I don’t mean it as an alternative. Of course people should be persuaded to join the cause. That has to be the primary method of taking power. My point is that it’s (a) extremely difficult and (b) often not enough. For evidence of (b), see, e.g., the 2016 election, where the problem with the popular vote wasn’t restricted to the President: Republicans won below 50% of the votes for Congress but took over 55% of the seats, including control of both chambers.
If you want a simple name for what I mean, then call it “fighting dirty.” Gerrymandering is an obvious example, but not the only example. Voter suppression is another obvious example, but not the only example. Consider what just happened in North Carolina, where the Republicans conducted a surgical strike on education in Democratic districts. It’s not a coincidence that Republicans are constantly attacking unions, universities, and the civil justice system — all of these are at the core of Democratic power.
Democrats/liberals/progressives either don’t know how or aren’t willing to take the steps necessary to build and consolidate power. E.g., they run scared from a handful of coal mining companies and the Mars family when they should be burying them.
Boo-hoo, Paul Ryan is enabling Trump. And what do Democrats do? Paul Ryan raised $19,811,897 for the last election. For his challenger, Democrats raised $23,749. “But he’ll probably lose!” That’s exactly the sort of short-term, woe-is-me thinking Democrats have way too often. Screw that, put him on his toes. Fund his challenger. Get into the state legislature and mess with his district. That is exactly what the Republican Party and their allies have been doing for decades now.
Trump just established a voter suppression commission. I’m sure the Democrats are going to faithfully do a bunch of nothing while it works, when they could be laying the groundwork to slaughter it — the guy in charge has lost four times in legal challenges over voter suppression. Hit him now. Anyone who even thinks of joining the commission or supporting it should be hit now.
Worse, I’m just some asshole on the internet. There are literally thousands of people within the Democratic, liberal, and progressive ranks to think about and act upon stuff like this, and most of them aren’t doing it. They aren’t, for example, showing up in legislative battles to help legislators win, which is precisely what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and ALEC are doing at this very moment.
