Gordon Haber

Many of us are feeling helpless and overwhelmed. It’s only natural, considering how the current administration is dismantling the federal government and throwing their support behind murderous dictators.

But we don’t have the luxury of admitting defeat. If want a return to responsible governance and the rule of law, we’ve got to find concrete ways to defeat Trump – or at least limit the damage.

I spent some time in the last few days looking for ideas. Here’s what I found. Please let me know what you think, and if you have ideas of your own. 

1. Primary Trump

“Democrats are on the receiving end of a bum rush. They need to think outside the box and get tough. Maybe a quiet pledge to make significant contributions to the reelection campaign of any Republican member of Congress who is primaried for voting against Trump? That might get some attention.”
James D. Zirin in The Hill

2. An American Arab Spring

“There is no substitute for a voter uprising that threatens politicians with losing their jobs. […] We need an American equivalent of the Arab Spring — an overwhelming and sustained demand for fundamental rights, good government, a healthy democracy and the rule of law. And because a stable democracy and stable climate go hand in hand, their restoration would be a fitting theme for a massive show of voter power on Earth Day this April in Washington.”
William S. Becker in The Hill

3. Take Your Congressman to Work Day

“Here’s an idea, guys, how about all these agencies where employees are being locked out, how about you send members of Congress with those employees to walk them into work, or just send members of Congress to go into the building and investigate what these people are doing, dare them to stop you because they can’t.”
Former GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger on X

4. Pressure low-level staffers 

“It’s largely ineffective for protesters to focus […] on the government’s top decision-makers, such as the president and his political appointees. […] But virtually every government policy must be developed and implemented by people far below those appointees. These people — who swear an independent oath to protect the Constitution — can be affected by public influence, and as public servants, should be. Activism can help them understand issues, and empower them to speak up against illegal or unjust policies.”
Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor, in Politico

5. Wreck his approval rating

“So here’s an idea: Go out and tell them about the bad shit Trump is doing, right now.”
Jonathan V. Last in The Bulwark

6. Work the procedural angles

“Slow the Senate. Lawmakers in the upper chamber of Congress don’t have a big red “stop everything” button—but the Democratic Senate minority can slow business as usual and dramatize its opposition.

Make congressional Republicans work for Democratic votes. When their votes are not just symbolic, Democrats should filibuster where they can, force Republicans to squirm for as many hours as possible, and extract a serious political price for standing down. 

Break the norms around congressional collegiality. It’s typically considered rude for one member of Congress to confront another in public. But these aren’t typical times.”
Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg of Indivisible in The Nation

7. Political mobilization and messaging

“Trump’s aggressive use of presidential power is not just a constitutional crisis, it is a political one. For those seeking to resist, this is too important to just be left to the courts; it must also involve America’s key political institutions.”
William Partlett in The Conversation

BONUS: 7 Ways to Rise Up Against Trumpism 2.0

“[…] people are fighting back with every tool at their disposal, from trainings and legal challenges to walkouts and strikes. Here is a non-comprehensive list of ways people across the United States are rising up against Trumpism.”
Sonali Kolhatar in Yes Magazine