You have not addressed trump's plan to abolish birthright citizenship. Even if it is limited to the children of those who never got citizenship after coming here, the chain effect beckons. My great grandfather emigrated from Ireland in 1950. I have no idea whether he ever got citizenship. And if he didn't, then without birthright citizenship, my grandfather was not a citizen. Nor my father. Nor me.
All it takes is a requirement that you have to prove your ancestor gained citizenship. If there are no records (and the further back you go the harder that gets) trump can declare any "disorderly person" he wants to be deportable.
Think what you could do with this. The 15th Amendment says the right of "citizens" to vote regardless of race. But how many slaves went through citizenship applications? And the chain then lets trump deport pretty much any descendent of slaves he wants.
Unthinkable? Of course. But most of trump and Project 2025 is unthinkable
Now it is true that my maternal ancestor came here in 1657. But when has genealogy ever paid attention to the female line?
David, this is a brilliant idea and you write ugly so beautifully! I agree with a commenter below that it could get traction -- speak to people where they're at -- and even move the needle IF you could find a way to get it to those undecided, low-info voters (and non-voters and maybe-voters). That might mean a grant or some form of collaboration with a major entity like MoveOn or The Lincoln Project or a major publication which would serialize. Worth considering and pursuing.
Not for this project, but just to bear in mind that there are two other very plausible counterfactuals to consider for Nov. 5 and 2025. One is a narrow Biden win (a la 2020) followed by the Trump-invoked MAGA rampage; the other is a Trump win with forensic evidence of rigging (I mean beyond the expected impact of standard-issue GOP voter suppression schemes). Both prospects are hair-raising, so there is a kind of trinity of bad moons arising. All are worth preparing for, to the extent that we can.
An excellent idea. This reminds me of “it can’t happen here” and is s good way of making the risk sink in. (If I remember correctly, Lewis wrote his book with a similar purpose in 1935, alarmed by Huey Long and Fr. Coughlin.). I will circulate.
But his minions don't read, like their fearless leader.
They need the project's edicts numbered simply, and put on billboards. People standing in line at CVS need to see it, #1 here, #27 over there, ways for it to hit them in the face for when they are out & about, doing their errands while not in front of the Fox Entertainment Division evening programming w Hammity, Angry-Ham, Maria Brutaldormo.
I have been very active all along in work to get out the vote and also to be an "information warrior." I have worked hard at what Nancy Pelosi describes when she says, "Don't agonize. Organize!"
Reading this excellent & compelling first chapter, brings on the suffocating black cloud of hopelessness & powerlessness I've avoided for almost 8 years now. I'm not sure it should be read by all. People might, as Timothy Snyder delineates, start to "obey in advance", thereby handing over valuable threads of our economy.
So I understand this is intended to wake some people up. It might. It promises to be a page-turner. Will you interweave some messages about what we could have done..that those readers could engage in now? And, as Robert Hubbell argues, we must continue to fight for democracy even if TFG wins ... and how we might do that, especially if our usual means of communication isn't available.
Hi – just saw this. Robert Hubbell is on Substack and his column is called "today's Edition Newsletter" I'm not sure which of his daily newsletters this was but it was sometime in the last two weeks.
I started to read this and then I had to stop… It is too terrifying. I think about this stuff everyday and find myself way too frustrated with the willfully ignorant. But it IS well written, no doubt!
In any case what you wrote - excellent, page-turning prose - is to me an understatement of what Trump 2.0 will look like. Bear in mind that they're scouring the normal and social media for dissent. Just hoping this novel doesn't land you (or us, as readers and patrons) in Florence, Leavenworth or "Gitmo"... it's a really good narration, to shake up the MAGAs!
It's so good! It should be a mini-series! My only criticism of Chapter 1 (which resonated with me as the mom of a recent college graduate) is that the conductors on the NYC Subway say "34th Street," not "34th Street Station." At least in my years of subway riding.
Thank you for doing this. Sounds like an alternate future if we don't win. I hope you can do a chapter on the possible collapse of the stock market that I think will occur, along with the effects on the economy and people losing their retirement accounts.
Not to mention what happens to the economy when millions of workers are just “disappeared”. The impact to agriculture (no farm workers, processing plant workers, food shortages, prices thru the roof), housing construction will slow to a crawl & costs will skyrocket, service industry (hotel/motel cooking, cleaning), replacing millions of career civil servants who have spent years learning their jobs with party loyalists & all govt systems will falter or crash. Millions on Unemployment but no workers to process claims? No food or dairy inspection so do producers stop or ignore the law? No military paychecks, no Medicare or SS checks, federal construction halts because of uncertainty of $$, workers or safety inspectors. The country would crash.
When my bid netted that copy of "The People's House" -- was it in spring of 2016? -- the young guy that intro'd the FR auction said, "It's on the fiction shelf ... for now." And everyone chuckled. The same could be said here, but the chuckles just don't follow. So, I'm sharing, and looking for GoodReads and Amazon ads, where we can bump up the ratings!
It’s fiction until . . . it’s not.
Americans are playing with fire.
You have not addressed trump's plan to abolish birthright citizenship. Even if it is limited to the children of those who never got citizenship after coming here, the chain effect beckons. My great grandfather emigrated from Ireland in 1950. I have no idea whether he ever got citizenship. And if he didn't, then without birthright citizenship, my grandfather was not a citizen. Nor my father. Nor me.
All it takes is a requirement that you have to prove your ancestor gained citizenship. If there are no records (and the further back you go the harder that gets) trump can declare any "disorderly person" he wants to be deportable.
Think what you could do with this. The 15th Amendment says the right of "citizens" to vote regardless of race. But how many slaves went through citizenship applications? And the chain then lets trump deport pretty much any descendent of slaves he wants.
Unthinkable? Of course. But most of trump and Project 2025 is unthinkable
Now it is true that my maternal ancestor came here in 1657. But when has genealogy ever paid attention to the female line?
David, this is a brilliant idea and you write ugly so beautifully! I agree with a commenter below that it could get traction -- speak to people where they're at -- and even move the needle IF you could find a way to get it to those undecided, low-info voters (and non-voters and maybe-voters). That might mean a grant or some form of collaboration with a major entity like MoveOn or The Lincoln Project or a major publication which would serialize. Worth considering and pursuing.
Not for this project, but just to bear in mind that there are two other very plausible counterfactuals to consider for Nov. 5 and 2025. One is a narrow Biden win (a la 2020) followed by the Trump-invoked MAGA rampage; the other is a Trump win with forensic evidence of rigging (I mean beyond the expected impact of standard-issue GOP voter suppression schemes). Both prospects are hair-raising, so there is a kind of trinity of bad moons arising. All are worth preparing for, to the extent that we can.
An excellent idea. This reminds me of “it can’t happen here” and is s good way of making the risk sink in. (If I remember correctly, Lewis wrote his book with a similar purpose in 1935, alarmed by Huey Long and Fr. Coughlin.). I will circulate.
This story is all too real, and possible. If we don’t want something like this to happen, then we have to do what we can to prevent it.
Terrifyingly believable.
This is a good idea, but it will need to gain traction outside of the usual bubble to have an impact.
Agreed.
I've already shared it on my Facebook page and am about to do so with the League of Women Voters of Licking County.
I think it's wonderful.
But his minions don't read, like their fearless leader.
They need the project's edicts numbered simply, and put on billboards. People standing in line at CVS need to see it, #1 here, #27 over there, ways for it to hit them in the face for when they are out & about, doing their errands while not in front of the Fox Entertainment Division evening programming w Hammity, Angry-Ham, Maria Brutaldormo.
But keep on, it's good!!!
There are many, many folks who aren’t tfg’s minions. They simply take their freedom and democracy for granted. I think that’s the target audience.
I have been very active all along in work to get out the vote and also to be an "information warrior." I have worked hard at what Nancy Pelosi describes when she says, "Don't agonize. Organize!"
Reading this excellent & compelling first chapter, brings on the suffocating black cloud of hopelessness & powerlessness I've avoided for almost 8 years now. I'm not sure it should be read by all. People might, as Timothy Snyder delineates, start to "obey in advance", thereby handing over valuable threads of our economy.
Agreed. Hoping gets shared with those who don’t know about these plans.
(Oops, typo- I meant 'democracy' not 'economy')
So I understand this is intended to wake some people up. It might. It promises to be a page-turner. Will you interweave some messages about what we could have done..that those readers could engage in now? And, as Robert Hubbell argues, we must continue to fight for democracy even if TFG wins ... and how we might do that, especially if our usual means of communication isn't available.
Do you have a link to Hubbell’s column on that topic?
Hi – just saw this. Robert Hubbell is on Substack and his column is called "today's Edition Newsletter" I'm not sure which of his daily newsletters this was but it was sometime in the last two weeks.
I started to read this and then I had to stop… It is too terrifying. I think about this stuff everyday and find myself way too frustrated with the willfully ignorant. But it IS well written, no doubt!
Chilling. Putting human faces into the horrific policies is powerful.
In any case what you wrote - excellent, page-turning prose - is to me an understatement of what Trump 2.0 will look like. Bear in mind that they're scouring the normal and social media for dissent. Just hoping this novel doesn't land you (or us, as readers and patrons) in Florence, Leavenworth or "Gitmo"... it's a really good narration, to shake up the MAGAs!
It's so good! It should be a mini-series! My only criticism of Chapter 1 (which resonated with me as the mom of a recent college graduate) is that the conductors on the NYC Subway say "34th Street," not "34th Street Station." At least in my years of subway riding.
Your writing has been prescient so far, David. I don’t see anything to indicate this couldn’t be true this time. Horrifying prospect!
Thank you for doing this. Sounds like an alternate future if we don't win. I hope you can do a chapter on the possible collapse of the stock market that I think will occur, along with the effects on the economy and people losing their retirement accounts.
Not to mention what happens to the economy when millions of workers are just “disappeared”. The impact to agriculture (no farm workers, processing plant workers, food shortages, prices thru the roof), housing construction will slow to a crawl & costs will skyrocket, service industry (hotel/motel cooking, cleaning), replacing millions of career civil servants who have spent years learning their jobs with party loyalists & all govt systems will falter or crash. Millions on Unemployment but no workers to process claims? No food or dairy inspection so do producers stop or ignore the law? No military paychecks, no Medicare or SS checks, federal construction halts because of uncertainty of $$, workers or safety inspectors. The country would crash.
All true. Homelessness, crime, and violence will increase.
When my bid netted that copy of "The People's House" -- was it in spring of 2016? -- the young guy that intro'd the FR auction said, "It's on the fiction shelf ... for now." And everyone chuckled. The same could be said here, but the chuckles just don't follow. So, I'm sharing, and looking for GoodReads and Amazon ads, where we can bump up the ratings!