Life in Activism: Here Are Four Good Things That Are Better Experienced While in Opposition Than While in Power

Don’t wish the time away, even now

I like to count things. Honestly, I have liked this ever since I was three years old, as my mother and father can attest. This is why I know, for example, that the completion of Donald Trump's 92nd full day in office, or roughly 6.3% of his second term, takes place today at noon eastern time. Today, April 22, 2025, also marks 168 days since the elections of November 5, 2024, leaving 560 days until the midterm elections on November 3, 2026.

Now, you might think that I am keeping these counts because I cannot wait for Donald Trump's time in office to be over, or at least for an end to his ability to exercise largely unchecked power. And my first reaction might be to agree with that statement wholeheartedly by blurting out "yes, of course—absolutely, you bet!” I mean, I am really eager for those things to end.

However, it only takes me a few moments to realize that, when pushed, I don't actually want time to speed up, and I don't want to wish any of it away no matter who is president and no matter what is happening in the country. Not one single day, hour or minute needs to go any faster.

For starters, on a personal level, just this past weekend, my wife and I colored Easter eggs (our eggs are pictured above) with our 11 year-old son. Is that something he will even be willing to do with us two or four years from now?

Same goes with playing catch with him, which right now is one of my favorite things to do. Will he still throw the ball around with me when he is on his high school baseball team?

On January 20, 2029, I will be only a few days shy of my 55th birthday. Do I want to wish away almost the entirety of my early fifties?

What if I, or someone close to me, gets sick, and this is the only time we have left? The last thing I want to do is to wish that time away.

Even apart from personal considerations such as those, when I am engaged in this line of thinking it doesn't take long for me to remember that, while having your side in power is better than having your side out of power, and while having the other side in power has never quite felt quite as disturbing as it does right now, there is actually a lot about being a political activist that is actually better during times like these.

I know that might be hard to accept at first. Also, I am not in any way saying that I actually prefer it when Democrats are out of power, because I most certainly do not. However, at the same time, many of my fondest experiences and memories as a political activist happened during the two George W. Bush administrations and the first Trump administration—and I wouldn't be surprised if more happen over the next four years. This is because there are four things in particular about being a political activist that are best understood or experienced when you are out of power: it can be thrilling, it can be unifying, it can help you build new things, and it can help you remember why engaging in activism is important.

Below the fold, for paid subscribers, I discuss these four points, tied into contemporary events and my personal experiences of them in times past. I hope this will help us all remember that there are things we activists should look forward to, even now, so that none of us will wish any of our time away.