NO To Trumpism

“America is not the project of any one person. Because the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes, We Can.’”
— PRESIDENT OBAMA

WE DISSENT

Before Trump started his presidential campaign, he championed birtherism -- attacking the very legitimacy of Barack Obama's Presidency. On day one of his official campaign, his opening salvo was to accuse Mexican immigrants of being criminals and rapists. He went on to mock a disabled New York Times reporter; accused an entire religion of protecting terrorists or advocating for terrorism, then wanted to ban all Muslims from entering the country until he was able to 'figure out what the hell is going on'; his gross misogyny was revealed in a leaked tape where he admitted sexually assaulting women. 

All the while, Trump praised Russia's Putin. The CIA has revealed that Russia had a hand in our election, that they specifically wanted Trump to win. Trump won the electoral college by less than 80,000 combined votes in three states. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.8 million votes and counting. We live in a country where the electoral votes determine the presidency. We need to change this. In the interim, Trump will be the Minority President; he has no mandate and we certainly don't have to align ourselves with Trumpism. When you disagree, say so. When he lies, state the facts. When your friends or neighbors are targeted by his anger of the moment, stand with them. This isn't about political parties; it's about our Democracy and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We need to move forward together, eyes wide open, and voices heard. We dissent.   | Therese Flanagan | January 2016  

headline news

Editorial | The President is Not Above the Law | The Editorial Board | The New York Times | 04.15.18

Unfit to Command | With the president in an agitated state, preoccupied with his legal troubles, this is no time for war. | David Frum | The Atlantic | 04.15.18

If Rosenstein or Mueller are fired, we hit the streets and make our voices heard | 04.13.18 : 

NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW—MUELLER FIRING RAPID RESPONSE

James Comey Has a Story to Tell. It’s Very Persuasive. | By Michiko Kakutani |  04.12.18

The N.R.A. Lobbyist Behind Florida’s Pro-Gun Policies | Marion Hammer’s unique influence over legislators has produced laws that dramatically alter long-held American norms. | By Mike Spies | The New Yorker | 03.05.18

Was the 2016 Election a Game of ‘Russian Roulette’? | By Steven Lee Myers  | 03.14.18  

9th Circuit Court declines to quickly reinstate travel ban | by Robert Barnes, Matt Zapotosky, and Abby Phillip | The Washington Post | 02.05.17

Acting Attorney General Orders Justice Department Not to Defend Refugee Ban | by Matt Apuzzo, Eric Lichtblau, and Michael D. Shear | The New York Times 01.30.17

A Clarifying Moment in American History | There should be nothing surprising about what Donald Trump has done in his first week—but he has underestimated the resilience of Americans and their institutions. | by Eliot A. Cohen | 01.17

“For the community of conservative thinkers and experts, and more importantly, conservative politicians, this is a testing time. Either you stand up for your principles and for what you know is decent behavior, or you go down, if not now, then years from now, as a coward or opportunist. Your reputation will never recover, nor should it.

— Eliot A. Cohen

President Trump's Lies, The Definitive List | by David Leonhardt and Stuart A. Thompson | The New York Times | 06.23.17

A Hundred Days of Trump | With his nativist and purely transactional view of politics, he threatens to be democracy's most reckless caretaker  | by David Remnick | The New Yorker | 05.01.2017

What you can do

  1. Run for a local office. It's where we start to build up our national campaigns and have our ideas heard. Here's a non-partisan site devoted to providing tips on running for office:  The Big List of Local Elected Offices for Political Candidates

  2. Help in the effort to get everyone registered to vote. The Koch brothers provided a plan that any side can follow. It's good for all Americans to exercise their right to vote. Democrats need to mobilize and do everything we can to get people registered to vote, while making our voices heard when we encounter hurdles being put in the way to deliberately disenfranchise anyone. 2018 will be here in no time.

  3. Volunteer: give your time and energy to the organizations you support. We can all offer something and make a difference if we work together. 

  4. Vote - in every election. It's the power we have to change policies and the community we live in...elections matter. Pay attention; ask questions; make your voices heard:  go to Vote 411, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, to get registered to VOTE.

  5. Download your free PDF copy of: Indivisible | A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda | former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen

“It is our fundamental belief in the power of hope that has allowed us to rise above the voices of doubt and division, of anger and fear that we have faced in our own lives and in the life of this country.”
— Former First Lady, Michelle Obama

SEND YOUR STORIES / PHOTOS TO: STORIES@WEDISSENT.ORG