This is the onset of a new era of American politics

But moving past MAGA will require tough decisions, and grit. Do we have it in us?

It was exactly 10 years ago today that the MAGA era officially began, as that greasy clog slid down that golden escalator like a hairball in Ann Coulter’s shower drain.

this is a metaphor I considered using throughout this piece, but in the spirit of not spoiling your dinner, I will pivot here and spare you from the clogged drain motif.

And it was only three months ago when it felt like the resistance bottomed out, as Chuck Schumer stood up and told us we had to further enable Trump’s government in order to “minimize harm” to the American people.

How far we’ve come.

No Kings has made it clear: the future is right on top of us, and depending on our next steps, we are beginning the build of the next era of American politics.

An era where we will redefine executive authority, reaffirm our belief in the separation of powers, defend the critical role of immigration in this country’s history and its future, and reject the outdated and misguided hate from the right.

The opportunity for forward progress is absolutely everywhere, all at once. But like with that drain blob (sorry last one I promise), getting through this is going to take determination. And a strong stomach.

To do this well, we have to understand how to characterize our vision to move this country forward, in order to leave MAGA—and the single person for whom they stand—behind us.

That begins with how we pick our leaders. Because in this country, a movement will not accomplish its goals without a leader. And right now, we are cultivating tomorrow’s leaders. Most of whom are yet to emerge; but they’re there. They’re here.

But only if we recognize them and rally behind them.

So how do we do this?

First, to put a very fine point on it, we cannot seek to recreate the Democratic Party of 2006 to compete in 2026 and 2028. Because this is not the America of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush. This is not the America of Ronald Reagan.

MAGA is completely untethered from the conservative values of the past.

Republicans knew this, and hated it, in 2015. But because power is the only thing that scares them into obedience, they’ve given Trump their souls in exchange for the privilege to exist in his orbit.

And this is what Democrats simply don’t understand: a new movement requires a new resistance.

And if you’re looking at your history of pay stubs, and not the future of your kids and grandkids, you need to ask yourself why you joined the Democratic Party in the first place.

Because what we need right now, above all else, is fearlessness.

The same fearlessness that inspired the most tenured Democrats to fight for the middle class, human rights, for peace, and for the environment when our party reinvented itself in the 60s and 70s.

The same fearlessness we just saw from tens of thousands of Minnesotans, who, in defying requests from their own leaders, left their homes to protest the Trump regime, all while an active manhunt swept the state, in search of a violent murderer who not only targeted Democrats, but had No Kings events circled in his manifesto.

This is the fearlessness we hold.

And this is the fearlessness we require.

But it’s not always the fearlessness we see, as we grasp the reality that the leaders of the past are not the leaders of the future. New leaders, with new voices, who recognize that a new era requires a new energy.

So please. Put down the press release. Hang up the suit. Let go of the donor list.

Because what got us here will not get us there.

But don’t step down, and don’t step aside. Step forward, and serve the future as a mentor, a coach, and a force multiplier for the next generation of leaders. Be part of the solution, so we can put MAGA behind us, end the American nightmare, and rebuild the country that defined the American dream.