AI. How to Counteract FASCISM. Key areas of focus.

How to COUNTERACT FASCISM

Confer with AI. 

 

In 2026, counteracting the rise of authoritarian and fascist tendencies—paralleling the themes of institutional betrayal in Keeper of the Flame—requires a multi-layered strategy involving civic action, electoral focus, and personal resilience. 

 

1. Direct Civic and Legislative Action

Actionable engagement with existing democratic structures is the first line of defense to prevent further consolidation of power.

• Persistent Legislative Pressure: Use tools like 5 Calls to contact representatives daily to demand accountability on specific threats, such as the politicization of independent agencies or judicial overreach.
• Town Hall Participation: Attend local and national town halls to ask direct questions about democratic norms and the rule of law. Showing up in person is considered more effective than digital messages.
• Support for Independent Public Servants: Actively rally around non-partisan civil servants, election officials, and judges who are often the first targets of authoritarian dismantling. 

 

2. Strategic Electoral Focus for 2026

With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the focus is on creating a "firewall" against executive overreach.

• Midterm Mobilization: Prioritize electing candidates who commit to constitutional checks and balances. This includes supporting pro-democracy coalitions that transcend traditional party lines.
• Protecting Election Integrity: Work with organizations like the League of Women Voters or Indivisible to protect free and fair elections, particularly in areas where "militarized voter suppression" is a concern.
• Primary Engagement: Participate in primary programs to ensure candidates are "pro-democracy" rather than just party loyalists. 

 

3. Economic and Corporate Leverages

Personal financial choices can serve as a deterrent to corporate complicity in fascist-leaning movements.

• Consumer Boycotts: Target corporations that support authoritarian agendas or fail to denounce threats to democratic institutions. High-profile examples in 2025/2026 include boycotts of law firms and companies that roll back diversity and ethics initiatives.

• Leveraging Spending Power: Use personal spending as a form of "voting," supporting businesses that uphold democratic values and labor rights. 

 

4. Community Resilience and "Mutual Aid"

Fascist movements often thrive on isolating individuals. Building local networks counteracts this.

• Protecting the Vulnerable: Create "NATO Article V" style community agreements where "an attack against one is an attack against all," focusing on protecting undocumented individuals, LGBTQ+ communities, and other first targets of state repression.
• Mutual Aid Networks: Join or form groups that provide essential services (food, healthcare, legal aid) that the state may fail to provide or weaponize.
• Disinformation Defense: Fact-check and refute malicious or bigoted statements in personal circles to prevent the "mass rejection of reason" that often precedes fascist takeovers. 

 

5. Institutional and Long-Term Reform

• Codifying Norms: Push for legislation like the Protecting Our Democracy Act to turn previously unwritten norms into enforceable laws, especially regarding judicial independence and presidential pardons.
• Reclaiming Patriotism: Use cultural institutions like museums and schools to teach the actual history of U.S. democracy, reclaiming symbols of patriotism from those who use them to cloak authoritarianism.

For those seeking to organize, resources like Indivisible's Practical Guide provide frameworks for local mobilization in 2026.