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Sky 777's avatar

Long article. I “got it” in the first few paragraphs. Scrolled to the end for concrete suggestions to create the movement that you convinced me needs to happen. Didn’t find any.

So here are some of mine.

1. We need the equivalent of Fox-not-the-News. We need the equivalent of the thousands of radio stations spewing hate. We need a cohesive online presence. SubStack is good but random.

How this happens, I don’t know. Someone with time/money/expertise. But without it, everything else will be harder.

2. We do need charismatic leadership. The chances that some one person will emerge in the next few months are slim to none and Slim has left town. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the Presidential candidate . It could be a combination of people, speaking the same message in their own passionate way. Obama, Sanders, Newsom, Whitmer, etc.

3. And we need a message. Something positive, not just anti-Trump.

4. And the movement needs a name. I like For Democracy but others can craft something else.

5. The movement has to be grass roots. We need a spark, a catalyst, to get people to vote blue and bring a hundred of their friends with them. Again, not my area of expertise. Women’s health rights will do it for some. Income inequality should do it for many. Climate should do it for everyone.

6. Maybe have a National March for Democracy like the Women’s March and the March for Science, happening in towns and cities across the country.

That is all I have at this point off the top of my head. I know there are hundreds of thousands of people like me who want to do something and be part of something but are floundering around looking for...........?

Short of writing postcards (do those really do anything?), sending money to targeted candidates out of state, and voting, I am at a loss to know how to help.

I would love to get comments (be nice) from others with better ideas than mine.

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

I'm not kidding when I say channel Taylor Swift.

In antediluvian time, I took a course on literary criticism, where we had to analyze Hamlet every time we came to class using a different method. E.G. An historical view. An Aristotelian view. A Freudian view. Among the stuff covered were comparisons to political figures. other plays, etc. The center of all stories are archetypes.

As Thom says "The closest to movement politics we have at the moment are the millions of American women (and their male allies) who want control of their bodies and are outraged at GOP attempts to return them to the status of men’s servants and playthings, from the boardroom to the bedroom."

Taylor swift is not a politician and I don't want her to become one. I think she is the modern archetypal hero for Gen Z. She outsells anybody else. She made a market in album and even in ticket sales. And she is able to develop the myth we need. 40% of the electorate will be GenZ. Person of the Year. Personable. Charitable. Beloved by a majority of the demographic we need. And she was so sophisticated that she took on an entire industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odYlgsKlOP4

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