I read the why I left the Republican Party with both amusement and wonder. That he even became a Republican, having come if age and ideals while Bush II was President seems to exemplify the failures of our education system. The lack of History and Social Studies as important aspects of education results in people who only live in the moment. Without historical context, it is easy to be suckered into the party that is great in messaging, but has no record of accomplishments that actually serve constituents. In 1994, with the ascension of Newt Gingrich to the Speaker's seat, Republicans decided that the only acceptable negotiation is where Democrats totally cave to Republicans. It is when the demonization of Democrats actually began, and has destroyed the democratic process in Congress. For Republicans it became all about power.
To the author, I can only ask what got you to choose Republican? Besides starting a war (a United States first, no less), what have Republicans actually accomplished? Ever since tax cuts failed to accomplish Reagan's promises of "trickle down", the only "trickling" has been up! And it hasn't been trickling, it's been pouring. So what did Republicans do? They doubled down more than once to create our own class of oligarchs, and no one other than those oligarchs reaping any benefits as their incomes skyrocketed while the rest of us saw our incomes stagnate. This was obvious when you chose to be Republican, believing their rhetoric without seeking the actual facts that belied them.
The party that "abandoned" you, never actually served you in the first place. And only NOW you've had enough? That it took you this long is the reason why it will be an arduous path back to sanity, and our nation.
Thank you Bulwark for this platform. I watched many of you as opposition talking heads, pre Trump. Even then, you said the right words, but they never materialized into fact. You allowed the party to devolve into Trumpism, but hopefully not the total destruction of the country. Now you are suffering as much as the rest of us. I can only hope that you turn even more of those who followed you before Trump. It's nice to see you finally found my page.
Went to our local No Kings. Lots of people, lots of enthusiasm, lots of support from the many many vehicles going by -- and only one motorcyclist who gave us the finger and another group that revved their engines perhaps more vigorously than locomotion required; one suspects the aditional roaring did not signify approbation.
But...
... all pretty much the usual suspects; retired professionals well beyond middle age; nice friendly librarians; among the minority of participants under 35, high representation of vegans, LGBT/Q people and partners, and miscellaneous enthusiasts for Antifa. A pretty large number of T shirts featuring the Grateful Dead and musical groups of the sixties and seventies. Lots of grey heads fondly recalling their salad days of Vietnam war protest. A median BMI notably less than that of a representative collection of MAGA supporters and the middle quartiles of ordinary working class Americans.
In other words -- an assemblage of those, like me, whose lives have ranged from pretty comfortable to quite well off: who went to college; who had reasonably fulfilling careers, raised achieving kids, and still have decent health insurance. A group whose bodies are not worn down by years of arduous physical toil for low wages; a group with six figure and higher retirement balances as well as social security. A group whose life experience has blessed them, and who in consequence still imagine that most people are like us; that MAGA is just Trump, and its fever can be broken. A group that believes that MAGA really wants the same things we do; that we can all go back together to an America where elections are accepted, law and due process prevail, and we all mean the same things by words like "justice", "fairness", and "freedom."
It was a lovely afternoon on a mild sunny October day, and we all went to bed that night in a good frame of mind.
But in the morning we all woke and it's still MAGA in America.
The No Kings rallies must continue and grow. It has been said that for non-violent resistance to be successful, 3.5% or more of the population must be taking part. At 340,000,000 (latest U.S. population figure I've seen), 3.5% would be 12 million or more. Estimates I've seen for Oct. 18 is 7 million.
Tonight, Rachel Maddow interviewed Erica Chenoworth who studies studies nonviolent civil resistance against authoritarianism.
From the here-linked article: "A decade ago, academic research found that authoritarian governments around the world have almost always been forced to yield when mass-resistance campaigns manage to mobilize 3.5 percent of a country’s population during a “peak” event. In the activist community, one organizer told me, it’s become “kind of a golden rule.”" https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2025/07/erica-chenoweth-democracy-data-harvard
Trump's people are afraid of giving him a real look at what is happening around him. He is saying the protests were "very little" and had "no impact." Then he reiterated that he could invoke the Insurrection Act at any time. He's like a nasty child with a cherry bomb, threatening to throw into his parent's bedroom if they don't give him what he wants. No Kings 2.0 was a beginning. Another protest is coming, and then another, and.... Each protest, from June's Hands Off to No Kings 2.0 keeps getting bigger. As for the ask: Masks off, IDs and warrants required. DHS is out of control. Time for us to get busy with the next one.
I love that Americans are finally understanding what “We the People” actually means. Everyday Americans are showing more courage, resilience, grit, and compassion than our “leaders” in Congress or the courts. The Constitution is a piece of paper. It’s our solidarity and connection with our fellow Americans that is the source of our power. Lincoln called it “the mystic chords of memory.” They can’t defeat us as long as we remain indivisible.
The NO KINGS protests are bigger than politics. I don't know how precisely to put this into words, but there is something beautiful and strong forming in this movement. Something that I think might be able to bridge the artificial gap created by MAGA and the culture wars to keep
Americans divided. This is not going to be easy nor is it going to be painless. But I feel that all the arrogance, cruelty, stupidity, and greed of this unholy regime might finally begin to sicken sane people, no matter what their politics. Little cracks can become big cracks. Release the Epstein files. Hammer home the number of impeachable offenses Trump has chalked up, including several High Crimes and Misdemeanors. Call them out from the rooftops every single day. Show the signs of folks with photos of their mothers and fathers who fought Fascism in WWII. Trump is an ugly, withered old man and a coward. He is also detached from reality. There was a sign with a portrait of Steven Miller dressed as a Nazi. It was chilling. Call out the cruelty. Broadcast the kind of genocidal maniac Trump's friend, Putin, really is. Little cracks can become big cracks. There is courage in solidarity and we need that right now.
I think this can be sustained and the Democrats need to get a little risky and frisky with some younger and more progressive candidates. No Kings, plural, needs to address the Oligarch Class around the world, of which the Trumps were just bottom feeders. The giant vampire squid attached to the face of humanity that's killing people and democracies around the world
Frabjous post, comrades. I often wonder what dear Pat Moynihan would have made of all that is happening and the freak show in the White House (but I know he would have approved of "frabjous").
As a participant in a “No Kings” rally in a small mid-Wisconsin town, I also found it to be a frabjous occasion. We had about 500 participants not counting all the honks, thumbs up, and waving from passers-by! Many of us also found that this occasion gave us the hope that we so desperately needed! Thank you Bill and Andrew for your honest reporting!
Trump's AI re his kingship flying a whatever and defecating on Americans (and their flag(s) raises so many obvious reprehensible thoughts about him, as if he could could not raise the ante any further. But no, MAGAs are supposed to laugh. And non-MAGAs are supposed to suppress a giggle at his wonderful sense of uplifting humor.......I do wonder what would happen if that would break the camel's back for swing voters etc. Another fever dream from yours truly.
Back to reality, we need to keep it going re non-violent protests....he has to be getting to him. And his marketeers will need to be real creative to refute them....watch out for more AI
May I observe that, being as I am, a citizen of one of a number of European monarchies in which citizens have considerably greater freedom than do USAers, and, indeed a citizen of a European theocracy where citizens have considerably greater religious freedom than do USAers, I find the assumptions inherent in the title ‘No Kings’ deeply offensive, and emblematic of the deep ignorance and arrogant chauvinism that characterises the MAGA worldview.
context matters. We fought a revolution in order to never again have a king and to never again be without representative government; it's an important part of our constitution and our culture. Further, do you honestly think it's the ideals and model of your country that Trump has in mind for his authoritarian project?
WADR, our experience here 250 +/- years ago with kings didn't work out well. So we went our own way. Until recently, our Plan B has been a resounding success, on balance. And it in no way resembles the MAGA ethos, or worldview. Whatsoever. If you have a benign monarchy where you are, I'm happy for you. But as another important movement here said recently: we're not going back.
Yes, the mass mobilization against this Administrations actions can and will be sustained. In fact they will continue to grow in number and size. Remember this started with the Hands off protests. I am glad Bill, Andrew, Sarah and JVL all got the good vibes and were pleasantly surprised. Being on the ground, so to speak, I was not at all surprised. Reports are saying 7 million attended a protest. I am guessing that number will grow as final tallies come in. While these protests are not targeted at one specific policy, they are targeted at one specific outcome. That being Congress and Courts doing their fucking jobs and holding this administration accountable to the law. As it was said, the LAW is our King, and the only king we need.
PLEASE do not give Miles Bruner a job at the Bulwark. I know we need allies that we have previously clashed with before, but you don't need to give ALL the former Trumpers their own personal megaphone, especially one so cravenly looking for a job.
Rick, your comment sounds a bit MAGA-ish. Us against them. Miles Bruner's piece explains his painful journey from Republican true believer to his understanding that the party is now a slavish remnant to a demagogue. His journey took longer than Stuart Steven's did, but he made it. We should all welcome him and rejoice in his courage and honesty which shows a path that other disillusioned Trumpets can follow.
The WaPo piece was behind a pay wall so I couldn't read it but I really hope the reporters in the byline gave due credit to El Faro, the El Salvadorean investigative news org that has been reporting on Bukele's corrupt requests since the CECOT stuff started.
I read the why I left the Republican Party with both amusement and wonder. That he even became a Republican, having come if age and ideals while Bush II was President seems to exemplify the failures of our education system. The lack of History and Social Studies as important aspects of education results in people who only live in the moment. Without historical context, it is easy to be suckered into the party that is great in messaging, but has no record of accomplishments that actually serve constituents. In 1994, with the ascension of Newt Gingrich to the Speaker's seat, Republicans decided that the only acceptable negotiation is where Democrats totally cave to Republicans. It is when the demonization of Democrats actually began, and has destroyed the democratic process in Congress. For Republicans it became all about power.
To the author, I can only ask what got you to choose Republican? Besides starting a war (a United States first, no less), what have Republicans actually accomplished? Ever since tax cuts failed to accomplish Reagan's promises of "trickle down", the only "trickling" has been up! And it hasn't been trickling, it's been pouring. So what did Republicans do? They doubled down more than once to create our own class of oligarchs, and no one other than those oligarchs reaping any benefits as their incomes skyrocketed while the rest of us saw our incomes stagnate. This was obvious when you chose to be Republican, believing their rhetoric without seeking the actual facts that belied them.
The party that "abandoned" you, never actually served you in the first place. And only NOW you've had enough? That it took you this long is the reason why it will be an arduous path back to sanity, and our nation.
Thank you Bulwark for this platform. I watched many of you as opposition talking heads, pre Trump. Even then, you said the right words, but they never materialized into fact. You allowed the party to devolve into Trumpism, but hopefully not the total destruction of the country. Now you are suffering as much as the rest of us. I can only hope that you turn even more of those who followed you before Trump. It's nice to see you finally found my page.
Went to our local No Kings. Lots of people, lots of enthusiasm, lots of support from the many many vehicles going by -- and only one motorcyclist who gave us the finger and another group that revved their engines perhaps more vigorously than locomotion required; one suspects the aditional roaring did not signify approbation.
But...
... all pretty much the usual suspects; retired professionals well beyond middle age; nice friendly librarians; among the minority of participants under 35, high representation of vegans, LGBT/Q people and partners, and miscellaneous enthusiasts for Antifa. A pretty large number of T shirts featuring the Grateful Dead and musical groups of the sixties and seventies. Lots of grey heads fondly recalling their salad days of Vietnam war protest. A median BMI notably less than that of a representative collection of MAGA supporters and the middle quartiles of ordinary working class Americans.
In other words -- an assemblage of those, like me, whose lives have ranged from pretty comfortable to quite well off: who went to college; who had reasonably fulfilling careers, raised achieving kids, and still have decent health insurance. A group whose bodies are not worn down by years of arduous physical toil for low wages; a group with six figure and higher retirement balances as well as social security. A group whose life experience has blessed them, and who in consequence still imagine that most people are like us; that MAGA is just Trump, and its fever can be broken. A group that believes that MAGA really wants the same things we do; that we can all go back together to an America where elections are accepted, law and due process prevail, and we all mean the same things by words like "justice", "fairness", and "freedom."
It was a lovely afternoon on a mild sunny October day, and we all went to bed that night in a good frame of mind.
But in the morning we all woke and it's still MAGA in America.
The No Kings rallies must continue and grow. It has been said that for non-violent resistance to be successful, 3.5% or more of the population must be taking part. At 340,000,000 (latest U.S. population figure I've seen), 3.5% would be 12 million or more. Estimates I've seen for Oct. 18 is 7 million.
Tonight, Rachel Maddow interviewed Erica Chenoworth who studies studies nonviolent civil resistance against authoritarianism.
From the here-linked article: "A decade ago, academic research found that authoritarian governments around the world have almost always been forced to yield when mass-resistance campaigns manage to mobilize 3.5 percent of a country’s population during a “peak” event. In the activist community, one organizer told me, it’s become “kind of a golden rule.”" https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2025/07/erica-chenoweth-democracy-data-harvard
Ask the Chinese how this worked out for them.
Trump's people are afraid of giving him a real look at what is happening around him. He is saying the protests were "very little" and had "no impact." Then he reiterated that he could invoke the Insurrection Act at any time. He's like a nasty child with a cherry bomb, threatening to throw into his parent's bedroom if they don't give him what he wants. No Kings 2.0 was a beginning. Another protest is coming, and then another, and.... Each protest, from June's Hands Off to No Kings 2.0 keeps getting bigger. As for the ask: Masks off, IDs and warrants required. DHS is out of control. Time for us to get busy with the next one.
I love that Americans are finally understanding what “We the People” actually means. Everyday Americans are showing more courage, resilience, grit, and compassion than our “leaders” in Congress or the courts. The Constitution is a piece of paper. It’s our solidarity and connection with our fellow Americans that is the source of our power. Lincoln called it “the mystic chords of memory.” They can’t defeat us as long as we remain indivisible.
The NO KINGS protests are bigger than politics. I don't know how precisely to put this into words, but there is something beautiful and strong forming in this movement. Something that I think might be able to bridge the artificial gap created by MAGA and the culture wars to keep
Americans divided. This is not going to be easy nor is it going to be painless. But I feel that all the arrogance, cruelty, stupidity, and greed of this unholy regime might finally begin to sicken sane people, no matter what their politics. Little cracks can become big cracks. Release the Epstein files. Hammer home the number of impeachable offenses Trump has chalked up, including several High Crimes and Misdemeanors. Call them out from the rooftops every single day. Show the signs of folks with photos of their mothers and fathers who fought Fascism in WWII. Trump is an ugly, withered old man and a coward. He is also detached from reality. There was a sign with a portrait of Steven Miller dressed as a Nazi. It was chilling. Call out the cruelty. Broadcast the kind of genocidal maniac Trump's friend, Putin, really is. Little cracks can become big cracks. There is courage in solidarity and we need that right now.
Well said!!!! Good people plus good influential public Americans must begin shouting from the rooftops! Our democracy is in danger!
Agreed 😊🙏
I think this can be sustained and the Democrats need to get a little risky and frisky with some younger and more progressive candidates. No Kings, plural, needs to address the Oligarch Class around the world, of which the Trumps were just bottom feeders. The giant vampire squid attached to the face of humanity that's killing people and democracies around the world
Re. Can it be sustained?
See June ,- 4 million people rally as well as the hundreds occurring every day since Jan 20 and before throughout the country and abroad,
Trump/republicans are in a maga bubble onto themselves…
They are not supported, but mocked for their chaos, cruelty and mismanagement of everything!
Importantly:
At home and abroad it’s the Democrats who are supported, for their policies, stability and trustworthiness,
Frabjous post, comrades. I often wonder what dear Pat Moynihan would have made of all that is happening and the freak show in the White House (but I know he would have approved of "frabjous").
As a participant in a “No Kings” rally in a small mid-Wisconsin town, I also found it to be a frabjous occasion. We had about 500 participants not counting all the honks, thumbs up, and waving from passers-by! Many of us also found that this occasion gave us the hope that we so desperately needed! Thank you Bill and Andrew for your honest reporting!
Trump's AI re his kingship flying a whatever and defecating on Americans (and their flag(s) raises so many obvious reprehensible thoughts about him, as if he could could not raise the ante any further. But no, MAGAs are supposed to laugh. And non-MAGAs are supposed to suppress a giggle at his wonderful sense of uplifting humor.......I do wonder what would happen if that would break the camel's back for swing voters etc. Another fever dream from yours truly.
Back to reality, we need to keep it going re non-violent protests....he has to be getting to him. And his marketeers will need to be real creative to refute them....watch out for more AI
Can't you just appreciate what Saturday brought without sounding the bell of skepticism. Good Grief! Doesn't a "Bulwark" hold?
May I observe that, being as I am, a citizen of one of a number of European monarchies in which citizens have considerably greater freedom than do USAers, and, indeed a citizen of a European theocracy where citizens have considerably greater religious freedom than do USAers, I find the assumptions inherent in the title ‘No Kings’ deeply offensive, and emblematic of the deep ignorance and arrogant chauvinism that characterises the MAGA worldview.
context matters. We fought a revolution in order to never again have a king and to never again be without representative government; it's an important part of our constitution and our culture. Further, do you honestly think it's the ideals and model of your country that Trump has in mind for his authoritarian project?
See history of the United States circa Revolutionary War… and etc…
P.S. long live King Charles ❣️
WADR, our experience here 250 +/- years ago with kings didn't work out well. So we went our own way. Until recently, our Plan B has been a resounding success, on balance. And it in no way resembles the MAGA ethos, or worldview. Whatsoever. If you have a benign monarchy where you are, I'm happy for you. But as another important movement here said recently: we're not going back.
Yes, the mass mobilization against this Administrations actions can and will be sustained. In fact they will continue to grow in number and size. Remember this started with the Hands off protests. I am glad Bill, Andrew, Sarah and JVL all got the good vibes and were pleasantly surprised. Being on the ground, so to speak, I was not at all surprised. Reports are saying 7 million attended a protest. I am guessing that number will grow as final tallies come in. While these protests are not targeted at one specific policy, they are targeted at one specific outcome. That being Congress and Courts doing their fucking jobs and holding this administration accountable to the law. As it was said, the LAW is our King, and the only king we need.
PLEASE do not give Miles Bruner a job at the Bulwark. I know we need allies that we have previously clashed with before, but you don't need to give ALL the former Trumpers their own personal megaphone, especially one so cravenly looking for a job.
Rick, your comment sounds a bit MAGA-ish. Us against them. Miles Bruner's piece explains his painful journey from Republican true believer to his understanding that the party is now a slavish remnant to a demagogue. His journey took longer than Stuart Steven's did, but he made it. We should all welcome him and rejoice in his courage and honesty which shows a path that other disillusioned Trumpets can follow.
The WaPo piece was behind a pay wall so I couldn't read it but I really hope the reporters in the byline gave due credit to El Faro, the El Salvadorean investigative news org that has been reporting on Bukele's corrupt requests since the CECOT stuff started.
https://wapo.st/4qoSuzi Gift Link