The Bigger Picture by Bud Ravitz
@budravitz.bsky.social
NJ elected official. Political writer and commentator.
The U.S. manufacturing sector is shrinking, consumers are paying more for less, and Trump’s tariff whiplash is freezing the economy in place. Welcome to the gilded age that never arrived.
Chaos Is Not an Economic Strategy
How Trump’s Tariff Whiplash and Market Uncertainty Are Freezing America in Place
open.substack.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:56 AM
The U.S. manufacturing sector is shrinking, consumers are paying more for less, and Trump’s tariff whiplash is freezing the economy in place. Welcome to the gilded age that never arrived.
Trump’s Ukraine “peace plan” isn’t a plan at all, it’s a surrender document with an American flag sticker slapped on top. Here’s why it matters.
America First. As Long As Moscow Approves
Trump’s Ukraine “Deal” Reads Like Putin Dictated It - Because He Practically Did.
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Trump’s Ukraine “peace plan” isn’t a plan at all, it’s a surrender document with an American flag sticker slapped on top. Here’s why it matters.
When the Navy is ordered to target survivors in open water, and then tries to justify it with logic that wouldn’t survive a freshman JAG class, we’re no longer talking law enforcement or warfare. It's state-sponsored piracy. The excuses don’t hold water. The legal reckoning is only be beginning.
The Strike That Can’t Be Justified
Why the Navy’s Attack on Survivors Exposes a Crisis of Law, Command, and Common Sense
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:07 PM
When the Navy is ordered to target survivors in open water, and then tries to justify it with logic that wouldn’t survive a freshman JAG class, we’re no longer talking law enforcement or warfare. It's state-sponsored piracy. The excuses don’t hold water. The legal reckoning is only be beginning.
When a president and his TV-general order a second strike on shipwreck survivors, “oversight” stops being a talking point and starts being a national emergency.
No Quarter, No Questions, No Shame
Trump, Hegseth, and the Illegal Order Congress Can’t Ignore Anymore
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 12:32 PM
When a president and his TV-general order a second strike on shipwreck survivors, “oversight” stops being a talking point and starts being a national emergency.
A missile strike off Venezuela, a second strike to “mop up” survivors, and a White House pretending none of this is a problem. Trump’s latest military escapade is more than reckless, it may be illegal.
The Wreckage Off Venezuela
What a Double Missile Strike Reveals About Trump, Hegseth, and the Rule of Law
open.substack.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:59 PM
A missile strike off Venezuela, a second strike to “mop up” survivors, and a White House pretending none of this is a problem. Trump’s latest military escapade is more than reckless, it may be illegal.
For years, we believed our democracy was self-correcting. The Trump era shattered that illusion. Here’s why the world can’t, and won’t, clean up after us, and what accountability looks like if we want to be trusted again.
Exceptionalism Didn’t Protect Us. It Blinded Us
How Blind Faith in American Exceptionalism Helped Us Stumble Into the Trump Era - And Why Only Americans Can Fix It.
open.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:41 PM
For years, we believed our democracy was self-correcting. The Trump era shattered that illusion. Here’s why the world can’t, and won’t, clean up after us, and what accountability looks like if we want to be trusted again.
A tragedy unfolded. The facts trickled in. And the spin machine filled the gaps with propaganda faster than truth could catch up.
A Tragic Shooting, a Missing Motive, and a Right-wing Spin Machine That Won’t Quit.
The real danger isn’t the tragedy, it’s the narrative built before the facts arrive.
budravitz.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:16 PM
A tragedy unfolded. The facts trickled in. And the spin machine filled the gaps with propaganda faster than truth could catch up.
Republicans are fleeing Congress, Trump is losing his grip on the MAGA-verse, and even MTG is fact-checking the White House. Welcome to the 2025 GOP implosion.
When MAGA Meets Reality: The Revolt Inside the House
When QAnon warriors start questioning the king, you know the empire’s wobbling.
open.substack.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Republicans are fleeing Congress, Trump is losing his grip on the MAGA-verse, and even MTG is fact-checking the White House. Welcome to the 2025 GOP implosion.
Republicans just tanked Trump’s own healthcare plan before it even left the station, choosing political ego over affordable coverage for millions of Americans. Again.
Republicans Had an Easy Healthcare Victory. They Chose Chaos Instead.”
How Trump Handed the GOP a Win on Healthcare, and They Tanked it.
open.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Republicans just tanked Trump’s own healthcare plan before it even left the station, choosing political ego over affordable coverage for millions of Americans. Again.
After the longest shutdown in American history, sparked by Trump’s demand to kill ACA tax credits, Congressional Republicans are suddenly ready to extend them. What changed? Midterm panic, and Trump’s collapsing leverage.
The GOP’s Longest Shutdown Meltdown Will End With An ACA Extension
Congressional Republicans Went to War Over ACA Tax Credits, and are About to Extend them.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:39 PM
After the longest shutdown in American history, sparked by Trump’s demand to kill ACA tax credits, Congressional Republicans are suddenly ready to extend them. What changed? Midterm panic, and Trump’s collapsing leverage.
Trump isn’t becoming a lame duck someday, he’s already showing the symptoms. And the most telling warning sign? Republicans are finally saying the quiet part out loud.
The Early Lame Duck: Trump’s 2nd Term Slide Starts Ahead of Schedule
Republicans are no longer asking whether Trump is losing power. They’re deciding what comes after he does.
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Trump isn’t becoming a lame duck someday, he’s already showing the symptoms. And the most telling warning sign? Republicans are finally saying the quiet part out loud.
Republicans are finally figuring out that tying themselves to Trump is like chaining themselves to a sinking cruise ship. The polls are brutal, the voters are furious, and the “lame duck” label fits him earlier than any modern president.
A Lame Duck, A Boat Anchor, and a Party in Panic
Trump’s second-term meltdown is dragging Republicans toward a 2018 déjà vu.
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Republicans are finally figuring out that tying themselves to Trump is like chaining themselves to a sinking cruise ship. The polls are brutal, the voters are furious, and the “lame duck” label fits him earlier than any modern president.
Trump still refuses to extend ACA tax credits, putting 42 million Americans and his own party on a collision course. The GOP must choose: protect their voters or obey their lame-duck leader.
Reconciliation, Recrimination, and the GOP’s Healthcare Hangover
The shutdown is over, but the healthcare crisis is just getting started.
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Trump still refuses to extend ACA tax credits, putting 42 million Americans and his own party on a collision course. The GOP must choose: protect their voters or obey their lame-duck leader.
Trump’s latest attempt to dismantle the Department of Education without Congress is part Project 2025 fantasy, part panic move from a fading strongman. The result? Pure chaos, and a GOP suddenly remembering it’s allowed to disagree with him.
Trump’s DIY Demolition of Education
Trump’s scramble to gut the Department of Education without Congress
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Trump’s latest attempt to dismantle the Department of Education without Congress is part Project 2025 fantasy, part panic move from a fading strongman. The result? Pure chaos, and a GOP suddenly remembering it’s allowed to disagree with him.
Trump isn’t just losing control, Republicans are finally testing life beyond MAGA, and the cracks in his empire are turning into canyons.
Popcorn Time: The GOP Civil War Goes Very Public
The Epstein files, redistricting defeats, and a Republican Party quietly rediscovering its spine.
open.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Trump isn’t just losing control, Republicans are finally testing life beyond MAGA, and the cracks in his empire are turning into canyons.
The MAGA universe is cracking at the seams, and now even Marjorie Taylor Greene is warning Republicans about Trump’s rage machine. The fight over the Epstein files has exposed something bigger: Trump’s grip is slipping.
Popcorn Time: The GOP Civil War Goes Public
Trump, MTG, the Epstein files, and a Republican base finally asking questions.
open.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 PM
The MAGA universe is cracking at the seams, and now even Marjorie Taylor Greene is warning Republicans about Trump’s rage machine. The fight over the Epstein files has exposed something bigger: Trump’s grip is slipping.
The MAGA universe is cracking at the seams, and now even Marjorie Taylor Greene is warning Republicans about Trump’s rage machine. The fight over the Epstein files has exposed something bigger: Trump’s grip is fast slipping.
Popcorn Time: The GOP Civil War Goes Public
How Trump’s fight with MTG turned the right against itself, and why the Epstein files broke the dam.
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:23 PM
The MAGA universe is cracking at the seams, and now even Marjorie Taylor Greene is warning Republicans about Trump’s rage machine. The fight over the Epstein files has exposed something bigger: Trump’s grip is fast slipping.
With the Epstein files tightening like a vise, Trump is reaching for the oldest presidential panic button: war. He’s quietly moved a massive U.S. fleet off Venezuela’s coast, 15,000 troops, the world’s largest carrier group, and a menu of strike options.
The Venezuela Gamble: Trump’s Search for a New Narrative
The Epstein files are closing in, so Trump might start a war.
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:23 PM
With the Epstein files tightening like a vise, Trump is reaching for the oldest presidential panic button: war. He’s quietly moved a massive U.S. fleet off Venezuela’s coast, 15,000 troops, the world’s largest carrier group, and a menu of strike options.
Trump promised lower prices on “Day 1.” Instead, we got a tariff-fueled grocery surge, and now even his own officials admit the truth he tried to bury.
Welcome Back to Econ 101, America
How Trump’s tariff tantrum sent grocery prices soaring, and why they won’t magically fall.
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Trump promised lower prices on “Day 1.” Instead, we got a tariff-fueled grocery surge, and now even his own officials admit the truth he tried to bury.
The Epstein files have become the political tipping point of 2025. Trump’s regime is fraying, Republicans are defecting, and the Epstein files may be the scandal that ends it all.
Release the Files: The Scandal That’s About to Break Trump’s Regime
The political grenade Trump can’t stop from rolling under his own feet.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:26 PM
The Epstein files have become the political tipping point of 2025. Trump’s regime is fraying, Republicans are defecting, and the Epstein files may be the scandal that ends it all.
Johnson tried to block a vote, muzzle a freshman Congresswoman, and protect Trump’s biggest fear: the Epstein files. It backfired spectacularly. As the GOP fractures and the discharge petition heads for the floor, Trump’s loyalists are discovering what cornered rats always do, there’s no safe exit.
The Walls Are Closing In
Adelita Grijalva’s swearing-in, Trump’s panic, and the unraveling GOP façade.
open.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Johnson tried to block a vote, muzzle a freshman Congresswoman, and protect Trump’s biggest fear: the Epstein files. It backfired spectacularly. As the GOP fractures and the discharge petition heads for the floor, Trump’s loyalists are discovering what cornered rats always do, there’s no safe exit.
Trump’s chaos keeps grabbing headlines, but the real danger is quieter. SCOTUS isn’t done with Obergefell, it’s just biding its time.
A Cornered Rat, a Quiet Court, and a Precarious Future
While Trump flails, the Supreme Court lays in wait for marriage equality.
open.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Trump’s chaos keeps grabbing headlines, but the real danger is quieter. SCOTUS isn’t done with Obergefell, it’s just biding its time.
A week after Democrats’ nationwide triumph, eight senators blinked, giving Trump a short-lived win. But beneath the bluster, the GOP’s cracks are widening, and the economy’s telling a very different story.
Schumer’s Surrender: A Temporary Win for Trump
Trump’s Hollow Victory and the Democrats’ Long Game
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:27 PM
A week after Democrats’ nationwide triumph, eight senators blinked, giving Trump a short-lived win. But beneath the bluster, the GOP’s cracks are widening, and the economy’s telling a very different story.
In his latest act of political theater, Trump pardons 77 co-conspirators from the 2020 election mess. There’s just one tiny issue: the law says no deal. Welcome to The Great Pardon Caper.
The Great Pardon Caper
Trump’s latest PR stunt fails to erase his allies’ state crimes, or his own failures.
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:04 PM
In his latest act of political theater, Trump pardons 77 co-conspirators from the 2020 election mess. There’s just one tiny issue: the law says no deal. Welcome to The Great Pardon Caper.
Let Them Eat Nothing - The Supreme Court’s shadow docket just handed Trump a win and millions of Americans an empty fridge. When cruelty becomes policy, hunger is inevitable.
The SNAP Judgment - No Soup For You
Trump’s war on SNAP exposes the moral bankruptcy of his regime and supporters
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Let Them Eat Nothing - The Supreme Court’s shadow docket just handed Trump a win and millions of Americans an empty fridge. When cruelty becomes policy, hunger is inevitable.