Forum Post: PUFF On The Long Term Strategy For The Occupy Movement......How To Use Wedge Issues and Constitutional Amendments To Achieve Your Ends.
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 30, 2011, 12:58 a.m. EST by puff6962
(4052)
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There has never been a better time to be an activist. The key is to get out of the park and to begin using the mechanisms of government to achieve your ends.
I would submit that the ONLY issue for Occupy at this time is to get big money out of politics. This will require a constitutional amendment of some form in order to do an end around Congress. Any legislation developed within the House and Senate will become watered down and loopholes will be installed. The result will be the status quo with window dressing. The Amendment must come from outside of Congress.
A constitutional amendment on this issue should include the following: A ban on ALL corporate contributions to political campaigns, 527's, and etc.; A ban on all Lobbyist contributions to campaigns; and, a provision for all contact between Congressmen and lobbyists to be public information. (All contact would be written or conversations transcribed with the information entered into the public Congressional record).
Now, for the politics involved. A Congressional amendment of this sort will have broad appeal across most demographics in our country. Republicans, Democrats, Tealboggers, Libertarians, Liberals, Neoconservatives, etc. all can get behind it. It will be an issue that will bring OWS into the mainstream and will lend it credibility with average Americans.
However, politicians--of both parties--will hate it, but Republicans will hate it more. Big money is the key to the Republican machine and they will vehemently oppose any initiative of this sort. That is the key. Republican attacks on this Amendment will reveal their true affiliation with big money and corruption. Their reaction will appear overblown in the minds of most Americans and this will serve to drive a wedge in their base of support. Ergo, an amendment banning big money in politics is a classic wedge issue against recalcitrant Republicans and a very good idea.
There are numerous other "wedge" issues that will serve a similar--and synergistic-- function. These include Constitutional Amendments affirming the right of collective bargaining, affirming the government's role in medicare and social security, and declaring that a very basic form of health care is the right of all Americans.
Elderly Americans are the most powerful voting bloc in the country and they will support each of these initiatives. Politicians, particularly Republicans, will face the most extreme dilemmas in opposing the initiatives.....
And change will begin to occur.
This is, again, the hard part about posting something serious on this forum. You have to include the word libertarian to get the crazies to keep a topic on the radar.
meritocracy.
American dream.
middle class.
living wage.
manufacturing base.
anti-corruption.
fair regulations
The truth is that anyone who is anti-capitalism or anti-corporate is also anti-reality. These items are necessary parts of the modern world and they're not going away.
So, OWS should actually preach a message similar to the following:
"We want capitalism to work, but we want it to work better for all of it's participants and to, again, reward hard work."
"We also want for corporations to succeed, but we want for them to do so on their merits while treating their employees fairly and respecting both laws and basic morality."
That is the message that nobody can disagree with and spokespersons should sound similar.
I opened this window a while ago, with the intent of sharing this link:
Forum Post: Rep. Deutch Introduces Constitutional Amendment To Ban Corporate Money In Politics
That was hours ago. I got lost. Lost I say, lost in the white space . . .
Anyway, if passed will become the 28th Amendment - but it looks like there may be some issues with it.
I'll work on those.
You might want to review this forum post - it pertains to the Deutch version of this bill, but a lot of the issues here, may apply there.
Or not - the Senator's version does use a bit different language.
I think you will find three links now to the same forum post regarding the Deutch version - two of them are this forum post and Rep. Deutch's amendment discussed here: - it looks like that link has been posted previously on this page - here but this on is to a specific comment, and I'm not sure why.
Omy - it is a little early.
And here are a couple of other links - in case they are useful or something:
Sanders Proposed Constitutional Amendment:
Sanders Petition here:
Rep. Deutch's amendment discussed here:
and you can read repelican reaction here.
I think this issue and the solutions will be widely discussed at the NGA and the news will spread like wildfire. It's only 217 days away...
NGA NOW all roads lead to Philadelphia July 4th 2012 https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
I plan on being there.
Me too. I'm looking forward to it.
The Amendment process seems like an insurmountable challenge with the political divisions in this country. And you know how Fox will treat it, which means a ready-made army of Teabaggers hitting the streets in opposition, ready to crack liberal skulls. I want to believe it's possible, but it's just so outside of my experience of politics.
That said there are at least two groups working on this:
http://callaconvention.org (which is an original Tea Party organizer and Lawrence Lessig, working together - so maybe there's some cause for optimism)
and
http://movetoamend.org
The process doesn't have to succeed to be successful. The initial goal is to begin to peel away Republican supporters. An anti-corruption, anti-back room deal, anti-lobbyist initiative will be, as you noted, vehemently opposed by Fox News, talk radio, and the Republican party.
That is the key.....most people support these initiatives. When conservatives are told that they must oppose them, many will question why? That will expose the propagandist and maybe some of these people will finally see who is really behind the curtain.
That really is a good point.
But the missing piece is how to generate the groundswell of support that it would take. I think we've played our hand, at least for this round, unfortunately. The 99% and inequality are on everyone's radar now, which is a start.
It's hard to get people excited about a Constitutional Amendment that will not immediately put money in their pocket.
Yet, this document would do more to transform our nation than anything since the New Deal.
Yep, an amendmant would definitely be a game changer, and I want it, badly. Have since I learned of corporate personhood. I guess I've become overly pragmatic... The system is skewed, but so are many of the people - the majority seems to practice system justification, not to mention being generally apathetic. Am I just a pessimist?
Apathy is the instrument of a benevolent tyrant.
The most important thing is to disband the occupations. End those on a high note.
Second, get about 50 people who can project well on a television. Educate these 50 very well on the subject of this Amendment and other items pertinent to the Occupy movement.
Then, you need to organize very tactical....flash....demonstrations representing the idea. That will keep you on television and will remind the public that the Occupy movement is still a force.
Finally, you need to have some sort of rallies in the summer with speakers, meetings, leaders, and the statement of what the movement stands for.
These wedge issues will play out over the next ten years.....but the most important is to get big money out of politics.
Article V of the United States Constitution:
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
What if the tea party backed the idea of eliminating big money from our politics?
First Power, Then Change.
First Power, Then Change.
A PROMISE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
I, _, Promise To The Citizens Of The District Of The State Of _ And All
Of The People Of This State That I Will Support The 28th Amendment To Our Constitution That
Shall:
I. Ban All Corporate Donations To Political Campaigns And Election Activities,
II. Limit Personal Donations To One-Hundred Times The Amount Of The Federal Minimum Wage,
III. Require That All Lobbyist Interactions With Congress Be Recorded And Made Public Information, and
IV. Forever Ban Employees Of The Federal Government From Engaging In Lobbyist Activities Or From Being Under The Employ Of Such Firms That Do.
Signed
Date
Witness
Witness
Please Sign And Return To: Occupy Forward P.O. Box Blank Blank, Blank 555555
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w
Was George Carlin German?
I just don't like German words.