Earlier this week, we introduced ways for people to immerse themselves in politics and feel empowered to make changes and resist the Trump agenda, in the blog post Defeating Trump with local action, part 1.
Inspired by Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Resisting the Trump Agenda — a piece written by progressive former Congressional staffers — we’ve covered a few actions that result in real, anti-Trump change, including finding a local organization of like-minded people, figuring out who your state and local representatives are and getting your elected officials’ attention and holding them accountable.
In addition to those actions, here are three more things you can do:
- Attend city council or county commission meetings
- Regularly call and write to local, state and Congressional reps
- Consider running for local office
Attend city council or county commission meetings
City council and county commission meetings are where local policies are introduced. By attending these (and being vocal) you can introduce progressive ideas and policies into your community. You can also get connected with like-minded people that might want to work with you on Trump-resistance actions. By getting familiar with how your city or county runs and getting to know the people that run it, you also set yourself up to be a knowledgeable and potentially influential part of your community.
Regularly call and write to your elected officials
Calling and writing to your state and Congressional representatives has immense value. Since they are extremely motivated to secure your vote for re-election, your voice goes a long way. Whether your elected officials agree with you or not, you have the power to use them to make real changes. Let them hear your dissatisfaction with their decisions (if they’re supporting Trump’s policies) or let them hear your gratitude (if they are resisting Trump’s policies). Either way, your voice will go a long way, especially if you are persistent.
In Indivisible, the authors point out two more ways that regularly being in touch with your representatives helps the anti-Trump cause:
“Stall the Trump agenda by forcing them to redirect energy away from their priorities. Congressional offices have limited time and limited people. A day that they spend worrying about you is a day that they’re not spending on ending Medicare, privatizing public schools, or preparing a Muslim registry.
Sap Representatives’ will to support or drive reactionary change. If you do this right, you will have an outsized impact. Every time your member of Congress signs on to a bill, takes a position, or makes a statement, a little part of his or her mind will be thinking, ‘How am I going to explain this to the angry constituents who keep showing up at my events and demanding answers?’”
Consider running for local office
Once you’ve become more involved in local politics and government by attending meetings and frequently contacting your representatives, if you still want to do more, you could run for local office. Especially if you have already been taking steps to resist the Trump agenda, you should be familiar with the issues in your district or locality, which could make you a good candidate. Be sure to contact Better Georgia for ideas if you’re planning on running for local office. We’re here to help.
Donate to Better Georgia
Better Georgia is the fastest-growing progressive network in the state. Our work fighting for progressive policies every single day is funded by people just like you. And with conservative Georgia politicians attacking women’s rights, gay rights and civil rights, there’s never been a better time to fight back by donating to Better Georgia.