Strategic Reason: Escalation matters, but right now consistency is the greater weapon. We’ve seen over the past several months that the most effective way to change the shape of politics isn’t always through peak-disruption events, but by steadily shifting the political center. The middle is where momentum is being built, for better or worse. The recent series of coordinated monthly protests have been doing exactly that: growing attendance, building recognition, and creating a new normal for public accountability. Every week the percentages rise, and with them, the narrative that truth still has mass appeal.
A one-day economic disruption like Black Friday looks powerful on paper, but it risks alienating the very center we’re successfully moving. The reality is that much of the moderate base is still deeply tied to capitalist culture; framing the movement around a retail boycott could blunt that connection instead of expanding it. Boycotts change decimals for sure, but not always hearts. What’s working right now is visible, consistent, truth-driven presence.
Framing Proposal: Anchor mid-November (Nov. 15 or 22) as a unifying “Democracy Defense” weekend - an escalation that reinforces the through-line from labor power to anti-corruption to truth over propaganda. Center the message on preserving democracy itself as the shared value that transcends party and ideology. Make the action broad enough for every aligned movement - labor, anti-war, anti-fascist, cost-of-living justice - to plug in without fracturing the narrative.
This keeps the energy building through the month while holding the moral high ground. We can still support decentralized Black Friday actions where they make sense locally, but the main national anchor should focus on truth, unity, and protecting democratic power - because that’s where we’re actually winning people over.
Position: Oppose / Amend
Preferred Date(s): Nov. 15 or Nov. 22
Strategic Reason: Escalation matters, but right now consistency is the greater weapon. We’ve seen over the past several months that the most effective way to change the shape of politics isn’t always through peak-disruption events, but by steadily shifting the political center. The middle is where momentum is being built, for better or worse. The recent series of coordinated monthly protests have been doing exactly that: growing attendance, building recognition, and creating a new normal for public accountability. Every week the percentages rise, and with them, the narrative that truth still has mass appeal.
A one-day economic disruption like Black Friday looks powerful on paper, but it risks alienating the very center we’re successfully moving. The reality is that much of the moderate base is still deeply tied to capitalist culture; framing the movement around a retail boycott could blunt that connection instead of expanding it. Boycotts change decimals for sure, but not always hearts. What’s working right now is visible, consistent, truth-driven presence.
Framing Proposal: Anchor mid-November (Nov. 15 or 22) as a unifying “Democracy Defense” weekend - an escalation that reinforces the through-line from labor power to anti-corruption to truth over propaganda. Center the message on preserving democracy itself as the shared value that transcends party and ideology. Make the action broad enough for every aligned movement - labor, anti-war, anti-fascist, cost-of-living justice - to plug in without fracturing the narrative.
This keeps the energy building through the month while holding the moral high ground. We can still support decentralized Black Friday actions where they make sense locally, but the main national anchor should focus on truth, unity, and protecting democratic power - because that’s where we’re actually winning people over.