The main event, organized by the left-wing advocacy group MoveOn, will happen at the National Mall. A progressive media company called MeidasTouch will livestream the rally, dubbed the “People’s State of the Union.” A dozen or so Democratic lawmakers will reportedly speak with people “who have been negatively affected by Mr. Trump’s economic and health care policies, as well as federal workers who lost their jobs and immigrants who have been targeted by the Trump administration,” explained The New York Times.
According to a press release, the list of speakers includes Sens. Ed Markey (MA), Chris Murphy (CT), and Chris Van Hollen (MD), as well as Reps. Pramila Jayapal (WA), Delia Ramirez (IL), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ). Oh, and the attendees will also have the pleasure of listening to former MSNBC host Joy Reid, who will run the event with another liberal commentator, Katie Phang, known for her eponymous show on MSNBC, which the network canceled last year.
A handful of Democrats will attend a separate counter event at the National Press Club, titled “State of the Swamp.” This one is hosted by DEFIANCE.org and the Portland Frog Brigade (catchy name, no?), both liberal advocacy groups. The event is “not a protest or watch party,” said DEFIANCE.org co-founder Miles Taylor in a statement. “It’s a live, public rebuttal — grounded in facts, accountability, and action.”
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is taking a different route: In a livestream, she will deliver the Democratic Party’s official response to Trump’s speech and lay out “what these Americans expect and deserve — leaders who are working hard to deliver for them.” California Sen. Alex Padilla will give the party’s Spanish language response, because, as the senator said in a statement on Thursday, “Americans don’t need another speech from Donald Trump pretending everything is fine.” It’s as if they are trying to jump in front of a parade to claim they’re leading it – except the parade is America.
But why go through all the trouble to make such a fuss, especially when their decade-long resistance has achieved very little other than to gain attention? Perhaps that’s the primary objective.
Listening to Speeches Is Hard
For the congressional Democrats capable of sitting through Tuesday’s speech, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said not to disrupt the president while he is speaking. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) must’ve taken this as a challenge: He indicated to Axios that he might attend the State of the Union and cause distractions. A few Democrats have hinted at staging a walkout during the address, which would undoubtedly be disruptive and provide a spectacle for the cameras, giving the Fourth Estate plenty to talk about.
During the president’s speech before a joint session of Congress last year, numerous Democrats quietly held paddles with words like “False,” “Musk Steals,” and “Save Medicaid,” an awkward performance that seemed to irk their loyal followers. But this year, fresh off several election wins, some seem to think that snubbing the State of the Union and engaging in divisive political theater will gain them an advantage or perhaps persuade swing voters to lean left in November. But it’s more likely that only their hardcore base will enjoy the resistance act; the majority of Americans might see the lawmakers’ actions as cringeworthy. The chances of these counter rallies having any real-world impact beyond serving as fodder for pundits and social media warriors are slim. In fact, it’s difficult to see this sideshow as anything other than a stunt to say, “Look at me.” If the left truly wanted to make a difference and positively change something about the country or the government, they would probably try a new approach.
