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[[File:Tax March SF (34075168575).jpg|thumb|Indivisible members at a [[Tax Day March]] in San Francisco]]
[[File:Tax March SF (34075168575).jpg|thumb|Indivisible members at a [[Tax Day March]] in San Francisco]]


'''Indivisible''' is a [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] movement in the United States initiated in 2016 as a [[Trump resistance|reaction to the election]] of [[Donald Trump]] as [[President of the United States]]. The movement began with the online publication of a handbook written by [[Congressional staff]]ers with suggestions for peacefully but effectively resisting the move to the right in the [[Federal government of the United States#Executive branch|executive branch of the United States government]] under the Trump administration that was widely anticipated and feared by progressives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4xmSPefMnI|title=Anti-Donald Trump Backlash Outpacing Tea Party|first=Rachel|last=Maddow|publisher=MSNBC|date=February 2, 2017|access-date=July 18, 2017|via=YouTube}}</ref> According to [[Peter Dreier]], the goal of Indivisible is to "save American democracy" and "resume the project of creating a humane America that is more like [[social democracy]] than [[corporate plutocracy]]."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dreier|first1=Peter|title=The Anti-Trump Movement: Recover, Resist, Reform|url=http://prospect.org/article/anti-trump-movement-recover-resist-reform-0|publisher=[[The American Prospect]]|access-date=July 28, 2017|date=April 4, 2017}}</ref>
'''Indivisible''' is a [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] movement and organization in the United States initiated in 2016 as a [[Trump resistance|reaction to the election]] of [[Donald Trump]] as [[President of the United States]]. The movement's organizational leadership includes the '''Indivisible Project''', '''Indivisible Civics''', and '''Indivisible Action'''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://indivisible.org/about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221031020637/https://indivisible.org/about |archive-date=2022-10-31 |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Indivisible |language=en}}</ref> The movement began with the online publication of a handbook written by [[Congressional staff]]ers with suggestions for peacefully but effectively resisting the move to the right in the [[Federal government of the United States#Executive branch|executive branch of the United States government]] under the Trump administration that was widely anticipated and feared by progressives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4xmSPefMnI|title=Anti-Donald Trump Backlash Outpacing Tea Party|first=Rachel|last=Maddow|publisher=MSNBC|date=February 2, 2017|access-date=July 18, 2017|via=YouTube}}</ref> According to [[Peter Dreier]], the goal of Indivisible is to "save American democracy" and "resume the project of creating a humane America that is more like [[social democracy]] than [[corporate plutocracy]]."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dreier|first1=Peter|title=The Anti-Trump Movement: Recover, Resist, Reform|url=http://prospect.org/article/anti-trump-movement-recover-resist-reform-0|publisher=[[The American Prospect]]|access-date=July 28, 2017|date=April 4, 2017}}</ref>


In 2019, Indivisible's [[Leah Greenberg]] and [[Ezra Levin]] were included in [[Time (magazine)|''Time Magazine''<nowiki/>'s]] 100 Most Influential People of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019|url=https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567710/leah-greenberg-ezra-levin/|access-date=2020-09-22|website=TIME|language=en-us}}</ref>
In 2019, Indivisible's [[Leah Greenberg]] and [[Ezra Levin]] were included in [[Time (magazine)|''Time Magazine''<nowiki/>'s]] 100 Most Influential People of 2019.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019|url=https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/5567710/leah-greenberg-ezra-levin/|access-date=2020-09-22|magazine=TIME|language=en-us}}</ref>


== Origin ==
== Origin ==


The movement started with the online publication of a 23-page handbook, ''Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://indivisible.org/guide|title=Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda|website=Indivisible Guide|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref> The authors of the document, most notably [[Ezra Levin (Indivisible)|Ezra Levin]], Jeremy Haile, [[Leah Greenberg]], and Angel Padilla,<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/13/anti-trump-indivisible-tea-party/|title=Meet the husband-wife duo who are sparking a liberal Tea Party movement|author=Caey Tolan|date=May 13, 2017|website=mercurynews.com|access-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref> were former [[Congressional staff]]ers. Greenberg worked as an aide to Democratic Representative [[Tom Perriello]] of [[Virginia]],<ref name=politico>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/protest-movement-republicans-234863|title=Inside the protest movement that has Republicans reeling|publisher=politico|access-date=April 17, 2017}}</ref> while Levin, Greenberg's husband, worked as an aide to [[Lloyd Doggett]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from [[Texas]]. After the 2016 presidential election, in mid-December 2016, Levin and Greenberg began working on an online guide in the form of a [[Google Docs, Sheets and Slides|Google Document]] on how to make contact with congressional aides as a way of grieving over Trump's victory. Angel Padilla, and Jeremy Haile, and dozens of other staffers for Democratic members of the [[United States Congress]] joined in the creation of the online publication.<ref name=politico/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JwOLRWaGX4|title=Online Guide Helps Focus Anti-Donald Trump Movement - Rachel Maddow - MSNBC|last=MSNBC|date=January 5, 2017|access-date=July 18, 2017|via=YouTube}}</ref>
The movement started with the online publication of a 23-page handbook, ''Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://indivisible.org/guide|title=Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda|website=Indivisible Guide|access-date=March 13, 2017|archive-date=February 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223223723/https://indivisible.org/guide|url-status=dead}}</ref> The authors of the document, most notably [[Ezra Levin (Indivisible)|Ezra Levin]], Jeremy Haile, [[Leah Greenberg]], and Angel Padilla,<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/13/anti-trump-indivisible-tea-party/|title=Meet the husband-wife duo who are sparking a liberal Tea Party movement|author=Caey Tolan|date=May 13, 2017|website=mercurynews.com|access-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref> were former [[Congressional staff]]ers. Greenberg worked as an aide to Democratic Representative [[Tom Perriello]] of [[Virginia]],<ref name="politico">{{cite web |last1=Schor |first1=Elana |last2=Bade |first2=Rachael |date=2017-02-10 |title=Inside the protest movement that has Republicans reeling |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/protest-movement-republicans-234863 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906224421/https://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/protest-movement-republicans-234863 |archive-date=2023-09-06 |access-date=2017-04-17 |website=[[POLITICO]]}}</ref> while Levin, Greenberg's husband, worked as an aide to [[Lloyd Doggett]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from [[Texas]]. After the 2016 presidential election, in mid-December 2016, Levin and Greenberg began working on an online guide in the form of a [[Google Docs, Sheets and Slides|Google Document]] on how to make contact with congressional aides as a way of grieving over Trump's victory. Angel Padilla, and Jeremy Haile, and dozens of other staffers for Democratic members of the [[United States Congress]] joined in the creation of the online publication.<ref name=politico/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JwOLRWaGX4|title=Online Guide Helps Focus Anti-Donald Trump Movement - Rachel Maddow - MSNBC|last=MSNBC|date=January 5, 2017|access-date=July 18, 2017|via=YouTube}}</ref>


The authors modeled their document after the [[Tea Party movement]], which focused on local activism and obstructing the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]'s agenda following the election of President [[Barack Obama]] in 2008.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-crowd-sourced-guide-to-fighting-trumps-agenda|title=The Crowdsourced Guide to Fighting Trump's Agenda|last=Bethea|first=Charles|date=December 16, 2016|work=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref> They thought that similar action taken by the left could be effective against what they perceived as Trump's "bigoted and anti-democratic agenda".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/opinion/to-stop-trump-democrats-can-learn-from-the-tea-party.html|title=To Stop Trump, Democrats Can Learn From the Tea Party|date=January 2, 2017|first1=Ezra|last1=Levin|last2=Greenberg|first2=Leah|last3=Padilla|first3=Angel|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 31, 2017}}</ref> The purpose of the guide was to encourage resistance to [[Presidency of Donald Trump|Trump's presidency]], most notably by targeting Republican elected members of [[United States Congress|Congress]] by attending town halls, calling congressional officials, visiting their offices, and showing up at public events.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/11/politics/indivisible-profile-trnd|title=What is Indivisible? Political group hopes to be flip side of tea party|last=Criss|first=Doug|date=February 11, 2017|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref>
The authors modeled their document after the [[Tea Party movement]], which focused on local activism and obstructing the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]'s agenda following the election of President [[Barack Obama]] in 2008.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-crowd-sourced-guide-to-fighting-trumps-agenda|title=The Crowdsourced Guide to Fighting Trump's Agenda|last=Bethea|first=Charles|date=December 16, 2016|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref> They thought that similar action taken by the left could be effective against what they perceived as Trump's "bigoted and anti-democratic agenda".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/opinion/to-stop-trump-democrats-can-learn-from-the-tea-party.html|title=To Stop Trump, Democrats Can Learn From the Tea Party|date=January 2, 2017|first1=Ezra|last1=Levin|last2=Greenberg|first2=Leah|last3=Padilla|first3=Angel|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 31, 2017}}</ref> The purpose of the guide was to encourage resistance to [[Presidency of Donald Trump|Trump's presidency]], most notably by targeting Republican elected members of [[United States Congress|Congress]] by attending town halls, calling congressional officials, visiting their offices, and showing up at public events.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/11/politics/indivisible-profile-trnd|title=What is Indivisible? Political group hopes to be flip side of tea party|last=Criss|first=Doug|date=February 11, 2017|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref>


It was first published online on Google Docs on December 14, 2016, with Levin posting a link to it on his personal [[Twitter]] account. It soon went [[Viral phenomenon|viral]],<ref name=":1"/> with, among others, [[Robert Reich]], [[Jonathan Chait]], [[George Takei]] and [[Miranda July]] circulating it online.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/magazine/democratic-party-election-trump.html|title=The New Party of No|last=Homans|first=Charles|date=March 13, 2017|work=[[The New York Times Magazine]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref>
It was first published online on Google Docs on December 14, 2016, with Levin posting a link to it on his personal [[Twitter]] account. It soon went [[Viral phenomenon|viral]],<ref name=":1"/> with, among others, [[Robert Reich]], [[Jonathan Chait]], [[George Takei]] and [[Miranda July]] circulating it online.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/magazine/democratic-party-election-trump.html|title=The New Party of No|last=Homans|first=Charles|date=March 13, 2017|work=[[The New York Times Magazine]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref>
Line 20: Line 20:
Since the guide's publication, its authors have created a website with further resources on using the guide and organizing local movements. The guide is continuously updated and is available in English and Spanish.<ref name=":0" /> By February 4, 2017, less than two months from the publication of the Indivisible Guide, and about two weeks after Trump's [[Inauguration of Donald Trump|inauguration]], more than 3,800 local groups identifying as "Indivisibles" had formed and declared their support for the movement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indivisible.org/act-locally|title=local action groups|website=indivisibleguide.com|access-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref> In February, they organized as a [[501(c) organization#501(c)(4)|501(c) organization]].<ref name="politico" />
Since the guide's publication, its authors have created a website with further resources on using the guide and organizing local movements. The guide is continuously updated and is available in English and Spanish.<ref name=":0" /> By February 4, 2017, less than two months from the publication of the Indivisible Guide, and about two weeks after Trump's [[Inauguration of Donald Trump|inauguration]], more than 3,800 local groups identifying as "Indivisibles" had formed and declared their support for the movement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indivisible.org/act-locally|title=local action groups|website=indivisibleguide.com|access-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref> In February, they organized as a [[501(c) organization#501(c)(4)|501(c) organization]].<ref name="politico" />


Many groups attended [[town hall]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://buffalonews.com/2017/02/18/huge-crowd-progressives-overwhelms-reed-town-hall-meeting/|title=Raucous crowds overwhelm Reed town hall meetings|first=Jerry|last=Zremski|date=February 18, 2017|website=buffalonews.com|access-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref> demonstrated against nominees for [[Cabinet of Donald Trump|Trump's Cabinet]], and worked with organizers of the [[2017 Women's March|Women's March]]. [[John Kasich]] and [[Mo Brooks]] acknowledged that the protests would impact [[efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kasich-obamacare-protesters_us_58b2dcb8e4b060480e08b507|title=John Kasich Admits Protesters Are Affecting Obamacare Debate|first=Matt|last=Fuller|date=February 26, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2017|via=Huff Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/24/politics/kfile-mo-brooks-obamacare-repeal/index.html|title=GOP Rep. Mo Brooks says town hall protests may prevent Obamacare repeal|first=Chris|last=Massie|work=CNN|access-date=April 17, 2017}}</ref> The movement was cited as a cause for the initial failure of Republicans to pass the [[American Health Care Act of 2017]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/03/24/left-out-of-ahca-fight-democrats-let-their-grass-roots-lead-and-win/|title=Left out of AHCA fight, Democrats let their grass roots lead — and win|work=washington post|access-date=April 17, 2017}}</ref>
Many groups attended [[town hall]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://buffalonews.com/2017/02/18/huge-crowd-progressives-overwhelms-reed-town-hall-meeting/|title=Raucous crowds overwhelm Reed town hall meetings|first=Jerry|last=Zremski|date=February 18, 2017|website=buffalonews.com|access-date=July 18, 2017}}</ref> demonstrated against nominees for [[Cabinet of Donald Trump|Trump's Cabinet]], and worked with organizers of the [[2017 Women's March|Women's March]]. [[John Kasich]] and [[Mo Brooks]] acknowledged that the protests would impact [[efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kasich-obamacare-protesters_us_58b2dcb8e4b060480e08b507|title=John Kasich Admits Protesters Are Affecting Obamacare Debate|first=Matt|last=Fuller|date=February 26, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2017|via=Huff Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/24/politics/kfile-mo-brooks-obamacare-repeal/index.html|title=GOP Rep. Mo Brooks says town hall protests may prevent Obamacare repeal|first=Chris|last=Massie|work=CNN|date=February 24, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2017}}</ref> [[David Weigel]] said the movement was a possible reason for the initial failure of Republicans to pass the [[American Health Care Act of 2017]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/03/24/left-out-of-ahca-fight-democrats-let-their-grass-roots-lead-and-win/|title=Left out of AHCA fight, Democrats let their grass roots lead — and win|newspaper=washington post|access-date=April 17, 2017}}</ref>


In 2018, the group and its volunteers contributed money, endorsement and volunteer time to many House races, helping Democrats win back control of the chamber.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/the-untold-story-of-the-progressive-insurgency-that-is-remaking-congress/|title=The untold story of the progressive insurgency that is remaking Congress|last=Voght|first=Kara|website=Mother Jones|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-13}}</ref> In 2019, the group endorsed a series of events aimed at supporting the impeachment of Donald Trump.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pro-impeachment-group-to-spend-31-million-targeting-senate-republicans/2019/10/01/00a284ea-e487-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html|title=Impeachment Group to Spend 31 Million Targeting Senate Republicans|date=2019-10-01|website=Washington Post}}</ref>
In 2018, the group and its volunteers contributed money, endorsement and volunteer time to many House races, which was followed by Democrats winning back control of the chamber.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/the-untold-story-of-the-progressive-insurgency-that-is-remaking-congress/|title=The untold story of the progressive insurgency that is remaking Congress|last=Voght|first=Kara|website=Mother Jones|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-13}}</ref> In 2019, the group endorsed a series of events aimed at supporting the impeachment of Donald Trump.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pro-impeachment-group-to-spend-31-million-targeting-senate-republicans/2019/10/01/00a284ea-e487-11e9-b403-f738899982d2_story.html|title=Impeachment Group to Spend 31 Million Targeting Senate Republicans|date=2019-10-01|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref>

The group continued its advocacy activities into the post-Trump era; in 2021, Indivisible advocated in favor of Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2021/09/03/how-the-left-sees-reconciliation-508972|title=Dems prepare to fight their own over $3.5T megabill|website=[[Politico]] |date=September 3, 2021 }}</ref> In October 2021, Indivisible planned to spend $1 million to protect eight Democratic incumbents in Congress, an effort that overlapped partly with that of the [[Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Krieg |first1=Gregory |title=Indivisible launches project to protect Democratic incumbents in 2022 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/politics/indivisible-2022-democratic-incumbents/index.html |access-date=July 14, 2022 |work=CNN |date=October 15, 2021}}</ref> In May of 2022, a board member of Indivisible Houston directly confronted Senator [[Ted Cruz]] about gun reform in the wake of the [[Uvalde school shooting|Uvalde shooting]] and the [[National Rifle Association|NRA]] convention.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Moseley |first=Terry |date=2022-05-28 |title=Senator Ted Cruz Challenged By Gun Reform Activist At Restaurant: "Is That So Hard?" |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/05/senator-ted-cruz-confronted-by-gun-reform-activist |access-date=2024-06-17 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}</ref> In June 2022, Indivisible planned to spend $7 million.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schneider |first1=Elena |title=Trump-era progressive organizing group unveils $7M midterm plans |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/07/indivisible-2022-election-spending-00037504 |access-date=July 14, 2022 |work=Politico |date=June 7, 2022}}</ref>

On September 5, 2023, Indivisible Action endorsed President [[Joe Biden]]'s 2024 re-election bid.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oshin |first=Olafimihan |date=2023-09-05 |title=Progressive advocacy group Indivisible endorsing Biden reelection bid |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4187592-progressive-advocacy-group-indivisible-endorsing-biden-reelection-bid/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230906001028/https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4187592-progressive-advocacy-group-indivisible-endorsing-biden-reelection-bid/ |archive-date=2023-09-06 |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |language=en-US}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[The Resistance (American political movement)]]
* [[Tea Party movement]]
* [[Tea Party movement]]


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[[Category:Immigration political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Immigration political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Left-wing populism in the United States]]
[[Category:Left-wing populism in the United States]]
[[Category:LGBT political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:LGBTQ political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Liberalism in the United States]]
[[Category:Liberalism in the United States]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]]

Revision as of 16:50, 23 September 2024

Logo of Indivisible
Indivisible members at a Tax Day March in San Francisco

Indivisible is a progressive movement and organization in the United States initiated in 2016 as a reaction to the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. The movement's organizational leadership includes the Indivisible Project, Indivisible Civics, and Indivisible Action.[1] The movement began with the online publication of a handbook written by Congressional staffers with suggestions for peacefully but effectively resisting the move to the right in the executive branch of the United States government under the Trump administration that was widely anticipated and feared by progressives.[2] According to Peter Dreier, the goal of Indivisible is to "save American democracy" and "resume the project of creating a humane America that is more like social democracy than corporate plutocracy."[3]

In 2019, Indivisible's Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin were included in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2019.[4]

Origin

The movement started with the online publication of a 23-page handbook, Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda.[5] The authors of the document, most notably Ezra Levin, Jeremy Haile, Leah Greenberg, and Angel Padilla,[5][6] were former Congressional staffers. Greenberg worked as an aide to Democratic Representative Tom Perriello of Virginia,[7] while Levin, Greenberg's husband, worked as an aide to Lloyd Doggett, a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas. After the 2016 presidential election, in mid-December 2016, Levin and Greenberg began working on an online guide in the form of a Google Document on how to make contact with congressional aides as a way of grieving over Trump's victory. Angel Padilla, and Jeremy Haile, and dozens of other staffers for Democratic members of the United States Congress joined in the creation of the online publication.[7][8]

The authors modeled their document after the Tea Party movement, which focused on local activism and obstructing the Democratic Party's agenda following the election of President Barack Obama in 2008.[9] They thought that similar action taken by the left could be effective against what they perceived as Trump's "bigoted and anti-democratic agenda".[10] The purpose of the guide was to encourage resistance to Trump's presidency, most notably by targeting Republican elected members of Congress by attending town halls, calling congressional officials, visiting their offices, and showing up at public events.[11]

It was first published online on Google Docs on December 14, 2016, with Levin posting a link to it on his personal Twitter account. It soon went viral,[9] with, among others, Robert Reich, Jonathan Chait, George Takei and Miranda July circulating it online.[12]

History

Since the guide's publication, its authors have created a website with further resources on using the guide and organizing local movements. The guide is continuously updated and is available in English and Spanish.[5] By February 4, 2017, less than two months from the publication of the Indivisible Guide, and about two weeks after Trump's inauguration, more than 3,800 local groups identifying as "Indivisibles" had formed and declared their support for the movement.[13] In February, they organized as a 501(c) organization.[7]

Many groups attended town halls,[14] demonstrated against nominees for Trump's Cabinet, and worked with organizers of the Women's March. John Kasich and Mo Brooks acknowledged that the protests would impact efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[15][16] David Weigel said the movement was a possible reason for the initial failure of Republicans to pass the American Health Care Act of 2017.[17]

In 2018, the group and its volunteers contributed money, endorsement and volunteer time to many House races, which was followed by Democrats winning back control of the chamber.[18] In 2019, the group endorsed a series of events aimed at supporting the impeachment of Donald Trump.[19]

The group continued its advocacy activities into the post-Trump era; in 2021, Indivisible advocated in favor of Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.[20] In October 2021, Indivisible planned to spend $1 million to protect eight Democratic incumbents in Congress, an effort that overlapped partly with that of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.[21] In May of 2022, a board member of Indivisible Houston directly confronted Senator Ted Cruz about gun reform in the wake of the Uvalde shooting and the NRA convention.[22] In June 2022, Indivisible planned to spend $7 million.[23]

On September 5, 2023, Indivisible Action endorsed President Joe Biden's 2024 re-election bid.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "About". Indivisible. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Maddow, Rachel (February 2, 2017). "Anti-Donald Trump Backlash Outpacing Tea Party". MSNBC. Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Dreier, Peter (April 4, 2017). "The Anti-Trump Movement: Recover, Resist, Reform". The American Prospect. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019". TIME. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda". Indivisible Guide. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  6. ^ Caey Tolan (May 13, 2017). "Meet the husband-wife duo who are sparking a liberal Tea Party movement". mercurynews.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Schor, Elana; Bade, Rachael (February 10, 2017). "Inside the protest movement that has Republicans reeling". POLITICO. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  8. ^ MSNBC (January 5, 2017). "Online Guide Helps Focus Anti-Donald Trump Movement - Rachel Maddow - MSNBC". Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ a b Bethea, Charles (December 16, 2016). "The Crowdsourced Guide to Fighting Trump's Agenda". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  10. ^ Levin, Ezra; Greenberg, Leah; Padilla, Angel (January 2, 2017). "To Stop Trump, Democrats Can Learn From the Tea Party". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  11. ^ Criss, Doug (February 11, 2017). "What is Indivisible? Political group hopes to be flip side of tea party". CNN. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  12. ^ Homans, Charles (March 13, 2017). "The New Party of No". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  13. ^ "local action groups". indivisibleguide.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  14. ^ Zremski, Jerry (February 18, 2017). "Raucous crowds overwhelm Reed town hall meetings". buffalonews.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  15. ^ Fuller, Matt (February 26, 2017). "John Kasich Admits Protesters Are Affecting Obamacare Debate". Retrieved April 17, 2017 – via Huff Post.
  16. ^ Massie, Chris (February 24, 2017). "GOP Rep. Mo Brooks says town hall protests may prevent Obamacare repeal". CNN. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  17. ^ "Left out of AHCA fight, Democrats let their grass roots lead — and win". washington post. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  18. ^ Voght, Kara. "The untold story of the progressive insurgency that is remaking Congress". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  19. ^ "Impeachment Group to Spend 31 Million Targeting Senate Republicans". Washington Post. October 1, 2019.
  20. ^ "Dems prepare to fight their own over $3.5T megabill". Politico. September 3, 2021.
  21. ^ Krieg, Gregory (October 15, 2021). "Indivisible launches project to protect Democratic incumbents in 2022". CNN. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  22. ^ Moseley, Terry (May 28, 2022). "Senator Ted Cruz Challenged By Gun Reform Activist At Restaurant: "Is That So Hard?"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  23. ^ Schneider, Elena (June 7, 2022). "Trump-era progressive organizing group unveils $7M midterm plans". Politico. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  24. ^ Oshin, Olafimihan (September 5, 2023). "Progressive advocacy group Indivisible endorsing Biden reelection bid". The Hill. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.

Further reading

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