1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing because the situation we are in is no longer normal, and the response from Democratic leadership has been dangerously inadequate. The Trump administration has openly discarded the rulebook. Norms, precedent, and good faith governance are gone. Continuing to “play fair” in the face of an openly authoritarian agenda is not principled, it is negligent. Donald Trump is a convicted felon. He has already been found culpable for inciting the January 6th attack on the Capitol in an attempt to stop the lawful certification of the 2020 election. He has repeatedly demonstrated contempt for the Constitution, for the rule of law, and for the safety of the American people. His cabinet and allies are not moderating him, they are enabling him. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has cleared the path for a president to act with unprecedented impunity. The guardrails have failed. The system you are relying on to restrain this administration no longer functions as designed. This is the moment when Democrats must stop prioritizing decorum over survival. Obstruction is not radical, it is the role of the opposition in a democracy under threat. Every procedural tool, every delay, every investigation, every constitutional mechanism must be used aggressively and without apology. If impeachment is insufficient, then you must look beyond it. The Constitution provides remedies for exactly this kind of crisis. Ignoring those tools out of fear of political backlash is a betrayal of the people you were elected to protect. Trump has already threatened to cancel or fundamentally alter the rules of future elections. That alone should set off every alarm. If you wait for perfect conditions, for consensus, or for permission, you may find that we do not get another chance to act. America is in danger. People are already being harmed by this administration’s policies, rhetoric, and encouragement of political violence. History will not be kind to those who saw this coming and chose caution over courage. You are the opposition. Start acting like it, before more citizens get hurt, and before democracy itself becomes unrecoverable.