Image by Mika Baumeister.
Tribalism in US politics is currently at fever pitch, the more you engage, the more you dig in, and the more you lose in the process. Almost every day I fall victim to the same familiar cycle. The topic changes but like déjà vu the process repeats. In the end I realize I’ve spent too much time with another troll, maybe from a foreign adversary or maybe homegrown. I have been called stupid, and I must admit, they are right; I knew it was a waste of time, and I couldn’t seem to help myself.
In my defense it is hard to stay quiet. The topics de jour (not to be confused with de jure, more about that later) are Trump and Musk (I sometimes refer to them as F. Elon and Felon, if you see where this is going): exceeding constitutional authority, unelected copresident, causing millions of unnecessary and preventable deaths, free refills on cruelty, bottomless pits of despair… oh yes! I make sure to observe good news too: the resistance is working, guardrails are holding up, judges are telling him “No!”, and people power is waking up.
The Alt National Parks Service has become my go-to news source. More grassroots than journalism, it is like being on the scene while the crime is in progress. I hate it, but it is in my DNA: epigenetics is the fuse box for our genes, they are turned off or on in different experiences, our epigenetics can also be passed from generation to generation. Resistance and struggle are in my genes, my grandfathers fought against fascism. “Zeldenrust,” my ancestorial namesake—translates to “Seldom Rests”—is permanently remembered in Neerlandsch Verzetsmonument—Netherlands Resistance Monument.
Is there a way to say it without being judgmental? Do you want to say it without being judgmental? Historic estimates put the number at about 4%, only a small percentage of the Dutch population actively participated in organized resistance against German occupation during World War II. It’s noteworthy in many regards. Scholarship by my colleague-heroes Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan says: Once around 3.5% of the whole population has begun to participate actively, success appears to be inevitable. It will not take many of us, but we will need as many as possible. Sadly, there may not be many—not nearly as many as you might hope for—actively resisting. Just like in WWII, there will likely be many many people passively resisting in the form of non-cooperation.
For all the talk about tyranny in US discourse, it seems the loudest mouths have gone very silent in the face of a want-to-be dictator ignoring the Constitution and abdicating the oath of office. The list of offenses grows daily as does condemnation. Dizzying cruelty and capricious dishonesty delivered 280 characters at a time. They tell us “Stopping fraud,” “excuse myself” from conflicts of interest, and “not a Nazi salute.” Many of the loudest mouths, it turns out, have an affinity for white nationalism, and they seem quite content with a co-dictatorship featuring Musk and Trump. “Who is the dumb one now?” I’ve read it in one form or another hundreds of times in recent weeks, the answer is sobering.
The people in charge of the 47th administration think the dumb one is you, me, and all the American public. They think they are above the law and dare anyone to prove otherwise. They think we are not smart enough to see through the lies and when we do, they believe it is too late to stop them. They think the people will forget they have the power. They are not stupid, in the many superlatives that is not one that should be used. They have convinced an entire political party: “your job is to not do your job.” They strategically undermined all the pillars of democracy and civil society in the US. They committed a failed insurrection … here we are today.
Trump thinks he is king de jure because he has never been held accountable. He has identified and manipulated cowardice, transformed it into virtue, and replaced checks and balances with stacked courts and legislative fealty. The book 1984 ends with complete surrender, the present features lawyers who pretend they do not know the law, doctors that do not know medicine, police that do not know the law, and so on. They are living the lies that have become increasingly impossible to ignore: there was not $100 million in condoms for Hamas. Co-president Musk’s response:
“Some of the things that I say will be incorrect, and should be corrected. So, nobody’s going to bat a thousand. I mean, any – you know, we will make mistakes, but we’ll act quickly to correct any mistakes.”
Forget that co-president Trump has been telling, retelling, and inflating that figure since January 28th. Currently (2/12/25) the damage to USAID will cause millions of otherwise preventable deaths, no fraud or waste—zero—has been identified in the process.
The 47th administration does not want a strategic response. They fear resistance. Will you commit to saving the country? They think you will give up. Choose Democracy says:
Get with Others to Act
Pressure a pillar of support to defect
Devote yourself to a long-term project
Indivisible says:
Play # 1: We All Say No To Project 2025
Play #2: Get Dems To Play Hardball In Local, City, And State Offices
Play #3: We Work to Protect and Win Elections
These are options for direct action:1. Organizing to stand, indivisibly, with communities under threat, and 2. Fighting for democracy under increasing authoritarian creep.
My DNA tells me that I must oppose the coup. Trump’s DNA has bone spurs. What are you made of? Are you ready to ignore the trolls and commit to the steps that will protect our experiment in democracy? I am. It’s time to find solidarity and get to work.
