Forum Post: HERE'S WHAT MIGHT BE NEXT FOR OWS: The movement could get 75% of the American public behind this and win. Award-winning best selling author SCOTT TUROW has some wise words for OCCUPY WALL ST supporters
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 21, 2011, 3:19 p.m. EST by therising
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Here's what Scott Turow said Occupy movement should do next: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/11/21/bloomberg_articlesLUZ8V71A1I4H.DTL
Here are some specifics of how we might do it. You could adapt the tactics at this link rather easily to Mr. Turow's plan: http://www.occupywallst.org/forum/when-the-moment-is-right-and-support-is-large-enou/
Agree with Mr Turow. I've been here for a while, and I've concluded we really only need to fix two things: Money in politics/government ( see http://occupywallst.org/forum/we-the-people-in-order-to-a-proposal/ ) and getting people to use their incredible power as consumers in the world's largest market ( See http://occupywallst.org/forum/the-power-of-the-people/ )
Getting the money out returns our Democracy to We the People, and we can then use it as intended to settle all our other differences. As long as we insist on fighting over those differences now, we become powerless factions... as the status quo desires.
Exercising our consumer power exploits the one thing that drives corporations; Profit. We have too long been playing by the corporate script that the lowest sticker price defines the "best" product. We the People need to become more conscious and stop doing business with companies that out-source our jobs, employ slave labor, don't pay fair wages, etc.
"Get the money out of politics/government" and "exercise your consumer power" are decidedly non-partisan and should have very broad appeal across America.
P.S. See my OWS shopping guidelines at http://bit.ly/vof9WH and, if you agree, repost the http://bit.ly/vof9WH link as far and wide as possible !
You want money out of politics. Well the unions are behind you folks but why is it OK for them to to give to politics with collected union dues?
Read my post at http://occupywallst.org/forum/one-percenter-ready-to-join-if/ then reread my post at http://occupywallst.org/forum/we-the-people-in-order-to-a-proposal/ . I want ALL money out of politics.
To accomplish that a new standard of transparency would be required within our government.
What if they cry national security risk?
I don't see how getting the money out is a national security risk.
No but making many activities/meetings within the government transparent can be. Just look at all the intelligence agencies and private meetings.
Sure limiting campaign contributions, lobbying, and other public contributions are doable. What about behind closed doors?
This is fantastic. Wish I could give it a hundred upvotes.
Timing seems perfect to unite and rise now that Congress has officially and very publicly failed with the super committee.
Indeed, the timing is perfect. A legislator has already proposed such a constitutional amendment. It's on the table!!!
http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/18/372361/rep-deutch-introduces-occupied-constitutional-amendment-to-ban-corporate-money-in-politics/
Cool!!
Beautiful. But I believe ALL outside non-public/federal(capped) money should be taken out of politics. But I really like this strategy.
Rock n roll. How would the rubber meet the road on something like this?
There is no reason we cannot begin doing this now, in addition to everything we do. The Americans are waiting for us to take some kind of action, any kind of action. This is the way we can draw them in. Do not hesitate, if you are in a position to organize this, or some way of acting on issues, support WILL follow. We can go door to door with petitions, we can talk to organizations, there is no reason to wait, and if anything all the incentive to act now.
Group marching from Zuccoti Park to Capitol Hill will be there soon.....
Yay, I wondered how they were doing. I hope to hear more about that soon.
Very exciting :). They are great people to have done this.
I'm wondering whether or not the failure of the supercommittee plays into this. Some say it matters. Others say a portion of America is apathetic and might never get off the sofa.
I think the failure is a happy break for us, and we already have plenty of bodies. What we need is support, from the streets, the counters, even from behind monitors and on the sofas. We needn't be concerned with apathy, especially if we can spear head real change, because it is easier than ever to click a mouse and make a difference. All we need to do is convince the portion of society already watching to want to change.
And I am officially tired of typing that word, you get the idea though :p
Absolutely. I like the way you think.
Let's rise and shine and show Congress how powerfully nonviolent the 99% are!
Is this a winter or spring activity?
Let's rise!
The 2012 Money Race: Compare the Candidates http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/campaign-finance
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=F07&cycle=All&recipdetail=M&sortorder=U
Mr Turow's plan is right on target, but since the 2012 election season is already in full swing, it seems to be a little late for this election. Even though Obama is the King of crony capitalism, will OWS continue to make excuses for him and claim he is better than any of the GOP candidates? As a preamble to getting a constitutional amendment through that requires Congress to regulate the expenditure of private money on elections in 2014 & 2016, shake things up by not voting for Obama. A huge lose for Obama followed by a push for a constitutional amendment would get across the message much more than sleeping in tents. Occupying Wall Street, or any other street, even Pennsylvania Ave doesn't impact the politicians and the sweet deals they have fixed up for themselves. A bunch of protesters sleeping in tents doesn't "hurt" them where it really counts or change what they really value.
I can't think of any better way to get the attention of each and every politician.
If it seems to drastic, I don't really know why- just think of GE & Jeffery Immelt or the bonuses being given out at Fanny and Freddy while they are asking for another bailout.
Unless you have a penchant for camping-
Think of Wall Street's takeover of the Obama administration.
The mega-banks and their corporate allies control every economic policy position of consequence in Obama's cozy administration. Mr. Obama has installed Wall Street business people in every key position. - Mr.William Daley from JP Morgan Chase as White House Chief of Staff. - Mr. Gene Sperling from the Goldman Sachs payroll to be director of the National Economic Council. - Eileen Rominger from Goldman Sachs named director of the SEC's Investment Management division. - Even the National Security Advisor, Thomas Donilon, was executive vice president for law and policy at the disgraced Fannie Mae after serving as a corporate lobbyist with O'Melveny & Roberts. - And of course General Electric Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt is Obama's right hand man as chair of the president's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.-
Did someone have a gun to Obama head making him appoint these people?
-Think of the fact that Obama, actually nominated Ben Bernanke for a second term as Federal Reserve Chairman and Obama continues to support him 100 percent even after a horrible track record of failures
-Think about the cozy relationship between the clean energy loan program that helped finance scandal-ridden solar power company Solyndra and donors to President Obama's 2008 campaign. Think about $535 million Obama gave to Solyndra knowing the company wasn't solid. Think how that money could have been spent?
-How about the tax code? Think about how Barack Obama and the Democrats controlled the White House and all of Congress for two whole years. Why didn't they "fix" the tax code while they had the chance?
-Our current tax system is so flawed, so complex and so full of holes that it needs to be thrown out entirely. Many big corporations get away with bloody murder under the current tax system, yet the only candidates discussing and putting forth bold alternatives are on the GOP side.
Obama is spending ONE BILLION dollars to buy another 4 years, when he should be bowing out gracefully and giving Hillary or another Democrat an opportunity to run in order to reinvigorate the party. He could withdraw his bid- he passed his signature piece of legislation - a huge legacy, he made history becoming the first black president. He will either lose but probably by only a small percentage or he will win but will be a lame duck president for his entire second term. If the youth vote and his base don't vote for him and he loses by a landslide, OWS will get its message across and get some regulation in the money spent on elections.
There are many things about OWS that I don't agree with - however, this is something that I too could get behind. It would really attract a much larger following.
Yup
I agree. Huge appeal.
Let's rise!
If you support such action, what do you think the timing would be? 2 weeks? 2 months?
Americans are waking up and fighting for their republic with active nonviolent resistance.
What do you see as next steps?
The momentum is with us. We must stay sting, active and nonviolent.
This is great Idea, and I suggest that we use the power of debt repudiation to back it up - to provide us leverage - otherwise, they will simply continue to ignore whatever it is that we propose.
Please explain what you mean exactly. Not sure I understand. My fault. I'm a little slow.
You're not the least bit slow, so the fault must be mine. I mean by having Americans plan a credit card and mortage burning day. That would put real pressure on the powers that be, and give our demands leverage, not to mention empower a whole bunch of people feeling powerless right now.
Oh that would be magnificent. Needs message carefully crafted so bulletproof. Wow, you're right. If these debt actions were combined with money out of politics occupation of Caitol Hill........ Holy cow.
EXACTLY!
Wow. Huge planning and promotion would be required but would be well worth the fort. Would need G.A's to approve wholeheartedly. Timing is interesting with supercommittee just failing and many students on break at certain point between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Or maybe it's a major spring action so it can be flawlessly planned.
It would be great to for an articulate spokesperson to bring this beofre the GA. I think it's potential, if timed to coincide with the cresting of this movement, would be tremendous!
Agree wholeheartedly
Supercommittee failing. Perfect timing perhaps...
When would time be right?
Now, we need to do everything we can now. We can't focus simply on recruiting people, that is seen as an empty goal by the people we seek to gain. The support will come naturally and with minimal direct effort necessary.
So how would OWS go about organizing such an event?
Use the GAs that've been established, discuss and construct action meaningful to your community. Go door to door getting opinions on what people want to see in their community and see if you can bring that to the forefront. Promote groups that will help towards those ends. For instance, given a strong desire for campaign reform, promote groups like BeYourGovernment.org, funnel energy into places where it can make a difference. I think the biggest mistake for OWS to make would be to try to act independent of it's community. It should be the culmination of everything everyone is trying to do to improve this society.
Note: I use BeYourGov as my personal example because that's my piece, but this movement can represent that, and so many more groups at the same time all while marching on banks and occupying sites.
Sounds good to me.
Great! :) I so rarely see agreement here, this makes me happy. For my part, I will see how I can nudge OWS in this direction. Perhaps there's a way I can get in touch with my local occupation and start there.
I like that people can find points of unity and act on those. A new way of operating. It's how we get to 99% and eventually 100% in my view.
I think that's an excellent strategy. Please keep in touch. I think you're right on target. The key is for OWS supporters to find a way to utilize at least a bit of the tremendous agreement, good will and energy that is built up. We don't want to do what America did after Sept 11 2001 when we had the world's attention and the world's good will (candles were even being lit for America in the streets of Iran). We squandered that in all the ways that are a part of our permanent record. Here is yet another chance. Let's just use a bit of that energy now. Not all of it. Just a bit.
Does Turow's idea achieve everything? Of course not. But it would go a long way to get the foot of the 1% off our collective neck so we can regroup and go at this with waves two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight etc --- wave after wave, ceaselessly, relentlessly until we are in a position to make decisions from a position of unified strength instead of making demands from a position of divided weakness.
In some ways, the action described in the two links at top of this post really combine to form "just another action" and should NOT, in my view, be billed as representing everything we the 99% desire. Just one action of many. This one would just happen to have 300,000 people in attendance and would have the support of 75% of American public. Once it is successful, we'd of course go on to other things, even more important things. In fact, it's clear that other actions would take place before, during and after the big "Occupy Capitol Hill" action.
American public is enraged at Congress. Many will how up at Occupy Capitol Hill .
Let's unify and let's do this when the time is right.
We would have MAJOR PUBLIC SUPPORT!! This would be a major win. And the best part is that it doesn't mean narrowing OWS movement. It just be ONE thing movement does. One of many.
I like Scott Turow. I really do.
Me too
Scott Turow is no dummy.
Get behind this and you will get 99%
http://occupywallst.org/forum/make-a-stand-join-the-clan/