After massive crowds at women's marches, what's next?
| NEW YORK and Washington
When Anna Afshar started seeing all the Facebook posts about the Women鈥檚 March on Washington last week, she was intrigued.
But when she arrived at her local protest in Indianapolis Saturday, she was shocked by the energy and turnout, and she left feeling newly inspired. About 5,000 people gathered with her in Indianapolis, joining an others who marched in the nation鈥檚 largest cities on Saturday, protesting the inauguration of Donald Trump the day before.
鈥淚 was amazed at the attendance, amazed at the turnout of our state, which is pretty conservative,鈥� says Ms. Afshar, an and mother who came to the United States 25 years ago from Russia and is married to a Muslim man. 鈥淓specially the speakers who spoke at the march, they inspired me to do more than just talk on Facebook with friends. Now I regret I didn鈥檛 take more time participating during the campaign.鈥�
Across the country, liberal-leaning Americans who attended Saturday鈥檚 marches are still buzzing, many talking about the exhilarating sense of solidarity they experienced 鈥� as well as newfound purpose to get more involved in politics.
鈥淚've been studying protest movements, digital and nondigital, for 20 years and I鈥檝e never seen anything like this,鈥� says David Karpf, an expert on the intersection of politics and Internet strategies at George Washington University in Washington. 鈥淪tarting on Facebook and then translating out, on such a short timescale, is quite incredible. It speaks to the genuine depths of anger people are feeling right now.鈥�
A tea party of the left?
It鈥檚 an anger that has infused recent liberal protest movements, from Occupy Wall Street in 2011 to Black Lives Matter to the presidential campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, to some extent.聽These movements have had varying levels of success, but nothing like the transformative political impact of the tea party and the push for Mr. Trump himself on the right.
The power of the conservative insurgency has come at the ballot box, both by toppling moderate Republican candidates in recent congressional races and by supercharging rural and working-class white voters during this past presidential election. To have the same influence, liberals would need to shift the electoral map as Republicans have done.
It鈥檚 not impossible. In many ways, President Obama flipped the map singlehandedly in 2008 and 2012, motivating young and minority voters to support him in unusually high numbers. Saturday suggested women voters could form the core of a nascent anti-Trump wave. The question now is whether liberals can maintain that momentum.
Some experts have their doubts. The strength of social media in driving Saturday鈥檚 stunning success might also signal a weakness.
In the civil rights movements of the past, protesters were galvanized by charismatic leaders and established organizations that focused on specific, easy-to-grasp issues. The current protests, however, often consciously reject hierarchy and top-down leadership models, instead insisting upon group consensus and emphasizing 鈥渋ntersectionality鈥� 鈥� or the inclusion of all marginalized and oppressed groups in every protest.
On Saturday, a day after the inauguration, the protests became an avenue for people of all different stripes to vent. But events without focus or leadership might not continue to work.
鈥淪ocial media has been a vital ingredient in fostering large scale, leaderless political organizing,鈥� says Aram Sinnreich, a communications professor at American University in Washington, citing Occupy and Black Lives Matter. 鈥淏ut I think ultimately there is a danger of any leaderless movement collapsing under its own weight.鈥�
Daunting task
But others say the movement could gain focus as the Trump administration acts.
鈥淕oing forward, the Trump administration will go from a thing we worry about, to a think that is actually happening in reality,鈥� says Professor Karpf of George Washington University. 鈥淭hat will clarify the agenda for the movement.鈥�
The tea party movement 鈥� originally seen as a libertarian, low-tax protest 鈥� eventually became the umbrella for a wider conservative populist rebellion against Obama.聽
In that way, Saturday鈥檚 protest might point to a similar counterrebellion on the left. The hope is for a mirror of the wave election of 2010 鈥� Obama鈥檚 first midterm 鈥� when Democrats lost 63 House seats and six Senate seats as the tea party reshaped Washington.
But the task ahead for liberals is daunting. Only eight of the 33 Senate seats up for election in 2018 are held by Republicans 鈥� meaning Democrats will be forced to defend more than attack. (In 2010, Democrats and Republicans were defending almost equal numbers of Senate seats.) And in 2018, only 23 House Republicans will have to face reelection in districts won by Hillary Clinton.
Beyond Congress, statehouses show Republicans鈥� recent domination of politics even more sharply. Republicans control twice as many statehouses as Democrats: 67 of the nation鈥檚 98 partisan legislatures and 31 governor鈥檚 mansions.
Political movements are often years in the making, many scholars say.
鈥淭he march on Washington in 1963 was the culmination of years of local activism, including civil disobedience, registering voters, protecting civil rights workers and voter education movements,鈥� said media scholar and activist Todd Gitlin . 鈥淥rganizations need to be ready to receive the protesters when they鈥檙e ready to take the next step. You need to be a full-service movement.鈥� 聽聽
'Now I'll tell them'
But some of Saturday鈥檚 marchers say they鈥檙e not likely to quiet down any time soon.
Marcia Pollard, who was at the Washington march, said she has long avoided talking politics at work. She has shied away from telling people she is in favor of abortion rights, for instance.
Not anymore.
鈥淵ou are your own boss,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know how I feel, and I am not going to be disrespectful of them, I鈥檒l just say 鈥業鈥檓 pro-choice.鈥� Now I鈥檒l tell them.鈥�
Others said Saturday鈥檚 march resonated because of the sense of community it generated 鈥� something they鈥檙e eager to feel more of.
鈥淚t was to protest in a way, but also a celebration of the freedoms we have,鈥� said Clarice Medrano, a writer from Alexandria, Va. 鈥淚 really enjoyed the overall message and everyone was exceptionally civil and organized, handing out food to each other. It was inspiring to be around people with that many people with the same values, to be at a march on that scale.鈥�
To Ms. Afshar, that size and encompassing feel of the rally was a positive point 鈥� not a drawback.
鈥淚 was a little skeptical going to the march because it was so focused on feminism,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he election of Trump is so much more than women鈥檚 rights.鈥�
鈥淏ut then [the march] surprised me with the speakers, and made me think forward and get involved,鈥� Afshar adds. 鈥淟ike my girlfriend messaged me, 鈥楲et鈥檚 stop complaining, let鈥檚 do something.鈥� 鈥�
