No Kings Has a New Plan to Stop Trump
Summary
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, discusses the upcoming "No Kings" protest on October 17th, which focuses on boosting early voting turnout and recruiting election defenders to counter potential sabotage. He argues that record turnout is essential to make the election "too big to rig" and to counter authoritarian efforts to suppress the vote. Levin also outlines a post-election strategy for Democrats, emphasizing an aggressive accountability agenda and legislative hardball to reinstate democratic norms.
Topics discussed
Introduction: The stakes of the midterm early vote
Context: Indivisible and the No Kings movement
Guest introduction and the call for collective power
Why No Kings 4 focuses on early voting
The history and growth of the No Kings protests
Goal: Making democracy reassert itself through turnout
On-the-ground details of the 3,000+ events
Grassroots organization and local mobilization
Expectations for turnout and margins of victory
Strategy: Making the election too big to rig
No Kings as an anti-election sabotage effort
Bipartisan and geographically diverse coalition
Key issues: ICE, gas prices, and local anger
Corruption as a driving force for voters
Messaging: Combining affordability and accountability
Potential sabotage tactics and countermeasures
Preparing for post-election subversion efforts
The importance of large margins to prevent fraud claims
Texas politics: Backfiring of Trump's tactics
Demobilization of Trump supporters and signs
Maintaining vigilance despite positive polls
Post-election agenda: Accountability and change
Scope of accountability: Collaborators and elites
Investigating corporate leaders and tech CEOs
Democratic vision for 2027-2028
Legislative strategy: Filibuster and economic justice
Voter demand for fighters, not folders
Indivisible endorsements and primary challenges
Warning to Democrats facing 2028 reelection
The necessity of mass-scale organizing
Beyond voting: Continuous civic engagement
Pressuring Congress and building the Third Reconstruction
Global context: Authoritarianism worldwide
The challenge to 21st-century democracy
Civic disengagement and the rise of tech tycoons
Breaking the cycle of authoritarian wins
The danger of voter apathy and disappointment
Investing in local political institutions
The value of in-person community dialogue
Call to action for October 17th
Lightning round: What makes you happy and angry
Lightning round: Relaxation and comparison to Hunter Biden
Lightning round: Admiration for John Lewis
Closing thoughts on grassroots work and optimism
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