Forum Post: "Occupy Congress!" To Effect Transformational Change, the Occupy Movement Should Dominate The Democratic Congressional Primaries.

There is still time for the Occupy Movement to shape the face of the 2012 election and the strategy is rather simple. Take over the Democratic Congressional primaries.

There is no situation in American politics like a party primary. Turnout is low and there is rarely strict adherence to a single (Democratic) candidate.

In this setting a very disciplined and cohesive minority can exert tremendous leverage dramatically shaping the candidate field. One needs to look no further than to the evangelicals and the tealbaggers for examples in the Republican Party.

If the Occupy Movement created a pledge detailing three core issues and then required primary candidates to sign the pledge.....I think you would rapidly see the crystallization of most of what you seek.

What will produce real and gradual change is providing disciplined support of Democratic primary candidates who pledge their support to your core issues. You must identify your core issues and these individuals now and begin applying your leverage.

Thanks to Puff 6962 for his participation in this article.

Our national politics have been corrupted by the top 1% and we need to return power to the people. We have a jobs crisis in this country that is hurting millions of our citizens and they need to go back to work. We have a foreclosure crisis in this country where 1 in 5 mortgages are under water and housing prices continue to decline. Until we take big money out of federal politics, put people back to work and turn around housing prices, consumer spending will be down, the economy will continue to stagnate and we're looking at a lost decade.

Examples of 3 core issues.

Get Big Money Out Of Federal Politics By Electing A New Kind Of Politician - Pass the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 750 and H.R. 1404). A law where political candidates for federal office would raise a large number of small contributions from their communities in order to qualify for Fair Elections funding. Contributions are limited to $100.00. Strictly voluntary by the candidate to avoid Supreme Court issues. Revise the Fair Elections Now Act to include a 100% (up from 25%) discount for TV air time for political advertising to those candidates that qualify.

Create Jobs Now! - A ten-year federal program that involves a New Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to create over 5 million jobs rebuilding America that includes infrastructure banks run by engineers, not politicians to extricate ourselves from the Great Recession now and increase national productivity later. Pay for it by taxing all Wall St. financial transactions at 1% that would raise $400 billion a year. A 3% annual surtax on incomes over $1 million would raise another $200 billion a year.

End The Housing Crisis Now! - Congress can and should modify the bankruptcy laws to allow primary residence mortgages to be eligible for restructuring by making banks lower the principal balance on all underwater mortgages to current market value and refinancing these loans to current market interest rates.