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An Opposition just says "No" [1]
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Date: 2025-04-09
This post falls within the Words Matter Series of posts that I’ve been making here, but it is also tied to both Democratic Party / Opposition Strategy series of articles that I’ve posted since November (links below).
Right now, the Democratic Party has yet to find its voice (or develop a strategy). Various grass roots movements have arisen over the past month and last weekend they gave us the first attempt at a rallying cry; “Hands Off.” While I think that phrase was a good start, I’m not sure how effective it will be long-term. Here’s why I think it falls a bit short:
It seems too similar to the reuse by hyper-conservatives of the revolutionary war phrase; “Don’t Tread on Me.”
I kind of get the image that it could just as easily refer to not grabbing someone’s rear end just as easily as referring to our country & its government.
Which begs the question, it’s not entirely clear what it does refer to, specifically.
Lastly, while it does imply a call to action for the Opposition, it doesn’t embody or embed the necessary strategy to keep those hands-off as well as it could.
What might work better (because it is both simpler and more direct) is Nancy Reagan’s old slogan in her campaign to stop youth drug use during the 80s. At the time, it seemed silly, but those of us around in those days have it stuck perpetually in our brains whether we liked it then or not — so it’s certainly familiar enough. But it has several other advantages now for the Opposition in 2025; those include:
It can standalone as a strategy at multiple levels. (i.e. — it’s not just a slogan, but implies specific action)
For the Democratic Party, it can give them a one sentence guide that they should’ve have already been following (but inexplicably haven’t been, going so far as to vote for many of Trump’s awful cabinet picks and the Budget Cloture vote). All Democrats in Congress should Oppose Every Trump action — including every appointee, using all tools at their disposal — period.
(but inexplicably haven’t been, going so far as to vote for many of Trump’s awful cabinet picks and the Budget Cloture vote). For the rest of the Opposition pols who wish to join in — they can do the same.
And for everyone else, it can be used along with Hands Off (of our Democracy — let’s make that phrase clearer) to rally grass roots opposition to every move by the Trump 2.0 Regime that attempts to eliminate it.
Just saying no to Trump 2.0 is saying no Tyranny and unchecked power in a phrase that even he will immediately understand. That “no” is to an implied evil and now that we’ve given the current administration much more rope than we should have (with our rope a dope strategy) they have clearly had more than enough to hang themselves with it having shown us their true natures.
It’s time to just say no and back that up with action — no more flirting with Tyranny in Trump 2.0 and never again in this country.
Words Matter Series:
Democratic Party / Opposition Strategy (from early March):
Democratic Party 2.0 Strategy (from last November):
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