Weekly Watch: Two Tracks, One Fight
They're breaking everything faster than we can build. If you feel overwhelmed, you’re not alone. We are watching institutions rot out from the inside while the facade still stands. Courts once counted on to slow the worst excesses now greenlight them. State legislatures are steamrolling rights. Media platforms amplify the liars while smothering dissent. Whole states are turning into laboratories for authoritarian control. And the speed of it all—the relentless pace—is not an accident. It's the strategy.
The MAGA movement is counting on us to burn out. They expect us to stay reactive, lurching from one outrage to the next, exhausted and confused. They are building a future. And we are just trying to stop the bleeding.
This is the hard truth: there is no single lever to pull that stops the destruction and plants something better in its place overnight. There is no magical moment of justice, no cavalry on the horizon. What we’re in now isn’t a movie. It’s a grind. And it requires a different kind of resistance—one that moves on two tracks:
Track One: Urgent Disruption
This is the frontline work. Urgent disruption means doing what we can—right now—to slow the march toward authoritarianism. It’s the protests, the lawsuits, the whistleblowers, the watchdogs, the FOIA requests, the investigative journalism, the organizing, the boycotts, the walkouts, the marches, the pressure campaigns.
It’s pushing back on dangerous nominees, showing up at school board meetings, challenging book bans, spotlighting corruption, and calling out propaganda. It’s taking to the streets when laws are passed that harm us, harm others, or take away our rights. It’s showing the country—and the world—that we’re still here and we’re not going quietly.
Disruption is messy. It’s imperfect. It rarely feels like it’s enough. But it buys us time. It exposes what they’re doing. It forces media attention. It builds momentum. And it reminds each other that we are not alone.
“We’re not here to maintain a system that was built to oppress us. We’re here to shut it down, and build something better.” — Lisa Fithian, protest consultant and author of Shut It Down
“The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day; a movement is only people moving.” — Gloria Steinem (as quoted by Tawana Petty in a 2020 organizing webinar)
The problem? Disruption alone doesn’t build anything lasting. It wears people out. It can’t always be sustained. It’s essential—but it’s only half the work.
Track Two: Long Game Building
This is the work that doesn’t make headlines. It’s not flashy. It’s not fast. It’s slow, quiet, and strategic. But it’s what makes resistance sustainable.
Long game building means creating the infrastructure that will survive this storm and help rebuild on the other side. It’s mentoring candidates and preparing them to run. It’s growing local media. It’s organizing unions. It’s forming coalitions. It’s building watchdog groups and mutual aid networks and court challenges that may take years but lay the groundwork for change.
It’s teaching civics and history. It’s building up trusted messengers. It’s reshaping our information ecosystems. It’s helping people understand what authoritarianism is before it’s too late. It’s working on policy even when the odds are long. It’s supporting litigation that slows the damage. It’s fighting for small wins in forgotten places.
It’s giving people something to believe in. Something to join.
“Everything we do should be about building relationships and creating new ways of being together—because that’s what sustains us through the fight.” — Mariame Kaba, prison abolitionist and co-author of Let This Radicalize You
“Data justice is not just about what’s done to us. It’s about what we do together, in community, to make sure no one gets left behind.” — Tawana Petty, Executive Director of Petty Propolis
And it means taking care of each other—mentally, emotionally, financially. We cannot build a democratic future if our people are burned out, broken, or barely surviving. Sustainability is not a luxury. It is part of the resistance.
The Two Tracks Must Work Together
If we only disrupt, we stay in emergency mode and never build power. If we only build, we risk losing the very ability to act freely before our work is done. That’s the tension. That’s the challenge. We have to move on both tracks.
One without the other will fail.
And that’s where Take Action Now comes in. Everything we do is shaped by this two-track strategy. We track authoritarian moves and offer actions to disrupt. But we also spotlight people and projects building something stronger for the long term. We help you see the full picture—and give you ways to plug in.
This week, ask yourself:
What is one disruption I can support—right now?
What is one long game strategy I can contribute to?
Who do I know that’s doing this work—and how can I support them?
What would help me stay in this fight long enough to make a difference?
Because that’s the real goal here: staying in the fight. Not just for the next election cycle. Not just for the next Supreme Court decision. For the future.
So no, there’s no single lever. But there is a path. And it’s ours to walk.
Track one. Track two. One fight.
Action of the Week: Start or join a local watch group with a two-track mission. Commit to both tracking and disrupting authoritarian moves in your area and identifying ways to build long-term local resilience—whether that’s growing independent media, supporting civic education, or forming mutual aid networks. You don’t need a big team. Just start with two people. Keep it focused. Keep it steady.
Suggested Reading:
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
Blueprint for Revolution by Srdja Popovic
The View from Flyover Country by Sarah Kendzior
We Are Indivisible by Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin
Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba
Shut It Down by Lisa Fithian