Resistance and Resilience

What will it take to successfully fight back against MAGA and Trump 2.0? For historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, resilience is the key. As she warned in a recent interview, ". . .the problem with living in a Trumpian world is that there is constant outrage. It's like there's so many targets, there's firing in all areas, that the idea is to make you unable to react at all." We just got a small sample of what's in store in the weeks following the election with the flurry of attention-grabbing Cabinet nominations, each new one more shocking.
Ben-Ghiat, a scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders, advises us to be smart and choose our battles to avoid exhaustion on multiple levels. She says building a pro-democracy movement is a long-term commitment that goes beyond a two- or four-year election cycle. Ben-Ghiat sees the foundation for that movement in the energy and grassroots mobilization generated by the Harris-Walz campaign. "All the effort that was expended, that is not in vain. The networks that were created, the connections, and the knowledge that we all gained during this campaign — that stays with us, stays in us."
We experienced it locally. Hundreds of people worked for candidates and contributed to GOTV efforts organized by BAM and partner organizations in 2024. We filled out postcards, knocked on doors, phoned, and texted thousands of voters. We felt incredible camaraderie, enthusiasm, and joy! Now we need your ideas and thoughts about how BAM can effectively leverage this engagement and contribute to the pro-democracy movement in 2025 and beyond. What issues should we focus on? How can we best support our members and partner organizations? What do you expect from us and how can you contribute to our future success? Let us know what you think --- take 5 minutes and complete this short online survey! We'll share the results and use them to plan our next steps in 2025.
Act Now! Three + One More to Oppose
We are trying hard to take Ben-Ghiat's advice about picking our battles, but Trump's outrageous Cabinet and administrative nominations make it hard to sit on our hands. With the withdrawal of Florida man Matt Gaetz, his original pick for U.S. Attorney General, we turn our attention to the next three most dangerous nominees: Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, former Senator Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Security, and former presidential contender RFK Jr, for Secretary of Health & Human Services. We intended to stop there, but then came the nomination this weekend of Kash Patel, a self-described enemy of the so-called deep state, to head the FBI. So one more to oppose. The Democratic "Watchdog" Coalition has made it easy to send a letter to Senators urging them to nix these blatantly unqualified and dangerous nominations. Learn more about the (dis)qualifications of each nominee by clicking on their names above, then take action by filling out the easy-to-use form with your most persuasive points against.
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday

Tuesday, December 3rd is Giving Tuesday. Many local non-profits have secured generous matches for donations they receive as part of this international day of giving. Your support of organizations working for social justice, as well as those providing direct services to the needy in our community is more important than ever. Please consider a contribution to your favorite charity or non-profit today.
Re-Group, Re-Charge & Celebrate!
Make plans to join us for the annual BAM Holiday Party. Bring a nibble to share, and an unwrapped toy or non-perishable food item to donate to Beaches charities, and spend the evening celebrating as we prepare to resist in the year ahead!

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