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By Lenny Siegel
Around here, you don’t find many people who support what Trump and Musk are doing to our country, even as the national press equates Silicon Valley to the tech oligarchs who have “kissed Trump’s ring.”
Almost as troubling as the actions of the new administration, however, is the feeling of powerlessness that many people feel. I get it. The MAGA crowd is running roughshod over our institutions and punishing immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and even federal employees. Political norms are falling like dominos.
Yet thinking back over a lifetime of activism, I believe not only will fair-minded people survive, but we will again flourish — if we don’t throw in the towel.
It has been bad before. During the (Joe) McCarthy era, my father was driven out of federal employment because he wrote a political letter. In 1964 three civil rights workers were murdered in Mississippi while my older brother was headed there as part of Freedom Summer. Many of my high school classmates were drafted and sent to Vietnam.
When I arrived at Stanford in 1966, the Movement — a blend of civil rights, peace, counterculture, etc. activists — was a fraction of the student body. Both major political parties supported the Indochina War, and the mainstream media was only beginning to ask questions.
But my friends and I never felt powerless.
The Stanford movement against the Vietnam War undertook a multi-year campaign in which we used education to promote direct action, and we used protests to build interest in our informational campaigns. We risked our education, our careers, and jail.
We gradually won the support of the Stanford community, and in alliance with other campuses and returning GI’s, we eventually turned the country around.
In some ways, today’s challenges are more difficult. A huge swath of the American population gets their news from media with no respect for the truth. Trump does things that no American President, from either party, would consider.
In other ways, however, things are easier today. Trump has never attained the support of a majority of American voters. Recent polling shows that a large share of his voters oppose many of his policies. Many mainstream media and independent social media not only oppose his actions but constantly call out his lies.
So what should we do?
First, we must continue to educate the public about the impact of Trump and Musk’s actions, and we must point out their lies. At some point, many Trump supporters will come face-to-face with the truth, be it higher prices, climate disasters, or viral epidemics. This is what happened when U.S. troops returned from Southeast Asia with firsthand contradictions to official U.S. government assurances.
Second, we need to engage in group actions, such as the recent street protests at local Tesla dealerships. Not only does this demonstrate that we, as opponents of the new regime, are far from alone, but it also gives others, “standing on the sidelines,” cause to wonder.
Third, by communicating with friends and family members in other parts of the country, we can spread our message and enthusiasm. This is a lot easier than it was before we invented the Internet and smart phones.
Fourth, some of us are in a position to donate to groups like the ACLU, which are taking our causes to court, and sympathetic national organizations.
Stopping Trump/Musk won’t be quick or easy, but already they’ve been forced to roll back some of their actions. Still, many people will be hurt along the way. But like my colleagues six decades ago, we can become more powerful if we recognize, first, that truth and justice are on our side and second, that failure is unacceptable, not just for us, but for the nation.
Lenny Siegel is a resident and former Mountain View mayor and city council member.
If you’re interested in joining today’s resistance, please join Mountain View Voices for Peace and Justice and others in the local component of the national protest during Trump’s speech to Congress Tuesday: 6:00 Tuesday, March 4 at Castro and El Camino Real in Mountain View.
Thank you Lenny! For this and all of your service to our community.
It is good to have a job and go to work