Thanks Steven: Just like Minnesota . Asking the Governor for the voters data and let him supervise the election, then , possibly the ICE gestapo units will leave. Talk about extortion. Could the state Governors order their National Guard to assist the voters and keep the gestapo agents at bay during an election. This interference of the election process should be front and center. Major news coverage.
Some say that J6 was a practice run. Seizing the 2020 voting records in Fulton County I believe is a practice run for controlling elections nationwide.
I think this is more of a problem at the state level where the Feds can get creative about coercing & meddling. That’s the 1st place to begin, even in red states. Just like MN and GA they won’t necessarily call it “federalization.”
º NYT’s editorial board, January 31st: Trump Could Interfere With the Midterm Elections. You Can Help Defend Them. It urged voters to work at the polls, be a poll watcher & not spread questionable information. I was surprised they followed up the editorial with a list of organizations where people can donate.
º At the Congressional level — Senate Leader Thune is on record as an opponent of federalizing elections. Although that comes with caveats (No to the For the People Act but Yes to versions of the SAVE Act). However today the Hill reports (as do others behind paywalls) — “Thune rejects Trump’s call for GOP to take over and ‘nationalize’ elections.”
— I’m supportive of only citizens voting and showing ID at polling places. I think that makes sense. … But I’m not in favor of federalizing elections, no. I think that’s a constitutional issue,” Thune told reporters.
“I’m a big believer in decentralized and distributed power. And I think it’s harder to hack 50 election systems than it is to hack one. In my view, at least, that’s always a system that has worked pretty well,” he said of the benefits of empowering states to run federal elections. —
Next we need to focus on the Republicans to be PROACTIVE. There is time to pass legislation through the Senate & House.
It's worth noting that Republicans are big supporters of "decentralized and distributed power" when they don't have a trifecta at the federal level. They have it now: the White House, both houses of Congress, and the Supreme Court are all on their side. So it's not surprising that Trump -- a reliable mouthpiece for the likes of Stephen Miller -- is calling for nationalizing elections now, in 2026.
"Decentralized and distributed power" is also pretty much what the Civil War was about. Technically the Confederacy lost the war, but from the advent of Jim Crow through the Reagan administration and up to the present day, they've never stopped fighting for what they like to call "states' rights." Interestingly enough, faced with a tyrannical, Republican-run federal government, Democratic-run states are demonstrating that "states' rights" might be a useful tool for rescuing an inclusive democracy rather than destroying it.
I would ask if he's ever read the constitution but I know the answer! Living in MA I feel lucky to have a tough governor and AG that has stood up to this madman but that could all change come November.
Honestly, I struggle to keep up with the plethora of dangerous actions by this regime erupting almost minute by minute and then repositioning them on the Dooms Day Clock.
Thank goodness
for all you trustworthy journalists
focusing the spotlight as these missiles of dangerous assaults on the foundations of our Democracy accelerate.
DEMOCRATIC GONERNMORS ARE PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE
The message of these governors is to stay peaceful because we don't want Trump to send in the army, and then what? Can the army be sent to all the major cities in these states? I am talking about large, successful states with numerous cities. And then what? Will Marshall Law be established? Would that be better or worse than Trump's hooligans roaming their streets? I personally would rather have our soldiers maintaining order rather than being intimidated by Trump's goons. How many soldiers would be needed to police all the cities in these states?
It is only a matter of time before someone decides to spray paint the ICE car or blow out the tires on their vehicle, and then all hell breaks loose. How long do they think the people of their states will accept being mugged and beaten and have their police force stand by and do nothing? It is cold in Minnesota, but what happens in the summer when the weather is warm, people feel unprotected and abused, their governors do nothing, and they are told to be peaceful? How long do you think that will last? These goons are young men armed for mortal combat, facing down senior citizens, and these thugs are totally untrained, undisciplined, uncontrolled, and dangerous.
We have examples in history of when political leaders waited too long to defend their country, England sending Joseph Chamberlain to Germany, or our being a neutral country until we were bombed in Pearl Harbor. When will these governors decide to stop being wimps and assume a proactive approach to their citizens being abused by the hoodlums roaming their streets?
History shows that people tolerate abuse up to a point, after which they act in various ways, including revolting or rioting.
I try to imagine the reasoning behind these governors that would scare them into not just announcing a Joint Conference of Democratic Governors. Just announcing the conference would have massive repercussions for Trump. What about the financial markets?
You should realize that the way news is presented on cable and regular news stations is controlled by Trump's billionaire friends, who decide who reports the news and remove those who offer a different perspective. Think of all the commentators who have been let go and will provide a different news summary. Consider Acosta, Schmidt, and Reid in the planned absence of Armitage, W. A. Lawrence, and Wajahat Ali, or other key critics of Trump's government. Where are they, and why aren't they seen on the news network? This suggests an organized conspiracy to manipulate how we think.
So, democratic governors stop gambling with our country and playing the waiting game, waiting for what I don't know. You are as powerful as the federal government and can prevent the abuse of your citizens by the agents of ICE.
Every bit helps = ACLU anti-ICE letter to Congress is getting traction … “The pressure is working – after we sent almost 300,000 messages to Congress, the Senate blocked a bill that would have poured more money into ICE without any real, enforceable accountability measures …”
🔻 STOP ICE 🔻Letters: 349,676 Sent — Initial Goal 150 K 💠
What could go wrong? Removes that tedious, old fashioned requirement for having to read the Constitution. Married women who changed their last names? How did they get the vote, anyway? People born in small towns that have minimal record keeping support? They should just shut up and be grateful. Different name on birth certificate? Too bad. Entire control of elections in one place? Perfect target for incompetence and hacking. So who needs elections anyway?
Points taken, and yes, they're important, but could we stop using the stock phrase "free and fair elections" as if U.S. elections were universally "free and fair" before Trump came along? At the presidential level, the Electoral College guarantees that elections aren't fair. At the state level, some jurisdictions are committed to making voting as accessible as possible, with early voting, extended hours, mail-in voting, etc.. Other jurisdictions are at least as committed to making it as INaccessible as possible by opposing such options, plus making voting locations hard to reach and/or so few in number that voters have to wait in line for hours.
To the surprise of no one reading this, the latter are overwhelmingly run by Republicans. And then there's gerrymandering, which over the decades has been practiced by both parties, but I'm pretty sure that in more recent decades it's been practiced primarily by, you guessed it, Republicans.
Thanks Steven: Just like Minnesota . Asking the Governor for the voters data and let him supervise the election, then , possibly the ICE gestapo units will leave. Talk about extortion. Could the state Governors order their National Guard to assist the voters and keep the gestapo agents at bay during an election. This interference of the election process should be front and center. Major news coverage.
Our AG in CA is on it! Thanks, Steven.
Some say that J6 was a practice run. Seizing the 2020 voting records in Fulton County I believe is a practice run for controlling elections nationwide.
The coup that’s still ongoing…
It's like a daily avalanche of fresh hell.
That's exactly what the regime has in mind...actually in operation. Let's not be naive, they're already rigging the midterms in November.
I think this is more of a problem at the state level where the Feds can get creative about coercing & meddling. That’s the 1st place to begin, even in red states. Just like MN and GA they won’t necessarily call it “federalization.”
º NYT’s editorial board, January 31st: Trump Could Interfere With the Midterm Elections. You Can Help Defend Them. It urged voters to work at the polls, be a poll watcher & not spread questionable information. I was surprised they followed up the editorial with a list of organizations where people can donate.
º At the Congressional level — Senate Leader Thune is on record as an opponent of federalizing elections. Although that comes with caveats (No to the For the People Act but Yes to versions of the SAVE Act). However today the Hill reports (as do others behind paywalls) — “Thune rejects Trump’s call for GOP to take over and ‘nationalize’ elections.”
— I’m supportive of only citizens voting and showing ID at polling places. I think that makes sense. … But I’m not in favor of federalizing elections, no. I think that’s a constitutional issue,” Thune told reporters.
“I’m a big believer in decentralized and distributed power. And I think it’s harder to hack 50 election systems than it is to hack one. In my view, at least, that’s always a system that has worked pretty well,” he said of the benefits of empowering states to run federal elections. —
Next we need to focus on the Republicans to be PROACTIVE. There is time to pass legislation through the Senate & House.
Thanks for sharing the detail, Ann.
It's worth noting that Republicans are big supporters of "decentralized and distributed power" when they don't have a trifecta at the federal level. They have it now: the White House, both houses of Congress, and the Supreme Court are all on their side. So it's not surprising that Trump -- a reliable mouthpiece for the likes of Stephen Miller -- is calling for nationalizing elections now, in 2026.
"Decentralized and distributed power" is also pretty much what the Civil War was about. Technically the Confederacy lost the war, but from the advent of Jim Crow through the Reagan administration and up to the present day, they've never stopped fighting for what they like to call "states' rights." Interestingly enough, faced with a tyrannical, Republican-run federal government, Democratic-run states are demonstrating that "states' rights" might be a useful tool for rescuing an inclusive democracy rather than destroying it.
I would ask if he's ever read the constitution but I know the answer! Living in MA I feel lucky to have a tough governor and AG that has stood up to this madman but that could all change come November.
Honestly, I struggle to keep up with the plethora of dangerous actions by this regime erupting almost minute by minute and then repositioning them on the Dooms Day Clock.
Thank goodness
for all you trustworthy journalists
focusing the spotlight as these missiles of dangerous assaults on the foundations of our Democracy accelerate.
What are we doing about all this!!!!!
States!! Step up!!
Contact State Leaders!
As you say this is “A Five Alarm Fire! 🔥
https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/2026-statement/
I just cannot believe this- but I can. Corporate media where are you??
Thank you.
DEMOCRATIC GONERNMORS ARE PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE
The message of these governors is to stay peaceful because we don't want Trump to send in the army, and then what? Can the army be sent to all the major cities in these states? I am talking about large, successful states with numerous cities. And then what? Will Marshall Law be established? Would that be better or worse than Trump's hooligans roaming their streets? I personally would rather have our soldiers maintaining order rather than being intimidated by Trump's goons. How many soldiers would be needed to police all the cities in these states?
It is only a matter of time before someone decides to spray paint the ICE car or blow out the tires on their vehicle, and then all hell breaks loose. How long do they think the people of their states will accept being mugged and beaten and have their police force stand by and do nothing? It is cold in Minnesota, but what happens in the summer when the weather is warm, people feel unprotected and abused, their governors do nothing, and they are told to be peaceful? How long do you think that will last? These goons are young men armed for mortal combat, facing down senior citizens, and these thugs are totally untrained, undisciplined, uncontrolled, and dangerous.
We have examples in history of when political leaders waited too long to defend their country, England sending Joseph Chamberlain to Germany, or our being a neutral country until we were bombed in Pearl Harbor. When will these governors decide to stop being wimps and assume a proactive approach to their citizens being abused by the hoodlums roaming their streets?
History shows that people tolerate abuse up to a point, after which they act in various ways, including revolting or rioting.
I try to imagine the reasoning behind these governors that would scare them into not just announcing a Joint Conference of Democratic Governors. Just announcing the conference would have massive repercussions for Trump. What about the financial markets?
You should realize that the way news is presented on cable and regular news stations is controlled by Trump's billionaire friends, who decide who reports the news and remove those who offer a different perspective. Think of all the commentators who have been let go and will provide a different news summary. Consider Acosta, Schmidt, and Reid in the planned absence of Armitage, W. A. Lawrence, and Wajahat Ali, or other key critics of Trump's government. Where are they, and why aren't they seen on the news network? This suggests an organized conspiracy to manipulate how we think.
So, democratic governors stop gambling with our country and playing the waiting game, waiting for what I don't know. You are as powerful as the federal government and can prevent the abuse of your citizens by the agents of ICE.
Every bit helps = ACLU anti-ICE letter to Congress is getting traction … “The pressure is working – after we sent almost 300,000 messages to Congress, the Senate blocked a bill that would have poured more money into ICE without any real, enforceable accountability measures …”
🔻 STOP ICE 🔻Letters: 349,676 Sent — Initial Goal 150 K 💠
🔆 Alex PRETTI / Keith PORTER / Renee GOOD 🌺
https://action.aclu.org/send-message/stop-ices-attack-our-communities?utm_
What could go wrong? Removes that tedious, old fashioned requirement for having to read the Constitution. Married women who changed their last names? How did they get the vote, anyway? People born in small towns that have minimal record keeping support? They should just shut up and be grateful. Different name on birth certificate? Too bad. Entire control of elections in one place? Perfect target for incompetence and hacking. So who needs elections anyway?
Points taken, and yes, they're important, but could we stop using the stock phrase "free and fair elections" as if U.S. elections were universally "free and fair" before Trump came along? At the presidential level, the Electoral College guarantees that elections aren't fair. At the state level, some jurisdictions are committed to making voting as accessible as possible, with early voting, extended hours, mail-in voting, etc.. Other jurisdictions are at least as committed to making it as INaccessible as possible by opposing such options, plus making voting locations hard to reach and/or so few in number that voters have to wait in line for hours.
To the surprise of no one reading this, the latter are overwhelmingly run by Republicans. And then there's gerrymandering, which over the decades has been practiced by both parties, but I'm pretty sure that in more recent decades it's been practiced primarily by, you guessed it, Republicans.