The Resistible Rise of Donald Trump

It’s not too early to start thinking about how to put sand in the gears of our incipient fascism. I have a few ideas. The basic objective is mass resistance to monkey-wrench the economy, starting in February of 2025, when the target will be clear. It will not be without cost, all the way around. It will not be one thing, but a blizzard of individual acts.

The most obvious move is withholding labor. Not working of course can result in intolerable financial hardship for one’s family, but working as unproductively as possible might be practical. If on the fence about retiring and you can swing it financially, retire. When unions slow things down, they call it “working to rule.” Not having union protection makes it more dangerous, but justifying working to rule on grounds of occupational safety and/or consumer protection might support legal defense. Clogging up the legal system would be helpful, even with losing cases.

When possible, work “off the books” and forego paying taxes. (I did it for years, in the 70s.) Under-report cash income. The IRS has no way of checking without an audit which for the agency is costly and for that reason, uncommon. It becomes even less likely as the agency is starved for revenue, which under Trump II would be a certainty.

Then there is consumer behavior. It’s not possible to boycott everything, but it is eminently possible to go onto a more frugal spending regimen. Let the old vehicles or appliances live a while longer. Postpone the home remodel. Rent rather than buy. Reduce debt, save your money. You’ll have more to spend later. (I admit this is easy for me, because I live that way anyway.)

In both cases, the mass refusal to work and spend will slow down the economy and create hardship, but it is the only remaining resort when strikes, voting, and use of the courts is put off limits. I should not have to add that the use of violence would advantage the tyrants, who have an effective monopoly on the use of force.

We’ve had “buy nothing” movements. Now the purpose and focus are clear. Naturally, coordination of such activities remains to be accomplished. Insofar as it progressed, it would be delegalized. That’s a legal problem I an not qualified to discuss.

A general strike is difficult enough, even when a substantial portion of the workforce is unionized. It is that much more difficult for the U.S. As I said, no one thing will be decisive. What could work is fostering a culture of resistance. They can’t jail a culture.

Social media can help. Spawn messages of resistance, acts of all types. The authorities will try to shut it off, but like leaks in a dike, closing one can lead to others. Let a hundred flowers bloom.

As many insist, there is still an election to win. It is far from over. I like to think the U.S. population is not so depraved and ignorant as to elect Trump a second time. Perhaps that’s naive, but living in hope is less stressful. I recommend it.