You say you want a revolution? Run for office

[reACTIONary]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/08/opinion/scracic-occupy-wall-street/index.html?hpt=hp_bn9

"Occupations and rallies are fun. Electoral politics is hard. The rules are complex, and so are the voters. A gathering in the street has a lot in common with a party. Running for office and working for a candidate is like a 9 to 5 job."

"And getting involved in the political process forces you out of your comfort zone. Instead of hanging out with a few hundred -- or a few thousand -- people who basically agree with you, you have to confront and perhaps persuade those who don't agree with you. In the process, however, you will learn more about democracy then you will at any teach-in."

[Warren Stupidity]

1. Another stern lecture from the uncomfortable establishment.

*yawn*

[reACTIONary]

5. Uncomfortable? I thought they were "smug". Which is it? (nm)

[ElboRuum]

10. No, they WERE smug, now they ARE uncomfortable.

It's what happens to the smug when confronted or challenged. Do try to keep up.

[reACTIONary]

13. Actually, I think the right word is "realistic". (nm)

[ElboRuum]

18. Nope, still not getting it. But I think it is valiant of you to keep trying. n/t

[TheWraith]

16. Actually no, solid advice from someone who understands basic reality.

That playacting "a revolution" in the park doesn't translate into real world reform, and nobody can provide solid, logical steps which explain how it will.

[reACTIONary]

21. +1

[tama]

26. Revolutions are not

"solid, logical steps". What makes revolutionary moment revolutionary is unpredictability. rEvolution is not newtonian mechanics but quantum jumps.

[glowing]

2. One step at a time.. Unless the money is arrested from the process,

then the people who are a part of the movement will have no chance against the corporate money and the corporately backed candidates. At some point, there will be more people like Elizabeth Warren running and having the ability to succeed in an election process... The Jesse guy would make for a wonderful politician. He's smart, articulate, and with the people. There's a lot of people I hear speak that I wish I could be voting for, but would have no chance against the monied, political machine. I would personally love to run for an office, however, it is financially and time wise impossible for me to even think about at this time in my life.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[saras]

4. Why? So I can be a spoiler like Nader?

My electoral priority is fixing the two-party, winner-take-all system we currently have. It's simply not capable of executing the people's will when that substantially diverges from the positions of the two parties.

[reACTIONary]

6. I don't fully understand your comment. Further elaboration would be appriciated (nm)

[Odin2005]

27. You don't want to understand. Or you are paid not to understand.

[reACTIONary]

44. Why are you being so aqusatory? I just wanted...

... to understand your point and further the conversation. Oh well.

[txlibdem]

7. I hear echoes of the politicians from around here

They keep assuring me that I have equal rights with the corporations. I suppose that means that if I feel wronged by these behemoths I can take the $500 in my checking account and take them to court. That's the "freedom" that right to work states want to bring to the entire nation. Well, I'll tell you where you can put *that* freedom.

And if I want to get elected I'll just take my $500 and win the election, right? Hey, but wait a minute. My corporate whore opponent has access to UNLIMITED funds from secret donors -- thanks to the supreme court none of it has to be reported.

Yeah, I'll just fix the system "from the inside." Sounds familiar?

[reACTIONary]

8. This is the Democratic as in "Democratic Party" underground...

... is it not? So I don't know why you would be surprised that people who have some confidence in electoral politics would be hanging around.

If you don't have confidence in electoral politics what is it that you suggest? Are you an advocate of armed revolution? Do you think the OWS or the "Ad Busters" folks are going to become armed guerrilla cells? If so, I think you are going to be disappointed.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[reACTIONary]

14. I humbly and abjectly appologize...

...for my naive and (unintentionally) arrogant post. As a neophyte I have assiduously studied the "about" and the "rules" of the site where I found that "the vast majority of our visitors are Democrats" and that I am not to "post support for non-viable or third-party spoiler candidates in any general election". I therefore was lead astray and believed that here there would be support for and confidence in electoral politics. I now understand that this is mere exoteric doctrine meant to mislead the uninitiated. I patiently await, without expectation, induction into the esoteric mysteries of DU.

And that, I think puts me at 182.

[txlibdem]

11. I'm not suggesting armed insurrection: quite the opposite -- American Spring

If there can be a successful Arab Spring than I am sure that there is a chance for an American Spring. Have you ever heard of Gandhi?

You can believe in anything you wish; it's a free country. Believe that an "out-of-nowhere" candidate with no corporate or 501C backing is going to win an election if you like but the chances are just about nil. Even Pres. Obama is going to need around 1 Billion Dollars to win re-election. Without PAC money and $3000 a plate fund raisers a candidate isn't going anywhere (except back home with their tail between their legs). Sorry to be the bearer of harsh truth. Elections are controlled by the big money players and in time you will mature enough to see that. PS, this is part of what the Occupy Wall Street and the marchers in other cities are out there for.

One last thing. Never forget that there are 300 million of us and only about 400 families in the top 1%. We outnumber them by a vast amount so if things come to push and shove... guess who will win. There are only about 10 million millionaires in the USA so we even outnumber them 30 to 1. So don't go tossing around the idea of armed insurrection so lightly. Nobody wants that but the rich will lose that battle and they'll wish they'd never attempted to cross the poor and the middle class. We won't start it but we damn sure will finish it.

[reACTIONary]

15. No need to appoligize for being the bearer of harsh truth...

... harsh truth is the only truth there is. I certainly have no illusions about the coming forth of an "out-of-nowhere" candidate, or of the advent, let alone effectiveness, of a Gandhi. The only thing that will really work is the constant drip, drip, drip of organization and engagement in politics as usual. As described in the article. Hopefully the OWS folks (or "kids" - from my grown-up, super-ego, explaining Daddy perspective) will move their energy towards such efforts.

[txlibdem]

17. Gandhi wasn't sitting there by himself!

He had huge numbers of co-protesters all over the country. He changed the entire nation by sitting down peacefully. The Occupy "X" protesters are no different. Their numbers are growing and if I wasn't disabled I'd darn sure be on the lines with them (here in Dallas).

PS, drip, drip, drip is easy to ignore. Throngs crowding the sidewalks and the plazas aren't. This movement will die a quick death if they take your advice. The Oligarchy will swat the flies off their money pile and continue on as if nothing has happened.

We need a movement -that means participation- in numbers large enough that they realize that they've overstepped their greed for far too long and they are close to a confrontation that they will not enjoy. The marchers are sending that message: undo the damage, undo the Oligarchy, undo the theft. Failure of our "leaders" to take heed of this growing discontent will impact their careers and the profits of the mega-corps that they serve.

[reACTIONary]

20. The situation in liberal democratic contries...

...is not the same as it was in India or in Egypt, and not even the same now as it was during the civil rights era. There isn't any great harm in the protests that are going on, but unless they move on into retail electoral politics they aren't going to do much good.

[txlibdem]

23. I see you are impervious to facts or logical argument

So I suppose you'll have your opinion and I'll have mine. PS, history backs mine up with many examples... yours, not so much.

[KG]

12. too funny

:rofl:

[Bluenorthwest]

19. The panic of the centrists....

it has devolved into self parody more swiftly than I'd thought possible.

[reACTIONary]

22. Been there, done that. No panic.

[Citizen Worker]

24. You mean like that peace loving former military officer who ran successfully for the house and then

went on to the senate? That would be John Kerry from Massachusetts who hasn't voted against war in years. That kind of electoral politics?

[reACTIONary]

42. Yes (nm)

[tama]

25. First rule of rEvolution

If it's not fun, don't do it.

[txlibdem]

29. ?

I thought the first rule of rEvolution was "never talk about Revolution."

It's the same with the term "class warfare" with the M$M... never say those words!

[bemildred]

30. No, no, that's for hippies and dropouts. nt

[tama]

31. Actually

I found the slogan "don't do it if it is not fun" in a permaculture guidebook. So you are correct about hippies and dropouts. :)

[bemildred]

32. Well, we said: "if it feels good, do it".

And also "tune in, turn on, and drop out" was popular.

And "Fuck Leaders", my fave, but that is a different subject.

It's like it is all coming around to visit us again.

[tama]

33. Some evolution also?

Your fave comes now often up in the forms "We are all leaders", "If you want a leader, take a good look in the mirror until you see one" etc.

My fave meaning of leaders: chords leading current of energy. Bit lame perhaps in English translation, sounds better in my native language.

[bemildred]

34. Evolution is what it's all about, and we can all pick our own slogans.

I like those variations of yours, they are improvements,

I am familiar with the idea of "political currents" from reading foreign press, in translation, and I think it expresses the idea better than the various English cliches. The leader is just a guy that happens to be in front in the direction we are going. His job is to keep an eye out for what's ahead and to make sure everybody is informed.

It's going to be really funny to watch our "leaders" (here in the USA) scramble to get out in front of the crowd again, and I think we are almost to that point.

The basic problem with authoritarians is they think they have to tell everybody else what to do, which is soothing to their egos, but otherwise patently false.

[tama]

35. The "in the front"

meaning is the one I'm trying to avoid in context of positive meaning of leader. For the front guy better term is scout.

In my language the word "johto" means both 'leadership' and 'electric etc. wire' and 'water pipe', you get the idea. And the verb "johtaa" both 'lead'/'be leader' and letting the electric current or water current flow through. Quite hopeless for me to try to put that meaning into catchy English slogan... the best "translation" that came to mind is this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU

[bemildred]

36. You are correct, it's a different way of dividing things up into ideas.

Translation is an art, and a difficult one at times. I do like "scout" better. It has better associated meanings and attitudes in English.

I like that "letting things flow" idea of what leadership means too. We could use a lot of that here, our political process has ossified (turned to bone/stone), which is never the right thing in a world changing as fast as ours is, Obama has tried to do some of that here, being a facilitator/moderator, but he gets little cooperation, and he is criticized for it.

Nice talking to you. Let's do it again.

[tama]

39. It's a planetary change

and our politician do their "best" to teach and prove us that we can't make them responsible and expect them to "take care" of us behaving like little children dependent from parents, that we all need to grow up, become leaders of the flow and the life we share, taking responsibility together. It's not always easy but we are learning.

My mother died this morning, bless her beautiful soul. Thank you for being there. <3

[bemildred]

40. Please accept my condolences.

I lost my mother 20 years ago. I still miss being able to talk to her.

[bemildred]

37. I should apologize for post #36 too.

I was joking, and you probably thought I was being serious because I did not make that clear.

[tama]

38. No,

I was 99% sure you were joking, but gave the 1% also a chance to get on the right side ;)

[bemildred]

41. OK.

Native English is hard, very idiomatic, changes all the time.

Not that we are the only ones like that.

[Odin2005]

28. I see the paid DLC hacks are out.

:eyes: You guys are so obvious.

[reACTIONary]

43. No one could ever be paid enough for this! (nm)

[masmdu]

45. Agree w/ reACTIONary's posts