- cross-posted to:
- news@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- news@lemmy.world
Summary
Despite disavowing Project 2025 during the campaign, Trump’s transition team is now using its extensive database of vetted conservative candidates to help fill over 4,000 government positions.
Project 2025, criticized for its extreme policy proposals and links to Trump’s first administration, created a “conservative LinkedIn” of 10,000 candidates.
While some contributors are being tapped for key roles, others face rejection due to controversial stances.
Democrats, who used Project 2025 in campaign attacks, are warning of its influence on Trump’s agenda and planning policy responses.
So what are you going to do about it America?
It seems like everyone is waiting for another chance to vote. Voting isn’t the only political action.
If you want to prevent this agenda you still have options. I don’t just mean protests and riots, but organized labor.
A general strike would cripple them. Start organizing your workplaces, join unions, join community groups. The time for voting is over the time for direct action is now. You don’t have to wait until the whole project is implemented, you don’t have to wait for a disappointing Democratic candidate to gaslight you in 2028. Take action now, join a movement now. The more you do now the better off you’ll be in the future.
How does one go about looking for movements to join? Honestly asking. I’m assuming I can’t just type “labor movements near me” into Google maps, but I honestly don’t know where to start looking for trustworthy resources on this stuff.
By its nature it’ll vary in each community, political parties are always a safe bet, most areas will have socialists or communists and whether or not you identify as one of those they’ll likely have resources for labor organizations in the area. I’m not suggesting that everyone has to be a leftist, but just that leftists have been doing this work for decades and tend to organize.
The IWW union is an international union that provides support to people looking to organize their workplaces.
On the topic of unions, I’m sure most unions in your city would be willing to help answer your questions and give you guidance. They might have websites where you can reach out to ask for advice.
Your city’s pride parade or other socially conscious events like demonstrations will also see participation from these kinds of groups. It can be a good way to see what groups are operating in your city. For example your city might still have student protest encampments for Palestine on university campuses. Unions and political groups go to these and put material up at these.
Do that Google search! Looking for leftist, socialist, communist, anarchist, or labour unions based on trade in your city is actually not a bad way to get started.
I’m new to direct action myself and others might have better suggestions.
It’s ok to start small, like a community garden even. These are all part of a broader network that you’ll have exposure to once you are looking.
Nice, thanks for the advice! That’s super helpful for me, and hopefully anyone else that comes across this thread
A big part of the problem is those most impacted by these policies cannot afford to take time off to strike or protest. And I’m not sure if it’s as bad in America as it is in Canada but if there was a general labour strike, our Canadian politicians would just solve it by importing cheap labour.
That’s why organization matters, it has to be big and it has to be sudden. “Importing” labor isn’t immediate.
More likely they’ll use back to work legislation and deploy the police, but then they’ll remember why we have labor protections.
If they’re going to tear up the social contract and take everything away from us then they’ll see violence.
These laws exist because workers fought actual battles. Actual battles, domestically. If it must happen again it will.
Either way, most people aren’t willing to risk being fired/missing pay/being arrested because they need that money to pay rent and feed themselves. You can be as organized as you want, the system has pushed most of us to being wage slaves that have very little say in the matter. Even if importing labour isn’t immediate, i wouldn’t put it past governments to still let the economy collapse while they import labour just to prove a point about who makes the rules and has the control.
What role can systems of mutual aid among the organized play to address the risk and encourage continued participation (e.g. voluntary distribution of food to those who need it, temporary housing/boarding of siblings of the cause by those with room, etc.)?
I 100% don’t have an answer, this is just what comes to mind first when I read this.
Thats what I thought too. If we cared about each other enough we’d be able to feed and house ourselves while we demand better, but a lot of us are divided (which is their goal) and so we’d rather blame minorities or whatever group your politician told you ro hate.
I mean sure we can roll over and die too, future generations won’t look as kindly on that though
Nothing. We’re fucking pathetic.
Americans keep bitching about wanting a better candidate but nobody steps up or gets off the couch.
There are lot of problems. The biggest is funding.
Most politicians come from money. Not all, but a good number. This, oddly enough, can make them a bit more independent since they don’t have special interests demanding their time to get their money. But depending on their motives for running, this can also make them very susceptible to corruption to make their money back.
If you don’t have money, you have to raise it. You can either do this by meeting with special interests (oil, pharma, etc.) and be their lapdog or you can solicit money from the public. Both have their pros and cons in terms of getting elected, staying elected, and making sure you can do the work you set out to do.
Let’s assume you have money and it’s untainted.
The second biggest problem you have is name recognition. If you are a nobody, no one is going to elect you. You have to earn name recognition by either winning several smaller elections, by being active in the community, or by being famous. Usually if your rich, you have name recognition so you can usually skip this step. But if you’re not, and you’re raising money the old fashion way, you need to get your name out there. You remember Joe Exotic? You know him because he ran a ridiculous campaign.
Let’s assume that you’re active in the community and you have pretty good name recognition.
The hardest hurdle is going to be that you have almost half of your electorate actively rooting against you.
IMO, the reason why you don’t see many young people in politics, even at the local level, is because all three of these steps seem so insurmountable. I looked into it. I never formed a committee or anything but the amount of money alone you have to raise is crazy.
You need a thick skin and you need to be willing to compromise, either your morals or your values, often both.
A better candidate did run. Any candidate who ran was better