November 14, 2025 Newsletter
Well, Maybe Not Victory After All
News from INDIVISIBLE SAN MATEO
Nov. 14, 2025
Harry (Rick) Moody, Newsletter Editor
Mary Beavins, Founder of Indivisible San Mateo
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“The world is a mysterious and confusing place. If you are not willing to be confused, you become a mere replica of someone else’s mind…
To control people, make them believe they are responsible for their own misery
and present yourself as their savior.”
- Noam Chomsky
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COMING EVENTS
General Meeting. Indivisible San Mateo will be hosting a general meeting and coffee social on Sunday, Nov. 16, from 3 to 4:30 pm at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center, 800 Foster City Blvd. in Foster City, the same place we met previously. The Freedom Strummers will be playing and we will show a play illustrating big events that have happened during 2025. We hope to see you there!
Rally and Demonstration. Indivisible San Mateo will continue, as before, to host gatherings, with signs for people driving by and with music from the Freedom Strummers. The rally and demonstration will be from 1 to 2:30 pm on El Camino Real at 31st Avenue, just north of Hillsdale Shopping Center. Open to everyone, no reservations necessary.
Other Coming Events. These will all be featured on the Indivisible San Mateo website: https://www.indivisiblesanmateo.com/
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Post Election sign (from a reader of Today’s Edition newsletter)
ABOUT THE 2025 ELECTION
“There’s an onslaught of news coming out of the White House. Some of it is meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back. The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back.” (From National Indivisible)
That’s what we’ve been fighting for in 2025, all year. The electoral result was great: Proposition 50 in California passed. There were great victories in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and almost everywhere else:
“Democrats just had their bet night in years… Democrats turned affordability and authenticity into a winning message while Trump’s actions are alienating voters.”
(The Bulwark)
“We're living in the No Kings era now: the election was No Kings 3.”
(Ezra Klein, BlueSky)
“Congratulations to everyone who volunteered, donated, called, knocked, texted, protested and cared about the future of our nation. The election results on Tuesday tell us that Democrats, and all Americans who value democracy, are on the right path.” (Robert L. Hubbell)
“In A Blue Wave Election Americans Deliver A Powerful Rebuke Of Trump And Republicans Across The Country. Trump's Government Has Failed, His Powers Are Ebbing, And For The Good Of The Country Democrats Must Become More Ambitious Now” (Hopium Chronicles)
We shouldn’t overstate what happened [on election day], but we shouldn’t understate it, either: Today is the beginning of the endgame on Donald Trump. The results put in motion a number of dynamics that might bring about the defeat of Trumpism and will definitely force Trump and Republicans into decision points earlier than they had hoped.” (“Anatomy of a Wave,” The Triad)
Too early to think about 2026? No, not too early. Here’s good guidance on it: “2025 election wrap-up: Insights from Brookings”
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/2025-election-wrap-up-insights-from-brookings/
I don’t watch many podcast interviews. But Krugman is worth it: “Paul Krugman: What can the 2025 elections tell us about 2026?” at:
Paul Krugman from Paul Krugman
https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/podcast-with-paul-krugman-what-can
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AFTER THE ELECTION, BETRAYAL
“Say What Idiot Sociopath: Dems Caved To This”
https://www.commondreams.org/further/say-what-idiot-sociopath-dems-caved-to-this
Discouraged by the 8 Democrats who caved in to join with Republicans and end the shutdown? Betrayal is painful, but don’t be immobilized. Do again what we in the grass roots did in 2025. We will do win again.
From Robert Hubbell: “Those who seek to preserve democracy still have the momentum and the moral high ground. We also have the support of a strong majority of the American people. It could be otherwise, so the fact that we head into the beginning of the 2026 midterms in a position of strength should not be overlooked or taken for granted. We worked damned hard to get here, and we shouldn’t let the politics of the shutdown diminish our achievements or dampen our spirits.”
From Today’s Edition, “Moving Past the Shutdown Fight” at: https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/moving-past-the-shutdown-fight
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PITY THE NATION
Pity the nation whose people are sheep
And whose shepherds mislead them
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
Whose sages are silenced
And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Except to praise conquerors
And acclaim the bully as hero
And aims to rule the world
By force and by torture
Pity the nation that knows
No other language but its own
And no other culture but its own
Pity the nation whose breath is money
And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
Pity the nation oh pity the people
who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away
My country, tears of thee
Sweet land of liberty!
by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (After Khalil Gibran)
The great poet Shelley once said "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." In Trump Time, can we listen to Lawrence Ferlinghetti?
It's not late and you're not too old.
Indivisible Friends: It begins here, right now, nowhere else. Washington is far away, even Sacramento is far away. But San Francisco is not far away. Start where you are. Be the change you want to see (Ghandi) Build on the successes of Nov. 4.
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RESIST AND PROTEST
How to Resist. “Tank Man Had Shopping Bags. She Had a Polka Dot Dress.”
What the People Can Do.
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TRUMP’S TRICKS
Despite elections victories on Nov. 4, Donald Trump and his minions have not gone away. They will do whatever is needed to retain power. For Hitler, it was the Reichstag Fire (1933). For Trump, it could be a terrorist attack. We should be prepared:
“The Next Terrorist Attack” by Timothy Snyder, at:
https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-next-terrorist-attack-26b
“Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of opposition parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Do not fall for it.”
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TRUMP TALK
Are you having nightmares about Trump?
From Robert Reich
From the editor: In future issues of this newsletter, I will share some dreams, including nightmares, about Trump, collected by Sarah Crawford. For a glimpse, see: “45 Dreams Project: the collected dreams of a troubled era” at”
For other Trump dreams, contact me at: harryrickmoody@gmail.com
“War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Grocery Prices Are Way Down.
Lying has worked for Trump in the past. Is this a lie too far?”
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/war-is-peace-freedom-is-slavery-grocery
Also, as per “War Is Peace,” don’t miss the new film about George Orwell (1984).
I saw it and it’s great. Available on streaming from Apple, YouTube, and others.
Character Counts. “Epstein Said Trump Is the Worst Person He’d Ever Met” at:
https://newrepublic.com/post/203140/donald-trump-epstein-worst-person
Thinking about Trump. Do you sometimes think Trump is driving you crazy? You’re not alone: See: “How Donald Trump broke the American mind” at:
https://www.salon.com/2025/11/03/how-donald-trump-broke-the-american-mind/
Good News: 2025 Election. “Trump Humiliation Worsens as Info Reveals Scale of GOP Losses”
https://newrepublic.com/article/202732/2025-election-results-trump-humiliation
“Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Hits New Second Term Low: Poll” (Nov. 7, 2025)
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DEBATE AND SOURCES
Project 2025
“Admit it: Trump is the stupidest man ever to be president of our country. He is merely a puppet for the Heritage Foundation AND the Federalist Society – dominated by right-wing/racist Christian-evangelical nationalists of which 5 of our Supreme Court judges are a member of.
Project 2025 has main goals:
1. Destroy/Reshape the existing government from the top down.
2. Consolidate executive power in favor of right-wing, evangelical policies.
3. Select from a personnel database only loyal staff that adhere to the president and support the evangelical, right-wing policies.
4. Establish a set of ‘executive orders’ issued by their ‘puppet’ (aka Donald J. Trump) to implement their policies.”
(From Rick Torreanos, member of Indivisible San Mateo)
Getting the Truth. MAGA and Trump are taking over mainstream media. The Washington Post caved some time ago, and now CBS has been taken over—that is, completely owned—by those who bend the knee. I’ve watched “Sixty Minutes” since it went on the air (1968). Now it has died at the hands of Trump: see “RIP: 60 Minutes” and Robert Hubbell’s obituary: https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/rip-60-minutes
“Fact check: 18 false claims Trump made on ‘60 Minutes’ “
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/03/politics/fact-check-trump-cbs-interview
I’m glad I ended my subscription to the WP: “The Washington Post Has Become Right-Wing Even Faster Than I Thought”
https://newrepublic.com/article/202581/washington-post-right-wing-bezos
Many Americans get their news through Facebook. But Meta (new name for Facebook) helped to elect Trump in 2016. Today Mark Zuckerberg is one of the billionaires who have decided to pay Trump for protection.
Look for other sources: e.g., The Guardian, Meidas Touch Network, and multiple sources through substack. Freedom of the press survives, but not at the hands of the oligarchs.
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BEING A GOOD CITIZEN
“When your country pursues abhorrent policies, when the face it turns to the world is the face of a monster, what does that say about you? In my experience, it is strikingly easy to shrug off one’s responsibility for the country where one pays taxes, contributes to the public conversation and, at least nominally, has the right to vote, if that country is the United States. It seems one can just say ‘Not in my name’ and continue to enjoy the wealth and the freedom of movement one’s citizenship confers. But as this country builds more cages for immigrants, deploys military force against civilians in city after city, regularly commits murder in the high seas and systematically destroys its own democratic institutions, that may change. It should change. What does one do then? How can one be a good citizen of a bad state?”
From Masha Gessen (N.Y. Times, Nov. 3, 2025)
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WEB SITES TO SEE
Scams and Conspiracies. It’s not just MAGA people who can fall for this:
“Who’s Getting Our Money?”
https://grassrootsconnector.substack.com/p/whos-getting-our-money
Industrial Policy. “California Can Lead a Just Climate Transition” at:
https://inequality.org/article/california-can-lead-a-just-climate-transition/
Strength in Numbers: “The 2024 Trump ‘realignment’ is over already”
https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trumps-winning-2024-coalition-has
Telling our Story. I don’t know Ken Burns personally, but I have friends who have worked closely with him for years. I have loved Burns since his first Civil War series on PBS. Burns is now one our most articulate speakers working against Trump and MAGA: “Ken Burns: The Revolutionaries Were Exactly Like Us” at:
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/ken-burns-the-revolutionaries-were
Success for Democrats. “The Affordability Curse” Politics isn’t just about the words you put on your bumper stickers. It’s about what you do if the bumper stickers work:
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BOOKS TO READ
Autocracy, Inc. The Dictators Who Want to Rule the World, by Anne Applebaum
https://www.anneapplebaum.com/book/autocracy/
See also: https://anneapplebaum.substack.com/p/the-biggest-tent
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man, by Mary Trump.
Howard Zinn Speaks: Collected Speeches 1963-2009, by Howard Zinn (edited posthumously).
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A LITTLE LAUGHTER
Scientists Call for Mar-a-Lago to be Designated a Mummified Dinosaur Zone
Scientists have announced the recovery of an extraordinarily well-preserved specimen of Tyrannosaurus rumpus princeps on Mar-a-Lago, a barrier island near Palm Beach, Florida. The specimen was uncovered during preparations for a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party, but was not identified until the fete was in progress.
Noted paleontologist Dr. David Huxley stated that the mummified body was of earth-shaking significance, “Until now, our knowledge of this creature was derived from partial skeletal remains. Lacking skin and soft organs, many of our assumptions as to the beast’s true nature were, like blind men examining an elephant, hopelessly divorced from reality. Until we carefully examined this specimen, we were working from limited samples and many of our theories will have to be completely revised. For example, the brain and hands are much smaller than we had postulated. Additionally, the link between T. rumpus princeps and the earlier T. autocratids, (fuhreri, ducelini, and georgiani) which had been the subject of much academic debate is now firmly established.”
Because of evidence of a large number of other lesser species also preserved at the site, scientists are urging that Mar-a-Lago and a similar site in Washington, DC be designated mummified dinosaur zones, halting all excavations until both sites have been thoroughly examined. The occupant of both sites opposes the designation, declaring it to be of no practical relevance - a ‘witch hunt motivated by personal animosity’
Note: Dr. David Huxley is Cary Grant's role in "Bringing Up Baby"
(Satire by John Russell, Yale, 1967)
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PROTEST SIGN FROM NO KINGS DAY-2
Shared by Robert Hubbell
