The Left to Take to the Streets Again. This time on May Day. Figures.

That small percentage of Americans — whom I refer to as the “perma-pissed” — are doing what they do best, protesting. Make no mistake, I fully support the right to peacefully protest. The First Amendment is not a suggestion. It is the bedrock of our Republic. But let us call things what they are. When the left loses at the ballot box, they do not head to the drawing board for better ideas or broader appeal. They head to the streets, turning frustration into spectacle, often with a side order of disruption that tests the limits of “peaceful.”

In past commentaries, I have written about the left’s love of demonstrations, public protests and street-theater. The vast majority of left-wing protesters take to the streets peacefully. But there are those within that camp who eagerly take up violence. Some do it for malignant purpose – to loot stores or injure perceived enemies (usually the police). Others do it simply to irrationally rampage against their own fears, insecurities, sense of victimhood and emotional goblins.

On the left there has developed a highly organized “industry” of protest. It has structure and financing. This is not spontaneous outrage bubbling up from the grassroots. It is a well-oiled machine with professional organizers, donor pipelines, training manuals and media coordination. And it kicks into high gear whenever voters elect people from the conservative Republican side of the political divide. Those on the radical left do not believe that elections should have consequences when the consequences are not to their liking.

Consider the so-called Women’s March – or “Mothers’ March” as some reframed it – on the day after Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Millions turned out in cities across the country, many wearing those ridiculous pink “pussyhats.” Organizers framed it as a spontaneous uprising of women defending dignity against a sexist president.

In reality, it was a rapid mobilization by seasoned left-wing networks reacting to Hillary Clinton’s loss. Co-chairs included figures like Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, with backing from progressive nonprofits and activist coalitions. The message was clear. We lost the election, so we will dominate the streets.

As is most often the case, the protest had little impact on policy. They do it because it makes them feel good. I have occasionally described it as “civic masturbation”.

(For the record, one must draw the distinctions between today’s run-of-the-mill left-wing protests and the civil rights movement. Today’s protests are over differences of policy –which should have been largely settled by the elections. On the other hand, the civil rights protests were in response to a gross denial of constitutional rights by the Democratic Party’s institutionalized racism – and generally caused by hostile and violent government or government-tolerated violence. That is not what we are seeing today. But I digress.)

Today’s protests are fueled by policy disagreements – exacerbated by Trump Derangement Syndrome. We see this dynamic at work in the institutionalization of the absurd “No Kings Day.” Whatever one might think of Trump’s use of presidential authority, he is not a king – not even remotely.

What began as scattered anti-Trump actions has morphed into a recurring national ritual of mass mobilization. The March 2026 edition reportedly drew millions across thousands of events, coordinated under the banner of rejecting “kings” in America – a dramatic, albeit highly hyperbolic, framing for policy disagreements over immigration, crime, foreign affairs and executive power.

Organizers like Indivisible, MoveOn and 50501 drove the effort, with Indivisible often listed as a lead coordinator. Funding trails lead to familiar networks such as the Open Society Foundations tied to George Soros, the Arabella Advisors dark money complex and even foreign-linked streams. A Fox News investigation highlighted a broader ecosystem of roughly 500 groups with combined annual revenues of more than $3 billion backing these actions, including overlaps with socialist and communist-aligned groups.

The next “take to the streets” event is scheduled for May 1– with calls for a “day without workers” — “no work, no school, no shopping.” (If they have any success at all, it will be a great day to go shopping. No crowds. No lines. No crowded restaurants. But I digress.)

Organizers from the No Kings coalition, including Indivisible’s Leah Greenberg, have explicitly pivoted post-March events to build May Day actions. The coalition pulls in labor unions like the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), some AFL-CIO locals, along with groups like the Party for Socialism and Liberation, ANSWER Coalition, CodePink, People’s Forum and elements tied to the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Funding networks include not only Soros-linked philanthropy but also Neville Roy Singham, an American tech billionaire and self-described communist living in China, whose money has flowed to these revolutionary socialist entities. Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss has funneled millions through vehicles like the Berger Action Fund to activist nonprofits involved in the broader ecosystem. Dark money pass-throughs like the Tides Foundation and Arabella network further lubricate the machine. These aren’t mom-and-pop operations; they’re professional outfits with budgets, lawyers, digital tools and trained seasoned agitators.

It is no small irony that the collective left has selected May 1st as their next outing – May Day, the International Day of Celebration by the Communist world. In the Soviet era, Red Square parades featured tanks and missiles under portraits of Lenin and Stalin. China, Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam still treat it as a state holiday glorifying the proletariat under party control. American leftists may wrap their events in rhetoric about “workers over billionaires” and “dignity,” but choosing the communists’ calendar date sends a disturbing message. It aligns with groups openly embracing socialist revolution, even as they protest a democratically elected administration.

This protest industry thrives on peddling perpetual grievance. Losses at the ballot box – such as Trump’s 2016 or 2024 victories – trigger not introspection but knee-jerk mobilization. Elections are supposed to settle disputes in a republic. And we can all celebrate that Americans have a constitutional right to free speech and assembly when displeased with the actions of government. But the perma-pissed fringe minority, amplified by big money and professional organizers, disrupts daily life, strains police resources and erodes public trust. Peaceful assembly is one thing. Coordinated efforts that flirt with shutdowns, property damage or revolutionary rhetoric are another.

Americans value liberty, including the right to dissent. But we also value law and order, fair elections with policy consequences and the constitutional process of government. The left’s protest strategy hasn’t delivered policy wins proportional to the chaos. Rather, it has polarized the country further. If they want real change, the ballot box remains the proper venue – not May Day marches echoing communist pageantry, not ridiculous “No Kings” theater, and not another cycle of urban unrest. The rest of us will keep working, voting and building. The perma-pissed can keep marching. History suggests the streets rarely rewrite what the voting booth decides. Thank God.

So, there ‘tis.