For the February Voice of the Commonwealth survey, we asked two simple questions:
- How are you feeling right now, as we face the Age of Trump?
- What actions have you yourself taken in response since Trump was inaugurated?
The results are in, and two things are clear:
- The overriding emotion is anger. People are damn mad right now.
- And, people are not taking it lying down. They’re not just stewing in their feelings; they’re taking action, and lots of it.
Let’s get to the VotC results.
How are you feeling right now?
There were four possible answers to this question, plus an Other where people could put in their own answer. Respondents could choose more than one answer. Here’s the results:
The Other option included these answers: Astonished, Frustrated, and Grieving (more than once).
Obviously, the emotion shared by pretty much everyone was Anger, with almost 90% choosing that answer. Interesting to see that 40% chose Determined.
One person put “Unsurprised, since they are doing what they said they would do; and hopeful that eventually those who put them in office will realize the mistake they made and it can be corrected before irreparable damage has been done locally, nationally, and globally.”
What action(s) of the new Trump administration bother you the most?
This was an open-ended question, so people were free to write what they wanted to. Some results:
- A third of respondents specifically mentioned Elon Musk.
- The firings and elimination of departments and agencies were also mentioned a lot.
- Numerous people said there was too much to fit into one answer.
- And many people referred to “destruction” of democracy and/or our government.
Do you think national Democratic leadership is doing enough to oppose the actions that concern you?
This one was pretty cut and dried, as shown by the graph:
A number of people commented that they wondered about this, because they hadn’t heard much (or anything) about what Dem leadership is doing. (Dem leadership – looks like you’ve got a messaging problem in addition to all the other problems facing you.)
What actions have you yourself taken in response since Trump was inaugurated?
I was very interested to see the results to this question. Are people being proactive, taking steps to fight back? Respondents could choose all of the following actions that they had done. Here’s the graph:
So, out of the people who responded to this survey, over 90% have done something. Frankly, I find that very encouraging.
There was a place for people to share other things they had done. Here are some of those actions:
- Joined the ACLU with a monthly contribution
- In-person visit to Mitch’s local office (mentioned twice)
- Using “5 calls” and Jessica Cravens’ action items
- Writing LTEs and other articles (mentioned by multiple people)
- Digging in with strategic planning with my County Party to start several new initiatives that will spread information and boost involvement.
- Trying to work with our county party to build interest as our party’s reorganization gets underway
- Met with state representatives
- Local community building and mutual aid
Have you considered leaving the country?
I was surprised at the percentage of persons who had considered it. Even though only about a third, that was more than I had thought it would be.
And then a follow-up to those who Answered Yes.
It would appear that some people are moving down that road, including some actively planning to leave.
This number bears watching as events unfold over the next few months.
What would be the event that would cause you to leave – your line that, if crossed, would be the sign to you that it was time to go?
Again, this was an open-ended question, so there’s no graph. Here are some of the answers.
- Using the military against civilian demonstrators (multiple mentions)
- Martial law (multiple mentions)
- Crushing the limited healthcare we already have in this country (multiple mentions)
- Trump starting to deport naturalized citizens, of which my husband is one
- When I felt that my life was in danger – i.e., Nazi-like concentration camps where I could likely be imprisoned
- If there is any action taken which looks like the borders are going to start closing to keep people from leaving
Final thoughts
A closing open-ended question where people could share whatever they wished. I did ask them if what they entered could be shared. The answers ranged from grief and despair, to possible hope and taking action. Here’s a sampling:
- Since January 20, it's been a process much like grief, with shock and denial, then anger taking center stage. I have had to minimize news input to keep from being overwhelmed.
- The last 3 weeks has honestly sapped my will to live, and plunged me into a deep depression.
- I can't give up hope because I need to stay sane. I'm no good to anyone if I drown in despair. But I honestly do believe our country will ultimately survive this. What's causing me so much pain is the amount of fear, suffering, and literal death that will happen (not just in the U.S.) before we finally crawl out of this human-created hell.
- Maybe it's time to reread Morris Berman, "The Twilight of American Culture" (2000)
- The courts seem to be at least having a temporary guardrail effect, which is heartening but not likely to stem the red tide that is the Trump/Musk/Project 2025 agenda. Time will tell what, if any action, we individual citizens can take – other than voting, of course – to effectively change the current trajectory.
- The IBEW rally was great. Lots of ethnic and gender diversity. Almost no age diversity, too many gray hairs like me. I reached out to my family and the younger ones said they never heard about it and it needs to be publicized on platforms they pay attention too.
- We need to appeal to the millions of people who did not vote this last presidential election. They should be ready to listen to reason.
::
A big Thank-You to all those who took part in this month’s VotC! I think it was a reflection of where many of us are: angry, depressed, worried – but also ready to fight back and stop our country from being destroyed.
So, I think it’s appropriate to close with what one person wrote as their final thought:
Let’s do this!
--30--
