Going Old School
400 Words.
“A rally a day keeps the fascists away.”
Lorraine Evanoff | February 11, 2025
[Unpublished piece submitted to Palmer Report]
Although I’ve consistently defended the Democratic party, (with the exception of forcing Biden out), I was initially dismayed that we appeared unprepared for Trump 2.0. Project 2025 was published by The Heritage Foundation in April 2023. Its authors wrote, “The fourth pillar of Project 2025 is our 180-day Transition Playbook and includes a comprehensive, concrete transition plan for EACH FEDERAL AGENCY.”
I have wondered if, prior to the transition, Democrats could have done more to beef up support for high-level officials within the Treasury, OPM, the CIA, the FBI and other vital federal agencies. So many crucial lifetime professionals were forced out within days of the inauguration, even some Republicans were surprised.
But sometimes, pressure can be a good thing. To put myself through college, I worked full-time as a waitress, salesclerk, model, so I often found myself cramming for exams and writing last-minute papers to meet deadlines. My intense focus seemed to work in my favor, resulting in a pretty decent 3.2 GPA, considering.
Sure, what’s happening to Democrats now is the equivalent of a student taking notes, studying diligently for an exam, then arriving in class to find the professor threw out the curriculum, rewrote history, and forcing her to guess the answers, and saying if she didn’t pass, she wouldn’t graduate.
Before and after the 2024 elections, Democrats prepared as much as possible, appointing 235 judges and readying legal strategies. But many underestimated Musk’s lawlessness, even political analysts mocked Musk for not having the power he was flexing. So now, the obedient Republican-majority of Congress is allowing Musk to usurp their oversight powers, leaving Democrats scrambling.
Democrats have had to learn fast and think on our feet, all while keeping a sense of humor, to combat this new kind of coup. A coup that, “Rather than attempting to overwhelm democratic institutions through force, operates by hollowing out government functions and redirecting them through private channels, while masking these actions using state propaganda tactics.”
Nonetheless, so far, Democrats have won almost all court actions against Musk’s digital coup. New York AG Letitia James announced a civil case again Musk. We have taken to the streets in all 50 states, and our leaders are showing up daily at federal agencies, forcing Trump to make publicity blunders. As Rep. Jamie Raskin, protesting at the CFPB, put it, “A rally a day keeps the fascists away.”
The general rule is that you need 3.5 percent of the population to become engaged to overthrow a dictatorship. Democrats might be scrambling last-minute, but we can save democracy the old-school way. By cramming it through.
UPDATE: WALKING THE CAT HIT #2 IN NOIR CRIME!
The Thing About Spies (And Why They Never Have Split Ends)
Here's something I've been thinking about lately: why do fictional female spies always have perfect hair? I mean, I can barely keep my blow-out intact during a light breeze in Manhattan, and these women are rappelling down buildings, engaging in high-speed chases, and somehow emerging from hand-to-hand combat looking like they've just stepped out of Drybar. It's ridiculous, really. Which is exactly what I expected when I picked up Lorraine Evanoff's "Walking the Cat" – another story about another impossibly perfect woman spy who probably never has to worry about her roots showing at precisely the wrong moment.
I was right about the spy part. I was wrong about everything else.
The thing about Louise Moscow – our protagonist who, yes, does have excellent hair, but we'll forgive her for that – is that she's exactly the kind of woman you want to have lunch with. Not because she's perfect (she isn't) or because she's a former CIA operative (though that would certainly make for interesting conversation), but because she's the sort of person who would tell you honestly if those pants really do make your butt look big, and then help you hide a body if necessary. Not that I'm suggesting she does that in this book. Although maybe she does. I'm not going to spoil it for you.
Let me tell you about Paris Fashion Week, which is where this whole thing starts. If you've never been, let me save you some trouble: it's exactly like high school, except everyone is thinner, richer, and wearing clothes that cost more than your first car. It's also, apparently, an excellent place to commit murder, which is something the fashion magazines don't tell you about but probably should. "Ten Best Places to Hide Evidence at Fashion Week" would make a much more interesting read than another article about French girl beauty secrets.
Moscow (and can we talk about that name for a moment? Because I have questions) gets invited to Fashion Week by an old friend, which is already suspicious because nobody gets "invited" to Fashion Week – you either claw your way in or you're Anna Wintour. But she goes, because apparently being a financial crimes expert doesn't keep you busy enough these days. And then a photographer turns up dead, which is inconvenient timing because Moscow was really looking forward to the Chanel show, and solving murders really cuts into your front-row time.
What follows is the kind of story that makes you realize two things: first, that the fashion industry and espionage have more in common than you'd think (primarily: trust no one and always wear comfortable shoes), and second, that Lorraine Evanoff probably knows things. The kind of things that make you wonder if she's watching you read her book right now. The kind of things that make you consider whether that woman at the next table who's been typing on her laptop for three hours is really just working on her novel or if she's actually documenting your coffee-drinking habits for some international intelligence agency.
The plot moves faster than a sample sale line on markdown day, taking us through Paris in a way that makes me deeply resentful of my last vacation there, which primarily consisted of me eating too many croissants and taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower. Moscow navigates the city like someone who actually knows where she's going, which is both impressive and slightly irritating to those of us who still can't figure out the Metro.
But here's what I really love about this book: it's smart without being smug about it. Moscow understands the stock market, which already makes her some kind of superhero in my book, but she's also refreshingly human. She makes mistakes. She has trust issues. She probably has to deal with frizzy hair in the Paris humidity, though this is never explicitly stated in the text. I choose to believe it's true.
The mystery itself is like a perfectly tailored Balmain blazer – structured, elegant, and full of hidden details that you only notice upon closer inspection. There are coded messages, because of course there are, and enough fashion references to make you feel both cultured and poor at the same time. The dialogue is sharp, the characters are sharper, and the whole thing moves with the kind of precision that makes you wonder if Evanoff timed it with a Swiss watch.
Should you read it? Well, that depends. Do you like books that make you feel simultaneously entertained and mildly paranoid? Do you enjoy stories where the fashion is as dangerous as the firearms? Are you the kind of person who's ever wondered whether you could fit a garrote wire into a Hermès bracelet? (This is a purely hypothetical question and should not be attempted at home, especially with authentic Hermès. The knockoffs, maybe.)
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should absolutely read "Walking the Cat." And if you answered no, read it anyway. At the very least, it'll make you feel better about your own hair.
Great read. I have faith in many things, First, God—next the Democratic party. I believe that truths are what is best when times are the most difficult because it's easier to remember what one has said when you tell the truth.: Lies are harder to recall and can always trip one up. The people deserve to know nothing but the truth from politicians. They deserve security for their efforts and great benefits as well. What is taking place now is unheard of. In what once was a stable government. now has become something more like Al Capone and his cronies. America does not want to go backward. America always looks forward.