<"Hear me, O Lord, as I continue my never-ending campaign of bullying all those who dare to defy me..." (aclu.org)>
<i.>
Continuing our latest postings, here is another "Time For Action," to prevent the Bully-In-Chief from imposing himself on the rest of us. This time, the issue concerns the so-called executive order, signed last March, that attempts to strong-arm states from allowing absentee or mail-in voting -- unless they provide the Trump regime with lists of eligible voters.
There's lots of concerning ideas buried within that proposal, starting with the obvious one -- states run elections, according to the Constitution, which doesn't give the President any specific powers over them. That's before we get other pressing little issues, including the misuse of the U.S. Postal Service for political purposes, and the notion of making lists -- hmm, Trump's always made no bones about his desire for unlimited power. Why would he want to make mile-long lists of people?
Well...perhaps I can hazard a guess. Making lists and keeping tabs is a time-honored reflex of autocracies large and small, and whatever their stated purpose, anyone with an IQ above room temperature knows this much -- that just can't be good, right? Certainly not for those on the receiving end.
There's lots of concerning ideas buried within that proposal, starting with the obvious one -- states run elections, according to the Constitution, which doesn't give the President any specific powers over them. That's before we get other pressing little issues, including the misuse of the U.S. Postal Service for political purposes, and the notion of making lists -- hmm, Trump's always made no bones about his desire for unlimited power. Why would he want to make mile-long lists of people?
Well...perhaps I can hazard a guess. Making lists and keeping tabs is a time-honored reflex of autocracies large and small, and whatever their stated purpose, anyone with an IQ above room temperature knows this much -- that just can't be good, right? Certainly not for those on the receiving end.
The good news is that federal judges are consistently rejecting the Trump regime's legal and administrative strong-arming. And, wonder of wonders, the US Supreme Court landed 5-4 against Trump's attempt to overturn a five-day grace period for mail-in ballots in Mississippi, of all places (see links below). Will wonders never cease?
At any rate, the critical point here is the information contained below, posted by Indivisible. We can weigh in against the idea, via email, for which the deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, July 2. Here are the details:
At any rate, the critical point here is the information contained below, posted by Indivisible. We can weigh in against the idea, via email, for which the deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, July 2. Here are the details:
"The Trump administration is trying to make it more difficult to vote by limiting access to mail-in ballots.
"We have until Thursday, July 2, at 5 p.m., to push back by submitting comments against the restrictions.
"We’re sharing more details on the proposed rules and guidelines for submitting comments in opposition below — we hope you’ll join us in making it clear that Michiganders are ready to defend the right to vote!
"Trump issued an Executive Order March 31 2026 to eliminate mail in and absentee ballots for federal elections nationwide in states that do not provide the federal government their voting rolls.
"HOW? He would do this by prohibiting the USPS from mailing ballots to any person in any state that is not on his federally created voter enrollment list. In fact, The USPS has begun a rules process to do this and is seeking comments by 5pm July 2, 2026 before implementing.
"This, of course, is illegal. The constitution clearly gives states the power to regulate elections. While this will most likely be struck down by multiple courts, the matter may not work through the judicial system until after the November election. That could mean this election could take place without absentee mail in ballots.
"Eliminating absentee and mail voting will most certainly suppress the vote, cause chaos, and cast doubt on election integrity. The good news is that we still have time to oppose this rule -- until July 2 -- by making your voice heard to the USPS Federal registry (PCFederalRegister@usps.gov).
"What should you do?
"ASAP: draft an email to PCFederalRegister@usps.gov, enter on subject line MAIL BALLOTS, and write your comments of opposition. These do not need to be lengthy...The goal is VOLUME of comments, as your voice will be considered by the courts and USPS in their decision. If this rule is allowed to go through it will have a profound effect on turnout and outcomes.
"We can stop this now. This matter is urgent.
"Please share with everyone you know on
all media formats."
<ii.>
There you have it, then. I eliminated the language concerning "talking points below," because I couldn't find any evidence of them. However, we trust that, via the magic of the Internet, you can do sufficient finger-walking research to unearth them. Or find any number of news articles, perhaps, to support whatever comments you plan to make. Joyce Vance also offers an in-depth deep dive on her Substack (see link below), for those who want the nitty-gritty detail.
As I've mentioned, there ample reasons to oppose this Trumpist power grab -- pulled like a magician does with his scarves, from a seemingly bottomless black bag of bile, ill will, and aggrievement. Where today's Supreme Court outcome takes us, time will tell. Trump has ramped up calls to pass his so-called SAVE Act -- whose key language ties voting rights to citizenship -- though even his most craven Senate enablers doubt it can pass before the November midterm elections.
As I've mentioned, there ample reasons to oppose this Trumpist power grab -- pulled like a magician does with his scarves, from a seemingly bottomless black bag of bile, ill will, and aggrievement. Where today's Supreme Court outcome takes us, time will tell. Trump has ramped up calls to pass his so-called SAVE Act -- whose key language ties voting rights to citizenship -- though even his most craven Senate enablers doubt it can pass before the November midterm elections.
Nor do they seem inclined to dumping the filibuster, so they can pass SAVE by a hyper-slim majority, as Trump demands -- since one day, that shoe will go on the other foot, as several longtime Senate veterans on their side have already pointed out. And that shoe may drop in favor of Washington, DC statehood, Medicare For All, or any number of standard issue far-right nightmares.
The flipside of this debate may well mean the return of Trump's masked paramilitary army to the polls, as allies like Steve Bannon have suggested. Or perhaps they'll be deputized to make balloting as physically draining as possible -- as we saw in Stacey Abrams' unsuccessful 2018 bid for Georgia governor, where six-hour waits were commonplace. It goes without saying that those same expectations may hold true again (as in, don't put anything past them).
That being said, I see little point in endless speculating about what "Trump might do," as it's fairly obvious he'll do his best to disrupt the proceedings -- since he may end up losing both houses of Congress, amid ongoing voter rage against his' abuses of power, economic mismanagement, and a war in Iran that seems no closer to ending than it did in February, when he and his Israeli cohort, Benjamin Netanyahu, unleashed it.
That being said, I see little point in endless speculating about what "Trump might do," as it's fairly obvious he'll do his best to disrupt the proceedings -- since he may end up losing both houses of Congress, amid ongoing voter rage against his' abuses of power, economic mismanagement, and a war in Iran that seems no closer to ending than it did in February, when he and his Israeli cohort, Benjamin Netanyahu, unleashed it.
If there's one thing Trump understands well, beyond the power of money and celebrity, it's that rage crosses every possible party line. Poll after poll shows him underwater with all the key groups who restored him to power in 2024 -- young Black and Latino voters, independents, suburban women -- and, by all accounts, have had more than enough.
Of course, the hardline MAGA base remains solidly in his camp, a phenomenon powered by groups like evangelicals (of whom 58 percent voice support for "most" or "all of his policies," the Pew Center reported in January). However, as Republicans have seen -- notably, in the 2022 midterms, when the oft-predicted Red Wave fizzled to a Red Ripple - it's tough to win elections solely by turning out those who already agree with you.
Of course, the hardline MAGA base remains solidly in his camp, a phenomenon powered by groups like evangelicals (of whom 58 percent voice support for "most" or "all of his policies," the Pew Center reported in January). However, as Republicans have seen -- notably, in the 2022 midterms, when the oft-predicted Red Wave fizzled to a Red Ripple - it's tough to win elections solely by turning out those who already agree with you.
Time enough...
<iii.>
This is the scenario that keeps Trump's inner circle awake at nights. Having alienated most of those who gave him another look is not a good look, so to speak, at the political box office. There's also the ironclad rule that second-term Presidents suffer major losses in midterm elections -- the so-called "six-year itch" that political scientists have documented, when supporters and party officials begin looking past the incumbent, toward their own futures (and their own survival, in cases like the second Trump term, where chaos is the norm).
Major examples of the "itch" include LBJ's epic 1966 wipeout, as he struggled with the Vietnam War (47 House, and three Senate seats, lost); Gerald Ford, in 1974, fresh from the Watergate scandal that forced his boss, Richard Nixon, to resign (48 House, eight Senate seats); George W. Bush, coming off his own epic wars (Afghanistan, Iran), in 2006 (30 House, six Senate seats); and Barack Obama, in 2014, grappling with Republican opposition against the Affordable Care Act (13 House, nine Senate seats).
For Trump, the stakes are certainly as existential as an outlier result -- in which he somehow bucks the trend by gaining seats, or fends off a total wipeout -- might seem to his opposition. If he loses both houses, it essentially marks the end of his maximalist Presidency -- at least, as he's known and understood it.
One of the more obvious consequences will be a tidal wave of Democrat-led hearings, investigations, and various other maneuvers -- all aimed at holding him accountable, somehow, or even launching a third impeachment attempt against him. Or, if that looks unfeasible, they might settle for any number of his "junk drawer" Cabinet secretaries, or the more extreme Supreme Court Justices. The possibilities are endless.
Major examples of the "itch" include LBJ's epic 1966 wipeout, as he struggled with the Vietnam War (47 House, and three Senate seats, lost); Gerald Ford, in 1974, fresh from the Watergate scandal that forced his boss, Richard Nixon, to resign (48 House, eight Senate seats); George W. Bush, coming off his own epic wars (Afghanistan, Iran), in 2006 (30 House, six Senate seats); and Barack Obama, in 2014, grappling with Republican opposition against the Affordable Care Act (13 House, nine Senate seats).
For Trump, the stakes are certainly as existential as an outlier result -- in which he somehow bucks the trend by gaining seats, or fends off a total wipeout -- might seem to his opposition. If he loses both houses, it essentially marks the end of his maximalist Presidency -- at least, as he's known and understood it.
One of the more obvious consequences will be a tidal wave of Democrat-led hearings, investigations, and various other maneuvers -- all aimed at holding him accountable, somehow, or even launching a third impeachment attempt against him. Or, if that looks unfeasible, they might settle for any number of his "junk drawer" Cabinet secretaries, or the more extreme Supreme Court Justices. The possibilities are endless.
For that six-year itch...
As several leading Democratic Senators have noted, the quality of Trump's nominees will "have to go up immediately"; anyone fitting the previous pattern that has been the norm (freaks, plutocrats, suckups) would find their confirmation prospects looking decidedly dicey.
Even an emboldened Democratic majority holding only one house of Congress could make the remainder of Trump's restoration miserable. At a minimum, it would halt implementation of further Project 2025 items, and force Republicans to rethink what they can pull over, legislative-wise. The old calculus of razor-thin House votes and Senate tiebreakers would no longer apply, forcing new political calculations.
While researching this post, I came across an excerpt from the aptly-titled Second Term Blues: How George W. Bush Has Governed (2007), by John C. Fortier, and Norman Ornstein. Obviously, it's dated now, but the introduction -- excerpted on the Brookings Institution's website -- holds plenty of relevant kernels for today's audience, like this one: "With the exception of FDR, every second-term president since the Civil War has faced a Congress with at least one chamber controlled by the other party. In a second term, let the investigations begin."
And the opening statement, though more general in tone, seems especially relevant nowadays, doesn't it: "Second terms have not been good to American presidents. They
often are characterized by hubris, burnout, a paucity of new or
bold ideas and are plagued by scandal, party infighting, lack of legislative success, and loss of seats in the midterm election."
... to kick in?
Undoubtedly, Trump hasn't read the book, but if his aides have come across it, I'm sure those quotes loom large in their minds -- and may well inspire some type of exaggerated response from their Dear Leader.
What will it look like? Time will tell, soon enough. All we can do is gear up for the long, hard pull ahead -- the work that must be done, to reclaim our democracy from Trump's movement, and the tech bros who continue to coddle it. Taking every opportunity is only the first step, but that's how it begins.
If the past teaches anything, it's to grab your chances while you can, and make the most of them. After all... Look at how it worked out for our current Commander-in-Chief. --The Reckoner
Links To Go: Hurry, Hurry (Get Your Ballots Early:
Beat The Voter Suppression Rush)
Civil Discourse With Joyce Vance:
The Executive Order To Restrict Vote By Mail:
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-executive-order-to-restrict-vote
Beat The Voter Suppression Rush)
Civil Discourse With Joyce Vance:
The Executive Order To Restrict Vote By Mail:
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-executive-order-to-restrict-vote
NPR: A Federal Judge In Boston
Blocks Key Parts Of Trump's Order...:
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/25/nx-s1-5844576/trump-mail-in-voting-order
NPR: The Supreme Court Upholds
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/25/nx-s1-5844576/trump-mail-in-voting-order
NPR: The Supreme Court Upholds
Grace Periods For Mail-In Ballots:
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5815312/supreme-court-mail-ballot-grace-period-ruling
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5815312/supreme-court-mail-ballot-grace-period-ruling
The Brookings Institution:
Second Term Blues (Excerpt):
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/secondtermblues_chapter.pdf
Second Term Blues (Excerpt):
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/secondtermblues_chapter.pdf
