Guide for the Perplexed

Bob Berg was senior advisor to four major UN agencies. Vivian Derryck headed the Africa program at USAID.  Both have led a number of national and international non-profits.

Bob Berg & Vivian Derryck - So many good people, liberals and conservatives, are outraged and shocked by the tidal wave of illegal and cruel acts being perpetrated by the MAGA government which has come to Washington to “clean out the swamp,” but which fails to see in the mirror that they are the swamp.  They are flagrantly launching ways of enhancing their personal wealth while in office.  They act like corner bullies, coercing actions with brutal political and personal consequences when they are disobeyed.  They are destroying the goodwill of relations with the Federal Government at home and with the whole nation’s relations abroad with forceful actions that are so unusual that are undemocratic and often unconstitutional.

The attacks on Constitutional governance and on the well-being (and survival) of so many millions of people here and abroad are so widespread that there is no one response.  Instead, a set of relevant courses of action is needed.  This note is intended to share ideas on ways citizens can respond to our national crisis.  We can start by recalling past ways of making a difference, and thinking of possible new ways of action in these very difficult times.  I hope this is the start of comparing notes a readership loaded with talent, so that over the next weeks a strong set of options for action can be circulated in these and other pages.  In rough order of importance here are some suggestions:

1.    Our elected representatives need to show their patriotism by being particularly courageous.  Nothing motivates them more than being pushed by their constituents.  National politicians need to be reminded that they are there to legislate and direct…and if necessary demand…that the executive carry out their legislation.  Urge your representatives to get their act together.  Remind them why you elected them.

Local officials need to be urged that they should not carry out illegal directives from this President.

Questions: which national association(s) of political leaders are the best bets to effectively foster courage against the new swamp?  Where can our monetary contributions be most effective?

2.    Law suits can be effective.  Among groups to support (which often work together) are:

n  The ACLU, to defend human rights and to prosecute a range of public interests, all with opportunities for citizen activism.

n  The Brennan Center, to defend constitutional rights, with a strong record of protecting voting rights.

n  Southern Poverty Law Center, to actively defend civil rights at a time the Administration has attacked all DEI issues, already with adverse effects on women and minorities.

In this, as in other topics in this paper, one knows one is against well organized MAGA groups.  For example, Judicial Watch, a group that has helped bring a ton of conservative judges into the Federal legal system, plans to continue 18 major lawsuits and to file 133 additional suits in 2025.  The anti-MAGA legal strategy must match and exceed this level of activism.

Question: does the association linking the better state attorney generals need support?

3.    Civil Society leaders need to speak out. 

n  Leaders of religion need to stand up on issues of fairness, compassion and the need for strong moral backbones.  Some main line religious leaders are already speaking up.  Most others and evangelical leaders have almost all been silent.  What can be done to encourage religious leaders to speak out individually and across faith lines?

n  Leaders of business must speak up for sensible and fair economic policies.  Their silence and kowtowing to Trump is disgraceful and they need to be urged to act for the longer-term interests of their customers, shareholders and country.

So: we should urge such leaders to put their patriotism and pride to work now to preserve our democracy and Constitution.

4.    News services (newspapers and other mass media) need to be reminded of their responsibilities to tell the truth, particularly on big issues.

n  Mainline newspapers and services are slipping at a time when courage is required.  Remind the country’s top editors in publications like the NY Times, Washington Post and LA Times, to do their duty to the public and not to keep toning down the real news.

n   Urge local papers that now mainly cover local news to cover what’s happening nationally to the rule of law and how bad national policies impact their areas. 

n  Some media call out Administration lies by reporting the truth.  This should become standard practice in all media.  Can press and other media associations be effectively called upon to stress this amongst their members?

 

5.    Groups that can muster public demonstrations against MAGA policies need to be encouraged.  Anywhere Trump travels there should be demonstrations against his programs and policies.  The White House should be a special target for noisy demonstrations…just as they were during Watergate, which drove Nixon to distraction. 

n  Move-on and similar gutsy groups should be encouraged and supported in doing this.

6.    The Administration says they are against the concentration of economic power, but their unelected co-vice president, Elon Musk, has become an ever-larger mogul of mass communications (60% of the world’s satellites, X, perhaps Tic Toc) with no oversight.  He is pro neo-Nazi and anti-DEI. 

My Dad was on the commission for governmental efficiency established by Dwight Eisenhower and chaired by Herbert Hoover. They humanely saved government a lot of money.  Finding ways to save money and improve services can be done, but not with the meat-axe way of Musk.

Question: how can Musk’s influence on media and government be shrunk?

7.     Of great longer-term significance: the liberal and centrist cores of the political parties must foster new generations of political leadership.  Current leaders must be convinced that their constituents are judging them on this issue.  Democrats and Centrist Republicans should be urged to have sharper and more strategic messaging.

8.    A national clearing house is needed to collect the stories of how citizens have best helped restore sanity to decision making.  Also needed is sharing stories on ways of limiting the damage being done daily by the MAGA government.  This will help encourage others that effective actions by the liberal and centrists can still be done.

Finally, we all are facing a dilemma in our individual charity.  Non-profits are now and will much more be sorely pressed by the shrinkage or elimination of socially beneficial programs at home and abroad.  At the same time effectively helping strategic actions against MAGA governance will call for a lot of additional support to groups like those mentioned above.  All of us will be pressed to give more charity this year and next through donations and volunteerism.  For example, the cut-off of foreign aid has created urgent needs to help US humanitarian organizations to maintain their life-saving programs abroad.  As we individually help on such matters, there will postponed new cars and other sacrifices.  People of wealth, especially, should step up as never before in support of the peoples of their country who will be facing major new requirements for compassion and political recovery.  And the wealthy have a special ability to kick-start and maintain the kind of political actions recommended in this note. The last time there was such urgency for citizens to do extraordinary things to support and save our democracy was during World War II.

Buckle up.