Locally, I have found making arbitrary abuses of power visible, part of public discourse, and in much the same manner used in this post, use each case as an education about how the arbitrary abuse of power is the absence of Liberty and without Liberty there is NO FREEDOM.
If the Democratic Party hopes to be ever be relevant again, it will walk away from its own Partisan BS, and remake itself into a party that Represents America, reclaiming the ideals that founded this country (let’s stick to what they said, and learn via a hard, honest critical review of what was actually don’t that in many ways undermined those ideals).
Growing numbers of Americans are getting sick of the Partisan game - if many of the recent Polls mean anything, public opinion is at a point where genuine grassroots, For-The-People, public servant campaigning will likely find a positive reception. But it won’t work if we aren’t genuine, if we aren’t prepared to turn our backs on the big money that has transformed and corrupted politics in America.
But that would require a lot of work, and far more face-to-face interactions with the people. No more big budget, distant campaigns built on data models that have not served the people or the Democratic People well. If we weren’t out there fighting ourselves, our campaign team with boots on the ground, side by side WITH the people, no one is going to believe anything we say.
While I’ve only used this model locally, it was far more successful than I could have imagined - a municipal nonpartisan campaign against a long time Republican incumbent, in a county were we were the only non-Republicans to win.
I see no reason why such campaign methods can’t be used for State & Federal seats - instead of towns, you work the districts. But more importantly, instead of the candidate spending most of their time hustling donor money while rubbing elbows with the power players, they could be spending more time knowing, listening and working with the actual voters. It’s less expensive and more labor - but it does work. And many of the American people would be impressed (if not shocked) to actually interact with a candidate - at best, nowadays, candidates are just media images attacked to name (not saying the latter doesn’t have an affect, but it would likely not work better than a very present and active candidate).
Finally, we would do best to fight for the Country we want, as opposed to against the opponent and Trumps MAGA. The latter is the opened game, and it’s very hard to win in a game where the other side makes the rules and defines the situation. I say, change the rules, and don’t even engage with the opponent. Use them as the unspoken darkness, the implicit that what you get. Proactive and positive campaigns are the only way to break free from divisive hate coming out Trump MAGA. So instead of promoting hating MAGA, promote the love our Country and our Constitution. If Trump is weaponizing DoJ against Dems, then we campaign for unbiased justice and for those people being abused by the arbitrary abuse of power. For that matter, one can skewer an opponent quite effectively without ever saying a negative thing about them or even mentioning their name. Especially when one has opponents who come right out and spew their ugly, Unconstitutional plans out in front of everyone.
Whatever we do, it should have started six months ago. While I appreciate videos like this, and the individual efforts of some politicians, I haven’t seen anything that looks like the kind of direction, organization or proactive effort we need. Lots of good ideas out there - and I keep hoping that folks are building the framework for a national oppositional campaign that is established well-enough before a full crack down, and media blackout takes place.
It may be only seven months, but too much that is clearly Unconstitutional, UnAmerican, has been allowed to take place already. Protests are good, but since no kings day, we’ve failed to build momentum. Do we have a national plan yet. We have to collaborate at the very least, and we need constant proactive messaging ( again, the trick of critique without explicitly saying anything that could be easily interpreted as anti-Trump), shifting people’s mind to how things should be, what Liberty and Freedom look like (making the contrast between what it is and what it should be sharper). We need to be on topic, quick to react, and use word of mouth which can be just as powerful as a multi-million dollar campaign, if we do our work correctly.
At times like this, when I wonder how can we ever manage to protect the Constitution, to convince the People that a fight to do so worth it, without all the money and media that Trump’s MAGA coalition has at their disposal, I remember that back in the early 1770s, a small group of Virginian Assembly members, meeting as a voluntary, non official group, set in motion the organization of the first Convention with nothing but hand written letters dispersed through the Colonies on horseback (while avoiding RedCoates and British Sympathizers).
I figure if these colonial assemblymen, not yet famous, with no idea that one day they would be looked at as the Founders of this country, then certainly we can take a stand and push back against those who would reverse the progress we have made towards universal and absolute Liberty and Freedom.
Thank you, Tom💜
This is a horror show!
Thank you🩵😔
So what’s the plan?
Locally, I have found making arbitrary abuses of power visible, part of public discourse, and in much the same manner used in this post, use each case as an education about how the arbitrary abuse of power is the absence of Liberty and without Liberty there is NO FREEDOM.
If the Democratic Party hopes to be ever be relevant again, it will walk away from its own Partisan BS, and remake itself into a party that Represents America, reclaiming the ideals that founded this country (let’s stick to what they said, and learn via a hard, honest critical review of what was actually don’t that in many ways undermined those ideals).
Growing numbers of Americans are getting sick of the Partisan game - if many of the recent Polls mean anything, public opinion is at a point where genuine grassroots, For-The-People, public servant campaigning will likely find a positive reception. But it won’t work if we aren’t genuine, if we aren’t prepared to turn our backs on the big money that has transformed and corrupted politics in America.
But that would require a lot of work, and far more face-to-face interactions with the people. No more big budget, distant campaigns built on data models that have not served the people or the Democratic People well. If we weren’t out there fighting ourselves, our campaign team with boots on the ground, side by side WITH the people, no one is going to believe anything we say.
While I’ve only used this model locally, it was far more successful than I could have imagined - a municipal nonpartisan campaign against a long time Republican incumbent, in a county were we were the only non-Republicans to win.
I see no reason why such campaign methods can’t be used for State & Federal seats - instead of towns, you work the districts. But more importantly, instead of the candidate spending most of their time hustling donor money while rubbing elbows with the power players, they could be spending more time knowing, listening and working with the actual voters. It’s less expensive and more labor - but it does work. And many of the American people would be impressed (if not shocked) to actually interact with a candidate - at best, nowadays, candidates are just media images attacked to name (not saying the latter doesn’t have an affect, but it would likely not work better than a very present and active candidate).
Finally, we would do best to fight for the Country we want, as opposed to against the opponent and Trumps MAGA. The latter is the opened game, and it’s very hard to win in a game where the other side makes the rules and defines the situation. I say, change the rules, and don’t even engage with the opponent. Use them as the unspoken darkness, the implicit that what you get. Proactive and positive campaigns are the only way to break free from divisive hate coming out Trump MAGA. So instead of promoting hating MAGA, promote the love our Country and our Constitution. If Trump is weaponizing DoJ against Dems, then we campaign for unbiased justice and for those people being abused by the arbitrary abuse of power. For that matter, one can skewer an opponent quite effectively without ever saying a negative thing about them or even mentioning their name. Especially when one has opponents who come right out and spew their ugly, Unconstitutional plans out in front of everyone.
Whatever we do, it should have started six months ago. While I appreciate videos like this, and the individual efforts of some politicians, I haven’t seen anything that looks like the kind of direction, organization or proactive effort we need. Lots of good ideas out there - and I keep hoping that folks are building the framework for a national oppositional campaign that is established well-enough before a full crack down, and media blackout takes place.
It may be only seven months, but too much that is clearly Unconstitutional, UnAmerican, has been allowed to take place already. Protests are good, but since no kings day, we’ve failed to build momentum. Do we have a national plan yet. We have to collaborate at the very least, and we need constant proactive messaging ( again, the trick of critique without explicitly saying anything that could be easily interpreted as anti-Trump), shifting people’s mind to how things should be, what Liberty and Freedom look like (making the contrast between what it is and what it should be sharper). We need to be on topic, quick to react, and use word of mouth which can be just as powerful as a multi-million dollar campaign, if we do our work correctly.
At times like this, when I wonder how can we ever manage to protect the Constitution, to convince the People that a fight to do so worth it, without all the money and media that Trump’s MAGA coalition has at their disposal, I remember that back in the early 1770s, a small group of Virginian Assembly members, meeting as a voluntary, non official group, set in motion the organization of the first Convention with nothing but hand written letters dispersed through the Colonies on horseback (while avoiding RedCoates and British Sympathizers).
I figure if these colonial assemblymen, not yet famous, with no idea that one day they would be looked at as the Founders of this country, then certainly we can take a stand and push back against those who would reverse the progress we have made towards universal and absolute Liberty and Freedom.