Jane Fonda on How to Turn Rage Into Hope: On with Kara Swisher

What It Covers

Jane Fonda discusses her Jane Fonda Climate PAC's strategy to elect over 200 down-ballot candidates who reject fossil fuel money, her relaunch of the Committee for the First Amendment to counter authoritarianism, and tactical approaches to resistance including noncompliance, boycotts, and community organizing rather than traditional protests alone.

Key Questions Answered

• •Down-Ballot Electoral Strategy: The Jane Fonda Climate PAC focuses on state legislators, city councils, and school boards rather than federal races, achieving an 80% win rate with 79 candidates in the last cycle. This mirrors the Tea Party's successful local organizing approach and builds a firewall against federal overreach while creating a deep bench for future Democratic leadership.
• •Noncompliance Over Protest: Under authoritarian regimes, traditional protests become ineffective compared to economic pressure tactics. Examples include millions threatening to cancel Disney subscriptions when Kimmel faced removal, and Pentagon reporters collectively returning credentials. Boycotts, strikes, and actions affecting corporate bottom lines weaken the pillars supporting authoritarian power more effectively than demonstrations.
• •Depression to Action Framework: Combat climate despair by choosing specific action rather than waiting for optimism. Fonda transformed her depression during Los Angeles wildfires by creating Fire Drill Fridays with Greenpeace. Hope functions as a muscle built through fighting for what's right regardless of outcome certainty, not passive belief that everything will improve automatically.
• •Community Pod Organization: Vulnerability decreases through organized neighborhood networks with designated roles for medical support, food distribution, and deescalation tactics. Minneapolis resistance succeeded because communities trained in advance through programs like Freedom Trainers' Noncooperation 101, establishing communication systems and mutual aid structures before crises emerged rather than reacting during emergencies.
• •Third Act Planning Method: At age 60, envision your desired death scenario and work backward to inform present behavior. Fonda's vision of dying at home surrounded by loved ones requires deserving love through current actions. This mortality acceptance creates meaning and community focus, while death denial correlates with increased hostility according to scientific studies on mortality awareness.