How Citizens Can Take Back Power and Restore Democracy in 2025

Inspired by Hunter S. Thompson

Donald Trump—grifter, gameshow golem, and golden-toilet messiah—just did the one thing they used to at least pretend to hide: he openly bribed sitting members of Congress to pass what he’s now calling the “Big Beautiful Bill,” like he’s slapping a ribbon on a casino in Jersey instead of gutting the soul of a dying republic. No subtlety, no dog whistle—just straight-up transactional treason, broadcast from the podium like it was a real estate seminar. Promises of cash, campaign boosts, backroom favors, God knows what else—offered like appetizers to any lawmaker spineless enough to sell their vote for a seat at his banquet of decay like Lisa Murkowski. This isn’t politics. It’s racketeering in broad daylight.

We’ve passed the point of corruption as an under-the-table game. The White House, in just over 100 days, has become a full-blown criminal syndicate with executive privilege. There are banana republics that look at this operation and think, “Damn, that’s a bit much.” Cabinet positions auctioned off to donors, foreign leaders funneled through golf courses, and now congressional votes hawked like snake oil at a back-alley revival. The line between lobbyist and lawmaker has been shattered, replaced by a greasy handshake and a folder of marching orders. You don’t need a wiretap to smell the crime here—it’s oozing through the drywall.

And the truly sinister part? Half the country doesn’t care. They cheer it on like it’s a blood sport, drunk on slogans and nostalgia for a country that never really existed. This isn’t conservative versus liberal—this is a one-man demolition derby smashing every norm, every institution, every firewall that once held the wolves at bay. And Congress? Most of them are either in on the grift or too cowardly to call it what it is: bribery, abuse of power, a hostile corporate takeover of democracy wrapped in a red hat and a phony grin.

Trump doesn’t want to lead the country—he wants to own it. He wants the laws written in his voice and the courts stacked with his goons. He’s not just bending the system; he’s turning it into a vending machine where justice is optional and loyalty is coin-operated. And the Big Beautiful Bill? It’s not legislation—it’s a loyalty test. Pass it and get paid. Oppose it and get smeared. This is what fascism looks like in the age of influencers: loud, dumb, and wrapped in gold leaf. God help us all.

The Republican Party isn’t a political party anymore—it’s a seizure in red, hijacked by the snarling cult of MAGA like a pickup truck strapped with fireworks and no brakes. What used to be the party of bowtie warhawks and tax-cut zombies is now a frothing mass of grievance-fueled rage junkies, hopped up on conspiracy and nostalgia, waving flags like weapons and howling about stolen dreams that never existed. The inmates have not just taken over the asylum—they’ve bulldozed it, spray-painted TRUMP across the rubble, and declared it a freedom zone. There’s no platform, no policy, just vibes and vengeance. Lincoln’s ghost wouldn’t be rolling in his grave—he’d be digging a tunnel out.

The time for watching is over, and the time for doing is now—because if you’re waiting for some clean-cut hero in a tie to fix this mess, you’re already lost. The system’s been hijacked by lunatics in tailored suits and TikTok prophets with Super PAC money, and the only antidote is raw, boots-on-the-ground citizen madness. Run for school board. Crash a city council meeting. Organize, disrupt, expose, vote like your life depends on it—because it does. You want to fix this? Light a fire under your own ass and make noise until they can’t ignore you. History isn’t made by the well-behaved—it’s made by the ones who show up and refuse to shut up. Let’s put some meaning behind the phrase “Drain The Swamp!”

1. U.S. Senate

• Visit: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

• You’ll find an alphabetical list of all U.S. Senators with links to their official websites and contact forms.

2. U.S. House of Representatives

• Visit: https://www.house.gov/representatives

• Use the search tool to find your Representative by ZIP code, then use the website links to email or call them directly.

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