Maintaining Focus

MAGA has not slowed down its “flood the zone” approach. This tactic is to create a new crisis every day, so that opposition to it is muted by the next crisis. By the time opponents get organized to fight, ten more assaults on democracy and the rule of law have emerged. People tend to get drawn into an emotional response to issues they care about, but the constant churn of events leads people into burnout. We have all been experiencing this.

What Trump and MAGA are doing is an intentional strategy. We have lived with it for a decade now. They will continue to act this way because it is working for them. Playing along with them by getting angry, burned out, or despairing is falling into their trap.

Avoiding burnout requires a change in perspective. We need to step back from the details and focus on higher-level goals. We still need to engage in resistance actions on specific issues, but we need to maintain some peace about it. We need to stay objective, and try not to react to every single news story of what crazy thing Trump did today.

What is a better approach? First, we need to understand this is a marathon and not a sprint. We are in a long-term battle for the “soul of America”, as President Biden stated. Second, we need to play our own game and not get drawn into MAGA’s game. Our ultimate goal is to restore democracy and justice in the United States, which will require the removal of MAGA from positions of power at every level of government. This is not about one election, it’s about every future election, everywhere in the country. This battle will have many fronts, in every state, and it will continue for many years.

Indivisible as an organization stands separate from the Democratic Party. We are a non-partisan organization pursuing a strategy of opposition that needs the Democratic Party’s political engagement. We represent a grass-roots movement that spans many political and social groups in our country, with a common goal of restoring democracy.

Here is some good news: a large majority of US citizens and residents want this MAGA insanity to stop. A major movement is forming in our country with an intent to reform. This movement has decentralized leaders, and those leaders are organizing and managing resistance online. This is where we look for direction about what do to in the moment, and a vision for the future reform that will follow the end of the MAGA revolution. I will highlight a few experts in their fields who have been providing leadership to the opposition movement to MAGA.

Christopher Armitage has been leading a large, diverse team developing effective tactics and strategies for opposition to MAGA. He writes here on Substack and also has a very active Discord community. He provides a good perspective on the situation we are in, and solid options for taking the fight to MAGA. His “soft secession” framework focuses on the sovereignty of US states, especially their ability to hold Federal officials legally liable for their actions.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a professor and author on the history of authoritarian leaders. She offers excellent insight into the Trump administration’s actions based on the historical behavior of dictators. She gives her readers clarity on Trump’s actions and how we should oppose them.

Heather Cox Richardson is a history professor who has written daily about the news for a decade, from the perspective of the historical context of current events. She provides a rational summary of the day’s events, and helps her readers develop a clear understanding of what is happening. She helps us stay grounded in reality, in a time of rampant propaganda. Her blog is one of the most popular on Substack with over 3 million subscribers.

Paul Krugman is a Nobel prize-winning economics professor and journalist who has a Substack focusing on the economic impacts of MAGA governance. He provides a non-partisan counterpoint to MAGA economic propaganda.

Many more analysts, journalists, and other experts are writing every day about what is happening and what we should do about it. Reading articles from these sources, at least occasionally, is a good way to maintain a more objective viewpoint on what’s going on in our country. These people are focusing on the long-term direction of our country, which is what we need if we are to stay out of MAGA’s traps for their opponents.

By Phil