An Indivisible Democratic Tea Party

Published February 13, 2017 at 9:00 AM CST

Protesters march from Lafayette Park near the White House in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

This broadcast is a part of the#OnPoint100 Day Spotlight.

Democrats take a page from the Tea Party, as grassroots resistance to President Trump grows. We’ll look at the movement.

There were plenty of digs at President Trump at last night’s Grammy Awards. And A Tribe Called Quest full on chanting for resistance. But Hollywood doesn’t win elections or stop policies — people do. Right now a lot of Democrats are looking to what may seem an unlikely model: the Tea Party. It roared to life in opposition to Barack Obama. Now progressives are taking a Tea Party page to Donald Trump. Will it work for the left? This hour On Point, we’ll ask them. And we’ll ask the Tea Party. — Tom Ashbrook

Guests

Ezra Levin, president of the board of Indivisible, a grassroots political organization. Also author of the group’s guide to resisting President Donald Trump’s agenda. (@ezralevin)

John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation. (@NicholsUprising)

Vanessa Williamson, fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution. Co-author, with Theda Skocpol, of the book, “The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism.” (@V_Williamson)

Taylor Budowich, executive director of the grassroots political organization, the Tea Party Express. (@taylorbudowich)

From Tom’s Reading List

Associated Press: For Trump, a solitary start to life in the White House — “Around 6:30 each evening, Secret Service agents gather in the dim hallways of the West Wing to escort Donald Trump home.For some presidents, the short walk between the Oval Office and the White House residence upstairs is a lifeline to family and a semblance of normal life. Others have used the grand residence for late night entertaining and deal-making with lawmakers. For Trump, life in the White House residence is so far a largely solitary existence.”

New York Times: To Stop Trump, Democrats Can Learn From the Tea Party — “The Tea Party’s ideas were wrong, and their often racist rhetoric and physical threats were unacceptable. But they understood how to wield political power and made two critical strategic decisions. First, they organized locally, focusing on their own members of Congress. Second, they played defense, sticking together to aggressively resist anything with President Obama’s support. With this playbook, they rattled our elected officials, targeting Democrats and Republicans alike.”

POLITICO: Inside the protest movement that has Republicans reeling — “The group isn’t planning to limit itself to the town-hall resistance to repealing Obamacare that it’s becoming known for. Indivisible has marshaled demonstrations against Trump’s Cabinet nominees and his immigration order, and it’s partnering with the organizers of the Jan. 21 Women’s March for a new action next week.”