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In This Issue:
The LOWDOWN on why strongmen fall apart when we laugh at them (and the barrel that got arrested).
Shareable MEMES and VIDEOS from our Blue Wave in 5 Days toolkit.
DIRECT ACTION to find your ballot drop box and drag three friends along.
1. The Lowdown: Laughter Is a Weapon
Donald Trump spends every waking hour demanding solemn obedience. Gold-plated everything. A permanent scowl. A tough-guy act designed to make the rest of us feel small, tired, and powerless.
Then a video drops of cartoon Trump pedaling a tiny plastic tricycle down a hallway like Danny in The Shining, and the whole act goes up in smoke.
That’s not just funny. That’s strategy. Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat explains that strongmen run on fear because they can’t earn real respect. Ridicule pops the balloon. Bullies can handle being called dangerous. Laugh in their faces and they come unglued.
Don’t believe it? Meet the Belgrade barrel.
Serbian students fighting dictator Slobodan Milošević painted his scowling face on an old oil barrel, parked it in a busy shopping district, and left a baseball bat beside it. Shoppers lined up to take a whack. Then the police showed up, and nobody had briefed them on what to do about a barrel with a grudge.
Yes, a barrel. Hauled off in a police van while the whole country howled. The regime that couldn’t take a joke couldn’t take the heat either.
Those students knew what we need to remember right now: laughter breaks fear’s grip.
Yes, this election is dead serious. Our rights, our families, and our futures are on the ballot. But nobody ever saved democracy by curling into a ball of dread. Show up with fire in your belly and a smirk on your face. Blast the music in the carpool. Make fun of the ridiculous. Call out the corrupt. Cheer for the people standing in line next to you. Refusing to let bullies steal our joy is the most defiant thing we can do.
2. LOLz: Save and Share These Posts and Videos
Our brand-new Blue Wave in 5 Days toolkit is locked, loaded, and ready to make some glorious noise. Grab your favorites and flood your feeds. If a second page pops up for you, scroll down to the videos there.
The Tricycle Heard ‘Round the Hallway
Warning: Contains Orange Stain Remover
POV: Someone Tells You They Don’t Vote
3. Five Days Left. Let’s Give MAGA Something to Sweat About
Get the full toolkit: Explore the Blue Wave in 5 Days Social Toolkit and start sharing right now.
Find your ballot drop box or polling place: IWillVote.com.
Bring three friends: Send your favorite meme to three people who need a laugh and a reminder to vote.
They choose fear. We choose defiance, community, and the unstoppable power of our votes.
I just watched the 'good news fattie' and realized i just don't share your sense of humor. And I don't think Obama would actually say that in any case.