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Fill in the Blanks on Election Night

October 27, 2026

chauvinism, civil rights, democracy, economy, elections, history, politics, strategy

What do we look for when we watch election returns? The progressive anti-Trump candidate just won the vote in Brazil. People around the world are celebrating, but are they through watching?

The last time, the fascists tried to overthrow the election. They’re still the same people. Will they try again?

More importantly, what will the Trumpsters in the U.S. do? They were accused of interfering in the election, and Trump himself made it clear he wanted the fascists to win. What will they do?

Keep an eye on Brazil, because it’s not over. Elections are just a step on a long stairway.

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Elections provide the most hard data about our political situation. It is hard to argue with numbers. Here are some of the things you might be able to figure out by watching returns on election night:

MEASURING NATIONAL CONCERN

Turnout figures give us the best information about whether people are concerned about this country. A big turnout would indicate that people care, a low turnout means they don’t.

How many eligible voters in the U.S.? 236M.

How many people registered to vote? 174M What percent of eligible voters registered? 73.6% How many people voted for one of the two choices? 154M What percent? 65.3%. The Democrat Presidential candidate got 48%, Republicans 50%

In Texas, Republicans won 56-42%.

IDEALISTS VERSUS MATERIALISTS

In the 2026 elections, it is tempting to categorize Democratic voters as “good” or “smart” and Republicans as ignorant or evil. One might also want to say that the Democrats are “for the people” and the Republican voters are for a reactionary system that serves only the rich. Such convenient pigeonholes may be misleading.

Marketing professors agree that people often, if not usually, make decisions on imaginary bases. In other words, voters may not be considering their material circumstances and the likelihood of improving with this or that party or candidate. They may be deciding because of any number of “push button” emotional issues. Religious people are especially susceptible, because they can talk themselves into anything.

Republicans in general are counting on racism to motivate voters. In Texas, Islamophobia and homophobia are central to many campaigns. Probably the best example in Texas is Bo French, Republican candidate for Railroad Commissioner, who has based his entire campaign on hate messages.

As election returns come in, the numbers do not reveal exactly what voters were thinking or feeling, but it would be a big mistake to think that voters have made their choices based on material circumstances or expectations. Exit polls may be the best source of information.

Bo French Gives a Clue

Texas observers are fortunate, because they can evaluate the vote for Republican Bo French, who campaigned completely on racism and other forms of chauvinism. His vote, or possibly the difference between his vote and that of other Republicans, is an indication of idealistic voting.

What indications are there that people voted on a material basis? What percent of them did?

VOTING BLOCS

How did Black voters vote? What about Hispanics? What about union members? Youth? Seniors? Most important, what about the working class as opposed to the owners and employers?

Except for exit polls, there is practically no official data by age groups. Texas seniors who vote by mail for each party can be found.

During the period leading up to November 3, 2026, we have seen strong efforts by unions, civil rights organizations, and leaders of various voting blocs. Some of them have numbers indicating the strength of their effort. How many calls were made? How many doors were knocked on? How many texts? How much money was spent by people’s organizations? How much was spent by the owners and employers?

Who voted Democrat in 2024? Male: 41%, Female,54%; White, 41%, Blacks 86%; Hispanic 54%

The New York Times says from 2020 to 2024, almost all groups shifted toward Trump.

Republicans took the senior vote in Texas 58-41%.

Youngest category of voters voted Democrat in 2024 by 53%, oldest category 49%. In general, the older the voter the more likely they were to vote Republican, BUT there’s an anomaly here because the second oldest category, 45-64, voted only 45% Democrat . In Texas, same anomaly: the 45-64 group voted Republican 59-39% while the oldest category vote was 41% Democrat.

INTEGRATION OF PROGRESSIVE FORCES

During the election period, alliances were made. How can we measure the extent to which the working class integrated itself into a single fighting force? What important alliances occurred?

As a long-time observer, I note that American unions made a turn in 1995 and became much more open to working with faith, community, and civil rights organizations. If we are to stand up to fascism, we will have to do it together; consequently, these alliances are critical.

The class division in the election is made apparent from the money raised and spent. Both of the capitalist parties have multi-million dollar donors, but the Republican campaigns exist on more billionaire money and fewer small contributions. Election laws require some disclosure of total amounts raised and total number of donors. James Talarico’s latest revelations show an average donation of about $100, while his opponent is getting his millions primarily from one person, Elon Musk. It’s a stark contrast!

How much was raised? How many donors were there?

CNN says $16B had been raised for the 2026 elections by 10/26/26. Republicans raised the most and got it from a limited number of big donors. Elon Musk has donated $400M that we know of to Republicans.

END OF THE TWO-PARTY YOKE?

Throughout the polling leading up to November 3, we have found voters saying that they are frustrated with the two choices that have held back American politics for generations. Is the mandatory 2-party system so bound to capitalism that the only way to end it is to end capitalism? How can we assess the possibilities of getting rid of the two party system?

How can we guess the number of people who no longer consider themselves a member of one of the two capitalist parties?

People who spoil their ballot or throw their vote away on hopeless parties have a category to themselves. They may not care what happens and are aggressive about it! Those numbers don’t tell us what we need to know.

How can we assess the possibilities of going beyond capitalism? Election night information may give us the help we need!

–Gene Lantz

I’m on knon.org and 89.3 FM in Dallas every Saturday at 9 AM Central. I publish on a number of platforms. Some of my most personal opinions are on http://lilleskole.us

Are We Going Fascist? Why?

October 14, 2026

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Let’s consult some of the experts who co-wrote their opinions in the New York Times on 10/12/26.

By David Broder, Caroline de Gruyter, Mattia Ferraresi and Tim Schneider

Mr. Broder is the author of “Mussolini’s Grandchildren.” Ms. de Gruyter is a columnist for the Dutch newspaper NRC. Mr. Ferraresi is a writer for the Italian newspaper QN. Mr. Schneider is an editor in Times Opinion.

They begin: “For the first time in Germany’s postwar history, a far-right party stands on the brink of power. The AfD joins a legion of others, not least Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, either in office or perilously close to it.”

What Are They Attempting to Explain?

What the pundits are trying to do is explain the upsurge of reactionary parties in Europe. It’s possible that some of their observations might also help us understand the triumphant reactionaries in South America, where reaction has made much more progress.

We have to have a caveat before we can even talk about their ideas: they are talking about parliamentary situations where different political parties can have shades of differences; it’s not the highly contrasting two-party system that Americans are yoked with.

Before I’m done, I’m going to say that they are wrong about almost everything. But let’s take advantage of their intelligence and point of view, which is far superior, on their subject, to ours, and see what things they got right.

What Do They Say That We Can Use?

They agree that 2008’s economic crisis was the beginning of the political period being examined. At that point, they say, traditional governing parties were exposed as unable to provide good standards of living. Everything went to saving the corporations; almost nothing sent to helping the people. Austerity measures became common. It’s as good a place to start as any.

“Caroline de Gruyter: The world is changing fast. Governments can’t keep pace, are incompetent or, for various reasons, don’t meet voters’ demands. Far-right parties jump into the void.”

What Issues Are Causing Change?

Certainly, immigration has been very useful for reactionaries. Can there be any question that basic racism and national chauvinism are at the heart of the anti-immigrant drives? It’s likely true in other countries, and it’s certainly true here in the U.S.

“Broder: Often these parties are called “welfare-chauvinist,” in that they seek to protect social services by barring new arrivals. I think this is simplistic.”

Maybe it’s not all that simple, but it does seem to be universal

What Is the Trump Effect?

“Schneider: We clearly need to talk about Mr. Trump. Let’s start with his administration’s support for these far-right parties, especially the AfD: How significant is that?”

“Ferraresi: It’s hard to prove or measure, but I think the AfD benefited very much from the Trumpian endorsement.”

I’d like to add that the Trump effect seems much more powerful in South America.

“De Gruyter: Well, it doesn’t always work: When the United States went all in for Viktor Orban in Hungary, he lost! Mr. Trump is incredibly unpopular in Europe, including with far-right voters.”

She also summarized the discussion very well:

“De Gruyter: What you see in America is exactly what you saw in Poland and Hungary during the reign of the far right. Most people did not vote for [reactionaries] Law and Justice or Fidesz because they wanted to abolish democracy. They voted for them because of gasoline prices or other dissatisfactions with the performance of the previous government. When the parties started to attack democracy, voters turned away from them. That’s why, in the end, they lost.”

Nearly Hit Gold

I think I like Ms. De Gruyter more than the other pundits. At one point in the article, she shifts the conversation away from all the poli-sci majors and stops speculating about voting blocks and changing attitudes.

“De Gruyter: I think it is a myth that voters are shifting to the right. Parties are shifting to the right!”

What Do They Think We Can Do About It?

“So the last question is simple: How can they be stopped?… De Gruyter: By other parties. The far right needs other parties to get into government. So if center-right parties stay the course and make clear they will not work with the far right, many unhappy voters will not go for the far right — because that would make their vote pointless.”

That may be a good recipe for Europe, but it’s no help in America where one of the two parties has already gone fascist. For us in America, it’s stop the reactionaries in November or go under.

Where They Went Wrong

Political pundits and poli-sci majors, even the best of them, are in a dark rainstorm of sociological information about individuals and voting blocs. They invariably lose sight of the underlying forces that determine history – the conflict of classes.

We should clear away a lot of uncertain terminology. Forget “left,” “right,” “conservative,” “liberal” and things that can’t really be defined. “Progressive” is an adequate term for those who would like a better future world, and “reactionary” is a good way to tag those who want to go backward toward suffering and slavery.

If you start with the two important classes, the billionaires and their employees, history and current developments become more clear.

The pundits chose 2008 as their reference point for political change, and we could do the same.

The Real Reason for the Changes

Since 2008, it has become more clear that the people running the so-called western democracies can no longer provide improvements in living standards for the working class. While they tried to resolve their crises, they began to awaken the opposition of the workers, they also observed a rising economic force and world influence in the East. China, with its mixture of corporate and state-owned industries, was overtaking the white men who had been ruling the world for the last four centuries.

In their desperation, some of those rich white men decided to take desperate measures to maintain their power over the world. They probably had a lot of misgivings about it, but they settled on Donald Trump as spokesperson. The German elite had the same misgivings about Hitler.

The American fascists schemed and distorted the political turf. Most of all, they poured their billions of dollars into shoving aside the less-desperate billionaires and asserting full control over their governments. To the extent that they could, they used the same methods to take over governments elsewhere.

It isn’t the people who are shifting. It isn’t political blocs or even political parties. It is an intentional change in strategies from the billionaires. They are using their money to create the illusion of a shift, but the origin and cause of the shifting being done is coming from the shifty billionaire class.

And What Can We Do About It?

Explaining helps, but only action will make a difference. A landslide vote against the Trumpsters on November 3 will help, and it will lend credibility to the anti-reactionary side in future struggles. If the Trumpster reactionaries continue to take extra-legal measures, and they almost certainly will, then our solutions are on the streets. Strikes and boycotts will stop the billionaires. Remember, there are only a few of them!

–Gene Lantz

You can hear me on KNON.org or 89.3FM in Dallas at 9:03 Central Time every Saturday morning. I’m on various platforms, including Substack, all the time. My darkest secrets are on https://lilleskole.us

What If Trump Makes Sense?

October 3, 2026

chauvinism, civil rights, democracy, elections, politics, strategy

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Progressives as well as everyday “neutral” reporters can’t make sense out of what Donald Trump says and does. They write it off as stupidity or chronic character deformation. I wish it were true.

A good example came when Trump had his entire Dallas audience pledge to “cheat like hell” in the election. His polling numbers were already in a deep dive and dropped further.

The pundits, and even the progressives, can’t reconcile his statements and behavior with any intention to win the coming election. Even some of the Republicans, including Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, have said that Trump is dragging them backward.

What If Trump Were Making Sense?

When someone throws away their chance of winning an election, and if you assume they are rational, what conclusion would you draw? It has to be obvious: the Trumpsters aren’t prioritizing getting the most votes on November 3! They must have something else in mind to keep and increase their power.

Look at other news. Last week, Trump’s clone who runs the military announced further firings of top generals and admirals. They have been removing military leaders and replacing them with loyalists all through this administration.

Also, the most loyal of the domestic coercive forces – specifically ICE – are getting gross amounts of funding at the expense of programs for the general population, especially children.

Lastly, the administration has pushed every possible form of chauvinistic division onto us. Racism is at its core, but it includes transphobia, islamophobia, homophobia, fanatic religious discrimination and anything else that might serve to disunite us.

The Trumpsters intend to get what they want from us by force. What other conclusion can you draw?

Their Scenario

If you assume that the Trumpsters are acting rationally, and you cannot afford to assume otherwise, then they must be intending to maintain and extend their power by force. In the international arena, they have fully exposed their plan. They intend the same in domestic policy.

Certainly they will participate in the November 3 elections. But to establish credibility for what they do afterward. When they lose, they will claim “fraud,” as they have before, and then use extralegal methods to overthrow the elections, just as they did in 2020. Only this time, they intend to use their control over all the coercive forces that they can command.

What Do You Do About It?

Ultimately, the American people hold the power. If we are informed and organized, no one can force us into slavery. Informing and organizing, then, are the key. But only action will make a difference.

We need the biggest possible mobilization at the polls. If critical elections are close, then the cry of “fraud” may make more sense to some. Landslide elections are harder to contest. But if the Trumpsters use force, then November 4 and afterward will be more important than November 3.

Join the organizations capable of mobilizing. Progressive political organizations and the union movement are priorities. Civil rights and civil liberties organizations will also be important. Those who tell us to rely completely on the legal system are incorrect. We are going to need the full power of mass mobilization in strikes and boycotts to win.

The organizations that can win are seeking new members. Strikes and boycotts are already underway. Don’t wait.

–Gene Lantz

I’m on KNON.org and 89.3FM every Saturday at 9AM Central Time. I post all around the internet and have a personal site at https://lilleskole.us

Cornered Rats Hold an Extravaganza

September 12, 2026

democracy, economy, elections, history, politics, strategy

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When Trump invented a fake “mid-term convention” and pointed it toward our town Dallas, we fought back.

There were at least 3 street protests. The Dallas Democrats took the unusual tactic of organizing one of them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Democrats organize street rallies, but they did a bang-up job of putting together a coalition and carrying through.

I also took an unusual tactic. I tried to organize a counter-convention on-line. From the time the Trumpsters announced their invasion until the last night of it, I pushed the truth on several platforms under the name “People’s Convention.”

I’m not claiming my livestreaming was a success in terms of viewers. It wasn’t that. But it reached a lot of people and made a pretty good video record of what happened. It’s all on my YouTube channel.

There, you will find:

An original statement from AFT President Randi Weingarten
An original interview with Alliance/AFT President Rena Honea of Dallas
Some of the Trumpsters talking while Rosie Curts and I commented
A whole bunch of promos that I published over several weeks

I had a string of anti-Trumpster testimonials from Dallasites. I also published a long list from CNN on Trump’s lies. Here are some of the sentences I took from the CNN article:

Trump is the Trumpsters Worst Enemy

“Trump makes numerous false claims in Republican convention speech”

“Trump repeated his false claim that there has been “over $20 trillion” invested in the US during his second term so far.” “…he also said, “Food prices and almost every other item are rapidly going down.” That is not even close to true; prices keep going up.” “The most recent available inflation rate, for July, showed a 3.4% year-over-year increase – higher than the 2.9% rate in President Joe Biden’s last full month in office, December 2024, and the 3.0% rate in January 2025.”

“Trump repeated his usual false claim that he achieved “no tax on Social Security” for seniors, as other speakers did earlier Wednesday night.”

“Trump claimed, as he has on numerous previous occasions, that gas prices were just “$1.85” per gallon in Iowa before he launched the war against Iran in late February. There is no apparent basis for this claim.”

“Trump repeated his frequent claim that the US now has the lowest drug prices in the world.” Trump said there are more Americans working than ever before, and that is true, but CNN says it is because of population increase.

“Trump repeated his usual false claim that “25 million” migrants entered the country during the Biden administration. The “25 million” figure is false; even Trump’s previous “21 million” figure was a wild exaggeration.” “Trump claimed that Democrats allowed “11,888 murderers” to enter the country. It’s not true that the Biden administration in particular or Democrats in general allowed in all these murderers; as he has on numerous prior occasions, Trump was inaccurately describing federal data.”

“Trump lied, “We won the presidency three times,” then repeated the false claim late in the speech by invoking his “three great victories” in “2016, 2020, and 2024.” He won twice, in 2016 and 2024, and lost once, fair and square, in 2020.”

“Trump repeated long-debunked lies about elections and immigration. He delivered a whopper on the critical subject of inflation, wrongly saying “almost every item” is getting cheaper even as prices continue to rise. He falsely claimed to have kept “every single promise” he made on the campaign trail.”

“Trump claimed, ‘Every single promise I made you as a candidate, I’ve delivered on. I’ve delivered on everything.’”

“Trump certainly hasn’t kept every promise he made as a candidate.” “Some of the other speakers at the Wednesday convention also made false or misleading claims.”

I also reminded viewers that Trump had claimed he would end war, and specifically the war in Ukraine. He also claimed he would lower the national debt, which just skyrocketed over $40 trillion!

Trump may be the Trumpsters own worst enemy. He said “I want you to pretend that I am on the ballot.” So, instead of voting for the struggling Republicans who are running, Americans are asked to vote for Trump himself. Latest polls showed his approval rating at an all-time low of 32%. I’m sure that Democrats joined in the “amens” and applause after Trump directed voters’ attention to himself.

The best was when Trump spoke on the second night and pledged his followers to “cheat like hell” and “vote even if you’re not registered!

No matter how hard we in the anti-Trumpster front tried, we couldn’t have wrought as much damage to the Republican cause as Trump himself brought down on them!

In general terms, the entire event came about because Republicans are losing in the polls. One particular Republican who is losing is Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton. That’s why Trump made up the “mid-term convention.” Cornered rats are dangerous, but they are still cornered rats.

Will It Work?

There was no way for anti-Trumpsters to stop the money spigots flowing to Paxton and others of Trump’s suck-ups. But the battle for us was over their images. Even though much of the lamestream media has already knuckled under to Trump and provided countless $millions$ in free publicity, it is not likely that they looked any better after the circus in Dallas.

–Gene Lantz

I’m on KNON.org and 89.3 FM radio every Saturday at 9 AM. My podcasts are on Soundcloud under the name “Workers Beat Extra” or on Spotify under “genelantz.” You can find me on several social media platforms, including YouTube. I put my personal stuff on https://lilleskole.us

ELECTION OPTIONS FOR PROGRESSIVES

July 19, 2026

democracy, elections, politics, strategy

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As the election “season” begins, activists are weighing several options:

Ignore the elections
Outreach independently
Outreach for a candidate or the Democrats
Outreach along with progressive organizations
Outreach with the labor movement

The best tactic will be the one that correctly understands the situation and anticipates what will happen.

The situation is that the Republican hold over their previous voters is slipping. Democrats are gaining slightly in the polls, but there is no clear shift in power from one party to the other. Republicans are doing everything legally possible to undermine and rig the elections. The Democratic Party’s response is to complain, but their basic strategy is the same as any other election – to get as many votes as possible.

It should be obvious to all that the Trumpsters running the Republican Party will desperately cling to power no matter what it takes, legal or extralegal. We already know that they resorted to extralegal measures in 2020, and they will of certainty do so again if they lose in 2026 – only with a lot more firepower. It is entirely possible that they will even try to cancel the elections. Certainly, they will not hesitate at overthrowing them.

THERE ARE REALLY TWO GREAT CHALLENGES

The first challenge is to beat the Trumpsters decisively on November 3. The second major challenge is to overcome the Trumpster effort to overthrow the electoral process beginning November 4.

The easy way to win on November 3 is to work hard for the Democrats. But they will be incapable of leadership during the assault on democracy beginning November 4^th.

WHICH OPTION IS BEST?

The first option listed above is ridiculous. The second one is best because it advances the possibility of winning both on November 3 AND November 4. But independent outreach work brings a risk of being isolated and could even endanger participants. It would require substantial participation.

The third option listed above works for November 3, but not for November 4. The 4^th option works for both, but its effectiveness on November 4^th depends on the strength of the organization supported.

The 5^th and final option listed above is effective for November 3 and November 4. Unions are the strongest part of the working class and will be the backbone of the fight that begins November 4. It is also the safest choice.

In summary, if the progressive movement has the substance to carry out an independent outreach program, that would be best. If not, working with labor is best.

Some Recent Headlines

June 7, 2026

civil rights, democracy, economy, elections, environment, history, politics, strategy

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All week every week, I collect news articles in hopes of reading them over KNON radio. Here are some recent articles and bits of my observations:

The best understanding always flows from the general to the particular, so I’m going to take a worldwide view and then bring it down to my home in North Texas.

The Economic Situation

We are in the middle of a worldwide shift toward the end of American economic domination.

The Multipolar Moment: What U.S. Hegemony Decline Means Telesur

U.S. economy grew at a modest 1.6% annual pace (1st quarter) ap in dmn //Chinese authorities worry if their growth falls below 5%//

German economists have lowered their predicted growth rate to .4% for next year. Telesur

Trump’s State Visit to Beijing and the New Cold War on Asia Telesur

Trump Between Cuba and Taiwan Telesur

In the U.S., the stock market is booming, but people are beginning to hurt. Construction of data centers and other infrastructure for artificial intelligence is helping some and hurting others. Unions seem paralyzed, but environmentalists and communities are moving into action.

“Households getting discouraged as Wall Street rises” ap in dmn

“Prices in the U.S. are Rising at the fastest pace in years.” NYT

Atmos will be allowed to raise household gas prices $9.46/month. DMN

“Nearly 88,000 U.S. jobs were directly eliminated by AI in 2026 as companies restructured operations,…” Telesur

Inside the Trump-backed push to bring AI doctors into American medicine WAPO via ARA

“It’s clear that if we don’t harness if properly, A.I. is the single biggest threat to working people of our lifetime.” –Pope Leo quoted in PW

Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling Fortune via ARA

Texas billionaires are benefitting from the tech boom, but a spontaneous resistance is growing. Jun 11, 6P: ”Are Data Centers Good for Texas” film by Texas Organizing Project at Texas Theatre, 231 Jefferson in Oak Cliff. 469-550-4750

“Median CEO pay up nearly 6% in 2025” At the median company, the average worker would have to work 200 years to get what his/her CEO makes in one.” AP in dmn

Musk received $132.3B in one year. Ap in dmn

Data center divide widens in North Texas DMN

The hospitality industry in North Texas, especially in Arlington, expects to make major gains from the World Cup. Each Player to Receive $5,000 Per Day at the 2006 World Cup Finals Telesur

Uncertainty about Trump’s warmaking is affecting business decisions.

Bell Textron announced 250 layoffs and some furloughs. DMN

The fury against data centers is mostly in rural areas. The uprisings in urban areas are largely undirected except that they are always against autocracy. “No Kings” is the most popular slogan in American history.

The Political Situation

U.S. imperialism is intervening, with some success but not unequivocal success, in other nations’ power struggles. The world’s wealthiest man, Elon Musk, is the main ambassador for autocracy.

Trump plans anti-anti-fascist summit. PW

Colombian elections, Bolivian rebellion. Telesur

China Sends Rice Shipment to Cuba Amid U.S. Blockade Telesur

The economic situation is the most important, but is not the only crisis of capitalism. The world is also dangerously close to suffocating, drowning, or dying from disease because of capitalist domination.

The most vulnerable populations such as seniors and children are hardest hit. Oppressed people are learning how to fight. People of color are by far the most likely to fight back. African Americans, because they are overwhelmingly working class, continue as the spearhead for justice.

Trumpsters, like autocrats through history, are trying to control all information.

“…right now, Republicans are running circles around Democrats on the social media platforms where more and more Americans are getting their news. Case in point: Fox News’ TikTok account has exploded from around 500,000 followers on Election Day 2024 to nearly 11 million today.“ Robert Reich

“Scott Pelley worked at CBS News for 37 years, including as White House correspondent, anchor of the “CBS Evening News” and “60 Minutes” correspondent until he was fired on Tuesday.” In an interview with Time magazine, he said he was fired for standing up for the truth, particularly about what happened in Minneapolis. Nyt

In another case of President Trump’s erasure of history, the Trump regime’s Justice Department has deleted all the files—documents, e-mails, reports, and everything else—about the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol invasion and insurrection from its website. And bragged about it PW

The mid-term elections loom before us as an opportunity to set autocracy back. We have no illusions about the straight-jacket of the 2-party capitalist system, but the working class can make gains in spite of it by employing class struggle election policies. Trumpster corruption may be a good election issue. Overwhelming turnout for progressive candidates and ideas is job one.

“Former judges urge inquiry into deal trump struck with I.R.S.“ NYT

”FBI arrests CIA official with $40M in gold bars in his home” NYT

Trump said while surrounded by top administration officials. “I don’t care about the midterms.” AP

“… in congressional primaries and general elections, the top fundraiser still wins 92 percent of the time.” Niskanen Center Oct 2025

“In latest sign of discontent, 43% of voters are dissatisfied with both parties.” NYT

Pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas Baptist says that Trump understands the Bible better than the Pope does. Fox News https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1F8TiLkbe4

There are 18.7M voters registered in Texas. 81.19% of VAP are registered. 1.4M voted in Republican runoff. 64% went for Paxton . In the primary, before the runoffs, 2.3M Democrats and 2.2 Republicans voted. Texas Secretary of State and DMN

The Trumpsters are currently trying to rig the system as much as possible. Trump himself has floated the idea of not having elections. The most likely future gives Democrats an edge in many if not most elections. However, it is a certainty that the Trumpsters will try to overthrow all elections that they lose, exactly as Trump did in 2020.

Judge declines to block Trump’s mail-in voting executive order. NBC News/Reuters, May 28, 2026

“A federal judge has declined to halt President D Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting, clearing the way for potential sweeping changes in how American elections are run shortly before this year’s midterm elections.” AP in DMN

They will of certainty employ the coercive forces that they can command.

To overcome the billionaire autocrats, we will have to organize to fight beyond the electoral arena. Boycotts and other mass actions will be necessary. The most powerful organizations will be those close to labor like YALL and TARA. Civil rights organizations are a close second.

The progressive movement can be well proud of what we have done over the past period.

Strategies and tactics are now under discussion. Some of them, such as military action, going underground, or total reliance on the Democrats, are obvious losers. But other strategies and tactics are not as clear without a vigorous discussion.

It is our job to make the best recommendations possible and to implement and communicate them as widely as possible.

–GeneLantz19@gmail.com

Texas Primaries May Predict November Outcomes

June 1, 2026

civil rights, democracy, elections, history, politics, strategy

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The votes of far-right Republican voters and the prayers of Democrats elevated former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to the top of the ticket for the state’s November elections.

Paxton’s Democratic opponent in November posted, “I’m now officially running against Ken Paxton. If we fail to take back Texas, we could hand this seat to the most corrupt politician in America.” – Candidate James Talarico

Trump and Democrats Celebrate the Texas Primary Results

Paxton may be one of the best-known for nastiness politicians from anywhere. His headlines include charges of corruption, infidelity, investigations, impeachment, and homophobia. A recent People’s World article charges him with forcing a Texas hospital to give up gender affirmation and change to behavior modification!

Texas A.G. Ken Paxton forces hospital to establish conversion therapy clinic

In case anyone doubts the death wish of Texas Republican voters, the race for Railroad Commissioner is clear proof. The Railroad Commission oversees oil and gas and is one of the critical elected offices in the state. The winner was Bo French, who had backing from the West Texas oil billionaires who have sponsored right-wing turnarounds in many and varied state elections, including school boards. Backing French’s opponents were the mightiest of right-wing state politicians, including the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. French’s campaign, based almost completely on racism and islamophobia rather than the oil industry, was too disgusting even for the more traditional hate mongerers.

The race for Attorney General in the Republican primary was all hate and mudslinging. The winner overcame the backing for his opponent from no less a well-known far-right hatesman than Senator Ted Cruz!

The shift among Texas Republicans is clearly toward autocracy without any regard to winning in November.

Texas Matters

The Texas primary elections are important because of the size of the state and the earliness of the returns. There are clear trends that can be used to predict outcomes in November.

Republican winner Ken Paxton put it well in his victory speech, “If Republicans lose this state, we lose the country.” — Dallas Morning News

In both the Democratic and Republican primaries that were settled in the runoffs on May 26, some of the biggest issues were hardly mentioned. The effect of artificial intelligence on jobs didn’t find a champion. The ongoing war in Iran and the coming threat to Cuba were not issues. Democrats and Republicans showed little interest in China, Israel, nor the exploding military budget.

Big $Money$ Matters

“The matchup became the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history, topping $130 million in spending by all candidates and their allies.” –Dallas Morning News

The downright silly mud-slinging contest for Republican nomination for Attorney General drew over $14 million, according to news accounts made before the final tallies.

Despite all the Texas craziness, there were some issues that stood out.

Labor Celebrates, and Deserves to Celebrate

In Congressional District 33 around Dallas, labor endorsed Democrat Colin Allred based a great deal of his campaign on corruption among public officials. He especially charged his opponent with profiting from stock trading while holding public office and trust. He won handily and, because of Republican redistricting, expects little resistance in November.

Labor celebrated its victories in the critical Attorney General’s race and in several state legislature races. Our endorsed candidate for Lieutenant Governor lost, but he lost to another highly respected union member. The Texas AFL-CIO is revitalizing the entire state with political training and backup in local areas.

–GeneLantz@gmail.com

Buckle Seat Belts for 2026

December 26, 2025

democracy, economy, history, politics, strategy

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By Gene Lantz

“Expect the worst and hope for the best.” – Accountant’s credo

The Worst

The world economic system will continue to tremble and quake

American manufacturing and the stock market will rise without improving the jobs situation

Artificial intelligence will gobble up jobs and tremendously worsen the jobs crisis that is already underway

Income disparity, juiced up by Trump policies, will drastically worsen

Communications, especially cell phone communications, may end healthy competition and become even more of an oligopoly

In the electoral arena, candidates will be straining to find a “middle” in an increasingly divided electorate

Mister Trump, who has already shown that he will stop at nothing to maintain and extend his power, will likely start a war and implement martial law as his continuing drive toward fascism continues

Unions will refuse to recognize the new situation and continue the exact policies that have so far lost nearly ¾ of our peak density

Millions will not be able to afford decent health care. Emergency rooms will be overrun

The Best

In the electoral arena, candidates will be forced to clarify their intentions during 2026. Where I live in Dallas, labor will pressure all candidates to reveal their stand on Gaza

Unions will be more aggressive in the electoral arena. Where I live, we are working on two union members running in the January 31 special election. Two Steelworkers have filed for statewide races in the coming primaries.

A growing but unguided mass movement against dictatorship has exploded

More and more people are figuring out the dangers and what to do about it

Some unions are discarding old ways and implementing a larger reliance on our magnificent popularity in the general population of workers

Youth and retirees, two sectors recently encouraged by the labor movement, are growing and adding muscle

The Starbucks workers, using a combination of strike and boycott simultaneously, are showing all workers how use labor’s popularity against the bosses. On December 22 alone, 19 Starbucks stores signed up for union elections.

The Indicators

Nearly all of this analysis comes from information gathered during the past week, and especially on Christmas Day when the Washington Post published ten charts describing the current U.S. economic situation.

Gold and silver prices set new records. The usual “gold bug” speculators are buying precious metals of course, but major investors and some governments are also buying them. Precious metals pay no dividends, but they are a haven of safety for those who think a worldwide financial crisis is imminent.

Two major financial indicators, a soaring stock market and an expected increase in manufacturing, are both rooted in investment in artificial intelligence. Investors are buying into it and energy-gobbling data center building way up and projected to be gigantic. At the same time, the labor movement is “cool.” Although Trump’s anti-labor policies explain some of the labor market problems, the main problem now and in the future is job-killing artificial intelligence. The same thing lifting the stock market and manufacturing in America is driving down the jobs market.

The union response, so far, is to try to contain artificial intelligence through union contracts. Even if this were possible, it wouldn’t solve the problem because most workers, more than 90%, have no union contracts. As the bosses without unions implement artificial intelligence to lower their production costs, they will undermine all workers, including those with union contracts.

Income disparity is the illness afflicting all workers worldwide. Among the many alarming reports comes this sentence from the current week by Politico: “Bank of America says its top account holders saw take-home pay climb 4 percent over the last year, while income growth for poorer households grew just 1.4 percent.” Even though inflation held at 3% during the past year and dropped to 2.7% for November, it’s still a lot higher than income growth for poorer households.

All of the major tech companies have hitched themselves to the Trump agenda, and for good reason. They produce artificial intelligence, and they all know that artificial intelligence is Trump’s main hope to lower production costs enough to outperform China and other worldwide economic competitors. “Lower production costs” is a euphemism for fewer jobs.

Elon Musk, in many ways the master tech investor, has practically cornered the market in communications satellites. He has already bought the software and established the partnership with T-Mobile that he needs to change all cell phone communications to satellite. Everybody who currently works in cell phone tech is in danger. The Communications Workers of America have a vital boycott against T-Mobile, but it hasn’t yet achieved nationwide participation.

Just two recent election results are sufficient to show the strain in the electoral arena. Mister Trump successfully used the power of the United States government to overcome the progressive government of Honduras. He failed to do the same in the New York Mayoral race. Candidates in 2026 will find it difficult to dodge the issues important to working people. For example, the Dallas Central Labor Council voted to pressure all candidates who apply for endorsement to reveal their positions on the genocide in Gaza.

War in Latin America is imminent. The Trump Administration has already discarded every aspect of international law and human decency in its attacks against Venezuela. So far, they have managed to resist the provocations, but Trump isn’t finished. He needs the popularity of a wartime presidency and, if it becomes necessary to maintain power, he needs an excuse to implement martial law and end democracy once and for all.

Our unions have taken hardly any positions on the coming war nor on any of the pressing international questions. Domestically, we continue to try to organize more workplaces under the rules set in the early Roosevelt Administration. We continue to try to use our diminishing membership base to affect legislative change, just as we have since around 1947 when we had 35% of the American workforce organized. Today, we have closer to 9%.

So… Why Are We Smiling?

Clearly, the Trump Administration and the billionaires it leads are flailing around in desperation. They aren’t acting out of strength nor confidence, but like boat wreck survivors trying anything and everything to cling to life. They have very little thought of what they are doing, and they are being led by an unstable person.

Democracy has taken hits, but is a long way from disappearing in a country convinced, for 250 years, that democracy is best. The worldwide system of governance is very weak against a super power, but it has the credibility of all caring people.

Our anti-war movement may seem small, but the structures created in earlier upsurges still exist and are ours to use. Our unions may seem small and timid, but we still have the power to shut down the major intersections of economic and social life. Organizations close to the unions, especially the youth and senior movements, are growing stronger.

Candidates in 2026 will be pressured to take our side, and more of them will

People are catching on. We have the communications ability for accelerated strategic progress. We haven’t yet agreed on a plan of coordinated mass resistance, but we are clearly headed that way.

Trump Must Start a War and End Democracy

November 15, 2025

democracy, economy, history, politics, strategy

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In a recent discussion, I asserted that Trump will start a war soon, most likely against Venezuela. Nobody agreed.

They all said that Trump is doing everything possible to achieve a regime change in Venezuela, but won’t go as far as starting a war.

Some of them took a military view and said that he doesn’t have enough troops – estimated at “only” 15,000 – ln the Caribbean. The other 2.1 million Americans “under arms” are reserves or are deployed elsewhere.

Others took a psychological view and said that Trump is a coward who likes to create chaos but doesn’t really have the courage to start an actual war.

And Trump could never face the international condemnation that has already begun, they said. The murders already carried out on the high seas were “trial balloons” that have already brought harsh criticism from abroad.

Lastly, people said that Trump could not risk any further deterioration in his approval ratings in the U.S.. Public opinion, in other words, will restrain him.

In summary, my friends say that Trump is attempting to “create chaos” and to bluff the Venezuelans into an uprising leading to regime change. But all of the above reasons, my friends say, will prevent him from actually making war.

I replied that their logic was understandable in normal times, but we are not in normal times. No one living today knows what to do with the situation in the United States, because we have never faced it. The best path to understanding is to look at other autocracies in other countries and from other periods, inexact as that may be.

Here is the Situation

Here is my description of the current situation. It will be followed by the unassailable conclusion that Trump is going to start a war before 2027 unless the restraining force of the American people grows exponentially higher than it is today. Most of my information comes from common news sources, mostly the Washington Post.

“As of Friday (November 14), there were seven U.S. warships in the Caribbean: the guided missile cruisers USS Gettysburg and USS Lake Erie; the destroyers USS Gravely and USS Stockdale; and the amphibious ships USS Iwo Jima, USS Fort Lauderdale and USS San Antonio. The Ford was nearby in the Atlantic with the destroyers USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge and USS Winston S. Churchill.” Wapo 11/15/25

Amphibious ships carry armed personnel, usually Marines, to foreign shores. Guided missile cruisers, aircraft carriers and destroyers are just what they say they are. The United States is the greatest military power that the world has ever seen. As their world economic hegemony diminishes, and whatever goodwill they might have enjoyed is thrown away by Trump, military power is all they have left.

The Trump Administration raised the bounty on the President of Venezuela to $50 million. “Operation Southern Spear” has blown up a number of boats and killed their passengers. Trump asserts, without any evidence, that they were all carrying drugs from Venezuela to the United States. Hardly anybody with any knowledge agrees.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation announced in October that the Venezuelans had foiled a “false flag” attempt to blow up the U.S. Embassy. Newspersons here discounted the report. The U.S. State Department suspended operations at its Caracas embassy in March 2019. If the embassy had been destroyed with any loss of American life, Trump would have had a welcome excuse for military action.

NBC News announced that the U.S. Department of State has categorized Venezuela as Level 4: Do Not Travel due to crime, civil unrest, etc. They proclaimed that Americans should not travel to Venezuela and that they should avoid the Venezuela-Colombia border.

The Trump Administration has already sent armed troops into several cities. He told a meeting of top military leaders that they might be practicing on the U.S. citizenry. Partly because of Trump’s disdain for morality and law, his approval ratings have been falling.

Even though newspersons focused on Trump’s disappointment at not winning the Nobel Peace Prize, it actually went to a certain Maria Corina Machado. Machado has been a long-time advocate of U.S. intervention in Venezuela. On November 14, an article ran in the Washington Post describing how she is lining up corporate leaders with promises of privatization and protection of American corporations as they raid Venezuelan wealth, especially oil.

In November, in spite of gerrymandering and myriad schemes to undermine the election process, Republicans were humiliated at the polls. Democrats and pundits began predicting a Blue Wave of victory against Trump in 2026.

How Do I Know Trump Will Create a War?

There are several good arguments and one unassailable one. Begin with American presidents in history. Most of us can’t name them all, but we can name the “important” ones like Washington, Jackson, TR Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Eisenhower. All of them were warriors. More recently, Bush the First tried to portray himself as tough by invading Iraq, but was criticized for pulling back without achieving regime change. His son learned the lesson, re-invaded oil-rich Iraq, and enjoyed two relatively strong terms of office. Iraq and Venezuela, by the way, are famous for their oil reserves.

But no one can understand today’s situation in the U.S. simply with domestic examples. Our present situation is entirely new. Look, instead, at other countries and other times. Trump is a fascist and all fascists are military leaders. Fascism doesn’t just define its relationship to the populace. It also defines its economic policies and its relationship to the rest of the world. Trump, so far, has followed in the footsteps of such notable fascists as Franco, Pinochet, Mussolini and Hitler – except that he has not yet claimed the title of military leader.

For those who are unconvinced, I ask them to look at posts on social media. Many posts are already calling for criminal proceedings against Trump and the Trumpsters. Their disdain for morality and law has clearly put them into the criminal class. They know it. They see the same social media posts that you do.

If the Trumpsters were to lose power, they would be subject to criminal charges and would risk spending the rest of their lives in prison. Furthermore, they know it. They must, therefore, stay in power.

In order to stay in office and out of jail, they need a war to give them special powers, including the power to declare martial law and use the military against the populace. That’s why they have to do it.

No one has a chance of stopping them except us.