The resistance has demobilized
Over at Vox, Matthew Yglesias points out that the Resistance, the guard dog whose vigilance played such a crucial role as a check against Donald Trump, has gone quiet since the Democrats won the House in the 2018 midterms.
“The resistance has demobilized,” Yglesias notes. “There was no mass mobilization to call senators in advance of the resolution blocking Trump’s border emergency declaration. There were no crowds on Capitol Hill. There are no reports of Republican senators canceling town halls because they’re afraid to face angry crowds demanding a floor vote on the anti-corruption bill HR 1. There are no protesters demanding that Trump accede to Congress’s request for his tax returns in part because no request has been made.”
This demobilization follows a familiar pattern. Democrats are the party of governance, so once they win elections elected officials focus more on Washington politics than riling up the base. By contrast, Republicans tend to be on a constant war footing at all times, including even when they control all branches of government, as seen in Trump’s non-stop rallies since he won the presidency. One of the biggest mistakes of the Obama presidency was the demobilization of the grassroots movement that won him the presidency in 2008. We might be seeing history repeat itself, unless Democrats can figure out a way of keeping the fires of the Resistance going.
I was disappointed that there wasn’t more demonstration against Bolsonaro this week. As we prepare to do another coup to make Venezuela safe for ExxonMobil, Chevron and Halliburton the fascist president of Brazil visited the CIA at Langley before even going to the White House. How many CIA and Special Operators do you think are in Brazil right now inching to go north? Ex-CIA field agents on Fox and sitting senators on Twitter are calling for Maduro’s assassination. Foreign meddling!
It’s disappointing. There’s activist fatigue for sure. But we are very far from done on this. Regardless of what Matt Yglesias may think.
On Friday we’re dropping a discussion among Kerri Harris, super-producer Margaret Hu and me about a recent visit to LBR’s office and how to raise consciousness about grassroots activism in general. So, as far as trying to “figure out a way of keeping the fires of the Resistance going”, we’re on it everyday.
The resistance is not dead and neither is the anger and concern that fueled it in 2018, should note that “protest season” doth approach and fresh outrages continue to pour from the White House. The Resistance is not dean, and neither is Joe Hill.
That’s the spirit.
ANGER, that is what’s the problem. The Dems are angry that Hillary lost! So, they’re trying to put candidates out on the water and see which one floats….when is AOC running??
I know very few people who are upset that Hillary ISNT president.
As Im sure a savvy person like yourself is aware, Congresswoman Ocasio Cortez is about 6 years too young to qualify to be president.
I doubt Pence tries in 2024. By then the Senate will have moved to the Dems and while trmp will have clogged the SCOTUS with shit, he’s be so exposed and unpopular, no one from his administration will be able to do it.
The GOP nominee will be someone like Steve King and a Democrat like Gavin Newsome or maybe Beto 2.0 will coast on in. After THAT term, then-senator Ocasio Cortez will be in a good position to run… assuming we arent full-on Christistan by then.
Most of us here didn’t like her. We’re angry a criminal won. You should be too. If you’re not, you’re an ass-sucking dipshit.
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night, alive as you and me!