Social & Political Tools

“I have found out that all I have been doing in trying to correct this system in America has been in vain..... I am trying to get to the roots of it to see just what ought to be done. ….The whole thing will have to be done away with.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.; November 11, 1967

Yesterday's elections were, in my opinion, a mix of pretty good and very bad. It would be easy to attempt to find comfort by saying “this always happens in mid-term elections”; or to try to assign blame to segments of the Democratic Party: “it's the action faction,” or “those gosh-darned purists”; or to conclude that “it is hopeless, and we are helpless.” Yet nothing good can possibly come from taking any of those positions.

A number of the discussions on this forum avoided these stumbling blocks to progress. Instead, people were recognizing that the dynamics in Washington had changed – and not for the better – in a manner that requires “grass roots” community organizers to reassess what paths we must take to increase the possibility that we can reach our goals.

I found myself looking through an old book, “Selections from the Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences,” (The Macmillan Company, N.Y., 1937). I can't honestly remember the last time I read this book, nor can I provide an explanation of exactly why I picked it off the shelf last night. Perhaps it was in part because of its date of publication, a time when the western world was experiencing great turmoil. It's curious that it was thirty years before King's statement, made when Martin believed that dark forces in America might bring about the makings of a fascist state.

Though King used the term “fascist” several times in late 1967 and early '68, that word has both a historic context and emotional power that I certainly seek to avoid in this essay. I recall that when I quoted friend Robert Kennedy, Jr.'s warning, in his 2004 book “Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy,” on page 193, about when government rules from the extreme right, by merging state and business leadership, with belligerent nationalism, some forum members were deeply offended.

Instead, I choose today to speak of what R. Buckminster Fuller, in his book “Critical Path,” called the “invisible power structure” behind all of the industrial world's visible governments. In Lord Demning's book, “The Family Story,” he quotes Winston Churchill as referring to it as the “High Cabal.” Not being as clever as these fellows, I will call it “the Machine,” which includes the oil companies, Wall Street, the military-industrial complex, and the insurance industry.

The social science essays in the book I was reading speak about when, in a society, there are attempts by groups not in power, to access the power needed to bring about a change in the system. This type of group was known as an “interest group.” (I tend to advocate the use of words in their original, accurate meaning; this can cause confusion, for example, when intelligent people use words such as “liberal” and “progressive” in accurately, as too often happens on this forum.) The Machine ( the “ruling group”) becomes invested in appealing to another source, known as a “pressure group,” often by perverting the nation's myths. The obvious example of this, in today's context, is “big business” funding the Tea Party, which operates under the delusion that they “patriots” in the manner of our “Founding Fathers.”

“Interest groups,” by definition, seek to expand the rights and privileges of the common folk who are not able to access political and social power by way of the Machine. A “pressure group” seeks to limit access of power to groups and individuals other than themselves. Because they are unable to accurately see who is their real enemy through the dense fog of ignorance and fear, they identify “others” as the cause of their problems.

One need look no further than the example of Christine O'Donnell for someone who believes she is representative of those “Founder Fathers,” although her mythology requires no familiarity with documents such as the Constitution. More, Sharon Angle's filthy commercials are a prime example of the Tea Party myth that Hispanic people are a threat to her group's interests.

At its best, the Democratic Party serves its members as an “interest group.” One would have to bury their head in the sand to believe that our party's elected representatives have done an adequate job in promoting the interests of all the various groups within the party – and much less so the interests of those millions of Americans who are in the margins of our society. However, those democrats in Washington are definitely not as uncaring and cruel as either the republicans or Tea Party.

In order to effect meaningful change, I am convinced that the grass roots activists must begin – immediately – to engage in organized, coordinated, yet decentralized efforts involving voter education and registration among those groups and individuals in those margins. By no coincidence, that is exactly what Martin Luther King, Jr., was focusing on in his last year of life.

Thank you for reading this.

Peace & Justice,
H2O Man

Brilliant.

Honored to K&R

:hi:

to change the face of the Democratic Party by increasing its size, and by strengthening our ties to those individuals and groups to the left of our party. This can only be accomplished on the local level. In the past few weeks, for example, I've been writing about the situation in the isolated community of Sidney, NY.

Sidney made the national news when Keith Olbermann named its Town Supervisor "the worst person in the world." Three of the town board's seatsare held by Tea Party members. While Obermann had commented on their plan to force the excavation of Muslim graves in Sidney, things are far worse.

Local citizens contacted me, to request assistance in "community organizing." Tonight, for example, I will be attending two meetings -- one a private organizational meeting, the other a public town board session.

We have immediate and long-term goals. Among the long-term interests is the need to elect decent public officials. Two candidates have been identified (by coincidence, they are the two I suggested). One is a good liberal democrat. The other is an independent, who tends to vote "Green," but supports good democratic candidates.

An immediate goal, which has long-term benefits, is creating divisions within the republican base. A good many republicans are providing us with "inside" information against the three Tea Party officials. Those three are our "wedge" issue right now.

We are also attracting the interest and support of a good many residents who are not politically active, because the local system has shut them out for so long. By dividing the republicans, and creating a larger base that includes democrats, independents, greens, etc, we can take control of the town board in the largest community in the county. Small stuff, but a necessary building block in laying the foundation for change in this country.

There needs to be another grass roots organization to represent people on the margins and get them to vote and be interested in their future again instead of despair. The void left with the destruction of ACORN needs to be filled.

Only 42% of registered voters voted this election. Tens of millions more are not even registered.

As they have excellent experience in organizing grass roots. I note that there is a story circulating that says Team Obana worries about Dean challenging them for the presidency. One could analyze this from many angles but I wonder what the real thinking is, Are they truly concerned that after dismissing the democratic wing of the Democratic party that Deam could Pied Piper them away?

a primary challenge comes from those in the administration who are aware of the growing conflict between President Obama and the military brass over Afghanistan. Even within the administration, there is strong disagreement on what path to take: Clinton favors increasing the US commitment, while Biden favors decreasing US involvement. Obviously, there are other people supporting each of these positions, as well as those in the middle.

The military brass has as much influence within Congress as do corporations -- which, considering the overlap in the two, is hardly surprising. What the Clinton/Gates/military seeks would be unpopular in the cities and towns across America. However, the Biden plan will be portrayed as "losing the war" and "making the USA unsafe" by the republicans in Washington.

A fringe challenge to President Obama in the primaries is of little concern. Such a challenger would be viewed as a gadfly. Their ability to access funding or serious media attention would be minimal. But, if someone like Dean were to make a challenge based on the war issues, not only would he be likely to raise serious money (internet sources being primary), thus cutting into Obama's sources and also making him spend money in the primaries, but the corporate media would have a field day.

but find the speculation interesting and wonder if they are trying to make a bogeyman of him and his followers.

of the possible challenge. It is unlikely anyone significant will challenge President Obama in the 2012 primaries. It's less likely that it would be Dean. (White Houses, of course, consider even very unlikely cases.)