Monthly Archives: January 2017

Notes on how protest works, the travel ban

Posted on January 31, 2017 by David S. Meyer

Protest matters, but not by itself, and usually not quickly. The massive Women’s March and the miraculous airport protests haven’t yet triumphed: the president remains committed to restricting Muslim access to the United States and rolling back reproductive rights…among other … Continue reading →

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Korematsu Day, 2017

Posted on January 30, 2017 by David S. Meyer

I try to post about Korematsu Day each year, and the repost is below. This year, of course, the treatment of people of different faiths or ethnic backgrounds is particularly salient. It’s important to recall that the Fred Korematsu who … Continue reading →

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Democracy’s rapid response: defending immigrant rights in the Trump era

Posted on January 29, 2017 by David S. Meyer

We live in extraordinary times, made so by the threat of tyranny, not of terrorism. When the Trump administration forced implementation of a new set of entry restrictions clearly targeted more at Muslims than terror, the responses were massive and … Continue reading →

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March for Life 2017, with presidential support

Posted on January 27, 2017 by David S. Meyer

If the annual March for Life (discussed here in the past) is able to generate anywhere near the turnout of the Women’s March last weekend, it will be an extraordinary achievement. Unlike many on the left, abortion opponents were able … Continue reading →

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Protest in the Trump era, part 3 of ….: Loyalty?

Posted on January 26, 2017 by David S. Meyer

Sometimes effective political action requires leaving a job you like; sometimes, it means finding a way to do that job properly. Most of the political protest we think of as protest looks at least a little like the Women’s March. … Continue reading →

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Replaying the numbers game

Posted on January 23, 2017 by David S. Meyer

Bizarrely, once he had assumed office, Donald Trump used his new platform to fight about reports of attendance and viewership at his inauguration. In real life, even much lower attendance would have little immediate effect on the fact that Trump … Continue reading →

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Protest in the Trump era, part 2 of …..

Posted on January 22, 2017 by David S. Meyer

Donald Trump has provoked plenty of protest in his day, a period that, alas, will continue for at least a while. I’ve been trying to figure out which causes and constituencies are likely to be able to generate sustained, diversified, … Continue reading →

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Protest in the Trump era, part 1 of….

Posted on January 20, 2017 by David S. Meyer

Donald Trump’s opponents didn’t wait for his election, much less his inauguration, to take to the streets.  As candidate and president-elect, Trump has been consistent in provoking organized protest. Over the past few days, activists have staged creative, disruptive, and … Continue reading →

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Will the Women’s March matter?

Posted on January 19, 2017 by David S. Meyer

Increasingly, the women’s march looks to sound the trumpet for a new surge in oppositional politics during the Trump era–however long it lasts. Counter-inaugural protests are nothing new, but this effort is getting more and better attention than any others … Continue reading →

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Tangling with an icon: John Lewis and Donald Trump

Posted on January 16, 2017 by David S. Meyer

At first glance, it seemed that Donald Trump had been foolish in going after Representative John Lewis, an authentic American hero. Through intense commitment, moral clarity, and physical courage, young John Lewis earned a place in American history long before … Continue reading →

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