Well here we are, in another whirlwind of a week.
And another threatened government shutdown because Republicans flatly refuse to govern. They play chicken with the economy so often and so openly that Fitch downgraded our credit from AAA to Aa+ in August. Moody’s Analytics, another rater, warned that the looming shutdown (which will happen Monday, if a spending bill isn’t agreed to) “would be ‘credit negative’ for the country, even if it is short lived and results in limited disruption to the economy.”
No kidding.
You know, in any normal world – in any sane world – in the pre-2016 world – that would be the “top story.”
And yet, it’s not.
Just a few hours ago, a New York judge found – as a matter of law – that the Trumps had repeatedly engaged in fraud by systematically overvaluing their assets. The opinion is jaw-dropping, and details the vastly overvalued properties… like the fact that the Palm Beach Assessor’s valuation of Mar-a-Lago – between $18 million and $28 million – differs dramatically from the $426-$612 million valuation that Trump included on his annual statements of financial condition.
Trump even overvalued his own apartment by between $114 million to $207 million. The judge rightly pointed out that “[a] discrepancy of this order of magnitude, by a real estate developer sizing up his own living space of decades, can only be considered fraud.” (See the opinion at page 22.)
The judge also noted that “[Trump] also seems to imply that the numbers cannot be inflated because he could find a ‘buyer from Saudi Arabia’ to pay any price he suggests.” (See the opinion at page 21.) Say what, now?
And then, after painstakingly going through each cringe-worthy property over-valuation … the judge straight-up canceled their business license.
From the opinion: “Even with a preliminary injunction in place, and with an independent monitor overseeing their compliance, defendants have continued to disseminate false and misleading information while conducting business. This ongoing flouting of this Court’s prior order, combined with the consistent [fraudulent statements] year after year, have demonstrated the necessity” of canceling the Trump Organization’s business licenses. (See opinion at page 34.)
That’s called the “corporate death penalty.”
If it holds, it appears to mean the end of their New York operations, at the very least.
The impact will be dramatic, but the actual extent remains to be seen.
That’s not the only Trumpian news item. On Friday, Trump attacked General Mark Milley on his social media platform – claiming he committed treason and suggesting he should be executed. (Another story that, in a sane world, would be front-page news.)
Oh – and this weekend in one of his more openly fascist posts he said that if he wins the presidency he will “investigate” NBC and other news organizations for “threatening treason” and called for government shutdown to (among other things) stop the prosecutions against him.
He’s been busy.
And yet, a poll out this weekend has Trump beating Biden by 9 points. While that poll is an outlier, most polls have them essentially tied.
As Andrew Weissman said on Twitter (and no, I’m not calling it X): The leading Republican candidate has been found liable for sexual assault and fraud, his companies found guilty of fraud, and he’s charged with 91 OTHER felony counts. That he is not dismissed politically out of hand says much more about us, than about him.
I’m feeling very, very distinct 2016 vibes. Aren’t you?
Could it happen again?
You bet it could. And Trump’s not playing around about what he’ll do if he gets the reins again.
Listen, we’ve had election after election where folks bleat from the rooftops that “this is the most important election ever.”
And you know what? They’ve been right every single time.
Because every election that we’ve had since 2016 is one in which a fascist party could amass more power. This is serious stuff.
They’ve already taken over state legislatures. (We’re doing our best to wrench them back.) They’ve cobbled together a minority of the majority in Congress. (We’re doing our best to wrench that back, too.)
I, for one, am sick and tired of working year in and year out, doing the sweaty and unglamorous work of grassroots advocacy, only to have the news media yawn – and Democratic leaders act as though this is a typical political atmosphere and a regular campaign cycle.
For God’s sake, last week the Senate relaxed its dress code so that John Fetterman can wear a hoodie and it’s the most riled up they’ve gotten in quite some time.
That Senators have gotten their panties all up in a bunch about someone being able to wear fleece on their precious Senate floor but have not turfed out an indicted Senator, or used one fifth of that energy on calling out Trump and his lackies is more than disappointing.
It’s time for our Democratic leaders to bring that same “oh hell no” energy you’ve got toward the “suits optional” policy and bring it to bear on the people who are literally attacking democracy and trying to tell me whether and when and how I receive healthcare.
The media isn’t without fault here either.
I looked at NBC’s website tonight. To its credit, it’s got the Senate efforts to avoid a shutdown above the fold (and that the new NY opinion). But just below that there’s a story about Biden’s dog (not kidding). CBS has a similar layout. Ditto with ABC.
There’s more about who Taylor Swift is dating than serious reporting on the state of our actual democracy. That leaves it to people like you and me to get the message out.
We have a party whose figurehead has been indicted so many times it’s hard to keep track of them all. When I see an update on “Trump litigation,” I have to wonder which case they’re referring to.
None of this is normal.
But somehow, it’s become our normal.
I won’t accept that. I don’t think you will, either. So, friend…
Let’s get to work.
Actions for the Week of September 26, 2023
Big Tent on Wednesday: Simon Rosenberg and Robert Hubbell
Join democracy cheer-leaders Simon Rosenberg and Robert Hubbell for a positive conversation about the state of our democracy and the growth of the pro-democracy coalition that must be ready to go for 2024. 7pm eastern on Wednesday, September 27. RSVP here.
Call Your Electeds! No Shutdown!
Call on your Representative and tell them that you’re watching. They need to pass a budget reflecting what they agreed to during the debt ceiling negotiations a few months ago. Period.
Script: Hi, this is [name] from [zip]. I’m calling to urge Congress[wo]man [name] to pass a budget that reflects what was agreed to during the debt ceiling negotiations. You are harming our country’s credit and name with these shenanigans – not to mention causing stress to the tens of thousands of federal workers who are just trying to make ends meet. What is the Congress[wo]man doing to get this passed?
Calls To Demand Menendez Resign h/t Chop Wood Carry Water
I loved Jessica’s script so much that I can’t help but use them:
If you have a Democratic Senator, call them this week and say:
I’m calling to ask the Senator to call on Bob Menendez to resign. Senator Menendez is deeply corrupt—he doesn’t belong in elected office at all, let alone in the U.S. Senate. Democrats have to show that we’re better than Republicans; they may tolerate and even embrace corruption, but we can’t. Every Democrat needs to be on record calling for Menendez to resign. I look forward to hearing that the Senator has done so. Thanks.
Easy! Job done!
If you have a Republican Senator, call on Schumer to demand Menendez resign
Call: (212) 486-4430 or (518) 431-4070 or (202) 224-6542 or (914) 734-1532 or (631) 753-0978
Say: My name is ______ and I’m calling Senator Schumer in his capacity as Senate Majority Leader. I’m calling to ask him to publicly demand that Senator Menendez resign immediately. Democrats can’t entertain even the whiff of corruption when we are fighting the rot that is the current Republican party. Democratic leadership needs to take a strong stand and you need to do it now. Every day you dither more Americans will fall for the “both sides are corrupt” argument. That’s dangerous. Call for him to step down now. Thanks.
Read The NY Judge’s Opinion:
It’s a doozy! Go pour yourself something sparkly and enjoy. Here’s the LINK.
WHEW! GO TEAM!
P.S.: Why don’t you make someone’s day and send this pep talk to a friend or two? I bet they need it.
If you’d like to sign up to get this pep talk and action list in your in-box each week, you can do that here. Welcome, friend!
P.P.S.: If you want to help support this work you can do so via Patreon at
https://www.patreon.com/smalldeedsdone or via paypal at https://www.paypal.me/smalldeeds
My deepest gratitude in advance.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. I read and respond to every email! We’re in this together. Don’t you forget it.
Small Deeds Done 