Millions of American voters are upset by what they know of the Trump agenda. and about his picks for key jobs in the federal government. But what can concerned citizens really do about it? Lots of things, actually. This post is a summary of strategies for stopping the Trump agenda, or minimizing the damage.
Of course you can write your Congressional representatives and vote for liberal Democrats or Independents in the next House elections. That's not what this post is about.
Resisting the Trump Agenda with Practical Activism:
Resisting Trump is a bit like saving the environment or ending slavery. What exactly is the average person supposed to do? That question is easily answered by providing a series of practical actions that people can take.
What practical actions can Jane and Joe Average take to resist Trump's plans for the nation? Certain things Trump and his political appointees do will be tough to resist directly. For example, citizens can't keep him from nominating whomever he chooses for a seat on the Supreme Court. All voters can do is to urge their Senator to vote against confirming the nominee.
Attack Trump;s Agenda One Issue at a Time:
Here is where citizen activists can have some impact on Trump's agenda. There can be different groups with different goals and tactics. The point is to join one and take sustained action, rather than simply voicing "support" for anti-Trump activism or signing the odd petition. Joining one or two groups with concrete and realistic anti-Trump goals is the best way to go.
Then, you have to join with the group in taking action. The right actions to take will vary with the issue. at sustained action has to have a specific policy focus. You might wish to oppose Trump on LGBT rights, environmental protection, regulation of this industry and that industry, commercial use of public lands, national security, tax reform, and insurance industry reform. How practical is that really? Not very. Pick your battles.
More focus means more effect, assuming a public policy change can be stopped.
Containing the Damage:
Now is the time to work on reducing the negative impact of certain moves the Trump White House and the Republican Congress will make. For example, the Affordable Care Act is likely to be repealed perhaps without a replacement. What does this mean for people who rely on the healthcare exchanges to get affordable insurance? What could be done to reduce the financial impact for millions of people who can no longer afford insurance if that happens? What steps can be taken now to help? This is what I mean by containing the damage.
But, before we do anything we need to try and understand why Trump's ideas appeal to people.
Understanding Trumpism:
Like the GI Joe cartoon taught us, :Knowing is half the battle." So, do you know why Trump supporters are excited about the border wall for example? Do you know, or are you just guessing that the hate brown people? There is so much analysis out there now, I won't be able to contribute anything useful in this post. However, with that knowledge in hand, there are a couple of strategies for using it.
The things Trump supports might look less attractive to Trump supporters if they could be led to view the issue from a different perspective, or frame. Now we're getting into a complex area of communications theory. Frame analysis is not a hobby, and creating new frames (that might work) is not for beginners. We need to use expert analysis of what Trump supporters think about issues like healthcare reform and illegal immigration, and why they think that way.
Careful marketing and some creative thinking are in order here. Activists will need to design and execute numerous social marketing and cause marketing efforts. Now is the time to start brainstorming strategies and tactics, and to look for partners.
Be Focused, Be Creative:
Resisting Trump's policies will take a sustained effort directed both at Republicans in Congress and at convincing Trump supporters that Policy X or Plan Y will actually hurt them more than help them. It might be possible to flip some seats in the House this way, by getting Trump supporters to vote out their pro-Trump representative in favor of a moderate Republican.
Of course you can write your Congressional representatives and vote for liberal Democrats or Independents in the next House elections. That's not what this post is about.
Resisting the Trump Agenda with Practical Activism:
Resisting Trump is a bit like saving the environment or ending slavery. What exactly is the average person supposed to do? That question is easily answered by providing a series of practical actions that people can take.
What practical actions can Jane and Joe Average take to resist Trump's plans for the nation? Certain things Trump and his political appointees do will be tough to resist directly. For example, citizens can't keep him from nominating whomever he chooses for a seat on the Supreme Court. All voters can do is to urge their Senator to vote against confirming the nominee.
Attack Trump;s Agenda One Issue at a Time:
Here is where citizen activists can have some impact on Trump's agenda. There can be different groups with different goals and tactics. The point is to join one and take sustained action, rather than simply voicing "support" for anti-Trump activism or signing the odd petition. Joining one or two groups with concrete and realistic anti-Trump goals is the best way to go.
Then, you have to join with the group in taking action. The right actions to take will vary with the issue. at sustained action has to have a specific policy focus. You might wish to oppose Trump on LGBT rights, environmental protection, regulation of this industry and that industry, commercial use of public lands, national security, tax reform, and insurance industry reform. How practical is that really? Not very. Pick your battles.
More focus means more effect, assuming a public policy change can be stopped.
Containing the Damage:
Now is the time to work on reducing the negative impact of certain moves the Trump White House and the Republican Congress will make. For example, the Affordable Care Act is likely to be repealed perhaps without a replacement. What does this mean for people who rely on the healthcare exchanges to get affordable insurance? What could be done to reduce the financial impact for millions of people who can no longer afford insurance if that happens? What steps can be taken now to help? This is what I mean by containing the damage.
But, before we do anything we need to try and understand why Trump's ideas appeal to people.
Understanding Trumpism:
Like the GI Joe cartoon taught us, :Knowing is half the battle." So, do you know why Trump supporters are excited about the border wall for example? Do you know, or are you just guessing that the hate brown people? There is so much analysis out there now, I won't be able to contribute anything useful in this post. However, with that knowledge in hand, there are a couple of strategies for using it.
The things Trump supports might look less attractive to Trump supporters if they could be led to view the issue from a different perspective, or frame. Now we're getting into a complex area of communications theory. Frame analysis is not a hobby, and creating new frames (that might work) is not for beginners. We need to use expert analysis of what Trump supporters think about issues like healthcare reform and illegal immigration, and why they think that way.
Careful marketing and some creative thinking are in order here. Activists will need to design and execute numerous social marketing and cause marketing efforts. Now is the time to start brainstorming strategies and tactics, and to look for partners.
Be Focused, Be Creative:
Resisting Trump's policies will take a sustained effort directed both at Republicans in Congress and at convincing Trump supporters that Policy X or Plan Y will actually hurt them more than help them. It might be possible to flip some seats in the House this way, by getting Trump supporters to vote out their pro-Trump representative in favor of a moderate Republican.
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