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.

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://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: 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

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.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: While the Fear of Trump’s Retaliation Works to Suppress Opposition, Resistance Is Still Growing

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

In the 1930s, as Hitler was consolidating his power, the great majority of Germans did little or nothing to resist him and his Nazi forces out of fear. Peter Hoffmann’s review of The Good Germans concluded that the “threat of harsh punishment largely worked.”[1] Today, Trump is taking a page from Hitler’s playbook.

The latest example of Trump’s threats working is CBS’s surprise cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the highest rated talk show in the country.[2] The announcement came just days after CBS parent company Paramount Global reached a $16 million settlement with Trump in what appeared-to-be his “frivolous” lawsuit against Paramount. Some Democrats contend that Paramount paid Trump under threat that his administration would not approve of its multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance Media.[3]

Fear of Trump retaliating has affected Republicans, too. According to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, GOP Congressmen are afraid “they could be attacked in the same way her husband” was.[4] That likely influenced GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s failure to vote against Trump’s big budget bill, a vote which would have sunk that bill. Murkowski admitted, “I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real.”[5]

In both cases, the fear of Trump’s retribution probably affected the outcome in his favor. In addition, major corporations including AT&T, Ford and Toyota made large contributions to Trump’s inauguration to gain his goodwill[6] and avoid potential backlash for failing to support him.[7] As a result, corporate America won’t be leading the fight against Trump’s authoritarian regime.

Still, the resistance is growing.[8] On July 16, Indivisible held an online One Million Rising training attended by over 130,000 concerned Americans just like you. “The 90-minute video conference was organized to train activists in principles of ‘strategic non-cooperation,’ which aims to gum up the works of the increasingly dark and dictatorial Trump administration.”[9] If you missed it, I urge you to watch it at https://www.nokings.org/rise#livestream.

I participated in the training with 10 friends. We all felt it was an excellent workshop and an inspiring beginning to the formation of a huge resistance movement.

The second of the three training sessions is Wednesday, July 30, at 6 pm Mountain Time, 8 pm Eastern. You don’t have to have attended the first session to register for the second and third trainings. Go to https://www.nokings.org/rise to sign up and learn more about this crucial effort.

Too many of us are sitting at home in fear and hopelessness, not knowing what to do. If that includes you, joining One Million Rising will help you overcome these feelings by engaging with hundreds of thousands of Americans in the struggle to stop Trump and his cronies. Together, we must strive to save our country and build a better 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.jstor.org/stable/24483571

[2] https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/07/late-show-stephen-colbert-canceled-cbs/683602/

[3] https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/stephen-colbert-s-late-show-canceled-after-trump-lawsuit-settlement-sparks-backlash/ar-AA1IRlgw?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[4] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nancy-pelosi-reveals-why-republicans-wont-cross-trump_n_6878bf6ce4b09816d3162894

[5] https://www.npr.org/2025/04/29/nx-s1-5327518/donald-trump-100-days-retribution-threats

[6] https://www.axios.com/2024/12/25/companies-donate-trump-inauguration

[7] https://apnews.com/article/trump-retribution-columbia-paul-weiss-law-firms-40c8cbafaa3592a6b2cc5858770d3731

[8] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/resistance-2-0-protests-get-louder-and-more-organized/ar-AA1IAIX9?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[9] https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-authoritarian-no-kings-playbook-1235388347/

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: Stop Trump from Destroying Our Democracy

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

In an outrageous, blatant display of corruption, President Trump is selling access to the White House. He is using “his office for personal enrichment…selling face time to those who put money into his bank account by purchasing nearly $200 million worth of his branded souvenir crypto coins.”[1]

In addition, his overreach is totally out of control. Two federal courts have now ruled that Trump does not have the authority to issue “emergency tariffs on imports from around the world…”[2] (However, a federal appeals court has just put a temporary stay on that ruling.[3])

While this is par for the Trump we’ve come to know too well, some Senate Republicans are finally pushing back. Until recently, practically all Congressional Republicans either have been too afraid of retribution to cross him; or they refuse risking their potentially significant financial gains from his “big, beautiful budget” bill by challenging him.[4]

Even conservative Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) is voicing concerns about changes to Medicaid in Trump’s big budget bill that could lead to millions of people losing coverage. He warned colleagues in an op-ed published in The New York Times this month that cutting health care to pay for tax breaks would be “morally wrong and politically suicidal.”[5] GOP Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) are objecting to measures in the budget bill as well.[6]

The Santa Fe chapter of the national, grassroots organization Indivisible is leading an effort to harness this nascent Republican backlash against Trump’s unlawful and unethical measures. We have put out a call to Americans across the country to urge Sen. Murkowski to form a bipartisan caucus to save our democracy. Most importantly, this effort is catching on with her Alaskan constituents. See my April 30^th post at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog/ for a copy of the letter to the senator which you are free to copy or use in drafting your own letter.

Perhaps it’s time to broaden the appeal to these other Republican senators who don’t see eye-to-eye with Trump. If you believe your senators, Republican or Democratic, might be willing to help form a bipartisan caucus to save our democracy, write to them as well as to Senator Murkowski. And ask your friends and email connections to do the same.

Here in New Mexico, I’m writing to Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, a young, Hispanic Democrat requesting that he speak to Sen. Murkowski and offer to co-chair this bipartisan caucus to save our democracy with her. The two of them together would broaden the appeal for such an effort. If you live in New Mexico, I urge you to write to him as well. The more senators hear from their constituents that we want them to work together to save our democracy, the more likely they will do just that. Time is running out. We all need to get to work now!

Bruce Berlin J.D.

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

[1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-coin-dinner-corruption_n_682e52bae4b09130a584ec82?origin=top-ad-recirc

[2] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/29/second-federal-court-rules-against-trumps-tariffs-00374377

[3] https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-tariffs-back-now-fights-194416188.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

[4] https://www.commondreams.org/news/big-beautiful-bill

[5] https://www.newsweek.com/senate-republicans-demands-trump-big-bill-2077055

[6] https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5320674-senate-republicans-trump-bill-debate/

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: We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

American democracy is on life support. Trump, Musk and their Republican sycophants are doing everything they can to kill it and remake our country into an autocracy akin to Russia and Hungary. Trump is getting more cozy with Putin and now calls himself “the king.”[1]

In fact, there is newly revealed evidence that Trump has been a Russian asset since 1987. Reporter Craig Unger explains in his new book, American Kompromat, that Yuri Shvets, a former KGB spy confirmed on the record that Russian intelligence had been working Trump for decades. Shvets noted that Trump’s “most important characteristics (were) low intellect coupled with hyperinflated vanity.”[2]

While many Republicans will continue to stand by Trump, this latest revelation may be the tipping point for some GOP members of Congress, as well as many rank-and-file party supporters. They were already nervous about Trump’s siding with Putin over Ukraine’s President Zelensky. He has called Zelensky a dictator and accused him of starting the war with Russia, both of which are outright lies.[3]

Meanwhile, more and more Americans are finally realizing who Trump truly is and what he’s really about. The resistance to Trump’s unprecedented attack on our democracy is building. But it must grow into a massive democracy movement quickly before it’s too late. Nothing is more critical for thwarting Trump’s authoritarian coup than each of us getting involved in this movement now.

Last Monday on Presidents’ Day, an extensive national “Stop the Coup” rally brought a great number of Americans to each of the fifty state capitals to protest Trump’s efforts to wipe out our democracy.[4]

A series of boycotts are now being planned to demonstrate the power of the people and force large corporations and financial institutions to hopefully withdraw their support for Trump and his regime. (See https://www.yahoo.com/news/boycott-dates-upcoming-045900701.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall)

The first boycott, a national “24-hour Economic Blackout” on February 28^th, calls for all Americans to buy nothing for 24 hours, except essentials from small, local merchants, if absolutely necessary.[5] This will hit corporations where it hurts the most – in their pocketbooks – and alert them to the power of the people. Longer boycotts of specific corporations will reinforce this message over the next few months.

As the resistance grows, so will the chances our nation’s democracy will prevail. Robert Reich, professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and former Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton, recently provided 10 reasons for modest hope for beating back Trump’s authoritarian takeover. Among them were such good news as “Musk’s popularity is plunging” and the “federal courts are hitting back.”(See https://robertreich.substack.com/p/ten-reasons-for-optimism?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=365422&post_id=157206451&utm_campaign=email-post title&isFreemail=true&r=2saap&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email)

We, the people have the power to stop Trump’s coup. But it will take all of us.

Join the resistance. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

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

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

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

[1] https://people.com/donald-trump-calls-himself-king-as-white-house-shares-fake-time-cover-11683451

[2] https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ex-kgb-agent-trump-russian-asset-mueller-putin-kompromat-unger-book.html

[3] https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5158569-trump-zelensky-putin-ukraine-russia/

[4] https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-trump-protests-1.7450890

[5] https://www.newsweek.com/nationwide-economic-blackout-planned-boycott-dei-changes-2029548; and https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2025/02/12/national-no-spend-day-economic-blackout-amazon-walmart/78410711007/)

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Where Do We Go From Here?

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Author: Bruce Berlin

As we begin 2025, many of us have not yet recovered from the devastating results of the November election, putting Trump and the Republicans in control of the federal government. We are sad, angry, and/or despondent. How could the American people choose a convicted felon, a man liable for sexual abuse, as their president?

We are up against a clever con artist and habitual liar who seeks autocratic power and constantly strives to better his own well-being over that of our country. While it may be hard for many of us to come to grips with this very troubling situation, we must be clear about where we are and accept that this is the hand we’ve been dealt. Only then can we determine the best way to proceed in the new year.

First, we need to regain a sense of personal safety and security. That involves establishing regular self-care endeavors like hiking and other exercise routines, connecting with family and friends, or some other activities we enjoy. We will have a difficult time aiding others or our country if we do not take positive actions that lift our spirits and provide a feeling that our lives are not in constant jeopardy.

Second, we must recognize that we are not alone. Millions of our fellow Americans feel despair, hopelessness and/or fear regarding what Trump and his MAGA friends intend to do. To help alleviate these feelings, I joined an affinity group. Essentially, it’s a fairly small number of people with a common interest or purpose who work together to help each other as well as others at-risk and related efforts. I suggest you join one, too. If you can’t find one, create one with your friends and colleagues. We need to stick together.

Third, we must understand that collective action counters the feelings of isolation and is generally more effective than acting alone. The more people get involved, the greater the impact. Together, we can make a difference.

Fourth, we must be in this for the long haul. Overcoming Trump and his billionaire buddies will not happen overnight. We must build a viable democracy movement and be prepared for an extended struggle against the forces of autocracy.

Fifth, we must develop a compelling vision of a revived American democracy that will rally the vast majority of our fellow citizens to come together and accomplish it. This vision would include good-paying jobs, quality healthcare/medicare for all, affordable housing, a sustainable environment, and immigration reform, and more.

Finally, we each have to decide. Are we going to sit by and allow this hostile takeover of our country to destroy our democracy? Or, are we going to stand up and fight for what we believe is right? Many of us have enough resources that we would not suffer much, at least for a while, under the Trump region. Others will feel a greater impact sooner. But, eventually, we will all feel the heavy burden of a right-wing autocracy.

Do we have the strength and courage to do what we know is the right course to take? I sure hope so.

(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