Three observations are pertinent here. First, boycotts and demonstrations have historically been a major part of American political life; they were used by the colonists against the British prior to the Revolution and by civil rights activists from the sixties to the present day. Second, they are primarily associated with the left. Third, the reason they are associated with the left is that the left had no insider political power with which to accomplish its goals. Boycotts and demonstrations are consequently the peaceful equivalent of guerrilla warfare–the weapons of the side fighting uphill in an apparently unequal battle.
The current problem is with the cause, not the tactics. The white Christian right, which is nothing if not derivative, uses these tactics in a twisted homage to the Civil Rights Movement because it incorrectly views itself as an oppressed minority. In reality, it has a monopoly on every kind of power you might care to name in about half of the country. It considers itself oppressed because it has been denied, through politics, the law, and demography, its favorite “freedoms:” the “freedom” not to be offended by different viewpoints; and the “freedom” to dominate seculars, women, and minorities.
The bottom line is that we have two groups in this country who feel oppressed. The left has something of a case; the right has none. I don’t see any peaceful way forward until at least one of these groups is satisfied that its rights and views are being respected and no longer feels compelled to cancel the other.