Urgent Plea to State Attorneys General on the Achilles' Heel of D.O.G.E.

Strategic State Response to D.O.G.E. (Dangerous Oligarch Grabs Everything)

With the destruction of federal law enforcement and the collapse of constitutional protections at the national level, the survival of democratic governance now depends entirely on state-level resistance. Pressuring Democrats in Congress should continue because they can help to mobilize the people and achieve delays with the McConnell playbook, and most of the federal courts are not yet corrupted, and federal employees still have the Privacy Act of 1974 and many other laws. As JD Vance observed, however, the federal courts only have power if enforced and -- unlike Andrew Jackson -- Trump and Vance started by crippling federal law enforcement and gaining maximum control over the military.? ?

The Democrats must recognize that most federal institutions are no longer effective even if still functional, and act decisively using every available mechanism of state power, with the point of their spear being state attorneys general, the only remaining independent governmental prosecutors capable of enforcing the rule of law. Musk and Trump’s success in dismantling federal accountability has created a new order—one in which only coordination and strategic subversion can reestablish the rule of law. Herein lies the plan:

I. Musk is Achilles, but He has a Heel!?

Democratic and pro-democracy state attorneys general need to recognize that Musk as the Achilles of the tech world who has established a new authoritarian order through direct control of communication lines, information systems and even agencies. At the same time, they must know now that his Achilles' heel (for now) is precisely their powers under state law, and they must together raise Paris's bow and darken the sky with their arrows as soon as possible, because at the moment he does not have the legal protections of his co-President.

II.? Machiavelli's Suggestions for State Attorneys General

Shake well before using, but quickly!??

• Launch coordinated multi-state investigations into Musk’s business empire, leveraging consumer protection, labor, antitrust, and unfair trade practices laws.
• Target tax subsidies, state contracts, and zoning approvals that benefit Musk-controlled entities.?
• Weaponize state financial and regulatory institutions to scrutinize every facet of Musk’s dealings, disrupting his ability to operate unchallenged.
• Prioritize legal causes of action that can avoid removal to federal court, where Trump's Supreme Court may overturn precedents. These should focus on violations of state constitutional, corporate, contract, labor (including union-busting, workplace safety violations, and discrimination claims), and consumer protection laws, including unfair trade practices and privacy laws, and fraud laws that provide for triple damages and perhaps clawbacks.

III. Economic Warfare

The Democrats must strike at the foundation of Musk’s power—his wealth and businesses. To do this:

• Implement state-level sanctions and boycotts against Musk-owned companies, discouraging public and institutional investment in his ventures.
• Investigate stock manipulation and insider trading linked to Tesla, SpaceX, and other Musk enterprises, working with allied international regulators to apply pressure from outside U.S. borders.
• Push for municipal divestment from Musk-related projects, leveraging local governments to erode his economic foothold.
• Explore public divestment campaigns that pressure pension funds, state investments, and institutional shareholders to pull back from Musk-controlled companies.

IV. Information Control and Counter-Propaganda

Musk’s dominance over digital discourse through X must be met with an aggressive counter-information campaign. The Democrats must:

• Establish and support alternative communication platforms and networks to bypass Musk-controlled media channels, including decentralized platforms (e.g., Bluesky, Mastodon).?
• Fund and promote investigative journalism that exposes Musk’s corruption, ties to foreign authoritarian regimes, and manipulation of public policy.
• Use information strategically to sow division within Musk’s political alliances, weakening his coalition from within.

V. Secession Contingency: Establishing State-Level Sovereignty

If the federal government has fully collapsed into authoritarian rule, Democratic-led states must prepare for defensive measures, including:

• Strengthening interstate compacts between Democratic states to maintain legal and economic continuity independent of the federal government.
• Exploring financial independence through state-backed currencies or alliances with international economic partners.
• Establishing state-level defense agreements to prevent coercion by federal or Musk-aligned paramilitary forces.
• Consider additional security measures such as state-level digital privacy protections to counter Musk-controlled surveillance networks.
• Establish state militia or National Guard contingencies and explore emergency provisions to limit federal control over state troops to prepare for physical coercion.

VI. Preparing for Retaliation and Political Warfare

Musk and his allies will retaliate with lawsuits, cyberattacks, and economic coercion. The Democrats must:

• Protect key state institutions from sabotage, using state law enforcement to counteract political intimidation and violence.
• Engage in asymmetric legal warfare, flooding Musk’s businesses with lawsuits and regulatory challenges to exhaust his resources.
• Form alliances with disaffected conservative factions that recognize the danger of unchecked oligarchic rule, exploiting fractures in Musk’s support base.

VII. The Republic Must Strike Decisively

The old assumptions about governance and power are obsolete. This is now a struggle for survival in an era where the rule of law has been replaced by the rule of wealth and brute force. The Democrats must abandon outdated notions of civility and embrace realpolitik. If they wish to preserve any semblance of democracy, they must move swiftly, strike hard, and prepare for a protracted conflict. They must also always expect the unexpected, particularly in short-lived disinformation to distract from the work of the elite forces under Musk; today we might have U.S. ownership of Gaza and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, and tomorrow the replacement of the dollar by Trumpcoin.? The cost of distraction and inaction is subjugation.

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli