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deafeatingtrump-blog · 7 years

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DEFEATING TRUMP

DEFEATING TRUMP:

How to Block the President’s Agenda

and Build Progressive Change hopefully

If you’ve been angry, outraged, horrified, depressed… if you’ve been marching, writing emails, and making phone calls, but aren’t sure that any of it will make a difference… if you’ve seen dozens of What You Can Do lists, but don’t know what to do next… this is for you.

What follows is a list of strategies that have the potential to stop Trump from enacting his agenda and, eventually, to promote progressive change. The ideas have been taken from many sources. Some of these actions can be undertaken by individuals; others will require organized efforts or the commitment of major institutions. Even if you think of yourself as a non-activist, you should be able to find here constructive actions that you’re willing to take. (Note: Protesting and writing emails are important! They’re necessary — but not sufficient.)

The other side holds the levers of power, but we have justice on our side, and staggering collective intelligence. If we choose the right strategies and coordinate our efforts, we will save America’s soul and evade catastrophe.

Protest movements have overcome entrenched power before. Success is possible if we learn from the past, choose our tactics well, and keep fighting. I hope this document will inspire you, by outlining a credible path. Read this, and see how your contribution fits into the bigger battle.

Never in our lifetime has it been more important to take personal responsibility for the direction of our country.

The good news: there are millions of us. You don’t have to do all of this by yourself! Start by reading. Mark the actions you’re willing to take, and then get to work.

(A call for help: This is a first draft. What goals should be here and aren’t? What actions could be taken to reach those goals? What organizations are already working on this? What websites already exist that will help us work more efficiently? You’ll also notice many “Help Wanted” notices. If you can supply accurate information or good ideas, please do! Post your suggestions by selecting the relevant text and clicking the Comments button in the upper right corner. Finally, if you’re a designer who’d like to volunteer to turn this into a website with visual appeal, please let me know: email [email protected].)

The Strategies and Goals: in Brief

Below this list, you’ll find an expanded outline with suggested actions and helpful links.

• Stay informed.

• Support organizations that are fighting for the things you believe in. Donate. Volunteer.

• Call or write your senators and representatives and ask them to oppose Trump’s agenda.

• Get in their faces.

• Join or form a rapid-response team.

• Learn how activists have created change in the past.

• Show the world that Americans don’t want what Trump is proposing.

• Defend the truth.

• Don’t burn out!

• Expose what he’s doing, widely.

• Defend the vulnerable, and contain the damage.

• Combine for strength.

• Catch them breaking the law and doing hidden damage: support whistleblowers and leakers.

• Weaken him. Erode his support.

• Go beyond traditional protests.

• Get him out of office!

Long-term goals: toward a new progressive era

• Plan a progressive renaissance.

• Convene a summit.

• Create a platform that most Americans can agree with.

• Protect the integrity of elections.

• Change minds.

• Change Congress.

• Elect progressives at the state and local level.

• Run for office yourself.

• Change or abolish the Electoral College.

• Repair our democracy.

• Make America Smarter.

Achieving the Goals

1) Stay informed

a. To keep up with new developments: The New York Times, Washington Post, or _________.

i. Help Wanted: other suggestions?

b. _____________

i. Help Wanted: are there other, more focused resources?

b. To keep track of what has already happened: ____________

i. Help Wanted: what’s the best way?

c. To understand Trump’s strategies (which include, among others, lying, distracting, bullying, sowing confusion), see this piece by Steven Harper: http://billmoyers.com/story/the-trump-resistance-plan-step-one/

2) Support organizations that are fighting for the things you believe in. Donate. Volunteer.

a. Help Wanted: add links for all of these – direct to donations pages

b. ACLU

c. Planned Parenthood

d. The Sierra Club

e. The Southern Poverty Law Center

f. Help Wanted: other key organizations? _________

g. Here are two web pages that list more groups:

I. Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lgbtq-organizations-to-support-trump_us_58338176e4b058ce7aacab76

Ii. The Bustle: https://www.bustle.com/articles/195841-how-to-donate-to-11-organizations-fighting-donald-trump-tooth-and-nail

3) Call or write your senators and representatives and ask them to oppose Trump’s agenda. If Democratic Senators unite, it will only take 3 Republican Senators to block appalling legislation. If our elected officials keep seeing massive public opposition, they may finally decide to say No. (Even if your representatives are liberal and will vote the way you want, let them know you stand behind them; otherwise, voices on the other side may sway them.)

a. To find contact information:

i. House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

ii. Senate: Help Wanted: fill in the blank. ______________

b. Who should you call, and when? See 5 Calls, for _____: https://5calls.org/

i. Help Wanted: fill in the blank: explain their strategy, in a phrase.

c. Or, The 65 (“for the 65 million people who rejected Trump on Election Day”): http://thesixtyfive.org/home - this site includes suggested scripts for your calls.

d. The basic strategy: focus on issues that are before Congress right now. Influence their vote.

e. Help Wanted: Is there research on Republican legislators most likely to be persuaded? Let’s post that here: ___.

4) Get in their faces. To have even more influence, show up with a group at the offices of representatives who currently support Trump’s policies. Or confront them when they hold a Town Hall meeting. Get angry—show them that they’ll face protests and strong opponents in the next election if they go along with Trump’s outrages.

a. See the Indivisible guide to learn about the most effective ways to influence your representatives: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/web

i. The guide is not short – but this brief video sums up its tactics quickly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-CHZdTmBA4

ii. Basic tips from the Indivisible Guide:

1. Help Wanted: summarize the key concepts, briefly.

iii. Advice from Michael Moore: If you visit a legislator’s office, and s/he can’t meet with you, ask to speak with a staff member. Explain your concerns. “If he/she is a Republican, they will explain why they “support the new President.” You then must politely tell them you and everyone you know will work to unseat them in 2018 if they don’t act independently from Trump. The calmer and cooler you say this, the more they will believe it. If your rep is a Democrat, tell him/her that you expect them to AGGRESSIVELY fight the Trump agenda — and if they don’t, you will work with others to support a true progressive in the Democratic primary in 2018. Tell them that millions of us will do what the Tea Party did to the Republicans: primary them and toss them out of office. Say it politely, thank them, then leave. You actually showing up in person to do this is as powerful as 100 letters or a large demonstration on the street in front of their office. Do this and post it on social media. Post it on my Facebook or Twitter and I’ll try to re-post/tweet as many as I can.”

b. If they don’t hold regular town halls, or cancel them in fear of opposition voices – if you’re having a hard time setting up a meeting with your representative’s staff – then tell the local press. They hate bad press. [This advice comes from the Indivisible Guide’s Facebook page.]

c. Join a friend’s action network for alerts, if you’re willing to make calls and write letters as important votes come up. — see item #5, below.

5) Join or form a rapid-response team. Sign up to receive alerts, or form your own group.

a. Existing action networks:

i. Derek Nelson’s re:act email newsletter, a weekly list of actions you can take: https://reactletter.com/

ii. _________________

1. Help Wanted: fill in other existing networks: ________.

b. Form your own. Another Michael Moore suggestion: “ask 5 to 10 friends, family members, co-workers, classmates or neighbors to be part of your Rapid Response Team. Pick a name for it — the “Doyle Family Rapid Response Team”… etc. Set a plan to contact each other online as soon as word goes out on any given day to oppose what Trump and Congress are up to. Your Rapid Response Team will agree with each other to email elected reps, make calls, post on social media, go to protests and/or organize others at work, school or in the neighborhood. Through my own social media sites, as stuff happens, I will send out instructions immediately as to what we all must do. Sign up now to follow me on my Facebook (facebook.com/mmflint) and Twitter (twitter.com/mmflint) if you don’t already.”

I. A wise tip from this Rolling Stone article: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/how-to-take-action-and-stay-sane-in-the-trump-era-w462512

when thinking about how you can get involved… “instead of thinking, How do I, over here, connect to that group way over there?, it's more, Who do I feel connected with who shares my values and who might want to act together? … Most big protests are made up of lots of little groups coming together, often called affinity groups. That's just a jargon-y name for a group of people that you feel comfortable with and that you trust. Those are the building blocks of a lot of political action, and that opens up ways of thinking about organizing that are much less intimidating. It can just be a group that you pull together around your kitchen table, and, if you're going to go to an event, you go with those folks and look out for each other.”

6) Learn how activists have created change in the past.

a. For a quick overview, read this: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/opinion/from-protests-past-lessons-in-what-works.html?mwrsm=Facebook&_r=0

b. Read This Is an Uprising, a history of effective, strategic non-violent revolt.

c. _________________

I. Help Wanted: suggest other books?

d. Activist wisdom: start with the goal. What are we trying to achieve? What steps could get us there?

e. Another tip from veteran organizers: work toward small, concrete, winnable goals. People get discouraged and drop out when all of their work accomplishes nothing. Figure out goals that are achievable, and pursue them.

I. One example: boycotts. after 200,000 customers deleted their Uber accounts, the CEO resigned from Trump’s economic advisory council.

1. See the GrabYourWallet boycott list: https://grabyourwallet.org/

f. An anti-Trump conservative’s pragmatic advice about what we’ll need to do (protest is just part of it, he says): https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/how-to-beat-trump/515736/?utm_source=fbb

I. Help Wanted: summarize the key points.

7) Show the world that Americans don’t want what Trump is imposing on us.

a. We need ongoing protests. Don’t let up: we have to show that we’re strong enough to rally repeatedly.

i. Many have observed that protests are only a starting point; marching won’t change anything by itself. But it’s crucial that we show that we’re not giving up and going along. If we keep protesting in large numbers, that will serve as vivid, meaningful proof that many Americans—most?—oppose the president’s agenda and ideas.

ii. Spontaneous protests have erupted immediately, without long-term planning: witness the airport protests against the immigration ban. As many people as possible should join these protests.

iii. But also target other, less dramatic policies for protest.

1. As part of these protests, broadcast the reasons why we oppose these policies: the harm they will cause, etc.

2. And propose progressive alternatives.

3. Don’t let anyone say we’re just whining. Prove that we’re about making a better world.

iv. Create memorable events. Dramatically, vividly show that huge numbers of people oppose the changes Trump is making.

v. Violence, rioting, and destruction of private property will discredit us in the eyes of most Americans. Not a good idea.

b. Opposition can take other forms, too:

i. Letters to the editor: see this guide for writing them: [Help Wanted: fill in the blank _______]

ii. Help Wanted: suggest more ways!

8) Defend the truth.

a. Support real news: subscribe to a newspaper that’s standing up to Trump.

I. The New York Times

ii. The Washington Post

iii. Help Wanted: suggest more: _____

b. Support investigative journalists with donations:

i. Help Wanted: fill in links to donations pages:

ii. ProPublica: ________

iii. The Intercept: ______

iv. Center for Investigative Reporting: https://www.revealnews.org/donate/

c. Keep a running history of Trump’s policy outrages, lies, tantrums, and offenses against decency and the public good. Post it online, and publicize it. (This should begin with the Obama Birther lie, continue through the campaign, and cover every offense since Election Day.) This will become a valuable resource for protesters, and for legislators who want to resist.

i. I hope that some large institution is already doing this. Help Wanted: Do you know of one? Can you provide a link?

ii. Meanwhile, there’s this: https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/ - “Logging the shock and awe in Trump’s America one day at a time.”

1. Help Wanted: How to publicize this?

iii. From NPR: fact-checking the Trump administration: http://www.npr.org/2017/02/04/513348780/fact-checking-this-week-in-the-trump-administration

iv. From the Columbia Human Rights Law Review: a day by day record of human rights abuses: http://hrlr.law.columbia.edu/trump-human-rights-tracker/

d. Defend the concepts of truth and facts. That will put us in direct opposition to the Administration.

e. Ridicule them by publicizing the ongoing flood of lies. Point out that it’s not accidental; these are not innocent mistakes.

i. This has already begun spontaneously (“Remember the Bowling Green Massacre!”), but it needs to reach beyond our friends.

f. Beware of fake news on our side! If a story enrages you, don’t assume it’s true. Check to see if it’s being reported by credible sources. Also, see Snopes.com

i. Here’s a story about the problem: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/feb/06/liberal-fake-news-shift-trump-standing-rock?CMP=share_btn_fb

9) Don’t burn out!

a. Exhaustion is a real danger. We care so much; that’s not easy to sustain over the months (or years!) resistance will require.

b. Be aware of the roller coaster you can expect to experience: the highs (massive marches, seeing the Administration back down, sharing good news on Facebook) and the lows (every defeat, and facing the fact that, even if Trump is impeached, we’re stuck with Pence, who will get 1, 2, or even 3 Supreme Court nominations…)

c. How to cope? When you’re feeling exhausted or in despair, what can you do?

i. take a day off

ii. then, come back to this list, and think about what you can do.

iii. connect with others who may be feeling the same way; join an activist group, preferably your friends, if your temperament allows it

iv. take action, alone or together: something you’ve never done before.

v. Help Wanted: MORE SUGGESTIONS WELCOME.

d. And here’s a dose of inspiration from the good people at Indivisible Guide:

i. A note for all of us who feel defeated after Sessions from the Indivisible Team: This is the long game. We are going to lose a lot. We are going to get good at losing. We are going to lose cabinet votes for terrible nominees. We are going to lose bills that are offensive and appalling. But while we are losing, something else is going to happen. We are going to keep raising our voices and slowly our representatives are going to start listening to us. We've seen it happen. ¶It won't happen because of next week's call to action. It'll happen over months, where you keep showing up, regularly. Then, we are going to start winning. It'll sneak up on us. We won't understand why we are winning. But it starts with losing in a particular way- where we raise our voices and call it out when we aren't listened to, where we get close but not quite there. ¶Every time we change the narrative, every time we delay, every time there's a newspaper story about a member of Congress avoiding his or her constituents, that's a win. And it matters. ¶You have already made history. You've delayed the confirmation of Trump's cabinet picks longer than any time in recent history. You stopped the gutting on the congressional ethics office. You've made Republicans so nervous about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act that it's been pushed further and further down the road. You caused an uproar of historic proportions over Trump's Muslim ban and saved lives and reunited families in the process. You've inspired people who have never before taken action to make their voices heard and learn how to do things like check how their members of Congress voted and call them out for it. ¶We'll never even know about some of the victories - because those will be the fights that this Administration considered starting and then realized it couldn't win. ¶We're in this together. Every visit. Every call. Every loss. Every win. That's just what friends do. #StandIndivisible

10) Expose what he’s doing, widely.

a. To inform the public and firm up our own understanding, we need a concise document that outlines the actions he has already taken, why they fly in the face of America’s noblest values and traditions, and how they have the potential to do harm.

i. This could possibly be compiled from the writings of liberal columnists. Help Wanted: Can you help create this?

b. see 8c., above: publicize that growing history of every destructive action and proposal… explaining, as specifically as possible, without exaggeration, the harm it will cause.

i. Help Wanted: how? suggestions?

ii. Keep the focus on his actions, and why they’re a problem — not on his tweets. (That’s a waste of our energy, a distraction.)

1. Most of us seem to have caught on to this already.

iii. Note: near the bottom of this document is a preliminary list of Lowlights: the worst actions so far.

c. Analyze what’s going on: expose the patterns behind the actions.

i. Disinformation: proclaiming false or distorted horror stories to arouse anger and fear. The strategy has proven successful among his supporters, who approve of the Muslim ban, for example.

1. Another purpose: to create confusion. If it’s impossible to know what’s really going on, many will give up trying.

ii. Dismantling of agencies that protect the public, by appointing cabinet secretaries who oppose their core missions.

1. For example, the EPA, Dept. of Education, and ___. [Help Wanted: other examples?]

iii. Help Wanted: name other patterns & strategies.

d. Use this crisis to teach people: explain why what he’s doing goes against American values, and won’t achieve the results he’s promising. What he tells his base may seem to resemble common sense; but reality is much more complex.

i. For educated adults: essays in respected newspapers.

ii. For teens and younger adults who don’t read newspapers: online videos that can bring them up to speed on what’s going on and why they should care.

1. For a model, see John Green’s videos. [Here’s a sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVD7yWe-LrE ] He’s a popular YA novelist who has a huge following on YouTube; but he may shy away from combative politics.

iii. For an example of an effective, entertaining video (which shows how little we all pay for the worthy programs Trump wants to cut): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wUePyAqPuk

11) Defend the vulnerable, and contain the damage.

This is a big one. There are so many fronts, and the other side controls the major levers of power. But let’s begin.

a. Liberal states and cities can and must enact policies to offset as many of the dangers as possible. Local laws can start to build the safety net, greenhouse-gas reductions, etc. that we wish were in place nation-wide.

i. Liberal states (California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington, New York, Vermont, Minnesota) should show us what’s possible… and make those results widely known. Let this be an organized movement, a grand experiment.

1. Here’s an article about how well Minnesota’s economy has done after raising taxes on the wealthy and raising the minimum wage: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-gibson/mark-dayton-minnesota-economy_b_6737786.html

2. Encouraging news: California’s governor has announced that his state will protect immigrants, health care, the environment, and education against depredations at the federal level. And Oregon has proposed legislation to protect women’s reproductive health. [Help Wanted: explain the Oregon law.]

ii. Meanwhile, some red states have passed laws that take them in the opposite direction: cutting taxes and safety net programs, even taxing solar panels to discourage competition with the oil and gas industry. Comparing the reddest and bluest states on many measures may yield an impressive comparison.

1. Help Wanted: what do economists have to say about this? (I assume they say opposite things, depending on their political orientation.)

2. Use Kansas as an example: a conservative governor cut taxes, creating a budget crisis.

a. Help Wanted: does research already exist on this?

3. We need the help of skillful communicators to broadcast this information in a way that will change voters’ minds in red states. Publicize the difference in quality of life—show how progressive policies benefited everyone.

b. Lawyers: take them to court! Challenge every executive order and law that harms citizens and violates American values. Lawyers will be needed to oppose destructive actions in every field: health care, education, environment, civil rights, ___. [Help Wanted: add more categories.]

i. It’s already happening: lawyers have been fighting the travel ban, heroically. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/us/politics/lawyers-trump-travel-order.html

c. The big issues:

i. Health insurance, if/when the ACA is repealed. A few thoughts:

1. Expand state health insurance programs.

a. [Help Wanted: can anyone provide details on what states are already proposing to do?]

2. Create a network of free/low-cost clinics. (Paid for by… ??? States? Cities? Philanthropists?)

a. Proposal: Medical schools, offer debt-reduction to graduating students who agree to serve in these clinics for three years.

3. Help Wanted: other possible ways to reduce the harm?

ii. The environment: climate change, clean air laws, ___. [Help Wanted: add more environmental issues.]

1. Help Wanted: add possible ways to address the dangers.

iii. Abortion rights.

1. for women who need abortions and can’t get them because they can’t afford to travel. Help Wanted: Proposals?

a. Create and fund an Underground Railroad system.

b. If that happens, laws may be introduced, making this a crime. We’ll need to work hard to defeat those laws.

iv. Safety net for the poorest.

a. Help Wanted: what harm is predictable?

b. Help Wanted: proposals? how to mitigate the harm?

v. Undocumented immigrants:

1. Sanctuary cities.

2. Help Wanted: other proposals?

vi. Income inequality:

1. States, offer large tax incentives to companies that offer a living wage to their lowest-paid employees. (This means much more than minimum wage.)

b. Help Wanted: other proposals?

v. Help Wanted: more issues/solutions?

12) Combine for strength. Have you noticed that there seem to be dozens of organizations fighting the same fight, and asking for donations from the same people? There has to be a way to combine forces.

a. Seek opportunities for progressive organizations to work together and coordinate their campaigns. They don’t have to give up their discrete identities to collaborate. There must be an overlap in mission between:

i. MoveOn, People for the American Way, Democracy for America,

ii. Daily Kos

iii. Change.org, Credo Action, The Action Network

iv. DNC, DCCC, DSCC, Democratic Governors Association

v. Green Party, Working Families Party

vi. SPLC, Brennan Center

b. My Inbox is jammed with emails from organizations I’ve never heard of, except through their funding solicitations. These may be excellent groups—I have no idea. Is it possible they could merge with larger groups, or with each other, to avoid this splintering of power (and donor overload)? Here are some of their names:

i. Progressive Change Campaign Committee (BoldProgressives.org), Progressive Turnout Project (TurnOutPAC.org), EndCitizensUnited.org, Senate Majority PAC, ONE.org, Knock Every Door

c. Help Wanted: How to promote this?

d. For a more comprehensive list of organizations, go here: http://www.startguide.org/orgs/orgs01.html

13) Catch them breaking the law and doing hidden damage: support whistleblowers and leakers.

a. If civil servants witness illegal activities or obscure legislative actions with the potential to do great damage, let those become public knowledge.

b. But how can we encourage people to take that risk?

c. First, journalists need to establish easy, secure ways to send them information… and this has already started. Take a look:

i. https://www.propublica.org/article/how-to-leak-to-propublica

ii. https://theintercept.com/leak/

iii. https://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2016/news-tips/

d. Help Wanted: Other ideas? ______

14) Weaken him. Erode his support. If he’s seen as vulnerable, Congress will be more willing to vote against his initiatives and appointments, at least some of the time.

[Problem: Congress is already pursuing it’s own right-wing agenda. We need to address that separately.]

a. Challenge him constantly.

i. Newspaper and TV editorials, and articles exposing the inaccuracy of his claims.

ii. Letters to the Editor.

iii. Help Wanted: what else?

b. Pursue the truth about possible Russian interference in the election.

i. See this Daily Kos story about the evidence we know about so far (and how did Trump manage to distract us from this?) - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/2/9/1631858/-Donald-Trump-has-successfully-buried-the-story-that-worries-him-most?detail=facebook

Ii. see Steven Harper’s “Trump Resistance Plan,” posted on Bill Moyers’s site: http://billmoyers.com/story/the-trump-resistance-plan-step-2/ - see, especially, Strategies 3 and 4.

c. Pursue the truth about his conflicts of interest.

i. Get those tax returns! But how?

1. Apparently, Congress has the right to see them, and to reveal them to the public: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/congress-has-the-power-to-obtain-and-release-trumps-tax-returns/2017/02/07/aa53254c-ea63-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html

a. Help Wanted: How can we make that happen?

2. He still seems to be benefiting from his businesses: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/documents-confirm-trump-still-benefiting-from-his-business/2017/02/04/848fdd5a-eae0-11e6-bf6f-301b6b443624_story.html

3. Why the tax returns matter: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/01/23/trump-wont-voluntarily-release-his-tax-returns-but-maybe-he-can-be-forced-to/

4. Also, see Robert Reich’s Facebook post, 2/4/17 (based on this NY Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/03/us/politics/donald-trump-business.html ):

Just before becoming president, Trump told the American public that he’d placed his business holdings in a trust -- in order allay fears that he might exploit the Oval Office for personal gain.

It turns out his “trust” is a sham and a ruse -- and those fears continue to be justified.

According to documents made public today through a Freedom of Information Act request by ProPublica:

1. Trump receives reports on the profits or losses of his businesses.

2. He can revoke the authority of his son and the business’s CFO (who oversee his assets in the business) at any time – meaning that, as a practical matter, Trump retains day-to-day authority.

3. The stated purpose of the so-called Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust is to hold assets for the “exclusive benefit” of the president. The trust even remains under Mr. Trump’s Social Security number.

Trump is ripping us off, folks. At this very moment, foreign governments and their diplomats are booking suites at the Trump International Hotel in Washington in order to curry favor with him. He gets 67 percent of the profits. This is a clear violation of Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution – grounds for impeachment.

d. Point out his unpopularity, loudly, and document it: use his thin skin to make him blow his cool.

i. Already in progress: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-protesters-plan-to-get-under-trumps-skin-wherever-he-goes/2017/02/04/32059b9c-ea45-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html

ii. Expose the worst of what he’s doing and has done — see 8c., above.

e. Peel away his base of support

i. The most influential supporters: in media, in Congress, in business.

ii. Republicans in Congress who are afraid to go against the party line.

iii. Show them all that they’ll pay a price for going along with this assault on American values. Let them know that we see them, and hold them responsible. As one scandal follows another, they’ll back away from the disaster.

iv. Help Wanted: more specific ideas for accomplishing this?

f. Support government employees who resist.

i. They’re already resisting: (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/resistance-from-within-federal-workers-push-back-against-trump/2017/01/31/c65b110e-e7cb-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html

ii. Help Wanted: What can we do to support them?

g. Mock him. We’ve got that covered… but there’s always room for more:

i. on TV

ii. at demonstrations

iii. in social media

1. if you want to make your own memes, try this site: https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/22428515/politics

2. for examples, go here: http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/Donald-Trump/ss/funniest-donald-trump-memes.htm#step1

iv. Help Wanted: other venues?

v. A potent theme: that he’s being used as a puppet, by Bannon or Putin.

1. For the Bannon story, see this: http://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-is-just-a-puppet-steve-bannon-is-president

15) Go beyond traditional protests. The Civil Rights movement created events that highlighted injustice, and trained participants so those events would result in images that would shame America (and our leaders) into action. We need to get creative, not simply reenact traditional protests. What it would take to make the majority of Americans indignant, and to shame Congress into changing course? We need vivid, dramatic, non-violent events, and we need them yesterday. Let’s figure this out!

a. Help Wanted: Ideas?

b. Or, the more straightforward, classic strategy: pressure legislators with a credible threat of unseating them if they fail to act.

i. Help Wanted: How? _____

c. To help you think creatively, here are 198 different ways past activists have resisted nonviolently (compiled by the scholar of effective nonviolent movements, Gene Sharp): http://www.aeinstein.org/nonviolentaction/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action/

16) Get him out of office!

a. What will it take for most Democrats and some Republicans in Congress to say, “All right—that’s enough”?

i. Help Wanted: Can scholars and political insiders address this question?

ii. Until then, here are some possible answers:

1. More lawsuits.

2. Let’s see those tax returns!

3. I submit that lying to the public, repeatedly and knowingly — including through his spokespeople — constitutes a high crime against our democracy. Making things up to arouse fear and anger (in support of extreme and harmful policies) is more destructive to America than any terrorist attack. Interestingly, the technique comes straight from the KGB playbook: even the word disinformation originated there. If you exaggerate external threats, your supporters will cheer the crackdown and your opponents will be too confused and uncertain to resist.

a. A couple of recent examples: The Bowling Green Massacre; Inauguration attendance.

b. Help Wanted: shall we add more?

b. Here’s an article about impeachment, by Lawrence Lessig: https://medium.com/@lessig/rules-for-a-constitutional-crisis-f236e3284fbe#.rjolsez95

i. Yes, impeachment means we’re stuck with Pence… which is even worse in some ways… but at least we could then focus on specific policy battles (abortion, gay marriage) instead of worrying that he’s going to blow up the world.

Long-term goals: toward a new progressive era

17) Plan a progressive renaissance. Start now!

a. Help Wanted: Who is already working on this? Is anyone?

b. Help Wanted: Who’s best positioned to work on it?

i. Think tanks? (The Center for American Progress, Institute for Policy Studies, ____.)

ii. A new coalition of scholars, activists, and elected officials?

c. What will it take? See the following preliminary thoughts.

18) Convene a summit. Let’s get together and agree on what needs to be done, and who’s best positioned to work on it. Let’s divide up the work so we’re not duplicating efforts.

a. Invite Robert Reich, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Michael Moore, Al Franken, ____... (I realize these names are all about star power – but that could help generate excitement.)

i. Help Wanted: more names?

b. What could be accomplished here?

i. Defining a platform.

ii. Defining steps we need to take.

Iii. Delegating tasks.

iv. Sending out the word about how individuals can help—beyond sending money.

19) Create a platform that most Americans can agree with: because progressive values are mainstream values.

a. The platform might not be very different from what Bernie Sanders proposed. It might resemble Hillary Clinton’s. But every point must be expressed clearly and with conviction.

b. Draw on the insights of Robert Reich and others: among other key issues, address the problems of people who work hard and can’t make ends meet.

c. Address other legitimate concerns of Trump voters: concerns about terrorism, ____.

i. Help Wanted: fill in that list.

d. Candidates will need to address the concerns and values of people in their districts. Find language that resonates with people who voted for Trump only because they felt abandoned by the Democratic Party. Appeal to America’s noblest values—which Trump violates every day.

e. We have better strategies for solving these problems than conservatives. Challenge Trump supporters’ assumption that their man will create great jobs for them, etc. Let’s change the public’s mind about who will serve them better — before the midterm elections.

f. Help Wanted: How can individuals contribute to that?

g. Recognize in advance that we will disagree on the details of a platform: we’ll disagree with conservatives, and we’ll disagree within the Democratic Party.

i. But let’s see look for places where our common values and interests intersect—and look for candidates who want to run on those issues.

h. Here’s the hard part: what to do about the Democratic Party, which no longer seems to fight for the interests of working people? This will continue to hurt us in election after election unless we address it. Globalization and industrial technology have made some wealthy, and torn many others out of the middle class. It’s not enough to soberly acknowledge the problem. We need to propose realistic programs that will offer people a better future.

i. Help Wanted: okay, geniuses, get to work.

20) Protect the integrity of elections.

a. Emergency: on 2/7/17, Republicans on the House Administration Committee voted to abolish the Election Assistance Commission: the federal agency responsible from preventing the hacking of voting machines. This still needs to be approved by the full Congress. Protest now, loudly—or watch your candidates lose elections they should have won.

I. Details here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/07/house-panel-votes-close-election-assistance-commission/97603326/

21) Change minds.

a. Americans who don’t identify as either liberal or conservative must be persuadable. Here are three challenges to changing their minds:

i. Defining the key issues on which we want to influence their thinking.

1. For example: the best ways to protect America from terrorism; climate change; guns; abortion and women’s reproductive health services.

2. Help Wanted: what else belongs on this list?

ii. Creating compelling messages.

1. Focus on the real needs of people, and use concrete language —avoid tired slogans and jargon. (“Keep our water clean!” – not “Protect the EPA from dismantling” or “Fight pollution!”)

2. Use language that connects with emotions. Avoid political rhetoric. (This is perhaps the single most potent weapon for any candidate, and the key to the success of both Trump and Bill Clinton. Failing to master the lesson doomed Al Gore, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton.)

3. Let the best advertising people create ads that promote these messages (funded by philanthropists &/or crowdfunded):

a. reactive: opposing Trump’s agenda & telling people what they can do to help.

b. proactive: proposing alternatives, building a foundation for future legislation.

iii. Offering a positive, beautiful, hopeful alternative to the politics of fear and anger. Appeal to the best in people, not the worst.

4. Show people that regulations protect them. Republicans have dominated the minds of Americans with the message that government strangles opportunity with red tape. There’s a very different story, though, that comes closer to the truth, and it affects almost everyone: regulations protect your air and water from companies that could earn more if they didn’t have to follow environmental rules; regulations protect consumers from predatory practices by banks (and we need more of this, not less!); …

a. Help Wanted: more examples!

5. Another approach: ads that show people like them who used to oppose liberal policies… until something happened to change their minds: sickness w/o insurance… a child came out of the closet… etc.

iii. Finding the best ways to reach these people. It won’t do much good to post memes on Facebook, to be seen by your progressive friends. How do we reach voters who don’t define themselves as either progressive or conservative, Democrat or Republican?

1. Help Wanted: ???

2. One path: TV and movie creators, take these issues and make them part of popular culture. Change minds through entertainment. (Think Uhuru on Star Trek… Diahann Carroll as Julia… Will & Grace, and Ellen.)

b. Other ways:

i. Progressive comedians: Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Seth Myers.

1. Research: What percentage of their fans actually vote? If we could increase those numbers…

2. In support of specific initiatives: can they get their fans to actually take action?

c. A further challenge: how to counter the influence of Fox News, fake news, and right wing talk radio?

i. Help Wanted: we’ll need several geniuses to address that.

ii. Find ways to reach their viewers/listeners with information they’re willing to listen to. In other words, achieve what has never been achieved before.

1. How to do it?

2. One idea: find well-known people who are respected by Trump voters, but who don’t agree with Trump’s politics. Let them be spokesmen and spokeswomen for a different point of view. Country music people? Athletes? Who else?

3. For one spontaneous example, see Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s message about immigrants: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2017/01/31/dale-earnhardt-jr-president-donald-trump-immigration-ban-muslims-twitter/97313580/

iii. Directly challenge right-wing claims and news stories.

1. Both through traditional news media…

a. Debunking the false claims of these shows ought to be part of the mission of mainstream news media.

i. Perhaps it could be done on a historical basis: comparing past claims on Fox, e.g., with recognized reality.

2. … and through new channels.

a. This could become the mission of a new organization: the Daily Debunker. Factual and witty.

i. Help Wanted: does something like this already exist?

1. If so, how can we get it more exposure?

22) Change Congress. Get ready for 2018, starting now. Develop compelling messages and candidates. Hold Republicans accountable for supporting Trump.

a. In solidly Republican districts, support moderate Republican candidates with charisma.

b. In swing districts, seek centrist Democratic candidates with widespread appeal.

c. In solidly Democratic districts, cultivate inspiring candidates who can convince voters that we need progressive change.

d. What can individuals do to help?

i. Find your closest swing district and volunteer/donate to help elect a progressive there. Here’s a site that can steer you to the nearest swing district: swingleft.org

ii. If you have the money, and the friends, start a political “investment club”: pool your money, and find progressive candidates to back in competitive Congressional races.

iii. Get involved with KnockEveryDoor, which is launching nationwide, volunteer-led canvasses to organize against Trump. You can sign up to canvass where you live—especially if you live in a county that flipped from Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016: https://knockeverydoor.org/

e. Prepare to hang their rotten deeds around their necks. The next time your senators and representatives are up for re-election, publicize every vote they cast in favor of Trump’s agenda, and against the common good. (Voting to confirm blatantly unqualified and racist cabinet nominees would be a good start.)

f. Crowdsource ideas for campaign ads. There are so many clever people out there, and so many ideas that never get used. Create an idea bank for campaign ads, and let the professionals make use of it.

g. When legislators face the threat of funding retaliation for a vote against big donors’ interests (e.g., background checks for gun purchases), provide replacement funding from a progressive PAC set up just for this purpose. [What a dream!]

23) Elect progressives at the state and local level. As many have pointed out, protesting is important, but real change won’t happen until we have people in office who agree with us. Therefore, let’s identify states/cities/districts where strong progressive candidates would stand a fighting chance, and work to elect them as state legislators, governors, mayors, and city councilmembers.

a. Flippable’s mission is exactly this, at the statehouse level: https://www.flippable.org/

b. Help Wanted: are there other groups doing similar work?

c. Help Wanted: explain here why it’s so important to regain control of state legislatures and governorships.

24) Run for office yourself.

a. Michael Moore and others have been pushing this idea. Some have already answered the call. Most would never dream of it. But there may be people who would make excellent candidates, who don’t see that themselves.

i. Moore says: “Why not run for State Rep. or school board or city council? At the very least, run for precinct delegate in the local Democratic Party. It’s time to stop carping about politicians and become one. But a different kind of one! I ran for and got elected to the school board at 18-years old. Form your campaign committee now for the elections in 2017 and 2018. (If you need me, I’ll even offer to be your honorary chair!)”

b. If you’re interested, and want to learn more about what’s involved, check out these websites:

i. Help Wanted: _____ . [suggest better ones than what’s below.]

c. If you know you’d like to run, and need training, look here:

i. Help Wanted: better links needed here.

ii. Run for Something: they say they’ll “help people run for offices like state legislatures, mayorships, city council seats, and more. We’ll do whatever it takes to get more under-35 year-olds on the ballot.” https://www.runforsomething.net/

iii. Slate’s guide to resources for candidates: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/01/a_guide_to_resources_for_running_for_office.html

iv. Democracy for America’s Night School: http://www2.democracyforamerica.com/attend/nightschool

v. Bold Progressives: http://act.boldprogressives.org/survey/072015_PotentialFutureCandidate/

http://boldprogressives.org/running-for-office/

vi. National Democratic Training Committee: http://www.traindemocrats.org/content/candidate-training-request

d. For a sense of what it takes, here’s a short outline of training from the website of Victory Institute, which is training potential gay and lesbian candidates: https://victoryinstitute.org/training-curriculum

25) Change or abolish the Electoral College.

a. Trump won many of the red states by a margin of less than 2%. [Help Wanted: how many? which?] But he received all of their electoral votes. In other words, under the winner-take-all system, Democrats’ votes didn’t count in those states. If all states followed the example of Maine and Nebraska, and allocated electors proportionally [Help Wanted: fill in:] (by ___ district, or _____), the final result would more closely reflect the popular will… AND small states couldn’t complain that all of their influence had been taken away.

i. Help Wanted: verify the foregoing. Is this a credible plan?

ii. Small states resist abolishing the Electoral College because they would lose much of their political influence. But changing to a proportional system would only take away the disproportionate influence of narrow local majorities, which yielded a result that contradicted the national popular vote AND the will of nearly half the voters in those states.

b. A different strategy: the National Popular Vote Bill, supported by Robert Reich, in which states agree to give all of their electors to whichever candidate wins the popular vote. 11 states have passed the bill so far; it only requires support from states with a total of 270 electoral votes to become a reality. (No Constitutional Amendment necessary!) Read more here: http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/

i. You can have an impact: if your state hasn’t yet signed on to this, call or write your state legislators and ask them to support it.

ii. Better yet, organize a campaign among your friends or action network! See if you can get influential people (politicians, donors, media figures) to back this cause!

26) Repair our democracy. There’s so much to do. Here are few of the key issues:

a. Fight the suppression of minority votes (via Voter I.D. laws, etc.).

i. Help Wanted: explain the issue in a few lines here.

ii. Best ways to accomplish this? Help Wanted: suggestions?

b. Redraw voting districts more fairly: undo gerrymandering.

i. Help Wanted: explain the issue in a few lines.

ii. Eric Holder’s initiative: ______. [Help Wanted: explain what he’s planning to do.]

iii. Help Wanted: other possible approaches?

c. Oppose the influence of money in our elections: huge donors, lobbyists, quid pro quo.

i. Yes, you, personally can do this, with one easy phone call!

ii. Okay, face it, this is the Holy Grail of U.S. electoral reform, and no one has figured out how to achieve it. But don’t assume it can never happen.

iii. Step 1: Look at what other countries have done: publicize the differences: our system is considered a joke by other advanced democracies.

1. Help Wanted: in a few lines, explain how Canada and other countries handle campaign finance.

iv. Help Wanted: What other ideas are out there?

d. Restore the right to vote to people who have served time in prison.

i. Help Wanted: explain the issue in a few lines here—including the fact that it disproportionately affects people of color, and that most of the states that deny the vote to ex-felons are former slave-holding states. More than a coincidence?

ii. Help Wanted: how to change the law in those states? Suggestions?

e. Other important facets of the problem?

i. __

27) Make America Smarter

a. There’s so much misinformation out there. So many people lack a basic understanding of important issues, and of American history. How do we reduce the magnitude of sheer ignorance?

i. Help Wanted: Ideas?

b. We also need citizens who understand how government works, what government can do well, and the price we all pay when government malfunctions. We need to teach people, from early grades, that they have a responsibility to pay attention, or bad things will happen. (Wait—the lesson is already in progress!)

28) Win back the White House.

a. Help Wanted: who’d like to devise a master plan?

b. Meanwhile, here’s one small, flaky fantasy, or perhaps a piece of insidious genius: artists, telecommuters, retirees—anyone not tied to your place by a job—consider moving to swing districts and swing states. How many bodies would it take to flip a district, or a state? It’s a wacky idea, but… Those who move would also break free of the coastal culture-bubble, and meet fascinating new people, very different from themselves. (Retire to North Carolina! http://www.topretirements.com/state/north_carolina.html )

Is there any way to prevent the president from doing irreparable harm?

a. Climate change:

1. Help Wanted: ideas? how can we keep him from turning the Arctic Ocean into his private hot tub?

b. War: either through sheer belligerence, as a calculated choice (to enhance his popularity), or as the fulfillment of Steve Bannon’s dream, this is a real danger.

1. Here’s a terrifying explanation of why this should worry us: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.769002

2. Help Wanted: ideas? How can we stop this from happening?

c. Terrorism: as soon as there’s a new terror attack within the U.S., he will apply tremendous pressure on Congress to support military action. By overreacting, he will help recruit countless new jihadis, and inspire many more terrorist acts against the U.S.

1. Help Wanted: ideas? How can we stop this from happening?

d. Defunding women’s health:

1. Help Wanted: ideas? What can we do, when the White House and Congress both want to go after this?

e. Help Wanted: list more areas of concern.

Lowlights: The Worst He’s Done So Far

Help Wanted: This overview of the harm that’s already in progress needs to be expanded and fleshed out.

1. Cabinet appointments and White House staff

Help Wanted: add brief notes to each, explaining how the nominee endangers the welfare of Americans or mission of the department.

a. EPA: Scott Pruitt

b. Dept. of Education: Betsy DeVos

c. Labor: Andrew Puzder

d. State: Rex Tillerson

e. Justice: Jeff Sessions

f. HUD: Ben Carson

g. Health and Human Services: Tom Price

h. Help Wanted: complete the list.

i. Note on the collective wealth of the cabinet: Help Wanted: please fill in… and explain why it matters.

j. Strategist Steve Bannon

i. Help Wanted: we need a succinct ¶ here, outlining the many reasons why he’s a catastrophic danger.

2. Executive orders

Help Wanted: for each of these, create a short overview: dates, E.O. numbers, summaries, and explain their immediate and likely consequences.

a. Keystone Pipeline

b. 1/27: Ban on travelers from 7 Muslim countries. Here’s a summary from Global Citizen’s email:

• Complete suspension of travel from seven predominantly Muslim nationalities — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. This includes dual-nationals, green card holders, and most visa-holders. [1/29: Green card holders may be allowed in.]

• Full suspension of US refugee program for 120 days as new “extreme vetting” rules are developed, even though America already has the toughest vetting program for refugees in the world.

• Halving America’s refugee intake to a maximum of 50,000 annually, with a complete ban on admitting refugees from war-torn Syria.

• Exemption for those of a “minority religion” in each of these countries — a phrase that can only be interpreted to exclude Muslims on the basis of their religion.

c. Global gag order/abortion/foreign aid

d. Funding cut for agencies serving victims of domestic violence

e. Gag order, forbidding federal agencies from speaking to the press.

f. Repeal of Obamacare. Help Wanted: get the wording right: releasing states, etc. from compliance with burdensome rules of ACA, etc.

g. 20% tariff on goods imported from Mexico. Help Wanted: get the facts.

h. Build a wall on the Mexican border. Help Wanted: get the facts.

i. Cutting refugee quotas in half: 50,000 instead of 110,000. Help Wanted: get the actual numbers.

3. Supreme Court nominee

a. from Daily Kos: “Judge Neil Gorsuch authored a book arguing against legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, arguing that "human life is fundamentally and inherently valuable, and that the intentional taking of human life by private persons is always wrong." As noted by Vox, this stance is a red flag for Gorsuch's attitudes on abortion. He also sided with religious employers seeking to limit their employees’ rights to birth control coverage in the lower court decision in Hobby Lobby and is an outspoken proponent of limiting federal agencies’ authority to take regulatory action of any kind.”

4. Planned funding cuts

a. 17 federal agencies & programs he wants to abolish/defund: what they cost, and what they do (from Time, 1/24/17): http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-nea-sesame-street-budget-cut/

i. from the article: “What, then, would the reported cuts accomplish? The answer appears to be defunding a number of projects seen as liberal darlings -- including groups aimed at preserving and supporting the environment, civil rights protections, the arts, minority-owned businesses, and public broadcasting.”

b. Help Wanted: list more?

5. Failures of ethics

a. Refusing to release his tax returns. We still don’t know what business interests he has that may affect his decision-making.

b. Refusing to separate himself adequately from his businesses. Profiting from his presidency: for example, through the Trump International Hotel, in the old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue, where foreign dignitaries have been booking rooms in an attempt to gain his favor.

6. War with the press.

a. Help Wanted: What has he done so far?

b. Help Wanted: What is he likely to do?

c. Help Wanted: How might he try to suppress reporting and punish enemies?

7. Anticipated actions

a. Help Wanted: flesh out this section: complete the list, explain what he’s likely to try to do, and the potential consequences of each action.

b. Repeal of Obamacare.

c. Deportation of undocumented immigrants.

d. Further limits to abortion access

e. Infrastructure program to be funded by private investment, not taxes. (Result: many needed projects won’t get done.)

f. Domestic spying: expanded surveillance.

g. Bombing missions against ISIS.

h. Tax cuts, mainly for the wealthy. (Increase in national debt; cuts in safety net programs.)

Links

Resistance Manual: background information and news updates on every issue of concern.

www.resistancemanual.org

Women’s March: https://www.womensmarch.com/100

10 actions for the first 100 days

The Nation: an article about the many new groups working to resist Trump, including Indivisible, KnockEveryDoor, Swing Left, Run for Something, and others: https://www.thenation.com/article/your-guide-to-the-sprawling-new-anti-trump-resistance-movement/

New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/nine-ways-to-oppose-donald-trump

9 ways to oppose Donald Trump

What Do I Do About Trump: a clearinghouse of different groups and websites

http://whatdoidoabouttrump.com/get-involved

The ACLU’s 7-Step Action Plan (focusing on civil liberties, of course):

https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/here-aclus-7-point-plan-action-take-trump-administration

Robert Reich: 12 Ways to Resist Trump

http://www.newsweek.com/robert-reich-twelve-ways-resist-trump-presidency-539411

New Republic: 10 Ways to Take on Trump (larger strategies, rather than individual actions)

https://newrepublic.com/article/140187/10-ways-take-trump-congress-streets

An article about self-care: to help you last the long haul.

https://medium.com/the-coffeelicious/how-to-stayoutraged-without-losing-your-mind-fc0c41aa68f3#.xdky7ikq0

This Day in Trumpland: “Daily resistance roundup with news updates and actions you can do today”

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14L3O4DRFSnj-38K3BUZJtlLOVL18B7g6rGAsME9jMw0/edit#heading=h.8lqlc1c02tgl

The First Five Days: a Record

This comes from a Facebook post. I don’t know the author, and hope she will happily grant permission to share this. If not, I’ll delete it.

* On January 20th, 2017, DT ordered all regulatory powers of all federal agencies frozen.

* On January 20th, 2017, DT ordered the National Parks Service to stop using social media after RTing factual, side by side photos of the crowds for the 2009 and 2017 inaugurations.

* On January 20th, 2017, roughly 230 protestors were arrested in DC and face unprecedented felony riot charges. Among them were legal observers, journalists, and medics.

* On January 20th, 2017, a member of the International Workers of the World was shot in the stomach at an anti-fascist protest in Seattle. He remains in critical condition.

* On January 21st, 2017, DT brought a group of 40 cheerleaders to a meeting with the CIA to cheer for him during a speech that consisted almost entirely of framing himself as the victim of dishonest press.

* On January 21st, 2017, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer held a press conference largely to attack the press for accurately reporting the size of attendance at the inaugural festivities, saying that the inauguration had the largest audience of any in history, “period.”

* On January 22nd, 2017, White House advisor Kellyann Conway defended Spicer’s lies as “alternative facts” on national television news.

* On January 22nd, 2017, DT appeared to blow a kiss to director James Comey during a meeting with the FBI, and then opened his arms in a gesture of strange, paternal affection, before hugging him with a pat on the back

* On January 23rd, 2017, DT reinstated the global gag order, which defunds international organizations that even mention abortion as a medical option.

* On January 23rd, 2017, Spicer said that the US will not tolerate China’s expansion onto islands in the South China Sea, essentially threatening war with China.

* On January 23rd, 2017, DT repeated the lie that 3-5 million people voted “illegally” thus costing him the popular vote.

* On January 23rd, 2017, it was announced that the man who shot the anti-fascist protester in Seattle was released without charges, despite turning himself in.

* On January 24th, 2017, Spicer reiterated the lie that 3-5 million people voted “illegally” thus costing DT the popular vote.

* On January 24th, 2017, DT tweeted a picture from his personal Twitter account of a photo he says depicts the crowd at his inauguration and will hang in the White House press room. The photo is curiously dated January 21st, 2017, the day AFTER the inauguration and the day of the Women’s March, the largest inauguration related protest in history.

* On January 24th, 2017, the EPA was ordered to stop communicating with the public through social media or the press and to freeze all grants and contracts.

* On January 24th, 2017, the USDA was ordered to stop communicating with the public through social media or the press and to stop publishing any papers or research. All communication with the press would also have to be authorized and vetted by the White House.

* On January 24th, 2017, HR7, a bill that would prohibit federal funding not only to abortion service providers, but to any insurance coverage, including Medicaid, that provides abortion coverage, went to the floor of the House for a vote.

* On January 24th, 2017, Director of the Department of Health and Human Service nominee Tom Price characterized federal guidelines on transgender equality as “absurd.”

* On January 24th, 2017, DT ordered the resumption of construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline, while the North Dakota state congress considers a bill that would legalize hitting and killing protestors with cars if they are on roadways.

* On January 24th, 2017, it was discovered that police officers had used confiscated cell phones to search the emails and messages of the 230 demonstrators now facing felony riot charges for protesting on January 20th, including lawyers and journalists whose email accounts contain privileged information of clients and sources.

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