Could we not? Let’s celebrate yesterday’s achievement. We had a day where Idaho, fucking Idaho, filled their capitol. It remained peaceful so trump couldn’t do a military coup as well. Let’s take the win.
I want the win to mean something. The only concern that I think is valid so far is that there do not appear to be (m)any elected officials backing any policy in specific tandem with these protests.
I just don’t want to see popular sentiment and political movement crash out into nothingness and a backlash like Occupy Wall Street.
For the would-be dictator, success depends on projecting power and creating an aura of inevitability. They need you to believe that Trump is the new normal, that the MAGA movement will be in power for the long haul, that the only rational move is to go along, keep your head down, and protect your own interests.
In short, it requires a countless number of people in a countless number of places to do something that the Trump regime doesn’t want them to do, or to NOT do something the Trump regime wants them to do. That’s how we shake off the aura of inevitability and halt the autocratic breakthrough.
For that to happen, people need to feel like we’re part of something bigger. We need to understand that we’re part of a movement. We need to feel like we will win.
Yes, the U.S. has a history of letting its politicians get away with things in the name of “moving on” and forgiveness. I think 90% of our problems are rooted in the reality that we have allowed past sins against our Bill of Rights and Consitution to go without facing justice. Not revenge, but justice:
This total lack of accountability is precisely how we got here. Those in power should be held to a higher standard, not be given a free pass for corruption.
Obama was specifically referring to having no desire to prosecute W, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz for their egregious war crimes and lying to the American people to begin a war for plundering oil in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Given OP’s context of subverting justice for the sake of moving on, I find it extremely relevant.
Interesting to work through the counterfactual on that. A lot of people seem to forget how the early Tea Party started. An awful lot of them pretended that they weren’t the same people supporting GWB all along.
So what happens if Obama does decide to prosecute members of the former admin? Does the Tea Party keep the ruse, or do they go to bat for them? How does that affect the outcome in the 2010 midterms?
Perhaps it would have made the Tea Party’s astroturfing more apparent to everyone.
I share your sentiment but with the way social media and smartphones connect us today it becomes harder and harder for them to “get away with it” when we can call out bullshit with evidence in near real time.
I’m not sure the George Floyd protests themselves were effective in the long run, but they started because one girl used a smart phone and social media to show the world what cops had been “getting away with” for centuries.
I guess my point is that the tools they use to divide us can also be used to connect us and keep us organized for a sustained movement. I’d like to see protests like yesterdays happen every day of the week till we live in a better society.
Yep. But we should also be aware that new and improved tactics using technology are being employed by the oppressors.
They will put out so many outlandish lies until people seeking truth get exhausted and feel that nothing is real. So the counter is to tune out the lies and stay grounded, stay connected, stay organized, stay focused.
This show of displeasure from such a huge number across the entire country will have an effect. It’s tough for a leader to project power or claim any kind of authority when protests of this size clearly tell a different story.
Oh for sure, the protest against the Iraq war was the largest in the world up to that point. In fact, I don’t think the anti-Trump protests have surpassed the Iraq war protests yet, depending on where you’re talking about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15_February_2003_anti-war_protests
Can you cite the source of your numbers regarding yesterday? Estimates I have seen range from 4-6M.
Also, I don’t really mean to quibble, but my point is I have been here before. Unless protest continues to grow I fear we are in the same situation that happened under Bush - some protest then everything proceeds as expected.
Even if these protests were somewhat bigger than the Iraq war ones, we have no idea how big they need to be to actually change things because we haven’t seen that happen in the past few decades.
ACLU put the estimate at more than 5 million, 50501 said 4-6 million, but that was based on their protests organized alone. There were many, many, many more that weren’t run by 50501.
ANP gave the 11m figure yesterday.
A couple of towns near me had both a 1.5% and a 2% turnout, but a lot of small towns had as high as possibly 50%.
It’s stupid hard to estimate, but 5m is on the low end (which is the estimated turnout for the Hands Off protest). I’ve seen 10m, 11m, 12.5m, and one report of up to 34m but that one seems a bit unlikely.
I sit here sadly recalling similar pictures of Bush II vs. anti-war protests.
Afghanistan still got fucked. Iraq still got fucked. Our privacy rights got fucked. And the Republican plan to divide and conquer continued apace.
I am happy we got out there yesterday. I am worried just like last time we will let them get away with it.
Could we not? Let’s celebrate yesterday’s achievement. We had a day where Idaho, fucking Idaho, filled their capitol. It remained peaceful so trump couldn’t do a military coup as well. Let’s take the win.
I want the win to mean something. The only concern that I think is valid so far is that there do not appear to be (m)any elected officials backing any policy in specific tandem with these protests.
I just don’t want to see popular sentiment and political movement crash out into nothingness and a backlash like Occupy Wall Street.
Read this for info about the purpose of the recent protests within the greater resistance.
Thanks for posting this.
Yes, the U.S. has a history of letting its politicians get away with things in the name of “moving on” and forgiveness. I think 90% of our problems are rooted in the reality that we have allowed past sins against our Bill of Rights and Consitution to go without facing justice. Not revenge, but justice:
-Obama
This total lack of accountability is precisely how we got here. Those in power should be held to a higher standard, not be given a free pass for corruption.
Is it fun to quote out of context? It seems risky if it suggests you didn’t understand what he was saying about navel-gazing.
Obama was specifically referring to having no desire to prosecute W, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz for their egregious war crimes and lying to the American people to begin a war for plundering oil in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Given OP’s context of subverting justice for the sake of moving on, I find it extremely relevant.
Interesting to work through the counterfactual on that. A lot of people seem to forget how the early Tea Party started. An awful lot of them pretended that they weren’t the same people supporting GWB all along.
So what happens if Obama does decide to prosecute members of the former admin? Does the Tea Party keep the ruse, or do they go to bat for them? How does that affect the outcome in the 2010 midterms?
Perhaps it would have made the Tea Party’s astroturfing more apparent to everyone.
Which is why it has to end. IF the Dems ever regain power again, it will be imperative to crush MAGA, and purge it from society.
The US politicians have a history…
The people most often disagree with continuing this trend.
The US people put them there. They are the people’s representatives. The people can’t abdicate responsibility.
Yeah man. Because politicians are known for listening to what the people want when it’s in conflict with what the politician wants.
Then I’m not sure what you’re fighting to keep.
I share your sentiment but with the way social media and smartphones connect us today it becomes harder and harder for them to “get away with it” when we can call out bullshit with evidence in near real time.
I’m not sure the George Floyd protests themselves were effective in the long run, but they started because one girl used a smart phone and social media to show the world what cops had been “getting away with” for centuries.
I guess my point is that the tools they use to divide us can also be used to connect us and keep us organized for a sustained movement. I’d like to see protests like yesterdays happen every day of the week till we live in a better society.
Yep. But we should also be aware that new and improved tactics using technology are being employed by the oppressors.
They will put out so many outlandish lies until people seeking truth get exhausted and feel that nothing is real. So the counter is to tune out the lies and stay grounded, stay connected, stay organized, stay focused.
these protests now seem to have no concrete demands, and disrupt nothing really.
a bunch of people standing around is no threat to the state. usians should listen to their leftists more if yall want to be effective.
Read this for info about the purpose of the recent protests within the greater resistance.
thanks, ill give it a look later
This show of displeasure from such a huge number across the entire country will have an effect. It’s tough for a leader to project power or claim any kind of authority when protests of this size clearly tell a different story.
im responding to an op thats literally describing how that didnt stop any of the atrocities you set out to.
Peaceful protests are an essential staple ingredient that must be garnished with targeted violence.
Were there any anti war protests even close to that large in the US during W’s administration?
Oh for sure, the protest against the Iraq war was the largest in the world up to that point. In fact, I don’t think the anti-Trump protests have surpassed the Iraq war protests yet, depending on where you’re talking about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15_February_2003_anti-war_protests
That was 6-10million at 600 cities across 60 countries.
Yesterday day was 11million at 2000 locations in 1 country.
Think they have, easily.
Right on! Glad to see that!
Can you cite the source of your numbers regarding yesterday? Estimates I have seen range from 4-6M.
Also, I don’t really mean to quibble, but my point is I have been here before. Unless protest continues to grow I fear we are in the same situation that happened under Bush - some protest then everything proceeds as expected.
Even if these protests were somewhat bigger than the Iraq war ones, we have no idea how big they need to be to actually change things because we haven’t seen that happen in the past few decades.
ACLU put the estimate at more than 5 million, 50501 said 4-6 million, but that was based on their protests organized alone. There were many, many, many more that weren’t run by 50501.
ANP gave the 11m figure yesterday.
A couple of towns near me had both a 1.5% and a 2% turnout, but a lot of small towns had as high as possibly 50%.
It’s stupid hard to estimate, but 5m is on the low end (which is the estimated turnout for the Hands Off protest). I’ve seen 10m, 11m, 12.5m, and one report of up to 34m but that one seems a bit unlikely.