I like the sort of cross-leader type model Occupy Movement Has. The media and the GOP cannot just 'target' one particular leader; take them down and with them the movement.
THAT horizontal, cyclical model MUST be preserved.
The Democrats can be 'affiliated' with them BUT they must NOT 'Own' it . . . or middle of America already so susceptible to the Conservative arguments due to Reagan's Decade of Swill(Reagan Democrats), but are willing to look elsewhere due to personal pain and realization that the GOP haven't done shit, . . . may be turned off . . . and might be inclined to 'give a smooth talker' like Romney another chance at bringing back the party ". . . My Granddaddy used to be a part of!"
And since STILL on the Left we by and large, UNLIKE THE RIGHT, think that 'just showing up to vote' is some sort of 'privilege', which we 'bestow' on 'our Reps' with a lot of ignorance and naïveté about the process and very narrow prescriptions of rhetorical content . . . makes our turnout a 'nail biter' down to the last second . . . and extremely unreliable . . .
THESE middle of America folks end up deciding WHO will be President . . . Like they ALWAYS have.
They show up ALL THE TIME. They vote Republican or Democrat depending . . . but they VOTE! The 'privilege' they 'bestow' on a candidate or whatever is actually 'CHOOSING' 'Them'!
Whether or not they Show up is NEVER in question . . . ALL groups on the Left ALL have that problem:
Blacks:
Blacks feel through decades of victimization and racism (justifiably to a point) that it doesn't matter what they do . . . 'The system' is against them. So why vote? Ironically THEY . . . WE (I'm Black!) ESPECIALLY . . . NEED to Vote in order to MAKE the System 'treat us the way we want it to' . . . or we continue to be invisible . . . and subject to the residual prejudice's whims!
Latinos:
From THIS article below . . .
"The Republicans running for president, with the exception of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, are taking a hard line on immigration issues. So the real worry for the president isn't Latinos voting for Republicans — it's that they WON'T VOTE AT ALL.”
Aaahhm . . . excuse me for a second! Seriously!??
HOW is NOT voting going to help get the 'immigration issue' dealt with!??
Within THAT VERY statement the Other Side has laid it's cards out on the table . . . which I assume is NOT what you want to see. But due to IGNORANCE of the Process and absolute FAILURE to really follow what HAS been happening(a persistent, reliable filibuster of EVERY SINGLE attempt at immigration reform over the past DECADE BY REPUBLICANS!) . . . you hold solely or mostly responsible Obama
for the lack of progress 'because he said he would and didn't get it done'!??
Do you realize that he TRIED!? Do you give him CREDIT FOR THAT!??
But no. You will 'stay home to show 'him' how displeased you are!
So . . . when a Republican get's in by the slimmest of margins and the institutes ‘Papers Please!’ Laws by Federal 'Fiat' . . . I hope that 'Obama' will really finally say: "My bad! I'm sorry. I'll do it next time."
Here's the Problem: You won't EVER hear him say that because he will NOT be the President anymore and he'll go back to his recession-proof life(He IS a Multi-Millionaire), while the rest of you/us . . . become the subject of racists and xenophobes with federal muscle forcing you/us back into second class citizenry!
Will You be happy with that!??
And of course there are Young People:
A younger FB friend of mine has as his Political View - Apathetic
. . . which is exactly what most young voters are. They have one of the LOWEST voter registrations and even lower voter turnout rates of ANY demographic that we measure!
And as the Occupy Movement shows you . . . they TOO are affected HEAVILY by what elected officials do, did, doing or will do! Or DID NOT do!
And the only way to take control and make the system fair again, ‘Young Folks’ is to VOTE!
You see we come full circle BACK to the original posting ‘Subject Matter’ . . .
Although I love the movement and the energy and the fact that it is highlighting GRAVE inequalities in our society . . . there had BETTER be a serious Voter Registration drive afoot at ALL of these protests!
You DO NOT need to declare for EITHER party . . . you simply need to MAKE SURE you are registered to vote . . . or else all this energy will have been for naught!
...........................................
Now I expand on something I touched on earlier:
We on the Left always need to be 'motivated to turn out' . . . WHY!??
As I said:
"The 'Privilege' is not 'Me' going to the Polls to Vote. The 'Privilege' is 'Me' . . . 'picking' . . . 'You'!
Voting is my Right and a RESPONSIBILITY! It is a pro-active action that I take on behalf of MYSELF, My Family in 'defense' of my dreams, their dreams . . . in defense of My Desired Wish for My Country!
It's Self-Preservation . . . if you will!
WHY must we on the Left . . . have to be 'motivated' to 'take care of ourselves'!??
Again: CONSISTENTLY poll after poll shows in EVERY election cycle . . . that Conservatives . . . Republican are ALWAYS more 'motivated' to Vote than their ideological antithesis - US Liberals/Progressives! The 'independents' that the Media is talking about are NOT true 'Independents' . . . the have ALWAYS leaned 'Conservative' BUT . . . DO NOT 'swallow' the entire GOP platform of 'goals' . . . so they 'reject' the 'label'.
But all the same these two groups ALWAYS show up.
Think about it: Have you EVER heard any Conservative pundit voice concerns that their people . . . might not 'turn out'??
They are concerned most nascently and always about WHO they 'pick' might not be 'right' for the 'Established Party's Platform'. THAT is their worry. They ALSO KNOW that nationally their base is a smaller number than the folks who would vote Left - in fact Liberals, Centrists and Center Lefts outnumber the 'right leaning independents' and 'Moderate to conservative' Republicans . . . it's why they HAVE to engage in voter suppression to achieve victory.
That's their weak spot. But again:
WHY must we on the Left . . . have to be 'motivated' to 'take care of ourselves'!??
If we were more like the Right in Voting Habit and 'attitudes' TO voting . . . do you realize that we could have had far more Democrats elected to the Presidency and Congress . . . as well as them being more Liberal as well??
We would overwhelm the GOP EVERY TIME . . . because we have the numbers.
But our elected leaders - whether in the CBC, Latino caucus, Progressive Caucus - Have NOT been doing due diligence for DECADES in changing OUR VOTING ATTITUDES!!
Only ONE in recent memory (decades!) has 'preached' self interest and self actualization by paying attention and constant participation:
Obama
John Kerry had this corny nonsense about 'Help Is On The Way!'.
Really!?? What about Helping Yourselves!!??? The Dependency Meme! Come on folks! THIS is what the GOP have been EXPLOITING for Centuries within our likely 'grouping' . . . AND it is what keeps these 'independents' away from embracing the Left totally - the perception that, or the impression that we can't 'help ourselves' . . . we need someone in the 'Government' to do it for us . . .
"Help is On The Way . . .!"
Ridiculous!
"We are The One's We've been Waiting for! Yes We Can!"
Which Slogan AT IT'S CORE means BOTH the Traditionally Conservative Ethos of Self-Empowerment AND the Democratic Ethos of the 'Collective' Effort!?
Obama has tapped into the 'Middle Ground' of what we all NEED and FEEL as individual people and as a country . . . AND it's burning away at the one advantage that the GOP has had for so long.
It's why McConnell's blunt, but under-covered and under examined, 'declaration of intent for the GOP' is so telling.
But there are 'teething pains' to that 'approach' . . . it seems. And without going into too much detail, Folks like West, Tavis, Maxine Waters and other Critics from the Traditional Left . . . can't cope with it . . . or are starting to see how ineffective they have been for a LONG time, with elevating the lives of their 'charges' or 'constituents' by what they might now see as a 'reactive' or 'supplicant' approach to governing and social policy . . . as opposed to a pro-active, self-empowering and aggressive 24/7 approach that Obama has espoused that so galvanized the country in 2008!
His approach reached into 'you' and tugged at something that was always there but has been weighted down by decades of hegemonic bullshit in the Press and our politics that has always been masochistic in various ways, subliminal and openly, to the 99% . . . but a boon to the upper 1%.
It's why folks were crying.
It's why so many conservatives . . . even the hard core ones WENT for the man.
And contrary to popular media-driven belief: Obama hasn't 'caved' or 'changed' . . . his ONLY failing is that he 'expected' or 'thought' that we had sufficiently 'woken up' to take charge of our Own Lives . . . in the way the Occupy Wall Streeters are right now. He 'expected' consistent 24/7 participation in YOUR OWN futures . . . he 'expected' YOU to FORCE government to Work BOTH for YOU personally AND for the collective good BY your ACTIVE and unceasing, informed PARTICIPATION in any form that it might take these days . . . with all the technology we have at hand.
He was wrong.
And because he was wrong not only is HE hurting politically . . . WE are hurting TOO!
So right now he's trying again with us, urging us to take the ONLY action that can change our present lots for the better and wrest control over our futures from the 1%. He's using all his ‘gifts’ . . . to get us to hopefully finally see what REAL power we have and ALWAYS had.
"WE are THE ONES . . . WE'VE BEEN . . . waiting for . . .!"
"WE are THE ONES . . . WE'VE BEEN . . . waiting for . . .!"
I just hope we heed it this time around . . . but for GOOD!
No comments:
Post a Comment