Excellent recap of the felonpotus and his regime's actions to circumvent or completely ignore US constitutional rights. All signs of this regime's tearing up our rights, in ny opinion, point to a near future in which the felonpotus will not just extort state's cooperation with his illegal acts of withholding funding, and putting his personal militia on the streets to terrorize any person for no reason; but to use military or paramilitary force to subdue any state in the US where people are resisting the tyranny.
Getting rid of as many immigrants as possible, particularly dark skinned ones, and even people here legally, was the first step. To rally the masses into accepting a white supremacist regime. Targeting and murdering protestors with no accountability was the next step. Now journalists are arrested for exercising their (former) rights. Who is next? Probably prominent entertainers. Then politicians who oppose felonpotus's actions and agenda in Congress and statehouses will be targeted, arrested, and imprisoned, or worse, on bogus charges.
It is obvious, from the seized ballots in Georgia from the 2020 election, that this regime seeks to replace the state's power to control elections with federal jurisdiction. Unconstitutionally. And they want no election outcome that favors Democrats in 2026, or beyond. Ever again. Democratic wins will be challenged and overturned, or the counting of ballots compromised. Looking at what this regime has accomplished so far into fascism so quickly, means that terrible times for US democracy is here. We see with our own eyes the norms of the rule of law have disappeared.
Therefore, the question is, how are we going to change this trajectory hurtling toward abject authoritarianism? Republicans in power act like they will never lose that power. The felonpotus acts like he will be king of the US all the rest of his life. With huge monuments built to glorify him, using the US Treasury as his ATM machine, completing deals that enrich himself and his family in the billions, and fawning over billionaire handlers and enablers who keep him and Republicans in power.
Will We the People have to bear assaults by the military that tries to beat us into submission? Will massive resistance and economic shutdowns really work to force the regime to back down? Will we need another revolution to prevent a new monarchy? I don't know what can, and possibly will, prevent the disasters looming over us.
There is a good deal of overlap generally, if not in specfics, in your list, which makes deciding which of these outrages is 'the worst." One thing most of them have in common is that they come from the so-called "playbook" of modern dictators. Save for outrageous grifts like putting all that stolen oil money in Qatar, where only His Nibs can decide whose pockets it ultimately lines. Setting all that aside, Bondi's attempt to extort election-related date is absolutely threatening, coming as it does on top of DOGE/Palantir's success in amassing such date nationwide. Good Christ. If there are no more fair elections in this country, there might well be an ocean of blood on our streets.
overall campaign theme/frame for the Mid-Term Congressional election/ supporting research
I have been pushing the below with Dems for a while and It seems they are coming around. And also see this writers just out piece (14) The Killing of Alex Pretti Put Democracy Back on the Ballot
An overall campaign theme/frame for the Mid-Term Congressional election/ supporting research
Neil Wollman; Ph. D.; retired Senior Fellow at Manchester and Bentley Universities;
Trump Action Tracker We are documenting the actions, statements, and plans of President Trump and his administration that echo those of authoritarian regimes and may pose a threat to American democracy. We started in January 2025. (More about us). Over 2,000 actions, categorized, with a searchable database. A tremendous resource.
Trump Tests Presidential Power: Venezuela Operation, Iran Bombing and More - The New York Times. How Trump Is Testing the Limits of the Presidency. Best simple chart showing his power grabs.
In addition to the important affordability theme:
Neither the Supreme Court nor the Republican Congress have been checks on Trump’s abuse of power. If you think he has been abusing his Presidential power, only we the American people voting for a Democratic Congress can be a check on him. No matter your political affiliation, vote Democrat. They will get things done.”
Build messaging specifics around that and hold events/activities to highlight how Trump has abused his presidential powers and run roughshod over democracy and the Constitution-- like holding a series of shadow Congressional hearings. One of which could be on the important concerns surrounding ICE/DHS.
Below goes into the logic/research for a “check on Trump’s power” thrust and not just an “affordability” argument. If desired, further testing could be done.
Neil Wollman; Ph. D.; retired Senior Fellow at Manchester and Bentley
Universities; Former Co-Director of the National Prevention Science
Top six reasons to add an additional argument to “affordability” for the Midterms. And some supportive research.
1. Though “affordability” can certainly be tied indirectly to Trump, we need a direct attack on him because of his low ratings and the motivation he inspires in voters:
Politico: “One thing is certainly clear from the past month: Trump has energized the base. The Democratic base. The strong results for Democrats — even in the reddest of areas — are a sign of voters’ eagerness to provide a check on Mr. Trump’s power. Sen. Ted Cruz agreed it was a “dangerous” sign for his party. “In a year, it’s going to be a turnout election, and the left will show up,” Cruz said in an interview with Fox Tuesday night. “Hate is a powerful motivator. They hate President Trump.”
2) Research shows that a high % of voters feel Trump has too much power and needs to be checked (e.g., “A new WA PO poll finds that 64 percent of voters say he is going too far in ‘trying to expand the power of the presidency’,”)
So, one possible frame is “If you feel Trump has taken too much power, the best way to fight that is to have a Democratic House and Senate. No matter your political affiliation, vote your Democratic nominee so we’ll have a Congress that won’t just rubber stamp whatever Trump wants.” Some Republicans are breaking a little now form Trump, but they will never get a real backbone before the election.
3. For certain constituencies, including those with higher incomes, affordability is just not as important (say if gas prices go up 5%). I personally am not wealthy but fall into that category. The affordability argument should be nuanced in its use/applicability. And need another argument for some—like the above one.
Even better would be to survey Congressional districts to find what issues are most important to the district (or constituencies within it). Earlier I sent a longer piece, with this suggestion being part of a step-by-step general campaign strategy. I can resend if desired.
4. In any case, why not use both effective arguments and double your electoral power. Democratic candidates and all voters can walk and chew gum at the same time. Consider distributing widely this well received short video that gets at both the “affordability” and “democracy/power” issues, as well as immigration.
This 45 second video is the response to the Trump “shitting on protesters” video. Trump "shits" on Americans everyday with his policies/ not just on protesters
5) Can’t be sure that affordability/the economy won’t improve (to some extent) due to factors out of the control of policymakers. And who knows if some of Trump’s efforts to affect affordability will have an effect and thus lower the power of the argument. Why put all your eggs in one basket?
WA PO: “In recent weeks, Trump has eased tariffs on Brazilian coffee, fruit and beef in an effort to lower grocery costs. He has rolled back fuel efficiency rules in hopes of making cars less expensive. He has announced a deal with pharmaceutical companies to cut the price of weight-loss drugs. He has floated the idea of 50-year mortgages, which could lower homeowners’ monthly payments.”
From Axios: “President Trump signed an executive order creating task forces to investigate anticompetitive behavior in the food supply chain, "especially when carried out by foreign-controlled corporations.” The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission will probe price-fixing in meatpacking, seeds, fertilizer, equipment and more.”
And he keeps adding more measures.
Who knows if any of his more bizarre/unlikely ideas (like giving $2000 tariff rebate checks to citizens) might come to pass and have an effect.
6) Trump is on tour to tout his economic programs and who knows what messaging might help with some voters, especially if he makes promises on future policies and voters believe him. He won his last election partly because people believed promises he made—that never came to pass.
Research:
1/15/2026 CNN poll finds majority of Americans say Trump is focused on the wrong priorities | CNN Politics
Asked to choose the country’s top issue, Americans pick the economy by a nearly two-to-one margin over any other topic. The poll suggests Trump is struggling to prove that he’s addressing it. And it finds broad concerns over Trump’s use of presidential power and his efforts to put his stamp on American culture.
While Americans call the economy their foremost concern, American democracy ranks as a clear second – and among Democrats, it’s a top issue. It also stands at the top of the list of reasons why Americans disapprove of the president’s performance. About a quarter of those who disapprove of Trump say they do so because of his misuse of presidential power or treatment of American democracy.
A 58% majority of the public says that Trump has gone too far in using the power of the presidency and executive branch, up from 52% near the start of his term last year. Most also say he’s gone too far in trying to change cultural institutions like the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center (62%) and cutting federal programs (57%), with about half saying he’s gone too far in changing the way that the US government works.
======================================
12/17/25 - Voters Give Democrats In Congress A Record Low Job Approval But Still Might Vote For Them In 2026, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Majority Think Trump's Use Of Presidential Power Goes Too Far | Quinnipiac University Poll
If the election were held today, 47% of voters say they would want to see the Democratic Party win control of the House of Representatives, while 43% would want to see the Republican Party win control of the House.
MOST URGENT ISSUE:
Given a list of ten issues and asked which is the most urgent one facing the country today, the top two issues for voters are the economy (24 percent) and preserving democracy in the United States (24 percent), followed by immigration (18 percent) and health care (10 percent). No other issues reached double digits.
Who’s best at:
handling the economy: 46 percent say the Republican party, 41 percent say the Democratic party, and 7 percent volunteer that there is no difference;
preserving democracy in the United States: 49 percent say the Democratic party, 40 percent say the Republican party, and 5 percent volunteer that there is no difference.
When it comes to using the power of the presidency, 54 percent of voters think Donald Trump is going too far, 37 percent think he is handling it about right, and 7 percent think Trump isn't going far enough in using the power of the presidency.
"Is the often described 'most powerful person in the world' wielding too much power? More than half of Americans believe President Trump has crossed that
If only Democrats could figure out what THEY do wrong rather than constantly complain what the other side does wrong, then maybe they'd have an opportunity to win back public favor. If only.
Excellent recap of the felonpotus and his regime's actions to circumvent or completely ignore US constitutional rights. All signs of this regime's tearing up our rights, in ny opinion, point to a near future in which the felonpotus will not just extort state's cooperation with his illegal acts of withholding funding, and putting his personal militia on the streets to terrorize any person for no reason; but to use military or paramilitary force to subdue any state in the US where people are resisting the tyranny.
Getting rid of as many immigrants as possible, particularly dark skinned ones, and even people here legally, was the first step. To rally the masses into accepting a white supremacist regime. Targeting and murdering protestors with no accountability was the next step. Now journalists are arrested for exercising their (former) rights. Who is next? Probably prominent entertainers. Then politicians who oppose felonpotus's actions and agenda in Congress and statehouses will be targeted, arrested, and imprisoned, or worse, on bogus charges.
It is obvious, from the seized ballots in Georgia from the 2020 election, that this regime seeks to replace the state's power to control elections with federal jurisdiction. Unconstitutionally. And they want no election outcome that favors Democrats in 2026, or beyond. Ever again. Democratic wins will be challenged and overturned, or the counting of ballots compromised. Looking at what this regime has accomplished so far into fascism so quickly, means that terrible times for US democracy is here. We see with our own eyes the norms of the rule of law have disappeared.
Therefore, the question is, how are we going to change this trajectory hurtling toward abject authoritarianism? Republicans in power act like they will never lose that power. The felonpotus acts like he will be king of the US all the rest of his life. With huge monuments built to glorify him, using the US Treasury as his ATM machine, completing deals that enrich himself and his family in the billions, and fawning over billionaire handlers and enablers who keep him and Republicans in power.
Will We the People have to bear assaults by the military that tries to beat us into submission? Will massive resistance and economic shutdowns really work to force the regime to back down? Will we need another revolution to prevent a new monarchy? I don't know what can, and possibly will, prevent the disasters looming over us.
There is a good deal of overlap generally, if not in specfics, in your list, which makes deciding which of these outrages is 'the worst." One thing most of them have in common is that they come from the so-called "playbook" of modern dictators. Save for outrageous grifts like putting all that stolen oil money in Qatar, where only His Nibs can decide whose pockets it ultimately lines. Setting all that aside, Bondi's attempt to extort election-related date is absolutely threatening, coming as it does on top of DOGE/Palantir's success in amassing such date nationwide. Good Christ. If there are no more fair elections in this country, there might well be an ocean of blood on our streets.
overall campaign theme/frame for the Mid-Term Congressional election/ supporting research
I have been pushing the below with Dems for a while and It seems they are coming around. And also see this writers just out piece (14) The Killing of Alex Pretti Put Democracy Back on the Ballot
An overall campaign theme/frame for the Mid-Term Congressional election/ supporting research
Neil Wollman; Ph. D.; retired Senior Fellow at Manchester and Bentley Universities;
======================================================================
Trump Action Tracker We are documenting the actions, statements, and plans of President Trump and his administration that echo those of authoritarian regimes and may pose a threat to American democracy. We started in January 2025. (More about us). Over 2,000 actions, categorized, with a searchable database. A tremendous resource.
Trump Tests Presidential Power: Venezuela Operation, Iran Bombing and More - The New York Times. How Trump Is Testing the Limits of the Presidency. Best simple chart showing his power grabs.
In addition to the important affordability theme:
Neither the Supreme Court nor the Republican Congress have been checks on Trump’s abuse of power. If you think he has been abusing his Presidential power, only we the American people voting for a Democratic Congress can be a check on him. No matter your political affiliation, vote Democrat. They will get things done.”
Build messaging specifics around that and hold events/activities to highlight how Trump has abused his presidential powers and run roughshod over democracy and the Constitution-- like holding a series of shadow Congressional hearings. One of which could be on the important concerns surrounding ICE/DHS.
Below goes into the logic/research for a “check on Trump’s power” thrust and not just an “affordability” argument. If desired, further testing could be done.
Neil Wollman; Ph. D.; retired Senior Fellow at Manchester and Bentley
Universities; Former Co-Director of the National Prevention Science
Coalition;
============================================================
Top six reasons to add an additional argument to “affordability” for the Midterms. And some supportive research.
1. Though “affordability” can certainly be tied indirectly to Trump, we need a direct attack on him because of his low ratings and the motivation he inspires in voters:
Politico: “One thing is certainly clear from the past month: Trump has energized the base. The Democratic base. The strong results for Democrats — even in the reddest of areas — are a sign of voters’ eagerness to provide a check on Mr. Trump’s power. Sen. Ted Cruz agreed it was a “dangerous” sign for his party. “In a year, it’s going to be a turnout election, and the left will show up,” Cruz said in an interview with Fox Tuesday night. “Hate is a powerful motivator. They hate President Trump.”
2) Research shows that a high % of voters feel Trump has too much power and needs to be checked (e.g., “A new WA PO poll finds that 64 percent of voters say he is going too far in ‘trying to expand the power of the presidency’,”)
So, one possible frame is “If you feel Trump has taken too much power, the best way to fight that is to have a Democratic House and Senate. No matter your political affiliation, vote your Democratic nominee so we’ll have a Congress that won’t just rubber stamp whatever Trump wants.” Some Republicans are breaking a little now form Trump, but they will never get a real backbone before the election.
3. For certain constituencies, including those with higher incomes, affordability is just not as important (say if gas prices go up 5%). I personally am not wealthy but fall into that category. The affordability argument should be nuanced in its use/applicability. And need another argument for some—like the above one.
Even better would be to survey Congressional districts to find what issues are most important to the district (or constituencies within it). Earlier I sent a longer piece, with this suggestion being part of a step-by-step general campaign strategy. I can resend if desired.
4. In any case, why not use both effective arguments and double your electoral power. Democratic candidates and all voters can walk and chew gum at the same time. Consider distributing widely this well received short video that gets at both the “affordability” and “democracy/power” issues, as well as immigration.
This 45 second video is the response to the Trump “shitting on protesters” video. Trump "shits" on Americans everyday with his policies/ not just on protesters
5) Can’t be sure that affordability/the economy won’t improve (to some extent) due to factors out of the control of policymakers. And who knows if some of Trump’s efforts to affect affordability will have an effect and thus lower the power of the argument. Why put all your eggs in one basket?
WA PO: “In recent weeks, Trump has eased tariffs on Brazilian coffee, fruit and beef in an effort to lower grocery costs. He has rolled back fuel efficiency rules in hopes of making cars less expensive. He has announced a deal with pharmaceutical companies to cut the price of weight-loss drugs. He has floated the idea of 50-year mortgages, which could lower homeowners’ monthly payments.”
From Axios: “President Trump signed an executive order creating task forces to investigate anticompetitive behavior in the food supply chain, "especially when carried out by foreign-controlled corporations.” The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission will probe price-fixing in meatpacking, seeds, fertilizer, equipment and more.”
And he keeps adding more measures.
Who knows if any of his more bizarre/unlikely ideas (like giving $2000 tariff rebate checks to citizens) might come to pass and have an effect.
6) Trump is on tour to tout his economic programs and who knows what messaging might help with some voters, especially if he makes promises on future policies and voters believe him. He won his last election partly because people believed promises he made—that never came to pass.
Research:
1/15/2026 CNN poll finds majority of Americans say Trump is focused on the wrong priorities | CNN Politics
Asked to choose the country’s top issue, Americans pick the economy by a nearly two-to-one margin over any other topic. The poll suggests Trump is struggling to prove that he’s addressing it. And it finds broad concerns over Trump’s use of presidential power and his efforts to put his stamp on American culture.
While Americans call the economy their foremost concern, American democracy ranks as a clear second – and among Democrats, it’s a top issue. It also stands at the top of the list of reasons why Americans disapprove of the president’s performance. About a quarter of those who disapprove of Trump say they do so because of his misuse of presidential power or treatment of American democracy.
A 58% majority of the public says that Trump has gone too far in using the power of the presidency and executive branch, up from 52% near the start of his term last year. Most also say he’s gone too far in trying to change cultural institutions like the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center (62%) and cutting federal programs (57%), with about half saying he’s gone too far in changing the way that the US government works.
======================================
12/17/25 - Voters Give Democrats In Congress A Record Low Job Approval But Still Might Vote For Them In 2026, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Majority Think Trump's Use Of Presidential Power Goes Too Far | Quinnipiac University Poll
If the election were held today, 47% of voters say they would want to see the Democratic Party win control of the House of Representatives, while 43% would want to see the Republican Party win control of the House.
MOST URGENT ISSUE:
Given a list of ten issues and asked which is the most urgent one facing the country today, the top two issues for voters are the economy (24 percent) and preserving democracy in the United States (24 percent), followed by immigration (18 percent) and health care (10 percent). No other issues reached double digits.
Who’s best at:
handling the economy: 46 percent say the Republican party, 41 percent say the Democratic party, and 7 percent volunteer that there is no difference;
preserving democracy in the United States: 49 percent say the Democratic party, 40 percent say the Republican party, and 5 percent volunteer that there is no difference.
When it comes to using the power of the presidency, 54 percent of voters think Donald Trump is going too far, 37 percent think he is handling it about right, and 7 percent think Trump isn't going far enough in using the power of the presidency.
"Is the often described 'most powerful person in the world' wielding too much power? More than half of Americans believe President Trump has crossed that
If only Democrats could figure out what THEY do wrong rather than constantly complain what the other side does wrong, then maybe they'd have an opportunity to win back public favor. If only.
And they have done much wrong.