Betting on the Backlash
The NKC Occasional Update for February 7, 2025 - News, Views and To-Dos for Democrats
What Art Friedson Has On His Mind
(Image thanks to Alex Cole @realalexcole.bsky.social)
What a time we are living in! I’m sure you share my deeply held desire to stay in bed with the covers pulled over my head instead of reading more about the disasters befalling our beloved country every single day, yet here you are. Thanks for your vote of confidence by reading and subscribing. As one way of saying thanks, every link in today’s issue is available to you without a paywall. Click away!
I was going to start by listing all of the terrible moves the Musk Administration and their lackey, Donald Trump, were doing to undermine the success of the American enterprise, but you are painfully aware of all of it. (But if you’re a glutton for punishment, read this summary from Zachary Basu at Axios, and this clarion call from Heather Cox Richardson.) What people are not yet talking about is what these actions will do to the lives of ordinary Americans. Let’s get that conversation going today.
We can start at the top with Trump’s cabinet appointments. Forget, for a moment, just how evil most of them are or how antithetical their views are to the proud legacy of the United States of America that they are inheriting. Most of them are just overwhelmingly incompetent.
It’s become very fashionable to trash the federal government, but what do these huge agencies that Trumpsk is going after have in common? They keep you, me, and all Americans safe.
Start with the most obvious, the Department of Defense. It exists to project unimaginable might into the world to protect us from very real, very bad actors who very much wish to do us harm. What happens when you put a lascivious lush covered in white nationalist tattoos with not a hint of management experience in charge? At best, our friends at Hacks on Tap suggest that the generals and admirals we rely on to keep us safe will shlep this drunk from base to base around the world to keep him from actually doing anything. At worst, he may indeed do something, and whatever it is will likely hurt our ability to thwart our foes.
How about the intelligence services? Here’s the thing about the CIA and the FBI: for every one of their accomplishments that you know about, there are hundreds that you don’t. Terrorist bombings that don’t happen. Children who are not preyed upon by pedophiles (real ones, not fabricated nonsense about pizza parlors). Businesses that don’t get extorted for protection money. Drugs that don’t enter the country. Computer viruses that don’t infect and disrupt critical systems.
That’s what these folks do for a living. So when you put criminally incompetent people above them or when you dramatically reduce their ranks through vindictive witch hunts or severance offers, you are almost guaranteeing that some of those terrible things they have been preventing will, God forbid, now come to pass.
The same is true for foreign aid. Trump’s cuts are killing people right this very moment by denying them access to lifesaving drugs and treatments. Many more will die in the days ahead, and as we well know from Covid, when you don’t stamp out disease in one place, it finds a way to make it to our shores.
The EPA keeps the air we breathe and the water we drink safe. The USDA keeps our food safe. The FDA and NIH keep our drugs safe and fund research to fight the diseases that plague us. Many bad things we haven’t had to think about because dedicated public servants were doing their jobs are now infinitely more likely to happen.
Then there’s the economy. Many of Trump’s voters were willing to put up with almost anything because they believed he’d make things better for them economically. Well, kids, you’re in for a shock.
If we’re lucky, Trump’s tariffs are just theater. But the non-partisan Tax Foundation looked at his proposed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and his 10% tariffs on China and found that in 2025 alone, they would cause the loss of 330,000 American jobs, reduce GDP by 0.4%, and impose what is essentially an additional tax of $800 per U.S. household in the form of higher prices on goods families need. We will see slower growth, higher interest rates, more inflation, a return of supply-chain snafus, and an additional tax burden. At the same time, you can forget any protection of workers’ rights or safety from the NLRB and OSHA.
Just the threat of these tariffs is probably enough to cause companies to stop the flood of capital investment that was driven by Biden-era incentives. All those nice new factories in red states? Fuggedaboudit. No wonder the bastion of American big business, the Wall Street Journal, called it "the dumbest trade war in history."
Strengthening and emboldening China, Russia, ISIS and other terrorist organizations. Releasing the most violent January 6th insurrectionists to rebuild and invigorate their militias. Dismantling crime fighting and intelligence operations. Replacing competent leadership committed to the Constitution of the United States of America with a moronocracy. Striving to return America to the days when only rich white guys could get ahead. And all the while, building new portals like his meme coins to solicit and encourage bribes, both foreign and domestic. That’s our boy Donny living his dream.
So, Dems, here’s our challenge. We need to stop or minimize the damage as best we can while we are in the minority, then use some political jujitsu to turn all of Trump’s “accomplishments” against him in upcoming elections. Here are five steps we can take to rescue our country and restore the Constitution:
1. Get the DNC humming. The election of Ken Martin, head of the Minnesota Democratic-Farm-Labor Party, as the new Chair of the Democratic National Committee, is a huge first step. Dontcha just love the DFL name? Remember the days when farmers and labor were solidly in the Dems’ corner? We need them both back, and given that they are two of the groups at risk of losing the most under Trump, Ken Martin can help. (You can read about the entire new leadership team at the DNC here.)
Their first order of business should be to find the messaging that works. Trump and his Band of Bros are making you poorer and less safe. They are trampling on the Constitution and seizing power in unprecedented and unthinkable ways, both short-term and long-term. Remember Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: every action has an equal and opposite reaction? We need to create a sense of buyers’ remorse in the electorate that is just as strong, just as outrageous, just as dizzying as Trump’s assault on our beloved institutions. Somewhere within this word cloud lies a simple, short message that is easily remembered and resonates with voters. Finding it is art, but it’s also science. This is do-able, and it needs to be done right away. Then all Dems need to get on message and stay on message.
2. Gum up the works #1: Do everything and anything we can do to put on the brakes in Congress. Yes, we’re the minority, but the Republicans did a hell of a job stifling our best efforts when we held the majority. Enough of “we’re the good guys who will try to cooperate wherever we can.” We tried that and failed. Fight, fight, fight with every procedural motion and parliamentary trick in the book.
3. Gum up the works #2: Sue the bastard! Thanks to Joe Biden and Dick Durbin, we have 235 new sane, law-loving federal judges. Let’s all head to Injunction Junction and flood the courts with arguments that even this shameful Supreme Court can’t un-do.
4. Don’t mourn, organize! Let’s keep Joe Hill’s words in our heads and hearts. One thing the Koch brothers and other precursors to MAGA did way earlier and more effectively than we did was to recognize the value of down-ballot races. We need to compete everywhere and at every level. At the same time, nothing is more achievable or more important than restoring the Democratic majority to the House next year. Yes, campaign season 2026 opens in eight months. Before it kicks off in earnest, we need to have recruited the best candidates and lavished them with huge war chests, effective messaging, and strong grassroots infrastructure.
5. Stay in the game. I know how hard it is to watch the news. I fully understand and completely relate to the urge to load up on your personal preference of intoxicant and watch the most inane content available to the streaming public. [Full disclosure: Nancy and I set a new personal low by watching the entire length of You’re Cordially Invited, perhaps the dumbest movie made in the last ten years.] But, c’mon, our country needs us. Get up, get busy, get active, get strong and RESIST! Stick together, brothers and sisters. We can fight this and we can ultimately win. Go Team Blue!
We’ll be back in two weeks, reporting from vacation because none of us can afford to take a vacation from this fight. In response to your outpouring of support, we’ll be less Occasional and more predictable. Special thanks to our paid subscribers – what a fabulous tribute to our work! We’ll roll out our first special opportunity for paid subscribers in March.
Check It Out with Nancy Kohn
Defying Gravity. Our granddaughters love Wicked and know all the words to the song Defying Gravity. In keeping with Art’s mention of Sir Isaac Newton, I was taken with a piece written by Eliot A. Cohen in The Atlantic, Trump Can’t Escape the Laws of Gravity. He reminds us that, “Gravity still works—if somewhat unreliably. Politicians who overinterpret narrow wins in a divided country get pulled back to Earth, usually by the midterms.” He notes that inebriation -in this case, with power- leads to awful hangovers. He gives several examples from biology and sociology about how the pack turns on aging leaders. And he concludes with this pearl of wisdom (from his lips to God’s ears):
“It’s a bad time in American politics, to be sure. But we need to remember that natural laws still apply, and things could get better if even just one piece of fantasy biology were to hold true: a large class of political invertebrates were to grow spines.”
Sosnick speaks. Former Clinton senior advisor Doug Sosnick is one of the most thoughtful observers of presidential politics. His most recent essay in the NYTimes is titled, Trump is Already Failing. That’s the Key to a Big Democratic Rebound. As the nation is bombarded by Trump’s circus, Democrats should be stressing their ability to actually govern. They need to establish themselves as the party of change because with each passing day of the Trump Administration, the voters’ longing for change is going to grow.
Sosnick also stresses the need to demonstrate a unified front to voters. This is not the time for intra-party squabbles. It occurs to me that Trump may have solved one of the most divisive issues within the Democratic Party: We can now all come together and agree that the best solution for Gaza is not to dispossess 1.8 million Palestinians of their land so Trump can build Gaz-A-Lago for his own personal gain.
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words. I love the way Bruce Mehlman can reduce a huge complicated problem into a visually appealing chart that makes it all clear in one glance. Take a look at this chart from his Substack page. It shows all of the forces that led to the clear American victory in the Cold War. Left unsaid, but painfully obvious, is that the Trump Administration is heading in the opposite direction in each of these seven dimensions. America needs a change…fast!
Think Globally, Eat Locally. The Banchet Awards — Chicago’s top local prize for restaurants and chefs, were awarded recently. We were particularly delighted to see an almost weekly staple in our household dinner rotation make the list: Spacca Napoli in Ravenswood won a spontaneous floor vote for Best Pizza in Chicago. This is neither Chicago bar-style nor deep-dish pizza; this is the real deal in Neapolitan pizza, just as it is served in Italy.
We were also pleased to see Rose Mary nominated for Best Restaurant; and Art, who is a lover of bistro food, was particularly delighted that Bucktown’s Le Bouchon won for Best Neighborhood Restaurant.
Just for Fun. Lorne Michaels is said to hate when it happens, but to me, some of the funniest moments on Saturday Night Live come when the performers break character, which is to say, they burst out laughing in the middle of a sketch. Enjoy this free guest link to a great NYTimes interactive article, Losing It on Live TV.
What I’m reading and watching.
I just finished Betsy Lerner’s novel Shred Sisters. Younger sister Amy is the family narrator, taking us from the 1970s through the 1990s as she shares what it is like to have an older sister who struggles with mental illness and the chaotic impact on their family. The author is a literary agent and knows plots, pacing, and all of the other skills necessary to write a great family drama.
Do you have a TBR (to-be-read) list? Right now, mine has two books: Miranda July’s Four Corners and Jill Wine-Banks’ The Watergate Girl. I can’t wait to dig in!
With everything happening in the world, TV shows are my favorite way to unwind. Art and I just finished watching The Agency, a behind-the-scenes CIA series. Now, we’re diving into season 2 of The Night Agent. When I'm by myself, I’ve been binging High Potential, Elsbeth, and Matlock. Do you have any recommendations for me?
On The Calendar
Commissioner Donna Miller: A special event in support of Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller will be held on Wednesday, February 26th, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Maggiano’s in River North. RSVP here, or contact Connor@blueravencampaigns.com for more information.
IDCCA Party Builder Awards: The Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association will hold its annual Party Builders Awards celebration on Monday, February 24th, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council in downtown Chicago. They have an outstanding group of honorees, including Ben Head, Operation Swing State's founder, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Joe Power, founding partner at Power Rogers, and State Senator Ram Villivalam. RSVP here.
Eileen O’Neill Burke Event: You may have read about Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke in this great feature article in Chicago Magazine. Friends and allies will be gathering at her inaugural Spring Forward Social on Tuesday, March 4th, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at The Gage. Click here for more information and to RSVP.
Women in Power: House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch and Excellence in Bleu Presents Women in Power, a Women’s History Month celebration honoring women leaders and history makers in Illinois. Special Honoree is Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, and Honorees include Justice Eileen O'Neill Burke, Justice Joy Cunningham, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, State Representative Kelly Cassidy, America Scores Executive Director Kimberly Townsend, WNBA Chicago Sky Co-Owner Nadia Rawlinson, Alderwoman Pat Dowell and Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza. The event will be held on Friday, March 14th, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the RPM event space in River North. Click here for more information and to RSVP.
Save The Date - Jan Schakowsky’s Annual Power Lunch Be sure to check this space for updates! The lunch will take place in May, and we hope you will sit at one of Nancy’s tables!
May her memory be a blessing
Dorothy Collin, renowned political reporter for the Chicago Tribune, passed away on January 22, 2025, at the age of 85. Her former colleague, James O’Shea, wrote a lovely and loving obituary that noted how she was a trailblazer in what was a male-dominated profession who wrote about politics, politicians, and the lives of people they affected. The Inc. column was a must-read for all of us politicos. Nancy loved it when she got a shout-out from Dorothy in the column.
Jobs and Internships
NEW! Brandon's Internships Bulletin is now Brandon’s Hillternship Hub. The new site links to four tables which contain the internship pages for every Democratic House office, House committee website, Senate office, and Senate committee. In addition, it includes info on whether the internship application is open, the application deadline, and key details on the position (dates, pay, time commitment, etc.). He also publishes a weekly email with all the newest listings for internships in progressive politics, non-profits, and foreign policy/international affairs. Subscribe at brandonsbulletin.substack.com.
NEW! Woods Fund Chicago, a Chicago-based grantmaking foundation that promotes social, economic, and racial justice through the support of community organizing and public policy advocacy seeks an Administrative Manager. The Administrative Manager initiates annual projects pertaining to the efficient management of the grantmaking process, assisting the Woods Fund staff in all aspects of the foundation's grantmaking program and general office management. Learn more here.
NEW! Food for Climate League is a trailblazing, women-led 501(c)3 working to make climate-smart food choices the norm. FCL inspires and enables both systemic and individual changes in how people eat, serve, and think about sustainable foods. They are seeking a part-time Development Associate to assist their Executive Director in crafting and executing the fundraising strategy for our growing organization. Get more information and instructions to apply here.
The Red Tent Fund stands firm in its commitment to provide a safe, stigma-free space for anyone seeking abortion support. Guided by Jewish values and teachings that affirm the right to abortion, they provide affordable access to healthcare, even as barriers are raised throughout the United States. They are seeking an independent contractor to serve remotely as Donor Engagement Manager. Get more information and instructions to apply here.
The Ark is a vibrant hub of vital human services, empowered by Jewish values, that lifts and strengthens the Jewish community. They are currently recruiting for several positions including a Chief Program Officer and a Director of Culture, Talent and Engagement. See all of their open positions here, then click on the job that interests you.
Impact for Equity, formerly known as BPI, is a public interest law and policy center that has been at the front lines of the fight for social justice in the Chicago region for over fifty years. They are seeking a dynamic and experienced attorney to serve as Staff Counsel, Criminal Legal System Program to help advance an ambitious agenda to decrease the footprint of the criminal legal system in Illinois and mitigate the harms experienced by those who encounter it. They are also hiring a Senior Communications Manager. Click here for more information and to apply.
For more than 115 years, Ferrara has created sugar confections that enable moments of sweetness, celebration, and connection for candy lovers of all generations. They are seeking a Manager, Public Affairs and Community Relations, to help build and scale Ferrara’s ongoing work with communities, local government officials and other policymakers and stakeholders. What a great place for candy lovers to work! Click here for more information and to apply.
Thanks for reading and welcome to our new subscribers. Special thanks to the great folks who have demonstrated their support by becoming paid subscribers; you’re an exceptional bunch. We’re working on some special programming for paid subscribers in March. Stay tuned.
Who are we? For nearly 20 years, we have been publishing the NKC Occasional Update. Nancy is a seasoned political consultant in Chicago, while Art is a dedicated political enthusiast. We enjoy hearing from our readers, so feel free to post directly on this article or send us an email. Thank you for your support!
Nancy Kohn nkohn@kohnconsulting.com Art Friedson art.friedson@gmail.com