Why #HoldFast Must Become the Rallying Cry of Democracy
The Ancient Command Built for Storms, Now Reborn for a Nation Under Siege
Why #HoldFast Must Become the Rallying Cry of Democracy
The Ancient Command Built for Storms, Now Reborn for a Nation Under Siege
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #658: Saturday, November 22nd, 2025.
Author’s Note:
This is very short…and to the point. I look forward to seeing you help make this spread.
You’ve no doubt caught a glimpse of the hashtag #HoldFast by now…
Maybe in a comment thread.
Maybe quietly tucked at the end of someone’s post.
Maybe carved into a sentence like a knife tip.
Most people saw it, nodded, and scrolled on.
But the smart ones…
the ones with the instincts…
the ones who understand that language is warfare…
…stopped.
Because some phrases don’t just describe a moment…they define a movement.
And #HoldFast is one of them.
Not because it’s trendy.
Not because it’s snappy.
But because it carries a thousand years of meaning in two words…and it lands with the emotional force of a ship’s captain screaming through a storm:
“GRIP THE LINE. DO NOT LET GO. WE RIDE THIS OUT OR WE DIE.”
That is not a slogan.
That is a command.
And it may be the single most effective rallying cry available to those fighting for democracy right now…more potent and more unifying…than anything the left…moderates…dissidents…defenders…activists…or patriots have managed to rally behind in decades.
Let me show you why.
WHY #HOLDFAST HITS HARDER THAN ANYTHING ELSE
Most political slogans are soft abstractions:
“Hope and Change.”
“Stronger Together.”
“Forward.”
“Yes We Can.”
They’re posters.
They’re billboards.
They’re lawn signs.
But #HoldFast is not an idea.
It’s a behavior.
It tells people WHAT TO DO when the storm hits.
And right now…
with authoritarian power accelerating…
with purges being floated in the mainstream…
with political violence normalizing…
with institutions bending…
people don’t need uplifting sentiment.
They need an order.
A mantra.
A grip.
THE TRUE POWER IS IN THE HISTORY
Most people don’t know this…but Hold Fast isn’t modern slang.
It’s not a metaphor a consultant dreamed up in a messaging focus group.
It’s ancient…primal…and battle-tested.
It began over 600 years ago with Dutch sailors…Houd Vast…meaning:
GRIP THE ROPE. DO NOT LET GO.
It migrated to British ships.
Then to wartime navies.
Then to Marines.
Then to aviation crews.
Men literally tattooed HOLD and FAST across their knuckles…because it meant survival…when the waves were trying to rip them off the deck.
This wasn’t poetry.
It was a life-or-death operating principle.
A way of telling the man next to you:
If you let go, we all die.
You tell me a slogan in modern politics…that carries that weight.
You won’t find one.
WHY IT’S PERFECT FOR THIS MOMENT IN HISTORY
We are not in an era where democracy is “challenged.”
We are in an era where democracy is under siege.
Authoritarianism isn’t knocking…it’s battering the door.
Propaganda isn’t creeping…it’s flooding.
The public isn’t outraged…they’re exhausted.
This isn’t a moment for:
“Be Inspired.”
“Stay Hopeful.”
“Vote Blue.”
“We’ll Be Fine.”
No.
This is a moment for:
“DO. NOT. LET. GO. OF DEMOCRACY.”
#HoldFast tells exhausted people exactly how to survive the storm:
Stay loud.
Stay engaged.
Stay grounded.
Stay in the fight.
And it does it without needing a speech…a paragraph…or a thesis.
THE MARKETING POWER: WHY THIS WILL SPREAD
Now let’s talk persuasion…not poetry.
This works because it has:
Two short syllables
A built-in visual (the grip)
Command voice
No political label
A centuries-old emotional backbone
It is:
shareable
chantable
tattoo-able
poster-ready
hashtag-powerful
It works on shirts…banners…memes…campaign messaging…and street protests.
It doesn’t split moderates from progressives.
It doesn’t sound academic.
It doesn’t sound elite.
It sounds like something…whispered into someone’s ear before impact.
WHY WE MUST USE IT CONSTANTLY
If you want a movement to survive, three things matter:
A shared identity
A shared narrative
A shared command
Right now…defenders of democracy have NO shared command.
We have anger.
We have awareness.
We have facts.
But…we don’t have a single unifying behavior-based rallying cry to glue the movement together.
#HoldFast can be that glue.
It doesn’t need explaining.
It’s primal.
It fits on every post…every thread…every speech…every protest sign.
And the more it appears…the more it becomes a subconscious unifying code.
Repetition makes culture.
We need repetition.
Are You Ready To Do This? (Yes…You Are.)
If you believe democracy, decency, rule of law, and freedom are worth fighting for…
Start using #HoldFast on everything you post.
Not occasionally.
Not when it’s trending.
As standard operating procedure.
At the end of posts.
In headlines.
As a sign-off.
On graphics.
In bios.
Make it unavoidable.
Make people ask why they’re seeing it everywhere.
Make it the anchor phrase that reminds millions of people:
The storm is here.
We grip the rope.
We do not let go.
#HoldFast
Back soon,
-Jack
Remember, any post you make…you can easily #Holdfast…at the end, and help make it become as common as a bowl of gravy next to a pan of hot biscuits.
Gotcha! #HoldFast
Jack My uncle Alex was a merchant marine for 30 plus years. He had Hold Fast on his knuckles. We used to ask why and he told us stories of why and what it meant to him and the others who he served with. At those times grip meant more than strong hands. My father agreed and he always said when putting us to bed to sleep tight.