February 17, 2025 Temperature: 95C

When the thermometer reaches 100C we need to act, and we probably cannot afford to wait until then. Of course, the temp of 95C is ridiculous; we blew past 100C before Trump was even elected as the lies and attacks started to mount up. We have survived so far, and it would be great if our institutions hold, but we MUST plan as if they will not. A temperature of 95C means that we are in very significant danger and must be planning.

Opinions on how well our institutions will hold vary greatly; today I’m going to cite one grim assessment that is also a call to action:

Frank Vyan Walton in Daily Kos: We have to face the reality that Trump is a deadly dangerous totalitarian

The key point is that Trump has no limits. What most of us would not dare to say, or would reject even as a possibility, he will think or say as a matter of course. The more precarious his position, the more extreme his ideas. It is not possible to defeat him “to some extent”. He must be defeated absolutely and completely.

Tomorrow I will talk more about the risks and also cite some more hopeful assessments. We must listen to both the hopeful and the alarming.