Forum Post: 2 Cents From a 1%er Who Supports the OWS Cause.

Since OWS needs a platform, here are two suggestions for near term goals are:

1) As we enter the 2012 election cycle, OWS should demand fair inclusion of any third party candidates with more than 2% of votes in polls in all 2012 presidential debates and also demand public influence on the format and the content of debate questions. For those that don’t know, presidential debates have been essentially hijacked by the two big parties sine the late 80s when the Commission on Presidential Debates, (CPD) took over from The League of Women Voters, who gave up the role after being exasperated by the two major parties’ aggressive attempts exert influence on debates. What should have been an outrage then has matured into what I consider a travesty of democracy given how media-saturated our culture has become. As a result, we now have debates which focus exclusively on the messages that the main parties want to deliver rather than the questions that the American people want to hear answered, and box out any third party opinions (CPD mandates that any 3rd party have at least 15% of the vote confirmed by 5 polls). I think that OWS should demand that The League of Women Voters or some other non-partisan organization take over debates for this election. Here is some background on the CPD and some good back and forth banter on the issue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_on_Presidential_Debates

2) If OWS actually wants change to grow out of this outrage they will need a presidential candidate to support in 2012, and, while I voted for him, I don’t mean Barak Obama. The person that they choose will be attacked with a fury from both the right and left which the world will never have seen before, so OWS is going to have to raise a gigantic amount of money through grass roots, internet, and media fundraising efforts. As a member of the 1%, I truly believe that fundraising will be the thing that makes or break OWS. I say thing because I am choosing not to list the demands that I would ask for if I could have all I wanted. That list includes campaign finance reform, lobbying reform, socialized healthcare and education, and dozens of other issues which will only cloud progress if OWS tries to do too much. Since I truly respect him and think he would make an ideal president for many reasons I would like to see Ralph Nader both debate and get the financial support necessary to compete with the billionaire parties. Unfortunately, while I love him and everything he stands for, Nader has been so effectively and comprehensively demonized by the big parties that he may not be a good choice. Others have suggested Michael Bloomberg, but he may be seen a contradiction in terms for OWS given his wealth, and you would have to be convinced to run. Ron Lawl is another great American who speaks his mind, is principled, and fights hard against corporate control of our country and of the political process.

Lastly, and while I don’t have the answer on whom OWS chooses to support in 2012, I will point out an irony that is important to note. I am part of the 1% and would be happy to donate money once I know what OWS stands for. I would be willing to donate a lot of money even, and to tell everyone I know about why I chose to donate. The irony is that the 1% may actually hold the key to the solutions that the U.S. needs because I our political system is broken precisely because members of congress and senate vote based on their future economic interests (“what will I do after I leave office?“) rather than those of their constituents. If Michael Bloomberg were president, Warren Buffet were secretary of the treasury, and Bill Gates/Melinda Gates/Steve Jobs’ widow were secretary of education (they’ve all done a lot of great work in the educational field - you see my drift here) I think the U.S. would be moving in the right direction because these people would be working for what they believe in instead of for some financial incentive/benefit that they might gain after leaving office. I should also mention that Ralph Nader, while not rich, has been a champion of populist causes for 50 years and is the man responsible for the seatbelts and airbags in our cars among many other things that make our lives better. He is a true American, and has dedicated his life to others. In an ideal world he would be the best person for the very difficult job as it stands today, and if he runs again I will certainly vote for him - my vote in the state of Massachusetts is a wasted vote, by the way, but I think Nader would be a viable candidate if OWS raised enough money and used the powerful weapon of the media to turn public opinion in Ralph’s favor. I encourage folks to Youtube Ralph and listen to his speaches and also to watch a great documentary on him called “An Unreasonable Man”, currently on HBO.