Where Do We Go From Here?

We had a phenomenal day with the turnout at the No Kings rallies yesterday from small towns to big cities in every state. Every Congressional district in the country was represented, with supporting rallies in many other countries (16, I think). It was energizing and fun and hopeful.

But, over and over I also heard it’s just one day – so what?

So what? Well, yesterday showed that the strength of the pro-democracy movement keeps building. It showed we will not be intimidated or give in to fear. It showed we will not be silenced. And, it showed that though we may be tired of the relentless chaos and cruelty caused by this regime, we also have the grit to see this through until it – and MAGA – are defeated.

So, now what? Now we tackle the quiet, everyday work that ultimately will make a difference.

– First, remember that YOU ARE NOT ALONE and you don’t have to carry the burden all by yourself. There are thousands in your state and millions of us in this country who are fighting alongside you. We saw that yesterday.

– If you are physically able, get out and protest – and bring friends with you. Though the NO KINGS day of action on March 28th was incredibly important to show our numbers, don’t forget about the smaller, local protests taking place every day and every week in deep red and bright blue areas across the country. Helping to sustain the visibility brigades and grow the numbers of people standing along the street is vital to show our unrelenting opposition to this regime.

• – Keep calling, emailing, and sending postcards to every Senator and Representative in Congress. Pick two or three issues and track them. Find out which committees oversee your issues and put pressure on every member of those committees. Every call, email, and postcard gets logged, so keep your communications polite and to the point, preferably about one issue at a time. The 5Calls app is good for providing talking points, but also try to make it personal.
• Use the Card Campaign cards to help inform people in your area about issues that affect us all. We publish new cards every few weeks and the PDFs are free to download from our website www.cc4democracy.com to print at home or the print shop of your choice. Or, click the button on our homepage to order from our printing partner, Howling Print and Promo. Most of the cards on the website are relevant right now, so feel free to explore the site, download PDFs or order and distribute past cards. Every card you get out there could plant a seed with someone else.
• Pull out your sidewalk chalk and write protest messages on your sidewalk, street or driveway. Put signs in your house and/or car windows (I use painter’s tape because it won’t leave marks). Light a candle of liberty in your front window. Wear your paper clip on your collar, purse, or the zipper pull of your jacket to signal you are an ally in the pro-democracy movement. Little things, to be sure, but all signs of resistance.
• Have conversations with other people. When you’re standing in the grocery line, make a comment to the person behind you about the price of gas or coffee. Just a comment or two about how the tariffs drove up the cost of food or Trump’s War is seriously affecting the price of gas and heating fuel is usually enough. You don’t even have to mention Trump to get your point across and start other people thinking.
• Help people register to vote and keep checking the voter rolls to make sure you and everyone you know are registered. Know where your documents are, or start now to get what you need. While the SAVE America Act is unlikely to pass, watch your state legislature to make sure they don’t pass similar laws that effectively suppress the vote. New Hampshire already has those laws in place.
• Talk about the SAVE Act and how it would affect people in your state. In every state we already have to show some form of ID to register to vote and actual voter fraud is extremely rare. According to the conservative Heritage Foundation, between 2000 and 2024 just .00003% of all votes cast were fraudulent and virtually none were cast by undocumented immigrants. So, why do we need to burden voters by requiring additional documentation to register? Or show the same documents in order to vote?
• YES, we will have midterm elections. Count on it. If we weren’t going to have midterms, this regime wouldn’t be working so hard to suppress the vote. Texas and Arkansas just had their primaries, which goes to prove the point: we WILL have midterms. Remember, it’s the STATES that run elections, not the president. So, get to know who your candidates are and what they stand for, whether their priorities align with yours. Don’t look for the “perfect” candidate; they don’t exist. You choose the best option before you and then work like crazy to get them elected.
• Join a local pro-democracy group. You’ll find support and people to talk with, if nothing else, and the assurance you are not alone. Check with Indivisible, your local Democratic committee, the people who organize the protests in your area, or the campaign staff of your preferred candidate.
• Look FORWARD! We’re always reacting to this regime instead of envisioning and planning for the day after Trump (he’s old and he’s not immortal), MAGA, and the Christofascists. Start thinking about what you want for yourself and your family, for your state, and for this country. Do you have some great idea about ending hunger in this country? Or the housing crisis? Clean energy? Public education? As ideas come to you, no matter how small or absurd you think they might be, write them down. When we defeat Trumpism, all those ideas are going to become our blueprint for rebuilding our country for all people, not just a select few.

Breathe! Take a break if you need one to rest and recharge. Make music. Make art. Try a new recipe or learn to cook. Sing and dance like no one else is around. Hug your pet. Go for a walk or a run. Just go outside and really look at the nature around you. Listen to the birds or the wind in the trees. Sew or do needlework. Volunteer somewhere. Clean out your garage or closets and donate what you don’t use. Just remember to come back to the fight. We’ll still be here, ready for you to join us once again.

“The only way out is through.”

Robert Frost said this and I think it’s particularly important to remember when so much is being thrown at us right now. We are living in truly unprecedented times and we have no option other than to go through.

I look back to the American Revolution and our Declaration of Independence, and think about the courage it must have taken for those men and women to stand up against thr British King. Now, 250 years later, it’s our turn to find the courage to stand up for our country.

Remember one last thing: though we have a very long road ahead to reclaim our democracy and there’s an even longer one to rebuild our government and restore the trust that’s been lost, it’s a very small group of people who are trying to turn this country into a fascist dictatorship; we far outnumber them. I have faith the majority of the American people – citizens and non-citizens – will not concede defeat.

Together We Are Stronger!

— Leslie

(I took this photo a couple of years ago of daffodils pushing up through a spring snow. They don’t give up. We shouldn’t either.)