BUT; I also think in order to strengthen the probability of breaking free from the Democratic Party we need to advance this same agenda inside the Democratic Party as part of an attempt to Primary Obama. We need to do this for two main reasons:
1. To get rid of Obama so he isn't a factor and if we do this uniting people around the agenda I describe (I make the agenda suggestion as an example I would prefer while realizing others may want to include other things) because then we have forward movement based on issues making sure liberals, progressives and the left are headed towards common goals inside and outside of the Democratic Party so no matter if we do or don't get rid of Obama and if we do Primary Obama it gives us greater "issue based" clout with who ever replaces him... in other words, it provides momentum for pushing our agenda front and center in a way these issues, problems and their solutions bases on people before profit can be solved. This also gives us more clout with the wimps in Congress like Kucinich who are always for something progressive until their hands get held by the Wall Streeters like Obama without even having to have their arms twisted never mind being water-boarded.
2. It creates a new kind of politics to go along with breaking free from the Democratic Party where we aren't "looking for candidates" but where the leaders of the struggles for our progressive agenda become real people's politicians.
If you want to see how this works out in real life, not just being hypothetical here on FaceBook, there is an example here in Minnesota where this is being played out in real life with the "Warriors for Justice," a new political party initiated by working class Native American activists who have been engaged in struggles around environmental issues and fighting to get affirmative action and non-discrimination in employment, health care and education and to include Native American Indians in the political process beyond voting to include seats in the Minnesota state legislature and Congress.
I would also add that the name for the new party was derived after this group of people who had been heavily involved inside the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party read a book, "Getting America Back To Work" by Richard Levins (a middle class university professor) and Stuart Acuff (an AFL-CIO union official) where they wrote: "Though some of us may have been dived in the past, we no longer have the luxury of division. All of us-workers, trade unionists, advocates and organizers for the poor and immigrants, environmentalists, feminists, gay rights activists. clergy, and people of faith, community leaders, seekers of peace and warriors for justice-share a common challenge and a common destiny." Well, after being actively opposed in their struggles for basic reforms to gain a voice in and through the Democratic Party including efforts to run for public office as Democrats, this group of people held a series of meeting about their concerns and found more and more people calling for building a political movement and structure outside of the Democratic Party and through their efforts they became an important factor inside and outside of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party which included: first forcing one of the candidates out of 11 in the field running to become the Democratic Party's nominee to run for governor, to negotiate with them in return for his support and at the very state convention where they announced they would break free from the Democratic Party while still working with like-minded Democrats (warriors for justice) they used their prestige and influence based upon their struggles to nominate the very liberal Mark Dayton who has a few progressive thoughts and some left leanings in opposition to the business supported candidate who actually received the endorsement of the MNDFL leadership at the convention while because of the work the "Warriors for Justice" did Dayton ended up defeating this worthless big-business supported Democrat Margaret Anderson-Kelliher who everyone (accept for the grassroots activists led by the "Warriors for Justice and a few rank-and-file led union locals and a third of the MNDFL State Convention delegates) were sure that she was going to win. Well, Dayton went on to not only win a very close Democratic primary election but the General Election.
You can check out Dayton's views concerning the central theme of his campaign which was very left-wing: "Tax the rich." Dayton was also a U.S. Senator who opposed the wars. He has stated unequivocally that he will not make public employees scape-goats for economic problems Minnesota is experiencing--- a position that stands in complete contrast to those like Jerry Brown and Obama:
http://www.allvoices.com/p
Here are a few links from the leaders of the "Warriors for Justice"
I also have written extensively on my own blog:
http://thepodunkblog.blogs
Greg Paquin
http://nativeamericanindia
Nicole Beaulieu
http://anishinaabecandidat
So, I ask you--- Lisa and everyone--- is this the kind of political independence from the Democratic Party you can live with and organize for?
In my opinion, and I don't mean to insult anyone here; but, there seems to be this idea that at some magical moment and point people are just going to heed a call to break free from the Democratic Party rather than realizing many of our liberal, progressive and left friends are still working inside of the Democratic Party and that there will probably be many different ways people will express themselves as they struggle to free themselves from the two-party trap.
But, for all of us that have worked around issue based activities inside the Democratic Party for many years--- in my own situation mainly around labor, peace, civil rights and health care--- we have noticed something a lot of people don't want to acknowledge because it demonstrates their own incorrect positions toward working with Democrats (notice I say working WITH Democrats; not working to build the Democratic Party)--- but, what we have noticed is that in any given area, almost anyone getting involved in any of the peace, social and economic justice issues will gravitate towards working in the Democratic Party when they feel the time to fight for political solutions is required, and part of our observations are that the majority of these people will get very frustrated very quickly as they come up against the big-money interests who manipulate and control the Democratic Party who first enthusiastically welcome these newcomers into the fold of the Democratic Party as they pressure them ever so subtly and then with a progressive meanness and nastiness which includes badgering and bullying to try to force them into a fold of where trying to solve their problems becomes irrelevant.
I can assure you that pedagogic intellectual lectures about the need to free ourselves from the Democratic Party without understanding and patience for people and their problems and concerns who CHOSE to continue working inside the Democratic Party on the very same issues we want to build something new--- a labor-based people's party--- will not happen unless we find a way to all work together on issue-related, issued-based campaigns.
Someone else's turn...
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