Forget waiting for Democratic leaders, it’s up to us to take the fight to Trump!
We must prepare before Jan 20!
Why aren’t Democratic leaders standing up to the threat Donald Trump poses in one loud voice?!! For the past few years, Democratic officials warned us of the clear and present danger Trump posed to our Republic.
President Biden told us bluntly that, “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” Vice President Harris echoed that sentiment numerous times during the 2024 campaign stating point blank, “Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy and fundamental freedoms.” Many other Democratic leaders amplified that very point in the closing months of the 2024 campaign.
So why aren’t the same Democrats who warned us about Trump now stepping up loudly with a playbook to protect our democracy and freedom?!
Why isn’t Biden, Harris, Chuck Schumer and other Democratic leaders holding just about daily press conferences to counter the dangers posed by Trump’s cabinet nominations?! Where are these leaders raising red flags about Trump on Sunday calling for putting the members of the Jan 6 committee in jail while repeating his vow to pardon the Jan 6 terrorists who waged a violent attack on his behalf to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election?!
These very questions have been repeatedly posed by many listeners to my radio show. Even some Democratic insiders feel there has been a “total vacuum” of leadership from the top of the party since the election—as Politico reported this week. As one Democratic activist rightly told the media outlet, “It feels like Trump is president already.”
Worse, instead of Democratic officials taking the fight to Trump with a laser focused message, we have some Democrats now sucking up to Trump. The increasingly unbearable Sen. John Fetterman on Tuesday joined Trump’s “Truth Social” platform and in his very first post called for Trump to be pardoned for his 34 felony convictions in New York, saying the case was “bullshit.” Other Democratic members of Congress are talking about finding “common ground” with Trump. And Rep. Jim Clyburn—a close Biden ally—suggested this week that Biden should consider pardoning Trump as a way of “cleaning the slate” for the country. Are you F**king kidding me: Pardon the guy who attempted a coup?!
Democratic office holders are responding to Trump is as if he actually did win in a “landslide”--as he keeps lying about. In reality, Trump didn’t even secure 50% of the popular vote and his margin of victory was a paltry 1.5%. Trump barely won, but Democrats have for the most part rolled over—not even calling for recount of key states despite nearly 50% of Democrats having sincere questions about the legitimacy of the results.
Trump is every bit a danger to our freedoms and our democracy that these Democratic leaders warned us about. He was convicted of 34 felonies for cheating in the 2016 campaign, attempted a coup, incited the Jan 6 terrorist attack and has repeatedly vowed to pardon his Jan 6 terrorists—even the ones who brutally beat up police officers. In addition, he has promised as President to shut down media outlets critical of him, prosecute political critics and use the military to go after the “enemy within.” I can assure you that Trump will attempt all of this.
To be clear, some Democrats are still fighting the good fight such as Sen. Liz Warren, Reps. Jasmine Crockett, Eric Swalwell, Pramila Jayapal, Jamie Raskin and a few more. Add to that governors like Illinois JB Pritzker and California’s Gavin Newsom have been outspoken in making it clear they will stand up to Trump.
What is glaringly missing is a coordinated message from leaders about preparing Resistance 2.0 to take the fight to Trump 2.0. But the time for waiting is over—we need to lead the resistance ourselves!
In fact, when I looked back at the news articles from November/December 2016 after Trump won, what I noticed was that even then the Democratic leaders were not stepping up. It was the grassroots activists that led the charge. For example, articles after the election in mid-November 2016 talked about organizers planning an event for the day after Trump’s inauguration called the "Women's March on Washington." That was all grassroots organized, not Democratic official led. In the end, nearly 500,000 people attended that massive march—three times more than attended Trump’s swearing in the day before.
Other grassroots led efforts to resist Trump at the time included boycotting Trump properties and products, donating to causes that protect freedoms like the ACLU and online organizing. One of the more enduring forms of activism was the creation of the Indivisible movement—which still exists today—that has thousands of chapters nationwide.
That is what must happen again—which is why I spoke to Indivisible’s co-founder Ezra Levin. (You can watch the entire interview below.) Levin, a former Capitol Hill staffer, shared that based on his experience “the best way to build and wield the power that you have is to organize locally.” That could mean joining a local Democratic club, issue-oriented organizations, Indivisible chapters, etc.
When it comes to Democratic officials, Levin was clear we need to push them into action. As Levin explained, “We should be pushing our governors and their State legislatures to actively stand as a bulwark against what is coming from Trump 2.0.” That means making calls, emailing, visiting offices of Democratic elected officials to light a fire under them.
Levin shared some good news from a recent call he had online with thousands of activists. The initial shock/grief of the 2024 loss is wearing off. Instead, Levin said it is being replaced by one word: “determination.” As Levin noted, “The last stage of grief that's action. That's where they are,” adding, “They're figuring out how to take action and actually move forward.”
The lack of Democratic leaders stepping up reminds me of Barack Obama’s famous words from the 2008 campaign, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for.” (The inspiring clip is below.)
This is where we find ourselves. Waiting for Democratic leaders is a waste of precious time. It’s like “Waiting for Godot”—and Spoiler: Godot never shows up!
We need to begin organizing now before Trump is sworn in on Jan 20. That means joining grassroots organizations, building alliances in-person and online, supporting organizations that fight for our rights, etc. That will prepare us to be ready to respond when Trump comes for any of us.
History tells us that when confronted by a fascist threat, alone we will be crushed. Together, we have a fighting chance to win!
Below is my interview of Ezra Levin the co-founder of Indivisible who gives specific instructions on how to prepare for Trump 2.0:
We must prepare every single day as if there will be no tomorrow, no second chance. Not just until January 20 2025 but every day thereafter.
Only one party was going to survive this election. Winner take all.
It's beyond disappointing to concede that the party of everything terrible - despite driving itself off the edge of a flat Earth over the past ten years - somehow landed softly in the cockpit of global power.
The Democratic party - as seen in our imaginations - is over. It's now fair game for all to join, reconstruct and bring forward once again as the voice of average folks.
And John Fetterman is a coward on every facet of his artificial character.