Wed 11/14: Homework for the Resistance

Action #1 – Hold hands. Step up.

No, politics is never going back to the way it was before…where we could just vote for a president every 4 years and then go back to sleep…content that the America of our dreams – the respected bastion of freedom and democracy, would still be there waiting when we woke up. We are awake now. We know what we’ve lost, and what many of our neighbors never had. We united ourselves into a movement that took back the House and now, we prepare for the next chapter…

Action #2 – Message from Indivisible

(From Ezra and Leah of Indivisible) “This time two years ago, we were lost, angry, and scared (okay, we were pissed. Really pissed). Republicans had taken the House, Senate, and Presidency. They were planning to go big. And we knew the only move we had was to play defense, focus on our own representatives and senators, and never give an inch. In that moment, we began the original Indivisible Guide with these lines: Donald Trump is the biggest popular vote loser in history to ever call himself President-Elect. In spite of the fact that he has no mandate, he will attempt to use his congressional majority to reshape America in his own racist, authoritarian, and corrupt image. If progressives are going to stop this, we must stand indivisibly opposed to Trump and the Members of Congress who would do his bidding. Together, we have the power to resist – and we have the power to win.

Looking back, we think this holds up pretty well — and the growth of the Indivisible movement, and what it has accomplished has surpassed our wildest expectations. You didn’t just read the Guide. You didn’t just start groups in your hometowns across the country. You made Congress listen. In 2017, Indivisibles went to town halls, die-ins, and district offices. We defeated TrumpCare, rallied for immigrants, and turned the Republican tax cut for the rich and corporations into an enormous political liability. We stiffened Democratic spines and weakened Republican resolve. We couldn’t stop everything — but we did stop a lot.

The grassroots was responsible for retaking power for Democrats.

Taking back the House used to be a pipe dream. It’s easy to forget, but just a little over a year ago, winning back the House was an idea that was too crazy for conventional Washington wisdom (read: pundits). Folks had good reason to believe taking back the House would be impossible. Back in 2010, the Republican Party succeeded in their sinister plot to flip targeted state legislatures and the House, giving their party control over redistricting after the 2010 census. They drew gerrymandered districts to ensure a GOP House majority, no matter how unpopular their party became.

But where Republicans built a seawall, you built a bigger wave. A week ago, we flipped the House. We flipped 6 state legislative chambers. And we moved the whole country to the left. 317 out of 435 Congressional districts (73%) were more blue on Election Day than they were in 2016.

Indivisibles endorsed candidates, registered voters, texted, phonebanked, and knocked doors to the tune of 11 million voters. You dragged your friends, family, and strangers to the polls. Drop by drop, you built the blue wave and remade Congress, state houses, and governor mansions. And as a result, our slate of elected leaders at every level across the country will feature people who look like America, ready to fight for economic and racial justice and beat back the worst of Trump’s attacks on our neighbors, communities, and future.

Now Democrats have the U.S. House of Representatives and ton more power at the state level. Thanks for that.

After two years of defense, we now get to go on offense.

We’ve spent two years playing defense against this monomaniac in the White House. But now that changes. Now we finally get to go on offense. That means offense in Congress, and offense at the state level. We’ve been working on a new federal level guide and state level guide for months to prepare for this new political reality. We can’t wait for you to dig in.

These new Guides offer a road map for the next two years of our journey. Together, we will pave the way to the post-Trump era. Together, we will win.”

Action #3 – Read these new guides from Indivisible

Guide #1: Indivisible on Offence: here or download the google doc here.

Guide #2: Indivisible States: Empowering states to resist the Trump agenda: here or download the google doc. here.

Our group agrees with these four principles:

Resist Trump’s agenda. We believe Trump’s agenda is racist, misogynistic, authoritarian, and corrupt, and it must be stopped.
Embrace progressive values. We model inclusion, respect, and fairness in all of our actions.
Coordinate and collaborate. We partner with other Indivisible groups on advocacy, elections, and national Indivisible campaigns.
Build a strong and strategic movement. We focus our efforts to maximize our impact, winning progressive policy victories and taking power at the local, state, and federal level.