This browser does not support the Video element.
Democrats take a page from the Tea Party.
It's called the Indivisible guide and many believe it could be the trump card for the Trump agenda
As Donald Trump prepares to be sworn in, thousands of people across the country and right here in metro Detroit is gearing up to fight his agenda.
Call it the Indivisible Movement, localized groups using the same methods employed by the Tea Party to influence members of Congress like recording encounters and peppering lawmakers with questions at town hall meetings. Organizing sit-ins if they can't get meetings at district offices and making coordinated phone calls to congressional staffers.
"That’s the beauty of this guide," Mark Paul said. "It's designed by former congressional staffers who already know what works."
FOX 2 met up with Mark Paul and Amanda Sehmer, who head up an indivisible group in Ferndale in the Ninth Congressional District. They have nearly a hundred members in their Facebook group.
"Every day he puts something up there that says call this person, here's the phone number, here's the senator you want to call, here's the script you want to talk through," said Mandy Carson, Indivisible member.
Paul, its founder, says right now they're taking aim at Trump's cabinet appointments.
"Particular Betsy DeVos-she gave one of the worst performances the other day of any cabinet appointment ever," Paul said.
Another target is the looming repeal of the Affordable Care Act
"We're concerned with all of the progress that's been made with this," Sehmer said. "We realize there are some shortcomings but that isn't a reason to repeal it and definitely not without a replacement."
"It's unlikely they're going to have any impact on Donald Trump or the Republican administration," said Dr. Joe Abisaid, University of Detroit Mercy professor. "The biggest impact they would have is influencing the Democratic Party."
FOX 2 talked with Abisaid, a political communications professor, about if Indivisible could have the same impact as the Tea Party.
"If Donald Trump is very effective and popular they may find it's difficult to work with members of the democratic party who would prefer to align themselves with Donald Trump more than their organization," Abisaid said.
"If Trump does well we all do well, I don't necessarily want Trump to fail," Paul said. "Our target is not just Donald Trump, our target is also the leadership in Congress. And to say that we exist in what will be called a blue district, we still have elected officials we have to hold accountable. They may vote in ways we may not want them to."
There are 40 registered groups in Michigan and half of them in metro Detroit, and more than 1,700 across the country. Only time will tell what kind of impact they will have.