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Change, Leadership and Opportunity of this Moment

Posted on Feb 05, 2010 by Backbone Campaign

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Message*	It's been a tumultuous couple weeks and many people are despairing. Haiti, Massachusetts, Supreme Court, and now the loss of our treasured teacher Professor Howard Zinn. It may seem like too much to bare, but it's not. As a matter of fact, there are reasons to celebrate and new opportunities to organize. At the bottom of this longer-than-usual commentary is an invitation for collaboration on an exciting and timely mobilization to reclaim representative democracy. I hope you will send your ideas and call to collaborate with us at this critical juncture. Now, some thoughts on recent developments... Skepticism about a White House that ran to Goldman Sachs for advice and personnel in the financial crisis AND appointed hawk and corporate lapdog Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff has been proven justified. Governing in 2009 has seemed more focused on propping up the status quo than replacing it. The squandering of our collective hope for "Change we can believe in" and the top-down misuse of the grassroots movement that helped get Obama elected reflects a corrupted concept of social movement. The Beltway, i.e. DC-centric, so-called progressive movement organizations continue to line up under the White House rather than locking arms with his progressive base. In so doing, they have exposed their incapacity to lead from the top, their lack of independence from the Democratic Party, and their inability to hold principle above a skewed political calculus. That said, as I watched President Obama's State of the Union, despite all my disappointment in his compromised positions, including his calls for nuclear power & "clean coal," and a freeze on domestic but not military spending, etc... I was still deeply grateful not to be tortured by the voice of that IDIOT George W. Bush pretending to be presidential. Then on Friday, Obama's 1-against-140 Q&A with Republicans was another stunning proof of his skill and intellect. So CONGRATULATIONS! - we actually have a President. Now, if he'd send Rahm Emanuel, the Goldman Sachs crew and others packing, perhaps we'd have a partner. What we do NOT have, and never will have, is the progressive savior many had hoped for. But has worthwhile change EVER originated in DC? Of course not. The lesson of the past disappointing year and historical lesson transmitted to us through Professor Zinn is the same: DO NOT DELEGATE YOUR ASPIRATIONS FOR CHANGE TO WASHINGTON, DC! "Democracy is not what governments do. It's what people do." This brings me to a second point. I refuse to get upset about the Democratic Party loss of the Massachusetts Senate seat and its "Super Majority." I'm sick of hearing Democratic Party excuses about why they can't get things done, how every election is the most important election, and how if they only had (fill in the blank) all would be well. POPPY COCK! Yes - the Republicans have been shamelessly obstructionist, but so have many Democrats, and the initiatives have been tepid. The Democratic super majority did nothing for their unity or resolve for actually delivering Americans our human right of access to health care. Their super majority did nothing to get the U.S. out of the business of empire, occupation, and bloated, unaccountable Pentagon spending. Their super majority did nothing about breaking up the banks to ensure they were no longer "too big to fail." Their super majority did nothing to hold the past administration accountable for violations of national or international law. --Bill Moyer, Backbone Campaign
CAPTCHA*	Enter the sum: 20 + 13 = (What is this?)

It's been a tumultuous couple weeks and many people are despairing. Haiti, Massachusetts, Supreme Court, and now the loss of our treasured teacher Professor Howard Zinn. It may seem like too much to bare, but it's not. As a matter of fact, there are reasons to celebrate and new opportunities to organize. At the bottom of this longer-than-usual commentary is an invitation for collaboration on an exciting and timely mobilization to reclaim representative democracy. I hope you will send your ideas and call to collaborate with us at this critical juncture. Now, some thoughts on recent developments...

Skepticism about a White House that ran to Goldman Sachs for advice and personnel in the financial crisis AND appointed hawk and corporate lapdog Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff has been proven justified. Governing in 2009 has seemed more focused on propping up the status quo than replacing it.

The squandering of our collective hope for "Change we can believe in" and the top-down misuse of the grassroots movement that helped get Obama elected reflects a corrupted concept of social movement. The Beltway, i.e. DC-centric, so-called progressive movement organizations continue to line up under the White House rather than locking arms with his progressive base. In so doing, they have exposed their incapacity to lead from the top, their lack of independence from the Democratic Party, and their inability to hold principle above a skewed political calculus.

That said, as I watched President Obama's State of the Union, despite all my disappointment in his compromised positions, including his calls for nuclear power & "clean coal," and a freeze on domestic but not military spending, etc... I was still deeply grateful not to be tortured by the voice of that IDIOT George W. Bush pretending to be presidential. Then on Friday, Obama's 1-against-140 Q&A with Republicans was another stunning proof of his skill and intellect. So CONGRATULATIONS! - we actually have a President. Now, if he'd send Rahm Emanuel, the Goldman Sachs crew and others packing, perhaps we'd have a partner. What we do NOT have, and never will have, is the progressive savior many had hoped for.

But has worthwhile change EVER originated in DC? Of course not. The lesson of the past disappointing year and historical lesson transmitted to us through Professor Zinn is the same: DO NOT DELEGATE YOUR ASPIRATIONS FOR CHANGE TO WASHINGTON, DC! "Democracy is not what governments do. It's what people do."

This brings me to a second point. I refuse to get upset about the Democratic Party loss of the Massachusetts Senate seat and its "Super Majority." I'm sick of hearing Democratic Party excuses about why they can't get things done, how every election is the most important election, and how if they only had (fill in the blank) all would be well. POPPY COCK! Yes - the Republicans have been shamelessly obstructionist, but so have many Democrats, and the initiatives have been tepid.

The Democratic super majority did nothing for their unity or resolve for actually delivering Americans our human right of access to health care. Their super majority did nothing to get the U.S. out of the business of empire, occupation, and bloated, unaccountable Pentagon spending. Their super majority did nothing about breaking up the banks to ensure they were no longer "too big to fail." Their super majority did nothing to hold the past administration accountable for violations of national or international law.

--Bill Moyer, Backbone Campaign

Tags: Democracy/Activism Government Accountability Legislation/Legal

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