Fighting Back

 

The moves go on, the blitzkreig isn't over, but the counter-moves have begun.  There are now court cases too numerous to track in process, and the ones that have been decided have almost all gone against the Chaos administration.  Three went against them in just 90 minutes on Tuesday.  The independent watchdog agency Office of Special Counsel found that the firing of the government employees of several agencies who sued were illegal. 

Musk has been slowed if not stymied by resistance within the administration as well, and has quietly rehired key personnel, and corrected erroneous cuts he was bragging about last week.  At least 21 technology staffers of the agency Musk took over have resigned over dangerous intrusions they were told to make into sensitive information on government computers, as well as in protest of the Chaos efforts to "dismantle critical public services."  It's not for nothing that columnist Eugene Robinson calls him "the Lord High Executioner" of the Chaos kingdom.

Republican members of Congress in multiple states faced hostile crowds at town hall meetings, and a group of conservative Republicans is on record opposing the Muskovite massacres and other Chaos acts that attempt to lay waste to the Constitution.

Voices are finally being raised, including eloquent ones, from Kamala Harris at the NAACP awards to Jane Fonda at the SAG awards. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is gaining attention for his direct words about each Chaos outrage.  And so far, western Europe is standing up to Chaos and his shameful and cynical show of betraying Ukraine.

And people are active again: fired government workers besieging congressional offices, citizens demonstrating at court houses, federal buildings--and Tesla dealerships. Their pointed signs (as shown here in excellent photos on Lost Coast Outpost of a Eureka, CA demo) simply show that the essence of what's going on is not being missed.

The Chaos poll numbers are down and approval for their actions and policies way way way down.  Prices are going up, especially groceries, especially eggs (so cutting government monitoring of Bird Flu probably not a good idea, though there's evidence also that the egg industry (surprise! surprise!) is using it as an excuse to jack up prices), and everyone--economists, public polls--expect inflation to go up. 

The Chaos admin may have counted on a greater time lag between their actions and the reactions and consequences but  they are already starting to happen.  Of course Chaos will make countermoves as well as splashy diversionary ones, and there's much more conflict to come.  But that people are being emboldened and especially galvanized into resistance communities are good signs, and one that until recently looked like they might not appear.

One of the court cases just beginning is aimed to show that the whole anti-DEI campaign is illegal as well as immoral and racist.  But that insidious effort continues well beyond the Chaos government.  Possibly in an institution where it would be least expected: none other than MSNBC.

  In putative economy and on-air redesigning, the new MSNBC chief has managed a Muskovite massacre of staff and several longtime on-air hosts, with the hosts axed and many of the staff members being people of color.  This has not escaped the notice of Rachel Maddow, who condemned it on her show.  "It is indefensible," she said, "and I do not defend it."

When they took these actions--especially the axing of Joy Reid, one of the most interesting faces and voices on television, but also the demotion of Alex Wagner, another super smart and dynamic TV presence--they must have known that Rachel would be very unhappy, and decided they could do without the most-watched face of their network.  So savor the Rachel show because I have a feeling it's not going to be on MSNBC much longer--by her choice.