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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Sleeping Giant Is Awakening
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/robert-reich/114969/the-sleeping-giant-is-awakeningThe Sleeping Giant Is Awakening
by Robert Reich | September 23, 2025 - 5:36am
from Robert Reich's Substack
snip//
You could almost feel the great sleeping giant of America open an eye and frown, then blink both eyes and sit up and stretch, and then roar what the hell is going on here?
snip//
The giant roared again a decade later, after television showed civil rights marchers getting clobbered by white supremacists. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act.
It roared again after tens of thousands of young Americans were killed in the jungles of Vietnam, finally bringing to an end one of the nations costliest, deadliest, and stupidest wars.
It roared again at Richard Nixon after Nixon was heard on tape plotting the coverup of Watergate then being forced to exit the White House by helicopter on his way back to California.
It is starting to roar again now at the sociopathic occupant of the Oval Office who wont tolerate criticism, who in one wild week revealed his utter contempt for the freedom of Americans to criticize him, to write or speak negatively about him, even to joke about him.
Maybe Im being too optimistic, but Ive seen a lot. I know the signs. The sleeping giant always remains asleep until some venality becomes so noxious, some action so disrespectful of the common good, some brutality so noisy, that he has no choice but to awaken.
And when he does, the good sense of the American people causes him to put an end to whatever it was that awakened him.

malaise
(289,501 posts)ROAR!
GreenWave
(11,694 posts)
malaise
(289,501 posts)Have a lovely day.
sop
(16,202 posts)malaise
(289,501 posts)😀
SamKnause
(14,452 posts)spanone
(140,273 posts)markie
(23,647 posts)?si=m_r9uj_7CuXbuCcR
?si=sBDJ11mT_b5j7nSZ
(explicit)
?si=CaW19SH4xyCU56h2
?si=I5V-Hqjc_fXfV4xQ
mnhtnbb
(32,872 posts)from all the outrageous actions taken to destroy the government by this Administration in the last eight months, to deny people on the street their liberty, to put armed troops on the streets, to restrict access to health care, that it would be muzzling a late night comedian that would wake the American people to the power they hold to grab the capitalists and wanna be fascists by their money balls and squeeze in order to protect a Constitutional right: the right to free speech? Take note, America.
KS Toronado
(21,382 posts)Hope on his first show tonight he roasts tsf relentlessly all night and gives everyone a free
bottle of Tylenol.
BonnieJW
(3,023 posts)Gavin Newsome.
Double middle finger to pres putz
KS Toronado
(21,382 posts)Will be the most watched program tonight, hope Gavin brings along some of his anti-rump
messages to show on the big screen. Also hope his "ratings" are through the roof.
elleng
(140,884 posts)FakeNoose
(38,766 posts)Jimmy Kimmel has Glen Powell and Sarah MacLachlan tonight.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/103725566
BidenRocks
(2,270 posts)A Quinn Martin Production
Brought to you by 'Fukitall'
Problems with Chump?
Just Fukitall and feel better!
MorbidButterflyTat
(3,714 posts)It's been outrage after outrage after outrage. It's an accumulation of crap, not this one thing.
Random Boomer
(4,365 posts)This whole "sleeping giant" mythology is past its due date.
NH Ethylene
(31,216 posts)He's been very explicit: He wants to control what is said about him via muzzling speech.
The sleeping giant woke up, looked around, and noticed the countless atrocities done over the past 8 months. If that scenario is accurate, it will grow exponentially, very quickly.
I fervently hope this is the case.
Skittles
(167,717 posts)worthy of its own thread
MrWowWow
(1,377 posts)Let that be the giant's blaring, nonstop mantra that keeps the pot stirred. No more sleeping on the job! Democracy is neither self-servicing nor a spectator sport! We must all collectively stir the pot or risk ending up in it.
Trueblue Texan
(3,794 posts)...it took one of the giant's entertainment outlets being threatened to jar it from its coma. I fear a tweak in strategy and everything else is still open game for the monster in the Oval.
BattleRow
(1,822 posts)gordianot
(15,664 posts)It takes a good hard kick to wake them up.
Dyedinthewoolliberal
(16,159 posts)like the 60% or so who couldn't be bothered to vote in the election.............
Bernardo de La Paz
(58,838 posts)johnnyplankton
(568 posts)Like we did for BLM. People were out every night for weeks (including me). When is that going to happen?
Hopefully before ICE and DHS continue to become Trumps private thug army, and get way bigger with all that funding ($150. Billion)
Bernardo de La Paz
(58,838 posts)Attilatheblond
(7,335 posts)Even daily protests at some busy intersections, yes, even in the horrible AZ summer heat.
If you want more protests, ORGANIZE and make it happen.
MorbidButterflyTat
(3,714 posts)all by herself.
Katinfl
(516 posts)We have the power to stop it. We need to use it.
malaise
(289,501 posts)Joinfortmill
(18,994 posts)Ray Bruns
(5,621 posts)ashredux
(2,773 posts)Apparently, Trump could do all sorts of crazy things, but the last straw was a late night TV comedian that finally did the trick
Traildogbob
(11,902 posts)My granny back in 50s and 60s with her soaps. Everybody shut the hell up, get out from in front of the TV cause grandma is watching her STORIES!!
Do so and feel that long Hickory stick from her seat to your leg.
Blues Heron
(7,624 posts)azureblue
(2,567 posts)until the Republicans who are enabling Trump, are neutered. That has been the issue all along - Trump can't do anything without Repubs backing him. And the DOJ is protecting the Repubs in Congress and Trump.
OldBaldy1701E
(9,132 posts)Mr.Bee
(1,255 posts)J_William_Ryan
(3,030 posts)The giant needs to stay wake during elections and vote to keep fascists like Nixon, Reagan, Bush, and Trump out of power in the first place.
Traildogbob
(11,902 posts)Sits in Mitch The Bitchs Lap. He packed HIS courts and let Trump get away with impeachable political ending crimes.
He needs it around his neck and name for eternity.
The architect of ending Democracy. At minimum, the puppet to follow the 2025 billionaires orders to implement the whole fucking plan.
relayerbob
(7,278 posts)pioche4
(174 posts)They will claim anyone angainst them, their ideas and policies as Antifa theyve already done this, now theyll have the ICE force to monitor it I fear the sleeping giant has opened its eyes too late. I very much wish that this isnt the case
Captain Zero
(8,453 posts)The sticky notes are double wide and have a slight border of the stars and stripes across the top. I took one and wrote this on it.
antifa
Headquarters
And put it my apartment door.
I plan on doing more.
BumRushDaShow
(160,747 posts)I have dubbed them "the Silent Majority". Those who aren't part of the craven, obnoxious and loud "minority" of somewhere between 25% - 30% of the population, who have had the backing of almost all of the "mainstream media" as their megaphone.
Most people are not "politics junkies" and basically try to go about their daily lives... waving away "the hyperbole" that they hear at every election, that rarely resulted in the end of the world as they know it.
But this time is different, when actual actions have occurred that are starting to impact some of the farthest reaches (and least paying attention) of the population.
slightlv
(6,618 posts)I just hope getting rid of tr and his nazi dominions will also mean the end of P2025. THAT'S the real problem that will continue to haunt us as long as those right wing think tanks survive.
Martin68
(26,518 posts)Bev54
(12,908 posts)liberalla
(10,705 posts)it started as... Finally the momentum is getting going! Yay! Sleeping Giant! It's good to see you! I make really good (strong) coffee in a moka pot --- come by for a 'wake up' mug!
Beringia
(5,206 posts)usonian
(20,863 posts)
Democracy is busting out all over!

Be there or be Square.
https://www.nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=indivisible#map
Why today?

NO KINGS. That's why.

NO KINGS. That's why.

NO BRAINS WHATSOEVER. That's why.
More info from Indivisible.
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https://www.democraticunderground.com/10114548
Home
https://indivisible.org/
oasis
(52,946 posts)
Hekate
(99,594 posts)Apparently this isnt really from Winston Churchill, and its attribution to him is apocryphal.
Still, the saying has stuck around all this time because its just so damn true about us.
Yes, we did exit the disaster that was Vietnam after over 50K young Americans and countless Vietnamese died there. And so on.
I hope Robert Reich is right, I really do. But this disaster was 40 years in the making, and I fear a long night is ahead before we see daylight again. Keep resisting, keep digging, keep hope alive.
PufPuf23
(9,603 posts)Mme. Defarge
(8,771 posts)and the creek don't rise!
red dog 1
(31,903 posts)Every day, in different ways, people are expressing their resistance to the Trump Crime Family.
KitFox
(429 posts)large protests: Womens March, March For Our Lives, Save OBamacare. There were still protests here and there, but it seemed only us same loyal dozen or so would keep showing up. It is the total opposite now. There is something going on every week and the turnouts are always large and sometimes enormous. Besides rallies, there are overpass banner drops in many locations on weekdays and weekends. Different local Indivisible groups organize everything and publicize it in multiple formats. Besides big rallies, they organize folks to speak on pertinent policy at city council and town hall meetings. It is energizing to be a part of resisting with so many like minded folks. My pals and I bring our instruments and play music at the protests and people sing along or stop and listen. The variety and creativity on peoples signs is in itself uplifting and encouraging. I could ramble on, but Ill close with this: At a huge rally, I saw a tiny, frail very elderly lady slowly inching her way along with her walker. On the front of her walker, her sign said: Sometimes you find courage in unusual places. So dear DU family, keep on insisting, resisting, and persisting however and whenever you can. Be well! 😊🧡
BigmanPigman
(53,835 posts)I attended over 30 protests between 2016 and 2020. Now I am protesting again.
Anger and passion drive me. ANGER IS AN ENERGY (to quote the Sex Pistols).
WarGamer
(17,942 posts)Bayard
(27,143 posts)Please let it be so.
Jack Valentino
(3,369 posts)This was INDEED a TRIUMPH by the American people over TRUMP FASCISM !!!!
C Moon
(13,208 posts)RussBLib
(10,208 posts)Usually, when I find a great article, I will do a search to see if it has already been posted here on DU. I'd say 75% of the time, it's been posted. That's impressive.
But it is hard to read everything on this site!
https://russblib.blogspot.com
ecstatic
(34,940 posts)What I see is more and more dumbasses, which is basically why we're in this situation to begin with.