LAYING IT OUT

By Ruth A. Sheets

May 20, 2026

I do believe our various media gave Donald Trump the tools he needed to become a national, then global menace.  Trump was "glib," a New Yorker with money and properties (didn't matter how he got them or what was being done with them), and he had friends. 

This trio of circumstances launched an ignorant, narcissistic, hateful charlatan onto a stage where he didn’t belong.  Unfortunately, the various media found a lot for themselves in what he was doing, and kept promoting him ("The Apprentice, Miss Universe, The Regis and Kathy Lee Show” ).  They enhanced Trump's actions and created a “star” who could travel in all sorts of circles plugging himself and his supposed greatness. 

However while Trump was being lauded by  the media, he was involved in let’s call them “crimes” that included theft, rape, fraud, rape of minors, lying, cheating contractors for his properties, red lining, and more, on to the present.  Some people knew about Trump’s behavior, but just considered him one of the “bad boys” who were to be tolerated.  There were rumors of his involvement with the New York Mafia, though people rarely talk about it. 

Developing a “connection” with New York’s media was critical to Trump’s rise.  From the day of Trump’s ride down the “golden escalator” in 2015, Trump or his actions were the first or second phrase or story in nearly every newscast.  That was true even when he wasn’t president or anything else official, and it is still happening.  That was primarily because he did or said things designed to direct attention to himself.

Trump’s dementia now makes it harder for him to even know what is going on, but that doesn't matter since he,  Toddler-Trump (as I refer to him), has an entire toddler pool of sycophants surrounding him that we pay for that includes a  traitorous white house staff (Miller, Vought, Wiles, Vance, etc.; 6 Supreme Court justices, Republicans in Congress; all cabinet heads; all whom Trumplandia nominated for any government position with Senate approval; Republicans throughout state legislatures; the Heritage Foundation, The Federalist Society, and other similar right-wing political organizations; many white evangelical fundamentalists; the oligarchs, including Musk, Theil, the Ellisons, and more, who use Trump as much as he uses them. 

That sounds like a lot, but in reality, it is a small minority of Americans.  However, they are in power and as they say, "have all the weapons."  It seems to me we are going to need a significant resistance group formed everywhere in this nation to stand up to these anti-American, anti-democratic thugs who have an ignoramus at their head and a lot of money in their pockets.  We need to be louder, broader, and more demanding in protest of Trumplandia.

This group of Conservative, Republican, amoral entities are doing their best to undermine our government.  They began in Trump’s first term with a huge tax cut that went nearly all to the super rich who already have far far too much.  Then in the second term, Trump released the illegal DOGErs (Department of Government Efficiency) young computer guys   under Elon Musk, to tear apart many of our government agencies and departments.  They are responsible for the deaths of at least 700,000 people around the world who depended on the food, medicines, and healthcare provided by US-AId.  We don’t have a count yet of the deaths here from programs cut and conspiracy theorists in important offices making false pronouncements. 

Trump and the Dept. of Homeland Security (Dhs) set ICE on innocent immigrants in our communities, while lying they were only going after serious criminals.  Alas, lies are Trumplandia’s coin of the realm, and Republicans these days must be able to lie with skill all the time if necessary (if Trump orders them to do it). 

Trump now owns the Republican Party and  our amoral Supreme Court Roberts 6. 

 

Each member of Trumplandia has their “job.”  Congressional Republicans push through every stupid, illegal bill Trump and his white house toddler pool give them.  The Roberts 6 rule on cases in ways that will give Republicans more seats in congress and enhance the racial, gender, and other differences among us.  Republicans in legislatures across the country must take their states to levels of racism and misogyny that haven’t been seen for decades.

 

Trump’s cabinet was nominated and approved because they will permit Trump to do as much damage to this nation as possible.  Trump ordered the start of a stupid deadly war for his own ego and he and Pete Hegseth of DOD have been playing it as though it were a video game, adding destroying small boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific as their bonus plays.  All of this is illegal internationally, but who is going to charge them or hold them accountable, particularly now that Trump is building a white house fortress as described by Heather Cox Richardson (and Trump himself, although not in those exact words).  Trump is also trying to reward the January 6^th insurrectionists for their something:  bravery, loyalty to Trump, willingness to “stand ready?”

 

I suspect everyone I write to knows all of this, so I want to provide some suggestions for things we can do to surround these thugs with a wall of disapproval created by the diversity that is America, something that really scares Trumplandia.

• Make a list of the issues most important to you.  Figure out who to contact regarding that issue, then write, call, sign petitions, etc. related to each issue.
• Find and support organizations with similar values to yours, read their publications, and support them financially if you can, even if it is only a tiny donation.
• Attend public protests, townhalls, and local actions related to the issues that concern you and your community most.  You can’t do everything, so do what you can when you can.
• Talk to young people about what is going on and encourage them to pay attention, to work hard to get a good education, even if they are a little bored.  Those in power now don’t want them to become educated at all, so do it to spite them.
• Read books from different cultures, particularly those the right-wing fearmongers want to ban, then share favorites with others.
• Use public transportation when possible.  Walk when it makes sense.  Use your car less often.  Encourage others to do this too.
• Stand with neighbors to stop ICE, using a warning system if you see them.  Protest them when you can.
• Attend school board meetings when possible to say your piece about what is happening in the schools in your area. 
• VOTE IN EVERY SINGLE ELECTION!!!  Don’t tell yourself “ah this election is just a primary; it doesn’t matter”; it does!  Those In power want us to stay home so their pathetic whiny white candidates can get into or stay in power; we don’t need them!

 

I bet you have lots more ideas.  When we pool them together, we can have a set of strategies to stand against the authoritarians, the would be kings.  We can stand strong in this 250^th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, and tell Trump and his toddler pool that We the People of the United States aren’t gonna take them and their anti-American bullying anymore”!

IT’S NOT JUST “THE ECONOMY, STUPID”

By Ruth A. Sheets

A member of the comment thread for Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack reminded us “It’s the economy, stupid.”  That phrase supposedly shot Bill Clinton into office in 1992 and will fix things for Democrats today.  I thought I should respond, so, here it is.

it is the economy, of course, but we need to make it far more than that!  The protection of our rights as Americans being taken away by Trumplandia, at every turn to make us totally subservient/enslaved to them is in the works.  That is more worrisome than what is happening to our economy and that is pretty bad.

Last week, the Supreme Court Roberts 6 gave the Confederate states the freedom to gerrymander to their heart’s content racially, of course, just don’t call it that.  In other words, bring back Jim Crow, but don’t call it that.  This is directly related to the economy.  It is also deeply tied up with the endemic racism that exists in this nation and only marginally dealt with from the time of the Civil War.  The Roberts 6 knew full well they were permitting a set of racial gerrymanders, but if states “pretend”/lie it isn’t, no problem.  Without proper representation, the people suffer.

I hope Democrats got the word that the old way of doing things, the monied elite in control of the Party will no longer work.  Dems need new, more powerful strategies than supporting the centrist malleable candidates ignoring progressives.  Democrats must jump in and tell those in gerrymandered southern districts that they are being used.  The manipulators are magnifying their positions toward others to assure their compliance with whatever foolish idea Republicans in power come up with.  Dems need to get out the word that once those Republicans get tired of harming the “hated” groups, they will come after the rural and suburban white folks as loafers, illegal landowners, or whatever comes into their addled fascist brains.  Donald Trump is at the center of what is going on even though his dementia won't let him remember any of it and he will lie to say it didn't happen.  

An effective basic Democratic platform must be universal, then added to in each district to meet specific needs of those folks.  Some points I believe should be on the basic platform: 

• universal healthcare
• full bodily autonomy for all
• a living wage for every job, workplace safety, and unions
• end of tariffs and Congress approving all money as the Constitution requires
• automatic voter registration upon citizens turning 18 and fair voting districts

independently drawn

• court and criminal justice reform at all levels
• fair taxation for all without loopholes for the rich
• Effective regulation of the economy with stronger guidelines for consumers
• properly administered Social Security and other retirement programs
• fair regulation of Artificial Intelligence, social media, and other tech
• significant funding for renewable energy and addressing global warming
• clean air and water, with a fully-functioning EPA and related government agencies
• protection of our public lands and National Parks, with very limited mining and logging with guidance from Native Americans and other experts
• strong support for our public schools, early childhood, child care, and free community colleges which care for and educate our precious children
• support programs for struggling Americans:  SNAP, WIC, housing support, etc.
• reinstatement of supports for diversity-equity-inclusion, plus full rights for all populations, immigrants, differently abled and LGBTQ persons 
• rebuilding strong relationships with the world particularly our allies including reinstating US Aid and other international service organizations and stronger ties with the UN
• improvement of public transportation
• and more based on what a committee of strong progressive Democrats see as essentials.  

Americans everywhere need to be encouraged to VOTE in every single election, not just those of high media interest.  We need people to make calls and texts, knock on doors of all sorts of people and actually listen to their issues, get folks registered to vote, put billboards up wherever possible that present parts of the Democratic platform, flood social media with the positives of the platform and the candidates who support it in the district, hold weekly press conferences to let people know what Democrats federal, state,  and local are doing for the people and what they are opposing and why.  Demand better, more honest media coverage of this regime.  Call out the tech bros who are only for themselves and what they can get their AI to do for money and power.  

That is a lot, but we could do it despite the forces arrayed against us.  We have nearly 6 months to get this going!  Skip the stupid infighting among Democrats and make this happen!  Yep, it’s the economy plus! 

CONSERVATIVE FEAR AND LOATHING

By Ruth A. Sheets

May 3, 2026

In Joyce Vance’s “Civil Discourse” Substack of April 30, 2026, she asked a couple of really important questions:  why are conservatives so afraid of democracy? Why are they afraid to let the voters decide elections? 

After this week’s appalling Supreme Court Roberts 6 decision to gut further the Voting Rights Act, this is my enhanced response to Joyce’s questions.  I have been an active political being since I was 14 or 15 years old.  I wrote to my governor, my senators and my Rep, even the president, and still do, concerning issues I see as important.  One thing I noticed is that conservatives than and now, are people who are scared of the future, although more recently, the fear is showing up in ways and intensities that have not been seen for a while.  Conservatives seem also to be scared of life.  They often hide in conservative religion which can trap them in a one-way-of-thinking scenario with "sin" at the center and that everyone is an evil sinner, or everyone but they themselves is (it varies). 

As I see it, conservatives think they got whatever position they have in life through their own unaided natural ability and skill, but possibly down deep, fear that isn't the truth.  Instead of realizing that most people have doubts like that, they put others down, wanting to keep them down, thinking that will somehow raise themselves up. 

Many conservatives don't want to "let voters decide elections" because those less-talented, lower-class voters would never pick the “right” people.  Believing that, those in charge of American conservatism must rig the election in favor of the "good" guys (usually men) or ultra compliant women, and with money, media, and some AI, they do. 

These days, maybe always, conservatives tend to get wealth in a variety of ways and will fight really hard to keep it and use it for themselves to get even more.  It seems wealth begets conservatism; conservatism often fosters wealth for those at the top too. 

Non-conservatives have a range of points of view, and rightly so.  Those often conflict, which can mean a lack of unity.  Each group may have its own goals, its own “critical” issues to fight for, its own style.  Often those non-conservatives don’t take the time to heed each others’ issues, certain theirs is the most important.  Conservatives have had decades, maybe centuries to shape their message, too often involving lying, blaming, deceit, name-calling, gaslighting, etc.  One might correctly think they need these tactics because their message is poor or unpopular.  Conservatives seem to listen to no one and nothing but money and their personal comfort, so they use whatever they can to undermine their opponents, their enemies. 

Our nation and planet are in trouble, all of us.  As far as I can tell, conservatives don’t really care as long as they get theirs.  It is critical that non-conservatives find many different ways to work together to defeat conservatism, or at least put it on a back shelf.  We truly don’t need its efforts to wreck our lives, our democracy.  We can’t stand by and just watch everything destroyed that this nation has worked for as it “progresses” toward forming “a more perfect union.”

We can decide on, as many have recommended, a set of positions, issues that non-conservatives can hold in common and can stand on no matter what is thrown at us, like: 

• valuing diversity and the histories of all groups;
• stopping divisions stoked by conservatives and others;
• ending violence against immigrants, closing concentration camp prisons, abolishing ICE and limiting Border Patrol to the borders;
• developing ethical requirements for our Supreme Court, term limits to 18 years and limiting the number of justices any one president can appoint, increasing the court to 13 justices to cover all districts with 1 justice each;
• ending gerrymandering of all kinds while making sure minority voters actually have proper representation;
• reforming our tax code to make taxation fair for everyone, everyone pays at least a bit and those who have more pay a whole lot more,  including corporations;
• limiting shareholder power in corporations;;
• bodily autonomy for all people, not just men;
• enhancing support programs for all Americans:  SNAP, WIC, FEMA, whatever is needed;
• universal healthcare;
• nominees for judgeships/justices approved by at least 3 independent legal organizations, with candidates who have  experience on the bench or quality legal cases they have handled;
• regulating AI while at the same time valuing and supporting science and research;
• working harder for renewable energy and restoring our environment as global warming is seriously addressed. 

I bet there are a few others, but those would be a start that all non-conservative candidates could support.  It's time to come together to stand against the scared white conservatives who would destroy everything we have so they can feel safe and in control of those scary others, rather than try to improve life for all.