shake (one's) tree
To provoke or compel one into taking some sort of action or reform. I believe people are electing radical candidates like her because they want to shake the government's tree. The employees' strike certainly shook our tree a bit, so we've begun
shake (someone's) tree
Slang To arouse to action or reaction; disturb: "[He] so shook Hollywood's tree that ... all manner of ... people called me unsolicited to itemize his mistakes or praise his courage" (Tina Brown).