As you know, I so agree with you on many levels of this. But I have a little personal story that is opening my mind to what is possible. I went to Plymouth to meet my daughter's soon to be mother in law for the first time. A lovely woman - we instantly connected. She lives in central Florida and is not very involved in her community. Never having done anything like this, she attended the protest with us at Plymouth Rock with an open heart and mind. She was inspired by the whole experience. We talked about how other forms of activism and community involvement are happening as a result. She expressed a desire to look into groups back home in her own community. Maybe she will, maybe she won't but seeds are being planted. I want to believe that underneath the "performative" piece of this is a building of a new foundation and shift in consciousness even if it happens one person at a time.
I believe we need an “everything everywhere all at once” strategy and the No Kings rallies are just one “thing” in the mix.
For people in red areas, it’s helpful to see that you’re not alone and that there are many like minded people. For those who are already engaged, it’s a pep rally to keep up resisting. It’s a public way to take back the flag and be patriotic. It shows businesses, civil servants, and even elected officials that there are massive numbers of people who are not OK with what this administration is doing, which may give them some strength to stand up and do what’s right too.
People often compare today’s US to 1930s Germany, and for sure there are a lot of disturbing similarities. But one big difference is there weren’t any massive protests against Germany’s move to authoritarianism back then. Of course, they didn’t have the means of communication that we have today.
It’s important to acknowledge that the numbers are even bigger than the 7M+ people who were physically holding signs and waving flags. There were probably millions more who drove by honking and waving, or who cheered along quietly inside because they felt personally unsafe joining in themselves (which itself is heartbreaking).
Silence is complicity, so for that reason alone these protests are important.
Lastly, for those who signed up for their local protest, they’re receiving frequent emails and/or texts with other actions and next steps to continue to resist and throw sand in the cogs in the gears grinding deeper and deeper into authoritarianism.
I hear you but do not agree. Here is AI’s answer.. and the things you listed are not changing what is happening. We are running out of time. You’re right to question that — and the data back you up. Political scientists and movement historians consistently find that episodic protests — those that occur only every few months, without sustained local follow-through — rarely produce tangible outcomes. Here’s what the research and recent reporting say:
Momentum fades between rallies. Social-movement analysis (Harvard’s Erica Chenoweth, George Mason’s Mark Lichbach) shows that what drives impact is persistence — small, continuous acts that build pressure. When protests are spaced 90 days apart, participants return to normal life, networks go dormant, and media attention evaporates. The moral energy leaks out before it can be converted into policy leverage.
No organizing infrastructure. The “No Kings” events have huge turnout days but little evidence of sustained organizing afterward — no coordinated local meetings, candidate recruitment, or targeted campaigns. Movements like civil rights, labor, or marriage equality succeeded because they had permanent local structures that linked protest to legislation, lawsuits, or elections.
Power isn’t threatened. Policymakers act when their position, funding, or re-election is at risk. Marching every quarter without tying attendance to voter registration, boycotts, or legislative lobbying creates visibility but not pressure. The administration and Congress have learned they can ride out the outrage cycle.
Public fatigue sets in. Media attention diminishes with repetition. A first march dominates headlines; by the third or fourth, it’s background noise. Without escalation or new tactics, even sympathetic coverage turns into “another weekend of protest.”
No measurable outcomes yet. There’s no record of a single policy reversal, investigation, or court decision directly resulting from No Kings rallies. The issues they highlight — executive power, rule of law, military overreach — remain unchanged, and polling shows no significant public-opinion shift since the first rallies in June.
So your instinct is correct: quarterly protests create catharsis, not change. They help participants feel united and visible, but they don’t alter the power equation. Real impact usually comes when protest energy becomes infrastructure — voter drives, lawsuits, candidate challenges, or economic leverage. Without that conversion, “doing something” is mostly a ritual of self-soothing, not strategy.
As you know, I so agree with you on many levels of this. But I have a little personal story that is opening my mind to what is possible. I went to Plymouth to meet my daughter's soon to be mother in law for the first time. A lovely woman - we instantly connected. She lives in central Florida and is not very involved in her community. Never having done anything like this, she attended the protest with us at Plymouth Rock with an open heart and mind. She was inspired by the whole experience. We talked about how other forms of activism and community involvement are happening as a result. She expressed a desire to look into groups back home in her own community. Maybe she will, maybe she won't but seeds are being planted. I want to believe that underneath the "performative" piece of this is a building of a new foundation and shift in consciousness even if it happens one person at a time.
I believe we need an “everything everywhere all at once” strategy and the No Kings rallies are just one “thing” in the mix.
For people in red areas, it’s helpful to see that you’re not alone and that there are many like minded people. For those who are already engaged, it’s a pep rally to keep up resisting. It’s a public way to take back the flag and be patriotic. It shows businesses, civil servants, and even elected officials that there are massive numbers of people who are not OK with what this administration is doing, which may give them some strength to stand up and do what’s right too.
People often compare today’s US to 1930s Germany, and for sure there are a lot of disturbing similarities. But one big difference is there weren’t any massive protests against Germany’s move to authoritarianism back then. Of course, they didn’t have the means of communication that we have today.
It’s important to acknowledge that the numbers are even bigger than the 7M+ people who were physically holding signs and waving flags. There were probably millions more who drove by honking and waving, or who cheered along quietly inside because they felt personally unsafe joining in themselves (which itself is heartbreaking).
Silence is complicity, so for that reason alone these protests are important.
Lastly, for those who signed up for their local protest, they’re receiving frequent emails and/or texts with other actions and next steps to continue to resist and throw sand in the cogs in the gears grinding deeper and deeper into authoritarianism.
I hear you but do not agree. Here is AI’s answer.. and the things you listed are not changing what is happening. We are running out of time. You’re right to question that — and the data back you up. Political scientists and movement historians consistently find that episodic protests — those that occur only every few months, without sustained local follow-through — rarely produce tangible outcomes. Here’s what the research and recent reporting say:
Momentum fades between rallies. Social-movement analysis (Harvard’s Erica Chenoweth, George Mason’s Mark Lichbach) shows that what drives impact is persistence — small, continuous acts that build pressure. When protests are spaced 90 days apart, participants return to normal life, networks go dormant, and media attention evaporates. The moral energy leaks out before it can be converted into policy leverage.
No organizing infrastructure. The “No Kings” events have huge turnout days but little evidence of sustained organizing afterward — no coordinated local meetings, candidate recruitment, or targeted campaigns. Movements like civil rights, labor, or marriage equality succeeded because they had permanent local structures that linked protest to legislation, lawsuits, or elections.
Power isn’t threatened. Policymakers act when their position, funding, or re-election is at risk. Marching every quarter without tying attendance to voter registration, boycotts, or legislative lobbying creates visibility but not pressure. The administration and Congress have learned they can ride out the outrage cycle.
Public fatigue sets in. Media attention diminishes with repetition. A first march dominates headlines; by the third or fourth, it’s background noise. Without escalation or new tactics, even sympathetic coverage turns into “another weekend of protest.”
No measurable outcomes yet. There’s no record of a single policy reversal, investigation, or court decision directly resulting from No Kings rallies. The issues they highlight — executive power, rule of law, military overreach — remain unchanged, and polling shows no significant public-opinion shift since the first rallies in June.
So your instinct is correct: quarterly protests create catharsis, not change. They help participants feel united and visible, but they don’t alter the power equation. Real impact usually comes when protest energy becomes infrastructure — voter drives, lawsuits, candidate challenges, or economic leverage. Without that conversion, “doing something” is mostly a ritual of self-soothing, not strategy.
Yup!!! CONTRIBUTE in specific ways!