The Struggle for the Soul of America: Political Pendulum Swinging Back Toward the Dems — Is 2026 Blue Tsunami Possible?

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

History demonstrates that American politics swings back and forth like the pendulum in an old grandfather clock. A century ago, during the Roaring 20s, the Republicans occupied the White House controlling public policy until 1933. Then the pendulum swung left as Democrat Franklin Roosevelt became president and launched the New Deal.

While the Republicans ruled in the 1950s when Dwight Eisenhower was president, the political pendulum didn’t truly swing back to the GOP until President Richard Nixon was elected in 1968. Though President Jimmy Carter’s one term interrupted Republican rule in 1977, it wasn’t until the election of Bill Clinton in 1992 that the pendulum again swung back to the Democrats.

Donald Trump’s election in 2016 marked a pivot towards the Republicans. While disrupted by Biden’s 2020 election, Trump is now trying his best to extend the swing to the right in his second term by slashing aide and social programs and expanding his autocratic control of the government. At the same time, however, there are signs that the pendulum is beginning to turn back toward the Dems. In fact, some believe there’s a possibility the country may even be on the verge of a Blue Tsunami.[1]

For one, the Dems have won most of the 2025 off-year elections. From New Jersey to Virginia to Georgia and, most recently, the Miami mayor’s race, the Democrats are not just winning, they’re crushing their GOP opposition. A Democrat hadn’t been elected mayor of Miami in 28 years![2]

For another, the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections recently shifted its analysis of 16 House races in next year’s mid-terms to favor the Democrats and only one in the opposite direction toward the Republicans. That includes races in the red states of Nebraska, Ohio and Tennessee.[3]

A third indication is what’s happening on the redistricting front. Several months ago, the Republicans thought their redistricting efforts were going to give then a significant electoral advantage in the House. However, Indiana’s conservative legislature recently rejected redistricting[4] and Missouri’s GOP plans have been put on hold by a petition requiring a statewide vote on redistricting.[5] Meanwhile, Texas’s attempt to shift five districts to the Republicans appears to not be working as planned. If Dems’ overperformance in House races this year is a fair signal of what lies ahead, it now appears that the blue party could win three of those five new seats.[6]

On the other hand, last month California voters approved a new redistricting map that could flip five House seats now held by Republicans to the Democrats.[7] But the Republicans have gone to court trying to block the new map from being implemented, claiming it’s unconstitutional.[8]

Then there’s the affordability dispute, which Trump calls a Democratic “hoax.” The almost certain extreme rise in healthcare costs with the elimination of the Obamacare subsidies the first of the new year will make affordability an even bigger issue than it already is. If affordability and the economy are voters’ main concerns in next year’s election, which is quite likely, current polling suggests “we’d be looking at a huge blue wave, with a swing 50% larger than in 2018.”[9]

Of course, circumstances could be substantially different when voting begins next fall. But, given the current state of affairs, a Blue Tsunami in the 2026 elections is a very distinctive possibility.

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

[1] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/03/tennessee-special-election-trump-blue-wave-2026/87482063007/

[2] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/a-democrat-wins-miami-mayors-race-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-30-years

[3] https://rollcall.com/2025/12/09/house-race-ratings-midterm-elections/

[4] https://apnews.com/article/indiana-lawmakers-redistricting-final-vote-80e3e546fc7acec4a7bd7cd110787375

[5] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/opponents-of-trump-backed-redistricting-in-missouri-submit-a-petition-to-force-a-public-vote/ar-AA1S1aEY?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[6] https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/14/politics/texas-redistricting-gop-latinos

[7] https://apnews.com/article/california-redistricting-congress-election-661fbe88aa65d858fdfb4f119f4f92b2

[8] https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/court-battle-begins-over-republican-challenge-to-california-s-prop-50/ar-AA1SoPyD?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[9] https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/affordability-voters-favor-democrats

The Struggle for the Soul of America: The Democrats’ Silver Lining in the Vote to Reopen the Government

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Most Democrats were upset, if not outraged, that eight Senate Democrats voted with the Republicans for the Continuing Resolution (CR) that reopened the government. Reopening the government took the pressure off the Republicans to negotiate extending the Obamacare (ACA) subsidies for millions of Americans to the dismay of a great many on the Blue Team.

I believe, however, that there is an impactful silver lining for the Dems which may make that vote significantly better for them than initially appeared.

First, the Continuing Resolution brought the House of Representatives back into session. That eliminated House Speaker Johnson’s excuse of a government shutdown for not swearing in Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva.[1] Once sworn in, Rep. Grijalva became the 218^th House member to sign the discharge petition, which was required to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.[2] That vote will happen this week and compel Republican members to publicly take a stand. They can vote to release the files and hold the wealthy men, possibly including President Trump, accountable for their involvement in the illegal sex trafficking of underage girls. Or they can vote to keep the files closed and shield those powerful men from criminal liability, a vote that will not sit well with most Americans.

Second, ending the shutdown will greatly reduce the suffering and duress that confronted a huge number of Americans. Thousands of federal workers are going back to work and will receive paychecks. More than 40 million Americans will now receive their food assistance under SNAP, though new rules may cause many of them to permanently lose those benefits in the coming months.[3] And, the chaos at airports over the holidays will gradually lessen as more air traffic controllers go back to work, though it going to take some time before air traffic gets back to normal. Still, the suffering and duress would have been worse if the shutdown had continued. And, who knew for how long.

Third and lastly, but perhaps most important, the CR terminates the end of January 2026, less than three months from now. According to one observer, a “clear outcome of the government shutdown fight is that Americans are now far more likely to hold Republicans responsible for their rising health care premiums.”[4] If the Republicans do not negotiate an extension of the ACA subsidies in the next two and a half months and millions of Americans see skyrocketing health insurance premiums or lose their coverage altogether, the GOP will clearly shoulder the blame just as the 2026 mid-term election season begins to heat up. Polls indicate that 48% of Americans blamed Trump and the Republicans as opposed to only 34% the Democrats for the recent shutdown.[5]

Until now, the Republicans have refused to negotiate an extension of the subsidies. The CR, in effect, gave them a reprieve. Failing to agree to help millions of voters with their huge healthcare costs could prove disastrous for the GOP in next year’s elections. In effect, agreeing to reopen the government has strengthened the Democrats’ hand both in the fight to extend the ACA subsidies and in the battle for control of Congress in next year’s elections.

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

[1] https://azmirror.com/2025/11/12/with-adelita-grijalva-southern-arizona-constituents-are-finally-represented-after-a-record-delay/

[2] https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/rep-adelita-grijalva-sworn-record-160956116.html

[3] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/15/food-stamps-snap-trump-one-big-beautiful-bill-impact-00653447

[4] https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/republicans-are-suddenly-in-a-health-care-bind/ar-AA1QwSPZ

[5] https://navigatorresearch.org/how-americans-views-of-the-shutdown-changed/

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Wake Up, America!

Posted on August 23, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Donald Trump is quickly consolidating control over our country. By sending U.S. troops into our cities, working to restrict voting rights, appointing unqualified sycophants to fill critical federal positions, and demanding Republicans gerrymander Congressional districts, among other anti-American efforts, he is destroying our democracy and building an authoritarian regime.

While the hour is getting late, we still have the power to prevent Trump’s takeover. But that will only happen if the great majority of the American people Wake Up and Answer the Call to actively resist his march to autocracy.

Two upcoming events promise to be the biggest outpouring of opposition to date to Trump and his corrupt regime. On September 1, Labor Day, May Day Strong (https://maydaystrong.org/) is sponsoring the Workers Over Billionaires protest. Hundreds of organizations are partnering in this effort, including the AFL-CIO, Indivisible, the League of Conservation Voters, 350.org, the National Education Association, which is the largest labor union in the country, and the Action Center on Race and the Economy. Everyone is urged to participate in the Labor Day rally which will demand:

End billionaire influence over government.
Protect Medicaid, Social Security, and other worker programs.
Ensure fully funded schools, health care, and housing for all.
Stop attacks on immigrants, Black, Indigenous, trans people, and marginalized communities.
Prioritize investment in people over wars.

Make Billionaires Pay Blackout

It will take more than massive protests to take down Trump and his MAGA cohorts. Starting September 16, Black Out the System will launch a 5-day nationwide economic and labor blackout “shutting down the U.S. economy – strategically and peacefully – by removing our labor, our spending, our financial support, forcing the system to listen.” Groups in hundreds of cities are already working on this effort. See https://www.citizen.org/news/workers-over-billionaires-labor-day-events-climb-to-500-across-all-50-states/.

The movement is being “launched to reclaim power, restore justice, and unite citizens across all races, cultures, and classes.” See https://blackoutthesystem.com/ to join in this momentous strike aimed at businesses and the billionaire class that support the Trump regime.

Then, on Saturday, September 20, the economic blackout will culminate in a Make Billionaires Pay march to the UN in New York where world leaders will be attending the UN General Assembly and Climate Week. Similar protests are being planned all over the country and around the globe. (See https://www.makebillionairespay.us/.)

Spread the word. We need everyone to participate. Together we can rid our country of this ugly fascist malignancy that is strangling our freedom and our rights. Together we will take back our country.

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/.

The Struggle for the Soul of America: It’s Trump’s Way or the Highway

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

On Friday, President Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer after accusing the economic researcher of manipulating the jobs data for political purposes.[1] But the real reason Trump fired the commissioner is the Bureau’s most recent, unexpectedly weak jobs report which made him look bad. According to the BLS, “U.S. employers added just 73,000 jobs last month and Labor Department revisions showed that hiring was much weaker than previously reported in May and June. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%.”[2]

Rather than addressing the issue of a weakening economy, our wannabe-king president immediately fired the messenger. No doubt Trump will replace the truth-telling commissioner with someone who will do his bidding and produce a fake jobs report that will make him look good. Afterall, what’s more important: Taking steps to strengthen the economy or bolstering Trump’s ego?

This is just the latest in Trump’s efforts to change the facts to his liking. As former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich notes, Trump is “dismembering the Environmental Protection Agency, which has repeatedly shown that climate change isn’t a “hoax,” as Trump claims, but more like a national emergency.” In addition, Trump “is killing off the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, which are showing the sources of sickness and disease and how we can guard against them.” Reich concludes that Trump just “doesn’t want the public to know the truth. He is turning America into George Orwell’s dystopian 1984.”[3]

As distressing as all this is, our institutions that were designed to protect the country from executive overreach have not done much to obstruct Trump’s march toward dictatorship. The Republican led Congress is in lockstep with Trump’s fascist regime. The Democrats have voiced their dissent but have done little to actually resist his authoritarian efforts. (Yesterday, however, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer did show some backbone by refusing to go along with fast-tracking the confirmation of a bunch of Trump’s nominees without “the unfreezing of federal funds for an array of programs, including the National Institutes of Health and foreign aid.” Trump’s response to Schumer: “GO TO HELL!”[4]) At the same time, the federal courts have not been able or willing to effectively restrain Trump either.

That leaves we, the people, as the last resort to save our democracy. In that regard, a national grassroots organization has been leading the charge. In the last month, Indivisible has initiated the One Million Rising campaign (OMR), a national effort to train one million people in the strategic logic and practice of non-cooperation, as well as in the basics of community organizing and campaign design. These trainees will, hopefully, then outreach to their fellow Americans to create a huge, unstoppable force to block Trump and restore our democracy.

Through over 2,000 local chapters around the country, Indivisible has already enlisted hundreds of thousands of Americans in this effort. On August 13^th at 6 pm MDT, the OMR organizers will conduct a Zoom training in basic campaign design and local implementation, as well as plug people into the next national campaign work.

But this campaign will only succeed if millions and millions of Americans actively participate. It’s up to all of us to prevent our country from becoming a fascist state. We have no time to lose. Sign up now for the August 13^th training, by going to https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/803953/.

Together, we will stop Trump and rebuild our democracy.

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.huffpost.com/entry/trump-bad-jobs-numbers-bls-fired_n_688d0a26e4b022644fdec852

[2] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/economy-jobs-report-trump-tariffs_n_688cb8ebe4b05680e80c3cd7

[3] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-attack-bls

[4] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-tells-schumer-hell-amid-000135979.html

The Struggle for the Soul of America: It’s Up to Us, the American People

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Lately, it’s become even clearer that it’s up to us, the American People, to save our democracy. If you thought that the Congress or the Democrats or the Supreme Court would save us from Trump’s authoritarianism, think again.

As for the House of Representatives, the Republicans are in complete control. No way they were going to find common ground with the Democrats on anything of import. While I had some hope that Republican “moderates” in the Senate would save us from Trump’s horrendous budget bill, in the end Alaskan Republican Sen. Murkowski, who had hinted at again standing up to Trump, folded and became the crucial 50^th vote to support the bill. Once she got what she wanted for Alaskans, which wasn’t all that much[1], Murkowski got on board. To hell with the needs of the rest of the country, including millions of low-income Republicans who will lose their healthcare coverage under this bill.

The Democrats in both chambers, on the other hand, were solid in their opposition to the bill. Still, there was little in the way of real outcry from the Blue Team. While they went through the motions—making Senate Republicans read the entire 887-page bill out loud and forcing votes on numerous amendments, all of which were defeated—to slow the process down somewhat, they did nothing to reduce the terrible impact the bill will have on most Americans. Low-income people who need government assistance, like Medicaid, the most, will be hit the hardest. Black Americans, students and those needing food assistance will also be negatively affected in a big way. Where is the Democrats’ outrage! What are they doing to mobilize all those opposed to Trump’s power grabs? And how are they going to make the Republicans accountable?

As for the Supreme Court, it’s recent ruling in the birthright citizenship case of Trump v. CASA siding with Trump puts all our rights at risk. Michael Waldman, President of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, noted that the CASA decision banning nationwide injunctions stripped federal judges of a key power used to stop illegal actions. The Court has handed Trump greater executive power at the expense of all Americans, just as its ruling on presidential immunity did last year.[2]

That means it’s up to us. We, the people, are the only ones who can save our democracy. But what can we do?

The national, grassroots organization, Indivisible, has a plan: One Million Rising, Strategic Non-cooperation to Fight Authoritarianism. One Million Rising is “a national effort to train one million people in the strategic logic and practice of non-cooperation, as well as the basics of community organizing and campaign design.”[3] The three-part, online training begins on July 16. For more details and to sign up for the training, go to https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/803953/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=_20250702link4.

We can stop Trump. But it’ll take all of us — not just on single days of mass action, but through sustained organizing in our communities. I urge you to sign up and get involved. Like never before, our country needs all of us now!

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.yahoo.com/news/carveouts-alaska-tax-breaks-whalers-210111943.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall; https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-republicans-sneak-wild-rule-131807906.html

[2] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/supreme-court-nationwide-injunction

[3] https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/803953/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=_20250702link4

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Together We Can Make a Difference

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Everyone I’ve talked to about a national letter writing campaign urging Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski to form a bipartisan caucus to save our democracy has been enthusiastically supportive of the idea. Now, it’s up to all of us to make it a reality.

If we roll up our sleeves and get to work, I envision this bipartisan caucus in the Senate in the next couple of months, maybe even sooner. Our country is spinning out of control. We all know who’s responsible. And the way things are going, we’ve got no time to waste.

The latest Trump corrupt sleaze has him accepting a $400 million luxury Boing jet from Qatar to be used as Air Force One for as long as he’s president, which according to him, would then be turned over to his presidential library that he plans building after leaving office. In effect, Trump would then get to use it as his private jet.[1]

This is so despicable that even Senate Republicans are opposed to the “gift.” A strong Trump supporter, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said accepting the plane would pose “significant espionage and surveillance problems.”[2] He’s quite right. All indications strongly suggest Qatar has supported Hamas. The gift is an outright bribe to get Trump to treat Qatar as a friend despite its support of radical and Islamist groups.

Ignoring security issues, Trump questions how the United States can turn down a ‘free’ gift. He said, “Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country.”[3] The fool that he is, doesn’t realize, or more likely just doesn’t care, that it’s going to cost American taxpayers millions and millions of dollars to tear the aircraft apart and rebuild it into a fully secure, presidential plane.

By the way, Trump’s accepting the plane without the consent of Congress also violates Article One, Section Nine of the Constitution.[4]

In response to Trump’s outrageous public corruption, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) forcefully opposed the deal: “Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar. It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”[5] Or, as others have called it, “pure grift.”

It’s the latest evidence of how Trump views his presidency: It’s all about him. The hell with the rest of us and the country. Isn’t it time we take back our country?

Sen. Murkowski is as disgusted as we are with Trump and his attempt to destroy our democracy. I believe that a bipartisan caucus may be our best shot at saving it. Better yet, it could be the opening to rebuilding our country into a true democracy where all American citizens have the right to vote and have their vote counted, everyone pays their fair share, and the rule of law applies to everyone, including the president.

So, I hope you all will join this campaign. If you don’t have them already, the links to my last blog with a model letter, and to the Senator’s website where you can send your letter, are below. Ask all your friends, family and colleagues to get on board as well. Together we can make a difference.

Here’s what to do:

Get an electronic copy of my blog which includes the letter to Sen. Murkowski at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog/.
Once you have the copy, go to https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email to email Sen. Murkowski the letter, or your own version of it urging her to form a bipartisan caucus to save our democracy.

It’s that easy.

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

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

[1] https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-qatar-air-force-one-2ef13d87b71185bde547abe6840b098c

[2] https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-critics-supporters-unite-against-223257726.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

[3] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/14/trump-airplane-deals-boeing-qatar/83625621007/

[4] https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-1/

[5] https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/trump-qatar-jet-gift-air-force-one-ethics-controversy-13887697.html

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Will Sen. Murkowski Help Save Our Democracy?

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

President Trump’s first 100 days clearly demonstrate how corrupt, autocratic, and self-serving he and his Republican lackeys are. But there is at least one Republican senator who’s not onboard Trump’s train to infamy.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the four-term Republican from Alaska, recently admitted that “we are all afraid” of retaliation from President Trump if we, i.e. Republican officials, don’t go along with him. At the same time, the senator said she did not plan to stop speaking out. In fact, she explained that “I have to figure out how I can do my best to help the many who are so anxious and are so afraid.”[1]

I’m thinking we should all help her do just that. If she received a ton of letters from Americans all over the country suggesting how she could support her Republican colleagues who don’t like Trump’s efforts to destroy our democracy but are afraid to cross him. The letter might go something like this:

Dear Sen. Murkowski,

I want to thank you for speaking out regarding the fear that most everyone, including yourself, is feeling. The fear of retaliation from President Trump for criticizing or opposing him and his administration is widespread. I applaud your courage in refusing to back down in the face of the president’s threats. You have proven to be a true American patriot in your efforts to thwart the president’s autocratic conduct.

As president, Mr. Trump is violating Americans’ constitutional rights to free speech and assembly as well as our right to due process, among others. If we allow President Trump to continue his attacks on the rule of law and numerous other rights, the United States will soon become an autocratic state where no one will be safe from the president’s wrath.

Sen. Murkowski, as an independent-minded Republican senator willing to speak your truth, you are in a unique position to help save American democracy. But, it will require other Republicans willing to risk their positions, and perhaps their safety, to overcome the president’s autocratic efforts to destroy our democracy. So, here are a few things I hope you will consider:

Talk to your Republican colleagues in the Senate who feel as you do and urge them to speak out as well.
Meet with senators of both parties who you believe would be willing to work in a bipartisan way to deter President Trump’s authoritarian policies.
Organize a bipartisan caucus of Senate and House members to create a national campaign to save our democracy.

Time is running out to stop President Trump and his MAGA cohorts from overthrowing our democracy and creating an autocracy. I urge you to act quickly and do whatever you can to stop President Trump and save our democracy. I guarantee that the vast majority of Americans will have your back, and many of them will want to work with you.

Respectfully yours,

(Your name)

Please let me know your response to my proposal and whether you are willing to write to Sen. Murkowski and help build a national letter writing campaign.

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://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/lisa-murkowski-trump.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20250419&instance_id=152901&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=72679230&segment_id=196312&user_id=51750e72d4988f5b891f2289251150c2

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Democratic Leadership Failing

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

What Can We Do?

Last Friday, nine Democratic senators (plus one Independent) voted to avert a filibuster, allowing the passage of a Republican bill to fund the government for six months till the end of the fiscal year. By announcing he would vote to invoke cloture and end debate on the bill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave the other eight Democratic senators cover to follow his lead, preventing a government shutdown.

Schumer claimed, “Under a shutdown, Trump and Elon Musk would have carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now.”[1] Despite his assertion, the great majority of Democratic senators and all but one House Dem supported shutting down the government.

The Dems who opposed the bill and voted to shut down the government believed supporting the bill would give Trump and Musk greater power. “I cannot vote for the Republican plan to give unchecked power to Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said in a statement.[2]

One could argue that either way, the Republicans would be in a more powerful position, and the Democrats would have little or, more likely, no sway. Still, by providing support for the Republican bill, the Dems appear to be weak and unwilling to fight for the American people.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif) noted, “If we pass this continuing resolution for the next half year, we will own what the president does.”[3] That would mean the Dems would have at least some responsibility for the huge funding cuts, the elimination of numerous services, and the firing of thousands of government employees that the Republican bill authorizes.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) slammed Schumer’s caving to the Republicans to avoid a shutdown, calling it a “tremendous mistake” and indicating “there is a wide sense of betrayal.”[4]

In addition, 91% of Indivisible leaders nationwide voted to call for Schumer to step aside as Senate Minority Leader.[5] And other grassroots activists concluded there is a “crisis of confidence in Chuck Schumer and Democratic leadership.” Another Democratic activist stated, “We need an opposition party, the Democrats are anything but!”[6]

The Democrats clearly don’t have their act together. Not only don’t they have a united strategy to oppose the Trump administration, but they also don’t agree on how forcefully to contest his policies. In addition, they have not offered the American people a positive alternative to Trump’s agenda that addresses the people’s everyday concerns. And, they lack strong leadership that can rally the troops and inspire the American people.

Time is running out before Trump becomes the autocrat he longs to be, and he can no longer be stopped. With the Democrats limping along, there’s only one thing that can still deter him. And that is us, the American people.

We can shut down the economy. We can boycott the giant corporations that support Trump. We can flood Congress with our messages and our bodies. We can elect strong representatives to overturn Trump’s agenda. We can expose Trump as the lying con artist he truly is. We can withdraw our money from the big banks that support Trump. And, much more.

Yes, we, the people, can take back our government from Trump and his billionaire lackeys. But it is going to take all of us. Here are just a few things you can do right now:

1. Join the boycotts and shutdowns and urge your friends and family to join as well.

2. Contact your Democratic senators and urge them to install more aggressive Senate leadership.

3. Contact your House representative and urge him/her to resist Trump’s policies.

4. Flood social media with how corrupt Trump is and how he is destroying our economy.

5. Organize town halls.

6. Write Letters to the Editor.

Join the resistance and help save our country from Trump and his self-serving Republican powermongers.

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

[1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shutdown-democrats-trump_n_67d33122e4b022e5d6b350f9?origin=related-recirc

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/chuck-schumer-vote-advance-gop-funding-bill-democratic-divisions-rcna196306

[4] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/15/aoc-schumer-republican-government-funding-bill/82440167007/

[5] https://indivisible.org/statements/indivisible-calls-schumer-step-aside

[6] https://www.commondreams.org/news/schumer-our-revolution-survey

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Will Trump’s Autocratic Challenge Prevail?

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Donald Trump has wasted no time in his effort to remake the federal government into his personal fiefdom. The mobster-in-chief pardoned 1500 fellow mobsters on his first day in office, sending a strong message to all Americans: If you fight for me, I’ll have your back.

Trump doesn’t care that a fair number of the insurrectionists committed violent crimes against the police. What matters to him is that they actively supported his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election and retain the presidency.

Like practically all mobsters, Trump is a bully. If you don’t support him, if you are not personally loyal to him, you will pay dearly. He has put Republican senators on notice that they will be primaried by a MAGA loyalist if they don’t play ball with him. Consequently, only three GOP senators dared to defy him by voting against Pete Hegseth, his totally unqualified pick for Defense Secretary.

At the same time, Trump has let loose ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to hunt down and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. These are the people who clean our homes and hotel rooms, pick the fruits and vegetables we buy at the market, and perform other jobs that a great many Americans are loathe to do. Removing these people strengthens Trump’s bond with the growing white nationalist movement in our country.

As terrible as Trump’s mass deportation initiative is, I believe it’s a means to an even worse end. While he has gotten Americans focused on resisting this program, Trump is moving full speed ahead, building his autocratic power by dismantling the federal government.

The mobster-in-chief is eliminating anything and firing anybody that could get in his way. With the stroke of a pen, he abolished the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department and purged at least 17 independent Inspectors General. Several hundred other federal employees have also lost their jobs or been reassigned. And, he has offered incentives to any federal worker willing to resign by February 6^th.

Trump is avoiding the need for Congressional approval by using Executive Orders. Earlier this week, trillions in federal grant funds were frozen. The freeze caused such chaos and panic that Trump had to rescind it. At the same time, a federal judge also temporarily blocked the freeze, finding it violated Congress’s constitutional authority to appropriate funds. All D.E.I. (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs were eliminated as well.

Thankfully, the Democratic Party is finally waking up to the imminent danger Trump poses to our democracy. Its strong reaction to Trump’s power grab is the silver lining in all this. In an emergency meeting, House Democrats have called for “a legal fight, a legislative fight and a street fight” to combat Trump.

The president is playing to his white nationalist MAGA base. He doesn’t care that millions of people may lose their jobs and inflation will rise. With his radical reforms, the country could land in a rec ession, or worse. In fact, that may be what Trump actually intends.

As The Hartmann Report (Hartmannreport.com) explains, an economic crisis would help Trump consolidate power. Economic emergencies call out for a strong man government to quickly pull the nation back from the brink. Fearful of an economic collapse, the public is more accepting of authoritarian measures. During the Great Depression, Hitler employed them in Germany and FDR did in our country.

In addition, billionaires like Trump and his buddies make the most money when there’s a crash. During a downturn, the super-wealthy swoop in and buy at low valuations while everyone else is selling in fear of being wiped out. When the downturn is over, they reap the benefit as prices rise back up.

For the moment, Trump’s autocratic challenge has been checked. But he will not stop trying. The battle lines have been clearly drawn. The question is: Can the Democratic Party and the American people overcome Trump’s authoritarian challenge and save our democracy?

We are in for a monumental brawl. Join the struggle for the soul of America. Contact Indivisible (https://indivisible.org/), Common Cause (https://www.commoncause.org/), the ACLU (https://www.aclu.org/), your senators and representatives, and a host of other organizations working to protect our democracy (https://www.usgrassroots.org/50-pro-democracy-organizations).

(Note: I will only be publishing my blog occasionally for the next several months so that I will have more time to complete my memoir, From Camden to Kathmandu.)

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

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

The Struggle for the Soul of America: The Democrat’s Failure Enabled Autocrat Trump’s Win

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

A variety of explanations have been provided for why Harris and the Dems lost the 2024 election. A few stand out.

For instance, the Dems lost because they failed to listen to and address the concerns of the working class.[1] And, the powerful right-wing media “fed their audiences a diet of slanted and distorted information that made it possible for Trump to win.”[2] And, Harris failed to distance herself from Biden’s foreign policy, especially regarding his unconditional support of Israel in its brutal annihilation of the people of Gaza.[3] These and other factors all played a part in Trump’s win over Harris.

Still, Professor Peter Bloom sees a more basic issue that for decades has prevented the Democrats from realizing their professed goal of a society of true equality, justice, and sustainability. He argues that the Democrats mistakenly put all their ‘eggs’ in one basket: electoral politics. Bloom calls this the “Goldilocks complex,” which “manifests in the perpetual search for the perfect capitalist politician who can somehow thread the needle between radical change and mainstream acceptability…The fundamental flaw in this approach is the misguided belief that true systemic change can come through electoral politics alone, particularly within a party fundamentally wedded to capitalist interests.”[4]

Bloom believes, “This myopic focus prevents the development of alternative structures and intersectional movements necessary for genuine socialist change…Real progress demands building grassroots organizations, reinvigorating labor movements, creating mutual aid networks, and fostering broad coalitions that address the interconnected nature of various forms of oppression.”[5]

In Bloom’s view, the principal culprit in the Democrats’ futile efforts is capitalism itself. The Party’s failure to address its structural limitations keeps it “beholden to corporate interests and wedded to capitalist ideology.” Bloom concludes that as long as the Democrats continue to work “within a system designed to prioritize profit and maintain existing power structures,” they will not achieve true economic and social justice. We all “must recognize that the solutions to our most pressing problems lie outside the confines of capitalist politics.”[6]

Perhaps Trump’s victory will finally force the Democrats to take Bloom’s advice and move beyond capitalist politics. For years, Sen. Bernie Sanders has urged the Party to adopt Democratic Socialism. He rightly maintains that “the issue of unfettered capitalism is not just an academic debate, poverty, economic distress and despair are life-threatening issues for millions of working people in the country.”[7] Restrained by capitalist politics, the Democrats have not effectively addressed these issues and met the needs of the working class.

Sanders explains, “The challenge we confront today as a nation and as a world is, in many ways, not different from the one we faced a little less than a century ago…Then, as now, deeply-rooted and seemingly intractable economic and social disparities led to the rise of right-wing nationalist forces all over the world.” It is unclear whether the Democrats truly understand this.

The question before the Democrats and all Americans is: Will we meet the challenge of Trump’s authoritarianism and the right-wing Republican Party by going beyond capitalist politics before it’s too late and American democracy dies?

(Note: I will only be publishing my blog occasionally for the next several months so that I will have more time to complete my memoir, From Camden to Kathmandu.)

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

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

[1] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/why-democrats-lose-to-republicans

[2] https://newrepublic.com/post/188197/trump-media-information-landscape-fox

[3] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/biden-s-middle-east-failure;

[4] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/progressives-democratic-party

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] https://www.vox.com/2019/6/12/18663217/bernie-sanders-democratic-socialism-speech-transcript