This is Not the Moment to Give Up
Logging off was healthy. But it's time to re-engage.
Reports of the demise of the resistance are greatly exaggerated.
With its unerring instinct to seize upon the ephemera of the moment, Politico reports that Anti-Trumpers “are responding to Trump’s return to office with more of a whimper than a shout.” Anti-Trumpers are turning off cable tv and fleeing from Elon Musk’s enshittified X. Activists are in a fetal crouch. The streets are empty. Publishers who churned out Trump books in his first term are now “exhausted.”
“For a country wondering whether the return of Trump will drive an immediate return of the public fury and journalistic energy triggered by his first win,” writes Politico’s Michael Schaffer, “it makes for an early hint that the answer will be: Nope.”
Indeed, there has been a mass tune-out. Millions of Americans just didn’t want to hear it anymore. They didn’t want to watch and preferred gummies and scotch to the yammerings of the pundit class.
But this shouldn’t be confused with surrender, because the Great Log Off is understandable, predictable, and healthy. We all needed a break. We all needed to step back and turn off the noise.
But it’s not forever.
America took a deep collective breath, conducted a quick inventory of our remaining sanity; and wrestled with the temptations of discouragement, despair, and retreat.
But we’re all still here. And TrumpWorld is doing everything imaginable to remind us that we are not the crazy ones.
Each passing day reminds us that we are not the ones with brain worms or covering up underage sex parties; rationalizing sexual assaults; or wallowing in conspiracy theories, kakistocracy, and sedition.
Happy Sunday. Seriously.
To the Contrary is a reader-supported publication. You may disagree with me from time to time (and I expect you will, because I’m not promising you a safe space here). But I’ll always try to give it to you straight. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. (And I’m immensely grateful for your generous support.
Giving Up is the Most Pernicious Form of Anticipatory Obedience
In the days before the election, I wrote about the “premature capitulation” of folks like Jeff Bezos, who decided to take a knee even before Trump resumed power.
Timothy Snyder calls this “anticipatory obedience," — obeying in advance — and warned that that "most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given."
But, as Josh Marshall reminds us, there are other ways of surrendering in advance. Writing in Talking Points Memo, Marshall notes that the most dangerous form of surrender is “hiding in plain sight.”
Seriously, if you read one thing today, make it this (There’s a paywall, but this is subscription is well-worth it). Marshall writes:
You may think there’s some kind of psychic or moral merit in jumping into every conversation and saying “No, it’s over! He said he was going to be a dictator! He said who he was! Believe him! Don’t be so naive!” But really that’s just rolling out a red carpet, the ultimate capitulation in advance.
You know what he’s talking about. It’s tempting to protect yourself by wallowing in Eeyorism. Scratching the itch of doom. Making a fetish of the darkness.
But that is “the ultimate capitulation in advance.”
And paradoxically enough, writes Marshall, we’re seeing it coming “from people who feel they are the most intense of opposers.”
During harrowing times some people become overwhelmed and even lose hope. It’s not a one-way progress. Almost everyone has their moments. But there’s a particular kind of militant doomerism afoot at the moment. Any discussions of next steps in the battle against Trumpism or the preservation of civic democracy, any suggestions or strategies, are met with a chorus of, “don’t you get how it worked under Hitler and Stalin!!?!” Or “don’t you know rules don’t matter to Donald Trump!?!?!”
In a sense, it’s a dialog genetically related to what I called “competitive hyperbole” two days ago. Strategies for the future or even the assumption that there will be a future get shouted down as a hopeless naiveté. And at least within that stream of conversation — which I’m certainly not saying is dominant, but it is there — it leads to the same escalating declarations of dystopia and totalism….
Certain people, growing out of trauma and exhaustion which I fully understand, believe there’s some power or badassery or even a species of courage in saying, “yeah, since when does Donald Trump follow the law!?!?” or “Just admit that we have no power!!!”
But it’s actually precisely the opposite.
That’s the most pernicious form of anticipatory obedience. Deciding that all of this stuff has already happened is not only inaccurate but self-defeating. It’s amplifying threats Trump hasn’t been able or willing to make good on.
A better answer, he writes, is to stand athwart the Trumpian Restoration and say: “Okay, let’s see you try.” Marshall has no illusions that it will be easy. It’s still fight worth having.
At the very least, put him to the task. Make him execute on what he’s trying to do. It won’t be easy and there are a lot of ways to make it even less easy. That’s the first role of a political opposition.
Exit take: As we wake up today, we have a pretty good idea what some of those battles will be. And any opposition — even a battered, beaten, and humiliated one — ought to relish the coming debates, fights, hearings, and votes over Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr, Pete Hegseth, etc., etc,. etc.
Look, I know this is tough
My friend Peter Wehner writes for a lot of us here:
I’ve heard from friends who feel as though their life’s work is shattering before their eyes. Others who have been critical of Trump are considering leaving the public arena. They are asking themselves why they should continue to speak out against Trump’s moral transgressions for the next four years when it didn’t make any difference the past four (or eight) years. It’s not worth the hassle, they’ve concluded: the unrelenting attacks, the death threats, or the significant financial costs.
Is it really worth it? Can we really take another four (or more) years of the constant crazy? What part of massive defeat don’t we get? Writes Wehner:
So much of MAGA world thrives on conflict, on feeling aggrieved, on seeking vengeance. Most of the rest of us do not. Why continue to fight against what he stands for? If Trump is the man Americans chose to be their president, if his values and his conduct are ones they’re willing to tolerate or even embrace, so be it.
And even those who resolve to stay in the public arena will be tempted to mute themselves when Trump acts maliciously. We tried that for years, they’ll tell themselves, and it was like shooting BBs against a brick wall. It’s time to do something else.
I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I feel exactly that way. And almost every anti-Trump warrior is going through the same thought process. “For those who have borne the brunt of hate, withdrawing from the fight and moving on to other things is an understandable choice,” Wehner writes.
But this is what authoritarians want. They wear us down. They thrive on despair and disillusionment. So, we need to remind ourselves what matters. And what is worth fighting for, even if everything seems futile and nothing matters.
We need to remember, writes Wehner, “the importance of truth telling, of bearing moral witness, of calling out lies.”
Countless people, famous and unknown, have told the truth in circumstances far more arduous and dangerous than ours. One of them is the Russian author and Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. “To stand up for truth is nothing,” he wrote. “For truth, you must sit in jail. You can resolve to live your life with integrity.
Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me.” The simple step a courageous individual must take is to decline to take part in the lie, he said. “One word of truth outweighs the world.” A word of truth can sustain others by encouraging them, by reminding them that they’re not alone and that honor is always better than dishonor.
Exit take: Somebody has to tilt at those windmills, and it might as well be us.
Speaking of Bluesky
Personal note: I’m going to continue posting on X and Threads for the time being, but I’m also joining the growing horde of refugees to Blue Sky. Look for me there. You'll find quite a few old friends...
Nota Bene
ICYMI: Despite its electoral triumph, there is trouble in MAGAtown.
More than half of Senate Republicans, including some in senior leadership positions, privately say they don’t see a path for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be confirmed as attorney general and would not support him to lead the Department of Justice, according to multiple people who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity.
While Gaetz’s ability to be confirmed appears on the rocks among Senate Republicans, President-elect Donald Trump’s team remains confident he will eventually be confirmed, even if it’s after an ugly battle.
Speaker Johnson moves to block release of ethics report on Matt Gaetz
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Defense Nominee, Paid Settlement to an Accuser - The New York Times
Pete Hegseth was flagged by fellow service member as possible 'Insider Threat,' AP reports
“Tulsi's history of irresponsibly promoting misinformation and giving comfort to some of America's most aggressive adversaries is counter to the values of the intelligence community.
Tulsi Gabbard's sympathetic views toward Russia cause alarm | AP News
RFK. Jr's controversial health stances, from vaccines to raw milk
RFK Jr.’s Family Doesn’t Want Him to Run. Even They May Not Know His Darkest Secrets. | Vanity Fair
Mike Pence opposes RFK Jr. for HHS because of support for abortion access - ABC News
Messy Fight for Trump’s Treasury Chief Spills Into Public - WSJ
Elon Musk: The Bigot in Full - the Bulwark
My buddy
I was somewhat pumped after listening to Amanda Carpenter on the Bulwark Friday and watching Adam Kinzinger’s Friday video on Substack. They along with Charlie are clear eyed and persistent. We shall all follow their lead.
Contrary to some Senate Republicans, I believe the sex scandals surrounding Gaetz, Hegseth and RFK Jr will make them more likely to be confirmed. They epitomize the kind of LOL nothing matters attitude. I also commented elsewhere that if Dems are to make an attempt to defeat one of these nominees, it should be Tulsi Gabbard. Others will pose grave dangers domestically but she will jeopardize the lives of allies. America chose Trump and we deserve what is coming for us, not our allies.
I can’t bear to watch the news; his repulsive form and fingernails-on-a-chalkboard voice trigger nausea.
But we will out live and out last him and his ilk, this I know.