Move Something (Anything!)

“This ain’t the time or place for you to prove somethin’, cut the star-gazin’ yo move somethin’”

One of the great, and terrible things about this moment is that because everything and their mother is under attack (geddit?), there are about a million things, wherever you are, that you can get involved with to participate in the great upsurge that is going on.  I hope that the movement that is being stirred by the fight for Wisconsin public employees’ rights to workplace democracy also embraces and supports the numerous other resistance movements that were initiated by attacks against both their funding streams and very integrities in the rush to fiscal ‘austerity’.  That’s certainly the indication I get from Van Jones, but let’s hope there’s some follow-through.

I say this because we have seen, over the last couple of years, no shortage of assaults on not just isolated organizations, communities, and individuals, but assaults on our sources of power, mobilization, and movement capacity, what Chris Bowers calls the ‘Progressive Feedback Loops‘; assaults that have left our ability to respond to further assaults weaker than before.  The destruction of ACORN, the witch hunts against Van Jones and Shirley Sherrod, and all the attempts to degrade and undermine Obama and progressivism in general, was not just about taking out random institutions.  It was about knocking the wind out of progressive organizers, it was about demobilizing and taking out the engines and fuel supplies of the movement that is so much more than Barack Obama.  And so far we have not seen the rush that we see now to support, on a national level, those key communities that are under attack, all at once.  We are all in this together, and they’re attacking us all for the same reason- to diminish our ability to fight back.  Let’s remember that going forward, and know we can’t afford to lose a single piece of progressive infrastructure.  With that being said, here are just a small slice of the struggles that are going on, and a small sample of the ways to get involved:

“The Movement for ‘Hope and Change’ has a Rare, Second Chance… All Who Love This Country Need to Do Everything Possible to Spread the ‘Spirit of Madison’ to All 50 States”

If they can, we can

Weeks ago, I wondered if the spirit that had transported Egypt would catch on in America, where, for many reasons, it is equally urgently needed.  And we are so blessed that that looks to be happening.  I’ll admit that earlier, at the time, I would have thought that given the crisis our country’s youth faces (from unemployment, climate change, health insecurity, deportation, incarceration, debt), and the energy with which we delivered Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008, the spark would be lit by my generation again.  But if the fire that’s spreading across the world has any single lesson it’s that you won’t be able to guess where it catches on next.  So thank God for Wisconsin, for Madison, for Egyptian pizza-benefactors, and for the public employees unions out there.  You find yourselves in excellent company.

“The New Weapon Of Choice Is The Broom”: “Yesterday, I Was A Demonstrator. Today, I Build Egypt”

Cleaning up Tahrir Square, the day after Mubarak steps down

Jubilation in Tahrir at Mubarak's resignation

Supporters that, I'm going to hazard a guess, are not in Egypt

"Mini-state of the people's revolution"

Honoring the dead

I could go on and on about this (and already have, to my poor friends here in Cleveland), and I swear I’ll get back to stuff closer to home soon, but wanted at least something about the awesomeness we were lucky enough to bear witness to on Friday:

More From Sharif Abdel Kouddous

I can’t get enough, more out of Democracy Now!:

Cairo, Egypt—In the second day of defiance of a military curfew, more than 150,000 protesters packed into Tahrir Square Sunday to call on President Hosni Mubarak to step down. The mood was celebratory and victorious. For most, it was not a question of if, but when, Mubarak would leave.

Military tanks have been stationed at entrance points around the square with soldiers forming barricades across streets and alleyways. In another departure from ordinary Cairo life, people quickly formed orderly queues to get through the army checkpoints. Soldiers frisked people and checked their identification cards. One soldier said they were making sure no one with police or state security credentials could enter. [More below the flip:]

Dude, Check Out Egypt!

I really ought to be working right now, but seriously, you need to check out what’s going on.  I say this because I’ve had conversations over the last week with young folks who haven’t been following it, and it is a big f@#!ing deal.  Democracy Now! has a lot of good coverage of the on-the-ground conditions, which for the moment interests me vastly more than the fact that a lot of others have been covering, that the US’ role in this in the immediate term ranges from regressive to irrelevant.

Below the flip are the highlights of my understanding of how this is going, and what’s important, but you should really do yourself the service of watching the videos, checking the photos, and reading the accounts- they are compelling and deeply inspiring:

Happy Belated Martin Luther King Day!

Meant to post this earlier on the day itself, but since this post consists mostly of just links to some of my favorite of his speeches and sermons, I thought I’d actually, y’know read them before putting this up.

I was considering going the ultra-political route, the updating of contexts, the speculation of what King would have thought about X current situation.  But your time would be better spent just reading what he wrote.  I firmly believe that the Black Freedom Struggle (which to me encompasses all those movements from abolitionism to Reconstruction, from the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance to the black labor movement, from Civil Rights to Black Power and environmental justice ) has been and continues to be the most powerful revolutionary movement ever produced in this country’s history, with Martin Luther King Jr. as one of its most eloquent leaders and one of its most sophisticated organizers and leaders.  His words remain inspiring, illuminating, and deeply challenging.

Sharing Responsibility, Looking Ahead

The above video has absolutely nothing to do with this post, it’s just stuck in my head, and I thought I’d share it with you.

Okay, neither does that one either, but I love the song and it makes me feel really amped about figuring stuff out and moving forward.

I just got done reading an article that was very challenging.  Not difficult to read, as much as a major complication of the construct I’ve been working with, oh, since Van Jones bit the political dust in early September 2009.  I highly recommend reading it.

Parry’s main point (he was, apparently, one of the first journalists to break Iran/Contra) is basically that since the rise of Nixon, liberals/progressives/unabashed leftists and the Democratic Party leadership have essentially been engaged in a reliably adversarial relationship marked by roughly the same errors committed by both parties (not Parties- Repubs have just gotten crazier and crazier), which has consistently facilitated a conservative descent and total rightist/corporatist/authoritarian/neoconservative capture of the country’s political climate and atmosphere.  He spares neither Democratic leadership, nor liberal insurgents who struggle for appreciation and to force the leaders of the Party to do better, implicating both of wholly misunderstanding the circumstances they find themselves in and thus failing to advance a progressive agenda by more than half-measures.

He argues that Democratic leaders make weak starts at getting important stuff done and acquiesce too easily to Republican dominance by avoiding bringing to light the truly despicable things their opponents do, while progressive activists take such weak starts and acquiescence as cue to start some shit, which makes the weak-tea Democrats lose, encouraging the Republicans to, well, continue to do truly despicable things.  Republicans gain power, hilarity is offshored to China, where it occasionally ensues.

I think I responded so strongly to this article because it came from a writer who clearly appreciates my, I believe, sober view of the situation (that Democratic leadership has been insufficient and lackluster, and has failed to approach their few openings to make change with the courage and a political strategy that is also more progressive and just better policy-wise that would enlarge their advantage) but totally refutes my emotional urge (to make this clear to Democratic leadership by whomping them).

More below!

More On One Nation Rally, Putting It In Perspective

Paul Rosenberg has some posts up that go deeper into what I was talking about this morning.  In Off-The-Shelf “Revolution”? he reflects on a Ken Silverstein piece from way back in 2006, and makes a point that I consistently make; that it will take a direct confrontation of the way the current administration approaches change, as well as the character of the change they are proposing, to advance beyond the limited scope we’ve seen so far.  As many of us have been saying for a while (and many have been saying way longer than me), we’re just not talking about speed, it’s about direction.  It’s not just about winning the fight, it’s about waging the fight at all.

And in Expressing Vs. Suppressing The Base, he talks about what is to me one of the fundamental questions that progressive organizations (I hazard to yet call it a movement, which is part of the point) need to face; will they attempt to control the impulses of their constituents, or will they empower those constituents to develop a sustainable, well-led foundation and base, as the conservatives have done (at least, in some aspects).  Whatever you may say about grassroots conservatives (yeah, I mean grassroots, astroturfing only goes so far) going against their own interests, the fact of the matter is that conservatives are very good at letting their base get out of control, and letting that momentum continue the rightward lurch of the country at large.  I agree with Frank Rich at least on this count: the license allowed the conservative base ultimately serves them very well from a movement perspective.  Individual conservatives may freak out, may lose their seats.  O’Donnell may not win her election, but the larger movement is well served.

Overall though, I do agree with Paul Rosenberg’s general sentiment: we may not have everything we need (like thirty years of contesting conservative hegemony), but at the very least, we’ve got what we have.  It could be worse, and let’s work from here.

Peace,
Joel

One Nation Working Together: Beyond Marches And Electoral Drives?

I’m not sure whether this is just me wanting there to be a vibrant left coalition and so seeing more than ought to be seen, or if this is, you know, the actual beginning of a vibrant left coalition that can push our boneheaded party to do better.  But I’m warily excited about the One Nation Working Together movement (they call themselves that).  Pictures here.  They look like what I had wanted the Coffee Party to be a while back, and what I’d rather see out of the March for Sanity.  No offense intended to Coffee Party or Jon Stewart, I think they fulfill a valuable role as well, and there are good friends and people I trust who worked tirelessly on the CP (no, not that CP), but it just lacked the urgency and the transparency (where do you stand dangit?) I needed.

I don’t know where they’re going to go after November 2nd.  That will be the real indicator to me if this is working toward really sustainable movement building or just a ‘crikey we need to make sure we maintain a Dem majority or everything will go to hell’ thing.  Not that we don’t need to maintain a Dem majority, it’s just that we did that in ’08 and we need to take it a step further and change the game.  But if they elicit real grassroots support, real rank-and-file democracy; and get out of the insider game that, well, everyone has been playing since that was the directive sent to them from Day 1 (what was the appointment of the economic team if not a blindingly clear signal that this was how it was going to be?), and begin to directly and effectively challenge and shift the more boneheaded decisions made by the leaders on our side who sent those directives, well, maybe this thing’ll be legit.

Anyway.  I get excited reading their website, at the very least.  Anything that draws pretty unabashedly ‘Let America Be America Again‘ and the original March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (check the platform especially) demands my attention, though I know a lot of folks draw from those two in word.  The judgment will be in the deed.  Anyway.  I’ll quote directly their mission and policy principles (there’s that combination of words I’ve been missing!) and link to their supporting organizations (again, the level of real involvement and buy-in, the mobilization of membership and empowerment of member-leaders will be a really strong indicator).

Some Of That Old Citizen Obie Flava- Ohio Get Out The Vote Actions Starting 09/28 In Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Athens, Toledo, And Bowling Green

Just in case you thought that all I do is postulate about stuff, plan bike trips, and make rap/Star Wars jokes.

A good friend and mentor, solid organizer, and published social theorist to boot has been working like mad to pull off some get out the vote rallies (amidst a book tour no less) in Ohio this upcoming week, and I would be well-remiss if I didn’t encourage you to attend one in your local area (I’ll be copping out, at a mandatory VISTA training in Columbus on Tuesday).

The full list can be found here, but I’ll post the relevant info below:

Starting THIS TUESDAY, you can REGISTER AND VOTE AT THE SAME TIME FOR A WHOLE WEEK (UNTIL MONDAY OCTOBER 2 –in most Ohio counties). This is the ideal opportunity for youth, students, renters, and first time voters (because most of us have moved since 2008 and need to re-register!)

To raise awareness about “Golden Week” we are launching a new program: “Vote Today Ohio.”

Five Ohio counties are organizing quick lunchtime rallies on Tuesday for the first day of Early Voting.  The goal is to get word-of-mouth and media attention for Ohio’s unique opportunity to register and early vote at the same time. If you’re planning to vote on Tuesday or interested in helping organize or attend a local rally please let us know and we’ll connect you with local organizers.

Vote Today Ohio is a non-partisan partnership of ProgressOhio.org with numerous state and local organizations.

And here’s the information on the one for Cleveland:

Cleveland (Cuyahoga County)

Tuesday, September 28
11:00am — Gather at Cleveland State University (Student Center)
Noon – March to Cuyahoga County Board of Elections (2925 Euclid Avenue)
Sponsored by: Ohio Voice
Contact: Greg Moore
202-487-6787
Gregorytmoore@aol.com

And, for good measure, as this is for another friend’s:

Bowling Green (Wood County)

Tuesday, September 28
11:45am Student Union Oval [to be confirmed]
Bowling Green State University
March to Wood County Board of Elections
Contact: Pat Kennedy
847-804-1171
pkennedy.312@gmail.com

The link above will also direct you to info for Cincy, Columbus, Toledo, and Athens.

I’ve had trouble maintaining faith in and focus on electoral politics but I think this season (and some necessary chilling out) might be drawing me back, electoral politics being the wellspring from which founted (if that’s even a word) my renewed sense of civic duty and activism that brought on this blog and, well, everything I’m doing.

Tell your friends!

Get on it!

Peace,
Joel