Holy resistance, Batman!
POW! WHOP! WHAM! Indivisible Orange holds rallies every Tuesday night at the Circle. People are turning out and tuning in and fighting back against MAGA madness.
So, during the spring, I teach an intro to sports journalism class at Chapman University every Tuesday night. My first session of the semester was yesterday, which means—beforehand—I found myself roaming one of Orange County’s coolest old-school towns, basking in the warmth, sipping an iced coffee, enjoying the Orange Circle, feeling the oomph and bliss of SoCal at its finest.
That’s when I saw him.
This guy …
It was Batman. With a beard. And some quirky boots. And a suspect utility belt. But—still! Batman was in Orange, walking toward the famed Circle.
So I followed him, and (as always) following Batman always pays.
The Caped Crusader led me to an anti-ICE rally, which (unbeknownst to me) is held every Tuesday evening by Indivisible Orange. And while the turnout wasn’t enormous, in the we-have-2,000-fighters-in-our-midst way, the event felt surprisingly/importantly empowering. First, because this was Orange, a reliably red town in a reliably red district. Second, because the 50 (or so) marchers were loud, feisty, determined. And third, because, well, the honking. Soooooo much honking. Nonstop honking. Honks here, honks there, honks everywhere. Honks of support, honks of encouragement, honks of resilience.
Honks!
And when you combine the location, with the feistiness, with the noise—well, I dunno. It moved me. I spoke with Jana Anderson, one of the organizers. She felt the spirit, too …
Like many readers of this site, I am eternally looking for hope and reasons to believe democracy will survive this hellscape. And while nothing is guaranteed, there is something to be said for Tuesday nights in the Orange Circle, when people come together to dress as superheroes and stand for their beliefs.
When Batman leaves his bat cave to join the rally and when horns, muted in the past, come alive.
I live in Orange. I hate the narrative that it's a "Red" town - because it isn't. Oranhe has held a Democratic voter advantage since about 2022. I wouldn't call Orange a Blue Town, but I would definitely say it's Purple.
I'm grateful to Indivisible for coming to Orange and holding up the banner - because the county party (IMO) made a poor strategic decision in encouraging the Democratic Club in Orange to merge with the one in Tustin to become Central OC Dems, which is doing great work in Tustin and up the ballot.
Full disclosure - I am a Vice Chair with the County Party. The areas I represent include Orange, Villa Park, Tustin and Yorba Linda. I've lived in Orange for almost 15 years and before that spent 5 years covering the city for the OC Register.
I remember when I first visited the West Democrats of Orange club, which then became the Democrats of Orange. It was a rather large group of lifetime residents.
I'm extremely grateful for the public school supporters who worked together, as well as the DPOC, to successfully recall two board members and then sweep the following elections. But that enthusiasm and political energy haven't moved the needle in the City Council races - even though 3 of the 6 districts lean left and another is basically a toss-up.
I believe it's hard to identify, recruit and support viable Democrats to run for City Council/Mayor/Supervisor/Assembly/State Senate from Orange because there's no organized local party presence. I've lived on the border of Orange/Santa Ana and now I live on the border of Orange/Anaheim Hills.
Whenever I speak to Democrats in Orange, it comes across like being a Dem is the password to a speakeasy. And I've had many people ask me where the local party presence was.
That's why having Indivisible here is so important. It provides people with a rallying point and a source of hope by offering a way to express their membership in the Democratic Party in Orange, beyond simply voting for the party's presidential candidate.
Central Orange County Dems was founded when the leadership of Tustin and Orange Dem clubs each found ourselves struggling with small numbers. The Tustin club had more members and larger meetings, but still. It was hard. Our board is a blending of the two communities, and we are all for one and one for all. We had a community vote to blend the clubs, and not only did the local Democratic community approve the vote, but I doubt any of us could have predicted how successful the club has become. Tustin members phone banked, donated to and canvassed in the OUSD recall, and Orange members actively volunteer at events held in Tustin, such as the Tustin Sunset Market. Our meetings are vibrant and we have more at each meeting. The community is grateful for an opportunity to learn new things while being surrounded with like-minded souls. It is a safe place in a precarious time. Our biggest challenge right now is we are getting more than 200 people registering for meetings, and we are worried about outgrowing our fabulous meeting space. When club Chair asks at each meeting where people have come from, we get the most raised hands and happy whoops and hollers from the Orange folks. We see the same people at our meetings that we see at the Orange Circle rally, which we promote in every newsletter. Not sure how Eugene formed his opinion about our club since he doesn’t attend meetings or events. Our next meeting will feature Jeff Pearlman of The Truth OC! See you there? https://www.mobilize.us/dpoc/event/896885/