Merkeley at Philomath High School

Senator Jeff Merkley came to Philomath High School and was greeted by an enthusiastic, bursting-at-the-seams audience. He spoke without notes, without memorized talking points, and received two standing ovations. One for encouraging us all to continue to protest on the streets, and a second for encouraging us to watch out for our neighbors confronted by ICE. He expressed optimism that there would be sufficient bipartisan opposition to stop the takeover of Greenland. He was “terrified” and got a nearly unanimous show of hands that the audience was also “terrified” at the possibility that Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act, a move that constitutionally has no oversight.

At the moment, Senator Merkley is most concerned about rigged elections or efforts that disqualify potential voters. His message was emotional, depressing, and, one got the sense, realistic. “We (that is, you and me) need to push back,” he said.

He shared a book written by his office, outlining the “ten powerful rules in the authoritarian playbook. Trump and his team are aggressively executing all ten. It is essential to understand and interrupt those efforts before authoritarian power becomes entrenched. That will require robust citizen action, and an unmistakable rejection of authoritarianism at the next election. Both are essential to restore
and revitalize our democracy.”

Our mission is clear:  Let’s save our “We, The People” republic!
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Authoritarianism-Book_January-2026.pdf