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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

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https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/11/autocracy-resistance-social-movement/684336/?gift=-RYyyhoVwMCBPkXbjlfIChQUnWp8K2soAPH5I8YJfsg&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Brooks, David. "America Needs a Mass Movement-Now." The Atlantic, October 14, 2025. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/11/autocracy-resistance-social-movement/684336/

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

He maintains that though Trumpism is dominant, history shows that the United States renews itself through cycles of cultural vision, social movement, and political reform.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Invoking Walt Whitman's vision of democracy as "life's gymnasium," Brooks ends with a call to rekindle America's dormant civic energy.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Brooks emphasizes that social movements triumph by shaping values and narratives through symbolic actions, not merely arguments. Nonviolent resistance, he concludes, remains the most effective and morally powerful way to confront authoritarianism.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

To succeed, an anti-MAGA movement must be broad-based, nonviolent, and strategic. It must create tension, heroes, and moral clarity - transforming passive citizens into active participants.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

A modern version, Brooks argues, must be economically progressive and culturally cohesive, combining urban progressivism and rural populism to rebuild faith in American institutions and restore social mobility.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

He proposes reviving the alliance between populists and progressives that defined the early 20th century, when figures from both movements united to curb corporate power, promote equality, and strengthen community.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Brooks asserts that opponents must craft a more compelling national story - one rooted in hope, opportunity, and social mobility, the traditional American ethos that values progress over resentment.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Trump expanded this narrative into an identity-based populism that claims to fight for the working class against institutions like universities and the media.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Brooks traces Trumpism's ideological roots to writers such as Christopher Lasch, whose "The Revolt of the Elites" framed elites as betrayers of ordinary Americans.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Defeating such a movement, he says, requires a counter-social movement built on a moral vision, not just electoral tactics.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

The crisis, Brooks writes, is not merely political but civilizational - a clash between democratic ideals and the global populist wave led by figures like Trump, Orbán, and Modi.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Despite clear abuses of power, Brooks observes a striking lack of collective resistance. Many business and academic leaders, intimidated by government retaliation, have chosen self-preservation over principle. This silence, he argues, breeds submission and moral decay.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Brooks warns that authoritarianism often advances gradually through institutional decay rather than sudden coups, and he portrays Trumpism as an effort to replace moral and legal order with greed, vengeance, and the cult of personality.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

He cites political scientists Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, who demonstrated that nonviolent resistance is often successful in defending democracy.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Drawing parallels to historic resistance movements in places such as the Philippines, South Africa, and Poland, Brooks insists that Americans must organize a civic uprising to counter the erosion of law, institutional integrity, and democratic values.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

Article summary:
In "America Needs a Mass Movement-Now," David Brooks contends that the United States faces a profound democratic crisis under Donald Trump's second administration.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

* Nonviolence, moral clarity, and a compelling vision of hope are essential to rebuild democracy.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

* Trumpism represents a cultural tide that replaces democratic virtue with vengeance and greed.
* A new American movement must combine progressives and populists around shared moral and social ideals.
* True change requires organizing, storytelling, and moral courage, not just elections.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

* Brooks argues that democracy in the United States is being eroded by Trump's authoritarian actions.
* Historical examples show that nonviolent civic movements can successfully counter autocracy.
* Fear and institutional self-interest have prevented a unified resistance movement.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 7h

AMERICA NEEDS A MASS MOVEMENT-NOW

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Summary sentence: David Brooks argues that to defend democracy from Trumpian authoritarianism, Americans must build a cross-class, nonviolent, values-based mass movement that can reshape the nation's moral and civic spirit.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 8h

Gramer, Robbie, and Ian Lovett. "Fresh From Middle East Victory, Trump Sets His Sights on Peace in Ukraine." The Wall Street Journal, October 13, 2025. www.wsj.com/world/trump-ukraine-russia-israel-hamas-peace-deal-19456632

Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 8h

Trump recently threatened Beijing with 100% tariffs over export controls but may still meet President Xi Jinping at the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea. Analysts suggest that persuading China to pressure Russia could prove decisive, though that remains an uncertain prospect.

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Bob Weeks @bobweeks.bsky.social · 8h

China's growing role as Russia's economic lifeline further complicates any potential peace initiative. Unlike the cooperative Middle Eastern states that supported the Gaza peace plan, China remains a strategic rival to the U.S.

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