Forum Post: To the Co-opters :
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 17, 2011, 4:49 p.m. EST by SanityScribe
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AmpedStatus Report )))
Welcome to the #OWS 99% Movement “We Will NOT Be Co-Opted” Working Group
October 7th, 2011 | Filed under Activism, Feature, Hot List, Politics & Government . Follow comments through RSS 2.0 feed. Click here to comment, or trackback.
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This is not an official statement from the #OWS 99% Movement. As a decentralized leaderless movement, in our opinion, there is no one group, organization, website or individual who can speak for the movement as a whole.
We, a working group of people currently occupying Liberty Park and many other locations throughout the US, are growing increasingly concerned about divide and conquer attempts being made to co-opt the movement. In the following message, we are issuing our first proposed statement. If you agree with the statement, please post it to your website and/or spread it throughout your social networks, both online and offline at occupations throughout the country. If you would like to read this statement at your local GA meetings and vote or edit it, feel free. If you disagree with the statement, please air your disagreements – this is what democracy looks like.
We appreciate, respect and encourage endorsements from individuals and organizations. We invite them. However, just because an individual or organization endorses our movement, does not mean that they in any way have a leadership role in deciding the future direction of this movement. We will not be co-opted by hierarchical organizations. No matter how wonderful their cause may be.
There are many people, organizations and media outlets within both the Democratic and Republican parties who are trying to label us as the Democrat’s version of the Tea Party. In this working groups opinion, not only is this incorrect, but in labeling us this way, you are, whether you realize it or not, undermining the very essence of this movement with your obsolete divide and conquer groupthink propaganda. Just as the mainstream media and both political parties aided and abetted the co-option of the Tea Party by the Republican Party, there is an attempt being made to do the same to us within the Democratic Party.
We the People, We the 99%, are not the pawns of either wing of the two-party oligarchy.
We emphatically reject the attempted leadership of any political party, organization or individual. If there are elected officials or organizations who endorse our movement, we welcome them.
However, they must do so knowing this: Your voice will be just as loud as any other voice. We are led by no one. You cannot co-opt We The People.
Respect Us.
http://ampedstatus.org/welcome-to-the-ows-99-movement-we-will-not-be-co-opted-working-group/
no thank you moveon.org. you don't represent 99%
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: One of the main pillars of Conservative propaganda is that both parties are the same. Nothing they say is further from the truth. It is an insidious lie intended to demoralize progressives, and discourage them from voting. Do not fall for this canard, because if both parties are the same, there is no hope for change, and therefore no reason to vote. The truth is that there is a difference between the parties. A stark difference! One party works for the rich, the other party works for all Americans. One party takes money from the needy to feed the greedy, and the other party takes money from the greedy to feed the needy. One party has plans and policies to create jobs, and the other party has a long list of lame excuses for not doing anything. Liberals want to change things. Conservatives want things to stay the same. There is a difference. One party wants to tax the rich, and the other party wants to tax the poor. One party wants to destroy Unions, and the other party wants to support them. One party supports the Occupation of Wall Street, and the other party doesn’t. One party wants to rebuild America, and the other party doesn’t. One party wants to provide health care for all, and the other party doesn’t. One party wants to regulate Wall Street, and the other party doesn’t. One Party wants to end the wars; the other party wants them to go on forever. There is a difference. One party is Myopic, and the other party is Far Sighted. One party wants to help the Middle Class, and the other party is at war with the Middle Class. One party wants to fire Teachers, and the other party wants to hire them. One party wants to create more jobs in America, and the other party wants to create more jobs in Asia. There is a difference. One party wants to protect pensions, and the other party wants to loot them. One party has a heart, and the other party has Ann Coulter. One party protects the right bear Arms, and the other party protects the right of freedom of assembly. One party believes that the only role for the Government is to provide for the common defense, and the other party believes that the Government should also promote the general Welfare. There is a difference, and anybody that tells you there is no difference between the parties is simply not conversant with reality. In addition, anyone that blames the Democrats for the current state of affairs has no understanding of who controls the Government. One Party has the Presidency, and the other party has the Majority in the House, controls the Senate, has a majority on the Supreme Court, and is responsible for current economic policy. So, if you’re angry, and you want to start a real fight, I submit that we should start a real fight with the Conservatives! America has a Two Party System. One party is clearly on your side, the other party thinks you’re and Anti-American mob. At some point in time you’re going to have to pick one. Choose wisely, your future is at stake
Oceanweed, I respect your opinion though I didn't read it all. But, it is so one-sided. If you were to present that in a court room, it would be easy for the jury to identify your bias. The republican party is an abomination in my book, but you equate them with the tea party, which shows how little time you've spent researching the tea party. Maybe the Republican party is worse than the Democrat party, but it wouldn't be by much. Neither of them are looking out for the people let alone 99% of the people.
Yes. Bit of a crosspost, but here goes.
OWS is not anybody's private army. It's not the Committee to Re-Elect Obama; It's not the Herman Cain Love/Hate Fest; It's not the Ron Paul Fan Club. It's not the New Green Party, the Democrat Tea Party, or the Trendy Libertarians' Knitting Circle.
OWS formed in response to an economic crisis unprecedented in its lack of attendant administrative response. Our officials and our financial chiefs had all the tools to stop this from happening years in advance, and they simply stood back to watch everything burn, then looted the wreckage and fled. OWS formed because our government has taken no significant prosecutorial or regulatory action regarding the criminal actions of a number of Wall Street loan sharks, actions that have unquestionably harmed every single person in the developed world, and which may be repeated under the current regime. OWS cannot afford to be satisfied with campaign pledges and promises. We do not have the time to fiddle around playing the same old game of slow pressure leading to eventual, "someday" reform. In examining individuals who claim to support OWS ends, actions and achieved results can be the only valid source of legitimacy.
Our policy on this must be clear. Cooperation, not co-option. Partnership, not paternalism. Support, not subordination.
I really like that this is short, sweet and to the point and I thank you for posting it. I am going to forward this on to occupyportland.org and I encourage everyone else who reads ribis' message to repost it on any and all occupy websites! Jah Love
To this I say : Yay.
Can this be passed around also. This is why not to many people will read your post before it fades away
http://occupywallst.org/forum/kkeep-in-mind-that-the-web-is-the-real-battle-grou/
Wonderful message
Sesame Street - "Cooperation Makes It Happen"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5exvfbnFMUg
Spread this around people. Link to it from relevant forum topics.
Bump again
Nice, we should keep bumping this to the top. Wouldnt hurt to up the likes on a single reply either to get it under best comments of the day too.
Great stuff. But... I don't see your working group in NYCGA groups page? http://nycga.cc/groups/
It would be great if you posted your minutes online, and even better if you had an online forum of some sort so people who are not on ground in NY can still participate.
It's not mine, I just saw Daivd Degraw on Dylan Ratigan. It was a good interview, the message got out. It led me to this website....
http://ampedstatus.com
An Open Letter to Occupy Wall Street Protesters
Congratulations! You are successfully focusing public attention on the root cause of our political ills. Moreover, you are doing so with dignity and grace -- qualities which will not only influence more people, but make it far harder for the Establishment and their political agents to employ their normal repressive methods. You occupy the moral high ground; do not give it up no matter the provocation.
But, as surely you must know, this act is only the first in a long drama. The system you protest is robust and designed to withstand challenge. The banks and corporations from whom you wish to wrest power are well organized and have, over many long years, fully institutionalized their political and social controls. Our adversaries have waged class war for well over a century, have much invested, and everything to lose -- a long and difficult struggle lies ahead.
With this in mind, now is the time to consider and shape a second act, even as the first continues to unfold. To be successful, this act must not only engender widespread protest but also dramatically enumerate that discontent. Or else, as is happening already, your efforts will simply be dismissed as theatric, but essentially meaningless, commentary by an insignificant fringe of malcontents.
And therein lies the essential contradiction -- the only undeniable measure of and outlet for public discontent is the ballot box. Yet elite control of both political parties makes this a futile exercise. Past well-organized and powerful protest movements were defused and broken by an electoral process dominated by party candidates. Third parties have, historically, been marginalized and had little practical effect. Moreover, time is short -- the next election is barely a year away.
But what might happen if you inject some unpredictability into this well ordered system? If you explicitly reject both party's candidates? What will their media report on election night if millions of us join your protest by writing in "None of the Above" on our ballots?
What might happen indeed...
One of the biggest things thwarting third parties is a sheer lack of candidates for any but the highest offices.
Check your 2010 ballots, or check 2012. See which third parties are running a Presidential candidate. Of those, see which ones are running candidates for your Congressional House district, your state legislative district, and so on.
Then ask yourself, what would happen if a third party didn't bother to start out by running a Presidential candidate - a single person the large parties could attack if he got enough support. Rather, ask what would happen if they managed to run candidates in every single House district - something that even the Democrats and Republicans don't always manage.
And then, especially if you are in a district where there is but a token "race" between the D and the R - or even, if there is actually none, with one of the parties abandoning the field to the other - think about running yourself. House, state legislature, anything that isn't The Big One. Just get your name on the ballot. If enough people do that, that will be a far louder protest - and if all the races are contested, some of you will get in. The rest of you will draw off the Ds' and Rs' resources, so that some of us can get in and start making a difference. (If they spend $10 million making sure you lose, that's $10 million they can't spend against your neighbor, and they don't have enough to fight all the districts. So even if you lose that way, we win - and just getting on the ballot does not require that much money in most states.)
Interesting reply.
You are, of course, referring to the third act. I do not disagree with what you propose, quite the opposite in fact. However, before it will be possible to run and elect significant numbers of representatives outside the party system, it will be necessary to create favorable conditions.
And that is the point of the original post: To furnish a tool with which OWS might create widespread agreement and take their protest nationwide. To allow people, of widely differing backgrounds and ideologies, who would never dream of attending a protest, but nevertheless understand we face serious problems and challenges to participate in a meaningful way. To make their protest completely undeniable. To introduce an element of chaos into an electoral system controlled by the elite and their political agents.
Thanks. But I must ask, just introducing "an element of chaos" does...what, exactly? If it doesn't show up on their polls and metrics, they literally might not be aware it exists.
That said, I can see how voting for either "None of the Above" or, especially where NotA is not on the ballot, third party candidates - whether or not they win is not the point; the point is to get a large percent of the vote as neither-D-nor-R - might create favorable conditions. (It's leagues better than not voting as a "protest vote": the major parties literally can't tell the difference between that and someone who's too lazy to vote, and have thus assumed it's always the latter. In many cases, they convolute their logic to ignore NotA votes too, so third party votes will make a louder protest.)
However, in far too many races, that is simply not an option. There are one or two D or R entries on the ballot, and nothing else. (Write-in votes, where they're even allowed, routinely get ignored.) So what I'm saying is, if anyone who reads this post sees a race on your ballot where the only choices are Democrat and/or Republican, maybe consider running yourself for that office, to provide your neighbors with a way to register their protest. (If you get enough of your neighbors to protest by voting for you, you might even win that race, denying one more office to the D/R duopoly - but this is not as important as just providing a way for your neighbors to protest.)
Hi AMuse,
Always appreciate a thoughtful reply. This issue, including the concern you express, is being discussed on the TheMultitudes even as we type. You might want to take a look as the signal to noise ratio is quite high...
Problem is, no matter who you vote for in the next election, we will still get four more years of the same. There is a greater than ninety percent probability a D or R party candidate will win the Congressional races in which you vote, not to mention the Presidency.
At this point OWS is simply not in a position to field a nationwide slate of candidates in a battle for Congress. There may be isolated third-party or independent Congressional candidates scattered around the country, but they will be long-shots subject to partisan "vote wasting" arguments along with the usual superfluous attacks and media neglect. However, for argument's sake, let's say that one or two (or even ten) might win, then what? As the only virgins in the brothel, what good (defined as enactment of substantive policy changes similar to those under consideration here) can they effectively accomplish and how long can they maintain their virtue? Rationalization is a powerful process (i.e.: better to compromise a little today, maybe do a little marginal good tomorrow, send a little pork home now and get re-elected to fight another day?).
"Heads I win, tails you lose" as Landon so aptly note.
There is, also, a second downside to your vote for that long-shot local candidate. Did it unite you with anyone outside your district, even if your candidate prevails? Aye, there's the rub.
If both parties represent the same elite interests, and the election of a D or R candidate in any particular race is a greater than a ninety percent probability, and your vote for "the candidate who most closely fits my belief" is not only futile, but does nothing to unite you with other disenfranchised voters outside your political district, then what, exactly, have you accomplished?
OWS is beginning, repeat only beginning, to tap into an extremely deep vein of widespread public discontent with the current political system. The Tea Party, for example, is a symptom, as is OWS itself. But the real signpost of just how disenchanted we are with the current state of affairs is the forty to sixty percent of us eligible to vote who choose not to do so.
For my own part, I know that in the polling booth I am merely attempting to hold the line by voting for the least worse candidate. I have voted repeatedly for the third party or independent "candidate who most closely fits my belief[s]" and watched them lose in every instance. I have voted for party candidates I believed would serve the our best interests then watched helplessly as they pandered to their financial angels' instead. I have protested, campaigned, published articles, voted and refused to vote based on the principles of humanitarian democracy for many long years, yet here we are today -- none of it has made a substantive policy difference.
The electoral system currently in place is resilient and designed to withstand and absorb protests from within. As the sole legitimate mechanism for challenging the political status quo, it channels movement energy into this system, then saps it within the framework of the dominate D vs. R party structures. "Benign" neglect by the media does the rest.
Landon wrote: Nothing happens by chance in our political system.
Which is precisely the point -- OWS needs to change this in the next election. Moreover, it must do so in such a way as to broaden and deepen its support. A protest vote that cuts across all party affiliations and political district lines, that any discontented, disenfranchised voter regardless of political ideology can support. A simple act in which any voter can participate. A resounding shout from us, the voiceless ninety-nine percent, that simply cannot be ignored.
My point is that since you know the electoral system is rigged and that OWS is in no position, at the moment, to overcome that problem with numbers and effectively contest the 2012 elections, why not use the elections as both an organizing tool and protest. What would Edward Abbey do? Monkey wrench the damn thing!
You are protesters -- PROTEST!
And perhaps, if OWS is both skilled and lucky, you can parlay that protest into a real battle for Congress in 2014.
Some of the Ron Paul people want to take over the movement. They can work with us, but they should remember that this is about responsible government taking more control of capitalism. Ron Paul's an uber-capitalist.
I agree with Ron Paul 90% of the time but Ron Paul doesn't represent 99%, neither do the democrats or any other group. Let's keep this non-partisan. Don't let moveon or Ron Paul speak for this movement.
Agreed, and bump
Where did this mention Ron Paul?
It didn't and he hasn't made any moves to indicate he's trying to speak for anyone but himself (unlike MoveOn).