Resistance to Donald Trump ultimately comes down to the American people. The courts, especially with this corrupt Supreme Court atop the federal judiciary, can only do so much. House and Senate Democrats in the minority can only do so much (although they’ve deftly flipped the script on Trump, making clear he is responsible for the likely shutdown). However, the power of the American people, despite significant democratic backsliding, remains an awesome force. Ordinary people along with prominent cultural figures can garner attention and affect elections in ways politicians cannot.
Americans vividly demonstrated this by coming together this week to protest and boycott Disney after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel. Activists did not wait for politicians. They jumped into the fray, put out a toolkit on social media, organized in-person protests, and shifted the national conversation from Trump’s disgusting blame-mongering about Charlie Kirk’s murder to defense of the First Amendment.
These scrappy First Amendment activists have not let up, as evidenced by an email I received Wednesday, announcing that multiple organizations were “calling for boycotts of Sinclair and Nexstar owned stations” even after Kimmel’s return proved that “collective action can defeat censorship.” The email explained:
But even as Disney backed down, Sinclair and Nexstar continue to pre-empt Jimmy Kimmel in dozens of markets, weaponizing their control of local news stations to silence dissent and comply with President Trump’s demands. Organizers are calling on communities everywhere to show up at corporate offices and local stations this Friday—and to continue boycotting Sinclair- and Nexstar-owned news outlets until they end their role in regime-backed censorship.
While the boycotts and protests gained steam, fellow comedians swiftly responded to Kimmel’s suspension with brilliant satire, public education, and encouraging messages. Although they risked getting yanked from their platforms, they did not flinch—unlike so many craven law firms, universities and tech companies that have grovelled before Trump.
Stephen Colbert’s delicious parody “Shut your trap” (instead of “Be our guest”) from Disney’s Beauty & the Beast will forever stick in my head. His serious message was persuasive and succinct: “With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch.”
Over at the Daily Show, Jon Stewart’s satirical bootlicking (“We have another fun, hilarious, administration-compliant show”) perfectly captured Trump megalomania and his cult worshipers’ daftness. His snark also conveyed the magnitude of the threat:
Our great administration has laid out very clear rules on free speech. Now some naysayers may argue that this administration’s speech concerns are merely a cynical ploy. A thin gruel of a ruse. A smoke screen to obscure an unprecedented consolidation of power and unitarian intimidation and coldly antithetical to any experiment in a constitutional republic governance. Some people would say that. Not me though. I think it’s great.
And in his fact-filled and witty segment, Jon Oliver took his audience meticulously and hilariously through the sequence of events, jabbed at the Trump regime’s arrogance, and laid out the consequences if we let free speech slip away (including references to Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin.)
Calling the pretext for taking him off the air “laughably weak,” Oliver pointed out that Kimmel’s statement “didn’t denigrate Charlie Kirk or make light of his killing.” Oliver, like Colbert, also warned, “Giving the bully your lunch money doesn’t make him go away, it just makes him come back hungrier each time.”
The energy and righteous indignation from outspoken cultural figures plus popular action can inspire others. Sure enough, on Monday, the ACLU released a letter signed by 400 big stars decrying the outrageous violation of the First Amendment. “Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression,” the signers stated. Regardless of their politics, they declared that “our voices should never be silenced by those in power—because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.” They closed with a call to action: “This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.”
Thanks to backlash, Kimmel returned to a record audience of over 6.2 million viewers on Tuesday. He demonstrated remarkable graciousness, acknowledging some felt his comments “either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.” He also singled out right-wingers who supported him “Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis, Candace Owens, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, even my old pal Ted Cruz”. He also complimented Erika Kirk. “That is an example we should follow. …A selfless act of grace: forgiveness from a grieving widow.” In other words, he was a class act—utterly unlike Trump.
Most critically, Kimmel pointed out other ongoing threats to the First Amendment (e.g., the Pentagon’s attempt to restrict coverage) and extolled the public’s effectiveness. “Thanks to [all] who supported our show, cared enough to do something about it, to make your voices heard so that mine could be heard.” He included a hopeful note: “Maybe the silver lining from this is we found one thing we can agree on, and maybe we’ll even find another one.”
Quoting Abraham Lincoln, former speaker Nancy Pelosi is fond of reminding us, “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.” We saw this week how quickly sentiment can be aroused, and how powerful it can be once it builds. When Americans were pushed, their intuitive sense of right and wrong and attachment to our basic rights came to the fore.
In sum, many undaunted defenders of free speech—Kimmel, other comedians, celebrities, Hollywood unions and the ACLU—rose to the occasion. But above all, the enormous power of collective action forced ABC to reinstate Kimmel. Americans’ willingness to wield their consumer power can be a powerful counterweight to tyrants and corporate enablers.
The Kimmel incident may mark a new phase in the democracy fight. Once they experience the exhilaration that victory through collective action can bring, previously unengaged Americans may appreciate their power and be inspired to join the pro-democracy movement. If so, then the Disney Boycott may go down as the 21st century version of the Boston Tea Party.
The modern day Sons and Daughters of Liberty deserve our praise and gratitude for their unbowed, undiminished, and unwavering devotion to freedom.
Two things stand out as obvious this morning. Number one: Trump and his mob must not allow an honest election next fall. Number two: Trump must control the military and get its support. He is managing a full court press, with initiatives throughout the Federal Government to cement his control. But all collapses without maintaining control through the fall election. Even actions of the Supreme Court not related to voting can be managed - by new cases or simply defiance, though there is no reason to expect Roberts to behave responsibly or rationally. If Trump loses both branches in the election, he is finished. So he must stop or steal them. All else is distraction, including the indictment of Comey.
There is no group in the US who has had their free speech rights attacked more than those who support Palestinian justice and autonomy.
The constant firings, doxings, de-platforming, and sometimes outright detainment and deportation of critics of Israel have provided a test ground for extending the attacks on free speech to progressives or critics of Trump in general. Far too few elected Democrats and media pundits have spoken out against this.
Since these attacks on free speech have been largely successful, we are now seeing an expansion of suppression. While the return of Jimmy Kimmel is certainly worth celebrating, the many who have lost their jobs and freedom for speaking out against apartheid and ethnic cleansing do not get the same level of attention or support.
These attacks on the speech of critics of Israel have continued, even the The Contrarian and most other US media have seemingly forgotten about the ongoing genocide in Gaza and extreme escalation of violence in the West Bank, after a but of focus this summer. Hopefully this will change.