“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” — Elie Wiesel, activist and Holocaust survivor.
The Saturday protest didn’t fail. Far from it. Indivisible for All, one of the protest organizers, claims more than seven million people participated [1], which would make it one of the largest single day protests in American history.
Before and during the protests, Republicans went on the attack. House Speaker Mike Johnson called them ‘Hate America’ rallies. Trump administration officials piled on, calling the demonstrators part of antifa and the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic party. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) called the protests “George Soros-funded” and “headlined by the Communist Party of America.”
That rhetoric plays well with the party base, but not with voters overall.
Sure, there were protests in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other big blue cities. But thousands each turned out in the Republican strongholds of Sioux Falls, S.D., Billings, MT, and Casper, WY. They turned out at the Miami County Courthouse in Troy, the Greenville Municipal building and the Logan County Courthouse in Bellefontaine.
“People at the rally held a wide range of political beliefs, including Democrats, Republicans, and independents,” Joy Schwab, a founding member of the Dayton Women’s Rights Alliance, told me in an email.
“They were united in one common belief. They do not want a king in America,” said Schwab, who attended the Dayton rally.
But protests only go so far. As the holidays approach, people will turn their attention to turkeys on the table, decorating Christmas trees, and ringing in the New Year. Last Saturday already feels like long ago, as the drumbeat of life and the news cycle moves to other priorities.
The hard part begins. The protest leaders need to figure out how to turn No Kings into a movement if they want results that can lead to change. Conservatives worry that a cross-party movement could snowball, especially as the midterms approach. If the Democrats retake the House, the Trump agenda comes to a screeching halt.
“These volunteers and the large number of patriots who attended the rally are now more energized than ever to continue the work of protecting our democracy,” Schwab said.
And yes, people on the left can be patriots, too. They cared about the country’s direction enough that they peacefully marched in large numbers. The MAGA crowd can disagree with Schwab’s take on patriotism, just as the left can disagree with Trump calling Jan. 6, “A day of love.”
America has fought for almost 250 years to maintain its Democracy, and those who attended the protest want 250 more. The alternative isn’t pretty.
Ray Marcano’s column appears on these pages each Sunday.
[1] The data journalist G. Elliott Morris wrote on his Strength in Numbers newsletter, “Our median estimate is that 5.0 million people participated in a No Kings Day demonstration … with an upper bound of 6.5 million people.” His spreadsheet lists estimated totals by city.
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