Democrats Speak Out

Posted on June 21, 2025 by Dave Bradley

Many pundits, especially in the right wing owned media, continue to claim that Democrats are not speaking out. I am here to tell you that Democrats are speaking out. Democrats are speaking out loudly, forcefully and truthfully about this clown show of a government that is in power in this country today.

The reason that we don’t hear about Democrats speaking out is that the media is owned almost completely by the far right in this country. From newspapers to radio, TV and social media such as X the right has a near monopoly on information in this country. They will not undercut their power by letting the opposition be heard.

But we will. And let me tell you that Democrats are fighting for our democracy with the ferocity needed. Exhibit A for today is Senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth. This is a person that to me has the makings of a presidential candidate. Yes, she was born in Thailand, but her father was an American and as I understand it, that makes her eligible. 

Here we see Duckworth taking on party man SoD Pete Hegseth on his miserable performance in his time as Secretary of Defense: (5+ minutes)

Senator Duckworth was followed by Senator Rosen of Nevada. Hegseth was also smirky to Senator Rosen. I won’t post that video but it is certainly worth looking up. Rosen lets Hegseth know who is boss.

Rosen was followed Senator Slotkin of Michigan. Hegseth was plain condescending to Senator Slotkin. The good senator did not let him get away with it. As she lambasted him at the end of her time. Sadly, a person has to dig deep to find these instances because they are for all practical purposes hidden by our media. (5+ minutes)

While we are at it and we are talking about Pete Hegseth, have you given any thought at all as to how badly a war in Iran would be run with a C-I-C like Trump and a clown of a Secretary of Defense like Hegseth? It just sets the mind to spinning. As noted in Duckworth’s questioning the Navy lost bombers in by just dropping them off the boat. We certainly do not look ready for anything serious right now.

Note also that both Trump and Hegseth are much more pre-occupied with their war on America’s blue cities than they are with something international. That is unless there is some money to be made or bribed by Trump.

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What Happens Next? The Growing Movement

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Trish Nelson

#nokings day Des Moines, Iowa/photo: Des Moines Register

Happy Friday! If you weren’t able to catch Indivisible’s weekly update and planning call, here is the recording.  I try to never miss these calls.  If you catch the live, you can submit questions.

See below for links to a transcript of the call suggested actions and more.

 

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#NOKINGS Day In A Conservative Iowa Town

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Trish Nelson

I still think Substacks are no substitute for newspapers but there are some great writers there and it is an excellent information source beyond headlines and Tweets and podcasts. At the same time the posts are easily shareable on those social media platforms and you can follow most writers for free or you can be a paid subscriber.

Sharing a little of an excellent Substack post today from Daniel Henderson who is also a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. He writes about the #NOKINGS day event in Washington, a conservative Iowa community. Below is an excerpt. Click on the link to read the entire article. 

https://hendersond.substack.com/p/theres-somethin-happenin-here

When Indivisible Washington held its first march a month prior to this event, there were about 75 participants. We thought that was a good start. However, the attendance at No Kings approached 200 people, and was well beyond expectations.

Something is happening. This is now a movement, not just a gaggle of people. It is a reaction to the obvious unconstitutional actions taken by Trump and others in his administration.

In Washington County, IA 38.8% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 59.3% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.0% voted Independent. Washington county has voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.

Yet, what I witnessed and saw Saturday was a gathering of people, diverse in nature, excited to come out to stand for Democracy, and committed to changing the trajectory of the country. For a town like Washington with around 7500 people, the turnout for the No Kings parade was close to 200.

A handful of MAGAmites tried to disrupt the event by driving by with huge TRUMP flags on their pickups. The crowd overwhelmed their revving of engines…they were no match for this group.

Another small (best count, 3) Republicans stood across the street and occasionally shouted something at the protesters on the other side. The Republicans in Washington were clearly agitated by our presence. They believe it is their town and their county…not any more. I suspect they understand the threat we pose to MAGA world.

Click here to read  the entire longish inspiring article on Daniel Henderson’s Substack

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The Definitive Conversation About The 3.5% Rule

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Trish Nelson


Pod Save America is one of the most popular political podcasts in the U.S. with over 20 million monthly listeners.  It is hosted by former Obama aides. Jon Favreau is host of the podcast being highlighted today. Most know him as President Obama’s director of speechwriting.

I have on occasion started to watch a few Pod Save America podcasts but have not watched one all the way through until this one because each time I found them to be annoying due to too much inside the beltway analysis,  DC-centric narratives, and typical conventional campaign-think, much of which in my view, doesn’t apply anymore since the Fox News propaganda station arrived on the scene and more recently, Trump.

So when the first words out of Favreau’s mouth on this podcast indicated that he is now acknowledging conventional wisdom may be insufficient and that we may need a new approach, I was all in.  I hope he has the ear of his fellow podcasters, regular media, Democratic electeds all the way down the ballot, and the DNC.  Regular Americans already understand we have to stop treating Trumpism as “normal.”  We are showing up in the streets by the millions, protesting Trump policies and demanding democracy.  Now we need the DC crowd to get it, to adjust to the fact that this is not “normal politics” and should not be treated as such in the media or in campaigns.

I will digress and say that we also need daily national media coverage of the protests happening everywhere around the country. As Rachel Maddow (who is doing an amazing job of covering the protests) has queried, what if the media covered Americans’ response to Trump as diligently as they cover Trump?  Because what Americans are doing about Trump and whether we allow Trump to continue what he is doing is after all, the “most important story of our time,” she has said.  “The strength of the movement against him is what will determine our fate as a country,”  according to Maddow who wrote a book about fascism, titled “Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism published in 2023. The book explores the fight against pro-fascist individuals and groups in the United States during the 1930s and early 1940s. 

Favreau’s guest on this podcast is Erica Chenoweth.  Her book Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (2011) with Maria J. Stephan won the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order, and the Best Book Award from the American Political Science Association.  The podcast isn’t just about the 3.5% rule. It covers a broad range of issues related to ousting fascist dictators, what works, what doesn’t, what is known, what is unknown.

Excellent questions by Favreau and kudos to him for breaking out of conventional thinking.  This is what he said at the opening of the podcast that pulled me in. The entire conversation did not disappoint. I watched the whole podcast.  [Note:  It was recorded before the shootings in Minnesota over the weekend.]

I’ve really been looking forward to the conversation you’re about to hear which I’ve wanted to have for awhile but has turned out to be extremely timely after the events of last week and this weekend – massive immigration raids that have led to protests that have led to our own government deploying American troops on the streets of Los Angeles. All leading up to a weekend of nationwide protests that were originally planned in response to Trump’s military parade in Washington, DC.

One thing I’ve struggled with since January is finding the time and space to have conversations about the most effective ways to fight back. Trump floods the zone, we react in the moment, and then everyone moves on to the next outrage. I also feel like even though most of us know that this isn’t normal politics we’re dealing with, the reference point for our response is still basically normal politics. Make Trump and MAGA unpopular, block what we can, fight them on the issues where they’re weakest, and then organize ahead of the midterms and eventually 2028.  But I think a lot of us feel like we’ve reached a point where that may be insufficient and that maybe we need a new playbook to help us through this reality.”  – Jon Favreau

 

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Fasting For Gaza

Posted on June 17, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Ed Flaherty

Our friend and peace activist Ed Flaherty had his letter to the editor published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette Monday.

On May 22, two of my friends, Kathy Kelly and Mike Ferner, along with four others, began a 40-day fast outside of the UN in New York City. They are limiting themselves to 250 calories per day. Why? Two simple goals: 1) Unimpeded humanitarian aid for Gaza; 2) Halt to US arms to Israel. After an oft-violated cease fire, on March 2 Israel imposed a blockade on all humanitarian aid into Gaza.

I was surprised when I heard of their fasting, but not shocked. I was concerned because they are in their 70’s and have existing health issues. But I understood, because I know the strength of their dedication to peace and the depth of their solidarity with the starving people of Gaza. Kelly said that in contrast to people in Gaza, they have easy access to clean water and are not being bombed.

What realistically can the fasters expect to accomplish?

They don’t expect millions of Americans to join the fast (over 700 have joined). But what if everyone witnessing their fast were to close their eyes for five minutes and contemplate their own family going without food, and then demand their government make those two goals happen, now?

Ed Flaherty is a member of  Veterans for Peace

 

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Thousands Of Iowans Show Up For #NOKINGS Day of Action

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Happy Monday and thank you and congratulations to everyone who attended or supported the #NOKINGS events over the weekend. It is being called the biggest day of demonstrations in U.S. history.  It was an enormous accomplishment and heavy lift. But it was also a joyful celebration of our democracy, freedom of speech and assembly. It was a day of community. Our democracy may be hanging on by a thread but Americans are banding together and not letting it go without putting up a fight.

There were at least thirty-six peaceful protests in Iowa. Here are some photos from the Iowa City protest and a couple of videos from local news coverage.  Be sure and thank your local station for covering your event. You can do that easily by liking and subscribing to their YouTube channels.

There is an Indivisible #NOKINGS virtual attendee de-briefing call June 16 that will discuss what happens next.  If you would like to get involved visit Indivisible.org

Cedar Rapids

Des Moines

Council Bluffs

Quad Cities

 

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ICE Raid In Omaha Wednesday. Will Iowa Be Next?

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Dave Bradley

Video from Omaha: (3 minutes)

ICE pulled a raid on a meat packing plant just across the Iowa border in Omaha, Nebraska Wednesday morning. 

Here is a video from the Des Moines Register that to me feels very uncomfortable. Although the story with the video does not indicate it, it seems that the Register reporter was embedded with the ICE team on the raid. Somehow it feels as if this goes from reporting the news to being a part of the story. (3:30)

My first reaction was to wonder why there were no front office personnel being arrested? If they were not hiring undocumented workers or more likely checking the credentials of the workers hired to a much degree than is apparently being done today, perhaps there wouldn’t be even a chance of undocumented workers filtering in. 

Secondly what could be the difference between Iowa’s meat packing industry where many small towns have a packing house and that in Omaha. The immediate difference that springs to mind is simply the size of the city. Most of Iowa’s packing houses are in small towns. The state is almost completely governed by MAGAs from court house to governor’s mansion.

Omaha, however, is (according to wikipedia) the 55th largest metro area in the US. Also you may recall that in recent elections Omaha has garnered nationwide attention for a neighborhood in central Omaha called “the blue dot.” https://bluedotnebraska.com  The blue dot is a somewhat heavy Democratic area. Much of it is includes Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district.

As some may know, Nebraska’s 2nd district is represented by Don Bacon. Mr. Bacon has recently been one of the few MAGAs who has not toed the party line. He was one who had many questions about Trump’s big bad bill.

And for those who keep close tabs on elections, the city of Omaha itself recently had an election for mayor. The three term incumbent MAGA mayor, Jean Stothert, was turned out rather soundly in early May. Stothert had previously won her elections rather handily. Although the election was technically non-partisan, there was no doubt who represented which party. 

John Ewing, the treasurer of Douglas County, Nebraska, is set to become Omaha’s first Black mayor after his opponent conceded in Tuesday’s mayoral election — and Democrats are celebrating the upset as a sign of what they say is the latest in a string of election victories where they are “outperforming Republicans.”

<< snip >>

That includes victories or better-than-expected performances in some state legislative special elections, as well as the Democratic-supported candidate’s victory in the nonpartisan Wisconsin Supreme Court race in April.

“From coast to coast, from blue to purple to even red states, Democrats are overwhelmingly outperforming Republicans in nearly every election held this year,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement late Tuesday.

So just shortly after Omaha flips to a Democratic mayor, ICE pulls a raid on a meat packing plant. Based on what happened in Los Angeles and information coming from the administration it certainly seems like the raid in Omaha was based much more on partisan politics rather than anything based on rational reason.

As we sit right now, no one nor any industry seems to be immune from Trump’s erratic behavior. Even more to the point Stephen Miller, Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem seem to be doing what they please and damn the consequences. Can Iowa survive without its immigrant workforce? We soon may be finding out.

Will Iowa’s congressional delegation do anything about the threat from the administration? I think we all know how collectively scared they are of Trump.

My observation is that Trump and his minions are at war with all immigrants or anyone who they deem resembles an immigrant. They are also at war with America’s cities and he is illegally using the power of his office to perpetrate those wars.

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Sunday Funday: No Kings And Juneteenth Edition

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Dave Bradley

5 1/2 minutes:

Here is hoping this is only step one in a long process in stopping Trump’s march to the throne. For those who got out an protested. To those who were unable to – see you next time, OK?

Owning the press and sowing division are two of the most important steps in creating an authoritarian society. Resistance makes that much harder. Keep it up.

Juneteenth is Thursday in case you are wondering why stuff is closed. Hope it gives Trump heartburn.

A) Kim Reynolds stirred a MAGA hornets nest Thursday when she did what?

B) “A torrent of boos” was one description the greeting Trump got where Thursday night?

C) Senator Alex Padilla of California was manhandled by Noem’s goons when he tried to ask Noem a question Thursday. Noem, however, claimed Padilla did what?

D) Good gawd! What insane move did RFK, jr. commit at HHS last week?

E) Juneteenth trivia: June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Granger informed slaves of their emancipation. What state did this occur in?

F) What two major world events are planned for Los Angeles in the next 3 years, something that may be put in jeopardy by Trump’s invasion of the city?

G) What legendary leader of The Beach Boys group of rock and roll fame died Wednesday?

H) As news of Senator Padilla’s situation was filtering out Thursday what country launched an air attack on what other country in the Middle East?

I) What governor mocked Gavin Newsom on X and was reminded by Newsom that her state’s murder rate is twice that of California’s?

J) Which amendment to the constitution abolishes slavery across the US?

K) Who will be giving a major address to Chicago at the same time as Trump’s self-serving parade? 

L) ABC is at it again. This week they fired Terry Moran for calling Stephen Miller and Trump “world class” what’s on social media?

M) Trump revoked the Columbia River restoration deal last week. This deal was set up to aid the revival of what species in the northwest?

N) Iowans welcomed two more opponents to run against the increasingly unpopular Joni Ernst last week. Can you name them?

O) A major airplane crash on take off Thursday hit a medical college and killed at least 290 in what country?

P) In 1860 what was the estimated number of enslaved people in the US?

Q) In Los Angeles a guardsman can be seen drawing a bead on and then shooting a female reporter from what country?

R) This time the school shooting was not in the US. What European country suffered through the turmoil of a school shooting Tuesday?

S) Under a bill signed by Gov. Brad Little what quack remedy for covid can now be bought over-the-counter in Idaho?

T) What president signed the bill that made Juneteenth a national holiday?

“Tasted a little tear gas— tasted like fascism” -Californian    This is the most American statement I’ve ever heard. – Aes

Answers:

A) vetoed a bill that curtailed eminent domain for pipelines or said another way she did what Bruce Rastetter wanted.

B) The Kennedy Center as he went to a play

C) Lunged at her

D) fired all 17 members of a vaccine advisory committee

E) Texas. Galveston specifically

F) The World Cup (soccer) in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028

G) Brian Wilson

H) Israel attacked Iran

I) Arkansas’ Sarah Huckabee-Sanders

J) 13th

K) Pope Leo XIV

L) haters

M) Salmon

N) JD Scholten and Zach Wahls

O) India

P) 3.9 million. An estimated 500,000 blacks were considered free

Q) Australia

R) Austria in the city of Graz.

S) Ivermectin – Arkansas and Tennessee will be right behind

T) President Biden in 2021.  

 Dear God. Soldiers at Fort Bragg booing the media, President Biden, Governor Newsom — anyone Trump targets.

This kind of partisan behavior in uniform used to be grounds for discipline. Now? It’ll probably be rewarded.

This isn’t just sick. It’s dangerous. – Chris D. Jackson

I hope the Iowa delegation to congress understands that Trump  will turn on them like the snake he is in an instant if he is through with them. Ask Elon. Ask the guy in the post above. Ask any sane person.

Posted in #trumpresistance, Humor | 1 Comment

That Viral Ernst Moment Spawns A Candidate

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Dave Bradley

iowastartingline’s Amie Rivers interviews the woman – now a candidate – who confronted Joni Ernst in a video that went viral. India May is now running for the Iowa legislature in district 58. Imagine that – a candidate for the Iowa legislature who will fight FOR Iowans and against stupid ideas. Doesn’t happen much these days: (14 minutes)

Progressive website dailykos.com did a story on May’s call out of Ernst Wednesday. We would like to reprint it here to give the courageous Ms. May the publicity she has earned. If so inclined, contribute to her campaign at https://mayforiowa.com:

When an unidentified woman at an Iowa town hall told GOP Sen. Joni Ernst that “people are going to die” from cuts to Medicaid in the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” her cold response set the tone for how Republicans are handling President Donald Trump’s beloved bill.

“Well, we all are going to die,” Ernst responded in a clip that has since gone viral.

While outlets across the country have reported on Ernst’s outburst, the woman—now identified as India May—has largely gone without credit. But May’s words did more than create a viral moment; they also captured the sentiment of the majority of the country.

“I’ve received this outpouring of love and support [since the clip went viral],” she told Daily Kos. “I have been messaged with people’s stories about how Medicaid affected them when they faced life and death.”

Once a nurse, May now works at her local library and as a part-time death investigator. She told Daily Kos that working in health care made her more aware of the necessity of Medicaid for millions of Americans.

“It’s not just illegal immigrants that will be removed from services,” May said, referring to Ernst’s claim that the bill only strips Medicaid from undocumented immigrants.

“But also, the real Iowans that I serve here at my library are reaching out to me and thanking me because they do stand to lose their health care because we just implemented work requirements. They’re scrambling to figure out how they’re going to meet all of the red tape demands, and it’s a position of honor to get to speak up for them,” she added.

Soon after Ernst released her sarcastic cemetery apology video, in which she doubles down on her original comment, May decided to throw her hat in the ring for Iowa’s House of Representatives in District 58.

                              A cartoon by Jack Ohman.

“It’s time for us to all step a little bit out of line for our neighbors and our friends so that we can all keep each other safe in the face of some illegal action on the part of our government,” May told Daily Kos.

As for Joni “Hearse” and her upcoming bid for reelection, May says she can’t imagine her latest outbursts will do her any favors on the ballot.

“The disingenuous mocking tone was very shocking, and I just don’t know how this could bode for somebody who needs to be reelected next year,” she said. “Does she expect to win a free and fair election after treating people like that? I don’t know. That gives me pause.”

Thanks to dailykos and their liberal reprint policy.

And best wishes to India May. She is the type of legislator Iowa needs.

Finally, here is hopes that the Iowa Democrats can find THE candidate who can send Joni to her new job representing America’s reprehensible health insurance industry.

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Why We Protest: A Reminder

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Dave Bradley

Just a short reminder of why we are protesting today. Donald J. Trump was placed into the presidency of our country twice now. In both instances both he and his party have done and are doing all they can to turn Trump into a King with all the powers that accrues. 

Besides the fact that Trump is a miserable excuse for a human being, the government set up by our founders and improved upon by each generation is a complex government designed specifically to limit the power of any individual or group. When all else fails, the people are the ultimate source of power and must at times exert their power.

The most recent example of Trump’s plan to make himself King comes from a statement uttered by his minion DHS Secretary Kristi Noem just before Senator Alex Padilla was accosted by her security guards as reported by Heather Cox Richardson in her daily newsletter of Friday:

While much focus has been on the assault itself, what Noem was saying before Padilla spoke out is crucially important. “We are not going away,” she said. “We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.”{my bolding}

In other words, the Trump administration is vowing to get rid of the democratically elected government of California by using military force. That threat is the definition of a coup. It suggests MAGA considers any political victory but their own to be illegitimate and considers themselves justified in removing those governmental officials with violence: a continuation of the attempt of January 6, 2021, to overturn the results of a presidential election.

Priscilla Alvarez and Natasha Bertrand of CNN reported today that, although the Trump administration said its federalization of the National Guard and mobilization of Marines into Los Angeles was an emergency response to rioting, in fact White House officials began talking about using the National Guard and the military as support for immigration enforcement as early as February. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and officials from the Department of Homeland Security led the talks. They also want to use military facilities to hold detainees.

The crimes of wannabe King Donald I go back to his teen years. Recently they include such crimes as stealing Top Secret documents from our government to do who knows what with and taking bribes from foreign governments (a huge plane for instance) and from foreign citizens through the purchase of crypto coins.

For a recount of Trump’s previous crimes you can go here. Remember that while Trump is the current propagator of the attempt to end our democracy, we want no King of any party or stripe. 

Today may well be one of the turning points of history. It brings to mind the words of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address in November of 1863:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. 

Here is a list of the locations around Iowa where protests are taking place today:

Be peaceful and be aware that your actions will be historic.

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