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Forum Post: Start a 99% Party

Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 9, 2011, 12:43 a.m. EST by bertam (0)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

We need to start a 99% party. This will get us serious attention from the Dems. Also, we may elect some people to the House of Representatives like the Tea party did.

10 Comments

10 Comments


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[-] 5 points by RedJazz43 (2757) 12 years ago

Start a 99% party and get 1% of the vote. I do not say this as someone who is hostile to building an independent progressive party, just a realist. I ran for Congress on the Green Party ticket and twice for state legislature as a Green. I plan to vote for Jill Stein who will probably be the Green Party candidate for President in 1912. I've never voted for a Democrat and don't plan to.

The fact is the left in the US is very weak and poorly organized. The most optimistic estimates of Occupy activists (not mere passive supporters) put that number at about 200 K, hardly a mass movement in a nation of more than 300 million.

I believe we need a mass independent progressive party, but such an asperation is not realistic until we have maybe 10 or 20 million people occupying. Until then some occupiers will vote Democratic, some like me will vote for some tiny sectlet or groupescule and some won't vote at all. Whatever we do will be a mere existential choice and not politically consequential until we become a real mass movement.

In the meantime our job is to organized more occupations and more GAs.

[-] 4 points by AFarewellToKings (1486) 12 years ago

Have you read the 99% Declaration. It says in closing:

V. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that IF the PETITION FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES approved by the 876 Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY in consultation with the NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE, is not acted upon within a reasonable time and to the satisfaction of the Delegates of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, said Delegates shall reconvene to utilize the grassroots network established in the election of the NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY to organize a new INDEPENDENT POLITICAL PARTY to run candidates for every available Congressional seat in the mid-term election of 2014 and again in 2016 until all vestiges of the existing corrupt corporatocracy have been eradicated through the power of the ballot box.

https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/

[-] 4 points by sato (148) 12 years ago

Now that's even better than protesting. But will people back a 99% Party?

[-] 1 points by AFarewellToKings (1486) 12 years ago

Have you read the 99% Declaration? The worse things get the more people will look for a viable alternative. People were disgusted enough 20 years ago to back Ross Perot and things aren't looking so rosy now...

https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/

[-] -2 points by buik2 (66) 12 years ago

this is a social movement, not some dumb ass political party

[-] 1 points by sato (148) 12 years ago

political parties have the power to bring change. that is what social movement wants. the problem is can people back a 99% Party against career politicians?

[-] 1 points by buik2 (66) 12 years ago

you should be ashamed of yourself

[-] 2 points by sato (148) 12 years ago

I don't see a reason why but you sound like a troll so I won't pay any more attention.

[-] 1 points by buik2 (66) 12 years ago

i'm a troll but i'm pretty respectful and loving. i can be fun for you if you just swallow your pride

thats easy for you because you are such well-practiced swallower already