Editor’s note: This commentary is by Elayne Clift, who writes about women, health, politics and social issues from Saxtons River.
I get many comments when I publish commentary or post an opinion piece to a blog. It’s great to hear from readers, especially when they are validating fans who counter the crueler responses I’m now used to receiving. But until now, no one ever asked me for help.
Recently a reader wrote to ask what she could do to make a difference after I’d made the case that we need to be vigilant and active in the unprecedented age of a tweeting president who seems not to grasp the gravity of his new position, or to understand that good governance requires not only in-depth knowledge of complex issues, but frequent briefings, good relations with Congress and the media, and more than 40 character communiques.
I sent her several suggestions. “You should make this a column,” she replied. So I did some research and came up with these suggestions for resisting the dangerous recklessness that Mr. Trump continues to exhibit.
First, check out the guide “Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda.” It’s written by former congressional staffers and they know what they’re talking about. Drawing upon lessons learned from the success of the Tea Party, they advocate building a similar grassroots resistance movement to defeat Mr. Trump’s dangerous agenda.
It’s already happening. The Women’s March in Washington, D.C., emulated in dozens of cities across America and abroad is a great example. It wasn’t organized by large, notable organizations but by a few women who felt they had to do something. So they put up a Facebook page inviting people to come to D.C. for a march, and the next morning found that 10,000 people had signed on. It grew exponentially to over a million marchers in Washington from there. More than 600 cities on every continent soon joined in.
Speak up on important issues, whether with friends or in appropriate gatherings. Be armed with fact and stay calm. Then ask everyone you know to do the same.
Here’s another example. Activists shut down the Republican attempt to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics in record time. Phones on Capitol Hill rang off the hook, petitions flew, threats of being voted out of office abounded, and within two hours of announcing the changes the right wing wanted to establish, they had recanted. Pure people power!
Those accounts are meant to inspire. These ideas call for action.
Hold the media’s feet to the fire. When mainstream or cable media don’t cover an important issue with sufficient depth or urgency, or don’t insist on getting their questions answered, call them on it. If they give too much time to normalizing decidedly abnormal events or statements, call them – literally! Call for media solidarity on social media.
Write or call your congresspeople, whether left or right. They listen to constituents and count calls to use numerical strength in their arguments on the floor. Members of Congress also want to be re-elected so they want their voters to like them. Localize your response to a particular piece of legislation. Tell them about a real person in your town who will likely die if denied medication or treatment. Visit your senator or representative and record or videotape the visit. Then send a report to local media. If your congressional representatives won’t see you, tell the press.
Write letters to newspaper editors specific to something that has broken in the news. Big or small issues, big or small papers. Use what is called “creative epidemiology” in public health messaging. Instead of saying half a million people will suffer, convey that number by stating how many jumbo jets those people would fill.
Sign petitions. They often make a difference, especially if they come from large, respected groups. Share them on social media.
Speak up on important issues, whether with friends or in appropriate gatherings. Be armed with fact and stay calm. Then ask everyone you know to do the same.
As the Indivisible Guide notes, “Together, we have the power to win [like the Tea Party did].” To that I would add this is no time for complacency, no time to normalize our threatened future, no time to be too tired to act. It is, however, time to resist.
