On the Wimpiness of Progressives: Why are There No Dump Obama Demonstrations? |
|
| By: metamars Saturday August 13, 2011 7:29 am | |
I mean, of course, Dump Obama from a progressive perspective. I’m sure many activists are focused on October 6 demonstration. But I’ve not seen or heard of a single Dump Obama demonstration – even a small one – calling for Obama to not run for re-election.
What’s wrong with this picture?
About MyFDL
MyFDL is the community site of progressive political blog Firedoglake. Anyone can participate by writing a diary, commenting on others’ diaries, or joining groups to find other people in your area. Content posted to MyFDL is the opinion of the author alone, and should not be attributed to Firedoglake.
News. Community. Activism.
Firedoglake is a member-supported organization.
Help us continue our work for as little as $45/year.
Tweet
32 Comments
Your post is an example of what has been wrong with progressives for ages and with centrists for that matter.
You think it’s about process. How can you demonstrate if you don’t know what you are demonstrating for? Without purpose it’s as aimless as a riot.
What progressives need, and if it were me I’d ditch the progressive label because it’s never meant anything of substance, is a platform of core values, core policies, core constituencies, and non-negotiable positions.
Then you can rally for that platform and promise to defeat any candidate who refuses to adopt it.
“How can you demonstrate if you don’t know what you are demonstrating for?”
Huh? Are you aware of the history of the Dump Johnson protests in the United States? Do you think the Dump Johnson supporters didn’t “know what they are demonstrating for?”
Because we are wimps.
It would also require most people to admit they were wrong about the man.
People are too lazy and vain to admit they made a mistake; republicans had the same tensions about Bush.
This is practically irrelevant. What about the progressives – probably numbering in the millions – who have no trouble admitting that Obama was a mistake, and that they were duped by him? Why are they so wimpy?
You’d only need a tiny sliver of the non-denialist progressives to create a demonstration that would become known in the blogosphere.
Of course, they did know what they were for. I remember it well. They were against Vietnam and against drafting people too young to vote against it to go fight it. They also had candidates like McCarthy and RFK. RFK ran a value laden social justice campaign speaking for the rights of the poor, farm workers, etc.
You can’t even get a Senator like my Senator Amy to stand up for a teacher and I guarantee she wouldn’t be speaking up for a farm worker (though she is dedicated to the well-being of farm machinery).
You are against Obama? Well what are you for? Are you for labor, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, peace, social justice, civil liberties, human rights, a safe environment, a robust infrastructure of public goods? If so, write it down and find a candidate who is not afraid to talk about it.
I also remember the Democratic Convention in 1968. The Democrats used clubs on the demonstrators in the streets and nominated the establishment heir apparent who lost the election. And Humphrey was probably to the left of every Democrat in the Senate today. And is the next convention in Chicago? No it’s in an anti-labor state in Dixie chosen to demonstrate how right-wing friendly the party has become. “Whoa, we don’t stand for labor, who us? no way!”
We don’t need demonstrators. We need voters. Go to your precinct caucus. Go to your primary. Or vote green, pink or something other than blue and red.
Dump Johnson got going before it had a candidate.
This is a false dilemma. We need both more demonstrators, and also more aggressive voting. Speaking of which, we need a farm system or some other kind of infrastructure for developing political talent, that will readily replace (or at least make an education/organizational run ala jeffroby’s “Full Court Press”) an incumbent.
How much can you vote aggressively, when you don’t have candidates running that represent you? We shouldn’t need to beg for candidates.
I remember what happened in Chicago and what happened to RFK. The same shit will happen only much worse today. It’s not “wimpy” to avoid being detained, tortured and killed. Dump Obama demonstrations would be a direct challenge to the Fascists. This should not be attempted until the hated but most combat ready demographic, white working class males, has been recruited to the cause. This is not impossible. You only have to stop blaming us for your problems and promise to deliver on working class issues. Issues you pretend to champion anyway like jobs, education and health care.
Maybe it’s better to have a “Save Social Security” demonstration, and use that as a theme to denounce the Trojan horses and traitors.
But then we know the Trojan horse will come out and make a very nice speech in support of Social Security, and all the senior citizens will swoon in orgasmic rapture at the sight of the fierce advocate. NAH!
Metamars,
You’re thinking is simply too narrow. You seem to think that if we “dump Obama,” then everything will be right as rain again. Obama is merely the latest symptom of a vastly larger problem: the ruling elites are completely corrupt and they’ve done nothing but sabotage our democratic institutions for decades now. That’s the problem that needs addressing and that’s even something that people can rally around. The benefit of this is, of course, that Obama will waltz into history a disgraced person anyway. Rich beyond the dreams of most, but disgraced.
When even Nancy Pelosi can call, with a straight face, for “an era of austerity,” methinks the problem is much larger than the current clown in the White House.
When various state-level coup d’etats are being waged in MI, OH and WI, the problem is larger than the current poster child for corrupt elites. If the usurpers in those states are successful, does anyone think any Democrat can possible win a national election again? Those electoral systems are being rigged.
The protests are coming. Indeed, they’ve already started in some states. They will expand as more and more people are punished for the crime of not being connected to the Powerful. As millions of people are damaged and disenfranchised, they will have no other option but civil disobedience, since elections don’t have any real value going forward.
But they need something affirmative to show up FOR. Their rights, their standard of living, their right to drink clean water. Something. Anything!
Dump Obama is already an obsolete idea. Why? Because no one is doing a better job of making sure he loses next year than the man himself. He is his own worst enemy, assuming he even cares to get re-elected and I have real doubts about that.
On second thought – go for it. Most of us will think you are Republicans and join you spontaneously.
Good point. I guess I was thinking about the Kos/MoveOn types.
Thank you. I would participate in something like a general strike, but dump Obama for the sake of dumping Obama? Dump Obama for whom? Right now there seems to be no one willing to stand up on the side of the working classes, or even the middle classes, and say “I will fight for you! Follow me! To the barricades!”
No, the Shock Doctrine is in full effect right now in America. The shock must wear off first.
You said it right, Emocrat.
I agree with your conclusion. I would love to see Obama forced to resign or at least withdraw from the election. But I am not worried that he will be reelected.
Oh, God, how on earth did you get that idea? I think we should dump not only Obama, but (eventually) about 50-90% of our Congress critters, also. Dems and repubs, alike. Even in the most optimistic scenario, we’re talking probably something like 12 years.
What prompted this diary is the vast gulf between the real world, “out there”, and parts of the progressive blogosphere, such as MyFDL. There’s a lot of talk about needing to dump Obama, and how so many people will not vote for him, again, but who, in the real world that doesn’t read progressive blogs, would guess that such sentiment exists? Based on the lack of Dump Obama themed demonstrations, I’d say “Near everybody, outside the blogosphere”.
And here is where we perhaps have a key, and illuminating, divergence of thought. Where are the electoral threats to Democrats? Progressives managed to do more than make electoral threats in WI – they managed to actualize them. And, good for them. Obviously, they couldn’t have organized those electoral threats unless they first verbalized them.
Now, in the case of WI, the electoral threats were only made – and actualized – against Republicans. OK, fine, but where are electoral threats being made against Democrats? The PCCC delivered a credible electoral threat against Obama, however, it was weakened by
1) statements indicating that most PCCC members would vote for Obama (they just wouldn’t work for him)
2) their activism was online, except for the physical deliverance of the printed out petition; I’m looking for physical, real world, street demonstrations with electoral threats against Obama (and also Democrats; anybody seen any of those?)
I’m not finding any, though, and that’s troubling.
Everything you say about Obama, here, could be said about Johnson. Dump Johnson made sure to try and push Johnson over the ledge.
Today’s progressives are, compared to the 60′s demonstrators, wimps.
3 Factors have lead to this in my view:
1. Shock-doctrine induced Apathy: Too many progressive leaning individuals (and even the reasonable conservatives that have been purged from the Republican party) have been convinced that the game is already over, and the people have already lost. Why risk your liberty and what little you have left for a lost cause, especially in the face of a rising police state?
2. Creature comforts: too many of us still live too comfortably to give up that comfort and go into the streets. Further: too many of us say we want better for those less fortunate than us, but in reality wont lift a finger in ways that really matter. Many can talk the talk, far fewer walk the walk. That is a sad but true statement that can be applied to much of the human race.
3. Lack of leadership: Right now there is next-to-no leadership or cohesive direction for people to follow. While it would be great if people could independently come up to the same conclusion and do their part to save this nation, the simple reality is that movements need leaders. Further, too many people were utterly disillusioned by “progressive” leadership because of the bill of goods many of us bought named Barack Obama. People will be that much more reluctant to throw in with a new leader (or leadership group) because of the total reversal that occured between Candidate Obama and President Obama.
Budget of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Fiscal Year 2012
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=70
Van Jones’ Rebuild the Dream Movement
http://contract.rebuildthedream.com/?rc=rtd_home
We have the platform – have asked for sign ons
now where are the demonstrations?
Those are the 18 million that voted Hillary over Obama – and most still follow her lead
and she is about to start a 2012 leading the progressives effort after 3 years of being pissed on by the Obama progressives – 2012 she finishes her political career and I doubt she will ever look back. Indeed person above said those that voted Obama are too lazy and vain to admit they made a mistake – I’d add that they that voted for Obama against her would choke if asked to change their opinion
We need someone that can draw 18 million like she did – but at this point I’d take someone who could draw 1800 via 100 at each of 18 college campus.
This was a very thoughtful answer, thanks.
Regarding 3), In these parts, awareness of the Veal Pen is high.
However, I can’t help but be disappointed in the response of progressives who are aware of the Veal Pen. What are they doing, in response – aside from writing accusatory diaries on the internet, jumping on guys like Mike Hersh of PDA when he posts here, etc?
A poster or two have remarked about crashing MoveOn meetings, but there’s nothing organized to make that widespread. AFAIK, there’s no organized movement to educate the public – starting with the progressive public – about the Veal Pen. We need to educate the public about other forms of political cooption, also, which was probably attempted in WI, due to the revelations about ALEC. Perhaps that will lead to something in this vein.
One would hope that FDL would take a lead in such activist efforts, but I’m not aware of anything. The activism that FDL normally pushes is pretty standard fare.
I’ve recently pushed a Full Court Press targetting Republicans, in part to drive a wedge between Republican base and their party leadership and apparatchiks. I suggested that this would force better Republicans to rise to the occasion.
A similar dynamic should hold if we go after the Veal Pen. What will disillusioned MoveOn members do after they realize that they’ve been played? Some will just go crawl under a rock, metaphorically speaking. But others will look to create the next MoveOn. Some will lead such efforts. More will follow.
We need to go after the Republicans, the Democrats, and also the Veal Pen.
It seems all of my self-identified Liberal friends are obsessed with the Tea Party/Republicans and are buying into the “Obama and the Dims are the best we’ve got” narrative. Of course, for the most part they all have jobs and are doing pretty well.
This kind of a question is like asking a fat kid why he’s fat and when he’s going to do something about it.
It doesn’t inspire. It reinforces weakness and learned helplessness.
Lack of Organization, or Unions is what’s wrong with everything.
http://coreyrobin.com/2011/08/07/the-economic-cure-that-dare-not-speak-its-name/
Take a look, for instance, at the eternal optimism behind “Democrats” over at dailykos.com — progressives should have gotten the reality check with the debt ceiling vote that, after thirty years of voting for the lesser of two evils, nobody represents them in Congress.
Do you really think that many progressives actually noticed this? I don’t.
I suggested
Budget of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Fiscal Year 2012
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=70
Van Jones’ Rebuild the Dream Movement
http://contract.rebuildthedream.com/?rc=rtd_home
as a base of ideas to use to contrast with the GOP – and Obama
I’d add the idea in
http://my.firedoglake.com/papau/2011/08/13/are-the-rich-the-problem-and-need-more-complusion-to-do-right/
that we have harsher laws for the rich, because they are role models so their failures hurt society more. A law on allocation of police and DA resources so 90% is spent on putting the rich in jail makes sense to me.
Class warfare is on – the rich declared war on the rest of us under Reagan. Time to develop class warfare as “a wedge between Republican base and their party leadership and apparatchiks”.
I’m in a college town. Students will be back soon. I’ll try to organize a Dump Obama Speak-Out.
Let’s do it.
Obama is pro-Slavery in Bahrain, pro-lynching of Muslims who are accused or suspected of inspiring others.
I draw the line way before Slavery and lynching.
If you’ve resigned yourself to vote for that, you’ve given up.
Please understand that Van Jones and his Rebuild the Dream Movement, while they have put together a wonderful set of values, is nothing more than another sidetrack on the road to hope. Jones not only is unwilling to do anything that might harm Obama or the Democratic party, but he has publicly condemned the professional left for their criticism of Obama.
Jones is every bit the slick talking false savior that Obama turned out to be, and I suspect that Rebuild the Dream will end up being nothing more than a false front for OFA and MoveOn ObamaBots, and yet another neutering of progressive action against the Democrats.
I’d love to be proven wrong on this, but I think I’d need to see someone other than Jones leading the charge before I’d believe it.
THAT’D BE G-R-E-A-T!!
Please take pictures, and post them with a diary.
Also, don’t forget to pass out copies of the Obama Scandal List
Thursday September 15 at noon on the Amherst Town Common in Massachusetts.
In order to get people out demonstrating to dump Obama there needs to be discussion in “the public square.”
At peace demonstrations and vigils in Minnesota people have shown up with “Dump Obama” signs but they are harassed to no end by those trying to steer everything towards the Democratic Party.
We need a lot more “letters to the editors” and bloggers calling for dumping Obama.
Maybe the left organizations should consider organizing a group just to follow Obama around the country.
I think a lot of people don’t want to be publicly identified as being for dumping Obama because the Obama supporters are just so damn vicious.
“Maybe the left organizations should consider organizing a group just to follow Obama around the country.”
I’m not sure whether or not you mean this wrt Dump Obama signs, but if so, I think it’s a great idea. It certainly rises to a respectable level of outspokeness and aggressiveness
“I think a lot of people don’t want to be publicly identified as being for dumping Obama because the Obama supporters are just so damn vicious.”
I’ve wondered about this, myself. When Bush was President, at least in his earliest years, you risked having your car vandalized if you had an anti-Bush bumper sticker.