A Toolkit for
Saving Democracy
“Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could do only a little.” Edmund Burke
We are less than one year away from living in a dictatorship. Are you doing enough to stop it?
It’s no longer enough to sit around and worry until you vote on election day. It’s not enough to tweet, retweet, like, follow, or block on social media.
The 2024 election will be the most important in American history – we must talk, plan, and act like it.
This is a call to action. Below is a Toolkit to save Democracy. It provides simple things that you can start doing now to save our Democracy.
First, why voting is not enough
- The wrong people are taking the reigns of government
- American oligarchs
- Right-wing extremists
- Christian nationalists
- Foreign actors
- They are removing the guardrails of Democracy
- They have corrupted the DOJ and SCOTUS
- They are creating minority rule through the Electoral College, gerrymandering, and voter exclusion
- They are creating distrust in our Government
- They break it and corrupt it
- Then they point out how broken and corrupt it is
- Republican officials are sleeping with the enemy
- They’re openly supporting Putin, failing Ukraine, endangering our allies, & ignoring the border
- It’s not about making Presiden Biden look bad
- It’s about helping Trump, Putin, and oligarchs destroy our Democracy
- Right-wing voices control the narrative
- Fox News, the GOP, conservative think tanks, Putin trolls, etc. are manipulating us
- American oligarchs are buying up and concentrating media outlets and controlling the content
- Fox News and Conservatives have a lock on their base
- MAGA lives in an information silo with few connections to reality
- They have been trained to distrust anyone on the Left
- We are being divided so that we will be conquered
- Right-wing disinformation creates unnecessary fear, anxiety, and hate
- We are being goaded into fighting each other
- We don’t care what we are told, only who tells it to us
- Mainstream media isn’t much better than Fox News
- They want to appear fair but do so at the cost of truth
- They want to entertain us with scandals and fights
- They no longer provide an understanding of our world
- Conservative ideologies caused significant financial damage
- Trickle-down economics
- The global economy
- An unregulated free-market
- These policies left many behind
- Jobs were sent overseas or automated
- People were working harder for less
- Rural and manufacturing employment suffered a greater impact
- Others were persuaded that they were being left behind
- Divisive rhetoric from Fox News, Republicans, and the far-right
- White Replacement Theory, Critical Race Theory, Immigration
- Our connectedness is being taken away
- Propagandists and Social Media algorithms are herding us into isolated groups
- We care more about our virtual groups than about society
- Our families and friendships are being broken
- A world of chaos is being intentionally created
- Conspiracies, lies, and nonexistent scandals have a greater purpose
- They add up to give a sense of an unraveling world
- This makes us even more prone to manipulation
- All the lies are working
- Both sides are told to view the other side as an existential threat
- The rural/urban right/left divide is worse than our racial divide
- Distrust of our government and each other is increasing
- If we don’t do something, our divide will only grow bigger
- Every election will be more critical
- Attempts to weaken elections will increase
- This is not sustainable
- Help others to save our Democracy
- Young voters, independents, the disengaged, and MAGA
- They are our friends and family – only we can reach them
The forces of evil have taken their attack on Democracy into our living rooms, to our kitchen table, and into our communities. Democracy is taking its last stand in our backyards.
We need a widespread grassroots effort to create a wave of social restoration where we rebuild connections and trust and win back our friends, family, and Democracy.
The Greatest Generation sacrificed so much to protect Democracy – we only need to talk.
Things we can do about it
Below are some things that you can start doing right now.
Do what makes sense for you (but it’s also okay to step outside your comfort zone a bit).
This grassroots effort will only work if you share it with others.
- They will be the ones who save our Democracy
- Remind them over and over
- Only Democrats will protect them and their friends
- Democrats care about climate change, gun safety, minimum wage, health care, school funding, etc.
- Don’t let them be a one-issue voter
- This election is much bigger than loan forgiveness, Biden’s age, etc.
- Don’t let them fall for 3rd Party politicians
- They are a trap and we have been screwed by them before
- Don’t let them make the Palestine conflict worse
- Trump will show zero empathy for all vulnerable people everywhere
- These aren’t one-time conversations
- Keep driving the message home
- Help them to register – physically bring them to vote
- Only talk to those you know well
- Friends and family that you have a history with
- Optimize your effort – avoid hard-core MAGA
- Realize that it could take months
- This is NOT a one-time argument
- This is NOT about fact-checking nor tit-for-tat
- This is a long conversation
- Gently and slowly address their concerns with empathy and reality
- Always talk face-to-face or on the phone
- Folks online are only looking for a fight
- Avoid the faceless back-and-forth of email
- Always talk in private
- Realize that they have been exploited
- Understand their fears and concerns
- Slowly work to unravel them
- Treat them with respect
- Their perceived lack of respect is often what attracted them to MAGA in the first place
- Show them that they are welcome back to Democracy
- MAGA membership does not have to be a life-long commitment
- Only talk to those you know well
- They don’t understand what is at risk
- They would not be Independents if they understood
- They would not be disengaged if they understood
- Make them understand
- They will be more open to discussions
- They aren’t emotionally invested in MAGA
- They won’t receive facts as insults
- Make them understand what is at stake
- Heading to fascism
- Project 2025
- Christian nationalism
- Climate Change
- Learn their concerns
- Revisit these in future conversations
- Donate – it will be the best investment you ever made
- Support local, state, and national candidates
- If you’re in a blue area, then support candidates in purple areas/states
- Support independent journalism
- Billionaires and oligarchs fund agenda-driven pseudo-journalism
- Our best journalists need those paywalls to survive – pick a few to fight the oligarchs
- Subscribe to and read your local newspaper
- Think about how you spend extra money
- Does your Little League player need a $300 bat?
- Can you replace your furniture next year?
- Should you invest in the market or protect your current investments?
- Share this with everyone you know
- Help this toolkit become a grassroots movement
- Democrats, engaged voters, Never-Trumpers, etc.
- Spread the word – keep ridin’ with Biden
- Don’t be lured into a dictatorship by 3rd party candidates
- Don’t let age be a factor – Democracy is at risk
- The Palestine crisis will be much worse without Biden
- Sitting this one out is literally a vote for fascism
- Understand and talk to everyone about…
- Project 2025 – the highly organized/funded plan for fascism
- Christian Nationalism and the very dangerous New Apostolic Reformation
- Dangerous-ed by Prager U and Hillsdale College
- Protect your vote
- Keep confirming that you have not been purged: www.vote.org
- Share this with everyone you know