What can we do?
In my years of writing about politics, there’s one question I’ve gotten more than any other from readers, attendees at bookstore events, and my own friends and family: “But what can we do?” It’s an earnest question born of a dilemma faced by every member of a giant democratic polity such as ours.
We’re more attuned than ever to the goings-on in politics and government; the average American living 50 or 100 or 150 years ago had access to a tiny fraction of the information we do about what’s actually happening. You could spend every waking minute keeping track of the Trump administration’s depredations, and you might fall into a helpless combination of rage and frustration. You’re just one citizen with one vote, maybe a few extra dollars to donate, and perhaps a social media presence where you speak to those who already agree with you. Like gazing up at the stars, it can make you feel small and inconsequential.
Which is precisely why events like No Kings are so important.
A single protest does not sweep a tyrant from power or undo the wrongs that have already occurred. But it tells people that there is something they can do. There is an organized opposition mounting periodic events in which they can participate. It is strong and growing stronger, with their help. They are not disconnected and disempowered; they can be part of something that has genuine force. Already, No Kings has caused a moribund Democratic leadership in Washington to stiffen their spines because of that pressure from below.
Public protest is not, in itself, the solution. But we can’t solve the problem without it. There’s a reason that in so many cases, tyrants have been driven from office not by a violent revolution but by mass protests that became too powerful to resist. The more people see their fellow citizens out protesting, the more they question whether the regime deserves their support.
Popular legitimacy matters in every system, and when a leader loses it — whether in a democracy, an autocracy, or whatever you might call what we’re experiencing now — they spiral downward. [Continue reading…]
Wajahat Ali:
NO KINGS wasn’t just a protest – it was a wake-up call.
Millions filled the streets demanding accountability, democracy, and a future without fear. But movements don’t end when the cameras leave — they evolve.
In this episode, Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, joins us to unpack what success really looks like after the largest day of protest in U.S. history and how we turn that moment into lasting change.
What worked.
What failed.
And what comes next for those who still believe in people over power.