What is DOGE doing? Can they be stopped?

We have hard evidence that the DOGE staff changes to computer systems have done damage.

Jeff Hauser was on the Nicole Sandler show talking about Musk DOGE Watch.

The whistleblower on Maddow talked about what was done with in National Labor Relations Board. He said that the same is happening in other agencies. I believe that Elon Musk and the policies of DOGE must be stopped. The more we learn about what they are doing, the more clear it will become they have to be stopped. How to stop them is one question, what to do next is another. Major corporations, industry groups and economists KNOW DOGE is destabilizing government. But they are afraid to say it. So we do.

#ElonMusk and the policies of #DOGE must be stopped.

My premise is that while we can link deaths to kids in South Sudan to the USAID cuts in food aid in America, that’ not big enough to register. DOGE changes to the computer systems need to be big enough to lead to the deaths of THOUSANDS of Americans. Specifically, white, male Republican Americans.

DOGE and Musk are not just making simple “mistakes” but are doing . . . → Read More: What is DOGE doing? Can they be stopped?

For some people, a missed check is a death sentence. What to do before & after DOGE kills

I saw my friend Alex Lawson on Maddow Friday April 12, 2025. He said,

Alex Lawson, ED Social Security Works on The Rachel Maddow Show, Friday April 12, 2025

a missed check for some people is a death sentence, a missed check for some people is going to mean that they are out on the street. So we have to come together. And understand that when this catastrophic failure happens, and I believe it will, there’s no indication that they’re trying to fix things, just accelerate it. 73 Million people rely on Social Security. Imagine the chaos that will come when those checks don’t go out. Rachel, it is going to be a scenario that’s hard to imagine how catastrophic it will be.

Alex Lawson, ED Social Security Works on The Rachel Maddow Show, Friday April 12, 2025

I put the date of the warning in here, because it’s important. Here’s how America currently works:

Someone on the left says something bad is going to happen and we need to stop it before it happens. Nobody listens. The thing happens. Then, the people who were warned, who also knew it would likely happen but didn’t want to stop the thing, . . . → Read More: For some people, a missed check is a death sentence. What to do before & after DOGE kills

Who to call NOW, before your Social Security is disrupted? Alex Lawson @socialsecurityworks.org

I’m LOVING what I’m seeing on MSNBC about Town Halls! I want to see more! But what if there isn’t one around you?

Right now DOGE & Musk are shutting Social Security offices all across the country and cutting phone services that will force the elderly and disabled to go to their local Social Security office. Alex Lawson of Social Security Works talked to Nicole Sandler about how to set up a rally at your local Social Security Administration office. Sam Seder of The Majority Report talked about it today.

"Every single member of congress needs to be pressured because of what they are doing to Social Security." @samseder.bsky.social @majorityreport.bsky.social @socialsecurityworks.org is setting up people to rally at their local #SocialSecurity offices. Go to HandsOffSocialSecurity.org[image or embed]

— Spocko (@spocko.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 1:20 PM

The rallies at Social Security offices will bring the issue to the media, which is great, but we know how people live in media bubbles. Fox News won’t cover them. But they might make the local news. Lately I’ve been talking to some activists on how to reach the “normies” who only watch their local TV news, and prepare for the . . . → Read More: Who to call NOW, before your Social Security is disrupted? Alex Lawson @socialsecurityworks.org

Vets Lives Are Being Destroyed By Federal Cuts

Chelsea Milburn, a disabled Navy vet, was fired from her job because of sweeping cuts to federal agencies. But her story won’t be on Fox “News”

When I saw Elon Musk wielding a chainsaw at CPAC I knew it would be shared everywhere. MAGA people LOVE that image, “He’s owning the libs! AWESOME! An Alpha male cutting Federal Government waste!” But what they won’t see are the lives destroyed by the illegal and reckless cuts.

The pattern we are seeing is a massive sweeping cut, then outrage. If it is so egregious or outrageous like Nuclear Security it’s “an accident” and they try to rehire the people fired. Now you would THINK that if it hits a program or constituent base that Republican politicians care about, they would stand up for their own people. But that hasn’t happened. We see them go on TV and say, the cuts are a good thing.

She needs to be on Fox “News” so people can connect Musk’s cuts & the betrayal of vets to GOP senators who aren’t helping her, but praising Musk. But that is not going to happen because Fox is busy talking about how the cuts are justified. They . . . → Read More: Vets Lives Are Being Destroyed By Federal Cuts

Hey Dems! You can derail Tulsi’s nomination

I got into a conversation with some friend’s about the Dem’s failure to prepare for the nomination hearings. I KNEW that there were multiple weaknesses in them, but I also know that the Trump team had a strategy to push them through.

I saw lots of complaints about Dem Senator questions at the hearings. It is hard, especially when Team Trump uses these tactics

1) Withholding evidence

2) No background checks by FBI AND the FBI doesn’t share the info with all committee members

3) Coach candidates to give non-answers and to give technically correct, but misleading answers

“It wasn’t an NDA, It was a”non- disparagement clause in the divorce proceedings”

4) Threaten people who have legit questions about their qualifications, or have issues about their character. See what they did to Sen. Joni Ernst.

I started looking into Tulsi Gabbard. Howie Klein wrote about her at Down With Tyranny. Will Senate Republicans Draw The Line At Tulsi Gabbard? Very Very Unlikely Subhead: Does Trump’s Crazy Hare Krishna Belong To Putin?

I learned a lot. There are multiple weakness that could be exploited if someone was in charge of a PR campaign to derail her . . . → Read More: Hey Dems! You can derail Tulsi’s nomination

Questions for Sal Gentile and Emily Erotas about the A Closer Look Back podcast

I’m a HUGE fan of A Closer Look on the Seth Meyer show. It’s written by Sal Gentile and the supervising producer is Emily Erotas.They have a limited series podcast called A. Closer Look Back, talking about what they learned during Trump first term & what they can do to prepare for Trump 2.0. It’s insightful & funny and I highly recommend it.

Listening to this podcast and Rachel Maddow’s recent show on preparing for Trump’s next term got me thinking.

Who has a media and social media strategy to mess with Trump this time around? And, because nothing seems to hurt Trump, who is focusing on busting his nominees & minions? I ask because I don’t see the Dems doing it.

I wondered what I can do. Who can I help that I think is doing good work to counter the RW narrative? I looked at what was breaking thru the RW narrative IN MULTIPLE SPACES. One was comedy. So I wrote the best comedy writers & producers I knew about & asked them this question:

Dear Sal & Emily:

How can we on the left help you prepare for the scandals of nominees, so the COMEDY bits . . . → Read More: Questions for Sal Gentile and Emily Erotas about the A Closer Look Back podcast

Trump’s Leather Daddy To Head FBI

Today Cliff Schecter and Hal Sparks talked about Kash Patel & how he could be the first possible leather daddy to head the FBI.

The Steve Bannon plan is to overwhelm the media with Trump’s horrible nominees. What gets to the MSM, that makes them disqualified, isn’t the same as what makes it to late night comedy shows, or to Fox News, or RW social media.

Part of what we can do with our audiences is to show how weird these people are. There are serious reasons these people are horrible, that would disqualify them to normal people like us. But we need to also point out stuff that the MAGAs have a hard time with, but we can’t reach their channels. If we tried they’d say, “I thought you were COOL WITH DEI, gays, and leather daddies!” So we put stuff out saying, “We’re cool them being gay or leather daddies, but we are not cool with their policies to destroy our national security, are you?”

Frankly I don’t know which weird, corrupt, sick, incompetent or illegal activity of Trump’s nominees will knock them out of the process. But we need to find them and . . . → Read More: Trump’s Leather Daddy To Head FBI

What’s Behind The Fear of Fighting Back?

I just saw a great video from my old friend Cliff Schechter on his new YouTube channel, Cliff’s Edge.

Is It Time to Start FIGHTING Dirty Against Donald Trump?

After I watched it, I liked, subscribed and joined the channel as a paying member. I’d like folks to do the same. Then I called Cliff to talk about it.

I’ve known Cliff for years and we talked about “fighting” on camera on RW media, and the opportunity for a lefty billionaire to buy a media outlet like CNBC and MSNBC. I hope it happens. If it DOES happen, we need to understand the fear of funders on the left to fighting back and what to do about it.

One thing that I’ve seen is that people who consider themselves journalists in the mainstream media don’t see “fighting back” as their job. That’s the job of activists. That’s the job of Democrats. Many see their role as reporting the facts. (Or “documenting the atrocities” as Atrios would say.)

I’ve written about what happens to journalists when they do report the facts, do the “both sides” bit, and talk to experts. They get threatened. Accepting death threats IS . . . → Read More: What’s Behind The Fear of Fighting Back?

Rules for fighting RWers–this century

“When we fight, we win!” – Kamala Harris.

What do we do when we fight & lose? Never Give Up! Never surrender!

People admire that about a leader and a cause. We don’t just fight the fights we can win. You fight the fights that need fighting!” Martin Sheen, The American President (1995)

We expect THEM to follow the norms of losing. Like we do. Accept the loss. Don’t flip the board over.

And when we WIN? We are supposed to accept the win. Stop fighting. Reach out to the losing side & shake hands. Follow the norms of winners. Say, “Good luck! It’s great to have a strong opponent!”

Don’t be a sore winner! Don’t spike the football. Don’t mock them for losing. Don’t brag about the win everywhere. “Don’t get cocky kid!”

I’m getting into too many sports and movie metaphors here, so I want to talk about a specific win and why when we fight & win against RWers we must keep fighting, because the norms of winning aren’t enough against today’s RW.

Ruby Freeman & Shaye Moss won a $148 million judgement against Giuliani after he defamed them

Rudy delayed turning . . . → Read More: Rules for fighting RWers–this century

Time Traveler: Sorry about your timeline

NEW YORK— A time-traveling man from the 22nd century revealed Monday that, while many timelines are terrible, the current version, as of Nov 17, 2024 is one of the worst ones. Wolcott, a self-described physicist and adventurer who traveled back in time from 2147 New York City, expressed sorry for the pain people in America will be suffering.

“Look, time travel isn’t like in the movies. When we go back and change something, a whole new timeline is created. Sometimes the people in that timeline are happy, but in some leftover timelines, it’s TERRIBLE! For example, in the timeline where Al Gore is President everyone wears brown. Sure they stopped global climate change & Americans have universal health care, but not everything is perfect! The Wire doesn’t exist! Breaking Bad was never made!

Another timeline has the first female President, but it’s not great either. Sure women’s reproductive freedom is assured. But that timeline doesn’t have an MRA vaccine for COVID-19, because there was no botched response by the other President who ignored the pandemic playbook. The show trials for her impeachment are still continuing. Also, there are NO FUN press conferences! Late night comedy is horrible!

Those . . . → Read More: Time Traveler: Sorry about your timeline