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A big welcome to our new readers! Last weekend’s piece on Democratic field organizing has been rocketing around the web, and because of the attention it’s drawn, we’re now joined by a fresh cohort of digital politics enthusiasts. Thanks for taking the plunge!
If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out:
- My six-part 2025 digital politics spring training series, now live on YouTube
- Recent articles related to digital politics and advocacy on the Epolitics Substack
- The vast archive of content on Epolitics.com, dating back to 2006
And of course, keep sharing the Democratic field organizing piece! I wrote it to help people who are pitching long-term persuasion and mobilization projects to Democratic funders and leaders, and I’d love your help getting it into the right hands. Thank you.
The Most Important Thing Most of Us Can Do this Holiday Weekend
Memorial Day is upon us at last, and I hope you can get some time off! While you’re talking with friends and family this weekend, you may want to take a break from talking and thinking about politics. But if the opportunity presents, remember that, for most of us, the most important role we can play right now is ambassador within our own social circles.
Trump and company delight in flooding the communications zone with so many outrages that most don’t break through to people who don’t follow politics obsessively. And when everyday people do hear about illegal deportations or the fiscal horrors of the tax bill, they’re likely getting a version of the news that’s filtered through Fox News or some dude on TikTok.
In the information environment in which we find ourselves, trusted voices still have an opportunity to break through the bullsh*t and the clutter. So if you can, try to help the people you spend time with this weekend understand what’s actually happening in America and what they can do to help stop it.
For a primer on best practices, let’s revisit the “Quick Guide to Personal Advocacy in the New Trump Era” I wrote a couple of week’s after Trump’s inauguration. I think it holds up well, and let’s take a moment to celebrate Elon Musk’s withdrawal from the center of the political stage! He was indeed a juicy target. Now, of course, Democrats and anti-authoritarians have to find a new high-profile punching bag, but with Trump’s approval back down to its normal (negative) level, he seems intent on filling that role himself.
Have a great weekend! More to come from Epolitics soon.
A Quick Guide to Personal Advocacy in the New Trump Era [Revisited]
- First, get loud. This moment is too serious to be shy.
- Communicate with your congressmember and senators, regardless of party. Democrats need to get a spine, and Republicans need to know that voters in their districts are not on board with lawlessness.
- Mass emails to congress via advocacy organizations don’t hurt, but they also don’t do a whole lot on their own. Email, yes, but also call. Leave Facebook messages. Engage with the congressmember’s account on X. Don’t stop at one contact, because Trump and Musk won’t be stopping for four years. If you’re in a Republican district, call the office at least once per week. Try calling district offices, since they’re usually more focused on constituents. They’re also easier to visit.
- Consider joining and working with a local Indivisible group. They’ll have resources you can draw on, and they’ll also connect you with others for mutual support.
- Install a secure, encrypted messaging app for your communications related to organizing. Best choice: Signal, which I just installed for the first time. WhatsApp is also encrypted, but it’s part of Facebook and hard to trust these days.
- Most importantly, you are an ambassador to your friends and family and within your social and professional circles. Connect with people one on one. Go on social media and online communities to amplify news stories and speak the truth. It’s going to take a lot of us to slow this train down, so we must bring as many Americans on board as we can.
- Trump and Musk are trying to flood us with so many outrageous acts at once that they can keep us from concentrating on what they’re doing. Relatively few headlines are going to break through the clutter, and most people will have no idea about the details. You can help connect them stories that might move them.
- Contact people through the usual channels you use to contact them: text, DM, social media posts, etc. Consider calling them, since a call brings an emotional connection that text usually doesn’t. If you can meet in person, even better.
- Similarly, use the online channels that are part of your everyday life. If you’re on Facebook all the time, share reliable information and reach out directly to people via Facebook. Likewise TikTok, LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, etc. The more you use a channel regularly, the more organic your outreach will be. Note that images and video typically have more punch than text alone.
- Pro tip: If you’re posting news articles on Facebook, X or even LinkedIn, don’t put the link in the body of the post. Instead, put the link in a comment on the post or a reply on X. These platforms penalize posts that contain links, and if you put the link in a comment, your post is far more likely to be seen.
- This fight doesn’t have to be partisan. Plenty of Republicans and independent voters will not be cool with undermining the government, censoring reality or subverting democracy.
- Be factual. We don’t NEED to be hyperbolic; reality is bad enough right now.
- Some people who like Trump are not big fans of Musk. Consider leading with the idea that Musk is taking over the government.
- Be understanding and empathetic. Listen to what people say when they reply to you. Respond with links to credible information. Don’t get angry if they disagree with you, and circle back later.
- Donate to nonprofits working on issues you care about. Bonus points for supporting organizations that are actively resisting the administration, but nonprofits across the board are likely to need your help, including local social-service organizations.
- Stay connected with like-minded friends and family. You will get discouraged and depressed at times, and we can help each other through what’s going to be a hard few years.
- If you have the ear of a Democratic elected official, tell that person to buckle down and get serious. Our republic is at stake.
Stay strong, folks! They win if we give up. Who knew we’d be defending democracy in America in 2025? I’m glad we’re in the fight together.
– cpd
Image by Albrecht Fietz from Pixabay