In choosing “No Kings” as the frame for protest, the Democratic Party leadership, as represented by Indivisible or 50501, is committing an act of mass distraction. We do not face a monarchy. we face contemporary capitalism. The corporation has merged with the state and rules us with a heavy hand.
It’s the dictatorship of big money at home and global military supremacy abroad. These are precisely the conditions that have encouraged fascism. In fact, the “leaders” of No Kings are doing Trump a big fat favor by hiding the SYSTEM that created him. They cannot help doing so because the Democrats are a foundational part of that system.
We are duty-bound not to follow but to lead. Engage people as your courage and capacity permits.
I’ll be attending with friends the Minneapolis “No Kings” march tomorrow, and one way that I’ll be engaging with my fellow attendees is via the sign that I’ll be carrying.
It’s actually a two-sided sign and its message speaks to Moser’s observations above. I made this sign for the June 14 “No Kings” event in St. Paul, and at the time noted the following.
My message seeks to acknowledge and convey a deeper awareness of what’s being protested. Yes, Donald Trump has clear authoritarian tendencies and is taking actions that are undermining and dismantling the democratic and humanitarian institutions of the U.S. This needs to be highlighted, resisted, and stopped. For the vast majority of people, this will be their message tomorrow. I support this message. Yet at the same time, many of us don’t see Trump himself as the sole or even primary problem; we see him as a symptom – an undeniably extreme and terrible one – of a deeper reality which for decades has undermined and made a mockery of democracy in this country.
I’m referring to the corrupting influence of corporate money, of special profit-obsessed interests. I’m talking about the corporate capture of our political system; the rise and devastating influence of a corporate aristocracy, an oligarchy to which both major parties bow.
Although such subservience benefits these parties’ coffers, it has proven profoundly detrimental to the well-being of their constituents, the environment, and democracy.
In choosing to appease their corporate donors at the expense of the needs of the people, both parties can be said to be oligarchic; both parties comprise a corporatist/oligarchic duopoly, the policies of which created the economic conditions of profound inequality that make the authoritarian populism of Trump so appealing to so many.
The oligarchy we’re up against is every bit as anti-democratic and thus un-American as any king. Indeed, it’s sadly accurate to say that in the U.S. “money rules,” that “money is king.”
“King” Trump could keel over tomorrow, but the kingship of the oligarchy would remain. It’s this “money is king” reality that I’ll be highlighting and protesting at the “No Kings” rally.
Over the last few weeks, much has been said and written about tomorrow's nationwide "No Kings" event. Following are some examples.
On the eve of our march, let’s speak plainly: this will not sway their hearts. Trump does not hear the cries of our cities. Troops already line our streets, and he vows to send more. They do not dread our voices – they have armored themselves against them.
So why rise?
Because some moments demand presence over triumph. The Germans convinced themselves resistance was useless, and their silence became complicity. Russians now kneel to Putin, persuaded that rebellion is a fool’s errand. We dare not drift into that same abyss.
We do not march for victory.
We march to keep our spirits unbroken.
We rise for love of country and of our true flag – not the idol they’ve drenched in venom, but the one we refuse to surrender: the banner of liberty, dissent, and the fierce right to refuse. That flag remains ours.
Win or perish, stand or shatter – silence is no option.
Let history etch this: we stood, unbowed.
– Bruce Fanger
via social media
October 17, 2023
via social media
October 17, 2023
You know Trump Republicans are worried when they slam a planned protest – more than a week before it occurs.
Last Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson described this coming Saturday’s No Kings rally as the “hate-America” rally that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.”
I’m sure these phrases have been distributed to senior Republicans by the White House. They’re all delivering the same lines.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) claims Democrats are refusing to vote to fund the government “to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold ... a hate-America rally” on Saturday.
So what is the White House worried about? Why are they trying to discredit the rally before it’s even occurred?
Because it’s likely to be even larger than the first No Kings rally – which was the largest demonstration against Trump since his return to the Oval Office.
And it will happen all over America, so it’s likely to generate a huge number of news clips on local television.
Trump’s power depends on maintaining the illusion that he’s all-powerful, and that most Americans (apart from those he and his lapdogs label “pro-Hamas,” “terrorists,” and “antifa”) adore him.
But that illusion is harder to maintain if a significant part of the population of every town and city is on the streets decrying him. The Emperor has no clothes.
Rather than it being a “hate-America” rally, Saturday’s rally is an opportunity for all of us who love America to express our determination that our nation’s ideals not be crushed by the Trump regime.
It’s a chance for us to publicly rededicate ourselves to democracy, the rule of law, equal protection under the law, and our rights to believe what we want, say what we want, and choose our leaders without fear of recrimination.
I urge you to participate.
The more MAGA tries to demonize this protest, the more people RSVP. That alone says everything about what’s at stake. If you’re attending a No Kings rally tomorrow, stay aware, stay peaceful, and look out for each other. Document everything, travel in pairs, and keep your phones charged. Movements built on truth and courage don’t need violence . . . they just need people who refuse to be silenced. Be careful out there tomorrow.
– Brent Molnar
via social media
October 17, 2023
via social media
October 17, 2023
There are those who are saying protest is somehow disloyal. That’s backwards. The shallow version of patriotism waves a flag without asking questions. The mature version changes the oil, checks the brakes, and makes sure the bus is safe for everybody – especially those who’ve been told to give up their seats for the “more deserving,” and head to the back (or get off entirely). "No Kings" is scheduled maintenance, not malice.
So, we bring our pride, our joy, our grief. We bring our voices and our ears. We bring our commitment to a democracy that protects the vulnerable first ... not last. Please understand, “No Kings” isn't a rejection of the nation’s promise but a recommitment to it. No idols in high office. No thrones in the living room. Just ordinary people choosing one another again.
That’s not hating America. That’s how you love it like a grown-up.
– Derek Penwell
via social media
October 17, 2023
via social media
October 17, 2023
And finally, here’s author and former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson’s thoughts on “No Kings Day 2.0” tomorrow.
Related Off-site Links:
Pro-Democracy Americans Gear Up for “No Kings” Day Nationwide – Brad Reed (Common Dreams, October 17, 2025).
Organizers of “No Kings” Protests Expect Millions of People to Join at Least 2,500 Rallies Nationwide – Democracy Now! (October 17, 2025).
Thousands Expected at Anti-Trump “No Kings” Rally in Downtown Minneapolis – Regina Medina (MPR News, October 17, 2025).
“No Kings” Rally Organizer: It’s “Quite Clear” Why Mike Johnson Is Attacking Our Protests – Jennifer Bendery and Arthur Delaney (The Huffington Post, October 17, 2025).
No to Kings, Yes to Democracy – Rob Okun (Common Dreams, October 16, 2025).
“No Kings” Protest Organizers Aren’t Afraid of Trump’s Court Jesters – Nikki McCann Ramirez (Rolling Stone, October 16, 2025).
Karoline Leavitt’s “Incredibly Dangerous” Rant About Democrats Draws Instant Backlash – Lee Moran (The Huffington Post, October 16, 2025).
Americans Are Fed Up with the Corrupt and Feckless Trump Administration – Edwin Eisendrath (Lincoln Square, October 15, 2025).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• “No Kings”? Absolutely. But Also “No Oligarchy”
• Bruce Fanger on Jesus’s Theology of No Kings
• “Protesting Is What Patriotism Looks Like in Public”: The “No Kings” Protests of June 14, 2025
• Norman Solomon: Quote of the Day – June 16, 2025
• Peter Bloom: Quote of the Day – June 10, 2025
• Ted Rall on What It Means to Be a Leftist in 2025
• Butch Ware on His Run for California Governor and the Wider Goal of Disrupting the Duopoly
• Eric Fernández: Quote of the Day – May 14, 2025
• Progressive Perspectives on Bernie Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour
• Why the Democratic Party Is Not Going to Save Us From Fascism
• An Opportunity for Organizing Against Duopoly
• Building Solidarity on the Left
• “It Is Our Responsibility to Make a Third Party Viable”
• “The Moment Is Ripe”: Butch Ware on Building a “True Oppositional Alternative” to the Duopoly
• Democrat Talk on the Eve of Trump’s Return
• Breaking the Mold: Why Progressives Should Push for Marianne Williamson to Lead the DNC
• Inauguration Day Thoughts
• The Green Party’s Jill Stein and Butch Ware Give Their First Post-Election Interview
• Progressive Perspectives on Where Democrats Went Wrong in the 2024 Election
• “A New Chapter of the Democratic Party Needs to Begin”
• What the Republican Party Now Stands For
• The Lamentable Legacy of the Biden Administration
• Jill Stein: “We Give Reasons for People to Come Out and Vote”
• We’re Witnessing a Liberal Meltdown Over Jill Stein
• Butch Ware: “You Can Actually Vote Your Conscience”
• Peter Bloom on the Unmasking of the “Democratic Charade”
• The “Green Smoothie” Option
• Green Party Vice Presidential Candidate Butch Ware in Minneapolis
• When Democrats Undermine Democracy
• Elise Labott on How Third Parties Can Revitalize Democracy
• Something to Think About – August 15, 2024
• Centrist/Corporatist Democrats Have Just Launched “Left Punching” Season
• “Americans Deserve Choices”: Jill Stein on Breaking Points – 4/30/24
• AOC Falls in Line
• The Cassandra of U.S. Politics on the “True State of the Union”
• Will Democrats Never Learn?
• “The Next Step Is a Green Step”: Cornel West Endorses Jill Stein (2016)
• Hope Over Fear: Voting Green