People looking for any sign of resistance from Senate Democrats after Chuck Schumer’s budget capitulation were finally thrown a bone by Senator Cory Booker last week. On March 31, and for most of the day after, Booker held the floor for “as long as he was physically able to” in protest of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s actions over the past months. 

For over 25 hours, breaking segregationist Strom Thurmond’s record, Booker railed against mass deportations, federal worker layoffs, the gutting of welfare programs and attacks on both trans rights and DEI initiatives that have been a staple of this administration. Many in the Democratic Party have celebrated Booker’s impressive feat, with many of his colleagues congratulating him as he broke Thurmond’s record.

More than anything, this action was symbolic, as Booker spoke passionately about his own experiences, as well as the legacy of John Lewis, a former congressman and prolific civil rights activist. The speech acted as a full-throated defense of policies and ideals the Trump administration has made its mission to destroy. 

As such, many Democrats have jumped at the opportunity to herald this speech as a rallying point for a party on life support. While, for the Democrats, this speech was a decent start at igniting a fire within the party, I would like to bring the perspective of someone who wants to not just fight against Trump, but all the systems and institutions that enabled and empowered him. 

Firstly, while Booker talked about many things during his speech, there was one, fairly large issue that seemed to have slipped his mind. At no point during his record-breaking speech did Booker care to bring up the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people by the settler-colonial Israeli state. While I commend him for rallying against the mass deportations, the fact that he never brought the same energy regarding one of the worst genocides ever perpetrated on this Earth can only be explained as willful ignorance or horrific apathy. 

I will not waste any time in arguing why Booker should be in support of Palestine, as I fundamentally do not believe there is any real persuasion anymore. The only truly moral stance is to demand an end to this genocide, especially when it pertains to the most horrific policies of the president he was speaking out against.

That being said, how can abolitionists and movement builders against oppressive systems view this speech, especially as it relates to creating the change we wish to see? In my view, this is honestly the type of “resistance” I would like to see from Democrats. 

While I would also love to see more attempts to actually disrupt the business of the Trump administration, I feel as though symbolic actions like this are probably the best we can ask for from Democrats while striving for lasting change. These acts can spur people to get active in resistance, while also remaining an arms-length away from actual activism. I would far prefer the moderate Democrats like Booker to remain at arms length from popular movements on the ground organizing against Trump.

Recall the George Floyd uprisings of 2020, where people around the country took to the streets demanding change to the violent, racist police forces across the country. Many Democrats were all too happy to jump to the lead of this movement, using it as a springboard for their own campaigns, leading to a blue wave across the government. However, the radical message of the movement was watered down to be palatable for an election and very few of the limited number of policing changes stuck, or even had any effect. When the dust of the movement settled, next to nothing was done to combat the issues in America’s policing system, resulting in more killings of Black people, such as Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids.

No matter how much resistance the Democratic Party puts up, only movements led by the working and oppressed people of this country will be able to not just defeat Trump, but salt the Earth to ensure a movement like his can never rise again. Fascism cannot be combated with progressive capitalism and reform, it must be combated with socialism and liberation. With the stakes so high, as democratic institutions crumble around us and markets sink as rapidly as our futures, we cannot afford cooptation and halfhearted resistance this time around.