F@ck hopium

Hey everyone. Hope you had a happy President’s Day, celebrating the 44 men who, despite their many flaws, didn’t openly aspire to be Napoleon instead of a president. I want to personally thank everyone who used the day to protest this authoritarian administration in towns and cities across the country—especially this protester in Philly. No Kings! That’s our battle cry here at the Social Contract. It should be for every American.

If any Congressmember tries to tell you the people have spoken, and they’re just carrying out the people’s wishes by rubber-stamping or staying silent on every autocratic stunt Donald Trump pulls, call them on that bullshit. We are a republic—a democratic one, yes, but a republic nevertheless. We have three co-equal branches because the Founders knew some jackass would eventually want to be king. Whole sections of the Constitution were written with a guy like Donald Trump in mind, and every single member of the legislative and judicial branches swore an oath to uphold it. It’s their fucking job to keep an executive like Trump in line. So far the judiciary has been fairly effective. Still waiting on Congress.

Not everyone can get out and protest, and if you’re one of them, that’s okay. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Keep flooding the voicemail and inboxes of your duly elected representatives in Congress. If they’re hosting a town hall, show up or attend online. Republicans are trying very hard to play us for fools, and all but a handful of Democrats are keeping mum. Both sides need to be reminded—daily—that we won’t allow it.

Here’s what I’m doing: I’m using the platform I am privileged to have to be both an amplifier and an off-ramp. I’ve always called myself a populist, and I am, but that’s become a toxic word in the age of Trump. So I’m a “peopleist” instead, which means I believe strongly in the power, common sense, and basic goodness of people. I think your voices need to be heard. I think all of us together will figure this out. I don’t have all the answers. I wish I did. But you and I both know that anyone claiming that is full of it. So I want to use this space to amplify you. We’re all in this together. It will take all of us united and empowered to get out of it.

That’s why the social contract is important. We have a responsibility to each other to be tolerant and respectful, but as citizens of a free country, we also have a duty to stay informed and be engaged. We must resist every attempt to undermine our country with intentionality and reason. And we need to be an off-ramp for Trump voters when they’ve finally seen enough. I know some of you don’t want to hear that, and I get it. But every Trump supporter who has that jarring moment of clarity I had and wants to jump off the MAGA train needs somewhere to land. I come from that world, so I’d like to hold the net for them.

I’ll be meeting up with you all at town halls later this year, dates and locations to be announced. Social media has its place, but it’s no substitute for real-life interaction. It’s like the difference between a Zoom call and meeting someone for coffee or a beer. But in the meantime, I’m excited to announce that I’m launching my live video series on Substack. Join me this week, Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET, for my first LIVE Substack event. Let’s talk about what we’re actually doing to resist. Whining isn’t going to cut it. Send me your ideas, and we’ll share them too.

Because I’m sick of the hopium. I know everyone means well, but fuck it. We have to get our shit together now. If no one else will, we will.

I have a question for you this week. If you’ve ever had a discussion with a Trump supporter that went well—meaning you were able to get through to them—how did you do it? We have an opportunity during this unprecedented onslaught by Trump and Elon Musk to reach some folks. I have ideas on this, but I want to hear yours. If you’ve been able to make headway in a conversation with a MAGA person in your life, tell us what worked. We’re compiling an action guide that all of us can use in our daily lives to turn the tide on this crisis. Please join us!

Are you able to assist us in this important work? If so, I’m humbly asking you to upgrade your subscription today to support our small but mighty team. The Social Contract isn’t just a newsletter. It’s an active community that is challenging MAGA head-on and working to restore the social contract in the U.S. Thank you for your support!

FUCK PUTIN TOO. It’s the free world vs. Vladimir Putin. And guess which side the current President of the United States is on?

The free world—minus the United States—must continue to do all it can to defend Ukraine, freedom, sovereignty, and NATO. Why “minus the United States?” Because the President of the United States does not stand with the free world. He stands with Putin. He always has. Apologies to all of Europe, and especially Ukraine. Sincerely. And fuck Marco Rubio for turning on everything he used to believe in, and leaving Volodymyr Zelensky out of the “peace” talks in Riyadh. He should be ashamed of himself.

As for the party of Ronald Reagan, the famous Cold Warrior who stared down the Soviet Union back when Putin was still a loyal KGB man? Gone. MAGA is the Republican Party now, and MAGA full-on embraces authoritarianism. Therefore, the Republican Party now full-on embraces authoritarianism. America must accept this truth in order to defeat it.

WHO LET THE DOGE OUT? The question of what “DOGE” actually is and who is in charge of it is playing out as it seeks access to our sensitive IRS and Social Security data. This is so damn messed up. Nobody seems to know what it has the statutory authority to do, and that’s exactly what happens when Congress decides oversight doesn’t matter anymore.

Hey Republicans, remember Nancy Pelosi saying Democrats would have to pass healthcare to find out what’s in it? Same energy here. Where’s your outrage now? It doesn’t matter whether you agree with what DOGE is doing. They are violating the process. DOGE does not have the authority to cut any spending that Congress has already appropriated. That’s unconstitutional, and that still matters.

I remember back in my congressional days, something like political appointees having access to personal tax data would have scared the living hell out of me and my Tea Party colleagues and supporters. It’s the literal definition of a Big Brother centralized government. Guess it doesn’t scare them anymore.

PROSECUTORIAL EXODUS. Look, I think every prosecutor defiantly standing on principle and refusing to do Trump’s bidding is a hero. But at the rate we’re going, there will be no prosecutor with any ethics or integrity left standing by spring. Trump and his henchmen will own the justice system in the U.S., which should scare the hell out of everyone.

Thankfully, a judge has stepped in on the Eric Adams case, ordering reps from the DOJ to appear in court tomorrow and explain the reasoning behind the dismissal of corruption charges. Can’t wait to hear this.

BRAIN DRAIN. Between firings, resignations, and overall incompetence, we’re losing every bit of experience and institutional memory we had at some of the most critical jobs in the country. If someone can tell me how this makes America great again, I’d love to hear it. Because leaving the nukes unsecured doesn’t sound so great to me. Just saying.

So what can you do?

1. Log in to Substack on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET! We’re going to talk about it via live video and chat. Do you have any suggestions ahead of time? Let us know.

2. Join the growing #NOKINGS community! Let’s build a community right now of Americans who rally around and identify with that basic truth: we don’t have kings in America. We’ll figure out where to go beyond that down the road. I’ve changed all my profile pictures to #NOKINGS, and you can too. Grab the #NOKINGS graphic below and go to www.oneflaginitiative.org for instructions on how to change your profile pics. I think it’s pretty badass.

3. Please watch my latest video. If you can’t see it, join our community (and help me keep a fact-checker gainfully employed!) by upgrading to a paid subscription...