Tonight, in response to a thread I wrote, a gentleman invited me to “F off.” Regrettably, he blocked me before I could fully consider the invitation, much less RSVP with my intent. He seems to be someone with whose politics I largely agree. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 Now this is not the first time I’ve received such an invitation, and it most likely will not be the last. I bear the gentleman no ill will in response. But my action that earned it was simply to show appreciation for a journalist saying something both important and astute.

Kudos to @NicolleDWallace for calling out those questioning whether Trump will strike a unifying message at the Republican convention: “At some point if we’re still looking for a pivot, the problem is us.” She is spot-on. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 A great failing of much of our current media reporting comes from the hyper-intensive focus on the moment itself, without considering the knowledge gained outside of it. And this is the perfect example. Trump is neither measured nor conciliatory. He’s a blustering bully.

Tonight’s #FridayLimericks go to the Heritage Foundation and its attacks on our nation’s democracy. #LimerickRhyme
As our national heritage bends,
A foundation now scarcely pretends.
It now seeks to control
Our full national soul
For its rich evangelical friends. The first Mandate that Heritage wrote
Had another repub to promote.
In that era of greed,
Ronald Reagan took heed;
Donor influence started to bloat.
thenation.com/article/archiv…

At this point, if you are a politician, pundit, or media personality, and you want to talk about concerns with Biden, despite his wildly productive 1st term or his feeble- and fecal-minded opponent? Fine—as long as you come back to work. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 Biden has been at work rebuilding from the rubble Trump left, cranking out new jobs and setting us up for infrastructure investment and climate re-engagement, all while restoring our reputation with allies who do not trust Trump. This is the progress you are risking.

The Supreme Court majority took a long time to get presidential immunity very wrong. And in doing so, it laid out with terrifying clarity what is at stake in this election. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1

open.substack.com/pub/asharangap… The majority ruled today that any presidential act that falls under the core powers of the presidency is absolutely immune to prosecution —regardless of intent. If a president meets with the attorney general for a specifically criminal purpose, that president is immune.

Today’s Supreme Court’s opinion in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo threw out a 40-year precedent, because that’s what the current majority does. And it’s yet another exhibit in the ongoing story of why we cannot elect republicans. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 The ruling essentially tosses out the long-established idea that, where a statute is ambiguous, courts should give deference to federal agency interpretation. You could see this coming in recent jurisprudence in this area, but this opinion officially overruled Chevron.

In today’s episode of “Mike Johnson Is a Dishonest, Disingenuous Prat,” I give you his conflation of the border and long-residing undocumented immigrants. Per usual, Milquetoast Moses’ talking points here ignore reality and reveal his own choice not to lead. (Thread) First, let’s look at Biden’s border action, which came specifically because Trump’s bootlickers and sycophants have tanked congressional action at the border. These actions ease the burden on border officials during surges.
whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/…

The GOP used to be a political party; it’s now a collection of pro-wrestling style heels, a literal cult of smug, smarmy, and dickish personalities, constructed to distract us from voting for our own interests. We cannot let them do so. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 Should convicted felon Trump, a lifelong fraudster and deeply compromised racist buffoon, be on the ballot? Of course not—but a once serious political party has debased itself and fallen prostrate before him. So here we are.

In looking at climate change and environmental issues, we see a theme common for much of the far right: an unwillingness to think big enough to see small. (Thread)
#ResistanceEarth
#DemVoice1

The movements of nature, like the well-being of individual families and workers, only matters to them in terms of the impact of the moment—even though the long-term impact of their proposals, policies, and actions are demonstrably catastrophic.

unep.org/news-and-stori…

Tonight’s #FridayLimericks go to Marsha Blackburn, working every day to make Tennessee worse. #LimerickRhyme
Marsha Blackburn is chasing the stage
With her Tennessee dilettante rage.
Has her big empty melon
All-in for a felon—
So deep that she can’t disengage. Just how far does her crazy train go?
Alex Jones had her on his damned show.
With a wink and a grin,
Marsha helped the guy spin—
Crossed some lines, and then met him below.
nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthe…

The “America First” MAGA folks are willing partners with Russia, China, and other autocratic nations working to weaken democracy and the United States. And the approach raises some serious free speech concerns. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… Foreign authoritarians have learned that suppressing speech seldom works, and that people generally like messaging about freedom and democracy. So they have shifted tactics to (1) create and promote dishonest messaging; (2) attack those ideals; and (3) bury us in all of it.

The Supreme Court majority is corrupt. Alito is a cold, calculating, condescending political actor. Thomas is a bitter, vengeful political actor. And realistically, we can’t retrofit the Court to remove their stench. But we have power. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1

https://twitter.com/normeisen/status/1792195849042186469

Alito and Thomas are the Court’s oldest two members. With a Republican president, they would almost certainly be replaced by younger versions of themselves, entrenching their partisan gamesmanship for a generation, jurisprudence be damned.

Tensions over the conflict in Israel and Gaza cut across political lines in America. That has made it hard for many to speak out, knowing their usual “team” may not fully support them. But that’s when it’s most important. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1

https://twitter.com/tweetmalena/status/1789393103742439718

When we speak out on ideas on which everyone with whom you align agrees, it’s important, but it requires less courage than it does to know you’re going against the grain. But what if your “team” disagrees? What if you risk alliances or friendships by speaking out?

Even though the U.S. economy is the envy of the world, Republicans continue to beat the drum of economic crisis. But while they talk about affordability, they are attacking it—because they want to keep America from helping Americans. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 1. Education. The baseline to help lift Americans’ individual economic opportunity and potential is a robust public education system. Republicans are working to dismantle rather than bolster public education.
progressive.org/public-schools…

I view history, in part, as a window. We can look back through it to understand its causes, and forward to understand better our present and our potential futures. This makes #HolocaustRemembrance important. (Thread)
#ResistanceRoots
#DemVoice1 Like most human-caused tragedies and atrocities, the Holocaust didn’t blink into or out of existence. Antisemitism had long existed in the world beforehand. Hitler didn’t create it; he just leveraged it and built it into his brand of nationalism.

theholocaustexplained.org/how-and-why/wh…

I read a post recently in a leadership blog about “toxic positivity.” As someone who tries to project positivity, and having been in a toxically negative environment, it seemed like an odd notion. But it’s something we see every day. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 The two key points: the pretense of positivity can be stifling for growth, because there is always room to grow and improve: and positivity that doesn’t energize quickly turns to negativity. It’s almost the stuff of Greek tragedy, watching the negativity we try to avoid emerge.

I used to find it annoying when celebrities—even one as objectively and undeniably cool as @MarkHamill—spoke out about politics and social issues. Whether it was a conservative upbringing or an undefined jealousy driving that, I was wrong. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1

https://twitter.com/markhamill/status/1786720218443641299

Part of that belief was something of a “stay in your lane” attitude: when I saw a star athlete or actor or singer launching into other areas, my question was akin to “What makes you qualified to talk about this thing?” But that was more about my lack of insight than theirs.

When I was a high school freshman, I experienced a deeply embarrassing moment that turned into an important lesson—one that lasted in ways the embarrassment itself did not. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 I was in many ways a late bloomer. I didn’t hit five feet tall until the end of seventh grade, and my most significant growth spurt—with all the attendant fun—proceeded over the next two years. I was nervous every time I had to speak publicly.

One of my favorite Saturday activities is a simple walk through one of the local parks here. As I stepped out, I decided to reverse my usual direction around one loop. It’s an interesting exercise. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 It’s so easy to get locked into a single set of perspectives. Something as simple as switching directions—while looking out at the same views, looks just a little different. It imbues a sense of presque vu, of looking at the world in slices I’ve almost seen before.

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will finally hear oral arguments on presidential immunity. Trump’s team has worked to frame this as an absolute, or as close to one as it can. And I miss having faith in the Supreme Court to treat it accordingly. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 In Trump’s mind, he always has immunity. After a lifetime of getting away with so much unethical and illegal behavior, it’s no wonder he thinks that. The presidency, to him, was only about gathering and cementing even more power.

Today’s GOP rhetoric relies on statements that sound reasonable, and that even can be true. But their catchphrases operate like rhetorical invasive species, pushed into environments where they don’t belong, and threatening to destroy them. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#DemVoice1 Presidential immunity, for example, is in fact important—in the context of allowing a president to implement policy and take official action without the threat of lawsuits. It in no way applies to a president using his office to protect his own power at the expense of the nation.