The (real) deep state

We’ve heard a lot from Trump about the “deep state.” It turns out the deep state consists of bureaucrats who send you your Social Security check, maintain our highways, supply veterans with health care and protect us from terrorists.

Trump hopes to replace the experienced employees in the government with people whose only qualification is loyalty to him. All his cabinet picks are incompetent and corrupt. Trump’s aim is to transform our democracy into a kleptocracy to further enrich himself and his billionaire buddies, and to let him remain in power indefinitely like his heroes Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban. If Trump is allowed to do what he plans, we will all suffer.

How do we resist?

The ways to push back against Trump and retain our democracy will change over time. We must be resilient and persistent.

First, we encourage our senators to vote against Trump’s most dangerous nominees, including: FBI Director Kash Patel, who published an “enemies list” of Trump’s political opponents he will prosecute; Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who Moscow’s state run media has called “a Russian agent;” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who secretly paid a financial settlement to a woman who accused him of rape; and Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK Jr., who will limit our access to vaccines.

Call Sens. Michael Bennet (202-224-5852) and John Hickenlooper (202-224-5941) and encourage them to do everything in their power to stand up to Trump’s assault on our rights and to vote against these nominees.

– Philip Riffe, Hesperus