Pushback 63
Quick check-in from my vacay. Looks like the protests got a reasonable amount of coverage. Soon, I hope we see more institutional support for these protests. We are seeing consortia of universities, non-profits, and research groups who are forming to preserve their work, share resources, and plan long-term strategy for the next few years. I think the AFL-CIO, for example, needs to be laying the groundwork for a general strike or some other mass movement. On May 1, there is expected to be a day of protest; I saw that bar associations are encouraging lawyers and judges to show up at federal courthouses at noon that day to support the rule of law.
We will need to see institutional direct action grow. We will also need to see individual politicians like Senator Van Hollen take up the case of specific issues and keep them in the news. Our leaders can't be all things to all people, but they can lead on the issues they care about, and it will make a difference.
Also note, people are announcing their candidacies for Senate and House races for the 2026 election. Normally, I would be annoyed by this but this year, I think it's good. Having critical voices who want to replace politicians requires the current leadership to respond to the critical message, either by changing their positions, or making clear that they refuse to change. It's a useful corrective until the voters get their say.
Blueprint for Saving Democracy
"Democrats" are elected officials, government agencies, unions, and non-profits. "Grassroots" are individuals, political organizing groups, and informal groups. "Disloyal Opposition" are Republicans, conservatives, business interests, and other interests more typically aligned with the GOP agenda.
The Democrats
Messaging
Pope Ghosts JD Vance at Vatican, Sends Top Cardinal to Lecture VP on Compassion
US senator returns from El Salvador trip, says Abrego Garcia case is about far more than one man
Al Gore compares Trump administration to Nazi Germany
Media
Top Producer of ‘60 Minutes’ Quits, Saying He Lost Independence
More than 180 academic leaders condemned Trump administration's overreach
Direct Action and Escalation
Civil Rights Organizations Launch Coalition Unity Pact in Response to Government Attacks
Trump Tried to Derail Our Work. We Banded Together, and Moved Forward.
DOGE sought to assign a team to an independent nonprofit group
The Grassroots
Messaging and Media
Mahmoud Khalil: A letter from Louisiana ICE detention facility
Students Fighting Book Bans Are the Focus of the New Documentary Banned Together
Don’t believe the doubters: protest still has power
Judicial Action
Private security guards charged after woman was dragged out of chaotic Idaho town hall meeting
Direct Action and Escalation
'No Kings' protest draws crowd to City Park to push back on Trump policies
PHOTOS: Anti-Trump protesters rally in cities and towns across the country
Thousands join anti-Trump protests across US
Protestors across the U.S. rally against the Trump administration
Anti-Trump protesters rally in New York, Washington and elsewhere across the country
Mass anti-Trump protests sweep nation; supreme court issues midnight order
Kentucky organizations join nationwide 50501 protests
Are Target DEI boycotts working? Here's what company documents say
'Hands Off' protest at Minnesota State Capitol for Earth Day
Protesters rally outside White House amid nationwide anti-Trump demonstrations
Protesters fill the streets in cities across the US to denounce Trump agenda
Protesters unite against Trump in hundreds of rallies across the U.S.
Protesters chain themselves to Columbia's gates, calling for release of activists
The Disloyal Opposition
Three months in, Trump's White House appears increasingly divided against itself
Under Hegseth, Chaos Prevails at the Pentagon
Supreme Court appears to reject conservative argument over Obamacare provision
‘Boomerang in a Very Bad Way’: How Trump’s Antisemitism Push Could Backfire
