I think I am past the depression created by the election results. Time to start thinking about what we are going to do about it. Trump does not have a mandate, though he will pretend he does. I expect disarray, infighting, and some very bad decisions from this regime. We need to fight this at every opportunity.
I have written before about the disadvantage Democrats have
in media and messaging. Conservatives control a majority of media. Their
message is coordinated and distributed with efficiency and intent. Their media
outlets are available everywhere while perceived liberal media is limited at
best. This includes new media like social networks, podcasts, as well as subversive
messaging in popular programs.
We see Fox News and the like being shown in public spaces like
gyms, airports, military bases, and nearly any place where the public gathers. Podcasters
like Joe Rogan and similar hosts, regularly interview conspiracy theorists,
republicans, and quack doctors. Social media is rife with trolls and MAGA nuts
who wait for a chance to jump on any perceived liberalism. Even dramatic
programs and cop shows perpetuate a chronic crime wave that supposedly hasn’t
ended since the 1970s, terrorists infiltrating the Mexican border, or cartels
that control southwestern states. It all perpetuates the conservative message.
Another advantage conservatives have vs liberals is committed
and engaged voters. When Trump decided, he was not going to give up on the
nomination of Pete Hegseth, MAGA faithful started sending letters to their
Senators. One of the first demonstration of this was in the 1994 midterms when
the NRA campaigned against the Brady Bill and the Clinton Administration. NRA
members did what they were told to do, and they wrote letters to their congressmen
and letters to the editors and most of all, they voted. This is what we need to
do during the Trump term.
Resistance will require an everything everywhere all at once
strategy. We need to petition media to feature more liberal points of view and
provide them with content. We need to combat MAGA trolls on social media. We
need to create new media outlets and distribute them, make them available
everywhere for free whenever possible. And we need to get liberal narratives in
TV writers’ rooms.
During the campaign I went to a few rallies for Kamala
Harris and Tim Walz. I had watched their stump speeches on TV and knew what
they were going to say, but I went anyway because it helps create momentum, I invited
friends and family and even brought my wife, who hates crowds and being cooped
up in stuffy auditoriums. More people matter at rallies just like more people
using their voices in more places will matter in the resistance.
The same is true for letter writing and phone call campaigns.
This is something we as individuals can do and should do regularly. It’s a
small commitment. Writing letters to all the senators on a committee takes
minutes after the letter itself is written. And the letter doesn’t have to be long,
keep it short and to the point is always best. Using a web browser and some
copy and pasting you can send a letter to all the Senators that are making a
decision that is important to you.
Write about what you care about. There are organizations and
groups working on your issue and they can guide you in writing an effective
message. When we all make our wishes known it can move votes. Congresspeople do
keep a count on issues for and against and the Democratic side needs momentum.
Members of the house have a filtering system that asks for
your zip code before allowing you to post an email. I have looked up zip codes
in their district and used them to bypass this filter. You may rather make a
phone call instead. They will ask you where you live but you don’t have to tell
them. If you are that person’s constituent, by all means tell them so. This
kind of lobbying, and yes that is what it is, can’t be done with form letters or
robotic calls.
In reevaluating its media failures of 2024, the Democratic
party should formalize a program for Democrats to write and call their
representatives. Every time a Democrat is on TV, radio or a podcast they need
to encourage the audience to write and call their congresspeople. This cannot be
overused. A program like this can be created by multiple interest groups to
encourage their voters to do the same.
We need to build a wall of messaging. Everything everywhere
all at once to get our message wherever anyone could possibly see it. And that
includes citizen correspondence to Senators to oppose nominees, reject trickle
down tax cuts, save NATO, and keep Trump off balance. The party needs to invest
in the people to do this. I can do it, and you can do it, Let’s do it.
