Because I am a big fan of action over just talking, I have been looking for stuff to do with the coming resistance to Cheeto Jesus’ lame agenda to destroy all of America and replace it with shoddy versions of good things.
Stopping Cheeto Jesus
So I have been doing a number of things. One is that I’ve been nagging Frank and James about a podcast to go with this blog. We’ve done quite a bit of work on that, but we are (hopefully temporarily) stalled. I’ve also found great things like this: Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda. Print it out, because eventually it will be taken down in Cheeto Jesus’ America.
They looked at what worked to harm so much of the Democratic Party in the first two years of President Obama’s first term. We all remember the Tea Party, of course. So they looked at it and other groups that were successful. But it was mainly the Tea Party.
So if you are staring at the future with horror in mind and need something to take your mind off of what is about to happen this is a great way to help cope. Will it do anything? Maybe not at first, because the backlash is going to be incredibly fierce.
Democrats vs Republicans
Democrats believe in institutional norms. They respect process and they listen to the other side.
Republicans don’t. They have no interest in anyone who isn’t willing to do what they want. And they will do whatever it takes to hold onto power — even for just second more. I am certainly a partisan, but I think this is objectively true: Republicans lie, cheat, steal, deflect, project, and never admit error.
A Plan to Resist
But part of the reason that the Republicans are trying to cling to power is because they lost in North Carolina thanks to things like Moral Mondays. This guide is part of using that same tactics locally to get Republicans out of power until they learn to behave like civilized members of society.
First
Start showing up at local congressional events that your congress-critter will be at, and hold them accountable. When they start hiding (and Republicans will), start showing up at their office. Work out details to get access to the fundraisers they need and confront them. Be sure to bring the media.
Second
Be polite but firm about the questions on representatives’ support for Cheeto Jesus’ plans to destroy America. This is where it is going to get tricky. Republicans are authoritarians and that means they will be quick to call the cops on you and anyone else. To them, citizens demanding answers are criminals. The question is how this will play in the media. Thus, a little old lady who doesn’t look like she will harm a fly is the best person to ask the pointed questions. Because then it makes the media want to show how mean the congressperson is for arresting a little old lady who just wanted to have her questions answered. Even better if it was the lady who just handed him cookies right before she asked her question about why he wants to kill her grandchildren.
Third
If you can’t show up because the fuzz is on you (well okay, only a few people are like that), organize phone banks that target the offices with the same polite but pointed questions. And record the responses from staff. One person bitching you out is priceless because the media adores that kind of thing.
Fourth
Keep up the pressure. And if need be, run against them in a primary. Don’t do this to the Democrats. Do this solely to the Republicans. We are way, way too quick to pile on our side for not being sufficiently pure. At this moment in time, the idea shouldn’t be “Joe Manchin needs to support our view on coal” but “This Republican should be terrified about his re-election chances.”
Beyond “Indivisible”
The Indivisible guide doesn’t mention this, but I think it is important: all this work needs to be long term. Don’t expect victories right away. It takes a while to build up enough momentum on the Democratic side. Consider my own experience: I ran for Congress in 2004. I did okay: 38.2 percent of the vote. That was with next to no money (I am a terrible fundraiser). My performance caught the attention of the national party. As a result, the next election, the DNC found and worked closely with a serious candidate. And my Congressional district turned from red to blue.
It just took a little bit of time.
So there is no reason this won’t be the case this time if all of us work on doing this. If you can’t do these specific things, there will be others in the days to come. It’s time to get to work to defeat Cheeto Jesus.
Wonderful! “Cheeto Jesus” is a great phrase. And all of these are good suggestions. I particularly like the one about going to their offices and asking them to defend their policies. Old-school Republicans were generally far too polite to insult a constituent with cameras on hand. The current batch of batshits have few such internal constraints. Get ’em on video being mean to the cookie lady. Another perfect spokesperson would be any veteran in uniform.
As for party unity — I agree, standing together against Cheeto Jesus is the top priority. This does not mean the party is not badly in need of reform. In my state, the Democrats are a complete mess. They are doing precisely the opposite of what you described after your Congressional run. You ran with no fundraising and got the party’s respect for how well you did. In my state, the one and only thing that matters to party officials is if a candidate might scare off big donors. It’s “sufficiently pure” in reverse. Candidates who are insufficiently centrist are reviled and resisted by the party establishment. They also, if they get into office, are enormously popular with voters. Governor Dayton and Senator Franken’s approval ratings are sky-high. The local Democratic machine despised them and waged huge primary fights against them.
Our local Republican Party is broke, it has been for years. (More a terrible mismanagement and embezzlement problem — they are Republicans, after all — than a fundraising one.) Our Democratic Party is flush with cash. And yet the Republicans keep winning more state legislative seats. Does that indicate a healthy Democratic Party? I do not believe so.
I look forward to your suggestions on what those of us in solidly liberal districts should do to contribute to the fight. I’m sure you’ll have many great ideas I’d never considered. And I’m sure I’ll enjoy debating them with you, if you’re okay with that! (If not, I’d fully understand. The general consensus of humans seems to be that I’m an annoying twerp. Animals don’t appear to mind my existence, which makes sense — I don’t eat much. For some reason I piss off squirrels, though.)
Frankly, I am not that curious about partisan posturing. Just sayin’…
You should follow your conscience on such matters. If being partisan strikes you as immoral or unproductive, that’s what you believe. However, any US citizens have the right to contact their elected representatives and offer their opinions on pending legislation. You don’t have to do this. But that guarantees your voice is unheard.
Consider the following things a Republican president and Congress are almost certain to attack in the next few years. It’s simply a list of what Republicans in power always attack:
Social Security. Medicare. Medicaid. Food stamps. Assistance for the disabled. Clean air and water regulations. Clean energy programs. Food safety. Workplace safety. Worker wages. Women’s reproductive rights. Sexual harassment laws. The rights of anyone accused of a crime. The right to public protest. The rights of immigrants (both documented and undocumented). Scientific research funding. Public education. The Post Office. Public libraries. Public parks and museums.
That’s just stuff they’ve tried to attack in the past. They will undoubtedly find new things to attack, they always do. They will also attempt huge tax cuts for the very wealthy, deregulation of every financial industry, and probably try to start a small war.
Again, if these things do not concern you, the author’s suggestions are not intended for you. They are intended for Americans who are very concerned about these issues and want to have an impact on government policy.
James:
Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough. I should have added, “here.”
I never claimed being partisan was immoral or unproductive. I never claimed citizens *don’t* have the right to contact their elected representatives. I never claimed I was not concerned about government policy. Please don’t assume any of those things.
In fact, I wasn’t even disagreeing with what Elizabeth wrote. And I certainly wasn’t suggesting that she be somehow stopped from commenting, or that people should only write about what *I* care about.
I was only saying “this post doesn’t interest me.” Nothing more, nothing less.
All fair points to have. I’m sorry if I came off too strong. My internet background really started with online college courses. Those all have a fairly rigid rule; criticism needs to be constructive. It’s fine to not like a post. It’s also fine to suggest improvements or ignore it altogether. But the goal is encouraging each other to communicate. Short negative comments (which are the norm in most internet interactions, so I understand why they’re often used) don’t spur communication.
And I’m sure much of this attitude on my part comes from having taken these courses at community college, where there are many students for whom English is a second language. They often felt intimidated by posting. So they’d fulfill the course requirements (“x” many posts and responses a week) by just repeating stuff out of the course study materials. When I was much more interested in what they actually thought.
Elizabeth is not shy about writing, yet every post someone works hard on is a little bit of a gamble, a little bit of revealing oneself. Even if it’s not about the author at all, the author selects how to structure and phrase it. That’s scary no matter how often you do it. And I want to encourage people to keep doing it, even if I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say.
The funny thing with those international students? When they were being more heartfelt, their quality of writing usually improved. Lots of typos, but who cares about those.
Happy New Year! If you drink booze, be sure to eat healthy and hydrate with plain water!
Online courses betray themselves. A person with enough energy and intelligence could make a killing. HYDRATE? WTF does this mean? If you don’t drink booze, then you are missing out on WTF? Community courses are meant to be spent with the community. I am confused. Please explain?
Well, the community college I took online courses at was a non-profit state-run school, but no doubt a lot of online universities are run by scam artists. Mine was founded in the 1960s by hippies who believed students should be free to direct their own course lists, so long as normal standards for academic performance were upheld. Now it’s more devoted to reaching out to working adults, and online coursework is a big part of that. I did meet fellow students outside of school, they were nice people, if much younger! All of the teachers I had were the old ex-hippies, and I really enjoyed them. It was a good experience.
As for hydrating, alcohol actually dehydrates you. So it’s important to have water if you drink a lot of booze in one setting. Of course it is quite possible to skip New Year boozing, I haven’t gone out on 12/31 since 2003 or so. It’s not a favorite holiday of mine. (Amateur night for alcoholics.) I was simply wishing donosaur well, as I will to you! Happy New Year!