The key to defeating Trump? Mass non-cooperation | Mark Engler and Paul Engler
The following are excerpts from this article.
“The extraordinary level of grassroots solidarity and creative resistance in anti-ICE protests in Minnesota has given people a new appreciation for the power that mass non-cooperation can have in resisting the Trump administration’s drive toward authoritarianism. And it has created an awareness of why such action is clearly needed.”
Early in Trump’s second term, an array of mainstream critics expressed skepticism about the value of continued protests in the streets. They invested their faith in institutions such as Congress and the courts. But as these institutions – along with law firms, universities and the business community – have each caved in to the administration’s demands and proven themselves unwilling to catalyze an ardent defense of democracy, it has been left to the people themselves to do this essential work.
Mainstream political thinking in the US sees power as “monolithic,” resting in the hands of senators, generals, billionaires, presidents and CEOs. From that vantage point, the options for opposing a rogue administration seem desperately thin: wait for elections, file a lawsuit, hope for some unforeseen maneuver by elites. This worldview breeds despair. One prominent Democratic party consultant even advised that the best course for progressives is simply to “roll over and play dead”.
Those immersed in social movements look at the process of change in a different way than political insiders do. Instead of subscribing to the monolithic view of power, they hold a social view of power, which understands that those in positions of authority are dependent upon the cooperation and support of the governed.
Now, as then, the list of methods is best seen as an invitation to creativity, reminding organizers they have many tools in their collective toolbox – each with distinctive properties and powers. The potential of civil resistance is not just in holding large demonstrations. It is in drawing from a vast array of strikes, boycotts, noncooperation tactics and artistic protest. And it is in coming up with innovative forms of creative resistance that may never have been seen before.
Successful Social Movements
In this transcript Professor Chenoweth discusses the four elements necessary for a successful social movement. Below are excerpts from the transcript.
“The third thing that successful movements do is they innovate new tactics. This is very important because movements that tend to over-rely on a single technique like protests, like demonstrating every Friday, something that becomes very routinized, end up succumbing much more quickly first of all to protester fatigue, but the second thing is they often subject their participants to a higher risk of repression or communal violence from opponents. So movements that are capable of having the capacity to shift to methods of dispersion, like stay-at-homes or strikes or forms of economic noncooperation, tend to be much more effective because they have the capability of maneuver when the state begins to ramp up violence against them.”
True, the Epstein Class is greedy and there is never enough. I recall a sick bumper sticker from the 1980s "He who dies with the most toys wins." That is exactly their mantra. And it bleeds down to the populace. Consider the huge houses why do two people need a 4000 sq ft house when 1200 Sq ft would be more than adequate? We have been sold a bill of false goods and in buying into their scheme we become destitute while they become wealthier. It's a sick society.
Some counties are restricting the wealthy class from buying elections . This post from Instagram discusses Australia’s recent policy change. Canada also has more restrictive campaign finance laws because people’s trust in government is diminishing when they think the wealthy are controlling the outcomes - which of course they are . Look no further than AIPAC and how they flood primaries with money to oppose incumbent politicians who don’t play by Israeli “rules “ . If we really want a government that is working “ for the people “ - the middle class - we need to implement new campaign finance laws and end Citizens United . We are on a runaway money train … where money has corrupted the core values and objectives of the democratic system. We can not sustain a fair system of governance without these fundamental changes .
End Citizens United and PAcS
SCOTUS term limits
Age out forced retirement in Congress
Term limits in Congress - no more “ professional politicians for life “ .
They cannot be denied. Billik adds MAKE the dollars. They are NOT ours, never were. Read them - Federal Promissory Note - based on the full faith and credit of oil and the memory of Rome.
They loaned them to us. They can, and will, recall.
Hello Martin. Thanks SO much for your Daily Reminder about stopping spending. This fascist takeover nightmare could be brought to an end fairly quickly if enough people would follow that sage advice. It’s up to all of us in the resistance to Spread the Word!
It's definitely important to have a coherent, convincing story. But this story must also be true. Truth however is not a matter of plausible but of evidence. Where is the evidence of your writing?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/15/defeat-trump-mass-non-cooperation
The key to defeating Trump? Mass non-cooperation | Mark Engler and Paul Engler
The following are excerpts from this article.
“The extraordinary level of grassroots solidarity and creative resistance in anti-ICE protests in Minnesota has given people a new appreciation for the power that mass non-cooperation can have in resisting the Trump administration’s drive toward authoritarianism. And it has created an awareness of why such action is clearly needed.”
Early in Trump’s second term, an array of mainstream critics expressed skepticism about the value of continued protests in the streets. They invested their faith in institutions such as Congress and the courts. But as these institutions – along with law firms, universities and the business community – have each caved in to the administration’s demands and proven themselves unwilling to catalyze an ardent defense of democracy, it has been left to the people themselves to do this essential work.
Mainstream political thinking in the US sees power as “monolithic,” resting in the hands of senators, generals, billionaires, presidents and CEOs. From that vantage point, the options for opposing a rogue administration seem desperately thin: wait for elections, file a lawsuit, hope for some unforeseen maneuver by elites. This worldview breeds despair. One prominent Democratic party consultant even advised that the best course for progressives is simply to “roll over and play dead”.
Those immersed in social movements look at the process of change in a different way than political insiders do. Instead of subscribing to the monolithic view of power, they hold a social view of power, which understands that those in positions of authority are dependent upon the cooperation and support of the governed.
Now, as then, the list of methods is best seen as an invitation to creativity, reminding organizers they have many tools in their collective toolbox – each with distinctive properties and powers. The potential of civil resistance is not just in holding large demonstrations. It is in drawing from a vast array of strikes, boycotts, noncooperation tactics and artistic protest. And it is in coming up with innovative forms of creative resistance that may never have been seen before.
Successful Social Movements
In this transcript Professor Chenoweth discusses the four elements necessary for a successful social movement. Below are excerpts from the transcript.
“The third thing that successful movements do is they innovate new tactics. This is very important because movements that tend to over-rely on a single technique like protests, like demonstrating every Friday, something that becomes very routinized, end up succumbing much more quickly first of all to protester fatigue, but the second thing is they often subject their participants to a higher risk of repression or communal violence from opponents. So movements that are capable of having the capacity to shift to methods of dispersion, like stay-at-homes or strikes or forms of economic noncooperation, tend to be much more effective because they have the capability of maneuver when the state begins to ramp up violence against them.”
Vote blue!
True, the Epstein Class is greedy and there is never enough. I recall a sick bumper sticker from the 1980s "He who dies with the most toys wins." That is exactly their mantra. And it bleeds down to the populace. Consider the huge houses why do two people need a 4000 sq ft house when 1200 Sq ft would be more than adequate? We have been sold a bill of false goods and in buying into their scheme we become destitute while they become wealthier. It's a sick society.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DUygVjaEkz_/?igsh=MW94bnd5dnk3OGZjYg==
Some counties are restricting the wealthy class from buying elections . This post from Instagram discusses Australia’s recent policy change. Canada also has more restrictive campaign finance laws because people’s trust in government is diminishing when they think the wealthy are controlling the outcomes - which of course they are . Look no further than AIPAC and how they flood primaries with money to oppose incumbent politicians who don’t play by Israeli “rules “ . If we really want a government that is working “ for the people “ - the middle class - we need to implement new campaign finance laws and end Citizens United . We are on a runaway money train … where money has corrupted the core values and objectives of the democratic system. We can not sustain a fair system of governance without these fundamental changes .
End Citizens United and PAcS
SCOTUS term limits
Age out forced retirement in Congress
Term limits in Congress - no more “ professional politicians for life “ .
And that’s just the start .
Yes! YES! Deny the billionaires every dollar possible!
They cannot be denied. Billik adds MAKE the dollars. They are NOT ours, never were. Read them - Federal Promissory Note - based on the full faith and credit of oil and the memory of Rome.
They loaned them to us. They can, and will, recall.
Err, billionaires. They won't even let us fix our own typos.
“After all, [the US] have yet to win a war on their own, ever.”
Nor have Canadians lost one.
💪💪🇨🇦
Democratic leaders can not be trusted as one of them is beholden to a war criminal. Horrifying.
Yeah? Like WHO? You’re the accuser, what’s his name?!
Obviously Trump and Putin. What are you, a fucking moron?
It says “Democratic leaders”, and you said Trump and Putin, neither are democrats, so who is the f***ing moron?!
Bull
Fantastic analogy and there were a few things I had forgotten about during Reagan’s time. I look forward to your next episode.
Thank you, I appreciate your kind words
Well, to be fair the 'democratic consultant' that advised Dems to 'play dead' is a sclerotic f*cking moron who is a washed up has been. 😁
New leaders. But new opportunists are always trying to get in. For now; You must have eyes on those whispering in the king’s “healed” ear.
Hello Martin. Thanks SO much for your Daily Reminder about stopping spending. This fascist takeover nightmare could be brought to an end fairly quickly if enough people would follow that sage advice. It’s up to all of us in the resistance to Spread the Word!
Learn a lot about history from Charlie
What do you even mean, "local business"? A thrift store? The summer farmers market? How about car parts? A mattress?
It's definitely important to have a coherent, convincing story. But this story must also be true. Truth however is not a matter of plausible but of evidence. Where is the evidence of your writing?
Your title says it all.