A month into Trump 2.0, pushback from Democrats and civil society remains surprisingly weak. Common diagnoses as to why make it all about psychology: the problem is that “shock and awe” have immobilized the opposition; Democrats are said to be demoralized; and everyone is supposedly just exhausted. But the issue is a failure of political judgment, a basic misunderstanding of the moment and of the potential for effective opposition.
To begin with, it has become conventional wisdom that the first “resistance” was somehow cringe; those now dismissing it like to credit themselves as savvy. But there was in fact much effective organizing – from the Women’s March to the patient long-term efforts that were rewarded in 2020. Of course, these were not solely responsible for preventing the plutocratic power grab we are witnessing now: back then, Donald Trump had neither a plan nor the personnel he has today. But the casual dismissal of opposition under Trump 1.0 is an unforced error.
