How to translate No Kings energy to actual political power |
Final estimates are still pending, but early reports suggest that Saturday’s “No Kings,” anti-Trump protests were the biggest single-day protest event since 1970 — and perhaps the largest nonviolent protests in US history. Over 2,700 events were held in all 50 states, according to organizers, which means as many as 7 million Americans joined.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren encapsulated this message during her speech at the Boston rally, saying that “standing up to a wannabe dictator — that is patriotism. … Saying no to troops that occupy our cities — that is patriotism. And peacefully protesting to protect our democracy — that is patriotism.”
But for all that energy and enthusiasm, the anti-Trump resistance still faces a dilemma: for all the protests and mass mobilizations of the first round of Trump, he was ultimately reelected with greater support. It leaves a few open questions: just how effective can organized protest be? What can protestors learn since then, and what are the limits to what mass mobilization can do? And how can these movements adapt in the face of an administration that seems eager to wield every power of the state against its perceived enemies?
To answer these questions and more, I spoke with Theda Skocpol, the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University, and a renowned expert on both the history and the nuts-and-bolts of political organizing in the US. And although Skocpol, who is decidedly not a Trump supporter, is optimistic about what the No Kings protests could suggest, she is doggedly focused on what she sees as the ultimate goal of mass protests. (Hint: In the American context, she doesn’t think it has much to do with that 3.5% figure you may have heard about).
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
The No Kings protest happened again this weekend. What was your initial reaction to it? What were your expectations? Were they met, or did anything surprise you?
It was inspiring to see such a large number of people in so many [different] kinds of places. I thought that was likely to happen, but you never know for sure until it........