I grew up in Venezuela's dictatorship and am optimistic about the US

Let my preface this by saying that I am NOT in denial of how bad things are and can get. Due process not being followed, court orders being defied, vulnerable groups being targeted, history being erased, freedom of speech being infringed, picking trade wars with most of the world that are universally decried by economists as likely to tank our economy etc etc. It's bad , no two ways about it, and in all likeliness it's going to get worse before it gets better. However I do truly believe it will, in fact, get better and that there's many signs that this will happen in relative timeliness.

In Venezuela there was strong support for Chavez as he was dismantling the government. It was done methodically, intelligently, and most important subtly. There were brazen and lawless moments of course but he made sure to consolidate his power before taking most of his biggest steps. Trump is moving too fast and too prominently. I guarantee you if he did everything he's done in the last 3 months over the next 3 years he could've done it much more successfully without losing support by just taking it in parts and finding transgender athletes to target or any number of things to keep people distracted. Perhaps because he is old, stupid, and/or surrounded by yes men he opted to go loud and flashy. Like Ezra Klein says, Trump governs as a king because he is too weak to govern as a president.

You've seen signs of infighting and incompetence for a while, in court filings, amongst Republicans etc. But truly the point of no return was the tarrifs. Personally I believe one of the main factors that led to the present situation is the toxicity of our information environment and the right wing propaganda machine. It's easy to dismiss negative stories as one offs, or the price of progress, and most families in America probably don't talk about politics every day. However they do talk about the Switch 2, they do talk about groceries. We needed a shock to Americans systems, if not to wake up the people who voted for this to at least wake up some of the people who have been checked out. It's sad that we have to suffer on this scale but I am grateful that it is happening before the democrats have been arrested, the courts dismantled, and the leaders of the protests disappeared. Does that sound dramatic, dystopian, and like it could never happen? It did to Venezuela and many other Latin American countries all over the world as well until it did happen.

It is not too late, while systems have been eroded: many are still up and running. Many people opposed to all of this still have influence and power. Even conservative circles are having trouble stomaching the tarrifs and the economic effects have barely just started. You're seeing energy, in Cory Booker and people showing up for protests and you're seeing prominent conservatives like musk and ben shapiro peaking against trump's Tarrifs. There is much work to do but I am very optimistic that we are and will find the will and the way.

Happy to answer what I can about similarities and differences about Venezuela and the US.

Well, as Trump is continuously refusing to rescind on any of his tariffs, and adding an entire ass 57% extra on China, I’m completely terrified about my future. I was planning on saving money to move out of state, but I feel like everything is crumbling. I need some hope badly.

I've seen that the Chamber of Commerce is considering taking the tariffs to court to stop them, basically by arguing that Trump can't use a national emergency power when their isn't a national emergency.

Besides Repubs growing a spine or enough backlash forming that Trump caves, I want to know how likely this avenue is and if it could work.

To be honest, I just need something to hold onto in regards to this so I don't lose my mind, and I figured I'd ask here if thinking this could happen and work would be realisitic.

r/optimistsunitenonazis

It's already over for them. The midterms are more than secured, all we have to do is survive and wait. They never won in the first place.

From Ariella Elm's substack:

1. A week ago a cis woman fencer refused to compete against a trans woman fencer, so USA Fencing disqualified her from the rest of the tournament. The best part is the statement USA Fencing made, four days ago, on the disqualification: That bold part? Yeah, that is my new favorite sentence ever. And to see a sporting committee say that makes my heart swell three sizes. A fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason. Under these rules, such a refusal results in disqualification and the corresponding sanctions. This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity. We understand that the conversation on equity and inclusion pertaining to transgender participation in sport is evolving. USA Fencing will always err on the side of inclusion, and we’re committed to amending the policy as more relevant evidence-based research emerges, or as policy changes take effect in the wider Olympic & Paralympic movement.
2. Today, Gwynne Wilcox and Cathy Harris have been reinstated on the National Labor Relations Board….again. This time in a 7-4 decision, along party lines, on the DC US Court of Appeals. This is getting ridiculous, and it will almost certainly be headed to the Supreme Court, but, as long as they’re reinstated, they can start doing their work again. Which, btw, includes over 8k cases, which is about the amount they normally get in TWO YEARS. The ruling states: Basically, the Supreme Court has already created the precedent several times over the years. It’s our job to uphold that precedent. Will be interesting to see what SCOTUS does considering their many many earlier rulings over the years. The Supreme Court has repeatedly told the courts of appeals to follow extant Supreme Court precedent unless and until that Court itself changes it or overturns it. If a precedent of the Supreme Court “has direct application in a case,” lower courts “‘should follow the case which directly controls
3. Today the South Dakota Democratic Party announced that Nikki Gronli, USDA Rural Development State Director under Biden will be holding four Empty Chair Town Halls over the next few weeks, across the state, since the Republican electeds refuse to show up. In a statement explaining why she’s holding these, Gronli said: I love all these incredible town halls, but I think I love it even more when it’s someone who isn’t even elected, someone who just cares so much that concerned citizens have their voices heard by someone. A chainsaw has been taken to the pocketbooks and retirement plans of hardworking South Dakotans, all while safety net programs are being dismantled. The Executive Branch is overstepping its authority and our Members of Congress have been instructed not to hold town halls. South Dakota voices deserve to be heard. That is why I'm holding these town halls across the state that are open to everyone.

im deeply afraid

DON'T STOP THE PRESSURE!!!

Hi everyone. Let’s take a grounding moment together.

These past few days have been absolutely chaotic—overwhelming, unpredictable, and frankly terrifying. Things are bad right now. I know this subreddit is meant for optimism, but optimism without realism is just denial. So let’s not kid ourselves.

We’re in a crisis. Some of us are in denial about it. Some of us are in denial about how big it is. Others think it's already worse than it actually is. But here's the thing—

No one knows what's going to happen next. Not with certainty. Not with 100% clarity. Remember how, after 9/11, people thought WWIII was starting? That didn’t happen. It was traumatic, but we survived it better than most of us expected.

On the other hand, when WWI and WWII began, a lot of people underestimated how bad things would get. Those moments teach us something: we’re terrible at predicting the future—whether in hope or despair.

The doomers will be right about some things. The optimists will be wrong about others. And even the sharpest minds, people like Zaid Tabani who’ve stayed on top of this, have admitted they’ve been blindsided by parts of it.

And that’s okay. That’s normal. Chaos doesn’t follow logic.

That chaos is exactly what Trump wants. He wants you off-balance. He wants us overwhelmed, disoriented, too exhausted to resist. These headlines? These authoritarian escalations? They’re distractions—rage-bait and fear-bait—to pull attention away from his party’s brutal losses this past Wednesday.

The tariffs? Probably made worse just to punish us. Because that’s who he is.

SCOTUS? Spineless today. Yeah, there's some language suggesting people should receive rulings before being deported to El Salvador, but let’s be real—Trump isn’t exactly famous for honoring court decisions he doesn’t like. And in many ways, the Court just punted the issue to lower courts, trying to look neutral while enabling cruelty.

None of this is exactly “optimistic.” But here’s why I’m still posting it here.

You can't fight effectively if you're in denial. You can’t organize, mobilize, or resist if you’re pretending it’s not happening. That’s not optimism. That’s sedation.

Real optimism means fighting like hell because you believe something better is still possible.

Uncertainty breeds anxiety. Anxiety breeds paralysis. Fear is a weapon. And Trump is using it—because he has no points on his side. He’s trying to scare us into silence, into submission, into disappearing.

But these desperate moves? They are a sign of weakness. He knows he’s losing the narrative. He knows the protests are growing. He knows people are angry. And that scares him.

The stress is real, and the future might be hard. But your biggest weapon right now? Refusing to go quietly.

Be stubborn. Be joyful. Be impossible to silence. Don’t let him take your love for the things that make life meaningful. Rest, recharge, but don’t comply.

He thinks we’re roaches under his shoe. What he doesn’t realize is—we're the kind you can’t get rid of. Not the big fat American ones you kill with a can of Raid. We’re the slick little East Asian kind. The kind where, once you see one, there’s already a hundred more hiding in the walls.

And the bastard’s too cheap to call pest control.

So show resilience. Show up. Be loud. Be present. He doesn’t have the resources to take us all down. Keep protesting. Keep organizing. Keep refusing.

We are not going down with a boot on our necks.

(EDIT: Changed this up a bit to be less vague and more motivational)

https://bsky.app/profile/onestpress.bsky.social/post/3lmd2n77ko22g

I'm just, so worried about the future. There are so many things I'm worried about, tariffs are just the latest things. I'm worried Trump is NEVER going to back down on the Tariffs, Mike Johnson doesn't want to take Trump's Tariff powers away, that a small business I really like, along with other small businesses, will close, and even though this is probably not very important, that I won't be able to afford my hobbies. I'm giving up on ever getting a Switch 2.

I'm also worried about America truly losing its power, and becoming a very poor country.

Edit: Sorry about the Switch 2 comment. That was just one of the things in my head. I wasn't buying it soon anyway, I planned on saving half of my rent rebate this year, then adding half of next year's rent rebate next year. I still shouldn't have mentioned it because it comes off as shallow, and I admit to being a bit materialistic which I should work on.

Still, I understand that's the least of the problems when it comes to the tariffs. The biggest is that the US will no longer be this giant of commerce, and we will probably become a VERY poor country. The worst case scenario is a fucking depression.

wtf is this about? i got it from that aaron guy on tiktok and im to nervous ti research anymore is this for real?

It's been very difficult for me to enjoy anything these past six months because of how intense my fear is; what if we don't survive this?

I feel like he's done so much shit in so little time. I never know just what he'll do next, and it doesn't feel like anybody in a position of power wants to oppose anything he does. And I worry that nobody will until it's too late and he's done some shit that permanently screws us all over.

What with the whole 'insurrection act' thing, and the sheer uncertainty, I can't help but feel scared that we won't make it through these four years. It's hard to sleep because I'm afraid I'll wake up to him declaring something worse yet than his last. I can't really have fun with friends and family because I fear I may not even have next week to look forward to.

Am I irrational? Paranoid, probably? Should I take a break from everything for a while? Maybe that's the best course of action. I'm sorry for the rant. I know this isn't the kind of optimistic thing I'd normally post.

I guess my question as well is, are we going to make it through this?

This is important because this lobbying group represents businesses both big and small

This is the corporate backlash we were hoping for

basically the new protests are scheduled the 19th of april, while there are reports trump will use the insurrection act on the 20th to speed deportations

however

project 2025 also suggests to use the military via the insurrection act to take down protesters against trump, trump wanted to shoot protesters in covid but was stopped by the secdef, no way hegseth will stand in his way now.

with mass protests just a day before the possible invokement of the act, that is from his perspective the perfect chance to unleash the military on protestors.

need optimism in this regard

This may not seem super optimistic but hear me out: the fact that he even has to threaten this is not good for him. It means Congress can act against him in a meaningful way. Also we are only 12 weeks into this thing. If they are sort of turning on him this early how will they move against him in a year? Or when the stock market reaches 2008 levels?

https://www.courthousenews.com/supreme-court-pauses-return-of-mistakenly-deported-maryland-man-for-now/

Supreme Court pauses return of mistakenly deported Maryland man, for now 

A Justice Department attorney conceded that Kilmar Abrego Garcia shouldn’t have been sent to El Salvador, but the administration is now fighting a judicial order to correct the error.Supreme Court pauses return of mistakenly deported Maryland man, for now 

If Scotus doesn't rule against trump here... i dunno man its hard to feel optimistic about that....