Trump dealt NATIONWIDE blow with new update
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The 'No Kings' protest is positioned as the largest protest in American history, with over 3,100 global events.
- ❖Protests are a tactic to foster mass defiance and demonstrate widespread resistance to the Trump administration.
- ❖Events are designed as 'mass absorption events' to recruit new participants into ongoing local organizing.
- ❖Indivisible has seen 150% growth in new chapters, with a disproportionate number in red and purple areas.
- ❖The movement aims to welcome non-activists and even disillusioned Trump voters by focusing on shared grievances.
- ❖Long-term infrastructure building and year-round engagement are prioritized over episodic campaign efforts.
Insights
1Protests as a 'Mass Absorption Event' for Sustained Organizing
The 'No Kings' protest, involving over 3,100 global events, is strategically designed as a 'mass absorption event' rather than just a show of force. Organizers actively recruit attendees, inviting them to 'what's next' events to integrate them into ongoing local work, including mutual aid, advocacy, and electoral efforts. This approach aims to convert episodic participation into sustained activism.
If you talk to anybody who is hosting or organizing one of these, what they're going to talk about is not just their plan for the day, but the ways that they are recruiting and absorbing the folks who come out to these events, right? We're actually working with hosts uh and organizers... on how do we all collectively recruit at these things and then plan a what's next event afterwards.
2Expanding Resistance into Red and Rural Areas
Indivisible's organizing efforts have seen significant growth, with a 150% increase in new chapters, particularly in red and purple areas, including rural communities where they previously had no presence. This expansion is crucial for building a truly nationwide coalition and challenging the perception of opposition being confined to urban, liberal strongholds.
What we've seen since Trump was elected is that we've grown about 150% in new chapters with a disproportionate number of those coming in red and purple areas and particularly in in some of the rural areas where we've actually not had presence before.
3Building a Broad Coalition Beyond Traditional Democrats
The movement actively welcomes individuals who may not identify as political activists or Democrats, including disillusioned Trump voters. The strategy focuses on shared grievances against the administration's policies, such as cuts affecting veterans or actions by ICE, to broaden the coalition and engage people who feel compelled to act despite their past political affiliations.
We want Trump voters who voted for Trump thinking he was going to do no wars. He was going to cut the price of their eggs or their bread or their gas. They believed a better world was possible. They didn't like the status quo, so they took a chance. and now they feel betrayed. We got to welcome them with open arms.
4Prioritizing Year-Round Local Infrastructure Over Episodic Campaigns
The organization emphasizes the necessity of year-round engagement and local infrastructure building, contrasting it with traditional campaign tactics that focus heavily on advertising and outreach only in the months leading up to an election. This sustained approach aims to build allegiances and share worldviews more effectively, avoiding the 'here every four years' criticism.
I do not think we can just treat midterms or or presidential elections as an October and November organizing effort. We've got to be engaged year round. And I'll tell you, the same people who are going to show up on Saturday for the first time, never went to a protest before. These people are going to be the folks who are knocking on doors and who are protecting the vote come the midterms when Trump tries to sabotage it.
Bottom Line
The movement's deliberate strategy to welcome disillusioned Trump voters represents a significant tactical shift, moving beyond traditional partisan recruitment.
This approach acknowledges that political dissatisfaction can transcend party lines, opening avenues for coalition building with individuals who might otherwise be considered political opponents, based on shared opposition to specific policies or perceived failures of an administration.
Organizations can leverage specific policy impacts (e.g., veteran issues, economic concerns) to attract a broader base of support, rather than relying solely on ideological alignment, thereby expanding their potential influence and reach into unexpected demographics.
Key Concepts
Mass Absorption Event
A large-scale public demonstration or protest designed not only to express dissent but also to actively recruit new participants into ongoing, localized political organizing and activism. The event serves as a funnel to convert passive observers into active members of a movement.
Tactic within a Strategy
The understanding that individual actions or events (like a protest) are not standalone solutions but components of a larger, long-term strategic plan. Each tactic contributes to a broader goal, such as building a sustained resistance movement or shifting political power.
Lessons
- Participate in local 'No Kings' protests to demonstrate opposition and connect with community organizers.
- Treat mass events as opportunities to recruit new people into ongoing local activism, rather than as standalone demonstrations.
- Actively invite non-activist friends, family, or colleagues who are dissatisfied with the country's direction to participate in local organizing efforts.
- Focus on building year-round local political infrastructure and engagement, rather than limiting efforts to election cycles.
Building Sustained Political Resistance through Mass Mobilization
Organize large-scale, geographically dispersed protests to demonstrate widespread popular defiance and pierce the 'bubble of total control'.
Design these mass events as 'absorption events' where organizers actively recruit new participants into ongoing local work.
Prioritize expanding organizing efforts into red and rural areas to build a truly nationwide, diverse coalition.
Welcome non-traditional activists, including those from opposing political backgrounds, by focusing on shared grievances and the impact of policies.
Invest in year-round local infrastructure and engagement to build lasting allegiances and counter episodic campaign tactics.
Notable Moments
The Twin Cities are highlighted as an example of how national protests and subsequent organizing can lead to rapid response, targeted activism, such as the 'Ice Out for Good' protests.
This provides concrete evidence of the long-term impact of initial mass mobilization, demonstrating how a sustained organizational structure can quickly respond to specific events and maintain momentum.
The host recounts a personal experience from 2016 where a voter criticized Democrats for only appearing every four years, highlighting the need for continuous engagement.
This anecdote underscores the core strategic shift discussed: the necessity of year-round, local infrastructure building to foster genuine community connection and avoid being perceived as opportunistic or temporary.
Quotes
"No Kings is a it's a tactic within a strategy. The strategy is about fostering mass defiance everywhere that pushes back on Donald Trump, on his regime, on his secret police, on his policy agenda."
"It is however a very essential tactic for welcoming new people into the movement and then getting them trained up and connected locally so we can escalate tactics as we move forward towards an election in these midterms that Donald Trump is saying himself he plans to sabotage."
"For us, it's all about treating this not just as a a big popular message to the powers that be, but also as a mass absorption event."
"We have to grow the tent. We have to grow the coalition because it's the only way we win."
"We want Trump voters who voted for Trump thinking he was going to do no wars... and now they feel betrayed. We got to welcome them with open arms."
"We've got to be engaged year round. And I'll tell you, the same people who are going to show up on Saturday for the first time, never went to a protest before. These people are going to be the folks who are knocking on doors and who are protecting the vote come the midterms when Trump tries to sabotage it."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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