A friend of mine posted on Facebook about his experience last weekend at a No Kings protest in my hometown. He included some photos of what he thought were the most impactful protest signs. And this one stood out:
Have faith in the bloodclot.
I’ll readily admit: The term “bloodclot” is sure to catch my eye. A bloodclot killed my mom about six years ago, so I’m predisposed to notice that word and to have a visceral reaction to it.
But I ask you: What could that sign possibly mean? I tried Googling. I asked various AI platforms. For the life of me, I don’t get it.
Have … faith … in … the … bloodclot?
Dark humor, I suppose; Donald Trump is 79 years old, and could develop a bloodclot at any time that kills him, or causes a stroke (although, given recent history, even a severe cognitive decline resulting in memory loss and confusion wouldn’t necessarily make him ineligible to be president).
But that one, incredibly random and confusing sign represents a broader problem with the No Kings movement — a movement which libertarians, classical liberals, and anti-war, small-government, or anti-authoritarian conservatives could get behind if it were framed in the right way.
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No one in those groups wants kings, after all. And we all recognize that Trump is extending the power of the presidency in a dangerous way.
But “No Kings?” THAT’S the term they came up with? THAT’S the tuning fork they want to ring in our loins? Not exactly “I have a dream,” or “Tea Party,” or “No taxation without representation.” And it’s most certainly not, “Hey, hey, LBJ. How many kids did you kill today?”The libertarian podcaster and comedian Dave Smith was in Boston over the weekend and saw a No Kings protest there. He observed, “Every sign I saw was just the vaguest thing. People over fascism. Rule by the many, not by the monarchs. And I’m just sitting there like, guys: There’s a war on! You want to protest? The thing’s right there for you to protest!”
“No Kings” is a movement a lot of people — libertarians firmly among them — could be eager to support. The ideas of limiting government, in particular the executive branch, speak right to our souls. And there are millions of people out there who’ve never heard the terms “libertarian” or “small government,” but who intuitively appreciate those concepts. I’ll bet they are ready and eager to be inspired.
But gosh, they’re gonna need something stronger than “No Kings.” And they’re gonna need something grander to have faith in than … *checks notes* a semisolid or gel-like mass that forms in your arteries and veins.
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