Protest is avocational, the government officials are on the payroll. It's hard to sustain resistance in one's spare time. The state has the instruments of power to discourage assemblies and opportunists, however motivated, will imbed within large groups. Provocateurs raise the risk of violence. Observing international protests, one notices that governments can wait for the initial ferver to wane and pick off the stragglers.

The nature of Trump's electoral success drove us into a despondent crouch. Watching the news was dispiriting. The Democratic Party response only reinforced despair. Time and exposure to the scope and depth of Trump's depredations have reinvigorated our resolve.

The timing of No Kings was fortuitous. Several events coincided to underscore our repulsion to this administration. Polls suggest an erosion of the appeal of the MAGA project. Trump campaigns on resonant diagnosis and governs repugnantly. Exposure reminds vacillating Americans why they are repelled.