Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What is the "hard left"? [View all]Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)88. The civil rights movement spearheaded the civil rights laws.
Those laws were only passed because of massive grassroots activism, in which many good people lost their lives.
The civil rights bills passed because mass pressure from below forced the politicians of the day to pass them.
And Nixon only set up the EPA because of the popular support for environmental protection built by grassroots organizing, including organizing by radicals.
Without the impatient, without the impolite, without the "unrealistic", without those who kept fighting when others claimed that what they proposed could never work in "the real world", no social, economic or political change would ever have happened in this country.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
194 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
the civil rights laws WERE only PASSED because of the GOP leadership under Evertt Dirksen
beachbum bob
Sep 2017
#112
A real Democrat would not elect a Republican (especially Trump) by saying the parties are the
Demsrule86
Sep 2017
#106
Yup, proud to have stood for marital gay rights before it was "cool"... same with single-payer.
InAbLuEsTaTe
Sep 2017
#96
Indeed. Furthermore, there was a hard left at the time that opposed the literal new deal. n/t
BzaDem
Sep 2017
#14
It was partially that and partially because Republicans had finally been completely disgraced
Warpy
Sep 2017
#16
Pretty much sums it up... why we need to put up a true progressive in 2020...
InAbLuEsTaTe
Sep 2017
#97
But the time for U.S. military intervention is over-especially in the Arab/Muslim world.
Ken Burch
Sep 2017
#89
We could have had a non-brutal war with North Korea, or no war at all, back in the 50s...
Expecting Rain
Sep 2017
#171
Yetsin's embrace of Putin make my point that Yeltzin was not to be trusted...
Expecting Rain
Sep 2017
#173
Yeltsin chose Putin after the U.S. spent most of his term disrespecting him.
Ken Burch
Sep 2017
#174
I'd suggest you are making a argument that conflates correlation with causation...
Expecting Rain
Sep 2017
#175
It is fine to say "we have to do this," but unless one can make it happen...
Expecting Rain
Sep 2017
#189
I was referring to Democrats blocking bills introduced by a Democratic president.
Ken Burch
Sep 2017
#190
Nobody who calls for a new New Deal supports the return of 1930s racial values.
Ken Burch
Sep 2017
#160
Not at all, women and POC have been undervalued and used for free labor for centuries....
bettyellen
Sep 2017
#34
All of women's jobs were serverly underpaid, not sure why you thinks that's by sexist...
bettyellen
Sep 2017
#37
Because were conspicuously omitted from this OP- treated as lesser yet again.
bettyellen
Sep 2017
#113
Now we're demographics, LOL. No, it's about civil rights and equal treatment under the law!
bettyellen
Sep 2017
#149
"Nobody else was mentioned" - who did you expect to be mentioned? Ask "no other causes"? What are
bettyellen
Sep 2017
#169
No, I didn't expect to. And I didn't expect any other issues other than civil rights
Ken Burch
Sep 2017
#183
I see 'Our Revolution' and Turner as traitors to our cause... I will support no candidate that comes
Demsrule86
Sep 2017
#107
Once upon a time it meant the CPUSA and other marxist-leninist parties and anarchist
Voltaire2
Sep 2017
#20
You are making my points for me. That other counties have a variety of government...
Expecting Rain
Sep 2017
#142
Employer health insurance is a stranglehold that the corporations use to retain you
Not Ruth
Sep 2017
#127
The message of the primaries was simply that Bernie as a candidate was rejected.
Ken Burch
Sep 2017
#159
I would think any group that wants to eventually replace capitalism with some other system.
Willie Pep
Sep 2017
#87