# Fighting for the American Democratic Experiment and Against Trump: Practical Steps and Best Practices **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 31, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687 "2025-01-31T19:49:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2025, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/41 "2025-08-25T17:32:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > **Selective Compliance and Irish Democracy.** ‘Don’t protest. Don’t riot. Just don’t comply. … Make every single act of authoritarian control require physical enforcement, then make that enforcement impossibly expensive and difficult.’ I’m afraid it’s gonna come to that - physical enforcement. I’m not an internet tough guy. I had 12 guns (all inherited). I kept three, And gave the others to a man I trust. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/42 "2025-08-25T19:04:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [I researched every Democratic attempt to stop fascism in history. The success rate after fascists were elected was 0%. | Scab of a nation, driven insane](https://przxqgl.hybridelephant.com/2025/08/15/i-researched-every-democratic-attempt-to-stop-fascism-in-history-the-success-rate-after-fascists-were-elected-was-0/) > > > I researched every Democratic attempt to stop fascism in history. the success rate after fascists were elected was 0%. > > > > _Once they win elections, it’s already too late._ What about the Polish parliamentary elections in 2023? The Law and Justice Party administration voted out was often called Fascist, or at least Fascist-style. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/43 "2025-08-26T01:13:57Z")
I realize popular vote and the majority are not the same thing, but the fact that Trump won the popular vote in 2024 is going to be a major dent to people like this author who argue that fascists “don’t have legitimacy in the eyes of the majority.” With enough cunning, MAGA could even spin it as, “The leftists who lost the popular vote are now flipping the chess board and trying to smack us; THEY can’t deal with not having the majority.” ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/44 "2025-08-26T02:31:35Z")
Way ahead of you, as I like to say: “democracy is not for sissies”, the rules are indeed set as a “winner take all” in the US. And a lot of what one sees as hesitation is what comes from the rules we have. **But** the rules also do report one thing: We should demand our representatives to do the right thing, day in and day out, and even the Republican ones one could be under. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8W-lVRQQGtI/maxresdefault.jpg "Five Ways to Fight Trump's Fascism") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W-lVRQQGtI&t=60s) (Link goes to an excellent short video from Robert Reich about what to do, and includes going to your representatives town halls, most Republicans are finding that even restricting the people that come are asking tough questions and even protesting! And the ones that don’t (like my Republican Rep) can be accused in the open of pulling a “Sir Robin ran away” act) One big point of this is what Reich says elsewhere in the video, to organize and create coalitions and prepare when election time comes. [And one has to notice, currently, a very significant number of people that voted for Trump as a protest, or convinced by the propaganda then, are not amused now.](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/24/new-poll-donald-trump-republicans-democrats/85806185007/) They are the ones that we need to reach. Not the ones that are still drinking the Kool-Aid. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/45 "2025-08-26T17:01:09Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > They are the ones that we need to reach. Not the ones that are still drinking the Kool-Aid. I think we agree. The ones drinking the Kool-Aid are un-reachable. The best we can hope is that they will crawl back under their rocks. That includes at least half of the current administration. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/46 "2025-08-26T17:26:41Z")
The Kool-Aid drinkers are moderate in number but very loud. Related, there are quite a few voters with inchoate beliefs; some even have self-awareness of that. Facile doomerists (and others) get distracted by the loudest MAGAhats, thinking them representative of 2024 Trump voters. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/47 "2025-08-26T23:05:57Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > inchoate beliefs Huh, new word for the day. I must admit that many projects are inchoate. I’ve a good idea, but sometimes you can’t see something until you take it apart. I have a set of three stairs to our garage that I need to put a landing on. Um… I need to see what the hell is going on here. I won’t know until I take them down. I may be able to reuse them, I may need to redo the whole thing. I have that bright yellow ‘Caution’ tape. I’ll need it. I could make a belt or tie out of it. Hmmm. Shouldn’t scare the neighbors though, they’re nice folks. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/48 "2025-08-27T13:21:00Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > The ones drinking the Kool-Aid are un-reachable. The best we can hope is that they will crawl back under their rocks. I thought the point of the metaphor would be that they are unwittingly destroying themselves anyway. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/49 "2025-08-27T13:50:43Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > I thought the point of the metaphor would be that they are unwittingly destroying themselves anyway. Well, that’s true. And trying to take decent people down with them. I also see ‘drinking the Kool-Aid’ as a person is very, very gullible. Someone that believes nonsense that is thrown at them. And then they dig in their heals and won’t budge on whatever bullshit they have swallowed. Is it bad for them? Damn right it is. They are drilling holes in the lifeboat that they, and we, are in. They’re to stupid to understand that they will drown too. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687/51 "2025-08-31T03:40:42Z")
Greetings KTB and welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board! I look forward to checking out your links. Much praise for taking on the project of setting up accountability for Trump’s back office. This is partly a debate oriented message board, so just roll with it if you receive critique. Thanks again for your post and welcome! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-for-the-american-democratic-experiment-and-against-trump-practical-steps-and-best-practices/1013687.md?page=2)