Building a Movement

To begin, we must lay out the foundational problems that we face. We are all well aware that the primary issue is big money buying out the political process, but that issue is more nuanced as well. We should be aware of both why big money is so active and how it is so effective. The why is not simply to avoid regulation and make more money; when you have a certain amount, more hardly makes a difference. In reality, the rich are deathly afraid of austerity, which is the natural solution to both their neoliberal economic exploitation and the even more critical issue of environmental exploitation leading to eminent climate collapse.

In short, they want to hoard wealth, personnel, property and assets with which they plan to ride out the collapse that they have engineered. This includes financial collapse from our fraudulent financial system, which any proponent of Occupy Wallstreet knows well. We can talk about Dr. Trimbath’s research and the warnings of financial institutions both domestically and internationally another time. Just know that collapse and chaos are coming and the rich plan to sacrifice the poor, just as they always have done. Granted, their plan will not actually work, but they are idiots.

The more pertinent issue for our cause is how it’s so effective. To be frank, buying campaign ads would not be nearly so effective if we had an educated electorate. While I would like to see disinformation banned from political ads, if people were educated on the issues, then it wouldn’t sway them. If they knew which candidates were grassroots representatives from the people, rather than corporate stooges, then they could support them regardless of how many ads there are. Most states do not provide election information to the people, they have to get it from 3^rd parties. So you have this conundrum were people only become informed if they’re already informed.

The second major issue is election corruption. These corrupt politicians—bought by the corporate elite—have instituted voter suppression laws, gerrymandering, and outright election interference. Ballot drop boxes have been removed, poll locations shut down, mail ballot signatures rejected, and millions have even been purged from voter registries. Democrats have hardly made a whimper when it comes to these issues. They could pass anti-corruption and election reform laws in blue states, but they fear the loss of power. Not the least because we would naturally need party choice through ranked choice voting.

The only thing that Ranked Choice Voting does is give voters the ability to vote for a variety of party candidates without “throwing away” their vote. You do NOT have to rank a candidate that you do not want to see elected. Your votes go to the candidates you like and no one’s vote gets wasted. It’s honestly a no-brainer reform, but there has been a lot of disinformation against it and as said, the Democrats are scared of it. For 50 years Democrats have allowed corporatists to block or dismantle any meaningful reform. Progressives are ostracized, while those who block progress and work with a fascist Republican party are ignored or even hailed as outstanding members of the party.

This leads us to the final foundational issue that must be overcome; civic inaction. The people are tired, overworked, sick of corruption, sick of systemic discrimination and abuse. They don’t want to vote for the ones oppressing them and they don’t see any change possible through our political system as it is. They need hope. There are 90 million eligible voters who don’t vote. Any political organization that can galvanize that group will sweep every election for generations. So how do we do that? Well, it’s by providing solutions to the first two issues. By showing them that restoration, peace, and prosperity for our nation and our world is possible.

Everyone has that one particular issue that’s near and dear to their own heart. Whether it’s a particular human rights issue, affordable housing, education, gun safety, healthcare, prison/police reform...there are so many serious issues with our nation that each affect particular groups more than others. What we need to remind these groups is that without true, honest representation in government, nothing else gets done. We need to use the “yes and…” approach. You want affordable housing? We can do that. You want police reform? We’re on it. Women’s healthcare rights? You bet—AND we will get that by getting honest representation from the actual people into office.

People understand this inherently, but the problem with systemic reform is that it seems too big, with our enemies holding all the cards. We need to understand that the elite only have the power that we let them have. Civil rights movements throughout our history and throughout the world have proven that again and again. Yes, there will be pushback. Yes, it will require sacrifice. But what’s the alternative? The slow, miserable death of our nation and our world? Hard pass. We need to start moving and put out the call for others to follow.

I had hoped that the voice of the people—the zeitgeist, the Overton window—would propel leaders like AOC or Buttigieg to step up and lead the change we need. I have encouraged groups like Justice Democrats, Indivisible, People Power United, and More Perfect Union to lead by calling for election reform and an end to supporting corporate PAC politicians. In both cases I have been so far disappointed. I know that many of you have felt the same. Too many Americans are complacent and comfortable with the status quo, even as it slips further into dystopia. It’s clear that we need some real civil resistance campaigns to light that fire. Which means it’s time for us to put our heads together and start brainstorming what that looks like.

Those movements will need to push a primary strategic objective. As I see it, we need to chose one of three paths:

• Bolster support for Justice Democrats to reform and take over the Democratic party.

• Champion the Working Families Party as the new alternative.

• Create the People’s Party from a state by state, grassroots effort.

Each of these has serious hurdles to overcome. The first would include fighting Democratic leadership and corporatists already in office who will sabotage our efforts, as well as carrying the baggage of the Democrat’s name that is rejected by some 90 million eligible voters. The second & third both face the issue of convincing people that a third party can overcome without getting ranked choice voting first. We can, but it would require overwhelming turnout. So essentially, it only works if people believe it works. The third also has the burden of starting up from scratch, requiring efforts in every state before it can be nationally recognized.

We’ve been saying it; no one is coming to save us. We have to do this ourselves. It’s a daunting task, but we can move forward together. As we make connections, we will bring in talents, resources, contacts and more to help catalyze revolution. The worse the oppression—and climate collapse—the more people who will be forced to act. If we have something already in progress, they can get plugged in and join the movement. All we can do is try our best. If we get enough people to understand that success is possible, then success will be inevitable. We just need to will that into existence and find a way.