By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN 4 minute read Published 8:09 PM EDT, Wed March 12, 2025
Tim Walz is headed back out on the road – this time, for a tour of House districts represented by Republicans who have stopped holding in-person town halls amid the raucous receptions some of their colleagues have gotten across the country.
The Minnesota governor and 2024 vice presidential candidate will start on Friday in Iowa, in the district represented by Rep. Zach Nunn, then head across the border to Nebraska, for the district represented by Rep. Don Bacon – both of whom won tight races for re-election last year. Walz’s team is already planning stops in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio for the coming weeks, with more stops expected to be added.
Given his national profile after his time on the Democratic ticket last year, Walz said he felt obligated to step up.
“There was just a primal scream of folks recognizing what’s going on with the Trump administration, their authoritarian tendencies, and what they viewed was a lack of a proper response from their representatives,” he told CNN on Wednesday. “It was about these Republican representatives recognizing this stuff’s really unpopular, so they’re going to quit the town halls. These folks need to be heard. They need to be heard, and to be candid with you, Democratic leadership needs to hear them.”
Walz’s plans started with a post last week on X, responding to House Republican leaders who advised their colleagues to stop holding town halls. Republicans have accused those town halls of being packed with paid activists – though those making such accusations haven’t provided any evidence or explanations of why Democratic members’ town halls have also been packed.
Walz said he’d been overwhelmed by the response to that tweet, and his staff has been sifting through what an aide told CNN was hundreds of invitations from local party leaders and candidates asking him to come. He said he found that response reassuring after he and Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump and JD Vance.
“I always feared that they would become apathetic after this last election and just check out, but they are not doing that,” Walz said.
Other than independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has taken two swings of his own through the Midwest in the past month, no major Democratic leaders have been stepping forward with similar kinds of public events. Walz chalked that up in part to his party “trying to find our feet,” but the situation clearly frustrates him.
“I’m going to tell them that it doesn’t have to be this way,” he said, referencing the Trump administration’s moves to dismantle the Department of Education as a prime example. “I’m going to say ways that they can mobilize to fight back, ways that I think are the most effective ways. And I fully expect them to tell me ways that they’re looking for.”
As the Tea Party rose through a different set of town hall protests in the 2010 election cycle, Walz was a congressman in a tight district running for a third term. He won, but that experience was a rough one, he said, and he warned Republicans now to ignore what’s happening at their own peril.
“I’m a catalyst to provide them a megaphone to lift up their voice. And I think that’s what people are looking for,” he said. “I understand now my responsibility. I have a little more of a national voice, so I should bring it to them, and I’m going to basically be handing the megaphone to them.”
But he said when Democrats are “just being a foil to Trump, we are not crossing into that space we need to, to have them believe us, to know what we stand for.”
After going deliberately quiet in the months after the campaign – following a largely low-profile role as running mate that sources say was designed by the Harris campaign leadership – Walz has been stepping out more in recent weeks.
Many expect Walz to run for a third term as governor next year, and he downplayed the suggestion that this effort was laying the groundwork for a future national run.
“I will do anything possible to make sure that we win in ‘28. I do not need to be on that ticket,” he told CNN. “That’s not my pursuit here. My pursuit is that I am still in a position where I have a platform and I have some power to make a difference, and if 20 people show up that’s good by me because those 20 people are making a difference. This isn’t about drawing a crowd. I’ll go to states where it wouldn’t matter, but it matters to those people. And that’s what I’m going to do.”
Rachel Maddow runs through an exhausting but by no means exhaustive list of false statements made by Donald Trump in his first address to a joint session of Congress of his second term.
March 3, 1863 In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a conscription act that created the first draft lottery of American citizens. The act called for registration of all males between the ages of 20 and 35, and unmarried men up to 45, including aliens with the intention of becoming citizens, by April 1. Exemptions from the draft could be bought for $300 or by finding a substitute draftee. Many objected to this provision describing the war as a “rich man’s war, but poor man’s fight.” Black Americans were also not eligible for the draft because they weren’t considered citizens. Bounties for New York military “volunteers” during the Civil War
March 3, 1913 The day before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration as president, 8000 from the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), representing every state, marched in Washington, D.C. to call for a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. Organized by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who had been inspired by the parades, pickets and speeches of the British suffragists, the march drew hundreds of thousands of spectators. Though some of the marchers were attacked by onlookers, the march focused attention on the suffrage issue. [see March 4, 1917 ] More about Alice Paul
March 3, 1961 The village council in the Inupiat Eskimo town of Point Hope, Alaska, formally protested, in a letter to President Kennedy, the proposed chain explosion of three atomic bombs in the nearby above-ground “Project Chariot” tests. The project entailed using atomic explosions to create a harbor near Point Hope, above the Arctic Circle in northwest Alaska. The excavation never happened due to public opposition and inspired native peoples in Alaska to assert their rights and legitimate land claims. Edward Teller “Father of the hydrogen bomb” arrives to promote plans for Project Chariot. Read more about Project Chariot
March 3, 2003 In the first-ever worldwide theatrical act of dissent, there were at least 1029 stagings of Lysistrata, the 2400-year-old anti-war comedy by Greek playwright Aristophanes. Conceived and organized in just two months by Kathryn Blume and Sharron Bower, the performances all occurred on the same day to express opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Staged in 59 countries (including Iraq), the bawdy play tells of Athenian and Spartan women who unite to deny their lovers sex in order to stop the 22-year-long Peloponnesian War between the two city-states. Desperate for intimacy, the men finally agree to lay down their swords and see their way to achieving peace through diplomacy. More about how it happened
You can scroll down 3 grafs to get to the tools if you don’t care to read the words. I don’t want to lose the purpose within my words, like trees in a forest.
I consider myself a superlative networker. I can find people/things/articles/whatever and bring to them others who can use them. Scottie needed some help a few months back and gave me some space on his platform, and mostly, instead of writing my opinions about things which so many of us share already and read in lots of places, I’ve tried to go in the direction of supporting mental health, and things we can do to keep (or, these days, try to keep) our democracy (healthy) and fix things for people’s greater good. So, it’s true, other than a few comments and some original post titles, I don’t write much here; I network information. This post is from me, though.
We all know that I’m big on civic duties, having been practically brought up to do them, and believing in the rule of law and being loyal opposition when opposition supports the most people. So, when I do write things, typically it is with hopes of motivating or reminding others that we still have these duties and the rights to perform them; that letting these duties slide has helped bring us where we are; and, especially now, if we don’t use our rights and perform our duties, we lose the rights and can no longer perform the duties.
Which brings me to some tools. I’ve read EPI for years and years, and use their tools to help me lobby my legislators about issues that matter to most people. EPI has created a new set of tools, so I’m sharing them here in this post. I hope you managed to read through the previous grafs to get here, because this is important, and will be helpful to all of us as we do our work preserving democracy.
EPI Action is the home page. From here, you can scroll and click around to see what you want to see, and gain the tools to make your work easier. Yes, “EPI” stands for Economic Policy Institute (I think; they’ve been EPI now for so long, I may have messed that up.) And, yes, maybe someone thinks, “Hey, I only want to work on this, that, or the other, but not on economics.” Well, you can do that from here. EPI has information and tools to work with:
Learning About Wages, Jobs, and Inequality listing numerous items of data to peruse, including “Union membership rates and the union wage premium, Annual wages for select groups, including the top 1% and bottom 90% of wage earners, Racial and gender wage gaps, Unemployment rates, including by state, Poverty rates, Inflation rates”.
EPI has fact sheets you can use when you go to legislator town halls/forums, if that’s your thing, or to give away at a booth or a table if that’s your thing, or just to consult while you’re writing up a letter or email, or a script for calling, your legislators. Whatever your thing. If your thing is filing to run for office, EPI is a great information resource for use while campaigning and forming policy.
But please don’t delete without scrolling down to the Extra Credit item, which is of particular and specific pertinence to our interests here on Playtime, and just do that one if you can’t stomach bothering your congresscritters today. Seriously, just do the Extra Credit item-you won’t be sorry, and you will make a difference!!!Thanks, A.
I hope you’re hanging in there today. I know things remain gobsmackingly awful, but I remain cautiously optimistic that the opposition is at last finding its sea legs.
A few reasons for this are:
1) House Democrats announced this morning that they have formally established a Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group! Good! We need a committee specifically dedicated to this fight, and this one, it seems, will be. I also happen to know that a huge political influencer is meeting with the Democrats this morning (and all week) to teach them how to make effective posts for social media. It’s overdue, and I’m very glad it’s happening.
2) There are now several big rallies or actions in the works—a nationwide protest on February 17, a one-day general strike on February 28, and a “total shutdown” on March 15. I’m sure many more things are being planned. There’s also now a website for a General Strike, and 200K people—including me—have already signed a strike card. The organizers offer a weekly Discord discussion, by the way, if you have questions about how a general strike might work. All are welcome.
3) Finally, my sister Lily went to her first Indivisible meeting last night. She called me from her car—in high excitement, I might add—to tell me that the meeting, which was hosted by a brand new Indivisible group, Rockland Indivisible, was so full that she couldn’t even get into the parking lot of the library where it was being held! Cars were backed up on the freeway trying to get in! She eventually found parking a ways away and walked over, but the room was so full she couldn’t get inside. She listened from the hallway and was blown away by the energy and enthusiasm of the 300 people (!!) in the room. More were watching on Zoom. This kind of out-of-control enthusiasm for (and turnout at) a new Indivisible group is just wildly encouraging.
I could go on. It’s building. It’s coming. I feel it. We just need to keep fanning the flames.
Our job is to not quit while it’s hard. They want us to. They’re counting on it. They literally think we’re snowflakes. They think their orgy of destruction will force us to walk away in exhaustion.
They’re going to find out that they’re very wrong.
Breathe in strength. Breathe out fear. I’m not downplaying the danger. It’s real. I simply believe in our power more than I fear their malevolence. You should too.
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling to demand that the Senator vocally support the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and protect it from being dismantled by the Trump administration. The CFPB does vital work to protect consumers like me from being scammed by predators. A block to its funding is both illegal and also puts me at direct risk for financial harm. [H/T]
Speaking of which, almost everything Elon Musk is doing is illegal. Does the Senator stand for law and order or doesn’t s/he? If s/he does, then s/he needs to fight to take Congress’s power back. Agencies like the CFPB and USAID can’t be shut down without Congressional approval. That’s the LAW. Standing up for it is literally the Senator’s job. Thanks.
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
[If Republican:]
I’m calling in strong opposition to defunding USAID. Why is Congress letting Musk do this? It’s illegal. Any closing of an agency established by Congress can only be approved by Congress. Also, USAID gives the US massive influence overseas, it keeps diseases at bay, and it gives U.S. farmers a place to sell their produce. By gutting it you are hurting Americans. Please restore support for USAID immediately. I didn’t vote for Elon Musk and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him hurt my country. Thanks.
[If Democrat]
I’m upset about the gutting of USAID. I appreciate Democrats’ support for it, but the message needs to be stronger, louder and more effective. Congress needs to take its power back—any major reform or closing of an agency established by Congress can only be approved by Congress. More needs to be done now to stop the dismantling of USAID and other vital agencies, and to provide appropriate protections to the federal workforce. Thanks.
The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, a former leader in gender-affirming health care in the bluest of blue states, has stopped offering vital health care to new patients, cancelling scheduled appointments for hormone treatments. We know that a lack of access for trans kids leads to higher rates of depression and suicide so we must call this out for what it is, a callous and fear-based decision to capitulate in advance to a transphobic White House trying to rule by Executive Order. Gender affirming care is protected under California state law so denying this care is also illegal.
CHLA’s patient relations line is 323-361-4682 (you have to let the entire outgoing message play to get to the VM. The “press pound” function doesn’t work.
Say something like:
My name is ____ and I am deeply disappointed by CHLA’s decision to stop providing gender-affirming care to new patients. This sends a terrible message to the rest of the country that even hospitals in blue states are unwilling to provide vital healthcare for trans patients. It also goes against California State Law. Please reverse this horrible decision. It will only lead to increased rates of depression and suicide for trans children. Thank you.
You can also call California Attorney General Rob Bonta. He’s written a letter to put CHLA on notice, but needs to know that is not enough. His office’s number is 1-800-952-5225 (press 1 for English, then 7 to leave a message). If you live in CA be sure to say that but you can call even if you don’t.
My name is ____ and I want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to protect trans kids in our communities. I was extremely disappointed to hear that Children’s Hospital of LA recently stopped providing gender-affirming care for new patients. This sets a dangerous precedent for other medical providers in California and violates the Unruh Civil Rights Act. I understand your office has put CHLA on notice but we need you to do more until this dangerous decision is reversed. Thank you.
Get Organized
Join Indivisible’s weekly discussion with co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg on Thursdays, 3pm ET/12pm PT.
When horrendous news comes at us as fast as it has the last few weeks, the only way to process it and stay grounded is to come together in community and discuss what’s happening. And, more importantly, discuss how we fight back. I can’t adequately describe how helpful these weekly Indivisible calls are to me. Ezra and Leah are so smart, so strategic, and so tough. They give me a lot of hope.
Want to stay apprised of what’s happening in the news but need it in a not-overwhelming format? I really like Matt Kiser’s Substack “What the F**k Just Happened Today?” (The actual name contains the full curse word, so if that’s a dealbreaker don’t click on it.)
Matt describes it this way:
WTF Just Happened Today? is a clear, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. It’s curated daily and delivered every afternoon around 3 pm PT.
My job is to help distill news that deserves attention into a clear, understandable, and accurate first draft of history for normal people who might not otherwise engage with the news. WTFJHT covers the news through the lens of the executive branch specifically – and the president in particular – followed by the legislative and judicial branches in general, and in that order.
I find it to be a useful way of keeping track of the top headlines without drowning in information overload. Maybe you will, too. Check it out here.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Truth Bombing is a new means of communicating that tackles the misinformation problem. Learn to use your creativity and social media to create & distribute pro-democracy messaging where it will do the most good.
This is Civic Sunday’s 6th zoom about it, by popular demand. Thursday Feb 13, 2pm PST/5pm EST.
Join Grassroots Democrats HQ and WisDems to make calls to voters for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election! Join them every week on Wednesdays to recruit volunteers from 3-5pm PT/6-8pm ET and Sundays to contact voters from 10am-12pm/1pm-3pm ET.
You’ll be making calls to talk to voters in Wisconsin about what issues are important to them & the importance of the Supreme Court Race and Spring Elections!
First time making calls? Phone banking is easy, fun, and rewarding! You’ll receive comprehensive training at the start of your shift.
Right now, ICE agents and other federal immigration officers are racially profiling and detaining U.S. citizens and people with valid visas because of how they look. For example, some Native residents of Arizona and New Mexico have already been questioned or detained by federal immigration agents. Some federal agents have also rejected Tribal ID cards or Certificates of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) as proof of citizenship. In response to these civil rights violations, Tribal leaders across the country are encouraging their members to carry documentation and to know their rights if ICE agents stop them on the street or knock on their door.
In these ICE roundups, federal agents are also violating people’s constitutional rights — which apply regardless of immigration status — by arresting people without reasonable suspicion. Additionally, although being here as an undocumented person is a civil violation and not a crime, federal agents are arresting undocumented people who have no criminal records.
Please do everything in your power to stop the presidential administration’s illegal and unconstitutional actions, including by rejecting Trump nominees who plan to break the law, speaking out forcefully to pressure the White House to walk back violations of the law, refusing to fund immigration raids and detention, and conducting oversight visits of immigration detention centers. Immigrants and Indigenous people make America great. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
with which to address and direct our government, the American Bar Association has provided very good such words. I was thinking I was going to make this a morning post, but I’m going ahead and publishing so people can get to work in the morning. Thanks for everything you can do! It matters, and we have to really push our legislators to do the right things, now more than ever before in my own lifetime, and I thought that was when we invaded Iraq. This is exponential amounts of that.-A.
The American Bar Association Pulls The Fire Alarm by Rebecca Schoenkopf
Yesterday, the American Bar Association did something it pretty much never does: It spoke out on politics. If you’re a cow with a head injury or an alien from outer space or a typical Trump supporter, you might think the organization is being partisan in so doing, but that word doesn’t apply when the president and his party are in the midst of committing a Nazi terrorist attack to destroy the United States once and for all, and with it, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the rest of our 249-year experiment.
But that’s what’s happening, which means groups like the ABA must speak out. It’s not the kind of thing that’s going to make a ripple at the next Make Cousins Love Again Trump Nazi Jamboree in Pig Whistle, Alabama, but it might be instructive for some of the real lawyers currently trading their integrity and legal ethics to work for Donald Trump, or real lawyers quietly hanging on in government agencies facing a choice over whether or not to do that.
Y’all know how lawyers who work for Trump tend to get disbarred, right?
The Trump regime, unsurprisingly, is being very clear that if the choice for lawyers is between following the law and breaking it for Trump, they’ll pick the latter every time. Pam Bondi’s Justice Department has already let it be known in no uncertain terms that their alliance is to den Führer.
Letters have been drafted begging the ABA to stand up against the two-bit dictator. The ABA has already had to come out in opposition to Trump’s executive order threatening targeted investigations into DEI in bar associations of all kinds, at all levels. The clear implication being that if you speak out against Stupid Hitler in any way, Stupid Hitler will target you. NBC News has much more on what the conversations surrounding bar associations are looking like right now.
Now we have this very long statement from Bill Bay, the president of the ABA. Again, if you’re a MAGA Nazi supporter, it might seem “partisan.” To normal people who don’t hate America and everything it stands for, it’s just patriotic.
The full statement, which is titled “The ABA Supports The Rule Of Law,” with a few things bolded for emphasis:
It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform.
Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity.
We have seen attempts at wholesale dismantling of departments and entities created by Congress without seeking the required congressional approval to change the law. There are efforts to dismiss employees with little regard for the law and protections they merit, and social media announcements that disparage and appear to be motivated by a desire to inflame without any stated factual basis. This is chaotic. It may appeal to a few. But it is wrong. And most Americans recognize it is wrong. It is also contrary to the rule of law.
The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law. We stand for a legal process that is orderly and fair. We have consistently urged the administrations of both parties to adhere to the rule of law. We stand in that familiar place again today. And we do not stand alone. Our courts stand for the rule of law as well.
Just last week, in rejecting citizenship challenges, the U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said that the rule of law is, according to this administration, something to navigate around or simply ignore. “Nevertheless,” he said, “in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow.” He is correct. The rule of law is a bright beacon for our country.
In the last 21 days, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed alleging that the administration’s actions violate the rule of law and are contrary to the Constitution or laws of the United States. The list grows longer every day.
These actions have forced affected parties to seek relief in the courts, which stand as a bulwark against these violations. We support our courts who are treating these cases with the urgency they require. Americans know there is a right way and a wrong way to proceed. What is being done is not the right way to pursue the change that is sought in our system of government.
These actions do not make America stronger. They make us weaker. Many Americans are rightly concerned about how leaders who are elected, confirmed or appointed are proceeding to make changes. The goals of eliminating departments and entire functions do not justify the means when the means are not in accordance with the law. Americans expect better. Even among those who want change, no one wants their neighbor or their family to be treated this way. Yet that is exactly what is happening.
These actions have real-world consequences. Recently hired employees fear they will lose their jobs because of some matter they were assigned to in the Justice Department or some training they attended in their agency. USAID employees assigned to build programs that benefit foreign countries are being doxed, harassed with name-calling and receiving conflicting information about their employment status. These stories should concern all Americans because they are our family members, neighbors and friends. No American can be proud of a government that carries out change in this way. Neither can these actions be rationalized by discussion of past grievances or appeals to efficiency. Everything can be more efficient, but adherence to the rule of law is paramount. We must be cognizant of the harm being done by these methods.
Moreover, refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress under the euphemism of a pause is a violation of the rule of law and suggests that the executive branch can overrule the other two co-equal branches of government. This is contrary to the constitutional framework and not the way our democracy works. The money appropriated by Congress must be spent in accordance with what Congress has said. It cannot be changed or paused because a newly elected administration desires it. Our elected representatives know this. The lawyers of this country know this. It must stop.
There is much that Americans disagree on, but all of us expect our government to follow the rule of law, protect due process and treat individuals in a way that we would treat others in our homes and workplaces. The ABA does not oppose any administration. Instead, we remain steadfast in our support for the rule of law.
We call upon our elected representatives to stand with us and to insist upon adherence to the rule of law and the legal processes and procedures that ensure orderly change. The administration cannot choose which law it will follow or ignore. These are not partisan or political issues. These are rule of law and process issues. We cannot afford to remain silent. We must stand up for the values we hold dear. The ABA will do its part and act to protect the rule of law.
We urge every attorney to join us and insist that our government, a government of the people, follow the law. It is part of the oath we took when we became lawyers. Whatever your political party or your views, change must be made in the right way. Americans expect no less.
– William R. Bay, president of the American Bar Association
Again, if you’re a Nazi Republican, that probably feels like an attack. All good and true things feel like attacks to Nazi Republicans, we reckon.
This is a plea to lawyers to remember that they’re lawyers and act accordingly, unlike the freaks Trump has installed atop the Justice Department and in OMB and everywhere else, many of whom have represented Trump so many times that the concept of legal ethics is probably a foreign language at this point. (Use it or lose it! It applies to high school Spanish and also legal ethics, we guess.) And it’s a plea to elected officials to at least pretend like they weren’t making jerk-off motions behind their backs when they took their oaths.
Note that the full statement, while referring to specific things, doesn’t invoke the dictator by name. That seems intentional.
Bay said last week at a speech in Phoenix that the ABA “will not shrink from the things we believe in.” More:
“We will stand tomorrow for what we stand for today and what we stood for yesterday: the rule of law, the importance of our judicial system, the essential role of lawyers, an inclusive profession,” he said. “These are our north stars. We will hold fast to our core principles in the face of shifting winds.”
Bay closed out his speech to a standing ovation, saying, “I believe this will be our finest hour.”
We certainly hope so. The times we live in require it.
EJ Dionne quotes Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley Law, who emphasizes that “We are in the midst of a constitutional crisis right now. There have been so many unconstitutional and illegal actions in the first 18 days of the Trump presidency. We never have seen anything like this.” It’s not coming. We’re in the thick of it. The speaker of the House — an avowed Christian extremist insurrectionist — will not say out loud that Trump and Elon Musk should obey court orders. JD Vance and Elon Musk are pretty sure the answer to that is “no,” and that courts should have to physically make them obey orders.
Because guess what? The speaker of the House is one of those domestic enemies people swear to protect America from, and so is the president, and so is the vice president, and so is their unelected South African apartheid terrorist buddy.
