After one of the worst weeks of my life, I woke up yesterday morning in a world I genuinely believed was gone. I woke up to discover that gravity is, in fact, real. I woke up to a country that didn’t fuck up the open book test again, and for the first time in a decade, I think that maybe I see a warm and comforting glow behind a distant horizon. There’s still a whole lot of darkness to cross before we get there, but at least I can see it.
Which is why I want new leadership in Congress, if the speeches the current leadership has given are any indication of how they intend to use the majority we just gave them. With all due respect to Hakeem Jefferies, I’m going to quote Ashley The Baroness on Instagram, explaining why she believes we need a different Speaker: “What was all that fighting for, if when you get into that room, your courage ends?”
And as Amanda Nelson has so eloquently laid out, Chuck Schumer has shown us how he leads, and his leadership is wildly out of step with the base of the party, the mainstream of the party, and (as it turns out this week) the majority of voters in America. We’ve been fed up with his sternly-worded letters and his threats that whatever unconstitutional depravity coming out of the white house will sure make them look bad, and nothing else, for a decade, at least. America does not need, and can not survive, Democratic leaders who don’t have the stomach for the bare-knuckled brawling it will take to deliver consequences to Trump, his cabinet, his family, and the criminal Republicans who have enabled and protected them.
It was very telling that in his first speech after the GOP’s extinction-level event, Jefferies framed our need for accountability as a desire for revenge. He just doesn’t get it, if he truly believes that. He isn’t stupid, and he knows that if we do not hold all of them to account — which includes prison time — all those new Democratic voters who clearly said FUCK THEM UP SO THEY NEVER TRY THIS AGAIN will never come back, and we will be right back where we were last week.
It is astonishingly tone deaf, and not just a little insulting, to suggest that our demand and very real need for accountability and consequences is simply wanting to get even, to exact a petty revenge. I doubt he believes that, and is speaking in dogwhistles to the corporate donors and AIPAC, which would make his position even more craven than it already is.
Schumer is already surrendering in advance, probably locked in a room with The Baileys while he tries to figure out
Think of it like this: voters gave Democrats a loaded canon and said “aim this at the heart of Republican corruption”. We even set it up for them, so all they have to do is light the fuse. And Jefferies and Schumer swung the barrel around and aimed it at their feet.
Yeah. No. We aren’t going to stand for this. We gave you a mandate. Voters who have never and will never vote for a Democrat again gave you a mandate. The mandate is clear: HOLD. THEM. ACCOUNTABLE. FOR. THEIR. CRIMES.
In other words:
There is still time to get these guys on record and force them to commit to the most intense oversight in history. Call your reps and your senators, congratulate them on their historic wave election, and tell them that we expect them to use their majorities to punish these criminals so severely, nobody will even think about trying this again for at least a generation.
Hi, I’m Wil. I write this blog (duh), I host It’s Storytime With Wil Wheaton, which drops new episodes every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, and in our Patreon. Occasionally I show up on your TV. You can follow me on Instagram and Threads where I am @itswilwheaton. You can get your own adorable Wil Wheaton Bedhead plushie for another 17 or so days, and if you want my posts delivered to your inbox, here is the thingy:
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I’m not American, but watching Schumer and Jefferies fuck this up is beyond frustrating even from half way around the world.
I’m a Democrat & agree with you! Schumer/Jeffries are empty suits. Useless. I want fighting, angry leaders. Can we provide someone similar to an angry Ted Kennedy complaining about the high milk prices?
Thanks for stating so clearly what all of us feel. There is hope and there is also a ton of work to do.
Yes yes yes yes and YES!! Thanks Wil, for saying this so beautiful beautifully and succinctly and getting straight to the point. I donโt think they have reckoned for the massive grass root movement that is now in place that will no longer tolerate this namby-pamby concession driven politics. Both these men are woefully out of touch and operating and a system that may have worked 30 years ago but is absolutely ineffective in todayโs times. They have a mandate for change and itโs on us to hold them to it..
So. Very. Much. THIS. ๐ฏ
Agree! Just called both my senators and my rep to demand new leadership.
In the words of the great Martin Luther King (probably) – “Amen.” Thanks Wil.
Hi Wil,
I am sending you directly this message here on your blog in response to the message that you sent me directly here on your online blog for me to tell you that I am sorry that I have been profoundly disrespectful of you.
I did not mean for me to come across as me being profoundly disrespectful of you as what actually happened was is that I got so excited when you finally responded to me directly ever in my life on Patreon not very long ago as I was hoping that point that you and I were going to get โa chat inโ and when you were not very response to me after that I then got confused so as a result of that exact response of yours it unfortunately lead to me coming off too strongly on you along with me being autistic being a contributor to that issue and another thing that has happened as a result of that issue is that besides me being autistic as part of my mental-handicap as I have Auditory Processing Disorder, APD, so therefore unfortunately that made me not process what you had communicated regarding to your boundaries to me.
However I have since after Wednesday of last week realized that me having trouble processing your boundaries that you have communicated to me due to Auditory Processing Disorder being one of my diagnoses for my mental-handicap is not an excuse for that making it ok for me to be profoundly disrespectful of you on my part.
Per as I have looked back at that after just Wednesday as part of that realization of mine that I am referring to is that I should have just asked during when you have communicated your boundaries to me directly instead of what has happened between you and I something like “Can you please communicate your boundaries to me in a way that I can best process it because of Auditory Processing Disorder being one of the diagnoses that my mental-handicap consists of as I apologize for any inconvenience that this exact request of mine to you that I am submitting may be causing for you Wil?”ย or something like that.
Again I deeply apologize to you directly for the issue that has gone on between you and I of that I have caused between you and I so far and I look forward to both you and I corresponding directly with each other in the future in a way that is not me coming across as me being profoundly disrespectful of you directly so can you please accept this apology of mine for you directly or no?
Sincerely,
Michael Toschi (Your Fan)
Hi, Michael.
What a coincidence, what you’re telling! I know A LOT about your “pathologies”; in fact, I have AuDHD, as you probably know, which is ASD+ADHD (Autism and Attention Deficit), and I’m glad to tell you that my hyperfocuses just happen to center on research.
In the case of a person with ASD, meaning what I have and what you supposedly have, we DO understand social norms and clear boundaries very well. In fact, Wil was more than clear, since you understood perfectly that you had to communicate through open channels, and you understood very clearly that you were disrespectful, and you understood perfectly that you crossed the line by your own choice, and you are understanding perfectly that you are making a request and a DIRECT response from him, in other words, a demand for his attention, which he very clearly and kindly asked you not to do, and I completely agree with him; I’ll tell you why later.
APD: The explanation was through text, in a text. Where are there sounds that you can’t understand? It’s like if I said, “I can’t hear you because my belly itches”โmeaning, it has nothing to do with it.
All people with ASD are not the same, and I know that, but along with ASD many other pathologies and behaviors can coexist, and you’re lying and I see it, because guess what? I follow other people’s behavior patterns and I’ve seen yours.
People with ASD usually have hyperfixations, which people who don’t know about the subject view as obsessions, but there’s a huge difference: what you have is not a hyperfixation.
I’m sure you must know all about Wil’s life and career, including his pathologies, and you’re using that against him, and you aren’t fooling me because I can read between the lines, and you don’t have what you claim to have, and I notice it very clearly in the way you express yourself.
You are very aware that you’re trying to manipulate him like a puppet, and you don’t care about hurting him as long as you achieve a goalโthat’s not being a fan, that’s being a psychopath.
Wil just said, in this very post, that he went through one of the worst weeks of his life, and you, you only think about having him at your feet? Wil is a human being, not an object of demand! You aren’t his owner, NO ONE is his owner, nor do you have the right to demand answers from him about ANYTHING.
You seek to manipulate him, blaming him with “because he answered you once, he got your hopes up.” You want others to think, “Oh, poor Michael, how mean Wil is for not answering him.” And if that’s what you’re looking for, I’m sorry to tell you that I’m here to prove otherwise, and I can perfectly prove that what you have is not ASD and that it’s an unhealthy obsessionโone that needs urgent psychiatric attention.
Do you want to know the boundaries Wil needs to feel good? I’ll tell you, in the way I know you’ll understand them:
* No private messages asking for a response NO MATTER WHAT.
* No public messages asking for a response NO MATTER WHAT.
And this one comes from me.
If you were a true fan, you’d be very different.
To someone you truly admire, love, and respect, you would NEVER try to manipulate him, hurt him, or make him look bad in front of other people, especially being a public figure like Wil is.
Do you want to behave like a fan? Fine! Leave him affectionate messages, share moments with the community, make new friends who enjoy his movies and his audiobooksโthat’s what a fan does.
I repeat: you’re not fooling me. I know what you do and I know your intentions. I’m no more than you, and I’m NOTHING special to Wil, just one more follower out of the millions he has, but I’m sorry to inform you that he IS special to me, and I’m not going to allow you to harm him.
Maybe he’ll never decide to block you, but every single time I see you trying to manipulate him, I’m going to expose you.
Florida voters, dumb fucks that they are, failed the open book test again. Expected but still disappointing.
I don’t think Florida voters lost the contests there. I think Schumer’s uselessness and the DCCC and DSCC refusing to support very viable candidates there, who ended up losing by one or two points, are entirely to blame. I fully expect Florida to go blue in 28.
If not blue, at least threateningly purple. I don’t want to see campaign resources get spread so thin nationally that in trying to chase electors in FL along with flipped states, that we end up losing them everywhere.
In Florida at least, and probably in Texas as well, another HUGE blinking sign was ‘pay attention to your Hispanic voters’. As it turns out, trying to deport or kill a portion of your constituency is a bad idea. …go figure. But also, Hispanic voters are not a monolith. Cuban voters tend to lean Conservative. Try to understand why they like the policies they do and propose Progressive plans that get them to the same goal.
Cubans and Venezuelans are still too afraid of โsocialismโ. They donโt want โprogressiveโ plans. They unreasonably fear the left more than the right. They continue to vote against their own interests.
I will admit that the senate and governor races ended up being closer than I thought they would be but close is still a loss. I agree with your assessment of Schumer but voters here are still a big part of the problem. Weโre talking about a state where people (including women of all creeds) couldnโt be bothered to show up in big enough numbers to protect abortion rights. Kansas did that for fucks sake. Check out Amendment 3 on this yearโs ballot. The uninformed idiots showed up to pass that one. A large portion of the country told MAGA to fuck off last Tuesday but Florida decided they wanted more. Pathetic.
Florida voter here. Wil is right. The DNC abandoned us. Angie Nixon, a Black, female Democratic Socialist, very nearly unseated the handpicked Trumpette who was already in the seat and so had the incumbent advantage. She did that all on her own, with her own organizing skills and grassroots support. David Jolly used to be a Republican until he got fed up with Trump, and he’s a white man, but DeSantis has been concentrating the MAGA in the state and doing everything he can to gerrymander and purge as many Democratic voters as possible. I’ve been in 3 different districts in the last 3 elections. We did break the supermajority, so hopefully things will continue to get better.
Yes, true on the breaking of the super majority and their redistricting efforts failed. So, at least thereโs that.
I am not a dumb fuck. And fwiw, I have never voted Republican in my entire life. This state has been gerrymandered into a puzzle from hell. Ron DeFascist will be removed in the next general election. I agree with Wil’s reply because I did follow it closely, and Florida was abandoned by party leaders very early on. Do you even know who was running for what here? Oddly enough, except for a bazillion text messages, neither did Florida voters. They candidates did not have the budget to run a successful campaign, hence annoying the crap out of even the people who did vote for them with well over a dozen text messages a day.
Yes, I knew who was running for what because Iโm in Florida and I follow whatโs going on.
No, DeSantis is out now. His term is up at the end of the year.. After two terms of that Nazi shit bag, which were proceeded by two terms of criminal Rick Scott (who they rewarded with a senate seat afterwards) the FL dumbases went with MAGA shit bag Byron Donalds. Not exactly something to be excited about. While the rest of the country moves on weโre stuck with the last Trump ass licker.
So beautifully written . I feel hope at the end of a dark tunnel . As someone who can relate to this , thank you so much .
While appreciate and respect these views but many people are missing one of the main reasons the blue tsunami happened in Iowa, Kansas, Texas and South Carolina – costs. Gas/diesel costs, groceries costs, housing costs, health care costs etc. Yes, there were many voters who expressed their anger in the ballot box but the exit polls were clear that the economy and the war driving it was a key reason the votes went blue. Those issues have to be addressed as much as going after the corruption and criminality of Trump’s administration.
Well, the war is illegal, so why not both?
100% agree. All respect to the diplomacy of Jean-Luc, but sometimes we need leaders like Benjamin Sisko who hit Q with a 1-2 punch that sent him packing for the Delta Quadrant. Jeffries and Schumer showed where just talk gets us. I have to wonder if AOC is up for the Speaker job?
The centrist wing of the Dems and their corporate donors would love AOC to run for Speaker… it will be an effective way to waste the name recognition and reach that will make her so effective in her inevitable run for President in ’28.
The situation definitely calls for more Worf, less Troi.
How does it go? Scratch a liberal… Schumer and Jeffries are ultimately funded by the same corporate that cozy up to the GOP and lobby against the working class to further enrich themselves.
Love ya Wil and don’t worry too much. DNC party leadership is not in sync with the working class and the last couple of years has opened their eyes to this. There’s a whole roster of new fighters getting tagged in, they aren’t here to lie down and give up and the masses are very much behind them. The work is just beginning.
Just to be abundantly clear: The Democrats did NOT “win” this election. There were merely a vote bucket for folks fed up with Republican shenanigans. That’s all. The DNC is a hot mess, rudderless, wandering blindly without focus.
There is SO MUCH work left for both the RNC and DNC to do before the next election. One of them holds the Executive Branch and the Judiciary, the other the Legislative Branch.
The RNC needs to plot its path to a post-Trump existence. Even Trump has acknowledged this in some of his seemingly random babbling. The simple proof is that Trump’s hand-picked candidates lost. Trump’s imprimatur is gone. However, this does NOT apply to the rest of the RNC Platform! All they need is a few tweaks and fresh leadership.
The DNC is not so fortunate. On the ground, the party is all over the place, with individual candidates making it into whatever best suits their needs, just enough for them to run under the Democrat Brand. I very much doubt we’ll ever again see a nationally unified Democratic Party. Meaning the DNC must explicitly embrace the “Big Tent” model, complete with annexes and wings.
Too few remember the Blue Dog Democrats, the conservative wing of the Democratic Party. Too many are overly concerned by the Democratic Socialists. Talk about a big tent!
The Democratic Party can’t become just a Centrist party, though legislatively they’ll need to be precisely that, at least initially, to keep the wheels from falling off of the juggernaut government wagon.
What will the Democrats become? We must start small, with a minimal core of solid issues that all members can enthusiastically support (even if only symbolically). Then add a layer that “enough” can support without pissing off the rest of the Democrats.
Finally, for the next two years, the Democrats must ensure as much legislation as possible gets passed in a bipartisan manner. Intentionally kept far away from any explicit DNC or RNC platform items. Keep the wheels on the wagon.
Afuckingmen.
YES all of this!! Itโs beyond unacceptable to hear anyone say โwe need to work together across the aisleโ or hearing red voters whine that Dems are โout for revenge.โ Fuck that. Weโve watched as republicans have supported MAGA, corruption, murder, crimes against humanity and women, trans people and children, war, not to mention an all out onslaught on human rights, science, public healthโฆ anyone who wants to fucking work with that and play moderate can leave now. We need to confront and hold accountable anyone who was complicit in all of this. This isnโt a time to play nice. Weโve literally seen what they are willing to do, and so-called Dems who want to not rock the boat or keep peace to make their corporate billionaire donors happy can leave now.
John Scalzi said something similar over here (and I fully agree with both him and you):
“This election was a rebuke and a repudiation, and I hope to the sweet and merry God above that the Democrats remember that when theyโre seated in January. They were not elected to office to play nice with the fascists in the halls of power. They were elected to punch them in the face, repeatedly, the president most of all, but, be assured, not only him. There is to be a lot of punching going on.”
Nuremberg 2: Mar a Lago Edition is going to be great
Could not possibly agree more. Nothing changes if Dems donโt go hard on all fronts, immediately.
Also that meme is one of my all-time favorites ๐
Amen, Wil. I just called my Senators and rep to demand new leadership in both chambers. Let’s do this!!
Amen, Wil. I just called my senators and rep to demand new leadership in both chambers. Let’s do this!!
I completely agree, Wil. I’m hopeful and cautious at the same time. I’m also tired of Dems not being tough because they’re afraid of losing voter bases, etc.
I’ve seen this meme recently, and I hadn’t seen it before these elections. I’ll find another posting and save it to my gallery.
I love all of this. Your voice is getting stronger, your writing is more focused. Keep at it. So proud of your effort & courage. –Lucem Quaere
(And you’re right. )
Youโre damn right Wil! Fuck โem!
I really think they should get rid of the filibuster. I know it’s extremely risky but it’s how they can actually enact things that matter instead of promising stuff they just fold one when the republicans say they’ll use the filibuster. Make Trump veto everything, or name everything after him and maybe he’ll pass it. Here’s a smarter person than me talking about it: Ezra Klein: The Filibuster Is a Disaster ; https://youtu.be/AMnKOrJLMdg?t=400
Screaming in agreement from Colorado.
I agree.
Out with the old and in with the new.
Times have changed and itโs time we move ahead.
We only need those that understand the assignment and those who follow them. Couldnโt agree with you more and I think the leaders we got this time around are going to put a lot of pressure on the party in the best way. Accountability and also delivering real actual relief to real peopleโs wallets are the only priority.
Hard agree, waaaay past “reach across the aisle”.
Last week sucked & hate that you had to go through that!!
DNC leadership needs to remember that two things can be done at the same time – Accountability + Progress. Step one was getting back a working Congress. Step Two is holding the ones in Congress accountable. We’ve just shown them that the voice of the people will not be silent & ANYONE can be replaced by better candidates who actually want to WORK for the people who elected them. We need to stay engaged & make sure they remember that they work for us, THE PEOPLE, and not for big money! Change is a long & difficult road, they can get on the bus with us or get left behind. Keep moving forward for positive change!
Voters gave a clear mandate for real accountability and strong oversight, not business as usual. Itโs time for leadership to match the urgency and courage of the moment!
Damn right! I pretty much read the same message on God’s latest Substack message from today, and I totally agree.
Very well said!! It’s time to show all the cowardly, corrupt Republicans exactly what will happen if they EVER try this bullshit again!
I’ve been learning a lot lately about the roles of speaker and majority leader etc. Hakeem is arguably great in the role of forming coalitions and keeping the caucuses on mission. When he goes on the news and opens his face hole he isn’t talking to us the people he is talking to his colleagues in Congress. However what the establishment isn’t getting or maybe they don’t care is that this is a class war. Full fledged. And when you have Palantir and Anduril funding Jefferies the Dem establishment’s perennial difficulties with perception management get even worse. These are the same companies run by dark enlightenment-pilled, right wing accelerationists. They don’t believe in democracy and nation states. They want corpo states. And that sort of set up was already tried by Leopold II in the Congo in the late 1800s and that went so well that everyone lived happily ever after. These companies are actively building the fascist state apparatus. When you’re in bed with people like that it makes people not trust you.
I find it ironic that it very well may turn out that radical lefty DSAs like me might actually be the ones fighting to preserve the “moderate status quo” that the Dem establishment claims to want.
‘I woke up to discover that gravity is, in fact, real.’
You are so damn eloquent. And your righteous anger feels to me very Terry Pratchettesque. I don’t know if you read Discworld, but you seem like someone who does <3
‘I woke up to discover that gravity is, in fact, real.’
You are so damn eloquent. And your righteous anger feels to me very Terry Pratchettesque. I don’t know if you read Discworld, but you seem like someone who does <3
THANK YOU WIL! Everyone I talk to agrees with you. I will be writing those two wastes of government spending daily to tell them they aren’t wanted or needed in this new phase of America. Get on board or get run over. Done with corporate democrats as much as republicans!
I’m in Austin now and lemme tell you, it was a party on Tuesday night here for sure. And yes. All of this. I want criminals held to account and funding for programs that help people, not those that kill or kidnap people. Shouldn’t be a big ask. And yet. All that said, I wasn’t surprised by the outcome here. Most people here aren’t actually evil or stupid. And now they’re angry enough to be engaged. There comes a point when even the most complacent (non)voters can’t take it anymore, and we’re there. Our choices were largely people who seem decent versus actual criminals. So, yeah. It was time. I’m a tran masc in Texas, and here on the ground, it’s not as red as it seems – never has been. I’m cautiously optimistic with our blue governor, senator, AG, railroad commissioner, and agriculture commissioner (and did I mention AG?) that some of the more horrific anti-trans and anti-abortion laws might actually be sent to the fires from whence they came. Only time will tell. But at least we have a chance now. And that ain’t nothing.
I Love you!!!!
I’m a bit older , but I’m right with you!!!
Also, much condolences at the loss of your dear friend.
Thank you for saying what I’ve been feeling. I’ve made my calls (as I have for years, in fact) and I am asking my peers to make calls to (and some of them are). I want to be hopeful that the party can evolve.
This. All of this.
I have no faith in the democrats being able to read the room and make the necessary decisions to get back on track. Although not nearly as evil as the Trump-MAGA group, they are still operate under unwritten โcountry-clubโ rules, norms and traditions. Unless, of course, Schumer and Jefferies and their ilk move aside. Butโฆthat would be too much like Christmas, wouldnโt it?
Right on point Will. Excellent take and as an old guy myself I agree that Schumer needs to go so that younger leadership can take point and maybe Jeffries too (don’t know enought about him. And if any party can fuck up this overwhelming desire for change it’s the dems.
Interesting wishlist, but then what do you think the plan is to deal with the fact that trump controls the DOJ, and ICE and the military, and has presidential immunity, and presidential veto power, meaning Congress and the Senate need a super majority to do literally anything (that requires working with the GOP guy), and presidential pardons and all the heritage foundation guys are still working away in the background with their countless billions in super villain money and SCOTUS is corrupt?
Do you really think you voted your way out of fascism with one election while the other side controls the executive, most of judicial and military branches? Really?
As a Canadian I can only sit and watch the crazy antics of the meth lab downstairs. Just remember that a cornered animal is the most dangerous. They aren’t going to roll over and transition from power peacefully.
So a bunch of Republican dinosaurs have been slain, and now a couple of Democrat dinosaurs need to be slain to put the reign of the dinosaurs completely and fully into the history books.
Really, it’s a worldwide relief that the Democrats won; it was even celebrated in the MMORPG I always play, with people dropping war banners with the celebration (which can be seen across the whole game map with the message you choose).
But there is something we must always be aware of: politicians are the most backstabbing thing there is, and they will always do whatever benefits them economically. If trusting a human being is already like walking on hot coals, trusting a politician is the equivalent of walking across the peaks of Everest on a tightrope, blindfolded and without any kind of safety gear; the slightest breeze will make us fall. It’s a very cruel reality that, unfortunately, we must accept, and it happens in every part of the world.
Now, my esteemed Wil, let’s hope things change for everyone’s good, and that all the love weโyour followers and all your loved onesโsend you reached you this week to accompany you and ease your sadness a little bit.
We love you, you know it. Until your next post.
โนโหโง๏ธตโฟโเญจแฐเญงโโฟ๏ธตโงหโโน
Abdul El-Sayed will soon be my senator. I cannot wait to see what he does.
Wil – agree with you about Schumer and a little less on Jefferies. The problem will likely be that behind the scenes one or both raised funds for the people that won and those people will be reluctant to stand up to them. But Schumer acts old (and looks old ) and its way past time for new blood, especially young leadership.
And I agree that they need to hold these guys accountable for almost ruining this country – Trump and his family and Vance in particular. But they also need to make sure that the many who voted for them who are hurting financially, if not spiritually, are helped. They need to do more than investigate – they need to get to the point of any investigation so that it makes sense and is completed. They also need to help those who need it and are suffering.
Finally, I’d like to see them get rid of the outdated and useless Electoral College.