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Protest on October 18th! Democracy: The Use-it-or-Lose-It Edition [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-10-13  

It is somewhat ironic that I would be touting street protests as an answer to authoritarianism this week.

I have been skeptical in the past about mass street protests as the only tactic deployed by progressives ( besides voting). On those occasions, however, what I was criticizing was the downgrading of tactics such as economic strikes, or corporate campaigns, or mutual aid, in favor of mere traditional symbolic protests. Such marches and rallies are deemed symbolic ( or performative) for a good reason, as they are designed to physically show/symbolize the level of support or antagonism towards a given policy or idea. In truth, there are hundreds of non-violent tools ( Gene Sharp has documented at least 150 such tactics!) and my criticism was usually related to the lack of imagination in bringing militant, though peaceful tools, into the mix. I suspect these other methods will be deployed as this struggle goes on

However, the current case— our current political timeline— is different. I think we are in the perfect scenario where massive symbolic gatherings are the functional tactic par excellence, Why?

1. This president is all about appearances-- a binary quality about whether something makes him look bad or good. He is also easily humiliated, as are the dummies around him. For this reason alone, we should get into the streets.

2. The foreclosing of usual direct channels of political persuasion: GOP is no longer holding town halls, the gubment is closed, the usual ways of swaying power have been blocked and (like a growing swath of the legacy media) coopted, under the current regime. The street is where the detentions and deportations happen; it is also where the focus is right now on social media. That is why Mike Johnson suddenly gives a shit about the mass demos.

3. Every other post by the hard working staff here at the Daily Kos unfortunately reveals the same biases as the regular liberal press outlets. If I want to know the next grim threat care of Vance, or Miller, or Vought, I can simply read the New York Times. They are great at taking the full measure of how “hopeless” our cause is. The bigger challenge is taking the view of the Daily Kos GNR-- that we have agency and potential choices in fighting these bastards and that, in fact, we are not doomed. Let’s all show up on Saturday, October 18th!!

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