Come to Terms With Reality: Fight Accordingly

It's a coup.

There’s a term for a hostile takeover of a government – whether it’s bloodless or by military force.

That term, friend, is coup.

Right now, an unelected billionaire – The Richest Man In The World – with a cadre of six 20-somethings (none of whom have security clearances) has decided to break into and rifle around in some of the most sensitive computer systems in our government. Those systems contain private information about hundreds of millions of Americans, from tax returns to student loan documents to health records. Reports are that he has downloaded some information onto hard drives. (For what purpose one can only guess.) He has control over the personnel databases that contain detailed information about government employees; today we’ve heard that he has also gained access to Veterans Affairs databases.

Elon Musk has also reportedly taken control over the pipes through which money from Treasury flows – a plum place to be as Americans file their tax returns. He has claimed the ability to unilaterally stop congressionally-appropriated payments for programs and agencies at his personal discretion. He has claimed to have “shut down” USAID (the United States Agency for International Development, an agency originally created by executive order in 1961, but officially established by Congress in 1998.)

All of this is unconstitutional and illegal.

It is a five alarm fire – a rolling constitutional crisis billionaire power grab coupled with the largest cyber data breach in history.

And yes, it is a coup.

That’s not hyperbole, and I don’t say it lightly. But to fight what’s before us we need to come to terms with where we are, and act accordingly.

Over the last 72 hours I’ve sent multiple text messages to a friend and colleague asking for reassurance that yes this is in fact as bad as I think it is.

I’ll bet you have done something similar.

But the reason that we have had to undertake this sort of self reflection is because our Democratic allies across the country – in red states and blue states, in red districts and blue districts, in red cities and blue cities – have been relatively silent about the seriousness of the situation unfolding right before our eyes.

They spent a long weekend at home in their districts, while Musk gleefully tweeted that “the opposing team” was gone while his team worked around the clock.

On Monday we started to see signs of life – lawmakers held a press conference at USAID, filed multiple lawsuits, and made statements. Even if delayed, that’s a good start.

But I want to see more. I want to see spark. Spectacle. Fire. Anger. Righteous indignation. Fury.

Because we need to see that our leaders understand the seriousness of what’s happening – and we need them to convey that message to the rest of America.

In 2021, my then-congresswoman Cori Bush slept on the steps of the Capitol for four nights and five days to help keep 11 million people in their homes.

Image credit: @Coribush on Instagram

Where is that kind of pirate energy now? I want to see legislators leading sit-ins. I want to see them leading creative calls to action. I want to see press gaggles, livestreams, and town halls. I want to see the kind of district-wide crisis communications you’d see after a natural disaster.

I want to see Democrats all over the media landscape and on every street corner in Washington DC calling attention to the fact that a billionaire tech bro is trying to neuter Congress and has been given the keys to the people’s castle – and demanding accountability for it.

I’m sure plenty is going on behind the scenes. But this is a five alarm fire – and Democrats need to learn a very important lesson and they need to learn it fast: the public fight matters. Show matters. Spectacle matters.

People are angry that the legacy media is not picking up on the fact that this is a coup – an existential threat to a constitutional democracy that has three coequal branches of government (none of which is named Elon Musk). But how can we expect them to cover an emergency if we don’t treat it like one?

If we don’t act like it’s a big deal, then is it, in fact, a big deal?

Human beings are complicated, social creatures – but some things we do are very predictable, like how we respond to emergencies.

Let me take a quick 20-year tangent to tell a story about how people respond to crisis.

When I was in law school, my Contracts professor dressed down the entire auditorium classroom. She was furious because the day before, some strange man had been in the law library with a young child that looked upset and frightened.

Law students – some of them my classmates – chattered about the situation amongst themselves in the stacks.

They were concerned that the child had actually been abducted.

But we’ll never know.

Because nobody did anything.

Imagine that for a second. Dozens of smart, accomplished law school students – kids who had chosen a profession that’s focused on justice and law – were concerned that a child had been abducted and was sitting right in their law library, just feet away from them.

They believed an emergency was unfolding in front of their eyes.

And they did nothing.

I wasn't at the library that day, thank god, or I’d never live with the guilt.

But I still think about that situation.

Because it's a great example of the power of the bystander effect. That's when a group of people see something – an emergency or a situation that deserves attention – and do nothing because they’re placated by the inertia of being in a crowd.

Humans are social creatures that depend upon the cues of others to gauge our own behavior. Especially in a crowd, we default to thinking that if something were really serious, surely someone would do something. And if nobody is doing anything, it must not be that serious.

This is such a common phenomenon that the general advice if you need help in a crowd is to catch someone's eye, point to them, and say "I need your help right now - please call someone."

That way, you've bestowed agency upon someone so that they know their assistance is required and they’re no longer depending upon social cues.

Once that person acts, others will follow. But if nobody acts, passersby will presume that help isn't required. They’ll literally step over you while you’re having a heart attack.

Right now, America is looking to the behavior of Democrats to determine if this is a crisis.

If Democrats don’t stand up and show with their emotions and their actions that this is the five-alarm fire that it is, then far too many Americans will assume that there’s nothing wrong. If we don’t act like it’s an emergency, then nobody will believe it is an emergency – no matter what their sternly worded statement says.

That’s what I want our elected Democrats to be doing today, and every day thereafter.

But we aren’t powerless; what we do individually matters, too.

Friend, right now it’s as if you and I are in a massive crowd of people. We’re watching a coup unfold in real time. The people around us are looking to the left and right and wondering if this is serious – looking for cues from us on how to react to a fast-moving situation.

We can react – and show the people around us that this is serious and we need to act accordingly – or we can stand by, and let folks tune out among the crowd.

So right now I’m doing exactly what I’d do if I had a heart attack at a concert: I’m looking you directly in the eye.

I’m calling you out, personally. I’m pointing at you, personally – no matter where you live or who your elected congresspeople are or how old you are or how experienced you are or what level of resources you have or don’t have.

And I’m telling you that we need your help, right now.

We need you to sound the alarm within your own networks – by emailing and texting friends and family, and by posting on social media. We need you to encourage (or shame) your legislators into action by calling them daily (DC Switchboard is 202-224-3121), visiting their regional offices, or sending them postcards or emails or messages on their contact forms.

If activism is old hat for you, we need your leadership to help encourage people who are new to this fight.

And if activism is new for you, we need your energy and fresh thinking because sometimes the old ways are not the best ways and we are listening.

I refuse to let American democracy die with a whimper and a shrug. I’ll bet you feel the same.

So let’s give this everything we’ve got.

And let’s get to work.

Photo by Fred Moon on Unsplash

Actions for the Week of February 4, 2025

Friend, things are heavy. But I’m here to tell you that you can lighten that load by doing something small – a “small deed” – to bring about the world that you want to see.

In doing so we tell the world, the universe, our leaders – and most importantly, ourselves – that we will not go quietly into that good night.

I call it Action Therapy.

That’s why in each Tuesday post I share a few “small things” – usually a Small Thing to Read, a Small Event to Attend, and a Small Call to Make or Action to Take. My intention here is to give you actions you can tuck into your week with ease – and know that you’re doing something today to make tomorrow better.

Join me in doing so, friends. It matters.

Small Call to Make: No on Gabbard, and Musk’s Coup

The key thing to do this week is to call your senators and representative – every day if you can swing it. The capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121. Just give your zip code and they’ll connect you.

If you can’t get through to the DC offices, you can always contact your legislators’ regional offices. My senators both have six regional offices, and I’ve had great luck getting through to those offices to speak with a staffer. Give it a try.

Hat tip to Jessica Craven of Chop Wood Carry Water for this excellent series of scripts. She in turn gives a hat tip to HODG – so we’ve got a whole assembly of activst organizations that are coordinating here. I love to see it.

Script: Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

I’m calling about two things. First, I want the Senator to vote NO on the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence. Running the DNI requires an unwavering commitment to evidence-based decision-making, national security, and independence from political or foreign influence. Tulsi Gabbard has none of that. She is completely unfit for this position. [H/T]

Second, I’m calling to express my great concern regarding Elon Musk’s access to various federal payment systems. Musk was not elected and DOGE is not a legal entity of the US government. I believe this represents a grave threat to our economy as Musk has promised to illegally stop lawful payments being made to fund critical services. I am further concerned with him accessing the personally identifiable information for all Americans as he has access to the social security database. As your constituent I want you to understand how alarmed I am about this situation – it is totally unacceptable. [H/T HODG]

As extra credit, we can call the Chairs of the Finance Committees in the House and Senate. Jessica provided their names, numbers, and an example call script. (The notes after each legislator’s information are Jessica’s.)

Financial Services Committee - House

French Hill, R-Chairman - (202) 225-2506 (warning: this guy’s staffer lied to me and said “no one’s personal information is being accessed.” Tell him he’s lying. I did.)

Maxine Waters, D-ranking - (202) 225-2201 (very nice staffer. Happy to take comments)

Financial Services – Senate

Ron Wyden, D – ranking - (202) 224-5244 (haven’t been able to get through but will keep trying)

Mike Crapo –R, Chairman - (202) 224-6142 (ditto)

For French Hill / Mike Crapo: (Republican Chairs)

“[Rep Hill/Sen Crapo] – I’m calling to express my great concern regarding Elon Musk’s access to various federal payment systems. Musk was not elected and DOGE is not a legal entity of the US government. I believe this represents a grave threat to our economy as Musk has promised to illegally stop lawful payments being made to fund critical services. I am further concerned with him accessing the personally identifiable information for all Americans as he has access to the social security database. As Chairman of the Finance Committee, you have a lawful responsibility to oversee the Treasury. You are accountable for Musk’s actions. Do something – get Musk and his affiliates out of these systems and investigate whether or not they stole sensitive information.”

For Waters / Wyden: (Dem Chairs)

“[Rep Water/Sen Wyden] – I’m calling to express my great concern regarding Elon Musk’s access to various federal payment systems. Musk was not elected and DOGE is not a legal entity of the US government. I believe this represents a grave threat to our economy as Musk has promised to illegally stop lawful payments being made to fund critical services. I am further concerned with him accessing the personally identifiable information for all Americans as he has access to the social security database. As ranking member of the Finance Committee, you have a powerful platform to express your opposition. I thank you for what you have already done. Please know that all Americans that are paying attention are terrified about the implications of Musk’s coup. Please continue to be as public as possible with your opposition and use every opportunity to raise the alarm."

Event to Attend: National Senator Office Visits

Indivisible has put out a national call to action, asking people to plan to visit their senators’ offices this week to specifically protest the nomination of Russel Vought, the architect of Project 2025. They rightly point out that he will oversee the attack on federal funding. Read more background, and about the call to action here.

In-person office visits aren’t necessarily “small” acts, but they also don’t need to be huge events. You can drop by your elected officials’ regional offices without an appointment, and simply have the same conversation you’d have over the telephone with the live staffer.

Because in-person visits are far less common than calls, they pack a punch. When you show up in person, you really care. So, if you have time and capacity, stop by this week.

Or you can visit your senators’ offices with a larger group. Indivisible has a registry of events that have already been planned here: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/?tag_ids=25780

I met some incredible fellow activists in 2017 during an in-person office hours event; I’m still in touch with them. These are great opportunities to meet like-minded, action-oriented folks.

Small Thing to Read: Leader Jeffries’ Dear Colleague Letter

I was heartened to see Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ Dear Colleague Letter today. It’s short but packed with a lot of information about what Democrats are focusing on. He’s treating this crisis as a crisis, and specifically calling upon his colleagues to communicate with their districts. So if you have a Democratic congressperson, hold them accountable if they’re not communicating.

You can read the letter here: https://democraticleader.house.gov/media/press-releases/dear-colleague-re-ongoing-house-democratic-caucus-activity

Thanks for reading, friend – I’m glad to see you here! You’re making a difference, I promise.

If you like what I do and you want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber. I couldn’t do this without you.