I went to the “Hands Off” rally in Tucson today, Saturday, April 5, that was part of a nationwide protest against the Trump administration and its policies. Maybe I should have written the “Trumusk” Administration; Elon Musk appears to have as much sway as Trump himself, firing federal workers  left, right, and center, in the name of streamlining government.  One protestor’s sign struck my eye: it showed Musk (a South African by birth) delivering what appears to be a stiff-armed Nazi salute, and the message, “THERE’S ONY ONE IMMIGRANT TAKING AMERICAN JOBS AWAY.

The rally was one of hundreds across the nation, organized by Indivisible and MoveOn.org. Estimates are that this movement drew at least half a million people.

The scale of the Tucson demonstration was impressive. People were marching for blocks, on both sides of the street, in the neighborhood of Reid Park. My off-the-cuff guess is that 10,000 people showed up for the event, and they represented every age above, say, ten. I saw one man, who appeared to be in his eighties, in a wheelchair. A monitor told me that about 2,000 had signed up, as I did, but that represented only a fraction of the total. They carried signs, of course, and many of the messages were aimed at Musk. I’d say criticisms of him almost equalled those directed at his (political) boss.The same goes for the chants, of the “Hey-ho, Trump and Musk have got to go” variety. Drivers passing by on Alvernon Way and 22d Street, honked horns to express solidarity. Sometimes you had to shout to make yourself heard above the cacophony.

The atmosphere was festive rather than angry, though anger was evident in the signs and chants. I found it bracing. The Democratic Party, moderates as well progressives, has been quiescent in the wake of Trump’s victory in the 2024 race. Now, it’s waking up to the dangers he and his cronies pose to American democracy. His administration is pushing the United States ever closer to right-wing authoritarianism. A lot of the signs called for “King Donald’ to be deposed.

But…You expected a ‘but’ I’ll bet…protests and marches and rallies, no matter how large, are not going to change the course Trump & Company, are on. I’ve seen this before, going back to anti-war demonstrations in the 60s. Reversing that course is going to require legislators to rise up in the Congress, it’s going to require the election of opposition politicians to local and state as well as federal offices, and changes of heart in many of people who either sat things out in 2024, or voted for Trump, under the delusion that he is anything but a would-be autocrat, a convicted criminal, a man whose primary, indeed, his only, loyalty is to himself and a few billionaires. I’ve seen my share of turmoil in my 83 years, but I have never felt as concerned about where this great country is going as I am today

Oh, and by the way, I’m not letting the Democrats off the hook. The party’s obsession with fringe issues, as opposed to the economy and immigration (to name two), its habit of lecturing rather than persuading, share in the condition in which we now find ourselves. It’s past time, way past time, for all who love democracy to wake up and return to solving the problems that concern ordinary citizens

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