I have been thinking about the “No Kings” rallies and I am ambivalent.
I am strongly in favor of one result of the gatherings: Uniformly people report feeling happy when they are involved. Moreover, they report that they are forging community.
Not so long ago, post-election 2024, there was a national malaise. Half of America was utterly confused that the other half could vote for a man so utterly unprepared, intellectually and emotionally, for the complexities of the job he sought. For half the country, the election was depressing and frightening. I am delighted that folks now feel energized and happy. For years, our entire country has been sitting at home in front of a computer screen rather than going out and seeing people. Anything that builds back community is good.
I agree with the quote, “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.” Government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed, so when a government becomes oppressive and its laws unjust, citizens have a moral obligation to resist. If the people believe in natural, inalienable rights, they have a moral obligation to resist the government’s denial of those rights.
Actually, the current administration has not quite crossed that line. They are doing tyrannical things, but when in court, they defend their actions under current law and do not attempt to create new laws that authorize or condone their actions. It may be a distinction without a difference, but there it is. A rally may still be the proportional response—and I agree there must be a response.
So why am I ambivalent? Because I am an historian, and history teaches that these rallies often spark incidents that in turn provide an excuse to militarize our streets. One person throws one bottle at a policeman, and it lands. Then what? A bunch of weekend warriors find themselves up against the United States Marines. Hopefully all the organizers know that risk and have trained rally participants to be calm and absolutely nonviolent.
There is another matter that concerns me. I am struck by how little the Democratic party has done to challenge Trump. How loath they have been to use the tools available to them as elected officials. How relatively silent they have been in response to the barrage from the other side. They are not acting aggressively or using their bully pulpits. We have spent nine years listening to news analysts label many of Trump’s actions as “distractions”—I wonder if these rallies are also a distraction. The rallies are engaging and uplifting. However, they are unlikely to dictate or change anything the President and his supporters are likely to do or not do.
Are we being distracted from the realization that there is no real organized and energetic opposition to Trump and the MAGA agenda?
