The Struggle for the Soul of America: The Times, They Are-A-Changing

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Author: Bruce Berlin

As we enter the new year, it’s clear that change is in the air. And while we likely will encounter difficult times in our country in 2026, it looks like the prevailing winds favor a rebirth of democracy in America in the year ahead.

There are a number of indicators that point in the direction of a budding democratic renewal. For starters, the Republican Party is no longer solidly behind President Trump’s dictatorial orders. Despite White House efforts to the contrary, Congressional Republicans recently joined Democrats in a near unanimous vote to release the entire Epstein files.[1] Polls indicate that 75% of the public support release of all the files.[2] The great majority of Americans prefer the truth over Trump’s constant efforts to distort it.

In another sign of democracy’s revival, four moderate Republicans joined the Democrats in signing a discharge petition to force a House vote on extending the Obamacare enhanced subsidies.[3] Again, almost 75% of the public support the extension.[4] Congressional Republicans voting for what their constituents need rather than what their giant corporate donors greedily desire demonstrates democracy is still alive in America. Still, Senate Republicans beholden to their corporate sponsors failed to support the extension of those subsidies causing the cost of healthcare for millions of Americans to skyrocket.[5]

In December, the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s authoritarian decision to deploy the National Guard to assist immigration agents in Chicago. The court found that Trump’s federalization of the Guard was likely unlawful.[6] The rule of law, a basic premise of democracy, prevailed over Trump’s executive power grab.

The rising No Kings movement is yet another sign democracy is making a comeback. An estimated seven million people took part in No Kings rallies this past October across the United States to protest Trump’s embrace of authoritarianism. That was approximately two million more marchers than participated in the first No Kings rally last June.[7]

In 2026, the number of protesters will continue to grow as Trump’s approval in the polls sinks deeper into negative territory. A late December poll found Trump’s approval rating at 39 percent with 56 percent disapproving.[8] Even among MAGA loyalists, Trump’s support was down to 70 percent.[9]

The next major protest is planned for January 20th. The Free America Walk Out is a coordinated nationwide action organized by the 50501 Movement in partnership with Women’s March. At 2 PM local time on that day, people across the country will walk out together from their workplaces, schools, and homes. Check out how you can join in at https://www.the50501movement.org/p/announcement-free-america-walkout-jan-20-2026.

While the struggle to save our democracy is far from over, there is good reason to believe that the tide is, in fact, turning. As we celebrate our country’s 250^th anniversary, we who believe in democracy are, once again, being called in this pivotal time in history to stand up and fight for the promise of the American experiment. As Lincoln proclaimed at Gettysburg, our nation “shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”[10]

Happy New Year!

Bruce Berlin

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.),

and his new memoir, From Camden to Kathmandu. (See bruceberlinauthor.com) He is 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 bruceberlin45@gmail.com. Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/

[1] https://www.npr.org/2025/11/18/nx-s1-5611438/epstein-files-bill-house-vote

[2] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/most-americans-want-the-epstein-files-released-poll-finds

[3] https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/17/congress/brian-fitzpatrick-joins-house-democrats-health-care-discharge-petition-00694688

[4] https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/poll-support-for-extending-the-expiring-enhanced-aca-tax-credits-remains-high-but-dips-among-republicans-and-maga-supporters-as-shutdown-continues-and-partisanship-takes-hold/

[5] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/health-subsidies-expire-launching-millions-123609306.html

[6] https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/12/trump-v-illinois-supreme-court-national-guard-chicago.html

[7] https://www.democracynow.org/2025/10/20/no_kings

[8] https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-approval-rating-final-2025-polls-11291540

[9] https://thetonymichaels.substack.com/p/nbc-poll-reveals-trumps-maga-support

[10] https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/abraham-lincoln-the-gettysburg-address-1863?gad_source=1

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Time to Reach Out to All Decent Americans

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Actor Robert Di Nero has known former fellow New Yorker Donald Trump for many years. In the fall of 2023, when Trump was preparing to run for president for the third time, Di Nero said that Trump was not a bad man. Rather, he called the twice impeached, convicted felon an “evil man” who has no moral code.[1]

Di Nero warned Americans that our democracy “won’t overcome evil if we are divided.” He proposed a prudent plan to defeat Trump and restore our nation’s democratic traditions. Here’s what he urged all Americans who oppose the current occupant of the White House to do:

We have to reach out to the half of our country who have ignored the hazards of Trump and, for whatever reason, support(ed) elevating him back into the White House. They’re not stupid, and we must not condemn them for making a stupid choice. Our future doesn’t just depend on us. It depends on them.

Let’s reach out to Trump’s followers with respect. Let’s not talk about “democracy.” “Democracy” may be our holy grail, but to others, it is just a word, a concept, and in their embrace of Trump, they’ve already turned their backs on it. Let’s talk about right and wrong. Let’s talk about humanity. Let’s talk about kindness. Security for our world. Safety for our families. Decency. Let’s welcome them back. We won’t get them all, but we can get enough to end the nightmare of Trump,…[2]

Di Nero was advising us to find common ground with our fellow Americans who may have voted for Trump and may not believe in democracy anymore. But who doesn’t believe in right and wrong or kindness or decency? Who could be against security and safety for their families?

By aligning our country with Russia’s brutal dictator, Vladimir Putin, Trump has made our country weaker and less safe.

By firing thousands of federal employees, Trump has made many American families and local economies less secure.

By working to tear down the firewall that separates the Justice Department’s law enforcement from presidential influence, Trump is corrupting the government and promoting unlawful, self-serving policies.

Most Americans – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents – want a government that’s fair and just. We must reach out to them and ask them to join us in rebuilding a safe and decent America. We need to come together to save our country from a corrupt president who only wants what’s good for himself and his billionaire friends.

We deserve a government that serves all the people, not just the very wealthy. It’s up to each of us to do whatever we can to stop Trump and make certain “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”[3]

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is 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 is also the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America. (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.). Contact him at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/.

[1] https://newrepublic.com/post/176175/robert-de-niro-trump-isnt-just-bad-guy-hes-evil

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.owleyes.org/text/gettysburg-address/read/text-of-lincolns-speech

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Signs of Hope in the New Year

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Author: Bruce Berlin

While 2021 was a very challenging year in many respects, the new year is bringing some hopeful signs of better days ahead for restoring our democracy. When times look bad, it’s good to have reason for hope to keep us all going.

It has been a full year since the violent attack on our nation’s Capitol which killed five people and seriously injured over 100 police officers. More and more Americans are wondering whether those who conspired to overthrow our government will ever be held accountable.

Hope in the Department of Justice

On Wednesday, the day before the first anniversary of the insurrection, Attorney General Merrick Garland assured the nation that, “The Justice Department remains committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law, whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy. We will follow the facts wherever they lead.”[1] That means Donald Trump, the conspirator-in-chief, is not out of the woods and may very well be prosecuted and brought to justice.

Hope in President Biden

The next day, President Biden “ripped into Trump’s subversion of democracy and the refusal of most Republicans to stand up to the former president’s lies. In what was by far the most passionate, forceful and effective speech of his presidency, he moved democracy to the center of the nation’s political debate,” according to Washington Post political columnist E. J. Dionne Jr.[2]

Biden declared, “You cannot love your country only when you win…You can’t be patriotic when you embrace and enable lies.” And he placed the responsibility on “all of us…to stand for the rule of law, to preserve the flame of democracy…(and) keep the promise of America alive.”[3] Hopefully, Americans of all political stripes will respond to Biden’s call. And it appears that they are doing just that.

Hope in Former Trump Administration Officials

A growing number of Republicans are working to prevent both another Trump presidency as well as more political violence undermining our democracy. Stephanie Grisham, former press secretary in the Trump White House, is helping to organize this effort. In the White House on January 6^th, she observed that Trump was “gleeful” watching his supporters attacking the Capitol.[4] Another key organizer, former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff, Miles Taylor, also co-founded the Renew America Movement, a group to support candidates across the political spectrum that identify as being in favor of reforms to strengthen democracy.[5]

Meanwhile, numerous members of former Vice President Pence’s staff are cooperating with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6^th insurrection. They include former chief of staff, Marc Short, as well as his former national security adviser, Keith Kellogg. In addition, “multiple tiers of Pence’s staff who were at the White House on Jan. 6 have been “integral” in helping the committee flesh out what happened.”[6]

The committee, of course, is the House Select Committee investigating the insurrection. The nation is being well served by its members and their work. Just think where the committee might be now due to Republican obstructive tactics, if House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had kept the rest of his Republican picks on the committee after Speaker Pelosi refused to accept Trump allies Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks.[7]

Hope in former Republican officials

Staunch conservative, Bill Kristol, a former adviser to President Reagan, has formed Defending Democracy Together with other Never-Trump Republicans. The organization is dedicated to defending America’s democratic norms, values, and institutions. It recently hired lobbyists in an attempt to rein in presidential emergency powers, refine the federal government’s war powers and clarify Congress’s subpoena authority.[8]

Even ruthless Republicans like Karl Rove are denouncing the attack on the Capitol and demanding justice. He recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

To move beyond Jan. 6, 2021, we must put country ahead of party…There can be no soft-pedaling what happened and no absolution for those who planned, encouraged and aided the attempt to overthrow our democracy. Love of country demands nothing less. That’s true patriotism.[9]

Hope in Liz and Dick Cheney

The only Republican official who participated in the Capitol commemoration of the January 6^th attack this past Thursday was Rep. Liz Cheney, Vice-chair of the Select Committee. Ironically enough, she brought her dad, Dick Cheney, along with her. The former vice-president, you may remember, was the mastermind of the Bush Administration and its fabricated justification for the immoral Iraq War.

Here’s what the elder Cheney had to say:

I am deeply disappointed at the failure of many members of my party to recognize the grave nature of the January 6 attacks and the ongoing threat to our nation.[10]

Hope for Democracy

A pro-democracy movement is growing across the political spectrum. The struggle for the soul of America is far from over. Hopefully, this movement will prevail and, as Lincoln pronounced in the midst of the bloody Civil War, our nation “shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”[11]

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

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.c-span.org/video/?c4994302/attorney-general-pledges-january-6-attack-perpetrators-held-accountable

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/06/biden-tells-truth-best-speech-his-presidency/

[3] Ibid.

[4] https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/stephanie-grisham-trump-gleefully-watched-jan-6-1280113/

[5] https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/06/former-administration-officials-block-trump-526623

[6] https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/mike-pence-staff-giving-goods-021846346.html

[7] https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/21/politics/nancy-pelosi-rejects-republicans-from-committee/index.html

[8] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/07/anti-trump-group-led-by-bill-kristol-hires-lobbyists-to-push-presidential-power-reform.html

[9] https://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-jan-6-responsibility-anniversary-riot-storm-capitol-trump-protesters-investigation-11641417707

[10] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/06/dick-cheney-surprise-visit-capitol-jan-6-riot/9122457002/

[11] https://legacyneuro.com/gettysburg-address/

The Struggle for the Soul of America: It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Author: Bruce Berlin

(My remarks at a solstice gathering a few nights ago)

Two Hundred and Forty-five years ago this week just after the winter solstice on December 23, 1776, Thomas Paine wrote:

“These are the times that try men’s souls… Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”

Paine was with George Washington and the Continental Army when they were defeated at White Plains and Forts Washington and Lee in October and November of that year. Washington’s troops retreated across NJ and into PA. Many were without shoes and sufficient clothing to protect them from the freezing winter. The dejected Continental Army then huddled along the west bank of the Delaware River on the verge of defeat.

But Washington was not about to give up. On Christmas night, December 25, 1776, the General led his ragged army across the icy Delaware River and embarked on a ten-mile march to Trenton, NJ, where they surprised and overcame 1500 enemy troops. A week later, they again prevailed at Princeton. It was a pivotal point that led to the defeat of the British and the birth of our nation.

87 years later, on Nov. 19, 1863, after one of bloodiest battles in our history, in the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln declared at Gettysburg: “that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Now, recalling how our foremothers and forefathers persevered and overcame great diversity so that American democracy might be born and grow, once again our collective survival as a free people is being tested.

We are again in times that try men’s and women’s souls. We are being challenged to the utmost by the COVID pandemic, right-wing voter suppression, a fascist ex-president’s attempt to overthrow our government and global climate change.

So, as the winter solstice ushers in the radiance of the approaching new year, we have the opportunity, perhaps you might say, the duty, to open our hearts and spread the light of peace and love to all our relations, and to contribute whatever we are able, to the work of overcoming this pandemic, protecting our planet Earth and preserving our democratic way of life.

May this begin tonight with each of us.

Bruce Berlin

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Will Justice Be Done?

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Author: Bruce Berlin

As more and more facts regarding the January 6^th attack on the Capitol come out, it’s clear that this was a coordinated conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and keep then President Trump in the White House. In addition, Trump incited the insurrection and did nothing to stop it for several hours while law enforcement officers fought the rioters and four people died.

Consider the following:

For months before Election Day, Trump repeatedly told his supporters falsehoods about voting, including that Democrats had “rigged” the election. Trump ramped up the rhetoric after he lost the election, filing court challenges in battleground states unsuccessfully trying to get judges to reverse the outcome.[1]
In December 2020, Trump issued a battle cry to his supporters, encouraging them to gather on his behalf on Jan. 6. On December 18^th, he tweeted, “We won the Presidential Election, by a lot. FIGHT FOR IT. Don’t let them take it away!”[2]
Just two days before the attack on the Capitol, Trump declared that the Democrats are “not taking this White House — we’re going to fight like hell, I’ll tell you right now… We’re going to take it back.[3]
Two organizers of the January 6^th attack said they took part in “dozens” of planning meetings with members of Congress, their top staff and White House staff prior to that day. These organizers indicated that Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows played a significant role in discussions regarding the planned protest. One of the planners explained, “Meadows was 100 percent made aware of what was going on,” adding that he was “a regular figure in these really tiny groups of national organizers.”[4]
Meadows discussed the appointment of an alternate slate of electors. He “loved” the plan which included a January 5^th recommendation of putting the National Guard on “standby.”[5]
Former Trump Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller told a House of Representatives panel that he spoke with Trump on Jan. 3. Trump wanted Miller to place National Guard troops in Washington to protect his supporters at the Jan. 6 rally.[6]
At the rally, Trump repeatedly said there was a need to “fight.” He said, “Unbelievable, what we have to go through…you have to get your people to fight…We’re going to have to fight much harder, and Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us. And if he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country because you’re sworn to uphold our constitution. Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy…because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”[7]
Trump was clearly aware that the vice president was in danger that day. He had a callous disregard for Mr. Pence’s safety.[8]
At the White House, advisers were trying to get Trump to do something, but he rebuffed calls to intercede. The president, advisers said, was expressing pleasure that the vote to certify Mr. Biden’s win had been delayed and that people were fighting for him. “According to public reports, he watched television happily — happily — as the chaos unfolded,” Sen. McConnell noted. “He kept pressing his scheme to overturn the election. Even after it was clear to any reasonable observer that Vice President Pence was in serious danger, even as the mob carrying Trump banners was beating cops and breaching perimeters, the president sent a further tweet attacking his own vice president.”[9]
At 1:49 pm, the chief of the Capitol Police made a frantic call to Gen. Walker, the head of the D.C. National Guard, for support. Walker did not receive approval from Acting Defense Sec. Miller to send Guard troops until 5:08, over 3 hours later.[10]

The case is now in the hands of Attorney General Merrick Garland. More damning facts are sure to be revealed. Trump, Meadows, and other government officials who participated in the conspiracy to overthrow our government must be prosecuted and imprisoned for treason. We all must demand that the Department of Justice ensure that justice is fully and swiftly served so, as Lincoln implored the nation at Gettysburg, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

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.poynter.org/fact-checking/2021/a-timeline-of-what-donald-trump-said-before-the-capitol-riot/

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/578251-jan-6-protest-organizers-say-they-communicated-with-conservative

[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/12/08/meadows-pushed-for-alternate-slate-of-electors-following-trumps-loss-documents-show/?sh=57c9fb016795

[6] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/congresswoman-says-trump-administration-botched-capitol-riot-preparations-2021-05-12/

[7] https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2021/a-timeline-of-what-donald-trump-said-before-the-capitol-riot/

[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/13/us/politics/trump-capitol-riot.html

[9] Ibid.

[10] https://www.npr.org/2021/03/03/973292523/dod-took-hours-to-approve-national-guard-request-during-capitol-riot-commander-s