"Impeachment is too important to leave to Congress--it's going to take mass mobilization"

[Garrett78]

Elected officials in the Democratic Party, like established politicians everywhere, aren’t instinctively comfortable with the idea of popular resistance, but it’s not an entirely alien concept to them, either. In the extreme political emergency of 2017, they embraced protest politics. That started with emergency mass demonstrations at airports to block Trump’s initial travel ban, continued through the Women’s March, and was seen repeatedly on Capitol Hill and in congressional town halls as people came out en masse to oppose repealing the Affordable Care Act.

A lawless government cannot be constrained by the institutions of the law alone. It is popular mass resistance that creates a crisis point and forces action. And if Democrats want to beat Trump’s stonewalling tactics in 2019, they should consider doing it again.

Watergate was a long time ago

Watergate played out under a party system that was remarkably loose compared to today. Not all conservatives were Republicans, and not all Republicans were conservatives. That arguably set the stage for presidential misconduct to be evaluated as separately from political ideology or orientation as is possible.

Arch-segregationists — mostly Democrats — were serving openly in the halls of Congress. Meanwhile, the greatest champions of civil rights were also mostly Democrats, yet a liberal African American Republicanrepresented Massachusetts in the Senate. Individual members faced cross-cutting ideological and partisan pressures, and even beyond race the system was only loosely organized with hawks and doves sitting in both parties.

Much more here: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/18/20905686/resistance-protest-impeachment-rallies-trump

[MineralMan]

1. How many impeachment demonstrations have you attended?

It's an important question. Unless you are part of the "mass mobilization," it's not going to happen. The kind of turnout required to actually cause change has not been seen here for a long, long time. Many people might call for such a thing, but unless people turn out as a "mass" there is no "mass mobilization."

I remember some "mass mobilizations" during the Vietnam War, because I was part of some of them, including some major ones in the Washington, DC area. Eventually, the war was brought to an end, by Richard Nixon, no less. It took many years to make that happen. I remember some mass mobilizations connected with the Civil Rights movement, as well, because I was part of some of them, starting in Selma in 1965. That fight is still going on, more than 50 years later.

I'm not seeing any "mass mobilizations" around impeaching Donald J. Trump. That impeachment will or will not happen in far too short a time for any national "mass mobiliization" movement to have any impact.

Better to communicate with your Senators, really.

[2naSalit]

2. Since going to DC is impractical

as you mention, I think marching in front of their local offices in your states would be a next best thing. Show up wherever they go and demand they do our bidding.

I have a long history of protest as well, I think that it needs to become a regular "thing" until we regain representation from the people we elect.

[Garrett78]

3. As the article points out, mass mobilization has played a crucial role in recent years.

And the point is for not only organizations such as Indivisible but also Democrats in Congress to advocate for mass mobilization.

Mass mobilization made a big difference in 2017 and since (read the article). We need it now to boost our chances at getting a conviction.

[StarfishSaver]

4. People often call for mass protests

But expect other people to organize them. And they don't want to be too inconvenienced, so they demand that those other people organize them in their town, pay for them and do all the work to get crowds there - and then, they'll show up and join the protest on the appointed day (IF the time works for them).

But in the meantime, they'll keep calling for someone to do something.

[MineralMan]

5. Yes, exactly.

[Garrett78]

6. The point of the article is that Democrats in Congress should advocate mass mobilization.

And not just groups like Indivisible. Mass mobilization helped in 2017. It can help again now. Those with a platform have the ability to mobilize in a way others can't. That's what leadership is all about.

A Senate conviction becomes more likely with mass mobilization.