Thank you for organizing this in such an accessible way. This is exactly how I think and it is so much easier for me to understand and collate these actions into group now that I see your chart and diagram. One thing that might help is a red number by item in the VD… maybe by month and day date … so 120 a EO by type… would be cluttered but could be revealed in a click… this needs to go to Hakeem Jeffries so he can have it entered into the Congressional record each day it updates… Sen Amy Klobuchar may also have cred but definitely Chris Murphy in the Senate… Fax it and send a big paper print out that they can use on the floor during debate… I would if I had access to a printer! Put your energy into convincing your governments to de link from Starlink and X MONTHS before your election. Cos fake persona teams really ramped up in the summer before… thousands of fake AI characters posting on X and now in this month it’s particularly obvious on FB as well. The ElisaAI and Grok code for this was posted on GitHub in several forums
“what these actions mean in practice, where they lead, and what can be done to resist them. If there’s interest, I could write further posts exploring some of these aspects. Let me know.” Yes please!!! This is the part we need to hear as well. What do we do??
Brilliant. Unfortunately, most Americans who need to know about these Actions and Consequences aren't aware of it, and it is hard to break through to them. I've suggested a couple ways we might present this in a more digestible way that could get the attention of more people.
1) Someone mentioned Joyce Vance's Democracy Index that I believe she is starting to flesh out today. She wants to make concrete all the ways our Democracy is being challenged. I suggested to her that one way to do this is similar to the Doomsday Clock. Keep a running measure of the health of our democracy -- perhaps on a scale from 1 to 10. I suggested that she identify several key features of a healthy democracy, or the loss of one, and track those over time. Your set of 5 categories (i.e., undermining democratic institutions...) could serve as a perfect set of those features. Then, periodically, each of those features are reviewed and given a score from 1-10. Those five scores would be averaged to reach a single Democracy Index. A group of experts in each of the five areas would periodically give a score for their area, and those scores would be averaged.
The Index would present much the same information as you present here, but imagine how much more likely it would be talked about if there were a *single score* for the health of our democracy? It would make the news much more often because they like such sexy, easy to digest things. People would talk about it. I think.
2) I've also suggested that some group create a simple website that lists the Actions, Consequences, and Likely Consequences (because they may not appear for years) of the Trump administration's most significant actions. The home page would list these in three columns in language simple enough for most readers. After each Action, a link would be provided that says "See Details." After each Consequence or Likely Consequence there would be a link to "See Evidence." But the home page would be kept as simple as possible so that people are willing to peruse. As you know, most people only read the headlines of most articles.
Such a resource would be easy to find and navigate, and would be an easy resource for journalists and others to reference. Tell the people as simply as we can what are the Actions and their Consequences.
Please provide a way/google doc page for all of us to share particular actions that we are either involved in or know of. This is about ALL of us. You've given us a worthy frame for defending our democracy. I believe that we are not faint-hearted people. Look at those who have been on the ramparts these almost 250 years, at least the ones who believe in all beings being a manifestation of the glory of our universe.
Yes, PLEASE keep the table of actions with linked articles going!! It's so important to see this all in one place over time as democracy crumbles.
What incredibly helpful work; thank you so much.
That you! This is very useful!
Really great design and detail, thanks. I’m planning on studying this carefully.
Thank you, Christina
Democrats roadmap.
Professor Pagel, for many decades from now university student will have the more exhaustive base model to get their doctorate.
Wow! You know, if I was younger I would start right now to submit my candidacy to work on that!
Thank you for the most complete but concise analysis you’ve made to understand everything!
Thank you for organizing this in such an accessible way. This is exactly how I think and it is so much easier for me to understand and collate these actions into group now that I see your chart and diagram. One thing that might help is a red number by item in the VD… maybe by month and day date … so 120 a EO by type… would be cluttered but could be revealed in a click… this needs to go to Hakeem Jeffries so he can have it entered into the Congressional record each day it updates… Sen Amy Klobuchar may also have cred but definitely Chris Murphy in the Senate… Fax it and send a big paper print out that they can use on the floor during debate… I would if I had access to a printer! Put your energy into convincing your governments to de link from Starlink and X MONTHS before your election. Cos fake persona teams really ramped up in the summer before… thousands of fake AI characters posting on X and now in this month it’s particularly obvious on FB as well. The ElisaAI and Grok code for this was posted on GitHub in several forums
there is a lot more that could be done but I am also doing this in my spare time on top of a demanding full time job so...
A full time job doing this? Is there anything we can do to support your quest? This is essential! Thank you
Thank you for this comprehensive review. Now we add taking over the Kennedy Center to control the arts - a classic authoritarian move.
“what these actions mean in practice, where they lead, and what can be done to resist them. If there’s interest, I could write further posts exploring some of these aspects. Let me know.” Yes please!!! This is the part we need to hear as well. What do we do??
Brilliant. Unfortunately, most Americans who need to know about these Actions and Consequences aren't aware of it, and it is hard to break through to them. I've suggested a couple ways we might present this in a more digestible way that could get the attention of more people.
1) Someone mentioned Joyce Vance's Democracy Index that I believe she is starting to flesh out today. She wants to make concrete all the ways our Democracy is being challenged. I suggested to her that one way to do this is similar to the Doomsday Clock. Keep a running measure of the health of our democracy -- perhaps on a scale from 1 to 10. I suggested that she identify several key features of a healthy democracy, or the loss of one, and track those over time. Your set of 5 categories (i.e., undermining democratic institutions...) could serve as a perfect set of those features. Then, periodically, each of those features are reviewed and given a score from 1-10. Those five scores would be averaged to reach a single Democracy Index. A group of experts in each of the five areas would periodically give a score for their area, and those scores would be averaged.
The Index would present much the same information as you present here, but imagine how much more likely it would be talked about if there were a *single score* for the health of our democracy? It would make the news much more often because they like such sexy, easy to digest things. People would talk about it. I think.
2) I've also suggested that some group create a simple website that lists the Actions, Consequences, and Likely Consequences (because they may not appear for years) of the Trump administration's most significant actions. The home page would list these in three columns in language simple enough for most readers. After each Action, a link would be provided that says "See Details." After each Consequence or Likely Consequence there would be a link to "See Evidence." But the home page would be kept as simple as possible so that people are willing to peruse. As you know, most people only read the headlines of most articles.
Such a resource would be easy to find and navigate, and would be an easy resource for journalists and others to reference. Tell the people as simply as we can what are the Actions and their Consequences.
Your thoughts?
Dear Professor Pagel,
Please provide a way/google doc page for all of us to share particular actions that we are either involved in or know of. This is about ALL of us. You've given us a worthy frame for defending our democracy. I believe that we are not faint-hearted people. Look at those who have been on the ramparts these almost 250 years, at least the ones who believe in all beings being a manifestation of the glory of our universe.
You mean actions of resistance? I could do that! but it would need be person by person permission otherwise someone will trash it...
I'm planning a new post on that soon so I can do a spreadsheet then
Please continue this work. Thank you for laying out the details in such an easily accessible way.
Good work Christina. You may wish to check out Joyce Vance on Substack. Joyce has set up a Democracy Tracker.
Make your voice heard!!! Use www.5calls.org to contact your reps daily
What a superbly detailed and highly useful piece. Many thanks for all the work it must have taken to piece it together.