I am tired of being told I need someone to "lead me"!

[maxrandb]

Fuck that noise!

I have the power! We have the power! You have the power!

I don't need someone else to tell me this is an authoritarian shitshow that demands my resistance, effort and hard work.

It is also NOT the Democratic Party's fault that we are in this shitshow.

We are here because a minority of voters, in the right electoral majority combination of states, put us here

The Democratic Party can't do a God Damned thing, unless and until we give them the requisite power to do a God Damned thing.

They are fighting, but every fiery speech, protest, press conference from the Capitol steps and held up sign is a type of fight, but with a minority in both houses, it's nothing but performative. Performances can be good, but you need power to turn performance into results.

People tend to not leave their comfort zone, until they become uncomfortable.

It's why I have never, and don't now, give one fuck about the fucking government shutdown vote.

If enough of "us" get together in a sustained effort to shut this shit down...IT WILL FUCKING SHUT DOWN! We don't need the Democratic Party to do that for us.

I, for one, am fucking tired of being told I need someone, or something else to fucking lead me and fight for me.

The thing about resistance is that it only grows with more resistance.

I refuse to accept this fascist shit, not because I am a Democrat, but because I am a human-fucking-being!

[FalloutShelter]

1. Exactly right.

WE ARE the cavalry.

[J_William_Ryan]

2. "The Democratic Party can't do a...thing, unless and until we give them the requisite power..."

Exactly.

This whining about there being no leaders and no one is stepping up is ignorant nonsense.

This is the consequence of being voted out of power; this is the consequence of the failure of democracy last November; this is the consequence of democracy’s greatest flaw – the fear, ignorance, and stupidity of the voters.

And until Democrats control one or both Houses of Congress, there’s little Democrats can do – with or without a ‘leader.’

[MuseRider]

3. Excellent, no more needed. TY

[mcar]

4. Thank you for this

[betsuni]

5. Agree! The leadership thing is selling the only-I-can-save-you Populist Savior who will purify the Democratic Party

and lead The People in revolution. They think it's like Trump but in a different flavor and package, but it's not.

The Savior has yet to be chosen and might not ever be.

[JI7]

6. It's easier if people think more locally also

And especially things like the school boards which have been filled with right wingers even in many liberal areas just becsuse we don't focus on those areas as much.

[Doodley]

7. Who is telling you that you personally need to be led? It's about communicating to the 47.8% who still approve of Trump.

Meanwhile, Democrats have scored their lowest approval in a poll ever. We can put our head in the sand and say that's not our fault, but how does that help America? The country needs a leader who can break through to communicate to most Americans about what is actually happening. It doesn't have to be an elected leader. MLK wasn't. We need leadership that is highly visible to inspire a movement away from greivances and the destruction of our nation towards an alternative of hope and compassion.

[maxrandb]

8. This tells me that you aren't looking for a leader, you're looking for a "savior"

I sure as hell don't want and will never accept an authoritarian from the "right", but I also don't want, nor will I accept one from the "left".

There's an old adage.

"Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it."

[Doodley]

10. The country is looking for leadership. Again, Democratic Party lowest poll ever. Please don't make it personal.

[W_HAMILTON]

17. It's because we have a very prominent sometimes-Democrat telling anyone who will listen...

...(especially young voters) that both parties are the same and similarly ridiculous bullshit that turns voters away from our party.

Hillary ran on "the most progressive platform in party history."

Biden implemented the most progressive policies in decades and decades.

And it mattered not one fucking bit to those fooled into thinking that there really is no difference between Democrats and Republicans.

[betsuni]

24. Yes, and people sticking their "head in the sand" and ignoring it like it's normal and benign is a mystery.

Unity Tour 2017, new DNC chair Tom Perez was booed, as the followers of the prominent person trained his followers to do. Democrats are the enemy. This year's tour, same old both sides thing.

Also the word "grassroots" used to be everywhere, everything was grassroots, The People. Now whining about not having leaders, needing leadership is everywhere. Now The People need to be told what to do and what to think I guess, by um ... the establishment, the new establishment or something. Selling the savior.

[maxrandb]

25. This "approval" rating stuff is so shallow

Without any depth, or context, it's meaningless.

Donnie Dipshit barely won, and still has NEVER surpassed 50% of the vote cast.

This country elected President Obama TWICE! It gave 7 million more votes to President Biden.

On issue after issue. From sensible gun reform, to climate change, to Social Security, to Medicare, to even the ACA, majorities in polls align with the Democrats positions.

Asking about the "favorability" of the party, after they had just lost, is ridiculous and shallow. I would bet that more than half of those "upset" with the Democratic Party, are pissed that the party didn't just miracle their asses to victory.

In keeping with the shallow theme, I would bet that if you asked the Kansas City Chiefs if they had a "favorable" view of their team after the Super Bowl, you'd get a similar result. It doesn't mean they are going to start supporting the Denver Broncos.

Ask me if I have a "favorable" view of my beloved Cleveland Browns, and I would say; "hell no"! I'm not going to out and buy Steelers gear.

MLK was a leader, but he would have been just a footnote if it weren't for the people that fought for equality.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

30. Yup... glad to see Bernie and others filling that leadership void.

[hlthe2b]

9. Fuck that misperception. We need those who will speak out on what is going on, continually, through

many outlets (MSM to social media to direct contact with politicos to protests). There should be many, many, many of us doing so, but to include those who already will garner MSM and other prominent viewership/listenership. The latter, which one would expect to include the most knowledgeable and impactful among our elected representatives. The leadership comes from a coordinated attempt to inform and convey accurate, impactful messaging and strategies.

I do think the people's movement is paramount. That should not mean rudderless.

[Doodley]

11. Well said!

[maxrandb]

26. People ARE speaking out

People spoke out against Hitler, but it wasn't until a beach head was established that change began.

I keep going back to my Navy days. I had some great "leaders" in my career, but they were NOTHING without the crew.

They could scream and threaten all they wanted, but they couldn't make the screws turn, or the helm respond, without the people that made the screws turn and the rudders respond.

[usonian]

12. ACTION ITEMS.

PROTESTS, RALLIES & DIRECT ACTION EVENTS (1)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10113922
Protests, rallies and direct actions awaken comatose party leaders to fight for justice.

How to fight back: charting opposition to the actions of the Trump administration
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10114001
In short: YOU ARE NOT ALONE (2)
There are organizations you can help that are here to help you, and every American peacefully halt this coup


(1)
I'm dual-posting in The Way Forward.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/13242483

Organizations which are coordinating actions:

https://www.donaldlovesvladimir.com/get-in-the-streets
https://www.fiftyfifty.one/
https://indivisible.org/
https://theblop.org/
Protesters’ Rights
https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
General Strike
https://generalstrikeus.com/
SEE ALSO: NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION, Saturday April 5th
https://handsoff2025.com/
NEW: https://www.mobilize.us/

Protests, rallies and direct actions awaken comatose party leaders to fight for justice.
Nichiren writes "A sword is useless in the hands of a coward."
Welcome Aboard Tim Walz and Jon Ossoff!

(2)
A must read.

https://christinapagel.substack.com/p/how-to-fight-back-charting-opposition

Cross-posting "everywhere".
LOTS of links, including download links to detailed PDF diagrams, in the article.

Explore the links in the article. Too many to copy here.

Bookending this article.

Last week I wrote a post where I grouped 69 actions taken by the Trump administration since the 20th January inauguration into five broad domains consistent with authoritarian or proto-authoritarian states and charted these on a Venn Diagram. Since then I’ve updated the list to 76 actions and have investigated which actions are associated with any coordinated opposition. All 76 actions, links to news stories on them, the date they started, and any opposition are listed in this google sheet (worksheet “Actions with links”).

Despite the administration being less than a month old, about half of all the 76 actions are being opposed in some coordinated way, and about a quarter have had legal action taken against them. Some lawsuits have already resulted in temporary or preliminary injunctions (e.g. ending birthright citizenship or ending USAID). There are lot of people and a lot of organisations doing a lot of things.

skip

For individuals wishing to get involved it might be supporting organisations already leading the fights; joining local grassroots organisations to support local communities and build awareness; or working with sectors with less experience or legal protections to build an advocacy platform. Finally of course there is electoral pressure - local and national congressional races matter.

This is not the work of months, but years, perhaps decades, both in the US and abroad. Within countries, the civil rights and labour movements have shown us that it can be done and how to do it. The international organisations established after the second world war show us it can be done on regional and global scales.

In short: YOU ARE NOT ALONE
There are organizations you can help that are here to help you, and every American peacefully halt this coup

I post a "switchboard" of organizations listing events.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10113922

Please find something in your area, share it here and elsewhere, and support organizations mentioned above who are staffed and trained to do battle with wannabe autocrats.

And please do not feed the oligarchs. Bernie mentions the big three by name. Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Musk.

[maxrandb]

27. Thanks for this

This should be pinned to DU's home page!

[LoisB]

13. Absolutely!

[H2O Man]

14. Recommended.

"Don't follow leaders
watch the parking meters."
Bob Dylan

[Mysterian]

15. Pick up a book and read some history

Name a successful political movement in the USA or anywhere that had no leader.

[W_HAMILTON]

18. The backlash to Trump after his first election, lasting through the midterms in 2018...

...sure was pretty damn politically successful.

Who exactly was our one leader then?

There wasn't one -- there was just the resistance of anyone and everyone that opposed that shitshow doing what they could to resist and fight back.

[Mysterian]

23. Pretty damn successful?

A speed bump on the path to full proto-fascist control is not what I consider a "pretty damn successful" political movement.

[maxrandb]

29. Who says there are no leaders????

I am seeing Dem leaders EVERYWHERE.

Funny thing about history. Most change began with a single step.

There was no leader when the first French resistance member blew up the first nazi.

Rosa Parks wasn't a "leader". She was just an American that refused to give up her seat. She may have become a leader, but she wasn't when she got on that bus.

The folks at the Edmon Pettis Bridge weren't leaders. They were just Americans that dared cross a bridge.

The Little Rock 9 weren't leaders. They were just Americans going to school.

That's just a handful, off of the top of my head, that didn't start as "leaders".

[h2ebits]

16. Yes!!

[unweird]

19. Right On Brother Rat

We are the change we want to see. We can and must do this.

[Amaryllis]

20. We are also here because of interference in elections. Dems mostly ignore this.

Foreign interference, voter purges, electronic interference, etc. Not to mention thigns like gerrymandering.

[BaronChocula]

21. AMEN!

Democrats don't have a flawed message. The vast majority of Americans favor Dem priorities.
Kamala Harris didn't run a failed campaign. Everyone was onboard when it looked like she would pull it out.

Once again, the problem is the oldest American tradition of enough people erring on the side of conservative white men (and then complaining when those cwm make good on their destructive promises). We don't have a political problem. We have fellow voters with a true psychiatric issue.

[ReRe]

22. Amen and Amen!

I'm so upset today I can't see straight, max. This is going to have to be my last reply of the day, or at least until the BP comes down.

[sop]

28. Bernie seems to be the only one cutting through all the noise.

I will note that Sanders isn't putting himself out there as a "leader," just someone with visibility, credibility and an established following who can talk about important issues millions of Ameicans will support. That is the sort of "leadership" we need now.

[maxrandb]

31. Every single one of those thousands showing up to see Bernie and AOC can be LEADERS

[LymphocyteLover]

32. Seriously