Evan Genest's Learning Log

I keep notes here. Most of these are related to travel, work, or books.

Best citizen groups to support here and now

activism

(Response by ChatGPT to three prompts)

Prompt 1

Which groups have done the most to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision? Are they conservative or liberal?

Efforts to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC (2010) decision have come overwhelmingly from liberal and progressive groups. These organizations argue that Citizens United unleashed a flood of corporate and dark money into American politics by allowing unlimited independent political spending by corporations and unions.

Major Groups Leading the Effort:

  1. Move to Amend

    • Political orientation: Progressive/Liberal
    • Mission: Advocates for a constitutional amendment to state that money is not speech and that corporations are not people.
    • Tactics: Grassroots organizing, ballot initiatives, lobbying for a 28th Amendment.
  2. Public Citizen

    • Political orientation: Liberal
    • Mission: Promotes a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and supports stricter campaign finance laws.
    • Tactics: Legal advocacy, public education, petitions.
  3. Common Cause

    • Political orientation: Generally nonpartisan but progressive-leaning
    • Mission: Campaign finance reform and anti-corruption measures, including a reversal of Citizens United.
    • Tactics: Legal action, lobbying, public campaigns.
  4. End Citizens United

    • Political orientation: Liberal/Democratic
    • Mission: Elect pro-reform Democrats and push for campaign finance reform, including reversing Citizens United.
    • Tactics: Endorsing candidates, fundraising, lobbying for legislation.
  5. American Promise

    • Political orientation: Centrist to progressive
    • Mission: Bipartisan effort for a 28th Amendment to address campaign finance reform.
    • Tactics: Engages with conservatives and moderates as well as liberals to build broad support.

Conservative Efforts?

Very few conservative or right-leaning groups have made reversing Citizens United a priority. In fact, many prominent conservative legal organizations, such as the Federalist Society, Heritage Foundation, and others, supported the Citizens United ruling as a win for free speech. However:

Summary:

The most organized and active opposition to Citizens United has come from liberal and progressive groups, often tied to the broader movement for campaign finance reform. Conservative groups, by contrast, have largely supported or defended the ruling on First Amendment grounds.

Among the five groups—Move to Amend, Public Citizen, Common Cause, End Citizens United, and American Promise—the group that has arguably made the most tangible progress toward overturning Citizens United is American Promise. Here's why:


🥇 American Promise


Honorable Mentions:

Move to Amend

End Citizens United

Public Citizen and Common Cause


Conclusion:

American Promise has made the most structural progress toward overturning Citizens United because it’s working to build the only thing that can actually do it: a constitutional amendment backed by a bipartisan supermajority across states and Congress. The road is long, but they're methodically working the required steps.

Prompt 2

Which groups are fighting American fascism the most effectively?

The fight against American fascism—broadly understood as the defense of democracy, civil rights, and pluralism against authoritarian, white nationalist, or violent antidemocratic movements—is being waged by a variety of groups across ideological, tactical, and institutional lines.

Below are some of the most effective and prominent groups, divided by type:


1. Protect Democracy

2. Lawyers for Good Government

3. Brennan Center for Justice


🗳️ Grassroots Pro-Democracy Organizing

4. Indivisible

5. Swing Left and Sister District


🕵️ Research, Exposure, and Disruption of Fascist Networks

6. Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)

7. Political Research Associates

8. Right Wing Watch (a project of People for the American Way)


🧱 Community-Based Anti-Fascism and Mutual Aid

9. Community Defense Networks (e.g., local antifa or anti-fascist mutual aid collectives)


🏛️ Institutional Partners and Watchdogs

10. The Lincoln Project (controversial)


Conclusion:

Most Effective Overall:

Honorable mention for rapid response:

Fighting fascism in the U.S. requires a multi-pronged approach—legal defense, electoral power, community safety, and cultural exposure—and these groups each play a critical role in that ecosystem.

Prompt 3

Okay, opposite question: What groups are most effective at INCREASING fascism in America?

The groups most effective at increasing fascism in America—understood as promoting authoritarianism, political violence, ethno-nationalism, or anti-democratic practices—range from well-funded political actors to militant movements and media ecosystems that normalize or glamorize authoritarian tendencies. Below is a breakdown of the most influential ones, categorized by type and their level of systemic impact:

⚖️ 1. Mainstream Political Organizations Enabling Authoritarianism

The Republican Party (as currently led)

Turning Point USA


🪖 2. Militant and Paramilitary Groups

Proud Boys

Oath Keepers

Groyper Movement (Nick Fuentes’ followers)


📢 3. Media and Propaganda Networks

Fox News (especially under Tucker Carlson era)

InfoWars / Alex Jones


💸 4. Dark Money and Think Tanks Pushing Authoritarian Policies

The Heritage Foundation (in its current iteration)

Council for National Policy (CNP)


⛓️ 5. Online Radicalization Platforms

Telegram, Gab, 4chan / 8kun


Summary Table

Group/Entity Type Effectiveness at Spreading Fascism
Republican Party (MAGA) Mainstream political 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Proud Boys / Oath Keepers Paramilitary/extremist 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Fox News / InfoWars Media & propaganda 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Heritage Foundation Policy think tank 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Turning Point USA Youth indoctrination 🔥🔥🔥
Groyper Movement Ideological extremist 🔥🔥🔥
4chan/Gab/Telegram Online radicalization 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Final Thought:

These groups are not all the same, but they each contribute to the normalization or advancement of fascist-adjacent politics—whether through policy, violence, rhetoric, or disinformation. The greatest danger lies in the overlap between fringe militancy and mainstream legitimization, especially when political, judicial, and media systems fail to check them.