We're NOT Doomed: Feb 4, 2026
Don't forget about state and local government!
Yesterday I made a post about how it’s not about if YOU vote in every election, contact your elected officials every time there’s a vote and attend protests, it has to be everyone.
So if you’re doing all those things, there’s not actually other calls to action, you’re doing all of them.
But, as someone helpfully commented, that’s not exactly true.
I mean, it is. You alone doing these things is great, but change comes when it’s a movement. 3.5% is the number we’re always given, and I hate to break it to you, we’re still not there.
But actually, there IS more you can do. So here’s a non exhaustive list:
Join a phone bank. Not for elections but for contacting your electeds. It’s something Indivisible and the DNC and a handful of other groups around the country started last year.
Usually you can directly patch them through to their member of congress, and get them to do what you’re already doing. We need more people making those calls, not just you more frequently, so this is a great way to make that happen.
Attend a local Democratic party meeting. That’s how you have the most say in what your local party does. Anyone who votes the entire ballot uses organizational endorsements to determine who to vote for in a primary. Be part of that decision.
You will also be part of deciding what issues your community cares about, and remember, all politics is local, so what your local community is doing matters more than you know.
That’s also how to find out where there’s door to door canvasing for elections that might not be getting national attention
Run for office. Not federal, but something local. School board or city council, maybe even neighborhood treasurer. You can make such an impact at the lower levels of government, and Democrats didn’t take that so seriously for many years, so Republicans took over in so many places they had no right to. We’re paying attention now. Use that momentum.
Organize local events. My mom decided there needs to be a protest closer to her house, so she made one. There is now a protest about three blocks away every Thursday. The first day it went up on Mobilize? 40 people showed up. The week before there were literally 3.
Instead of screaming WHAT DO WE DO? into the void, just do something. If you don’t think you’re doing enough, and you have the time, then do more. And if it’s about the idea that you want an instant change, like one made with a magic wand, well, you’ll be waiting forever for that.
California
Mon, Jan 26 - California lawmakers are trying everything they can the protect Americans and punish ICE, and a new one was just introduced. Assembly member Avila Farias introduced “Misconduct Ends Law-Enforcement Trust” (MELT) ICE Act of 2026.
It would ban ICE agents from becoming educators or law enforcement within California.
In a statement, Rep Farias said:
California’s peace officers and teachers must be guardians of constitutional rights, not participants in their erosion…When those values are abandoned, public trust is broken, and communities are put at risk…When Californians interact with a peace officer or a teacher, they deserve to know that person respects the Constitution, the dignity of every individual, and the limits of their power.
I wish I could say I know for sure that this bill, which will likely sail through the California Legislature could pass legal muster, but I don’t. It could very well be seen as discrimination, which is messed up, but it’s our reality.
But the reason I feel less Doomed learning this story is because our Democrats, across the entire country just keep trying things. They refuse to take no for an answer. They look for creative loopholes and keep trying.
LAPD has already said they’re not going to enforce the new law that requires all law enforcement to be unmasked (which makes me irrationally angry but that’s beside the point), so the CA legislature is trying something else.
We have to keep trying. Giving up is not an option, and Rep Farias is showing that.
Denmark
Sat, Jan 31 - A week ago, the US embassy in Copenhagen removed the flags honoring the 44 Danes who were killed in Afghanistan fighting with US troops. Danish veterans were outraged. So they planned a demonstration called #NoWords. They expected well over 1,000 people to participate in the silent march.
Instead they got 8-10,000.
Veteran, Colonel Soren Knudsen, deputy president of the Danish Veterans Association said:
The demonstration is called #NoWords because that really describes how we feel. We have no words. Obviously, we also want to tell Americans that what Trump said is an insult to us and the values that we defended together.
It’s scary being an American right now, for so many reasons. But seeing a demonstration like this helps me feel less Doomed.
What’s happening in this country is getting international disgust and we are not fighting against this regime alone.
And maybe this message will change some hearts and minds. You never know.
New Mexico
YESTERDAY - The Immigrant Safety Act is headed to Governor Michelle Grisham’s desk. The bill will ban all local governments and law enforcement from working with ICE as well as ban any public land from becoming a detention facility.
Carla Law of ACLU New Mexico said:
Today is a historic victory for immigrant families across New Mexico. Our state has always been a place where we take care of our neighbors and stand up for what’s right, no matter the pressure from Washington. Governor Lujan Grisham has the opportunity to cement that legacy – to be the leader who said New Mexico won’t be bullied by the Trump administration’s campaign of virulent racism and violence against our immigrant communities.
The Governor has already expressed support of the bill, so it should swiftly be signed into law. Hopefully other blue states will follow suit, we’ve already seen it in local governments across the country, but it’s so hopeful seeing it from a state at large
As with California, bills like this make me feel less Doomed, and even moreso because this bill is one step from becoming law!
So those are some stories that hopefully remind you that We’re NOT Doomed.
Remember, our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
I am going to my Town Council meeting tonight!
This is a great read!! Thanks for some new ideas and some motivation to shake it up!