​Betrayal Most Foul, Feckless, And Stupid

Throughout the years we've been writing these DSOT emails we've repeatedly, and strenuously, made the claim that our leaders are simply not up to the current moment, unable to pass the tests of leadership faced by modern-day governments. This past weekend provided perhaps the single clearest example of Democratic “leaders” failing that test, when Chuck Schumer the supposed minority leader of the Democrats betrayed both his colleagues in the House, and his Democratic constituents across the country by “Leading” 10 Senators to support the hostile, authoritarian takeover by Trump, Elon and the Republicans. He should, of course, resign.

Schumer claimed that standing up to Republicans and their radical, partisan “CR” was actually exactly what Trump and Elon Musk wanted, citing the potential for even more Lawless and unaccountable damage than what is already being perpetrated. Somehow Schumer felt that even with all three branches of government under Republican control that the Democratic party would own a shutdown and instead decided to give up perhaps the only remaining piece of political leveragethe Democrats had.A move that Trump immediately applauded!

On these pages we've made it clear that this is not a strategy we agree with. Playing politics from a position of fear has simply allowed the Republicans to take hostage after hostage of the American people while they wreak ever-increasing amounts of damage at the behest of their wealthy donors. The old Democratic party leadership in their weakness have become collaborators with this authoritarian push.

After campaigning in 2024 claiming their opposition were in fact authoritarian threats to democracy, and upon losing, having every one of those fears more-than-come-to-pass, only Bernie Sanders and AOC seem to be all in on fighting an authoritarian oligarchy, while Democratic “leaders” in the House and Senate are censuring resistance and putting their names behind codifying and normalizing these threats.

Musk and Trump have made no secret of the fact that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veteran benefits, the first amendment, habeus corpus and other civil rights are all under attack, and as Bernie and AOC are showing, this profoundly dangerous agenda is deeply unpopular agenda. Somehow the Democrats have managed to muddle the story giving their own political cachet on the side of Trump’s agenda.

Regardless of whose strategic gamesmanship was more accurate, the politics have been terrible for Schumer the Democratic party. Party voters have immediately made it clear they do not trust the Democratic Party and that they do not want Democratic party members to be working with the Republicans. In fact, recent polling shows Democratic voters want to shut down the government over working with Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

Our leaders have failed us time and time again, and there is no one coming to save us. We must apply the pressure ourselves to get the change we need. It can start with Chuck Schumer resigning. This will take lobbying and protesting to provide vocal counter-pressure for our politicians. It will take creating solidarity Networks for Mutual Aid and rapid response to those being harmed by the Trump Administration, and it will require economic and political solidarity to build power on both fronts, to challenge the donor class and to build a cross-sectoral, growing coalition. Together we can amass the power to take back our government when all those we’ve elected as leaders have failed us. So, join us, each Tuesday, in growing solidarity as we fight the oligarchy!

#DSOT