Go to https://indivisible.org/ and sign up. We must come together. Our country needs us now more than ever.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://luciantruscott.substack.com/p/trump-my-free-speech-rights-dont

[2] https://www.justice.gov/storage/US_v_Trump_23_cr_257.pdf

[3] https://indivisible.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/20220104_Indivisible_%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Defeating%20MAGA.pdf

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The Struggle for the Soul of America: Like It Or Not, Biden Is Our Only Hope

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

I recently had a difficult political conversation with a couple of friends. While usually supporters of Democratic candidates, they emphatically proclaimed that they would not vote for Biden for president next year. But, neither would they support Trump.

My friends indicated that they may not vote for president at all in the coming election. However, if they decided to vote, they were leaning toward Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for president, who is currently polling an impressive 22% in a three-way race with Biden and Trump.[1]

I argued that not voting or supporting a third-party candidate would help Trump get elected. And a Trump second term would be a disaster for our country. Of course, it’s not a certainty that voting for a third-party candidate like Kennedy or perhaps Sen. Joe Manchin, if he decides to run, would boost Trump’s election chances. But can we take that chance?

In my mind, this is not about Biden’s age or whether or not we agree with some of his policies. What the 2024 election will really be about is whether the United States continues to be a democracy.

Every day Trump tells us loud and clear who he is and how he will rule our country if he regains the White House next year. The Washington Post noted Trump in his Veterans Day speech called his political enemies “vermin” and suggested that they pose a greater threat to the United States than countries such as Russia, China, or North Korea. It reminded the newspaper of dictators Hitler and Mussolini.[2]

The United States would become an authoritarian regime if Trump were elected. Michael Luttig, former conservative federal appeals judge and assistant White House counsel under President Reagan, asserted, “I am more worried for America today than I was on January 6. … [Trump’s] election would be catastrophic for America’s democracy.”[3]

Here are just a few of what a second Trump presidency would look like:

First, Trump would break down legal restrictions and traditional protections against political interference and give the White House authority to install ideological allies throughout the federal government.[4] He intends to strip tens of thousands of career employees of their civil service protections, which would allow him to fire all government officials he considers disloyal to him and replace them with loyal lackeys.[5]

Second, Trump wants to undertake the largest domestic deportation operation in American history. He would end birthright citizenship, using an executive order that would introduce a legally untested interpretation of the 14th Amendment.[6] His White-nationalist policies would invoke new legal authorities to pursue mass expulsions and enlist the military to help carry them out.[7]

Third, Trump would crack down on gender-affirming care by declaring that hospitals and health care providers that offer transitional hormones or surgery no longer meet federal health and safety standards and will be blocked from receiving federal funds, including Medicaid and Medicare.[8]

Fourth, Trump would ramp up oil drilling on public lands and offer tax breaks to oil, gas, and coal producers. He would roll back Biden administration’s efforts to encourage the adoption of electric cars and reverse proposed new pollution limits. He would exit the Paris Climate Accords, end wind subsidies, and eliminate efficiency regulations imposed and proposed by the Biden administration.[9] Our efforts to fight climate change and save our planet would take a huge step backward.

And fifth, Trump has pledged to terminate the Department of Education. He would push the federal government to give funding preference to states and school districts that abolish teacher tenure and allow the direct election of school principals by parents. He also has said he would cut funding for any school that has a vaccine or mask mandate and will promote prayer in public schools.[10]

There’s much more. But who would stop him? The very conservative Supreme Court majority that he built during his first term? Don’t hold your breath. If you are thinking of not voting for Biden, you better think again. At this point, electing Biden is probably the only way we can be sure to keep Trump out of the White House.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3881

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/12/trump-rally-vermin-political-opponents/

[3] https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-has-big-plans-for-a-second-term-critics-say-they-pose-a-threat-to-democracy-203042124.html

[4] https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/16/politics/trump-agenda-second-term/index.html

[5] https://apnews.com/article/trump-policies-agenda-election-2024-second-term-d656d8f08629a8da14a65c4075545e0f

[6] Ibid.

[7] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/14/trump-mass-deportation-immigration-stephen-miller/

[8] https://apnews.com/article/trump-policies-agenda-election-2024-second-term-d656d8f08629a8da14a65c4075545e0f

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Will Biden Run for Re-election?

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

While last Tuesday’s elections proved positive for Democrats, they did not demonstrate that President Biden’s chances of winning re-election were on the rise. In fact, a recent New York Times/Siena College poll had Biden losing to Donald Trump in five of the six top battleground states.[1]

According to the poll, Biden’s support among core constituencies has dropped considerably. In particular, non-white voters and those under 30 have lost faith in the President. On the key issues of the economy, foreign policy, and immigration, battleground states’ voters trusted Trump over Biden.[2]

Though the poll gave Trump a four-point advantage over Biden, when asked if they favored another unnamed Democratic candidate, voters gave that generic candidate an eight-point lead, 48 percent to 40 percent over Trump.[3]

As a result, some national figures are beginning to raise the possibility of having another prominent Democrat on top of the ticket next year. David Alexrod, Obama’s chief political strategist, noted Biden has to decide “whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s” for him to run for re-election.[4] Citing Biden’s age (He is about to turn 81.), Washington Post columnist David Ignatius recently wrote that Biden should not run.[5]

Additionally, MSNBC pundit and former Congressman Joe Scarborough noted that every Democrat he has spoken to privately believes President Biden is “too old” to run for reelection next year.[6] This past weekend the President gave further reason for these concerns at a Veterans Day service. Biden stumbled during the service and appeared to get lost while laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.[7]

Biden also has other serious baggage weighing on his re-election prospects. Chief among them is inflation. A late September ABC/Washington Post poll found that high food and energy prices are voters’ major issues with the Biden administration.[8]

Nevertheless, despite the disturbing polls and Biden’s losing key constituencies support, the Democratic establishment is sticking with Biden.[9] Former labor secretary in the Clinton administration Robert Reich believes that if Biden “simply continues to be the adult in the room — governing maturely and responsibly — more of the American public will eventually come around to him, including in the swing states.”[10]

Consequently, barring some disrupting event, e.g., the president’s health deteriorates significantly, it certainly looks like Biden will be the Democrats’ nominee for president in 2024. While many of us, myself included, would rather see a younger, more progressive Democrat leading the ticket, we all have to get behind Biden now. The stakes are too high not to.

The election is a year away. Biden still has time to turn the tide in his favor. A recent Politico column offered a number of ways he could do that. One that I found intriguing would be for him to “appoint a pair of high-level envoys,” Bill and Hillary Clinton, to oversee a new Mideast peace process. “Dispatching the Clintons would show Biden’s commitment to a resolution…”[11] In addition, I believe he needs to pressure the Israelis to wind down the war and institute a ceasefire as soon as possible as well as develop a viable framework for a just and lasting peace that all sides agree to. (See NYT columnist Tom Friedman’s view on this.[12]) This would shore up his standing with the American Muslim community and the political left sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

Another valuable proposal is for Biden to present a broad team as the face of his campaign:

The governors, the senators, the cabinet secretaries and the infrastructure czar should be the faces of Biden’s campaign, along with the president and vice-president. The message: with Democrats remaining in power, it’s not just an 82-year-old at the helm but also this group — Team Normal when compared to Trump….[13]

Of course, youth, Blacks, and Hispanics need to be prominent members of Biden’s Team too. These core constituencies must be convinced that the administration is listening to them and addressing their concerns.

Finally, while there are other strategies the president could pursue, perhaps the most effective would be “to solidify and expand the anti-Trump coalition.”[14] Biden’s campaign needs to make crystal clear what a huge difference there would be between Trump’s return to the White House and a second Biden administration. The former leads to an authoritarian regime. The latter will help revitalize American democracy. Therefore, it’s critical that we all join the Biden team now.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/05/us/politics/biden-trump-2024-poll.html

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/06/an-ominous-poll-democrats-what-it-says-about-biden-alternative/

[4] https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/david-axelrod-questions-wisdom-president-biden-running-again/

[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/12/biden-trump-election-step-aside/

[6] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4202366-scarborough-says-democrats-privately-say-biden-too-old-to-run/

[7] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12737895/Biden-gaffe-veterans-day-service.html

[8] https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/09/abc-nbc-polls-show-the-economy-hurts-biden-more-than-age.html

[9] https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/28/politics/biden-reelection-worries-dean-phillips/index.html

[10] https://www.yahoo.com/news/ex-labor-secretary-predicts-exactly-101031826.html

[11] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/13/biden-2024-reelection-challenges-strategy-00126776

[12] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/opinion/israel-war-biden.html

[13] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/13/biden-2024-reelection-challenges-strategy-00126776

[14] https://www.yahoo.com/news/goldberg-bidens-bad-news-week-110454250.html

The Struggle for the Soul of America: The Differences Between the Parties Couldn’t Be Clearer

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

With the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as Speaker of the House of Representatives, the divide between the two major parties has been made astonishingly stark. At the same time, from a political perspective, the Republicans have given the Democrats a big campaign gift for 2024.

Next year the American people will have an extremely clear choice. On the one hand, they can vote for House Republican Party members who “unanimously voted for a man who made it his mission to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election, who put the political whims and needs of Donald Trump ahead of the interests and will of the American people.”[1]

According to a recent New York Times investigation, “Mr. Johnson was ‘the most important architect of the Electoral College objections’ to Mr. Trump’s loss in 2020… He made unfounded arguments questioning the constitutionality of state voting rules; he agreed with Mr. Trump that the election was “rigged,” cast doubt on voting machines and supported a host of other baseless and unconstitutional theories that ultimately led to a violent insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.”[2] Consequently, Trump, the likely Republican nominee for president in 2024, approved of Johnson’s bid for Speaker of the House.[3]

Additionally, Johnson voted against a number of the Biden Administration’s major bipartisan bills — including one to establish a Jan. 6 independent commission, the infrastructure law, reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, the codification of same-sex marriage legislation, a modest new gun law and the Chips and Science Act. Johnson also voted to cut off U.S. military assistance for Ukraine.[4]

Regarding abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, Johnson strongly opposes both as well. He has a long history of advocating against these rights.[5]

On the other hand, Congressional Democrats and the Biden Administration have strongly supported all of the above legislation and issues that Johnson has rejected.

Perhaps as telling as any of the above regarding where Johnson and House Republicans stand is the first piece of legislation he proposed as House Speaker. Despite bipartisan backing for a larger aid bill to include support for Ukraine, the U.S.-Mexico border and other pressing needs, Johnson recommended funds only for Israel. Worse still, he coupled the $14.3 billion Israeli aid with cuts to the IRS, a top priority of the far-right. Since these cuts would reduce the IRS’s ability to go after high-income earners trying to evade their tax liability, Johnson’s bill would actually increase the budget deficit.[6]

Clearly, Johnson was more concerned with garnering MAGA Republicans’ support and helping wealthy Republican donors avoid paying their fair share in taxes than assisting Israel, Ukraine, border security and other priorities. Top Senate Republicans as well as the White House and practically all Congressional Democrats quickly rejected Johnson’s bill.[7]

In 2024, will Americans support an anti-democratic, election-denying Republican Party that puts its wealthy donors above everything else? Or will they back the Democrats who stand up for the rights of all Americans and are working to build the nation’s economy and infrastructure as well as to assist our democratic allies abroad? We all need to do whatever we can to ensure that the voting public understands the differences between the parties and supports the Democratic Party that’s working for them.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/opinion/mike-johnson-trump-speaker.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/mike-johnson-house-speaker-republican-nominee-what-know-rcna122114

[4] Ibid.

[5] https://lailluminator.com/2023/10/29/mike-johson-lgbtq/

[6] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/10/31/israel-ukraine-johnson-house/

[7] Ibid.

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Trump and the Republican Party Represent a Real Fascist Threat to American Democracy

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

In my last blog, I noted Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would be my choice for the Democratic nomination for president if Biden stepped down, which, for a short time, seemed possible. Since it’s now clear to me that Biden will not be stepping down, I won’t go into why I favored Whitmer as I had originally intended. Still, keep an eye on her. She will most likely be in the Democrats’ top tier for the 2028 nomination.

But for 2024, I will strongly support Biden assuming he will be the Democratic nominee. In fact, I will support any Democrat over Trump or whomever the Republicans nominate. While there are many reasons for my position, chief among them is that the Republican Party is anti-democratic and veering toward fascism.

While this may sound alarmist, the American people need to be clear about what the Republican Party is up to. New York Times opinion columnist Charles Blow recently observed that Republicans “have turned their backs on democracy.” Since they realize they are becoming a minority party, Blow concludes that the Republicans “want to devise a plan for minority rule.”[1]

That plan has a strong fascist tint to it. A mass political movement, fascism “emphasizes extreme nationalism, militarism, and the supremacy of both the nation and the single, powerful leader over the individual citizen.”[2] This is exactly what Trump and his MAGA stormtroopers are fighting for.

The great majority of Republicans back Trump. If he wins the presidency next year, the New York Times reports that Trump intends “a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government,…reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands…” He plans “to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government…” and suppressing all opposition.[3]

Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff in Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, interviewed numerous Trump aides and GOP leaders who know the ex-president. Here’s what they believe would happen if Trump or another MAGA candidate wins the White House next year:

First, the entire executive branch would be weaponized. The military would be deployed on U.S. soil to crush protests. Executive agencies would be politicized, focusing on actions to solidify and enhance Trump’s supreme authority.

Second, Congress would be neutralized, and GOP objectors muzzled..

Third, the justice system would be used to punish the MAGA movement’s enemies. The FBI would be used for revenge.[4]

Whatever doubts we may have about another four years of President Biden, they pall in comparison to the dangers a second Trump presidency presents. It is not too early to sound the alarm and motivate our friends, family, and colleagues to engage in the fight to save our democracy from the dire threat that Trump and his MAGA followers pose.

Bruce Berlin

P.S. I will be traveling out of the country for the next two weeks. My blog will resume the week of October 9.

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/opinion/republican-party-anti-democracy.html

[2] https://world101.cfr.org/contemporary-history/world-war/what-fascism

[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/us/politics/trump-plans-2025.html

[4] https://time.com/6294052/new-trump-presidency-would-be-even-worse/

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Should Biden Run for Re-election?

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

In a recent CNN poll, two-thirds of Democratic voters believed the Democrats should nominate someone other than President Biden in 2024. The biggest concern among the respondents was his age. If re-elected, the President would be 82 by the time he began a second term.[1]

Views of Biden’s performance in office are deeply negative in the new poll. His job approval rating stands at just 39%, and 58% say that his policies have made economic conditions in the US worse. Seventy percent say things in the country are going badly, and 51% say government should be doing more to solve the nation’s problems.[2]

While I do not fall in line with some of the above poll responses, I am now with the Democrats who want Biden to step aside and have the Party nominate someone else for president next year. Here are some pressing reasons for my decision:

First, I feel Biden is too old to lead the nation. We need new energy, fresh vision and vitality. If you can remember that far back, think about when the young John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960. Like then, it’s now time for a new generation of leadership. Nancy Pelosi and her octogenarian deputies recognized that and stepped away from leading the House Democrats. Biden should do the same.

Second, the Democrats need to inspire voters, not just say we’re better than the other guy. This is especially true with getting out the Gen-Z youth vote which is critical to the Democrats’ election prospects. Biden does not generate enthusiasm among younger voters. In fact, he does not among a great many voters of all ages.

Third, in the latest poll, the leading Republican candidate, Donald Trump, is tied with Biden, despite the fact that Trump has been indicted four times.[3] With 91 felony counts pending against him, Trump’s nomination should, theoretically, provide Biden with the best shot at winning. But, if tying with Trump is the best he can do, what happens when the Republicans finally decide to nominate someone without all of Trump’s baggage, someone significantly younger with executive and foreign policy experience like former Gov. Nikki Haley?

Fourth, if the Republicans do nominate Haley, even for vice president, the Democrats will lose some moderate Republican women who were leaning Democratic due to the abortion rights issue. While clearly pro-life, Haley is taking a broader approach to abortion as she tries to hold onto those women voters. That includes encouraging adoption, providing contraception, and not criminalizing women who have the procedure.[4]

Fifth, Biden’s support is slipping among a key Democratic constituency, nonwhite voters. Biden now receives support from just 53% of registered nonwhite voters. In 2020, he won more than 70% of nonwhite voters.[5]

Democrats win when voter turnout is high. If young and nonwhite voters are not enthusiastic about the Democratic candidate, the turnout will not work in the Democrats’ favor. Add to that a woman on the Republican ticket and their gender advantage will be diminished as well.

Can the Democrats afford to take a chance with Biden when so much is at stake? Shouldn’t Democratic leaders, as well as the rest of us, be speaking out and pressuring Biden to step aside for the good of the country?

While there are a number of next generation Democrats who could take Biden’s place and win the White House, I favor Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. According to The New Yorker magazine, “she is a Democrat who fights and wins in one of the most competitive parts of the country.”[6] More about why Gov. Whitmer and the Democrats’ dilemma next week.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] [1] https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/cnn-poll-joe-biden-headwinds/index.html

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/biden-trump-tied-polls-rcna103893

[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/09/us/politics/haley-abortion-2024-presidential-race.html

[5] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/05/upshot/biden-trump-black-hispanic-voters.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share

[6] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/24/how-gretchen-whitmer-made-michigan-a-democratic-stronghold

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Trump Train Falling Off the Rails

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

I can see the tide turning. On Tuesday, voters in an Iowa county that supported Trump by a 17-point margin in 2020 voted to elect Democrat Kimberly Sheets to the position of county auditor. Sheets captured 66.5% of the vote over her Republican opponent who had spread false conspiracy theories about the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 2020 presidential election. Iowa’s county auditors oversee elections.[1]

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan scheduled Donald Trump’s D.C. trial on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election for March 4, 2024.[2] As hard as he tries, Trump will not be able to hide his disgraceful betrayal of our democracy until after next year’s presidential election.

Last Thursday, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee set October 23^rd for the trial of Kenneth Chesebro, one of 18 defendants charged alongside former President Trump with various acts of conspiracy to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.[3] While Trump may not be on trial in this latter hearing, it will expose to the American people a great deal about his alleged criminal wrongdoing in the 2020 Georgia election.

Finally, the wheels are coming off the treacherous Trump train. But even if Trump is found guilty in all four criminal cases now pending against him, it will not fix our broken democracy.

That is why it’s imperative that we, the people, need to get to work now to fix our democracy. That’s a very tall order. Many measures, beginning with open primaries and the right to vote and have our votes counted for everyone over 18, will be required to repair our democracy. While what’s required won’t happen overnight, if we want to save our country from autocratic rule, there is no time to waste.

Where to start and what to do? For some practical answers to those questions, attend the ‘Fix Our Democracy’ rally on the eastside of the Roundhouse in Santa Fe this Friday at noon. Rick Hubbard, who is alerting Americans to the urgent necessity to come together and repel the imminent danger to our democratic way of life, will be the featured speaker.

Hubbard, an 81-year-old retired lawyer and political activist, is Walking Across America to Fix Our Democracy. Obviously, he can’t do it alone. This is a critical time in our country and if we ever were going to help save our democracy from authoritarianism, now is the time to step up and get involved.

Show your support and attend the rally this Friday at noon and bring a friend or two with you. Urge all your friends and colleagues to be there. Please send this notice to as many people as you can. For more information, see the press release below.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

For immediate release

CONTACT: Rick Hubbard Cell: 802-999-3905

Email: fixdemocracy@rickhubbard.org

This 82-Year-Old Could Be at Home Complaining About Dysfunctional Government.

Instead, He’s Walking Across the Country to Fix Our Democracy.

Many Americans think that our government and political system isn’t serving the common good. Instead of properly serving constituents, our elected representatives spend countless hours raising money and becoming beholden to special interests. However, one man is taking to America’s roads to say that all is not lost, and “we the people” have the power to rescue our democracy.

Retired Vermont lawyer and businessman Rick Hubbard started his Walking to Fix Our Democracy quest from Pasadena, CA in October of 2022. He will arrive in Santa Fe, NM Friday morning, September 1, and will speak at the east side of the Roundhouse at 12 noon hosted by Indivisible Santa Fe, RepresentUs New Mexico, Common Cause New Mexico and Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America. The nonpartisan event is free and all are welcome.

Hubbard traveled through California, Nevada and Arizona before leaving the road in December 2022 when his life-partner Sally had a relapse of her cancer and later passed away in April 2023. After putting her affairs in order, Rick returned to the Walk in August 2023, starting in New Mexico with the intention of arriving in Washington, DC after the January 2025 inauguration and a new Congress is seated.

Hubbard’s project is not just about one person, however. Walking to Fix Our Democracy is a national effort to engage, activate, and support citizens to fix our democracy. Rick wants to empower voters across the land to walk and advocate in their own communities to demand proper representation.

“We can make our political system fairer, more inclusive, more competitive, and more representative. Our walk is a nonpartisan effort to make the case in communities across the U.S. that fixing our democracy first is the quickest and most effective way to unlock progress on issues important to us all: Climate change, health care, education, infrastructure, the freedom to vote, campaign financing, and much more,” says Hubbard.

Walking to Fix Our Democracy has several purposes:

Raise awareness about the need, and ways, to avoid autocratic rule of government.
Spotlight state and local democracy activist efforts along the route.
To encourage short walks for the same purpose on specific, coordinated dates in communities across America.
To encourage candidates for Congress and other levels of government to make fixing our democracy their lead issue, starting with the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Hubbard considers this project as an opportunity for high school and college age youth to amplify their voices and concerns about how government functions and its accountability, both locally and nationally. “I have a request for youth to tell me what to say or ask on their behalf, when I speak with the media, our elected and potential representatives, and the American people,” he stated.

As Hubbard walks, he encourages citizens of all ages to walk with him, organize local walks, invite him to speak to groups, high schools and colleges, and share his effort via social media. “My logistics are mostly a volunteer effort,” said Hubbard. “I depend on volunteers as I travel to help drive the RV, organize events and help get the word out. This walk, like democracy, isn’t a spectator sport! It won’t be successful unless we all do our part to make it work,” he said.

See the schedule and how to get involved by visiting the website at http://www.fixourdemocracy.us

[1] https://iowastartingline.com/2023/08/29/iowa-voters-oust-conspiracy-theorist-from-county-elections-post/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/28/trump-jan-6-trial-date/?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&location=alert

[3] https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4169484-fulton-county-da-seeks-oct-23-start-date-in-trump-georgia-trial-after-speedy-trial-request/

Breaking Big Money's Grip on America

My book about reviving democracy in America

Category Archives: Donald Trump

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Are You Really Going to Sit on Your Couch and Let Trump Destroy Our Democracy?

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Enjoy the Holidays! Don’t Get Overwhelmed!

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Can Trump Be Stopped?

1. Protect Democracy (https://www.protectdemocracy.org) is dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom and liberal democracy.

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Can American Democracy Survive Trump’s Sedition?

But I just read a recent column by my new favorite journalist, Lucian K. Truscott IV, that made my blood boil even more. In it, Truscott reminds us that:

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Like It Or Not, Biden Is Our Only Hope

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Will Biden Run for Re-election?

The Struggle for the Soul of America: The Differences Between the Parties Couldn’t Be Clearer

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Trump and the Republican Party Represent a Real Fascist Threat to American Democracy

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Should Biden Run for Re-election?

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Trump Train Falling Off the Rails

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1. Protect Democracy (https://www.protectdemocracy.org) is dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom and liberal democracy.

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But I just read a recent column by my new favorite journalist, Lucian K. Truscott IV, that made my blood boil even more. In it, Truscott reminds us that:

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