Saturday, December 13, 2025

MAD Hero of the Month: Will Bunch

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MAD Hero of the Month: Will Bunch

Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Inquirer is not afraid to call out the Trump regime’s fascism. Bunch exemplifies the power of opinion journalism to tell the truth and defend democratic principles.

Media and Democracy Project

Dec 13

American democracy and journalism need more heroes. Our Media and Democracy Project hero for October is Will Bunch of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Included in this post are actions to take to thank and support Mr. Bunch.

“Words still not only matter, but have incredible power. What we are witnessing is American fascism. I am an anti-fascist.” — Will Bunch

Words are powerful tools. As George Orwell portrayed in his post-World War II book 1984, the deliberate misuse of language (Orwell’s so-called “Doublespeak”) by a fascist regime is a manipulative and deceptive form of propaganda intended to a control society and alter its perception of reality. The current resistance of most legacy news outlets in the United States to accurately describe the destructive and corrupt activities of the Trump regime threatens to distort our understanding of what is happening around us. This distortion can prevent media consumers from perceiving and reacting to even the most obvious infringements of our constitutional rights. Even worse, it encourages the acceptance or avoidance of outrages such as the invasion of our cities and the abuse of our people by a violent, masked secret police force.

At least one columnist and his publisher have chosen not to abdicate their role as the independent Fourth Estate of our democracy and have rejected the use of weak euphemisms to describe the ongoing horrors of the Trump regime. On October 5, 2025, The Philadelphia Inquirer published opinion columnist Will Bunch’s column “Why we can’t allow Trump to ban that other f-word:The column the Trump regime wants to ban: America has to call out surging fascism in order to defeat it.” Bunch muses on the possibility that Trump would very much like to ban his column, citing the “National Security Presidential Memorandum NSPM-7”, in which the Trump regime designates “Antifa” as a “Domestic Terrorist Organization”. That “Antifa” is not an actual organization has not deterred the regime from defining it as such and issuing an assembly of ridiculous and fascist directives targeting anyone who is not MAGA or who dares to disagree with the Trump regime’s policies.

As Bunch points out, the term “Antifa” is short for “Anti-fascism”, which is simply an ideology that opposes fascism. Bunch writes: “Trump, in his memo, attempts to rebrand anti-fascism, writing that ‘these movements portray foundational American principles (e.g., support for law enforcement and border control) as ‘fascist’ to justify and encourage acts of violent revolution.’”

Bunch cites historians such as Timothy Snyder and Robert Paxson to help define American fascism. He goes on to emphasize that in the regime’s efforts to destroy American democracy, Trump is ignoring our constitutional right of free speech and attempting to cover up the outrageous, aggressive, and potentially illegal activities of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) in our cities: “This isn’t some arcane dispute over language. The Trump regime is desperate to control the words of America’s political conversation because they want to normalize what they are doing right now, which is pursuing a rapid race to demolish democratic norms and institutions.”

“The reason is simple: Defeating fascism requires a very different type of posture — both politically and morally — than might an old-fashioned political quarrel between liberals and conservatives over tax rates and government services. To truly oppose a fascist Trump regime, we must declare ourselves anti-fascists.”

Bunch’s clear analysis of the nature of speech and our right to use it is a sorely needed acknowledgement from a major city newspaper that we are indeed witnessing the unfolding of a fascist police state on American soil. Bunch’s bravery to speak the truth and to name it FASCISM, along with the Philadelphia Inquirer editor’s willingness to publish his column, is a beacon to all of us who oppose and want to speak out against Trump’s corrupt regime.

Today, democracy and all the principles and rights that accompany it are under siege by the Trump regime. We desperately need the press and media to stand up for our rights and unabashedly speak the truth.

Thank you, Will Bunch. The country owes you a debt of gratitude for your bravery and perseverance, and your powerful use of opinion journalism to tell the truth and defend democratic principles.

Signed,

The Media and Democracy Project community.

Other noteworthy pieces by Mr. Bunch this year:

College journalism exposes the rot of ‘grown-ups’

It didn’t take a Reichstag Fire to burn down Congress

From autism to beards, the Trump regime wages war on ‘the different’

Then they fight you: How the ‘No Kings’ protests are winning America

Kimmel blackout is what happens when your TV isn’t locally sourced

Kimmel yanked: Sen. Fetterman, can we call it ‘fascism’ yet?

The Washington Post has broken my heart

Americans told to watch what we say about ‘free speech icon’ Charlie Kirk

Actions you can take in support of Mr. Bunch:

1 – Follow Will Bunch on Bluesky and amplify his work:

https://bsky.app/profile/willbunch.bsky.social

2 - Subscribe to and write a letter of thanks to The Philadelphia Inquirer in support of Will Bunch and his extraordinary columns:

https://www.inquirer.com/offers/

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-inquirer-op-ed-opinion-pitch-submission.html

UPDATE: Since awarding Mr. Bunch our “Hero of the Month” in October the Trump administration has further weaponized the power of the federal government using the infamous presidential memorandum (NSPM-7). Here is journalist Ken Klippenstein who first obtained the memo discussing its danger and recent use by US Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Additional reading: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/trumps-orders-targeting-antifascism-aim-criminalize-opposition

DISCLAIMER: Due to our concerns about Substack’s leadership, ownership and agendas that conflict with our values, MAD is in the process of finding a new home for our blog. We will keep you posted.

"Trump's Arithmetic of Make-Believe"

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"Trump's Arithmetic of Make-Believe"

This is what happens when slogans outrun spreadsheets; an economy governed by talking points, cheerleaders, and numbers that sound impressive until someone asks to verify them.

Michael Cohen

Dec 13

I’ve said it so many times over the years that it’s practically stitched into my DNA: numbers don’t lie—people do. I learned that lesson the hard way, sitting in boardrooms where confidence mattered more than competence and bravado routinely substituted for balance sheets. Which is why listening to this administration talk about tariff revenue feels less like economic policy and more like a rerun of a familiar con; one I recognize because I used to help sell it.

We are now deep into the era of what Trump calls the tariff shelf. You’ve heard about it. It’s apparently stocked with trillions upon trillions of dollars; so many, in fact, that the number changes depending on who’s holding the microphone. One day the President says it’s $23 trillion. The next, $29 trillion. Sometimes it’s a mere $2 trillion. Then; miraculously, overnight, it’s $3 trillion. No explanation. No accounting. Just a bigger number, delivered with a straight face and the expectation that no one will ask where it came from or, more importantly, where it’s being kept.

If this shelf exists, it seems to operate under its own laws of physics; one where money multiplies when spoken aloud and disappears the moment anyone asks to see a receipt.

But here’s where the math emphatically does matter: actual tariff revenue. Let’s do the numbers, because someone has to. Government data show that tariff collections; customs duties, do produce real money, yes, but nowhere near the fantastical scale implied by the administration’s talking points. Hundreds of billions collected through 2025 sounds impressive until you stack it against the trillions they keep citing. Peak months brought in over $30 billion, early months under $10 billion, and total receipts may reach roughly $300 billion by year’s end. That’s less than a fifth of a trillion. Not one trillion. Not two. Not 29. Even one trillion? Still a fantasy.

And the trend isn’t encouraging. November pulled in $30.76 billion; down slightly from prior months, reflecting weakening imports and shifting supply chains. Over the last month alone, tariff revenue averaged roughly $35 billion. Let that sink in: $35 billion. Enough to make headlines, sure. Enough to fund the dreams of people who believe the “tariff shelf” is a limitless ATM? Not even close. Yet Howard Lutnick, Scott Bessent, and Kevin Hassett trot out these numbers with confidence, giving fantasy the veneer of economic law.

This is how fiction becomes policy. Not through shouting, but through repetition by people who should know better. The math refuses to cooperate. Trillions? Don’t make me laugh. And when policymakers budget based on these fantasies, real promises; real obligations, eventually crash into reality. That’s not opinion. That’s arithmetic.

Because the administration has already spent the money it insists is sitting on that imaginary shelf. On paper, at least. Tariff revenue has been promised to reduce the national debt. It’s been pledged for rebate checks. It’s been earmarked to bail out farmers harmed by trade disruptions. It’s been floated as funding for childcare programs. And in moments of rhetorical enthusiasm, it’s even been suggested as a substitute for federal income taxes altogether.

Same dollar. Five commitments. Zero proof.

There’s an old accounting rule that says you can’t spend the same dollar twice. In Trump-era economics, the rule seems to be: spend it as many times as necessary, as long as no one asks to see it. I’ve watched this mindset up close. When confidence replaces calculation, the story always sounds better than the spreadsheet; until the spreadsheet shows up.

Reality doesn’t bend to confidence. It doesn’t care if you give it a grin, a press conference, or a cable segment. The “tariff shelf” is a prop. Trillions are fiction. Promises are illusions. And when the ledger finally lands on someone’s desk — unvarnished, unscripted, undeniable — it won’t ask for permission. It will simply expose every overstated claim, every recycled dollar, and every cheerleader who thought repetition could replace math. In this administration, that day isn’t coming politely; it’s coming like a bill you can’t ignore. And when it does, the applause will die, the grins will vanish, and the shelf? It will be as empty as the promises stacked upon it.

____________________________________________________________________________

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Yeah, I know; you’re tired. This shit is exhausting.

Guess what? Me too.

But I’ve spent the last 8 years throwing punches in the dark so truth could get a little daylight. And now I’m asking you to step into the ring with me.

Because if you’re still reading this, you already get it:
This isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a rally cry. A war drum. A line in the sand.

We are not passive observers of the downfall. We are the resistance. We call out the liars. We drag corruption by the collar into the sunlight. We say the quiet parts out loud; and we don’t flinch.

But here’s the truth: I can’t do this solo. Not anymore.

The storm is already here. We are standing in it. And it’s wearing stars and stripes like camouflage, preaching “freedom” while it sells fascism at retail.

So let me ask you:
Are. You. In?

Because this is not a scroll-and-forget read. This is a living, breathing, fire-breathing movement; and movements don’t move unless you do.

We need to be louder than spin, tougher than propaganda, and impossible to gaslight.
That takes more than clicks. More than likes.
It takes skin in the game.

So if you believe truth matters; if you’re sick of the bullshit, if you’re ready to stop screaming into the algorithm and start pushing back with purpose, this is your next step.

HERE’S HOW YOU PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE GAS:

Become a paid subscriber. Fund fearless, unfiltered journalism that hits back.
Share this with the loudest people you know; the ones who never sit down and shut up.
Build the community. Amplify the message. Be the damn megaphone.

And yeah; Founding Members? The first 240 of you will get a signed, numbered, limited-edition Substack version of Revenge. That’s not just a collector’s item. That’s receipts. Proof you didn’t sit this one out.

But let’s be clear:

This isn’t about a book.
It’s about backbone.
It’s about calling out the gaslighters and refusing to be played.
It’s about locking arms and saying, “Not. On. Our. Watch.”

You want to make a difference?

Then make it; right now.

Because if we don’t fight for truth, no one will.
But if we fight together?

They can’t drown us out.

Let’s be so loud, they wish we were just angry tweets.
Let’s be unshakable.
Unignorable.
Un-fucking-breakable.

Let’s go!

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Billionaires buy senile president to kill AI regulations: Follow the money

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Billionaires buy senile president to kill AI regulations: Follow the money

Trump Signs Executive Order to Neuter State A.I. Laws. Tech companies that have lobbied against regulation of the booming technology. Trump has given David Sacks, who is also a Silicon Valley investor, heavy influence over policy decisions. Sacks said that the administration would target the most “onerous” state laws, pointing to A.I. legislation that could “embed ideological bias” within A.I. models. States have also passed a growing number of child-safety regulations targeting A.I. chatbots and social media companies that use A.I.-based technologies. — NY Times Follow the money Follow the money Thiel bankrolling J.D. Vance and other MAGA Republicans

“Thiel has emerged as a major financial backer of the MAGA movement. Thiel is backing well over a dozen Senate and House candidates, many of whom have embraced Trump’s lies about the 2020 election… Thiel is something of a hater of liberal democracy: He has written that freedom and democracy are not “compatible”

Another possibility, of course, is that Thiel genuinely believes popular majorities will simply have to be overridden in the future. We’d still have politics and government, but dictated by minority rule.” — Washington Post (excerpts)

Peter Thiel Republicans Meet the Peter Thiel funded Republicans

TakeAway: Stop the Republican grift behind slashing AI regulations. Hold billionaires accountable.

Deepak
DemLabs

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