Let me make you this promise: If watching this conversation doesn’t make you feel more hopeful than you have felt in a long time, I will consider cutting my hair short.
I just had an extraordinarily inspiring conversation with political strategist and messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio, one of the smartest people in politics and one of the most practical. She might dismiss such praise, but she gave us and the 1,500 people who were on the call an incisive analysis of the problems we are facing and ideas for how to respond generatively that we just haven’t heard from anyone else.
More important, for those who’ve been looking for leadership from above, she made it very clear that nicely asking Democrats to do something has never brought about real change. Anyone and everyone can lead: we make the future, and it’s time to do it by stepping up. If you want to, you are a leader!
Congrats! Sorry. But congrats!
This conversation is an incredibly practical guide to what you need to do. And it’s full of very helpful don’ts. Stop trying to get Chuck Schumer to do something. Instead, focus on creating social proof locally — which is to say, a perception in your community that lots of people feel the way you feel. That is something you can do. You might start with signs, hats, or, as she put it, the painting of a barn.
If you missed our live conversation, we encourage you to watch the entire video above. In the public interest, we are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that folks support the half dozen or so people who now write for and edit and otherwise support the work of The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.
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Call notes
Below are some brief notes on Anat’s thoughts from our managing editor, Michael Berk
Tinkering at the edges of the old ways is not going to yield a new result. The most fundamental truth of life is that the future is made out of the decisions that we make collectively. We make the future.
Moments of extraordinary rupture — like this one — are moments of extraordinary possibility. Don’t let this one go.
Resistance, refusal, and ridicule are the things to keep in mind.
Pick a thing, and stay the course. You can’t do it all: That can be education, it can be policing, it can be immigrant rights. Make it something, not everything.
Go as local as possible about that thing: If it’s education, for example, decide with your friends and neighbors to go to the school board meeting, and you can make statements, and you oppose any efforts to implement the draconian agenda in your town. And you make that clear to everyone.
Wear your beliefs. Get a “Fabulously Fighting Fascists” T-shirt. They want to suck your joy, your uniqueness, your being. Don’t let them do it.
Put up a billboard that shows people — even in the middle of nowhere — how you feel and why you’re having a better time. Show, not tell.
Join a union, or support union efforts — it’s one of the most important keys to fighting autocracy
Want to get involved, whether that’s by participating in protests, organizing, or educating yourself and those around you? Anat and her team have been keeping track of actions across the country, so take a look at her ever-evolving (though in no way comprehensive) list of Ways to Resist.
Looking for tips on understanding what’s happening and getting your own efforts underway? Read Anat’s Freedom over Fascism toolkit for tons of ideas.
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