I am continually amazed that the colonists, who fled an authoritarian life of subserviance in England, yet soon established a class system in the Colonies. Rich New Englanders like Adams had no intention of sharing power with the ignorant rabble calling for democracy.
I only repeating the cynical view here, which I do not know enough to defend = I understood that turmoil in Britain (religious divides, civil war) and land inheritance practices among the landowning elite, led to relatively wealthy people emigrating to America intent on becoming wealthy, who were open to using slavery to achieve this. They had a relative advantage in the "new world", and were motivated by avarice or religious fundamentalism, with freedom being the gloss put on a revolution against the British King's taxes.
Love this from Annie Karni's NYT article concerning Speaker Johnson and his wife:
"Neither could name a single thing that they disagree about. They even agreed that men’s brains are like waffles — good at compartmentalizing — and women’s brains are like a mess of spaghetti and meatballs."
Calling Dr. Freud!
And speaking of mental health the interviewer Steven Miller's wife---she is into these puff-pieces now for her podcast, but I have read she is just like him.
TRump is batshit crazy, probably not a medical term. The list of his "infirmities" has become ridiculous and very very long.
While we innocently listed what we are grateful for yesterday, he added to HIS list many millions more he is going to throw out of OUR country.
I'd be asking him "you and what army" but already know the answer. WE have to be the army that fights back with information, just like the six brave Congressional members that just spoke out.
Do everything Thom talked about. Get the point across that TRump is wrecking our economy, our White House, and our relationships with our allies. He is stealing, grifting, and extorting every person he can, while killing and displacing the innocent.
TRump is a psychopath surrounded by psychos. This is what corruption and fascism looks like. STAY LOUD! See you in the streets.
Trump blames Biden and the Democrats for all of his failings. Trump took a strong economy and strong international respect for America and used tariffs and racism to tear it all down. Polls indicate that the MAGAs still do not grasp that they have themselves to blame for the causes of their grievances. They continue to swallow lie after presidential lie as if it is nectar of the gods. MAGAs still ignore that leadership competency in the current failing government is Trumped by sycophancy. But that gross incompetence will, over time, likely undermine fascist rule.
When you interview them up close and personal, 90% of them personally lose "bigly" under his policies. You are the psychologist, but IMHO any support he has is baked in, ala Jungian racial collective subconscience.
Jungian collective unconscious is a notion that well precedes what we now know about genomics. I think it is more just an apprehensive fear-and-flight survival reaction that all animals experience when they confront other species that look different from them. Growing up in Whiteflighburbia west of Chicago, everybody was white - even Mexicans could not work in our town. When I announced that I was going to be going to HS in Downtown Chgo, my pals chorused, "Don't let the nig--s getcha!" while laughing. None of us had ever even met a person of color in our 13 years.
Only half of Americans even have a passport. Betcha few of them are MAGA voters. Most Americans use their passports for once-in-a-lifetime travel overseas in tour bubbles while they visit sights they saw in the movies like Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower. So sure, MAGAs are apprehensive when their President warns them about foreign immigrants of color who are taking their jobs and feasting on their pets.
Just to clarify (since I did not know how to distinguish it from "genome"):
"Genomics is the study of an organism's complete set of DNA, called the genome, which includes all of its genes and their functions. It differs from genetics by focusing on the collective study of all genes and their interactions, rather than individual genes. The field of genomics has broad applications, including understanding disease, developing personalized medicine, and improving agriculture." (AI-generated).
I guess my reference was confusing. Sorry. Genomics has implications for mental health as well as physical. It was an enriching coincidence to be an official at NIH while Francis Collins, who led the Human Genome Mapping project, was our director.
We are just starting to understand how the genome affects things like sexual orientation and gender identity. In fact, I had an early small study addressing sexual orientation in my portfolio of post-doc studies. Needless to say, Trump is discouraging federal grants for such research. In the context of our interaction, I envision research eventually examining things like reactions to different races, genders, etc. common to all animals.
Last week I watched the Ken Burns PBS documentary The American Revolution. I hope everyone has. Things were not quite like I was taught in school. Many admired people then were as mired in financial doo-doo as they are today. And things were way more deadly - for everyone - British, French, German, Spanish, native tribes, southern vs northern states, rich vs non rich people. Burns describes a blood bath in several places.
Yesterday's chilling and horrid remarks from Trump about the shooting and his plans for deportations led me to write "Half the country has a moral compass and thinks that Trump is the worst president in history. Half have no moral compass and think he is the greatest." Here> https://halbrown.substack.com/p/half-the-country-has-a-moral-compass
I think your numbers are WAY off. I don't necessarily believe in polls. I get this from AI.
-Trump's approval rating as of late November 2025 is approximately 38%, with 57% disapproving and 4% unsure, according to The Economist's tracker. This is a decline since the start of his second term, with his net approval rating at \(-19\%\).
-Recent polls from sources like Ipsos indicate his support has weakened among independents, although it remains stable among Republicans.
The 38% has remained steady, it represents the MAGA base, and is unflappable, it is a religious cult based on fear, hatred, anger, angst. Factor in about 12% of a population that is lethargic, ignorant,uninformed and susceptible to psyops and you have the 50%
IMO we have to fight fire with fire, rile up the other 50%, raise their awareness, heighten their sensitivity that they perceive the threat, force them to abandon the notion that both sides are the same, that the institutions will save us.
Only militancy will save us, not violence, that will only give Trump an excuse to let loose the hounds of war, his paid and volunteer GESTAPO and Storm Troopers.
But will unnerve him is the threat. He rules by fear, so he can be ruled by fear.
Actually, I think, having heard dozens of cases involving statistics, where the statisticians must be qualified and subjected to close questioning, that if the 38% are cross examined, they only say what they think the pollster wants to hear, rather than their own actual views might be.
The problem of surrounding yourself with yes men, and intimidating anyone who would contradict you, is failure.
If Hitler had listened to his general, we would be living in a different world.
For instance, after the stalled Moscow offensive in 1941, he shifted the main thrust of his forces to the south in 1942 for "Case Blue". This new offensive targeted the Caucasus oil fields and the city of Stalingrad, using forces from the southern front, primarily the German Sixth Army and elements of the Fourth Panzer Army, which had been operating in the south. Thus relieving pressure on Moscow.
The point of what I wrote is that aprox. 40% of the country is a lot of people. When I write "half" it is for emphasis. Even 25 or 30% would be too many people.
Interestingly Washington, Madison, and Jefferson are frequently highlighted as the founders of American Democracy, with Adams' name usually left off that list. We knew he was there, and there was President John Quincy Adams 25 years later, but the details of this sordid history seem generally left out of public school American History. Better late than never for my edification. Hopefully all America will continue to move politically and peacefully against Trump and his foolish minions.
This is an exceptional article and great retelling of the first great threat to the American Republic. Adams’ actions were fascist like, although the term had not yet been coined. It is good that Jefferson defeated him, keeping him from a second term. Others have lied to take us to war and assert their personal power, but Trump is the worst. We will survive him and this dark period will eventually pass, but not without a fight and the blood that Trump, his goons, and MAGA fanatics will shed.
I already know what it is to be on the receiving end of MAGA wrath. My article from Wednesday.
I just read that on your recommendation and subscribed. Nothing there shocks me. Something like that was done to me in a secular business by certain hyper-religious that cost me my health and long term career. They've been practicing their tactics for a long time.
I have been reading McCollough’s “John Adams” after having watched the HBO version. I am enjoying the hell out of it. I wonder how that book will compare to the Sisson/Hartmann book which I just ordered. I hope I am in possession of the truth at the end of these two books.
I don't like Adams and I didn't like the author, who btw was no historian. Adams wanted us to call him "His Majesty" and jailed his political opponents.
AI: The acts were met with fierce opposition, primarily from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who argued in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions that the laws were unconstitutional violations of the First Amendment. The public backlash against the Alien and Sedition Acts was a major factor in Adams' defeat in the bitterly contested 1800 presidential election against Thomas Jefferson. Once in office, President Jefferson pardoned those convicted under the acts, and all but the Alien Enemies Act were allowed to expire or were repealed by 1802.
Amazing stuff. How come I never heard any of this before? It should be mandatory part of youth education in our schools/colleges. Thank you, Thom Hartmann. Your book, "The Last American President" was too small to incorporate the information here, and Dan Solomon put the finishing touches on your expose'. I will immerse myself in all of the above and get ready for NK III in my area of CA.
I am continually amazed that the colonists, who fled an authoritarian life of subserviance in England, yet soon established a class system in the Colonies. Rich New Englanders like Adams had no intention of sharing power with the ignorant rabble calling for democracy.
I only repeating the cynical view here, which I do not know enough to defend = I understood that turmoil in Britain (religious divides, civil war) and land inheritance practices among the landowning elite, led to relatively wealthy people emigrating to America intent on becoming wealthy, who were open to using slavery to achieve this. They had a relative advantage in the "new world", and were motivated by avarice or religious fundamentalism, with freedom being the gloss put on a revolution against the British King's taxes.
Had not Al Levine (you know him as Alexander Hamilton) crossed over, Jefferson wouldn't have won the 1800 election.
These days, heavy hangs the head who holds the crown. A few Republicans "make a habit of defying Trump." https://www.axios.com/2025/11/21/republicans-trump-congress-epstein-tariffs
MAGA Mike is scared shitless. ‘In Triage Every Day’: A Beleaguered Speaker Says He’s Overwhelmed. In a podcast interview, Speaker Mike Johnson opened up about the crushing demands of a job that he joked was his in name only. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/us/politics/speaker-mike-johnson-beleagured.html
Will Congressional Republicans begin resigning en mass today?
Love this from Annie Karni's NYT article concerning Speaker Johnson and his wife:
"Neither could name a single thing that they disagree about. They even agreed that men’s brains are like waffles — good at compartmentalizing — and women’s brains are like a mess of spaghetti and meatballs."
Calling Dr. Freud!
And speaking of mental health the interviewer Steven Miller's wife---she is into these puff-pieces now for her podcast, but I have read she is just like him.
According to what I have read/heard up until now, the Q sounds tongue -in-cheek to me. But perhaps I mis-speak.
At the heart of it all is a madman.....
TRump is batshit crazy, probably not a medical term. The list of his "infirmities" has become ridiculous and very very long.
While we innocently listed what we are grateful for yesterday, he added to HIS list many millions more he is going to throw out of OUR country.
I'd be asking him "you and what army" but already know the answer. WE have to be the army that fights back with information, just like the six brave Congressional members that just spoke out.
Do everything Thom talked about. Get the point across that TRump is wrecking our economy, our White House, and our relationships with our allies. He is stealing, grifting, and extorting every person he can, while killing and displacing the innocent.
TRump is a psychopath surrounded by psychos. This is what corruption and fascism looks like. STAY LOUD! See you in the streets.
Trump blames Biden and the Democrats for all of his failings. Trump took a strong economy and strong international respect for America and used tariffs and racism to tear it all down. Polls indicate that the MAGAs still do not grasp that they have themselves to blame for the causes of their grievances. They continue to swallow lie after presidential lie as if it is nectar of the gods. MAGAs still ignore that leadership competency in the current failing government is Trumped by sycophancy. But that gross incompetence will, over time, likely undermine fascist rule.
When you interview them up close and personal, 90% of them personally lose "bigly" under his policies. You are the psychologist, but IMHO any support he has is baked in, ala Jungian racial collective subconscience.
Jungian collective unconscious is a notion that well precedes what we now know about genomics. I think it is more just an apprehensive fear-and-flight survival reaction that all animals experience when they confront other species that look different from them. Growing up in Whiteflighburbia west of Chicago, everybody was white - even Mexicans could not work in our town. When I announced that I was going to be going to HS in Downtown Chgo, my pals chorused, "Don't let the nig--s getcha!" while laughing. None of us had ever even met a person of color in our 13 years.
Only half of Americans even have a passport. Betcha few of them are MAGA voters. Most Americans use their passports for once-in-a-lifetime travel overseas in tour bubbles while they visit sights they saw in the movies like Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower. So sure, MAGAs are apprehensive when their President warns them about foreign immigrants of color who are taking their jobs and feasting on their pets.
Just to clarify (since I did not know how to distinguish it from "genome"):
"Genomics is the study of an organism's complete set of DNA, called the genome, which includes all of its genes and their functions. It differs from genetics by focusing on the collective study of all genes and their interactions, rather than individual genes. The field of genomics has broad applications, including understanding disease, developing personalized medicine, and improving agriculture." (AI-generated).
I guess my reference was confusing. Sorry. Genomics has implications for mental health as well as physical. It was an enriching coincidence to be an official at NIH while Francis Collins, who led the Human Genome Mapping project, was our director.
We are just starting to understand how the genome affects things like sexual orientation and gender identity. In fact, I had an early small study addressing sexual orientation in my portfolio of post-doc studies. Needless to say, Trump is discouraging federal grants for such research. In the context of our interaction, I envision research eventually examining things like reactions to different races, genders, etc. common to all animals.
My wife worked on the Twins Study....via GW.
Last week I watched the Ken Burns PBS documentary The American Revolution. I hope everyone has. Things were not quite like I was taught in school. Many admired people then were as mired in financial doo-doo as they are today. And things were way more deadly - for everyone - British, French, German, Spanish, native tribes, southern vs northern states, rich vs non rich people. Burns describes a blood bath in several places.
When I find it (the KB doc- not very versatile at this stuff at 84), I will ingest it like I did turkey yesterday.
Collective solidarity! I am experiencing it in my life and I live in Montana. The Hartmann Report is much appreciated!
Yesterday's chilling and horrid remarks from Trump about the shooting and his plans for deportations led me to write "Half the country has a moral compass and thinks that Trump is the worst president in history. Half have no moral compass and think he is the greatest." Here> https://halbrown.substack.com/p/half-the-country-has-a-moral-compass
I think your numbers are WAY off. I don't necessarily believe in polls. I get this from AI.
-Trump's approval rating as of late November 2025 is approximately 38%, with 57% disapproving and 4% unsure, according to The Economist's tracker. This is a decline since the start of his second term, with his net approval rating at \(-19\%\).
-Recent polls from sources like Ipsos indicate his support has weakened among independents, although it remains stable among Republicans.
-Overall approval: 38% approve, 57% disapprove, 4% not sure.Net approval: \(-19\%\).Trend:
-His approval rating is lower than at any point in his first term, having fallen since the start of his second term.Demographic trends:
-Approval has weakened among independents, while remaining stable among Republicans.
The 38% has remained steady, it represents the MAGA base, and is unflappable, it is a religious cult based on fear, hatred, anger, angst. Factor in about 12% of a population that is lethargic, ignorant,uninformed and susceptible to psyops and you have the 50%
IMO we have to fight fire with fire, rile up the other 50%, raise their awareness, heighten their sensitivity that they perceive the threat, force them to abandon the notion that both sides are the same, that the institutions will save us.
Only militancy will save us, not violence, that will only give Trump an excuse to let loose the hounds of war, his paid and volunteer GESTAPO and Storm Troopers.
But will unnerve him is the threat. He rules by fear, so he can be ruled by fear.
Actually, I think, having heard dozens of cases involving statistics, where the statisticians must be qualified and subjected to close questioning, that if the 38% are cross examined, they only say what they think the pollster wants to hear, rather than their own actual views might be.
It only takes 17% to take control of a culture or nation.
We have a lot more than 17% working on freeing us from this tyrant.
And so do they, that leads to only two conclusions, a mixed/civil war or submission. The question is, which side has the greater will.
In the last week I've watched The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and am watching the War of 1812 series.
One thing has run consistently through them all,, a civil war
Agreed -- Trump can be ruled by fear- just continuous disagreemnts small and large will quickly get him on the run.
The difficulty is his not hearing any truths from anyone close to him -
We must find a way - or actually as many ways as possible..
The problem of surrounding yourself with yes men, and intimidating anyone who would contradict you, is failure.
If Hitler had listened to his general, we would be living in a different world.
For instance, after the stalled Moscow offensive in 1941, he shifted the main thrust of his forces to the south in 1942 for "Case Blue". This new offensive targeted the Caucasus oil fields and the city of Stalingrad, using forces from the southern front, primarily the German Sixth Army and elements of the Fourth Panzer Army, which had been operating in the south. Thus relieving pressure on Moscow.
The point of what I wrote is that aprox. 40% of the country is a lot of people. When I write "half" it is for emphasis. Even 25 or 30% would be too many people.
2 is 2 many.
I hope we have a few more than half on the empathetic side!
Interestingly Washington, Madison, and Jefferson are frequently highlighted as the founders of American Democracy, with Adams' name usually left off that list. We knew he was there, and there was President John Quincy Adams 25 years later, but the details of this sordid history seem generally left out of public school American History. Better late than never for my edification. Hopefully all America will continue to move politically and peacefully against Trump and his foolish minions.
Thom,
This is an exceptional article and great retelling of the first great threat to the American Republic. Adams’ actions were fascist like, although the term had not yet been coined. It is good that Jefferson defeated him, keeping him from a second term. Others have lied to take us to war and assert their personal power, but Trump is the worst. We will survive him and this dark period will eventually pass, but not without a fight and the blood that Trump, his goons, and MAGA fanatics will shed.
I already know what it is to be on the receiving end of MAGA wrath. My article from Wednesday.
https://dundas.substack.com/p/what-it-is-like-to-be-investigated
All the best, keep writing, and watch your six.
I just read that on your recommendation and subscribed. Nothing there shocks me. Something like that was done to me in a secular business by certain hyper-religious that cost me my health and long term career. They've been practicing their tactics for a long time.
I have been reading McCollough’s “John Adams” after having watched the HBO version. I am enjoying the hell out of it. I wonder how that book will compare to the Sisson/Hartmann book which I just ordered. I hope I am in possession of the truth at the end of these two books.
I don't like Adams and I didn't like the author, who btw was no historian. Adams wanted us to call him "His Majesty" and jailed his political opponents.
AI: The acts were met with fierce opposition, primarily from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who argued in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions that the laws were unconstitutional violations of the First Amendment. The public backlash against the Alien and Sedition Acts was a major factor in Adams' defeat in the bitterly contested 1800 presidential election against Thomas Jefferson. Once in office, President Jefferson pardoned those convicted under the acts, and all but the Alien Enemies Act were allowed to expire or were repealed by 1802.
Thanks for the perspective
Amazing stuff. How come I never heard any of this before? It should be mandatory part of youth education in our schools/colleges. Thank you, Thom Hartmann. Your book, "The Last American President" was too small to incorporate the information here, and Dan Solomon put the finishing touches on your expose'. I will immerse myself in all of the above and get ready for NK III in my area of CA.
Today’s Federalists and Adams’ have much in common, including the impugning of allies. History does rhyme.
But presumably there is no chance of eliminating our standing army. Will that army, Navy, Marines, etc. be on the right side if push comes to shove?
I didn’t know any of this about our former president Adams. Looking forward to learning more. Thanks
One can only pray you are right. I have real doubts. Next year's elections will tell the tale.
Maybe we can turn Speaker Johnson? He is sounding ragged..
Promise him some sort of heaven...
A few more resignations could set him offfffff.