What do you call five million protesters who make the same sound as a tree that falls in the woods?
The corporate-controlled Democratic Party’s idea of resistance is utterly ineffectual.
On the day Trump’s MAGA faithful turned Washington into a garish celebration of creeping authoritarianism—complete with flags, fanfare, and the unmistakable stench of a man who believes laws are for lesser men—the opposition’s answer was a scattered, impotent whimper.
The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the organizers of the “No Kings” protests, said in a statement, “More than five million people nationwide rallied at over 2,100 events across the country, condemning Trump’s escalating abuses of power.”
From Portland to Pensacola, “No Kings” events drew crowds in the thousands, a cumulative force that could have choked the capital’s streets with bodies, could have drowned out Trump’s birthday parade with a roar of defiance.
Instead, those five million people participating in No Kings events were relegated to parking lots and parks where neither the tyrant nor the cameras would ever see them.
It was a strategic disaster of historic proportions—a stupendous waste of energy, outrage, and manpower.
Five million American citizens were willing to stand against fascism, and not one of them had actually mattered.
“This wasn’t resistance, it was performance art,” fumed one Democratic strategist, speaking anonymously to avoid retribution from a party leadership that still thinks decorum is a winning strategy against a would-be dictator.
“Trump’s people own the streets of D.C. on his birthday, and we’re holding teach-ins in Boise? What the hell did we think that would accomplish?” asked the frustrated liberal.
The answer, of course, is nothing.
The media largely ignored the No Kings movement.
They would have noticed if a fraction of those millions stopped 6,600 ambling troops that paced 150 tanks and other military vehicles representing the U.S. Army on its 250th anniversary.
The weather in Washington was cloudy, but with a little effort, thousands of people could have truly rained on Trump’s parade by stepping into the street and hindering the military marchers.
Instead, the No Kings was a giant effort with no effect.
The Republicans laughed at it. Trump, emboldened, strutted through his spectacle unchallenged, while the opposition patted itself on the back for “mobilizing the grassroots” even if they didn’t go anywhere.
Among the corporations sponsoring Trump’s parade were Oracle, Amazon, Exiger, BNY, Goldman Sachs, Coinbase, Lockheed Martin, Palantir Technologies, Stellantis, Coca-Cola, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Ultimate Fighting Championship, Phorm Energy, Nextdoor, and Scotts Miracle-Gro.
Trump, whose 79th birthday corresponded with the Army anniversary, had long dreamed his display of America’s military might.
Movements aren’t built in places where power isn’t watching. Revolutions don’t happen in the shadows.
This is how Vichy Democrats fight—diffuse, decentralized, and determined to avoid confrontation at all costs—the intended consequence is a battle that is already lost.
Lost like the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice nominated by President Barack Obama. Lost like the rights to choose abortion or vote in fair elections. Lost like the battle for the soul of America, which was rigged to prevent primary opposition to President Joe Biden, who turned out to be unfit for the fight.
With the exception of the temporary respite that inspired the January 6 insurrection, can anyone remember a time when Democrats won anything?
Trump isn’t playing by Marquess of Queensberry rules. He’s playing for keeps, but such Vichy Democrats as Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer, and Hakeem Jeffries are performing an act much like circus clowns.
Until the left learns that protest without disruption is just pageantry, they might as well be handing Trump the crown.