By Larry McNeil, Executive Director, institute4change
Oct 10, 2017
Let’s be clear: The Resistance helped provide the backbone to the Democratic Senators and the 2-3 GOP Senators who have temporarily blocked the gutting of the Affordable Care Act. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were part of that win. Should, however, the 2018 Senate races add a larger Republican majority in the Senate, the limits of resistance will be obvious.
Resistance is not power.Protest is not power.
Power comes in 2 forms:
Organized people.
Organized money.
Right now, organized money is dominant.
Here are some thoughts and tips on how to create real, lasting change…
Be Proactive, Not Reactive
By definition, resistance and protest are reactive to something that has already happened, something beyond our control. We need to force Trump, the Koch Brothers, Robert Mercer, and the other leaders of the Venal .1% to react to us instead of us reacting to them.
Calculate Your Anger
Hot, angry energy is not the path to winning. Cold, calculated anger, with a long view toward building and exercising power, is what is in most demand for deep change.
Don’t Go Straight to Jail Don’t Pass Go
Standing and shouting outside the capital while the K Street lobbyists are inside the committee rooms writing the bills is as feckless as playing the horses with Monopoly money.
Take the Action to Them
Like the Color of Change and a few other groups are doing, let’s take the action to the people and organizations behind the public officials, their money backers, their sponsors, their advertisers.
Don’t Stop, Thrive
The problem with protest as a strategy is that it is focused on stopping bad things instead of creating the progressive, interconnected America we all need to thrive.
Keep Your Wins
Winning, and keeping our wins, is 100 times harder than hitting the streets for a good cause.
Disruption Isn’t the Answer, Either
Protests tend to evolve into the playground of the leftish crazies (e.g. the Weather Underground during the anti-Vietnam War protest movement or more recently, the black-clad anarchists disrupting otherwise peaceful protests.)
Winning requires an inseparable, strategic connection between Leadership, Organization, and Movement. If you are serious about trying to shape a country that works for everyone, comment or contact us and tell us your interests.