General Strike | Breaking Big Money's Grip on America

As we enter the new year, it’s clear that change is in the air. And while we likely will encounter difficult times in our country in 2026, it looks like the prevailing winds favor a rebirth of democracy in America in the year ahead.

There are a number of indicators that point in the direction of a budding democratic renewal. For starters, the Republican Party is no longer solidly behind President Trump’s dictatorial orders. Despite White House efforts to the contrary, Congressional Republicans recently joined Democrats in a near unanimous vote to release the entire Epstein files.[1] Polls indicate that 75% of the public support release of all the files.[2] The great majority of Americans prefer the truth over Trump’s constant efforts to distort it.

In another sign of democracy’s revival, four moderate Republicans joined the Democrats in signing a discharge petition to force a House vote on extending the Obamacare enhanced subsidies.[3] Again, almost 75% of the public support the extension.[4] Congressional Republicans voting for what their constituents need rather than what their giant corporate donors greedily desire demonstrates democracy is still alive in America. Still, Senate Republicans beholden to their corporate sponsors failed to support the extension of those subsidies causing the cost of healthcare for millions of Americans to skyrocket.[5]

In December, the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s authoritarian decision to deploy the National Guard to assist immigration agents in Chicago. The court found that Trump’s federalization of the Guard was likely unlawful.[6] The rule of law, a basic premise of democracy, prevailed over Trump’s executive power grab.

The rising No Kings movement is yet another sign democracy is making a comeback. An estimated seven million people took part in No Kings rallies this past October across the United States to protest Trump’s embrace of authoritarianism. That was approximately two million more marchers than participated in the first No Kings rally last June.[7]

In 2026, the number of protesters will continue to grow as Trump’s approval in the polls sinks deeper into negative territory. A late December poll found Trump’s approval rating at 39 percent with 56 percent disapproving.[8] Even among MAGA loyalists, Trump’s support was down to 70 percent.[9]

The next major protest is planned for January 20th. The Free America Walk Out is a coordinated nationwide action organized by the 50501 Movement in partnership with Women’s March. At 2 PM local time on that day, people across the country will walk out together from their workplaces, schools, and homes. Check out how you can join in at https://www.the50501movement.org/p/announcement-free-america-walkout-jan-20-2026.

While the struggle to save our democracy is far from over, there is good reason to believe that the tide is, in fact, turning. As we celebrate our country’s 250^th anniversary, we who believe in democracy are, once again, being called in this pivotal time in history to stand up and fight for the promise of the American experiment. As Lincoln proclaimed at Gettysburg, our nation “shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”[10]

Happy New Year!

Bruce Berlin

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.),

and his new memoir, From Camden to Kathmandu. (See bruceberlinauthor.com) He is the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at bruceberlin45@gmail.com. Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/

[1] https://www.npr.org/2025/11/18/nx-s1-5611438/epstein-files-bill-house-vote

[2] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/most-americans-want-the-epstein-files-released-poll-finds

[3] https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/17/congress/brian-fitzpatrick-joins-house-democrats-health-care-discharge-petition-00694688

[4] https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/poll-support-for-extending-the-expiring-enhanced-aca-tax-credits-remains-high-but-dips-among-republicans-and-maga-supporters-as-shutdown-continues-and-partisanship-takes-hold/

[5] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/health-subsidies-expire-launching-millions-123609306.html

[6] https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/12/trump-v-illinois-supreme-court-national-guard-chicago.html

[7] https://www.democracynow.org/2025/10/20/no_kings

[8] https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-approval-rating-final-2025-polls-11291540

[9] https://thetonymichaels.substack.com/p/nbc-poll-reveals-trumps-maga-support

[10] https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/abraham-lincoln-the-gettysburg-address-1863?gad_source=1

Tomorrow will be a critical day for the democracy movement in America. The No Kings 2.0 Rally is projected to be one of, if not, the largest protests in U.S. history. Over 2500 individual demonstrations against Trump’s authoritarian regime and in defense of our communities and our democracy will take place around the country. It could be a turning point in the battle to restore the people’s right to control their own government.

Clearly, however, massive protests alone will not be enough to topple Trump. Some direct action that seriously disrupts his move toward fascism is required.

Recently, I suggested that “a well-planned, targeted boycott” could be an effective step forward. (See https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/m y-blog/). While that still may be the case, I now believe that we do not have the time for such limited efforts to change the direction our country is headed. We need something much bigger and bolder.

It’s time to organize a national General Strike.

As Chris Armitage’s writes: A general strike represents the most powerful tool available to working people. When enough workers simultaneously refuse to work, the entire economic system stops. No amount of political lobbying, no single protest march, and no electoral strategy can match the immediate pressure created when labor withdrawal halts production and commerce. Strikes force those in power to negotiate because the alternative becomes economic collapse….The strike threatens the one thing that matters most to those at the top: their ability to extract profit from other people’s labor.[1]

The history of general strikes in Iceland, South Korea and elsewhere demonstrates that general strikes work when enough people (about 11 million in the U.S.) are informed and recruited to make such an action effective. For example, South Korea’s general strikes in 1996 and 1997 involved millions of workers and successfully beat back anti-labor legislation.[2]

Organizing a General Strike is a massive undertaking.

It requires getting people to commit and building a database large enough so that a Call to Strike becomes credible. Thousands of people must be willing to go into public spaces, start conversations, educate their neighbors, and build the lists that make a General Strike feasible.[3]

This is what we must do. At tomorrow’s rallies, we have the opportunity to spread the word and encourage millions of people to join in this effort. Urge them to go to http://www.generalstrikeus.com for more information and to sign up to participate in a General Strike to Defeat Fascism. Our freedom and right to self-govern are at stake.

Bruce Berlin, J.D

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.), and his new memoir, From Camden to Kathmandu. He is the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/.

[1] https://medium.com/@carmitage/how-do-we-make-a-general-strike-happen-in-the-us-ae7474f8a312

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.