Symbolic Resistance is Not Effective Opposition
“It’s still in our power to stop the destruction of our democracy with mass mobilization and effective opposition from elected officials”Senator Chris Murphy
This week, Senator Chris Murphy shared a report from the Senate floor, describing how Democrats tried to slow down a Republican plan to deliver massive tax cuts to billionaires and corporations. Their strategy? Flood the Senate process with dozens of amendments, forcing Republicans to vote them down one after another.
The effort was positioned as resistance — a way to put Republicans on the record and grind the process to a halt. But while I appreciate the desire to resist, I have to say it plainly: this strategy isn’t enough.
If we already know Republicans will oppose every amendment, why waste the opportunity on symbolic issues that don’t connect directly to what working families are about to lose?
It’s time to shift tactics. It’s time to make the stakes crystal clear to the American people.
Yes, protecting access to IVF is important. Yes, billionaire tax cuts are an outrage. But these aren’t the fights that hit most Americans hardest right now. Here’s what the Senate should have forced Republicans to vote against: keeping Medicaid coverage for sick children, protecting nursing home care for elderly parents and grandparents, and shielding working families from the rising costs of food, healthcare, and necessities due to tariffs and corporate profiteering.
These are the battles people feel in their everyday lives. These are the votes that would expose, in real time, who is fighting for the people and who is fighting for billionaires.
If you’re going to lose a vote anyway, make sure the loss reveals the cruelty behind it — in ways no working person can ignore.
Senator Murphy is right about one thing: mass mobilization is critical. But so is strategic, targeted opposition inside the halls of Congress. Symbolism alone won’t protect healthcare. Symbolism won’t stop seniors from being evicted from nursing homes. Symbolism won’t put food back on the table for families crushed by higher costs.
We need a real strategy — one that forces elected officials to confront the human cost of their decisions, not just the political optics.
This is a five-alarm fire. We don’t have years to fix this. We have months — maybe less. We need leaders who fight with urgency, clarity, and a laser focus on what matters most: protecting families, defending basic human dignity, and preserving democracy for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
We deserve more than symbolic resistance. We deserve leadership that understands what’s at stake and refuses to waste a single moment on anything less than full, fearless advocacy for the American people.
The next time our leaders step onto the Senate floor to resist, I hope they bring not just amendments — but a plan that forces the moral crisis into full view of the nation.
We’re ready to fight. We need them to be ready too.
