What are the chances they’re going to obey?

April 4 | Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) takes to the Senate floor to speak out against the Republican budget proposal which will give more tax cuts to billionaires and make families pay for it by raising costs and taking away health care.

Here's some more info from psychiatrist Bandy Lee who has been studying both Donald Trump's as well as a veritable population of human beings criminal psychology/psychopathy: There is no scenario where we do not fight back that doesn't end in our being destroyed because we did not fight back.

First, watch this, what the rest of the world knows about where we are all heading very soon within the next 12 months or less if we don't tear this poison out of our society by the roots just as soon.

Then consider the nature of the roots at this poison, and the ramifications as assessed by criminal psychologists for what we've already allowed to go waaaaay too far and why we must slam this ride into full reverse at full force, no time to spare:

Two books published by psychiatrist Bandy Lee along with a coalition of 37 (updated in 2019 from 27 in 2017) and 40 of the nation's leading psychiatrists in the field, respectively. This one. And this one.

Bandy Lee is one of the many who outlines the nature of diagnosing malignant narcissism especially in this unique situation where they have, regarding Donald Trump, an inordinately dense amount of information upon which to base it due to his a typically voluminous presence in the public eye. They arguably have more to diagnose him with because of this than many people who actually do come in for in person assessments. She makes this point clear. This is an official diagnosis. By an entire coalition of preeminent leading psychiatric professionals in the field. A wealth of access is available to all of this information regarding Donald Trump's diagnosis, including within that of the previously referenced books, in this series of interviews below, and this is far from the only resource of information but this will definitely keep you busy as you get started if you want to do a deep dive. Link 1. Link 3. Link 2. Link 5. Link 4. Link 5. Link 6.

There’s a reason the Republican Party keeps pushing the same economic tactics year after year.

It is not incompetence. It is a deliberate strategy. One designed to consolidate wealth, shrink the public sector, and convince you to vote for policies that harm you.

This strategy has a name.

It is called the Two Santas Theory, and it has guided GOP policy since the 1970s.

Conservative strategist Jude Wanniski described it like this: Republicans should play “Santa Claus” by passing massive tax cuts and promising economic “freedom.” Then, when Democrats take power, Republicans should shift to demanding fiscal discipline, using deficits as a pretext to slash public programs. Especially the ones working families rely on most.

This is not a random cycle. It is a formula.

Step one: create a crisis. Step two: blame the government. Step three: cut your lifeline.

It is a bait-and-switch. And it works because people feel the pain without always understanding where it came from.

This exact pattern has played out again and again.

Under Reagan, Republicans passed enormous tax cuts for the wealthy while dramatically increasing military spending. The national debt tripled.

Under George W. Bush, they cut taxes again, waged two wars, and deregulated Wall Street. When the economy crashed in 2008, Republicans blamed “big government” instead of the financial institutions they had just let off the leash.

Now, under Trump’s second term, the pattern continues.

Trump’s administration has imposed a 10 percent global tariff on imports, along with a 34 percent tariff on Chinese goods. These are being sold as protections for American workers.

But tariffs do not punish foreign governments. Tariffs are taxes on consumers. Prices are rising for groceries, medicine, vehicles, electronics, and household goods. And you are the one paying for it.

According to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, these tariffs could cost the average American household over $3,800 per year. That is two months of groceries. That is your heating bill, your child’s medication, or your commute to work. Taken from you, not by accident, but through policy.

The stock market responded immediately. The Dow Jones dropped more than 2,000 points. China and the European Union announced retaliation. American exporters and small businesses are now preparing for another economic blow.

This is not sound economic policy. It is economic warfare against the public, disguised as patriotism.

And the tariffs are only one part of the broader strategy.

Another long-running tactic the GOP uses is called “Starve the Beast.” Here is how it works:

First, cut taxes for the rich and corporations. Next, point to the resulting deficits as evidence that the government is “broke.” Then, use that crisis to justify cutting Social Security, Medicare, education, housing, and healthcare.

This is not a theory. It is a pattern that spans decades.

Reagan’s 1981 tax cuts slashed federal revenue by more than 3 percent of GDP. Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts cost over $5.6 trillion across two decades. Trump’s 2017 tax law handed enormous breaks to corporations and the ultra-wealthy, while adding nearly $2 trillion to the deficit.

Each time, after driving the economy into a hole, Republicans turned around and demanded austerity. Then they blamed Democrats for “overspending” while insisting that public programs must be cut.

This is not fiscal responsibility. It is engineered scarcity.

While draining public resources, the GOP also pushes deregulation to eliminate corporate accountability.

In 1999, Republicans helped repeal key sections of the Glass-Steagall Act, which had kept commercial and investment banking separate since the Great Depression. This repeal opened the door to the reckless financial behavior that caused the 2008 housing crisis. When the market collapsed, Republicans blamed “too much regulation.”

In Texas, Republican leaders refused to connect the state’s power grid to the national system. They allowed energy companies to operate with minimal oversight. When the grid failed during a deadly 2021 winter storm, hundreds of people died. Instead of taking responsibility, Texas officials blamed renewable energy and deflected attention from their own policies.

Under Trump, labor protections were weakened across the board. His Department of Labor made it easier for companies to deny overtime pay, misclassify employees as independent contractors, and avoid penalties for unsafe conditions. These changes helped corporations increase profits while leaving workers more vulnerable than ever.

None of this is accidental.

First, cut taxes for the wealthy. Then remove the guardrails that protect the public. When things go wrong, blame “big government.” And the proposed solution? Shrink public services even further and hand more power to corporations.

Now, even some Republicans are speaking out against Trump’s tariff plan. But their objections have nothing to do with protecting working families.

They are afraid of losing elections.

In March 2025, Senator Ted Cruz privately warned that Trump’s tariffs could trigger a “bloodbath” for Republicans in the midterm elections.

He was not concerned about families who cannot afford groceries. He was not worried about small businesses or people losing their jobs. His fear was losing power.

The truth is that Republican lawmakers do not speak out unless their careers are at risk. They are not afraid of public outrage. They are afraid of losing the campaign money that keeps them in power.

If voters are angry, lobbyists get nervous. If lobbyists get nervous, corporate PACs pull funding. When the money dries up, so does their reelection strategy.

That is the real priority — not stable wages, not healthcare access, and not protecting the economy. The goal is to protect relationships with donors, lobbyists, and billionaire campaign backers.

This is how the Republican Party convinces working-class Americans to vote for policies that make life harder.

They manufacture economic pain. They direct the blame toward the wrong people. Then they offer themselves as the only solution, while pushing the very same policies that caused the damage in the first place.

If your rent keeps going up… If your paycheck does not go far enough… If you are rationing insulin, skipping doctor visits, or drowning in student debt…

Remember this: The pain you are feeling is not random. It is not accidental. It is policy.

The GOP wants you to think the system is broken. But the truth is simple.

The system is working exactly as they built it. Just not for you.

Sources Tax Foundation, “Analysis of Trump’s Proposed Tariffs,” 2025 Moody’s Analytics, “Tariff Impacts on U.S. Households and GDP,” 2024 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “Legacy of the Bush Tax Cuts,” 2023 New York Times, “How Reagan’s Tax Cuts Blew a Hole in the Budget,” 2020 Brookings Institution, “The Two Santas Theory and the Rise of Deficit Politics,” 2019 Oxford Economics, “Global Economic Forecast on Tariff Effects,” 2025 ProPublica, “How Texas Let Its Power Grid Fail,” 2021 Economic Policy Institute, “Trump’s Record on Worker Protections,” 2020 PBS Frontline, “The Warning” (Glass-Steagall repeal), 2009 Latin Times, “Ted Cruz Warns Trump Tariffs Could Lead to a ‘Bloodbath’ For Republicans In Midterm Elections,” 2025