The Mump Regime

A Sunday digest of articles and ideas worth sharing... plus a grab-bag of other news, comments and silliness you may have missed.

This Sunday, I'm highlighting some articles and ideas worth sharing and a grab-bag of other news, comments and silliness you may have missed.

"For a new world we need new words," writes Timothy Snyder. He proposes calling the new administration The Mump Regime:

"Mump regime," Musk+Trump, keeps the two men who currently matter the most, Elon Musk and Donald Trump, in the proper order.

Musk matters more than Trump. He is the one with the money, the one to whom Trump owes debts. Musk also has a much more lively sense of his own interests and more energy generally. When the two men's ideas clash, as over China in the recent shutdown dispute, Musk gets his way.

"Mump regime" also keeps front and center the basic issue of illness.... the mumpers and the mumpets are threatening to take away vaccination, which could kill millions of people. One of the diseases it would bring back is, precisely, mumps. Some of the others are far worse.

Why is Musk-Trump the “Mump Regime”?

Ask the Mumpers and the Mumpets

Thinking about...Timothy Snyder

Marc Elias wants us to know "we are on our own":

When the legacy media normalizes Trump’s most indefensible nominees at the same time its owners pay protection money, we are on our own. When businessmen fly their private jets to kiss the ring solely to protect their own companies from his deranged policies, we are on our own. When government officials, who know how dangerous he is, make excuses or resign in advance, we are on our own.

We Are on Our Own

From Marc | Our institutions are not going to save us. Only we can do that.

Democracy DocketMarc Elias

Regarding Disney/ABC's payment of "protection money" to the Mump Regime, here's what Sarah B thinks George Stephanopoulos should have said:

On Bluesky, the reaction to Mark Burnett, the 'Apprentice' producer who made this entire shitshow possible, being named Trump's new Special Envoy to the United Kingdom is that it's (obvs) a reward for his refusal to the release the "N-word" tapes.

MacKenzie Scott (Jeff Bezos' ex-wife) is earning praise for giving (some more of) her money away, in contrast to the world's richest man, who was last seen trying to defund pediatric cancer research while skirting the law and breaking all of his own meager philanthropic promises.

Meanwhile, the Biden Boom is getting a final lift from consumers who are only now realizing how good they've got it... after being bombarded by retailers with the compelling message: "Buy Now Before Tariffs Hit."

Consumers are shopping now so they won't have to later, Shannon Grein, an economist at Wells Fargo, tells Reuters: "We expect... the pace of consumption to slow as the year progresses and tariff-related price pressure bites."

In summary, the Mump Regime is coming. We are on our own. Job number one is not obeying in advance.

But that doesn't mean we can't "quiet quit" the Trump Economy ahead of time. Buy those gadgets, books, and paper towels now so you won't have to later. Fill your pantries and get your boosters (while you can). And, in 2025, please make an extra effort to support local and minority-owned businesses—while avoiding Walmart and Amazon as much as you possibly can.

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P.S. This really is the time to get off X once and for all. Please find me on Bluesky and these other places.