Trump’s Six Pillars of Support: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Live the Resistance.
The late, great Tom Hayden had a thoughtful analysis of ending the war in Iraq in his aptly titled 2007 book, Ending the War in Iraq. And while Hayden lived just a week short of Trump’s electoral victory, his strategy is appropriate for the millions trying to resist Trump’s America.
He lays out eight pillars that maintain why the war sustains and, to put it simply, that when these sources are effectively targeted, those in power will decide that it’s in their best interest to end the war.
In taking a similar approach to analyzing Trump’s power, we can determine (at least) six pillars that are maintaining the administration’s ability to continue to do whatever it is it’s doing.
- Congress
Let’s start with the most simple one. Hayden targets Congress in Ending the War in Iraq and rightly points out that they are always concerned about keeping their job and winning re-election. So by changing public opinion (or in this case, making sure public opinion is still on our side), members of Congress will have to either decide in favor of their constituents or in favor of the unpopular president. Choosing the latter puts them at risk of losing their jobs.
The United States Congress is the body that is standing between Trump and impeachment. They are also the elected officials that are enacting Trump’s agenda. Anyone paying attention eight years ago, knows that making noise about the issues you care about has electoral consequences. A strategy similar to the Tea Party approach should be taken up by everyone — from college students to grandparents and those in rural Montana or major cities — to make your voice heard and be relentless. That includes YOU.
A good start would be to talk to your Congressperson or Senator while they are out of session, starting this week. Don’t know where your local town hall may be? Well, you’re in luck! A small handful of unemployed, former Clinton campaign staffers are now keeping track for you. Find it here!
2. Republicans
By ‘Republicans’, I mean more than just congresspeople who are members of the Republican Party. I also mean any elected Republican official across the country and, more importantly, any person who votes Republican.
If we oppose the hatred and dogmatism, it’s vital for us to act in a way that doesn’t embody the very behavior we oppose. With only 22% of the country devoted to supporting the President, there are many potential allies when Trump does something to alienate the rest of the 78% of the country (that is, of course, if he hasn’t already).
Additionally, as a former speech writer for George W. Bush, David Frum, writes, some Republicans want to see success in the protests and resistance to Trump. Frum’s piece on successfully protesting Trump is problematic, however it does point out that we may be actively opposed to the president they voted in. But there is definite overlap in what we believe.
We can agree that the establishment in Washington needs to be defeated (though draining the swamp doesn’t come from hiring Goldman Sachs executives and making the CEO of Exxon Mobil the Secretary of State). And we can agree that the concentration of economic power in this country is creating high times on wall street and hard times on main street.
Let the President do the alienation and let's work on uniting around issues we all care about.
3. Media
Even before the November election, media outlets were already struggling with a changing environment and maintaining reliable news coverage even with unreliable revenue streams. And now the fourth estate is under attack by a White House that has declared them the enemy in a manufactured war.
While the Orwellian tactic of calling all news that challenges Trumps ego “fake news” is certainly troubling, the resistance needs to include a resistance to unverified information. We need to use the resources we have to promote reliable news sources (and support the organizations that send their interns to the White House briefings).
Watergate was exposed by two Washington Post reporters meeting an insider in an empty parking garage. There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of reporting on the Trump Administration. We need to be critical of what we are told and supportive of the news that supports the truth (and not necessarily just reinforcing our beliefs).
4. Alt-Right
At a time when there is so much great work being done by people in the streets, it’s hard to watch a fringe, racist ideology commanding the White House. But Steve Bannon is possibly the most powerful person in the world.
I’m not sure we are at a point when we can tell what the best way is to take down the Alt-right movement (and maybe they’re already being brought down?), but for now, I’m just going to watch Inglourious Basterds on repeat and work toward the day when we can say “auf wiedersehen” to the white-supremacist-in-chief.
5. Private Sector
The #DeleteUber campaign indicates that we can organize — even in small ways—to ultimately hurt each executives’ bottom line. In the case of Uber, that came in the form of 200,000 users deleting their accounts and possibly starting the downfall of the popular mobile app.
Two years ago, Jacobin published “A Winning Strategy for the Left,” which correctly looked at the shift of focusing on corporations and corporate power as the future of effective progressive activism, stating:
In the modern United States, few progressive reforms have been enacted and implemented without the consent and/or support of substantial sectors of the corporate elite. Inflicting pain on corporations through disruptive mass activism has historically been the best way to reduce corporate opposition to progressive changes, and in turn, the resistance of the politicians who represent them.
The politically powerful are not the only ones worthy of your protest. And with Trump’s cabinet having more wealth than a third of American households COMBINED, corporate interests have never been a higher priority for those in charge of federal departments.
6. You and Me and Everyone We Know
Ignoring the Trump Administration or not being outspoken about his appalling policies that make a mockery of our values reinforces his agenda.
To take down Trump and his elected allies, it’s going to take all of us.
Go to town hall meetings. Create beautiful trouble. And run for office.
Looking to do your part? One way to get involved is to read the Indivisible Guide, which is written by former congressional staffers and is loaded with best practices for making Congress listen. Or follow this publication, connect with us on Twitter, join us on Facebook, or check out our shop on Threadless.
