Share title="Share this page on Facebook!" target="_blank" > Share on facebook title="Send this page to Twitter!" target="_blank" > Send this page to twitter title="Digg this page!" target="_blank" > Send this page to Digg! Add me to CPD email list Add to CPD Contacts

CAMPAIGN FOR PEACE AND DEMOCRACY STATEMENT
ON RESISTING TRUMP

February 6, 2017

       It seems that every day brings dramatic news of two very different kinds: on the one hand Trump’s demented rhetoric, along with horrendous initiatives from his administration and its Congressional supporters; but on the other hand, thankfully, absolutely unprecedented mass resistance in every corner of the nation and around the globe.

 

anti-Trump protesters following the election

With blinding speed, the monster in the White House is moving to fulfill his campaign promises with attacks on immigrants, especially refugees, and on Muslims. He has vowed to “utterly destroy” even the meager financial regulations previously in place and roll back all manner of environmental protections. He has shown utter contempt for press freedom and is increasingly playing the role of a dictator under the influence of the sinister white nationalist Steve Bannon. Soon, Medicare, Medicaid, abortion rights and much more will come under siege from Trump’s administration. And all this amid a blizzard of mind-boggling “alternative facts.” Unbelievably, the government of the United States is becoming part of an international axis of far rightists, xenophobes and authoritarians, leaders and aspiring leaders, including Marine Le Pen, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Nigel Farage, Viktor Orban, Geert Wilders and a host of other demagogues.

We in the Campaign for Peace and Democracy are deeply alarmed by what’s coming out of Washington. But at the same time, we are immensely inspired by the willingness of so many people to come out on the streets, to go to the airports, to speak out in militant opposition to the current administration. We urge friends and supporters of the Campaign to actively participate in whatever form of resistance is taking place where they live. Already the gigantic Women’s Marches – possibly the biggest demonstrations in U.S. history – as well as the airport uprisings have had an effect. The federal court-issued stay on the travel ban against citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries is a victory, however temporary it may prove to be, that would very likely not have occurred without the pressure of mass action. Likewise, the outpouring of millions of protestors has so far stiffened the spines of many Democratic Party politicians – or at least made it much harder for them to accommodate to Trump.

The question now is: where will this resistance go? We believe that it is essential not only to block Trump’s reactionary initiatives, but also to move beyond a defense of the status quo and start building for truly progressive change. We hope that out of the present turmoil an organized, independent left, free of all ties to corporate neoliberalism and able to join with democratic social justice and anti-war movements around the world, will finally come together in this country.