With the clarity that the Trump Republican regime is deadset on TAX CUTS for the wealthy and HEALTH-CARE CUTS for the many, a recent editorial by Rahm Emanuel in the Washington Post hit the nail on the head: his Democratic slogan for 2026 is Republicans are about CORRUPTION, CHAOS, AND CRUELTY.
Wise Woman, Founder and Chair Emerita of Emily’s List, Ellen R. Malcolm, put it this way: Trump is Extreme. Craven. Chaotic. Destructive. Morally Bankrupt.
In April, Pramila Jayapal - Washington state representative to the US House - recognized this reality and began holding online resistance training for those who want to learn how to combat this assault on our democracy.
Two images from this training spoke to me. The first one shows that to create a movement for a new society, one needs only nudge a friend, colleague, family member, contact over a tiny bit from being in the Active Opposition to being in the Passive Opposition or from being a Passive Ally to becoming an Active Ally.
In the 2024 election Trump Republicans moved urban males from neutral or passive DJT allies to active allies. Democrats moved rural passive allies or neutral voters to active allies for a free society for all people.
While Democrats didn’t move enough rural people into active voters to offset the (temporary) gains of Republicans, they moved enough neutral and passive allies that the Resistance to the Trump Republican regime TRIPLED in 2025 following the election over that in 2017.
The second image comes from Michael Beer, Co-Director of Nonviolence International. His picture of the Pillars of Power reveals the warfare DJT and GOP government / DOGE is waging against all other pillars of power in our society.
At the same time, the take down of Tesla (Musk) by active consumers waging a resistance movement, shows that the mobilization of ordinary people can stop even the seemingly most powerful in their tracks.
Resistance movements have shown that 3.5% of a population needs to be mobilized to prevent the takeover of autocrats. We are not there yet, but ...
- The April election of Susan Crawford to the Wisconsin Supreme Court proved the power of grassroots people to overcome that of Musk’s millions, ensuring that Wisconsin will have clean bias-free electoral maps.
- Likewise, the recent Nebraska election of Democrat John Ewing, Jr to be the first Black mayor of Omaha, reveals that grassroots localized campaigns can build on decades of forming coalitions and credibility as a public servant.
- 51% of voters disapprove of what morally corrupt DJT (and his GOP supporters) are doing.
So, there is more work to do. But, if we each get out there and nudge someone we know to wake up just a little bit, our efforts locally will have a big impact on preserving our democracy. We can move beyond corruption, chaos, and cruelty.
YES WE CAN!
