This. Facebook is just an entry point.

This is exactly why organizing in small ways is so important. You need to get plugged in, get connected, get into the right people’s contact lists, get onto the signal group chats. That’s where you’re going to hear about the stuff that’s going down. Thats where you’re going to get the chance to stand up and say “I can help with that”

Is Trump just out there firing the people that will stand up to him ?

How is this even a question? Yes, of course that’s what he’s doing. He’s literally following the playbook right wing think tanks wrote before the election. They’ve stated openly that this is all part of their plan. Purge the government of everyone but loyalists, and then act with impunity because the people whose job is to act as a check on executive power will rubber stamp everything.

God, Americans should be panicking right now and you’re all just sleepwalking into this.

They have simply have no way to wrap their heads around the idea of doing anything about it. The CIA was created as a weapon for the government to point at their enemies. They don’t know how to respond when that government is the enemy.

Take a good hard look at how rapidly Trump and his team are expanding the powers of the president. Those constitutional limits are close to breaking point already.

Trust me, I really, really hope you’re right. But please understand that these new fascists have spent a lot of time thinking about these problems and how they’re going to solve them.

Anyone believing there will be any more free and fair elections in the US isn’t paying attention.

It took less than 100 days for Hitler to consolidate power, and Trump is following the exact same playbook.

You can hold leaders to account, and you should - there’s plenty to hold them to account for - but that still doesn’t answer the question of what is to be done in this present moment right now.

You want a general strike, but you have no idea who is going to organize one, or how they’re going to do it, because you’d rather feel justified in your outrage over grudges of the past than actually see anything useful done.

You’re more interested in feeling righteous than you are in succeeding, and that’s going to get you exactly nowhere.

Again, where are your alternatives? If these leaders suck as badly as you say they do, then who should people be looking to instead?

You have the power to build up leaders rather than tearing them down.

And if nothing else, you have the power to say nothing. If you’re not going to offer better alternatives, at least make the positive choice not to attack the people taking action.

And, just to be absolutely clear, if you carefully read back through everything I’ve said here, you’ll see that I never said “don’t criticize.” Criticism can still build up, can still inspire others to join a common cause. But you’re not doing that. You’re just cutting down what’s there and planting nothing in its place.

No, see, that’s just your excuse for why you’re tearing down this particular leader.

You didn’t come in here saying “I stand with Bernie, but I wish he’d call for stronger action like a general strike up front.” You came charging in with your laundry list of grievances to tell everyone why you think Bernie is a pathetic coward and no one should listen to him.

But, and this is key, you’re not offering any alternatives. Are you the leader organizing the general strike? If so, it might be time to share some info on that. If not, then who the fuck is it? Because if all you’re able to do is complain that none of the people stepping up are perfect enough for your personal standards, you’re just another part of the problem.

Here’s what I find really telling; throughout this conversation there have been plenty of opportunities for you to say who it is you think people should be looking to for leadership instead. The fact that you haven’t tells me that you don’t have an answer to that question. You want to tear down the people who are stepping up, but you don’t want to build anyone up in their place. Where does that leave you?

He’s literally touring around the country organizing people and you from the comfort of your chair want to yell about how you want to “see the walk”?

Jesus fucking Christ.

OK, but if you read the article it becomes very clear it’s the former meaning. So you’re disagreeing with an opinion that the original piece is not presenting.

You’ve invented a fake argument to be mad at. Why? Isn’t there enough actual bullshit going on right now?

You mean he should be saying something like this?

Trumpism will not be defeated by politicians inside the DC beltway. It will only be defeated by millions of Americans, in every state in this country, coming together in a strong, grassroots movement which says no to oligarchy, no to authoritarianism, no to kleptocracy, no to massive cuts in programs that working people desperately need, no to huge tax breaks for the richest people in our country.

Oh, wait that’s a direct quote from Bernie, discussing what he’s doing right now.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/19/trumpism-bernie-sanders

but it for him to say we’re on the right road for Democracy and Justice

He didn’t say that. Where are you getting that from?

The headline is “we’re on the road”. Literally. As in he’s touring around the US trying to educate and organize people.

You can’t get to things like general strikes if you don’t start by organizing and educating people. Calling for a sudden and mass uprising of public action with no base to support it is just a wild fantasy. How are you even going to make it happen? Share some memes on BlueSky? Organized resistance needs organized people.

I fully believe that it will take a general strike, and perhaps more than that to avert fascism in the US, and every day I pray that it happens because my country is fucked if it doesn’t. But I don’t for a second believe that you have a realistic plan to get there when all you can think to do is dismiss the people doing the hard work of getting the public united, educated and organized.

What is he supposed to do, kick down the doors to the white house with a machine gun in each hand?

How is this helping? Sanders is doing something. What is your snark achieving?

So? They’ve done that shit to AOC and she still kept her seat.

Do not comply in advance. You sound like a boxer refusing to fight because the other guy is going to try to hit him.

Yes, of course the DNC will fucking fight back. What the fuck else would you expect? The hard fought victories are usually the only ones that matter.

Napoleon, actually. So, a different dictator, but still a dictator.