When even John Yoo is saying that Donald Trump is abusing executive power we know both that we have a problem, and that opposition to him is becoming widespread. We have already seen major protests against Donald Trump. Matthew Yglesias argues that resistance works, and provides these examples of where Donald Trump or the Republican Congress has backed down in the face of protest:
- House Republicans abandoned a plan to gut the Congressional Ethics Office.
- The Trump administration abandoned a plan to cancel Affordable Care Act enrollment advertising.
- The VA was granted an exemption from Trump’s hiring freeze.
- 500,000 green card holders were granted exemption from Trump’s immigration orders.
- The Department of Defense has secured permission to grant exemptions to the ban for Iraqis who work with the US military.
- Most dual citizens (Germans, most recently) seem to be getting exemptions from the Trump ban.
- A House Republican plan for a massive sell-off of public lands has been canceled.
Having people get out to protest also makes it more likely that protests will continue: “Political action can be habit-forming. Once you’ve already made a sign and taken it to a protest, it’s easier to just bring it along again in the future. Once you know which of your friends might be interested in going with you, it’s easier to reconnect and do it again.”
What will be less easy to measure, as compared to the items in the list above, are moves to the right which the Republicans might give up on out of fear of protests. Congressmen might even begin to fear that their reelection is in jeopardy, despite gerrymandering designed to make their seats safe, if enough of their constituents protest at their offices.
The most concrete example of the benefits of opposition to Trump and the Republican Congress will be if some Republicans do lose their seats in 2018. This includes not only members of Congress, but also Republicans at the state level. If Hillary Clinton had won, we would now have Democrats defending her record, even when it includes the same types of policies they protest when coming from Republicans. Most likely we would see further Republican gains in Congress and state governments. While Trump will undoubtedly do many undesirable things, Democrats must take advantage of this in 2018. Of course their chances will be far better if they actually stand for something, as opposed to continuing to run as a Republican-lite party.
Related News:
New York Times: How Attorneys General Became Democrats’ Bulwark Against Trump
Der Spiegel: Europe Must Defend Itself Against A Dangerous President