Bullies Only Want to Compromise When They Know They've Already Lost

I’ve seen it before. When the tide finally turns on a bully, only then are they willing to compromise. When they see the writing on the wall and they realize their brute force and torment isn’t going to work anymore, all of a sudden they want to be friends.These are ruthless, awful people who are so entitled that they think negotiation is always on the table.It isn’t.The premise of negotiation is that it’s implemented to avoid violence. But if you’ve already had to endure unprovoked attacks, the next step isn’t “negotiation.”The next step is punishment.Sponsor me for $5 a month ❤️ Sponsor me for $4 a month 🧡 Sponsor me for $3 a month 💛 Sponsor me for $2 a month 💚 Thank you! 💙The side of logic and reason had a major victory on Tuesday, November 4th, 2025. Though this victory wasn’t quite as resonating as our defeat in 2024, the reverberations can nevertheless be felt.We have more power now.But before we all start chortling in our oatmeal, we should take a moment and recognize what we must do with this power.The James Carville Democrats (as Arturo Dominguez correctly calls them), are going to be the ones who betray us by claiming it’s time to “set a good example” by “negotiating.”That is not the right response.It’s time that we woke up and realized that the establishment Democrats are much more willing to allow the USA to become a fascist state than they are to fight to give us healthcare. James Carville Democrats are the type of people who’d insist we need to have “a negotiation” even if the Democrats won 60 senate seats and could pass whatever legislation they want.The ruthless Republicans just start salivating at this. They know they can delay until the next elections and rely on the frustration of the American people to give them power again. When that happens, the Republicans won’t bother to negotiate. They’ll use every avenue they can to steal more power for themselves.These days, our whole political system is based on inciting frustration because the establishment Democrats are more concerned with gaining power than helping. That’s why they’re unforgivably willing to sacrifice certain groups like the transgender community. It’s time for us to stand up and scream, “That is totally unacceptable!” Their “we must move to the center” mantra is just a pathetic and cowardly surrender.Sponsor me for $5 a month ❤️ Sponsor me for $4 a month 🧡 Sponsor me for $3 a month 💛 Sponsor me for $2 a month 💚 Thank you! 💙Only the progressives are willing to stand up and draw a line in the sand. They say we CAN have universal healthcare. We CAN be treated with dignity. We CAN create a government that works for everybody.Meanwhile, the establishment Democrats won’t even respect the results of one of their own primaries. Remember, we handed establishment Democrats the Presidency and Congress in 2020. They failed to do anything, and that almost destroyed our country. Do not listen to them anymore. Their time is over.Now’s the time for us to stand up and demand, not ask but DEMAND universal healthcare. Start demanding it! I know I’m sick of paying a couple thousand dollars a month just for the privilege of having to pay even more if somebody gets sick. This theft has to stop!It’s not enough that Democrats win elections. We need to elect progressives who are willing to use the power we give them. We can’t be fooled when a few Republicans try to act like they’re willing to “play nice.” Nope, they should have thought of that before they created a gestapo to go and beat up little kids. They should have thought of that before they decided to protect rich pedophiles. They should have thought of that before they jumped on an airplane headed to Little Saint James island.Everybody acts repentant when they’re caught. Now the Republicans are caught, and they know it, and they’re scared.We have more power now. The regime looks weak, and weakness is the one thing an authoritarian with aspirations to become a tyrant can never afford. That’s because his power rests in his fear. He needs fear because he doesn’t actually do anything. He just sits on his throne squeaking orders like an angry mouse. It’s up to the people working regular jobs to implement those orders.The tyrant relies on his underlings to fear him more than they fear the consequences of performing illegal acts. So, it’s up to us to be loud about the fact that consequences are coming.Sponsor me for $5 a month ❤️ Sponsor me for $4 a month 🧡 Sponsor me for $3 a month 💛 Sponsor me for $2 a month 💚 Thank you! 💙The underlings don’t have to defy him, they just have to delay, delay, delay. All they need is a legal reason to not do what the tyrant tells them to do. They’ll have to tailor their own excuses depending on the characteristics of their job.It’s our job to motivate them to adopt a strategy of delay, and we do that by talking about the Nuremberg defense.That should be on your radar every day. Nuremberg defense.Nuremberg defense.Nuremberg defense.The people who are getting screamed at by this pathetic and cowardly regime have to know that humanity has already determined that there is no protection in saying, “I was just following orders.”The human race has evolved beyond that point. There’s no going back. If somebody urges you to perform an evil task, the consequences will be on you.You can’t slither out of it by saying, “Well, he told me to do that.”You are responsible for your actions.You.You.You.So, we have to fortify the good people who are stuck in positions where the floundering eye of a flailing authoritarian is likely to turn. He’s going to pressure them. The pressure will be terrible. He’s going to be loud, he’s going to threaten, he’s going to scream and pull out his hair.But he’s never going to actually do anything. That’s the key thing to remember. His bark is much worse than his bite. In fact, he doesn’t have any teeth at all. He’s not tough. He’s not feared. He’s a pathetic old man that everybody regards as a joke.He cannot hurt you. All he can do is threaten you. The days of this regime are numbered. Wait it out. Do not take any stains upon your soul for him.I’ll repeat that.Do not take any stains upon your soul for him!They’ve already lost. They just don’t know it yet. They’ve already experienced their point of maximum power, and even now it’s ebbing away. Our victory is assured. But we have to be mindful that we cannot stop until our victory is absolute.Demand healthcare.Demand free education.Demand a livable wage.There is probably going to be one more rush of anger, and then when that fails, the bullies are going to pretend to play nice. They’ll offer us a fraction of what we deserve, and act like we’re ungrateful if we don’t take it.Don’t fall for that.The time for negotiation is over. It’s like they’re willing to accept a plea deal now that the jury has returned a guilty verdict. It’s over. They have lost. Now it’s up to us to seize the win.Think of your kids. Think of creating a better society for them. Don’t accept anything less than everything.You all make this newsletter happen! Thanks for your sponsorship! I have payment tiers starting at as little as twenty dollars a year.Upgrade at 30% offUpgrade at 40% offUpgrade at 50% offUpgrade at 60% offI’m so happy you’re here, and I’m looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.My CoSchedule referral linkHere’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).I'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to I'd Rather Be Writing at walterrhein.substack.com/subscribe