Progressive Thinking

Since Trump’s re-election, his behavior has only grown more extreme, and the Republican response has been lockstep obedience or cowardly silence.

LAKE GENEVA, WI - At this point, there’s no more benefit of the doubt. If you’re a Republican still standing behind Donald Trump, you’re either willfully ignorant, blatantly weak, or some mix of both. And if you’re an elected official with power and a platform, your silence—or worse, your loyalty—isn’t just embarrassing. It’s dangerous.

Since Trump’s re-election, his behavior has only grown more extreme, and the Republican response has been as predictable as ever: lockstep obedience or cowardly silence. Trump has openly promised a “day one dictatorship,” pledged mass deportations, and threatened to use the Department of Justice to go after political enemies. He’s even said that he plans to “gut the deep state” and “restructure” the Constitution to “restore presidential power.” These are not veiled threats—they are declarations of intent. And Republicans? They’ve greeted it all with applause or shrugs.

Take Speaker Mike Johnson, who once called for “election integrity” but now parrots Trump’s lies about 2020 and supports efforts to suppress the vote in key states. Senator Josh Hawley, who raised his fist to insurrectionists on January 6th, continues to push the idea that Trump is a victim of a corrupt system. Elise Stefanik, once a moderate, has rebranded herself as MAGA’s most loyal attack dog—going so far as to call Trump the “law and order president” while he faces over 90 felony counts.

Let’s not forget Senator Tim Scott, who campaigned as a man of faith and unity, yet now dodges every opportunity to criticize Trump’s plans for mass retribution. Or Ron DeSantis, who folded like a lawn chair once he realized criticizing Trump would cost him the nomination. And Lindsey Graham—the man who once warned Trump would “destroy the Republican Party”—now spends his days praising Trump’s “strength” and calling for his enemies to be prosecuted.

This isn’t politics. It’s cult behavior.

And it’s not just the politicians. Every Republican voter who still supports Trump is part of this mess. If you’re cheering for someone who’s promised to become a dictator, you are helping to pave that road. If you dismiss his threats as “just talk,” you’ve learned nothing from history—or from Trump himself. He means what he says. He wants the power. And the GOP is handing it to him on a silver platter.

Look around. Public education is being slashed. Women’s reproductive rights have been gutted. Book bans are spreading. Climate policy has been reversed. Immigrants are being targeted. LGBTQ+ rights are under constant attack. And all the while, Republicans claim they’re the party of freedom and patriotism.

Let me be crystal clear: This is not conservatism. This is authoritarianism dressed up in red, white, and blue.

And the price will be paid not by the rich or the powerful, but by working Americans—especially seniors, students, immigrants, the poor, and the sick. Those relying on Medicare, Social Security, and affordable housing. Those who can’t afford to weather a storm created by reckless leadership and blind loyalty.

History will not be kind to this era of Republican cowardice. It will remember who stood up—and who stayed silent.

This administration's failure to base decisions on evidence and analysis leaves citizens to bear the brunt of poorly conceived policies.

LAKE GENEVA, WI - The Trump administration's blatant disregard for conducting impact studies on their sweeping policy changes and budget cuts is not only irresponsible but downright dangerous. By neglecting to assess the real-world consequences of their actions, they are essentially navigating without a map, leaving millions vulnerable to unforeseen hardships. This cavalier approach begs the question: do they even care about the fallout of their decisions?

Take, for instance, the administration's decision to retract $11.4 billion in COVID-19 funding from state and local health departments. This move, executed without a thorough analysis of its potential impact, undermines efforts to combat the ongoing pandemic and leaves communities ill-prepared for future health crises.

Similarly, the proposed cuts to Medicaid threaten to strip essential healthcare from vulnerable populations. In Texas, experts warn that these reductions could lead to devastating losses for hospitals and clinics, potentially resulting in closures and diminished services. The absence of impact studies means these communities are left in the dark about the full extent of the damage until it's too late.

The administration's assault on scientific research further exemplifies this reckless behavior. The cancellation of numerous grants focused on critical health questions, including studies on HIV prevention and cancer, represents a significant step backward in our pursuit of medical advancements. The lack of foresight and analysis in these decisions not only hinders scientific progress but also jeopardizes lives.

Moreover, the purging of government data sets, including those related to crime, education, and climate, hampers policymakers' ability to make informed decisions. This systematic dismantling of information repositories indicates a deliberate effort to blindfold both the public and decision-makers, raising concerns about the administration's motives and priorities.

The refusal to conduct impact studies or consider expert analyses reflects a disturbing indifference to the well-being of the American people. It appears the administration is more concerned with pushing through its agenda than understanding or mitigating the harm it may cause. This negligence is not just an oversight; it's a dereliction of duty.

In a functioning democracy, leaders are expected to base decisions on evidence and thorough analysis to serve the best interests of their constituents. The current administration's failure to do so is a betrayal of this fundamental principle, leaving citizens to bear the brunt of poorly conceived policies.

It's high time we demand accountability and insist that our leaders prioritize the health, safety, and prosperity of all Americans. The stakes are too high to allow this reckless disregard for impact assessments to continue unchecked.

When you or your neighbor lose your job, your benefits, your healthcare and you’re still clinging to some twisted idea that Trump is on your side, will you still support a man who’s made it his mission to dismantle the very systems you rely on?

LAKE GENEVA, WI - Since Donald Trump’s reelection, the fallout has been swift and brutal—especially for those who once believed he was fighting for them. From sweeping federal layoffs to deep, targeted cuts in vital programs, millions of Americans are now living with the consequences of policies that were designed to shrink government but are ending up gutting lives. If you rely on the federal government for your job, your housing, your healthcare, your education, or your retirement—this isn’t politics as usual. This is personal. And it’s going to get more painful

Over 200,000 federal workers have already lost their jobs. Entire departments like Education are being gutted—nearly 2,000 positions wiped out there alone. The Social Security Administration has slashed 7,000 jobs, crippling services for seniors and disabled people. And veterans—who make up about a third of the federal workforce—are getting hit hard. Nationwide, tens of thousands of people who served this country are now being shown the door. These are not nameless figures. These are your neighbors, your coworkers, your family members.

And it doesn’t end there. Medicaid is on the chopping block, threatening healthcare for millions of low-income Americans. Federal proposals have called for $1.1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act over the next decade—threatening access to care for countless families, including children, the elderly, and people with chronic illnesses. Social Security services are crumbling under staffing cuts and budget freezes. Delays are widespread, and talk of privatization has made it clear: the safety net is being shredded.

The burden of these cuts doesn’t just fall on those who rely on them directly. It falls on all of us. When people lose benefits, lose income, lose homes and healthcare, someone has to step in. That “someone” is often local government, charities, food banks—and ultimately, taxpayers. Communities suffer when the support system is dismantled, and the cost gets passed down to everyone.

Now here’s the thing that infuriates me: many of the people who are being hurt the most by these policies are the same ones who voted for Trump. They backed him with pride, believed the slogans, swallowed the rhetoric—and now, as their benefits vanish and their paychecks stop coming, they’re left looking around, wondering what went wrong.

So let me be clear: Anyone who voted for Trump and still support him, and now have been affected, or will potentially be affected by these disastrous policies—don’t expect the rest of us to feel even a shred of sympathy for you. You ignored every warning. You dismissed every fact. You chose slogans over substance. And now, you’re reaping the consequences of that decision.

If you’ve lost your job, your benefits, your healthcare—and you’re still clinging to some twisted idea that Trump is on your side—ask yourself this: what’s your plan now? How are you going to survive without that paycheck or those benefits? And do you really believe, after all this, that Trump has given even a second’s thought to people like you—those living paycheck to paycheck, with no cushion to fall back on?

Because honestly—what the hell are you going to do?

This isn’t about left versus right anymore. This is about survival, about dignity, and about recognizing betrayal when it stares you in the face. If you’re still supporting a man who’s made it his mission to dismantle any of the systems you rely on, you’re not a victim of politics. You’re a victim of your own willful ignorance!

Were they too lazy to use secure channels? Too arrogant to think rules applied to them? Or just too plain ignorant to understand the basics of cyber security?

LAKE GENEVA, WI - You would think that people entrusted with the most sensitive information in the world might—bare minimum—understand the importance of keeping their mouths shut and their messages secure. But apparently, that’s asking too much from the Trump administration. In what has to be one of the dumbest national security blunders since Watergate, we now know that several former officials in Trump’s orbit were discussing classified and confidential matters in group chats. GROUP CHATS. Like middle schoolers planning a pizza party.

This isn’t just careless. It’s criminally stupid.

Let me be blunt: anyone who has ever had to set up two-factor authentication for their bank app knows that digital communication is vulnerable. Hackers, foreign adversaries, tech companies, even bored teenagers with a laptop and free time—there’s no shortage of people who can access unsecured messages. So what in the holy hell were these people thinking?

Were they too lazy to use secure channels? Too arrogant to think rules applied to them? Or just too plain ignorant to understand the basics of cyber security? Honestly, it might be all three. And that’s what makes it even more infuriating.

These aren’t random nobodies. These are (or were) the supposed “best people” Trump swore he surrounded himself with. National Security Advisors. Cabinet members. White House aides. People with access to intelligence briefings, military operations, and diplomatic negotiations—chatting it up in iMessage like they were gossiping about “The Bachelor.”

Even worse, they weren’t just tossing around policy opinions. Some of the content reportedly involved sensitive government business, possible legal strategies, and discussions tied to investigations. If you’re dumb enough to put that in writing in a group chat, you have no business being anywhere near public service, much less the highest levels of government.

Imagine if Barack Obama’s people had done this. Fox News would still be foaming at the mouth in a 24/7 rage spiral. But Trump’s team? The same people who screeched about Hillary Clinton’s emails for five straight years? They’re now shrugging and pretending this isn’t a big deal.

The hypocrisy is almost as outrageous as the incompetence.

This isn’t just an embarrassing little oopsie. It’s a flashing red warning sign about what happens when you put unserious people in serious positions. National security isn’t a joke. It’s not a “vibe.” It’s not something you casually hash out in a thread between memes and lunch plans.

And let’s be real—this is just one more example of how reckless, arrogant, and utterly unqualified so many people in Trump’s orbit truly were. They treated government like a reality show, their positions like status symbols, and their responsibilities like an inconvenience. And now we’re left to pick up the pieces of their idiotic choices.

So to the Trump cronies who thought a group chat was a good idea: congratulations. You’ve set a new bar for stupidity. And in an administration already full of grifters, liars, and chaos agents, that’s saying something.

Trump's strategy is to flood the zone with so much misinformation, distraction, and shameless blame-shifting that people give up trying to separate fact from fiction, and it seems to be working for Brad Schimel.

LAKE GENEVA, WI - Donald Trump won the 2024 election—and no, it wasn’t because he had the best ideas, the strongest policies, or even a coherent platform. He won by doing what Republicans have now perfected: flooding the zone with so much misinformation, distraction, and shameless blame-shifting that people gave up trying to separate fact from fiction.

It wasn’t a campaign. It was a smokescreen.

This is the Republican playbook now. Bury the truth under a pile of half-truths, whataboutisms, and flat-out lies. When someone accuses them of corruption, they just point the finger right back and say, “No, YOU are!” When held accountable for real failures, they deflect with phony scandals and conspiracy theories. It’s like watching a political magic show—Look over here, not over there!—and far too many voters fall for it.

I watched it happen at the national level. But now, I’m watching it creep right into my backyard—in Wisconsin.

Take the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Brad Schimel, the Republican candidate, is already leaning into the same garbage playbook that helped Trump win. He’s spinning lies, twisting Susan Crawford’s record, and playing the same game of turning legitimate concerns into counterattacks. When Crawford calls him out for his deep ties to partisan politics and anti-abortion extremism, his campaign just echoes back, claiming she’s the one who's too political. It's the same trick—mirror the accusation so it loses its sting. Confuse people. Make them doubt their own instincts.

And make no mistake—this race matters. The Wisconsin Supreme Court could decide the fate of gerrymandering, abortion rights, voting access, and more. But instead of having an honest debate about those issues, we’re watching the same dirty tactics used in Trump’s campaign trickle down into our state elections.

It’s not subtle. It’s not clever. It’s calculated.

Trump didn’t win because he had the support of a majority of Americans. He won because he and his party threw so much crap at the wall that people stopped looking for the truth altogether. And now that same toxic strategy is being used at every level—from Congress all the way down to local judges.

The goal isn’t to win hearts. It’s to wear people down. To make voters so disillusioned that they give up on democracy itself. And if you’re wondering who that benefits, I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the folks trying to protect your rights, your vote, or your voice.

It’s disinformation as a weapon. Exhaustion as a strategy. And sadly, it’s working.

But we don’t have to accept it. We can still fight for truth—even when they try to drown it. We can still call out the bullshit—even when it’s coming at us from every direction. And we must—because once people stop believing in facts, the only thing left is power. And we’ve already seen how dangerous it is when people like Trump get their hands on too much of it.

Wisconsin deserves better. America deserves better. And dammit, the truth deserves a fighting chance.