GIF from Into Action
Hi, all, and happy Monday.
Since some of you have asked, I wanted to tell you a bit about what happened with Mj on vacation this past week. I think there’s actually a useful political analogy in there.
We went to the UK to spend 8 days with an old friend who lives in London. Mike and Mj had never been, so we were greatly looking forward to filling our time seeing the Tower of London, visiting every imaginable museum, and going to some good theater. We also planned an overnight trip to Bath to see another old friend of Mike’s.
Unfortunately Mj, my teenager, came down with what turned out to be the flu basically the moment we arrived. They barely had time to look around the home we were staying in before they were in their guest bed, feeling awful. The next day, a Sunday, they were worse. Our trip to Bath was scheduled for the day after that; we decided we’d have to cancel it.
But the next morning Mj claimed to feel much better. Everyone had been so looking forward to the Bath trip that we decided, after much back and forth, that we would go. My gut told me it was a terrible idea (it was), but Mj swore they could handle it and we’d come so far…so we went.
By the end of the day in Bath I knew it had been a mistake. Mj was sick again, and it was worse. We got them back to London and from that point forward they were down for the count. For a day or two it looked like they might be improving, but on Thursday they woke up with the worst fever they’d had yet.
We finally got them to a private physician on Friday morning. She immediately diagnosed Mj with pneumonia and severe dehydration. She told us that they had gotten what’s called a secondary infection. “They were already weakened by the flu,” she explained, “and then they went out and got exposed to a sort of opportunistic bacteria that said ‘hey, this is a vulnerable host. I think I can use it!’ Thus the pneumonia.”
She prescribed antibiotics and something to get Mj rehydrated, and it worked beautifully. MJ’s not 100% yet, but they will be. Thank God!
But since then I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea of a secondary infection. I’ve realized that’s what Trumpism is. A stronger body politic might have been immune to him. But he came along at a moment when we were already weak—from an immense lack of civic engagement, systemic racism that had gone too long unaddressed, growing income inequality, and successful disinformation efforts. The result? We weren’t ready to defend ourselves from Trump’s assault. The MAGA “infection” saw an opportunity, and it leaped. And now it’s gotten us deeply sick.
But, just as a “Z-pack” saved Mj, civic “antibiotics” are what will save democracy. And guess who that is? Not the Democratic establishment, not a superhero who sweeps in and fixes everything, but us. We are the indispensable factor. So while we must in the long term, as a country, fix the vulnerabilities in our body politic that made us susceptible to this terrible illness, right now it is we that will achieve the healing that enables that repair to happen.
We are the civic antibiotic, friends. Never forget it. Without YOU—your actions, your protests, yours calls, your strategic donations, your insatiable appetite for a better, more just country—this patient would likely be doomed.
Because of you, and the miracle of your activism, it will live. And I swear that, just like Mj, it will thrive again. Rejoice!
With that let’s get to work!
Today’s Live!
My Substack Live at 4PM PT/ 7PM ET today will be with Cait Conley, who’s running against Republican Mike Lawler in NY-17. Some of you may remember Cait from the Hell Cats video I put in “Extra! Extra!” a week ago. Cait is an Army Special Ops combat veteran who’s been talking a lot recently about the politicization of the military and the lawlessness of Pete Hegseth. Considering everything that’s happening right now we should have a lot to talk about.
Here’s the Hell Cats video in case you missed it.
Hope to see lots of you there!
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲 and Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m greatly concerned that American military officials might have committed a war crime in Trump’s offensive against boats in the Caribbean. It seems pretty clear that ordering a follow-up strike to kill survivors is murder. What is the Senator/Congressmember doing to make sure that any war crimes Pete Hegseth or members of his staff committed are fully investigated and prosecuted?
Also, the ACA premium tax credits absolutely must be extended. I’m deeply worried not just for myself, but for the healthcare system in general. I believe that without these extensions it could collapse. I know a vote is coming up on extending them and I want the Senator/Congressmember to vote yes. Furthermore, we need to work towards universal healthcare. We need to get profit out of our healthcare system. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Let’s send a note to our Governor and state legislators and ask them to push for a Montana-style initiative. Don’t know what that is? Read this short post by Robert Reich.
From the post:
In Montana, local organizers have drafted and submitted a constitutional initiative for voters to consider in 2026 — the first step in a movement built to spread nationwide. It would decline to grant to all corporations the power to spend in elections.
Called the Transparent Election Initiative, it wouldn’t overturn Citizens United — it would negate the consequences of Citizens United. (Click on the link and you’ll get the details.)
You can send a letter to your state lawmakers—wherever you live—asking them to pursue something similar by texting SIGN PVDLWG to 50409! (Read the letter here first if you like! I stole the text almost completely from Reich’s post.)
Get Smart! 📚
Please join Court Accountability on Thursday, December 4, at 3:00 pm ET for a virtual conversation on Louisiana v. Callais and the sweeping implications the Roberts Court’s expected ruling could have for the future of voting rights and fair representation in America.
With the Supreme Court poised to dismantle key protections of the Voting Rights Act, this panel will explore the real-world consequences for communities of color, how a ruling issued ahead of the 2026 midterms could spur a new wave of gerrymandered maps, and what advocates, organizers, and policymakers must do now to push back.
Led by Lisa Graves, Court Accountability co-founder, True North Research Executive Director, & former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, the panel will feature:
Evan Milligan, Senior Fellow at Western States Center, organizer, and plaintiff in Allen v. Milligan
Spencer Overton, Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law at the George Washington University, director of GW Law’s Multiracial Democracy Project, and author of the book*Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression*
The discussion will break down what’s at stake with the Callais decision and its significance in the right-wing legal movement’s broader efforts to suppress democratic participation. Panelists will outline the urgent need for public education, organizing, and policy action to ensure voters – not a partisan Court – shape our political future.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Now that DOGE is officially gone you may find yourself in conversation with people who are under the impression that it did good things. Below is a great post by Jeff Clark breaking down what, exactly DOGE did accomplish (spoiler alert: NOTHING good). It comes with all the receipts, so it’s a helpful resource for talking to the uninformed about this absolute disaster of an agency.
Stop Waste, Fraud & AbuseDOGE is Done. What Did We Get?On November 25, 2025, Reuters reported that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had been disbanded ten months after launch and eight months short of its mandated conclusion, July 2026. DOGE replaced the US Digital Service, an Obama-era agency created to improve citizen-facing technology after the failed launch of…Read more5 days ago · Jeff ClarkGive 💰!
Our matching drive to Run For Something has raised $27,408 so far—and that was as of last Friday! This is so huge, y’all. THANK YOU! The 300K match still hasn’t been met. Please give if you can!
Get in the Streets! 🪧
There’s a rally in DC at 12pm ET on Wednesday: Don’t Let Billionaires Hog Our Health Care Rally at Lafayette Park, led by National Nurses United & CPD.
Win Races! 🗳
There’s a Grassroots Dems phonebank for Aftyn Behn at 5:30PM CT today and I really hope lots of you can come! I’ll actually be kicking it off!
Here’s why this is so important:
Even if we lose this election but it’s close, it’s a HUGE WIN. I’d love a victory, and I see one as totally possible. However, I’m hearing that if we lose, but come within 8 or fewer points it would be seen as devastating to the GOP. Such a “loss” for Democrats would still likely hasten the departures of lots more Congressional Republicans. THAT, in turn, could give us back our majority before next November! So you see why every vote is so, so important?
We need your help to get those votes. Please sign up for today’s 5:30 PM CT phonebank here. The same link has a shift for tomorrow, too.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T ] [Text SIGN PGPZJY to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
I am writing with deep concern about the Trump regime’s rapid escalation toward a potentially catastrophic and unauthorized military conflict with Venezuela. Yesterday, President Trump declared on social media that “THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA” is “CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” a sweeping assertion of power far beyond any lawful authority. The Venezuelan government denounced this as a “colonialist threat,” and they are correct to view it as a violation of international law and national sovereignty.This declaration is not happening in isolation. It follows months of U.S. military buildup in the region, covert CIA operations authorized by the president, and a series of lethal strikes on alleged drug boats—at least 21 actions resulting in at least 83 deaths since September. Now the president is telling U.S. service members that “very soon” land operations will begin. That is a de facto announcement of a ground invasion without congressional approval.
[The rest of the letter is here.]
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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