It's easy to punch down after the results of the 2024 election left Americans wondering if Democrats can rebound, but The more we wade into this disastrous second Trump presidency, the more I contend the American people are realizing they got duped more than Democrats fell short.

That doesn't absolve the party of their shortcomings and flaws, but you have to give credit where it's due, and in the case of Georgia's legislative Democrats in particular. Their numbers - suppressed by gerrymandering - were never going to provide them much ability to derail divisive and ugly bills, but they grinded into late hours in the closing days to give it their best effort. Notably they threw everything they had at HB 127, a well-intentioned bill that got poison-amended to include an erasure of anything "D.E.I." in public education. Despite their efforts, it passed in the Senate but died in the House needing to get those Senate amendments voted on.

Pity.

Still, a lot of bad bills will be on Brian Kemp's desk awaiting his signature, like a license to discriminate, using "religion' as the thin veil. Well, this is where we come in.

EDITED TO AD: "We" did show up Saturday, no? Atlanta's "Hands Off" rally was one of dozens, nationwide, all drawing thousands in cities big and small, blue and red.

Fantastic, but we're still 19 months out from 2026 midterms and the divisive tactics the right uses to fracture Saturday's unity are still there: trans rights, Gaza/Israel for example. Can the anti-Trump, anti-DOGE, anti-Musk movement stay unified?

We'll see.