Where the Hell Is the Fight?

The Alarming Silence Where a Battle Plan Should Be (I Outline Solutions)

Jack Hopkins

Jul 09, 2025

166

Where the Hell Is the Fight?

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #412

Let me level with you.

What I’m about to say is going to sting.

Not because it’s mean, or partisan…or hotheaded. But because it’s true. And if we don’t face the truth now…while we still have some leverage left in this unraveling democracy…we won’t get another chance.

The hard truth is this:

The Democratic Party is not fighting. Not really. Not like the situation demands.

And anyone telling you otherwise is either lying to you…trying to keep you docile…or too comfortable to notice the wolves at the door. (More on this, later)

In this issue of JHN, I’m going to raise hell. Then…as always, I’m going to outline some solutions. I rarely bring attention to problems…unless I also propose some well-thought-out solutions. It’s a habit worth having.

The Illusion of Resistance

Democratic leaders love to look like they’re resisting. That’s why so many Democrats are convinced “they’re fighting for us!” When the evidence cleary shows they’re not.

They tweet. They post press releases. They do interviews where they tsk-tsk and furrow their brows at "deep concerns."

But here’s the problem: the house is on fire…and we keep getting officials standing outside with clipboards taking notes.

Where are the emergency lawsuits?

Where are the non-stop court filings?

Where are the legal teams crashing into the gates of power with every constitutional challenge imaginable?

Where is the messaging onslaught that frames this moment correctly?

Trump isn’t running a campaign. He’s running a hostile takeover. And they’re treating it like it’s a normal election.

What Fighting Actually Looks Like

Let’s be clear: fighting doesn’t mean yelling on MSNBC.

Fighting means:

Filing legal injunctions to block unlawful maneuvers in real time
Taking executive branch agencies to court for every breach of power
Launching investigative commissions that expose not just Trump but the GOP machinery enabling him
Flooding media with unified…disciplined messaging that pins authoritarianism to its ringleaders every single day
Building local pressure networks that organize voters…hold state officials accountable…and create political costs for obstruction

And yes—sometimes fighting means getting loud. But it also means being smart… coordinated…and relentless. Not just reacting…but seizing the offensive.

But Instead... What Do We Get?

We get House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling on Republicans to "do the right thing."

That’s not strategy. That’s not leadership. That’s an excuse to do nothing and call it principle.

Imagine FDR saying, "We hope Hitler sees reason."

You want specifics? Here are just a few glaring failures of fight:

1. The Supreme Court Ruling on Immunity

Where was the emergency press conference? Where was the coordinated response of lawsuits? Where were the state AGs filing challenges to clarify the limits of this ruling?

Crickets.

2. Project 2025's Fascist Blueprint

Trump allies openly published a 900-page plan to dismantle democracy. Where is the full-time war room dissecting it line by line? Where is the campaign explaining it to every American in terms they understand?

Nowhere. Because they aren’t treating it as a war plan. They're treating it like a footnote.

3. Legal Battles Over Ballot Access

While Republicans file suits in dozens of states, we get hand-wringing over decorum. There is no Democratic equivalent of this legal aggression.

Where is the DNC’s army of constitutional litigators? Where is the flood of preventative lawsuits?

4. Voter Suppression

Voter roll purges. Restrictive ID laws. Polling place closures. Republicans deploy these like tactical weapons. Democrats issue statements.

That’s not fighting. That’s managing decline.

5. January 6 Aftermath

Over three years later, and still no daily effort to remind the public of what happened, who enabled it…and why it’s happening again.

You’ve got an attempted coup. You’ve got a Supreme Court rubber-stamping immunity. You’ve got Trump threatening retribution and implementing mass arrests.

And the Democrats act like they’re on a student council.

Why Aren’t They Fighting?

Let’s talk brass tacks:

They’re addicted to old norms. They still think bipartisanship is the holy grail.
They’re terrified of bad headlines. They think filing lawsuits and using power aggressively will make them look "radical."
They’re focused on the donor class. Too many decisions are made with the comfort of wealthy liberals in mind…not the survival of democracy.
They’ve grown comfortable. Many career Democrats are insulated. They don’t feel the fear the rest of us feel.

What Would It Look Like If They Were Fighting?

State AGs would coordinate legal offensives the way the GOP does.
There would be weekly legal briefings showing voters what is being done to protect democracy.
Top Democrats would be everywhere with clear…repeated…emotionally resonant messaging about what Trump and the GOP are doing.
There would be pressure campaigns on corporations…media outlets…and universities that launder authoritarian propaganda.
There would be a dedicated, 24/7 Democracy War Room that acts like the threat is real.

Because it is.

What Can We Do?

We pressure the hell out of them.

Call your reps daily and demand more than soundbites. Demand filings. Hearings. Legal action.
Flood the media with letters…calls, and op-eds demanding a real fight.
Support state-level leaders who are going harder than national ones.
Show up to town halls and make it uncomfortable for them to sit on their hands.
Name names. Celebrate the fighters…but not prematurely. (Don’t shower praise on someone doing the minimum until you see real action. Just because they’re doing more than those doing nothing…doesn’t make them a fighter.) Call out the cowards…by name.

Because here’s the thing:

They’re not going to fight us unless we make them.

And if they won’t fight?

We damn well will.

Citations / Evidence of Lack of Fight:

Final Word

If you’re reading this…you already know what time it is.

This moment is not normal. This political season is not business as usual. And if the Democratic Party doesn’t start acting like the stakes are life and death…then it’s up to us to light the damn fire under them.

Because the wolves aren’t at the door anymore. They’re inside.

And the clock is ticking. The crisis isn’t coming; it’s happening right now.

Stay sharp. Stay loud. Stay dangerous.

Jack

P.S. Print this off and mail it…or email it…or post on the timeline of the Democrats who need to be doing a hell of a lot more. In case you aren’t yet aware (but you should be) that’s all of them.

I f*cking HATE losing. And when I’m fighting hard every day using the skills I have for optimal application…I expect those I voted for…to do the same damn thing.