Should we just roll over and play dead?

Some reflections and actions to consider for those of us who like democracy

Welcome to the weekly Indivisible newsletter with action items below! First, some reflections on where things stand right now.

Trump and JD Vance’s tag-teamed Oval Office attack on Ukrainian President Zelensky on Friday surprised me. It didn’t surprise me because I thought better of Trump or JD; or because I expected anything more from the feckless and cowardly congressional Republicans. Obviously they all have no bottom - that we know quite well.

I was surprised by the wave of emotion that came when I watched that Oval Office ambush. Disgust. Humiliation. Shame. Anger. To be an American in 2025 is to be represented by these men on the world stage and have your face rubbed in it. It’s to see your national political power used by them to betray one of our era’s greatest leaders for democracy. It’s to see your country affirmatively and recklessly switch sides in the global struggle against authoritarianism. 

So what do we do?

Should we just roll over and play dead? James Carville published an op-ed in The New York Times last week recommending that Democrats “roll over and play dead.” I and everyone at Indivisible strongly disagree. We should be on offense every day. We should be loud. We should use our loudness to encourage Democratic leaders to fight back with everything they’ve got. They should use our loudness to drive public opinion against Musk and Trump.

We don’t need to wait for this house of cards to come crashing down. The reality is Americans are pissed at what’s happening. Musk’s approval ratings are in the toilet, Trump’s are dropping; Project 2025 has minuscule support; Putin is widely viewed as a villain; and Zelensky is seen as a hero. Americans don’t like what Musk and Trump are doing, which is why so many of them are showing up and yelling at Republicans to stop doing it, and imploring Democrats to fight back. 

There is no historical example of beating authoritarianism by standing back and waiting patiently for the authoritarians to take themselves down. The only thing that beats creeping authoritarianism is a strong, broad-based, big tent pro-democracy movement led by people on the ground in every community. We cannot count on that movement naturally arising - we have to build it. That means action - public, visible, raise-the-alarm-because-this-is-not-normal-or-acceptable sort of action. 

OK so how can we do that strategically? Good news: we’re doing it.

The biggest compliment we’ve received. We know Republicans are scared of accountability. Elon Musk himself tweeted out a picture of me and (fellow Indivisible co-founder) Leah last week claiming (falsely, obviously) that we’re orchestrating all the blowback congressional Republicans are getting at public events these days. Maybe Musk is pissed about our protests at Tesla dealerships. He knows his coalition is weak; he knows it lacks public support; and he knows what we’re doing is effective; that’s why he’s coming at us.

As the saying goes, first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. They’re not ignoring or laughing at us anymore. What we’re all doing together across the country is making them nervous. It’s leading them to lash out. If they were secure, they wouldn’t care – it’s their weakness lashing out. Power doesn’t panic. And I love to see it. Keep it up.

One last thing before I get to the weekly action items below: Tomorrow is Trump’s joint address to Congress - a televised public relations dance featuring hundreds of the highest ranking federal electeds. This is an opportunity for congressional Democrats to demonstrate they’ve gotten the message from the historic wave of anti-Musk, anti-Trump grassroots energy bubbling up around the country. Given congressional Democrats’ approval currently stands at 21%, and 60% of Democrats want to see them fight back harder, it’s an opportunity they really should take.

So I’m reminded in this moment of the incomparable Representative John Lewis, the former “conscience of Congress.” I don’t think he ever recommended Democrats “rollover and play dead,” but he was known for taking advantage of symbolic public moments like this to create a little good trouble. We’ll be watching. And I for one hope for a good surprise.

And, in the meantime, here are your weekly to-dos from the Indivisible team. 

- Ezra

Weekly To-Dos

1. Tell your Republican Members of Congress you don’t want them cutting Medicaid to pay for billionaire tax breaks. House Republicans recently passed a budget framework that calls for $2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, food assistance to poor families, and other critical programs alongside trillions in tax cuts for the richest people who’ve ever lived. We’ve got a long explainer on the situation here, but here’s the summary: It’s going to take them months to craft the actual bill, it’s going to be INCREDIBLY politically unpopular, and with enough pressure, we can stop it. We’ve got tools to call and email your Republican senators and representatives at the link above. 

2. Urge your Democratic Members of Congress to hold town halls to help us toxify the Medicaid-cutting, billionaire-enriching Republican budget and fight the Musk-Trump coup. In this political climate, there’s no resource as powerful as attention. And right now, congressional town halls are commanding a LOT of attention on social media, in the headlines, and in conversations around communities across the country. So we’re urging Dems to hold town halls over the coming recess - not just in their own districts but in Republican districts too, to help tank the popularity of the Republican budget.

3. Help us make the upcoming congressional recess (March 15-23) one for the history books. Back in 2017, when Republicans tried to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, we used congressional recesses to showcase constituent anger, put Republicans on the defensive, and, ultimately - save the ACA. Today, Republicans are trying to eliminate entire federal agencies, gut Medicaid, tinker with Social Security, slash SNAP, and cut taxes for billionaires. And what do you know - we’ve got a recess coming up where they’re going to have to answer for all of it. We’ve put together a detailed toolkit to help you plan events in your districts, make the most of town halls, and put Members of Congress on blast if they try to hide from constituents.

4. Process the news with Indivisible co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg this Thursday at 3pm ET/12pm PT: Every Thursday at 3pm, we take a step back to absorb the news of the past week, draw inspiration from the work Indivisibles and allies are doing all across the country, and talk about how we fight back. With Trump set to address Congress tomorrow night, new tariffs on the horizon, and a government funding deadline next week, there’ll be a lot to talk about. Join us.

P.S. - With social media companies bending the knee to Trump, Project 2025 purging the government of dissenters, and corporate media companies caving in the face of speech-chilling lawsuits, it’s never been more important to invest in organizations you believe in that are willing to speak out and defy autocracy. Please consider chipping in with a monthly or one-time donation to help us keep up the fight.

P.P.S.: IndivisiWin of the Week!

After throwing a tantrum against President Zelensky on Friday, JD Vance flew off to Vermont for what he thought would be a relaxing ski weekend. By the time he arrived, Indivisible Mad River Valley and partners had organized thousands of protesters to line his planned route with signs supporting our ally Ukraine, condemning Vance, and opposing the Trump-Musk coup. The protest received international coverage.