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John,
Welcome to The Blue Wave Weekly!
Every week I’ll be sharing insights, updates, and ways for you to get involved and help us build the Blue Wave. This work takes serious resources, so if you’re able, please make a donation to support Blue Wave California today. [[link removed]] Here’s this week’s edition:
This week, we lost Jesse Jackson, a giant of the civil rights movement, a man who knew that progress isn't polite, and who understood that the work of building the Rainbow Coalition was about connection, not division. His words echo loud right now: "Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up."
We need that energy. Because this week also gave us something else: proof that censorship doesn't work in America, that our elections are moving in the right direction, and that when we show up with the right narrative; emotionally resonant, repeated, undeniable, we change public opinion and we win.
On The Practivist Pod [[link removed]] , Jason Berlin filled in for Jess again this week, and we had an incredible conversation with Dr. Jiggy Geronimo, narrative strategist and author of Defiance Dispatch [[link removed]] , about how we're winning the ICE fight, how we beat back authoritarianism with mass defiance, and why Trump's attempts to rig the midterms are going to backfire spectacularly.
The Big Picture: Censorship Backfires
CBS Capitulated. The People Did Not.
CBS blocked Stephen Colbert from airing his interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico because the FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, looked at changing a rule. CBS didn't even wait for the rule to actually change, they obeyed in advance. Classic authoritarian playbook.
But here's what CBS didn't count on: Americans hate being told they can't see something.
Colbert posted the interview on YouTube. As of this writing, it has 7.7 million views and climbing toward 8 million. The broadcast of the show? About 900,000 viewers. Do the math. Censorship didn't suppress the message, it amplified it. The interview got more views than Colbert's interview with Taylor Swift!
This is the pattern we keep seeing:
* 60 Minutes declined to air the CECOT segment but it aired in Canada, went viral, got way more eyes than it would have on broadcast
* Mark Kelly and other members of Congress put out a video reminding service members they don't have to follow illegal orders. Trump tried to indict them, charges were dismissed and Kelly broke Senate fundraising records
* Every time they try to silence us, we get louder
The regime is overreaching everywhere, and every overreach is a boomerang. They want us scared. We're getting defiant.
The Authoritarian Playbook: Rigging Elections (And Why It Won't Work)
Trump Wants to "Nationalize" Elections. States Say No.
Trump is floating the idea of nationalizing elections, demanding voter rolls, threatening to send federal agents to polling places. It's psychological warfare designed to make you think: What if there's no election?
Let's be very clear: We are going to have midterm elections. This isn't how authoritarianism works. The technical term is competitive authoritarianism. There are still elections, they're just rigged. And yes, they're going to try to rig them. That's what the SAVE Act is about. That's what purging voter rolls is about. That's what sending ICE to polls would be about.
But here's the thing: they have never succeeded. Not once.
Even during the Civil War, we had elections. Trump has never successfully rigged a single election. Secretaries of state in swing states, most of them Democrats, are preparing countermeasures right now. Our elections are distributed across states, and most of the districts we need to flip the House are in blue-controlled states with Democratic governors, secretaries of state, and legislatures that are shoring up election laws as we speak.
The Constitution still gives states sovereignty over elections. Ironic, isn't it? The party of "states' rights" is trying to take them away.
But Here's the Narrative Shift We Need:
New research from Anat Shenker-Osorio, the Research Collaborative, Fair Fight Action, and All Voting is Local shows that talking about Trump's attempts to rig elections is actually mobilizing , not suppressing. People aren't saying, "It's rigged, so why bother?" They're saying, "This is an act of resistance."
So every time Trump tries to seize ballots, purge rolls, or intimidate voters, we frame it exactly as it is: the desperate actions of a loser trying to hold onto power.
And then we inoculate the public. For the next eight months, every time he pulls something, we call it out. So when he tries to claim fraud after he loses in November, people will remember: Oh yeah, he's been trying to steal this the whole time. We're not buying it.
The best defense against election theft? Win so big it's undeniable.
How We Flipped the ICE Narrative and Changed Everything
One of the most important conversations this week was with Dr. Jiggy Geronimo, who walked us through exactly how we turned ICE from Trump's "signature issue" into his biggest liability.
A year ago, the pundits said: Don't talk about immigration. It's Trump's best issue. You can't win on it. Today over 60% of Americans disapprove of ICE. For the first time in history, more people support abolishing ICE than keeping it. Immigration is now a mobilizing issue for Democrats.
How did that happen?
Step 1: We showed, we didn't tell.
After the LA protests, we made a collective decision: stop letting the media frame protests as "chaos and disorder." Start showing people why people are protesting.
We found videos. Mothers getting snatched from their cars dropping kids at preschool. Families being terrorized in their neighborhoods. Everyday Americans, people like you and me, being brutalized by a lawless agency.
Step 2: We repeated. Over and over and over.
The right does this brilliantly, they find one story of an immigrant committing a crime and plaster it everywhere. We did the same thing, except our stories were true and there was no shortage of them. We shared ICE encounter videos constantly. We flooded the algorithm. We made it impossible to scroll without seeing what ICE was actually doing.
Repetition equals truth. That's neuroscience. The more you see something, the more your brain registers it as real.
Step 3: We built to a breaking point.
By the time Rene Good and Alex Pretti were murdered, the ground was already soft. The public had seen the pattern of ICE violence for months. When the regime tried to gaslight us we weren't having it. Their own MAGA coalition wasn't having it. The narrative broke wide open.
Step 4: We also shared the resistance.
Because if all you see are traumatic videos, you'll burn out. So we also shared the wins: Minnesotans shutting down their state in subzero weather. Communities blowing whistles and chasing ICE out of neighborhoods. Everyday people refusing to be complicit.
That's social proof. That's the FOMO effect. That's how you build a movement.
And now? ICE is completely underwater. Democrats in conservative districts are meeting the moment. We gave them the political cover to have a spine by shifting public opinion.
This is the blueprint.
What Jiggy Taught Us About Fighting Authoritarianism
Dr. Jiggy Geronimo is a neuroscientist-turned-narrative-strategist, and she broke down a few critical truths:
1) The push towards fascism is real.
We're not "sliding toward" authoritarianism. Authoritarianism scholars say we're in the process of authoritarian consolidation, and we're moving faster than other countries that have gone down this path. Things that took years elsewhere are taking weeks here.
2) Elections are necessary but insufficient.
We need to vote. Obviously. But voting alone will not save us. We need mass civil resistance, what Jiggy calls "mass defiance." Boycotts, strikes, mutual aid, protests, refusal to comply. Minnesota showed us the blueprint. One in four Minnesotans participated in a statewide shutdown. That's the scale we need.
3) Hold accountable anyone who capitulates.
Authoritarian regimes can't do anything alone. They need corporations, institutions, and individuals to go along with it. Our job is to make capitulation more costly than resistance.
Disney canceled Jimmy Kimmel? We boycotted until they reversed it. That's how you break down the pillars of support.
4) Never negate the lie. Replace it.
Don't say "there was NOT voter fraud", you're just strengthening the association between "voter" and "fraud." Instead, say: "Our elections are free and fair, and Trump is desperate because he's losing."
Replace the narrative. Don't reinforce theirs.
5) Share content. Constantly.
This is an always-on information war. You're not running a traditional campaign with a set message over time. You're finding what's moving right now , an ICE video, a protest, a personal story, and you're amplifying it.
Volume. Attention. Virality.
And here's the good news: the algorithm has shifted. Even if you have 20 followers, your content can go viral if it resonates. The "For You" page era means your posts get shown to people based on interest, not just follower count. So share. Every day. From your couch. It matters.
The Wins Keep Coming
Louisiana: Democrat Chastity Verrett-Martinez won a special election in a district Trump won by 13 points. She won by 24 points. That's a 37-point swing.
Texas: Another special election, another 31-point swing toward Democrats.
November 2025: Best off-year elections in a decade.
Mark Kelly: Broke Senate fundraising records after standing up to Hegseth.
This isn't luck. This is a trend line. And that trend line says: Americans hate fascism. Trump's approval is tanking. If the election were held today, he'd lose.
The DCCC just expanded their target map to include any district Trump won by 13 points or less. We overperformed in congressional specials last year by an average of 16 points.
We're going to crush this.
Community Matters: Paula Poundstone on an Overpass
Jason shared his reason for hope this week, and it's a perfect encapsulation of what organizing actually is:
Last Sunday, the legendary Paula Poundstone posted that she was going to protest on an overpass in Santa Monica. Sometimes she goes alone. This time, 50 people showed up out of nowhere. Field Team 6 folks. Indivisible members. A guy from Iowa on vacation who used his time off to protest. Someone who drove 90 minutes from Orange County. And it was joyous.
That's what protest is. It's not dangerous. It's not scary. It's community. It's being around people who believe in goodness and are willing to show up. And yes, Paula Poundstone was there cracking jokes about RFK Jr. snorting cocaine off a toilet seat. ("How many surfaces are in a bathroom? Why the toilet seat?")
If you've never been to a protest and you think it might be intimidating just go. You'll see. It feels good. It's sustaining and it's the antidote to isolation.
Action: Do This This Week
1) Call Your Senators
Tell them:
* Vote NO on the SAVE Act and every iteration of voter suppression disguised as "election security"
* We see what Trump is doing so frame it as desperation, not strength
* Thank the Democrats who are holding the line

2) Share ICE Videos and Resistance Stories
Find them. Share them. Repeat. This is how we win the narrative war. You don't need a big platform. You just need to post. The algorithm will do the rest.
3) Donate Now—Not in October
We're still facing a fundraising deficit. Early money funds field operations, voter registration, organizing infrastructure. At Blue Wave California [[link removed]] we are funding the congressional races that will flip the House.
4) March 28: No Kings III
Get three people committed. Make a plan: time, place, carpool. This needs to be the biggest protest we've ever seen, not because protests alone win, but because mass mobilization combined with organizing, voter registration, and sustained pressure is how we break the regime.
5) Plug Into a Local Group
Indivisible. Mutual aid network. A protest planning committee. Show up. Find your people. Action is the antidote to anxiety, and community is the antidote to authoritarianism.
Reasons for Hope
My reason: The FDA reversed its decision and approved Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine trial after public pressure. Science won. It's a small victory, but we'll take it. Every time they overreach, we push back.
Jiggy's reason: Americans are waking up. The outpouring of action after Alex Pretti's murder, the shift in ICE polling, people across every walk of life drawing a line in the sand, it's working. We're ready. We just need to harness this energy and follow Minnesota's example.
And one more: Censorship keeps backfiring. Every attempt to silence us makes us louder. 8 million views and counting.
Jesse Jackson knew something we need to remember: the Rainbow Coalition wasn't about perfecting everyone's politics. It was about connection. It was about refusing to let the powerful divide us with petty hatreds and fears.
That's the work now. Organizing is just talking to strangers. Resistance is showing up for each other. And winning is what happens when we refuse to be isolated, refuse to obey in advance, and refuse to let them gaslight us into thinking we're powerless.
We're not powerless. We're winning the narrative. We're shifting public opinion. We're building the movement. And in eight months, we're going to win so big it's undeniable.
See you in the field.
— Stev e
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