Bill H.’s Post

America Is Better Than This It’s no secret that many of us here at CleanTechnica are deeply concerned about the potential reelection of Donald Trump. Just from a clean technology perspective, his hostility towards everything from solar panels to supposedly carcinogenic wind turbines to electric vehicles is no secret. For those of us who want to save money, get better American energy independence, be better prepared for disasters, or address climate change (or some mix of these things), it would be a bad thing to see the United States government turn against these vital technologies and many others. The fear of this is not only reasonable, but likely, and we can’t necessarily count on normal constitutional processes and protections to stop Trump this time. As everyone should know by now, Project 2025 contains a blueprint for throwing off the usual limitations on presidential power, and clean technologies are in the proverbial crosshairs. So, most of us (but not all) are committed to trying to prevent Trump from getting back into office... https://lnkd.in/gHBwGUfg

If you are concerned about the looming threat of authoritarianism and a possible takeover, read this excellent report from Protect Democracy. If you aren't, PLEASE take a few minutes and at least read the post. #democracy #2024elections #authoritarianism

"It’s not just rhetoric. Campaign promises are being translated into plans and programs to deploy executive power....Take him at his word." Please read this important report with key recommendations on how to Protect Democracy during this election. #democracy

I know I am not the only American who sees journalism playing softball with tRump and his cultists. It's like they are trying to get America to simply accept this new normal. Well, we are not going to accept this. I will not, at least. Let us break down this The Washington Post article about #scotus and the "Chevron Doctrine." This case is about gutting regulatory #power from the US Federal Government and transferring it to the #courts, where the the tRump cult have appointed hundreds of cultist-friendly judges. So if this ruling proceeds, expect a tsunami of #lawsuits against the executive branch. Now a look at the wording in the article: "The distribution of power has shifted since then. With a mix of good luck and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell’s application of some hardball politics, Republicans can count on a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court." Comment by users GeorgeandGracie on this paragraph: "Boy, is THAT some revisionist history. McConnell didn’t play hardball. He looked America in the face and said Obama couldn’t appoint a Supreme Court judge with less than a year in his therm and then allowed Trump to do that with just weeks left in his term. In America we call that cheating not “hardball”. Then we have the rushed and botched investigation into Kavanaugh and his lie that Roe was settled law. That’s not good luck, that is lying. Trump’s appointments have been anything but lucky for women in this country whose health is now at risk thanks to draconian forced birth laws. Now, let’s consider the corruption of Clarence Thomas and his insurrectionist spouse. He refused to recuse himself on cases where they both stand to profit or are directly involved like Citizens United. That is not hardball or good luck - it is corrupt and unethical. If we are going to address the current state of the Supreme Court, let’s start with some facts first." https://lnkd.in/gpRY2epk #journalism #corruption #government #lawfare #hybridwarfare #civilwar

THE REAL ‘DEEP STATE’ Lobbying firms have disguised their influence so well that it’s often barely visible even to savvy Washington insiders. By Franklin Foer ... The true definition of the deep state—an entrenched force that wields power regardless of the administration in the White House—now fits the business of lobbying better than it does the faceless bureaucracy. This is the deep state, should Trump emerge the victor in the fall, that stands to achieve near-total domination of public power: For eager beneficiaries of government largesse—not to mention for their equally wolfish facilitators—a second Trump administration would represent a bonanza, unprecedented in the history of K Street. Trump’s plan to overturn a bureaucratic ethos that has prevailed since the late 19th century—­according to which good government requires disinterested experts, more loyal to the principles of public stewardship than to any politician—opens the way to installing cronies who will serve as handmaidens of K Street. The civil service, however beleaguered, has acted as an imperfect bulwark against the assault of corporate interests. Its replacement would be something close to the opposite. The hacks recruited to populate government departments will be primed to fulfill the desires of campaign donors and those who pay tribute to the president; they will trade favors with lobbyists who dangle the prospect of future employment in front of them. This new coterie of bureaucrats would wreck the competence of the administrative state—and the wolves of K Street will feast on the carcass of responsible governance.

⭐Fellow Spotlight⭐ “Since June 16, 2015, the day that Donald Trump…announced his run for the presidency, the American body politic has struggled to figure out how to treat him, his rhetoric, and the threat he poses to our system of government.” Keseb Democracy Fellow Farbod Faraji’s organization Protect Democracy has just released “The Authoritarian Playbook for 2025,” a report that looks at authoritarian president Donald Trump’s “Promises, Powers, and Plans” to draw lessons and recommendations to prepare to protect American democracy against unconstitutional and authoritarian actions. These recommendations include: 1. Create pro-democracy coalitions before the crisis arrives. 2. Take anti-democratic ideas and promises seriously. 3. Keep a broad pro-democracy movement united against the acute, big-picture autocratic danger. 4. Support Republicans that stand firm for democratic institutions. 5. Rally around non-partisan, independent public servants.  6. Uphold the rule of law and democratic institutions, and always repudiate violence. 7. Protect the first targets, and arrange now to advocate for the most vulnerable. 8. Evaluate security at the community, household, and personal level.  9. Work to protect free and fair elections in 2026 and 2028. 10. Continue building the democracy of tomorrow. To read the full report, visit https://lnkd.in/e8drAWyd #democracy #democracyinnovator #democracychampion #democracyfellow

** Trump policies in case he wins - how will they differ from last time? ** The take on this question from November 2023 by BBC/by Anthony Zurcher focus on possible real political scenarios rather than on the usual emotion driven and by now boring stories about the man himself, thus a worthwhile read after yesterdays Super Tuesday. Trumps "Agenda 47" reveals a playbook for visible changes that will reverse green policies, create higher geopolitical uncertainty, instigate less US led globalization, segregation of people domestically in the US, and change of government administration in the US towards use of loyalists. Reflecting on this, it is an opportunity for Europe to take a more decisive role, but also for China.... but also with a need to align certain views in order to maintain stability - after all it it would just be 4 years of Trumpism, as it is afterall unlikely that he can completely destroy democratic principles in the US. In case Trump wins there will be better preparations on all sides. In case Trump wins, the rest of the world has to suck it in, step up to the plate, and continue with what is important for our planet, and perform damage control for 4 years. It is a call for everyone to become better world citizens, and to demonstrate that "One World" is a better aspiration than operating from 5 separate ones. Preferably in such a visible way, that even Trump loyalists can redirect some of the policies towards more unity, but that is probably a bit naive, unless the rest of the free world really stands together. The good thing is that we all need to do that anyway... https://lnkd.in/ep5CPG_X

Join us on August 14 at 5pm EST for our next Advocacy and Policy News Update! In this update, our Advocacy Team at Public Private Strategies will walk us through the next section of the Economic Blueprint, 'Unlocking Opportunities Through the Invest in America Agenda'. The Investing In America Agenda, which includes the CHIPS & Science Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, has collectively authorized billions of dollars in federal contracting opportunities for small businesses. It's important that women-owned businesses have access to these opportunities and can reliably compete for contracts. The Public Private Strategies (PPS) team will also provide a legislative update, covering the Democratic Party's next steps in the wake of President Biden's recent exit from the Presidential Race, as well as updates on the Appropriations process and what's in store for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year. We hope you will join us for this informative update! Register here: https://lnkd.in/g25_mkHV

Join us on August 14 at 5pm EST for our next Advocacy and Policy News Update! In this update, our Advocacy Team at Public Private Strategies will walk us through the next section of the Economic Blueprint, 'Unlocking Opportunities Through the Invest in America Agenda'. The Investing In America Agenda, which includes the CHIPS & Science Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, has collectively authorized billions of dollars in federal contracting opportunities for small businesses. It's important that women-owned businesses have access to these opportunities and can reliably compete for contracts. The Public Private Strategies (PPS) team will also provide a legislative update, covering the Democratic Party's next steps in the wake of President Biden's recent exit from the Presidential Race, as well as updates on the Appropriations process and what's in store for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year. We hope you will join us for this informative update! Register here: https://lnkd.in/g25_mkHV

You may have heard of Project 2025 a public detailed strategy to end democracy. The following is a distillation of Project 2025 and its core warning. “The bulk of the report looks specifically at three things: Promises, Powers, and Plans. It collects a set of promises Donald Trump has made, in his own words, for what he would do in a second term. It places them in their proper context, coming amidst a resurgence of similar authoritarians worldwide that Trump has openly admired and modeled himself after. It examines the powers of the presidency and how they could be used to implement those promises. It explains the legal mechanisms that will be applied to turn Trump’s campaign promises into government policy and programs. And, it assesses the previously available guardrails that could constrain or prevent these abuses of power and the extent to which they will still hold. It explores the plans Trump and his allies have drafted to circumvent or override the checks in our system that otherwise have or could restrain his most extreme intentions. Based on expert input, it describes how these policies will play out in practice and negatively impact American life upon implementation.“