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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe American left has its own Tea Party, and its coming for Donald Trump
Last edited Sat Sep 16, 2017, 07:22 PM - Edit history (1)
This wasnt a one-off. Republicans have been facing similar outcries across the country this year. Angry protesters cornered Idaho representative Raul Labrador into telling (paywall) a town hall that no one dies because they dont have access to health care, for which he was predictably ridiculed. South Carolinas Joe Wilsonwho memorably shouted You lie! at president Barack Obama in a joint session of Congress in 2009found the accusation chanted back (paywall) at him by constituents. In Utah, Jason Chaffetz received similar treatment and accused attendees of trying to bully and intimidate him.
When I asked New Jerseyans at MacArthurs town hall what made them think to spend their Wednesday evening haranguing their congressman, three words were on most protesters lips: The Indivisible groups.
The Indivisible Project is the American lefts closest equivalent to the Tea Party, the hard-line conservative movement that crashed on to the political scene in 2009. It was inspired by the Indivisible Guide, a manual written by former Democratic congressional staffers who decoded how to combat Trumps agenda using protest tactics pioneered by the Tea Party. Following the guides advice, activists across the US have bombarded town halls, held sit-ins at lawmakers constituencies, and made phone call after phone call to their congressional offices. Their aim is to paralyse the Trump administration by pushing Republican members of Congress to vote against him.
The movement says it has almost 6,000 local chapters throughout the countryat least two in every congressional districtand hundreds of thousands of active members, who run the gamut from socialists who supported Bernie Sanders to Republicans who revile Trump. Its notched up some impressive grassroots fundraising and claims to have influenced several key decisionsmost notably, the vote that killed the Republicans flagship policy, the dismantling of Obamas Affordable Care Act.
And yet, unlike the Tea Party, which immediately grabbed international headlines, the chances are youve never heard of the Indivisibles.
https://qz.com/1065652/the-american-left-has-its-own-tea-party-and-its-coming-for-donald-trump/
A lot more at the link.
The Indivisible Guide - About
https://www.indivisibleguide.com/about-us/
underpants
(182,281 posts)They've hounded Dave Brat locally into avoiding town hall meetings. His FB posts about meetings with local groups is hilarious.