Thank you for this—I wish there were more Republicans like you coming out against all of this insanity. While I appreciate that McConnell voted against Tulsi’s confirmation, it’s sad that now he decided to finally grow a conscience—when he himself is a large part of the reason why we’re in this mess in the first place.
"TYRANNY IS ON OUR DOORSTEPS" Trump,Vance and Musk are questioning the authority of the courts. House Speaker Mike Johnson said "Federal courts should back off and let President Donald Trump do what he wants". If the Trump regime refuses to obey the courts and the Constitution and if ALL options have been utilized and become unsuccessful "Taking It To The Streets" unfortunately will be the only answer to recovering our Democracy. It's ironic 250 years ago in 1775 the colonist started the Revolutionary War for some of the same reasons we are faced with today. Mainly nobody wanted to be ruled by a King.
"WE NEED A LEADER" We need some courageous person to step forward and take over this rudderless ship. "WE NEED A OPPOSITION LEADER" before it's to late!!!
John, have you joined Country First (country1st.com)? (For some reason my phone says the site is not secure, but when I press "go to site anyway", I am taken to the site and it is reported as secure in the address bar.)
If you belong to Country First, have you participated in an action day (lately every Thursday)? On these action days thousands of country first members call into Congress to individually voice their concerns to Senators and Representatives. Adam and Country First sends an email to all of it's members every week inviting them to join the next Action Day. To quote the most recent email I received:
"You did it. You jammed the congressional phone lines. This is what action looks like.
As the New York Times Reported “A system that usually handles a few dozen calls per minute is straining to keep up with more… and that congressional phones lines have been jammed to the point of failure.”
We need to keep the momentum going.
As we discussed in the Country First Guide: No Retreat – this is part of the strategy of flooding the zone.
If the Trump Administration wants to flood the zone with unqualified nominees, executive orders and a Billionaire operating under the guise of finding waste, we can flood the zone through our Days of Action.
Trump’s administration and his enablers in Congress are hoping we’ll get tired, that we’ll stop pushing back. They’re banking on us giving up. But they underestimated you.
Your calls, your voices, and your persistence are making an impact.
At Country First – we’re not about taking credit but you know, and we know, you have made an impact.
Here’s how you can help right now..."
If you haven't joined Country First, I strongly recommend that you do. They provide guidelines on what to say and how to respectfully say it.
Adam is the founder of Country First and, along with his team there, is mounting an effective campaign against tyranny.
Sometimes we have difficulty seeing the Leader that is standing right in front of us.
I believe it was Steve Borowitz who said Kentucky Fried Voldemort's last-second vote of conscience against Hegseth (and Gabbard) was akin to a T-Rex's deathbed conversion to vegetarianism. As Shakespeare once said, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
How...in God's name...do people like the gutless McConnell' s of this fallen party of Lincoln...sleep at night!.Does the thirty pieces of silver they've all taken for years...worth.their integrity .and personal legacy " in service to their country?".
Infamously...Lincoln may have served with a pure heart...and integtity....
Those , like the " mc.connells ( lower case intentional!) in today's rnc only seek to " serve" themselves... Lincoln would weep...and so should we.
And on the other “side” (as if party means anything anymore), JFK, RFK Sr and Ted Kennedy would weep to see what their son / nephew has turned into and stands for.
Am really old...think back to when class, decorum, elegance, the Arts, renowned artists of music..all graced the White House in the Kennedy years...the John & Jackie years...the smiling antics of the Kennedy's young children filled those years with laughter & joyous family functions made reading newspapers a joy!. Perhaps that time was all glitter & contrived.
Not quite real...viewer consumption only. Nevertheless ...I choose to remember a far more happy and , certainly, a far less frightened, chaotic Petri dish of " pretenders" that we have in office today...a precious sorry lot indeed.
...did I say I'm old? ...but my memories are still fresh.at 90!
Don't give up the fight against fascism... nor against those who would return us to the Rights of Kings! This country was founded on the backs of immigrants the world over! DO NOT LET DEMOCRACY DIE, I BESEECH YOU!
( please forgive my emotional rant...I am heartbroken to witness such a foul miasma shrouding our beloved country...our very existence today when we where once The Beacon of Light to the World )
I just left messages with both my senators, Republicans from MT, as I have done daily for a few weeks now. I am certain they will continue to confirm horrible nominees but I will call anyway. Thank you for your tireless efforts to keep us from giving up! We will find a way thru!!!
I am with you, Sabrina. They are worthless and spineless. I plan to up my game and start calling more often, just to be a pain to them and a regular reminder of who works for who.
For us in Blue states, don’t forget to let your Senators know when they show some extra spine and to keep on doing it. I let Senator Duckworth know how proud I was that she exposed Hegseth’s extreme ignorance and incompetence for the role. It didn’t stop the confirmation, but when he screws up, she can say “I tried to warn you, and now you must own it”.
At the end of the day, Trump is just a mentally unwell person. A narcissist with megalomaniac desires. The evil comes from those that facilitate his evil agenda for their own selfish interests. The exposure and accountability of those people is critical.
The key word is "integrity." That is always the word that jumps out at me. It should be used in every appraisal of what is going on in politics. Thank you, Adam, you darned man of integrity.
I'll take a Liz Cheney over these cowards any day of the week. Republicans have completely changed their stripes. My father, a Reagan appointee to the federal bench, died last year; I am so glad he doesn't need to see how far the slide has gone.
What’s even more disgusting is the hypocrisy. If Biden (or any Democrat) was doing this they would have already started impeachment proceedings. The difference is (and I am confident that everyone here agrees with me), I would be absolutely appalled if Biden and the Dems were behaving this way as well. THAT’S what Country 1st means.
I am most upset by Tom Tillis and Dr Cassidy. They both know the dangers of Rfk and still went forward. Measles outbreak in Texas, TB resurgence and bird flu crossing over to humans. Is this a country of only the strong survive ? Grow a spine people and do what's right.
This is no excuse for doing what's right. I will do everything I can to get Tillis out of office. I live in NC and when the voters find out that Trump/Elon want to get rid of FEMA they will change their vote
At the rate things are going, there may not be a Congress to get elected to by 2026. Not sure if that will make a difference because they are so ineffectual.
Musk has to be the worst person in the world, right now. Forcing his way on politicians, to get them to obey, is simple blackmail. Can Musk please be sued for this as well?
Maybe the public will come to see Muck as a loose goose tormenting Uncle Sam and consider it an honor to vote against his stooges. He seems to savor Mucking up every guard rail the founders promulgated.
Keep sharing Country1st with your many friends, acquaintances and family members. I'm noticing that some of the people I speak with perk up when I mention Adam and his initiatives!
Thanks Adam. This is an historic time. When an untrustworthy Liar like Tulsi can be confirmed for a high position of trust, the nation is in big trouble. How in the world can she manage "intelligence" agencies?
Yes, Donald owns the votes of the GOP House and Senate. But Elon owns Donald. Watching Elon's press conference yesterday it was obvious that Elon has Donny's balls. And he can squeeze any time he wants.
Interesting- I never heard of The Iron Heel and surprised to see that Jack London wrote this! I love London and used to to a unit on his short stories with my students. Interesting that it depicts future America as an oligarchy tyranny. Well, the future is here. I read it was the inspiration for Orwell's 1984.
Too late. Tulsi Gabbard has been approved. RFK Jr will be approved later this week. Everyone knows they are unfit and unqualified. The GOP is completely lost.
Putin must be unable to wipe the smirk off his face - now he's got another puppet in place to destroy his nemesis and all guardrails are off .... you gotta hand it to good ol' Vlad - all his efforts to influence the 2016 election have paid off in spades.
Republicans are way past the "are we the bad guys" moment.
They all know what is wrong and what is right yet here we are having this moral dilemma over doing the OBVIOUS and the RIGHT thing because these folks are just in it for themselves. The bare minimum is doing the obvious and the right thing and it doesn't take courage to do the bare minimum.
They are addicted to power. Everyone can see it and everyone should be telling that straight to their faces and not let them talk about how they're doing everything for their constituents or America cause they care about neither of those things.
I can say that about most politicians but these MAGA Republicans have done more to destroy this country than any politicians that I can remember.
I get it from mine in Idaho. Orange man won like 82-15% in the counties around me, except one. Their constituents are mostly deep in maga. But, for Risch to put in writing to me he will vote for everything Don the Con wants - that’s really not using your brain for the salary, nor is it working for your state and country. It’s fealty to a person.
Megan, R.... has been a piece of sh-- for years! And Adam has it exactly right - democracies die through slow erosion, and we can't let that happen. R Senate really a bunch of gutless wonders. I'm close to posting (next day or two) a free substack post on bobswandby@substack.com explaining how Trump's econ policies will crash the good economy handed to him by Biden. Most people find economics dismal, so I will have short summaries of each section. Economics, financial markets and geopolitics is my bag, so stay tuned. And greeting from Boise!
Bob, I was born and raised in Boise. I left before Fox and News Max poisoned my relatives minds. I'm so sad that I can't have a logical conversation with them.
Keep up the good work! I still love the city of Boise!❤
Sorry to hear about your relatives; it is very sad that one can't dialogue with MAGA. They are truly brainwashed and would follow the Orange over a cliff or out to sea without a life boat. Thankfully, there are many of us in Boise actively working, but it's a tough swim!
Yep, I got a reply from John Cornyn saying he is doing his duty to vet candidates' "experience, qualifications, and alignment with Trump's agenda." B.S. - experience and qualification are no longer required and these people are not doing the jobs we elected them to do.
Also from Idaho, my grandparents would be spinning in their graves to know what has become of their beloved Republican party. And it's likely that I got the same letter you did, which in effect said that because of the "mandate" Trump was given by the electorate that Risch will not be bothered with issues of conscience enough to examine the facts of the matter. Probably Crapo is of the same mindset but hasn't troubled himself to reply. It appears they have no honor nor decency left, such a disappointment.
Yep - same letter! I was going to send back a Bible verse and insinuate he’s treating 🍊 like a false god, trying to appeal to him to self analyze. I haven’t yet.
Adam, you are our Alexei Navalny. Saw Sarah and JVL on the Bulwark this morning. Sarah argued against JVL's resigned cynicism. C'mon, we need to fight! Keep telling the truth. We need your leadership and Sarah's optimism and determination!
She is probably horrified to see us slipping into authoritarianism. But she picked up her hubs' mantle and probably has her hands full. Adam, you should interview her!
If you haven't read Alexei Navalny, Patriot, A Memoir, I highly recommend it. The parallels of how Russia operates today and how Trump and his crowd are trying the same here are amazing. WE HAVE TO STOP THIS NOW! I would bet she would be willing to be interviewed and/or join! She is a freedom fighter for sure!
Thank you Adam. You said it like it is. You are a true patriot. The senate is filled with gutless wonders. I read your book and at the time had comments but couldn’t contact you. You were in my district in IL and I always voted for you. There is now a gutless wonder in your place. God help us
Thank you, Adam for being a man of courage and integrity! You could have lived a normal life after Congress but you continued to fight this evil destroying our long-fought-for democracy by speaking out, Country First and this Substack. Thank you! We are eternally grateful!
Thank you for this—I wish there were more Republicans like you coming out against all of this insanity. While I appreciate that McConnell voted against Tulsi’s confirmation, it’s sad that now he decided to finally grow a conscience—when he himself is a large part of the reason why we’re in this mess in the first place.
There’s a special place in hell for that heinous person. He is responsible for aaall of this (going back yeeears).
Absolutely, Mari. He's beyond redemption.
I'm screaming COWARDS from the roof tops!!
"TYRANNY IS ON OUR DOORSTEPS" Trump,Vance and Musk are questioning the authority of the courts. House Speaker Mike Johnson said "Federal courts should back off and let President Donald Trump do what he wants". If the Trump regime refuses to obey the courts and the Constitution and if ALL options have been utilized and become unsuccessful "Taking It To The Streets" unfortunately will be the only answer to recovering our Democracy. It's ironic 250 years ago in 1775 the colonist started the Revolutionary War for some of the same reasons we are faced with today. Mainly nobody wanted to be ruled by a King.
"WE NEED A LEADER" We need some courageous person to step forward and take over this rudderless ship. "WE NEED A OPPOSITION LEADER" before it's to late!!!
John, have you joined Country First (country1st.com)? (For some reason my phone says the site is not secure, but when I press "go to site anyway", I am taken to the site and it is reported as secure in the address bar.)
If you belong to Country First, have you participated in an action day (lately every Thursday)? On these action days thousands of country first members call into Congress to individually voice their concerns to Senators and Representatives. Adam and Country First sends an email to all of it's members every week inviting them to join the next Action Day. To quote the most recent email I received:
"You did it. You jammed the congressional phone lines. This is what action looks like.
As the New York Times Reported “A system that usually handles a few dozen calls per minute is straining to keep up with more… and that congressional phones lines have been jammed to the point of failure.”
We need to keep the momentum going.
As we discussed in the Country First Guide: No Retreat – this is part of the strategy of flooding the zone.
If the Trump Administration wants to flood the zone with unqualified nominees, executive orders and a Billionaire operating under the guise of finding waste, we can flood the zone through our Days of Action.
Trump’s administration and his enablers in Congress are hoping we’ll get tired, that we’ll stop pushing back. They’re banking on us giving up. But they underestimated you.
Your calls, your voices, and your persistence are making an impact.
At Country First – we’re not about taking credit but you know, and we know, you have made an impact.
Here’s how you can help right now..."
If you haven't joined Country First, I strongly recommend that you do. They provide guidelines on what to say and how to respectfully say it.
Adam is the founder of Country First and, along with his team there, is mounting an effective campaign against tyranny.
Sometimes we have difficulty seeing the Leader that is standing right in front of us.
I believe it was Steve Borowitz who said Kentucky Fried Voldemort's last-second vote of conscience against Hegseth (and Gabbard) was akin to a T-Rex's deathbed conversion to vegetarianism. As Shakespeare once said, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
T-Rex's deathbed conversation to vegetarianism --- that is simply perfect!!!!
Add Iowa's Chuck Grassley to that -- he's 91 yrs old. I really respected Grassley years ago. He could stand up to Trump now, and help save America.
But, from what I have read, he wants his grandson to take his place -- so Mr. Grassley bend's the knee and pray's for Trump's blessing.
RINO -- Ed
agreeing with others.....there's a price to pay for everything. Whether we see it or not.
Power!!!!
How...in God's name...do people like the gutless McConnell' s of this fallen party of Lincoln...sleep at night!.Does the thirty pieces of silver they've all taken for years...worth.their integrity .and personal legacy " in service to their country?".
Infamously...Lincoln may have served with a pure heart...and integtity....
Those , like the " mc.connells ( lower case intentional!) in today's rnc only seek to " serve" themselves... Lincoln would weep...and so should we.
And on the other “side” (as if party means anything anymore), JFK, RFK Sr and Ted Kennedy would weep to see what their son / nephew has turned into and stands for.
JAS...absolutely!
Am really old...think back to when class, decorum, elegance, the Arts, renowned artists of music..all graced the White House in the Kennedy years...the John & Jackie years...the smiling antics of the Kennedy's young children filled those years with laughter & joyous family functions made reading newspapers a joy!. Perhaps that time was all glitter & contrived.
Not quite real...viewer consumption only. Nevertheless ...I choose to remember a far more happy and , certainly, a far less frightened, chaotic Petri dish of " pretenders" that we have in office today...a precious sorry lot indeed.
...did I say I'm old? ...but my memories are still fresh.at 90!
Don't give up the fight against fascism... nor against those who would return us to the Rights of Kings! This country was founded on the backs of immigrants the world over! DO NOT LET DEMOCRACY DIE, I BESEECH YOU!
( please forgive my emotional rant...I am heartbroken to witness such a foul miasma shrouding our beloved country...our very existence today when we where once The Beacon of Light to the World )
Thank you, JAS.
We all weep and scream
Thank you Ellen.
Spot on!
I just left messages with both my senators, Republicans from MT, as I have done daily for a few weeks now. I am certain they will continue to confirm horrible nominees but I will call anyway. Thank you for your tireless efforts to keep us from giving up! We will find a way thru!!!
Thank you for not giving up Laurie! I am doing it too. Every single day for over two weeks!. ✊🏼💪🏼
I'm with you Laurie, just in Texas. Continuing to bombard my useless, spineless Senators.
I am with you, Sabrina. They are worthless and spineless. I plan to up my game and start calling more often, just to be a pain to them and a regular reminder of who works for who.
Thank you, Laurie for keep calling your senators!
For us in Blue states, don’t forget to let your Senators know when they show some extra spine and to keep on doing it. I let Senator Duckworth know how proud I was that she exposed Hegseth’s extreme ignorance and incompetence for the role. It didn’t stop the confirmation, but when he screws up, she can say “I tried to warn you, and now you must own it”.
Please keep it up
Laurie, thank you for your untiring efforts, and I know it's tiring. Pretty much the same in Idaho
It makes a difference that they hear your views even if you don’t change their minds initially.
Thank you for your efforts!
Someone needs to write a book... "Profiles in Cowardice". Mr. Kinzinger?
At the end of the day, Trump is just a mentally unwell person. A narcissist with megalomaniac desires. The evil comes from those that facilitate his evil agenda for their own selfish interests. The exposure and accountability of those people is critical.
They sell their immortal souls to still get an invitation to the R cocktail party . Short sighted indeed.
The key word is "integrity." That is always the word that jumps out at me. It should be used in every appraisal of what is going on in politics. Thank you, Adam, you darned man of integrity.
I'll take a Liz Cheney over these cowards any day of the week. Republicans have completely changed their stripes. My father, a Reagan appointee to the federal bench, died last year; I am so glad he doesn't need to see how far the slide has gone.
Well said and totally true. I have nothing but contempt for every single Republican in the Senate.
complicit
Even Lisa Murkowski? I saw her as the last upstanding senator. Say it ain't so, Lisa.
What’s even more disgusting is the hypocrisy. If Biden (or any Democrat) was doing this they would have already started impeachment proceedings. The difference is (and I am confident that everyone here agrees with me), I would be absolutely appalled if Biden and the Dems were behaving this way as well. THAT’S what Country 1st means.
MAGA drank the koolaid and impeachment is only for “the other”…they are above the law and serve to destroy the lawfulness of our country.
I am most upset by Tom Tillis and Dr Cassidy. They both know the dangers of Rfk and still went forward. Measles outbreak in Texas, TB resurgence and bird flu crossing over to humans. Is this a country of only the strong survive ? Grow a spine people and do what's right.
Tillis is up for reelection in 2026. Musk threatens to fund primary challengers to anyone who votes against Trump’s nominees
This is no excuse for doing what's right. I will do everything I can to get Tillis out of office. I live in NC and when the voters find out that Trump/Elon want to get rid of FEMA they will change their vote
At the rate things are going, there may not be a Congress to get elected to by 2026. Not sure if that will make a difference because they are so ineffectual.
Musk has to be the worst person in the world, right now. Forcing his way on politicians, to get them to obey, is simple blackmail. Can Musk please be sued for this as well?
Maybe the public will come to see Muck as a loose goose tormenting Uncle Sam and consider it an honor to vote against his stooges. He seems to savor Mucking up every guard rail the founders promulgated.
That is the definition of "buying an election" So when do these people get indicted for illegal election interference?
"Cassidy, to his credit, was one of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. That took guts."
Guts? No, that took having a normal conscious.
...that he somehow misplaced before voting for RFK Jr. That vote should have been FAR easier than voting to convict the future felon.
I wish I could do more for the author of this document, a hero.
If you think of something appropriate, please let us know!
Keep sharing Country1st with your many friends, acquaintances and family members. I'm noticing that some of the people I speak with perk up when I mention Adam and his initiatives!
Thanks Adam. This is an historic time. When an untrustworthy Liar like Tulsi can be confirmed for a high position of trust, the nation is in big trouble. How in the world can she manage "intelligence" agencies?
Yes, Donald owns the votes of the GOP House and Senate. But Elon owns Donald. Watching Elon's press conference yesterday it was obvious that Elon has Donny's balls. And he can squeeze any time he wants.
Oligarchy is here and now. The Iron Heel is next.
Interesting- I never heard of The Iron Heel and surprised to see that Jack London wrote this! I love London and used to to a unit on his short stories with my students. Interesting that it depicts future America as an oligarchy tyranny. Well, the future is here. I read it was the inspiration for Orwell's 1984.
Burke, thank you for impelling me to google "Iron Heel". Too appropriate for comfort.
Too late. Tulsi Gabbard has been approved. RFK Jr will be approved later this week. Everyone knows they are unfit and unqualified. The GOP is completely lost.
Putin must be unable to wipe the smirk off his face - now he's got another puppet in place to destroy his nemesis and all guardrails are off .... you gotta hand it to good ol' Vlad - all his efforts to influence the 2016 election have paid off in spades.
so frustrating!!! everyday another disaster!
Courage is not the right word.
Republicans are way past the "are we the bad guys" moment.
They all know what is wrong and what is right yet here we are having this moral dilemma over doing the OBVIOUS and the RIGHT thing because these folks are just in it for themselves. The bare minimum is doing the obvious and the right thing and it doesn't take courage to do the bare minimum.
They are addicted to power. Everyone can see it and everyone should be telling that straight to their faces and not let them talk about how they're doing everything for their constituents or America cause they care about neither of those things.
I can say that about most politicians but these MAGA Republicans have done more to destroy this country than any politicians that I can remember.
I get it from mine in Idaho. Orange man won like 82-15% in the counties around me, except one. Their constituents are mostly deep in maga. But, for Risch to put in writing to me he will vote for everything Don the Con wants - that’s really not using your brain for the salary, nor is it working for your state and country. It’s fealty to a person.
Megan, R.... has been a piece of sh-- for years! And Adam has it exactly right - democracies die through slow erosion, and we can't let that happen. R Senate really a bunch of gutless wonders. I'm close to posting (next day or two) a free substack post on bobswandby@substack.com explaining how Trump's econ policies will crash the good economy handed to him by Biden. Most people find economics dismal, so I will have short summaries of each section. Economics, financial markets and geopolitics is my bag, so stay tuned. And greeting from Boise!
Bob, I was born and raised in Boise. I left before Fox and News Max poisoned my relatives minds. I'm so sad that I can't have a logical conversation with them.
Keep up the good work! I still love the city of Boise!❤
Sorry to hear about your relatives; it is very sad that one can't dialogue with MAGA. They are truly brainwashed and would follow the Orange over a cliff or out to sea without a life boat. Thankfully, there are many of us in Boise actively working, but it's a tough swim!
Mine are all based in Ohio!
Megan, maybe you or Adam could invite former Senator Brown of Ohio to join Country1st. He strikes me as a man of and for the people.
P.S. If Megan is no longer living in Ohio, maybe other buckeyes would reach out to Sherrod Brown.
Yep, I got a reply from John Cornyn saying he is doing his duty to vet candidates' "experience, qualifications, and alignment with Trump's agenda." B.S. - experience and qualification are no longer required and these people are not doing the jobs we elected them to do.
Also from Idaho, my grandparents would be spinning in their graves to know what has become of their beloved Republican party. And it's likely that I got the same letter you did, which in effect said that because of the "mandate" Trump was given by the electorate that Risch will not be bothered with issues of conscience enough to examine the facts of the matter. Probably Crapo is of the same mindset but hasn't troubled himself to reply. It appears they have no honor nor decency left, such a disappointment.
Yep - same letter! I was going to send back a Bible verse and insinuate he’s treating 🍊 like a false god, trying to appeal to him to self analyze. I haven’t yet.
Adam, you are our Alexei Navalny. Saw Sarah and JVL on the Bulwark this morning. Sarah argued against JVL's resigned cynicism. C'mon, we need to fight! Keep telling the truth. We need your leadership and Sarah's optimism and determination!
I wonder if we could invite Alexei Navalny's brave wife to participate in Country1st. She is an extraordinary soul.
She is probably horrified to see us slipping into authoritarianism. But she picked up her hubs' mantle and probably has her hands full. Adam, you should interview her!
If you haven't read Alexei Navalny, Patriot, A Memoir, I highly recommend it. The parallels of how Russia operates today and how Trump and his crowd are trying the same here are amazing. WE HAVE TO STOP THIS NOW! I would bet she would be willing to be interviewed and/or join! She is a freedom fighter for sure!
Thank you Adam. You said it like it is. You are a true patriot. The senate is filled with gutless wonders. I read your book and at the time had comments but couldn’t contact you. You were in my district in IL and I always voted for you. There is now a gutless wonder in your place. God help us
Thank you, Adam for being a man of courage and integrity! You could have lived a normal life after Congress but you continued to fight this evil destroying our long-fought-for democracy by speaking out, Country First and this Substack. Thank you! We are eternally grateful!