Want to a way to not just fight back, but build for more? Consider running for local office yourself. Make sure no position goes uncontested near you
As things are more likely to fall back to the states and local government, make sure yours is willing to fight for their rights. Don’t give in to despair. Grieving is natural, but don’t let it consume you completely. When you build back up that energy, put your fury into change
Power tends to flow upwards in the party over time. The local leaders tend to be flow into higher and higher office, so lets make the party's pool of people as progressive as we can
Some helpful links:
Run for Something, a group that supports progressives running for any downballot positions. They've helped elect around a thousand progressive into office
I could be wrong, but I believe that pretty much every political office I could run for is either already held by a progressive (or at least a decent person), or elected statewide and therefore completely unwinnable.
Also just reminding your less politically interested acquaintances about the possibility of a general strike.
I prefer to keep it vague and chit chatty because I’d like it to feel like a natural common sense solution next time they themselves have a what the fuck moment over some policy or over price fixing or over whatever is getting them worked up.
“If things get too bad, we can always walk out en masse and bully the state into changing course. The economy needs us all working or it doesn’t work.”
I want more lay-people saying at the dinner table “you know what might work? A general strike.”
It's also important to get organized, like joining a leftist party or union. Reading theory also helps, I have an introductory reading list on Marxism, but really, reading theory in general is a good way to better understand our present conditions and how to overcome them.