Bullies swing hard, and when they do, a precise nudge in one direction or a well-timed step out of their path can leave them landing face-first in the dirt.

Overreach will define the years ahead, but not all missteps will be equal. Some create cracks; others floodgates a mile wide. The power lies in knowing which moments to seize and how to use them to grow who’s with us.

Our responses can either shrink who is in or engage an entire new group of people. In 2017 and 2018, two pivotal moments were responded to in ways that broadened the ranks: the fight to save the Affordable Care Act and the pushback against the separation of children from their families at the border.

When the ACA was on the chopping block, organizers sparked working-class people across partisanship to flood into Congressional townhalls demanding, “get your hands off my health insurance.” Their defiance saved the ACA, and made the policy more popular than ever.

When children were separated from their parents at the border, it sparked outrage that went beyond political divides. Americans who had never envisioned themselves at an immigrant rights event drew the line at children being ripped from their parents and joined in. On one day in June of 2018, over 750 Families Belong Together rallies took place across the country. Half of these events were held in politically-red counties, including towns as small as Antler North Dakota, population 17. It was one moment in the last decade when new hearts and minds were won over in the fight for a more humane immigration system.

These reactions to bullying worked because organizers moved to action and framed those actions in a common-sense way that lots of people could relate to. They were designed to grow the ranks.

When the 2018 midterms came, the bullies paid a price. Many Members of Congress who supported repeal of the ACA were sent packing and publicly funded health care was declared the winner in that election. Overreach was the catalyst, but it was choices by organizers that turned being under attack into being on offense.

Bullying is on the rise and it’s not going away anytime soon. We will need to respond to some overreach whether it creates openings or not, but we should always ask, “Who are the new people we are bringing into this fight?” and “How does our response inspire people beyond our current networks to join us? ” Having answers to these questions is not extra credit. In some ways, it’s the whole point. Otherwise, the bullying will never stop.

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