Weasel Cheese

Having watched her at multiple “hearings” now, this is clearly her M.O., so what are effective strategies for getting anything from Bondi—or Patel or Noem or any of these appointees—other than attack dog tactics? Whatever it is, legislators haven’t found or employed them.

A defining feature of an emerging authoritarian regime is that it makes the opposition feel like shit on a daily basis. Every day, there is some new atrocity committed; some new institution attacked; some new democratic norm demolished. Some of it -- much of it -- we have little ability to stop in the moment. But that’s not how to measure the health of an anti-authoritarian movement. Instead, we should measure it this way: Are we more unified than we were before? Are we bigger than we were before? Are our tactics proliferating? Is the regime’s popularity falling?

I find this encouraging, from @indivisible.org:

Marc Elias is on fire lately.

We all should be.

If you're looking for a real hero to support right now, start with democracydocket.com. Follow this man and support his work. He’s the real deal.

This chart illustrates how Americans spent their money in 2023, breaking down $18.8 trillion in personal consumption expenditures. • Services ($12.7T, about two-thirds of spending): The largest share goes to services like housing & utilities ($3.3T), health care ($3.1T), financial services ($1.4T), food & accommodation ($1.4T), transportation ($617B), entertainment ($739B), and other services such as education and personal care ($2.1T). • Goods ($6.1T, about one-third of spending): This includes groceries & takeout ($1.4T), vehicles ($750B), clothing ($510B), sports goods ($636B), gas ($467B), household furnishings ($480B), and other goods like cosmetics, cigarettes, and jewelry ($1.8T). Key takeaway: The U.S. consumer economy is service-dominated, with housing, health care, and utilities being the largest categories, while goods—especially food, vehicles, and household items—make up the rest.

If a few million Americans cancelled their Apple TV subscriptions… I suspect they would be less eager to rim Trump, Vought, and Miller.

When Americans close their wallets with intent, corporations required by law to return value to shareholders remember who’s really in charge: Consumers.

25% of Apple's revenue is in SERVICES (AppleCare, Apple Music, Apple TV). TWENTY-FREAKING-FIVE PERCENT.

And their revenue is huge so… that’s a lot of quatloos.

We can bend the curve on publicly held companies because they prioritize profits from consumer spending above all else BY LAW. #Boycott

HARRY HARRY HARRY… Always proofread before you hit post!

I ❤️ PDX

Love this. Superbly done. Please send this far and wide. @donwinslow.bsky.social

oof… more like Constitutional Convention in 1,000,000 Mississippi, 999,999 Mississippi, 999,998 Mississippi, 999,997 Missi… SQUIRREL!

Oh shit. Got distracted.

Now where were we? Oh yeah… 2,000,000 Mississippi, 1,999,999 Mississippi…

he never gets consent, it’s kind of his hallmark

Shocking how the people resisting Trump most forcefully are either never-Trumpers or actual Republicans

Excuse me but what the actual fuck…?

The Erosion of Stigma: How Autocrats Weaponize ‘Accusation in a Mirror’ In functional societies, stigma plays an essential role in deterring unethical behavior. A person who lies will be labeled a liar, a…

“Recognizing this tactic is the first step. Countering it requires discipline, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to ethical language. The stakes are high — without the ability to call out evil for what it is, society risks becoming indifferent to its presence.”
medium.com/@robert.gerl...

Trump hates to be the object of humor. He understands that humor can be a more powerful antidote to tyranny than any other form of criticism.

I'm sure he'd hate it if you shared this cartoon. [Cartoon by Jon Adams/The New Yorker]

AOC: Fuck the comments. Post anyway.

Work won't love you back That doesn't mean you can't love your work! But know the limits of this love.

Amanda Litman has fast become one of my favorite writers of the mid-20s. Please don’t think any less of her just because one boomer thinks she’s awesome. Just read her stuff.

@amandalitman.bsky.social

“Work won’t love you back” open.substack.com/pub/amandali...

Every accusation is a confession

Click here to educate yourself and recognize it.

If you wonder how bad the Epstein Files are for Donald, he had the federal government shut down so you wouldn't find out.

@govpritzker.illinois.gov Please respond forcefully and meaningfully to allegations that ISP is working with ICE.

You need to act and respond promptly and not wait while social posts metastasize. Social media moves faster than the old communication model.

Spot on.

10 Terrifying Venn Diagrams of Doom (for you to color) Happy Spooky Season to all who celebrate.

10 Terrifying Venn Diagrams of Doom (for you to color)
open.substack.com/pub/jessicah...

Hey funny story…
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Release the Epstein Files

REMINDER: Organized resistance includes *closing your wallet.* Apple might “re-Kimmel” like Disney/ABC did if we began cancelling services and telling them why.

25% of Apple’s revenue is services. Oligarchs feel it when consumers boycott. 70% of US GDP is consumer spending!

@muellershewrote.com

I posted online about vaccinating my kid You can probably guess what happened next...

I loved this piece from @amandalitman.bsky.social - It’s wry, sharp, shocking, and a great reminder just how thoroughly the sane outnumber the insane who are mainly in a “The Loudest Troll” competition.

“I posted online about vaccinating my kid” open.substack.com/pub/amandali...

I hate to admit that this season of SNW made it so much easier to cancel Paramount+ after the Skydance merger put another oligarch in charge of another media company

I’ve been on a subscription cancelling spree and it feels so good

Closing your wallet is legit resistance

“Health insurance premiums” as a pushback narrative is good… but with deeply flawed associations.

Non-rich Americans know our for-profit health insurance system for what it is: a baldly rapacious industry that impoverishes millions of families every year at their most desperate times of need.

She knows it, expects it, and posts anyway. May we all be as undaunted as AOC.

@kairyssdal.bsky.social - I don't want to bother you with a DM… The Kimmel un-suspension underscored for me how powerful American consumers are when mass sentiment turns into closed wallets. It seems to me that Americans could be more aware of our clout in times when we feel helpless & overwhelmed.

Republicans count on voters being dumb as fuck. they count on voters being uninformed. they count on voters being in deep denial, going “oh come on, they wouldn’t really do that, would they?” Republicans are counting on a lazy, corporate-controlled media being too obsessed with taking down Joe Biden to spend any time reporting on y’know, the end of democracy. so once again, it’s up to us to spread the word.

if you haven’t heard about Project 2025, read on — and be prepared to be terrified. Project 2025 is the Heritage Foundation’s 900-page blueprint for turning the United States into a Christian Nationalist dictatorship with Donny Convict permanently installed as King Fuckface the First. it’s Mein Kampf meets The Handmaid’s Tale meets 1984, all rolled up into one big christofascist wet dream — and make no mistake: every fucking Republican is totally on board with it.

I wrote a whole thing about Project 2025 over a year ago, and goddammit, I SURE HATE BEING RIGHT.
www.jefftiedrich.com/p/republican...

RTO has drastically increased my aversion to socializing