Day 28: The Resistance is Working

In just four weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency, there have been movements and marches and meetings and more outward advocacy for left-leaning policies — or any policies for that matter — than the nation has seen in generations.

Congressional phone lines have been swamped as constituents try to make their voices heard. People are getting involved in the political process in ways they never had previously.

Town halls are swamped with so much vitriol for current Republican rhetoric and policies that many members of Congress are slinking out the back door in shame.

Others have nothing else to do for these actions than touting absurd conspiracy theories, including the idea that many of these protesters are being paid by some invisible, billion dollar hand.

On its face, progressives have been unsuccessful in affecting much actual impediment to Trump. After all, Trump has seen all of his Cabinet nominees confirmed. The executive orders he’s signing aid the richest Americans and potentially harm refugees. Evoking days of old England, positions of power are handed out based on bloodline, cronyism and wealth. A far right-wing nut job has the president’s ear on virtually every decision that comes across the Resolute desk. Hell, said nut job is putting a number of things on the Resolute desk and saying “sign here.”

But.

But, The Resistance is proving more successful than it initially appears.

Consider:

• The largest protests in American history filling newspapers and televisions across the country, causing not only millions of Americans to get more involved in the democratic process, but inspiring the next generation to do the same.
• Trump’s constant evocation of frustration about the timeline of getting his Cabinet fully staffed, largely through Democrats’ shrewd political maneuverings.
• Consistent and lockstep messages by congressional Democrats — at the behest of their constituents — aimed at a variety of issues.
• Subscriptions to legitimate newspapers and news sources skyrocketing, funding more high-quality reporting.
• Public pressure building to the point that Trump’s national security adviser resigned in shame less than a month into the presidential term.
• Mounting calls for bipartisan investigation into Trump/Russia ties, to the point that many Republicans have been forced to call for the same.
• The unprecedented and humiliating step of Trump’s Education Secretary nominee requiring — with a Republican majority in the Senate — the vice president to break a 50–50 vote tie on her nomination.
• The Labor Secretary nominee being forced to withdraw his nomination amid a cloud of controversy.
• A wedge being driven every day between moderate Republicans concerned about reelection in two, four and six years and the president’s policies.
• Preserving climate change and other scientific data from being purged forever off government websites.
• The potential survival of the Affordable Care Act, something that appeared all but dead just months ago.
• The extension of Barack Obama’s executive order forbidding workplace discrimination of LGBTQ employees who work for federal contractors.
• News and constant social media discussion mocking Trump’s inauguration rally size to the point that Trump had his press secretary forever discredit himself and his message moments into his first briefing by claiming that Trump’s inauguration saw more attendees than Obama’s.
• The reversal of some of the most heinous parts of the refugee ban, including the portion forbidding green card holders from returning to the United States.
• Funding a massive war chest for the ACLU to aggressively fight Trump on the legality of various actions moving forward.

All of this has gotten to the point where Trump — again just a month into his presidency — needs to make himself feel good by holding a rally.

It may not go as well as he’s hoping.

The Resistance against a Republican Senate, Republican House and Republican president — as well as more than half of the states with complete Republican control — was never going to be easy.

The Resistance is in the first round of a 48-month fight.

The Resistance is working.

28 days in, 1434 to go

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