Why March—and what comes next
By Stephen Gasteyer
Initially Published on Word Press: January 22, 2017
https://gasteyer.wordpress.com/2017/01/22/why-march-and-what-comes-next/
For those who would say that the protesters were sore losers in the general election, the magnitude and global scope of the protests should be alarming. So many turned out in so many places (and the pictures below didn’t even include Grand Rapids, MI — that’s right, Betsy Devos’ home town — where I was yesterday with something like 500+ people).
This was not just about Trump’s victory, but opposition to the movement he represents. It is a movement that accepts misogyny, racist innuendos and explicit racism, homophobic and anti-immigrant speech and behavior (of both leader and followers). It is a movement and an agenda that has been cheered on by “populists” and “alt-right” activists — sanitized language for facists — the world over.
The demonstrations yesterday were concerned about a policy agenda that acts as if winning less than a plurality of the popular vote is a mandate to implement sweeping changes in the way both domestic and global society is organized and what protections are in place against abuse of women, non-white minorities, immigrants, workers, the integrity of the ecosystem.
Trump has articulated a vision of a more militarized, less cooperative, less transparent, more unequal world, that will somehow result in a place that is “great again” with less “carnage.” And yet, he is so unhinged, that his administration accused the media of lying when it presented evidence of less turnout and excitement about, and more opposition to, his vision, than there was to Obama’s of more cooperation, more equality, more transparency, and less militarization in 2009.
The international mobilization was to send messages: don’t think there is a mandate to act as you would like; don’t think no one notices the continual volleys of lies and mistruths; don’t think that there aren’t millions who are watching the slight of hand that may undeservedly claim economic victories and declare emergencies that demand exceptional expansion of powers for President Trump.
This may become a very powerful political movement…
