indivisible meeting

Resistance – The Indivisible Movement

Now the third in a series of posts on the Trump Resistance, (part 1 and part 2)

Since then I have joined NYCD16-Indivisible, and am outlining my current thoughts on how to be most effective.

The full-court press/kitchen sink approach still applies. Throw everything we have against Trump, from all directions. We don’t know in advance what will stick. For example, who would have thought that boycotting Nordstrom’s connection with Ivanka Trump could directly cause Kellyanne Conway to violate federal ethics rules?

There are two broad avenues of attack:

1. The war for public opinion. Currently Gallup shows 53% Disapproval/ 40% Approval. If we can push the Approval down to 20%, then GOP Congress critters will begin to feel the heat. So, making Trump unpopular is worth doing. But we gotta peel off the “reluctant” Trumpers; the hardcore Deplorables such as we encounter on social media will never abandon him. But even with the allegedly reluctant Trumpers, the defensiveness, victimhood, and alternative worldview makes it really tricky to move them.

2. The electoral activism of the Indivisible Movement (largely based on the 2009-11 Tea Party model). This is great stuff and should be our primary focus. Our local Indivisible chapters can be the means to amplify our efforts, including pressing incumbent officeholders, electing strong representatives, holding rallies, supporting boycotts, etc.

More random thoughts:

“Keep your eyes on the prize.” This will be a four-year struggle, at least. We must pace ourselves. We must not get distracted by every new outrage du jour, which the Trump administration offers us. Most likely, we will have to deal with for 1400 more days.

We must not become depressed and apathetic, giving up in despair at the thought of the insufferably craven, spineless, and opportunistic GOP Congress. Nor should we become prematurely giddy with minor victories like Flynn’s resignation, Puzder’s rejection, or some new low poll numbers. This will be a long slog.

Organize, organize, organize. Get our shit together. Do not waste our time engaging the Trumpkins, either online, across the dinner table, or certainly not in the streets (unless part of an organized counter-demonstration).

Different people in The Resistance will approach it differently. Unless they are being violent, don’t object; don’t get into internecine feuds. And taking it a step further, if anyone criticizes or objects to *your* form of (nonviolent) resistance, shrug it off. Focus on the enemy in front, not on the ally at your side.

Let go of the Obama-stalgia. I love the man. But it’s now 2017; the country faces a big problem and we must get on with fixing it.

indivisible meeting

Meeting on Feb. 12, 2017