Today I noticed an interesting dynamic play itself out. In the progressive movement world, we all have the things we fight for, the things we think are sort of interesting, and the things we really don't care about all that much.
Which things are which says a lot about your own background and experience, which also guides your strategic analysis. I believe that the most important thing for the progressive movement is to really figure out how we are going to win the hearts and minds of the people who will make up the base of our movement. For me, the biggest gap right now is any kind of meaningful connection with Latinos, young people, African-Americans and progressive women as part of what most consider the "movement" to be. I am fighting for that inclusion, every day. I noticed today that the kind of passion and determination that applies to me with this point applies to other people with points that don't matter to me at all.
It makes me wonder if we really are capable of coming together on the Left with a strategy that people from all the different perspectives can believe in.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
John Lewis Is Right
I'm not even the biggest fan of John Lewis, the Congressman from Georgia who was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. His endorsement of Hillary Clinton in the primary was peculiar to me -- but even moreso his later retraction due to pressure from people in his largely African-American district.
Still, I have to say, his comments today are right on.
Lewis was right: it is playing with fire. The racial undercurrents that exist in this country, bubbling just under the surface most of the time, are volatile. To stoke them in this way is really dangerous, and shows such a lack of judgment and foresight on the part of the McCain campaign.
The media world we live in is so bizarre and surreal right now, that sometimes it misses a really basic point. Casually calling your opponent -- the first major party nominee in history who has dark-colored skin -- a terrorist and whipping up crowds into a lather of racially tinged anger, could easily incite the kind of violence that no one wants. Lewis' comments pointed it out in a way that may force the McCain campaign, and the country, to deal with this sad reality.
Obama, thankfully, has taken the key point out of Lewis' comments (rejecting the more controversial comparison of McCain to segregationist George Wallace), and reinforced it:
If the economy wasn't tanking, I would say there is a danger that race could end up being the topic of conversation for the next 24 days. My hope is that Lewis' bold line in the sand will make it harder for McCain-Palin to continue on the same path they took this week.
Still, I have to say, his comments today are right on.
"What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history," Lewis said in a statement issued today. "Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse."I felt so uncomfortable this week Seeing Sarah Palin repeat at large rallies the unbelievable lines that Barack Obama "palls around with terrorists," and "isn't one of us," and "doesn't see America the way you and I see America," and then watching the hateful outbursts and racially tinged comments just rolling off the tongues of McCain-Palin supporters, but I couldn't even pinpoint exactly why.
“As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all," Lewis said today. "They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better.”
Lewis was right: it is playing with fire. The racial undercurrents that exist in this country, bubbling just under the surface most of the time, are volatile. To stoke them in this way is really dangerous, and shows such a lack of judgment and foresight on the part of the McCain campaign.
The media world we live in is so bizarre and surreal right now, that sometimes it misses a really basic point. Casually calling your opponent -- the first major party nominee in history who has dark-colored skin -- a terrorist and whipping up crowds into a lather of racially tinged anger, could easily incite the kind of violence that no one wants. Lewis' comments pointed it out in a way that may force the McCain campaign, and the country, to deal with this sad reality.
Obama, thankfully, has taken the key point out of Lewis' comments (rejecting the more controversial comparison of McCain to segregationist George Wallace), and reinforced it:
"John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night."In the end, I agree that this whole episode is bad for McCain, because, yet again, Obama comes out looking more reasonable and more presidential, while McCain is forced to go on the defensive against a national figure with a lot of credibility and moral authority who McCain himself cited as "one of the wisest people" in his life.
If the economy wasn't tanking, I would say there is a danger that race could end up being the topic of conversation for the next 24 days. My hope is that Lewis' bold line in the sand will make it harder for McCain-Palin to continue on the same path they took this week.
Building Power, Seeking Justice
Blogging. I've been doing it off and on for about six years now, but since I got in trouble for sharing opinions while I was a reporter at the Los Angeles Times, I haven't actually had my own blog.
I think now is the time.
For the past 20 months, I have been deeply engaged in Senator Barack Obama's historic run for President of the United States. I knew even back when it was only rumored that he would challenge Sen. Hillary Clinton that this would be a Moment in Time. A historic moment when our country would have to look deep inside itself and perhaps reevaluate where we had been and where we are going. I knew that I could not live through this moment without doing everything I could to help push things in the right direction.
That is what I have been doing for the last 20 months, and really for the last five years since Howard Dean's run for the Presidency in 2005. That is when I quit my career as a journalist to devote it to the cause.
What is that cause? Back then, it was little more than wanting to disrupt Republican control. But over time, and by nature of the people I have been so fortunate to meet and work with, the cause for which I am fighting is social justice. My vision is for a thriving, multi-racial democracy, which works from a place of love to further the cause of justice in this country and around the world. My strategy is to build a strong political movement, one that works with but outside of the Democratic Party, to fight relentlessly for this vision -- all day, every day. This movement is made of large numbers of diverse people, is fueled by compelling ideas, strengthened by inspiring leaders, and kept thriving in part by use of creative media -- particularly on the Internet.
I work on this vision and strategy in various ways, but primarily as a senior advisor to Steve Phillips, a San Francisco-based activist and leader who founded PowerPAC.org and Vote Hope, and who sits on the board of the Democracy Alliance. Our work is often difficult to describe our quantify, but our motivations can be summed up by a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., that we have on the back of our business cards:
That's why I created this blog, so I can share my stories and my thoughts as we go on to the next leg of this "improbably journey." It's an incredible time to be alive, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a part of it.
I think now is the time.
For the past 20 months, I have been deeply engaged in Senator Barack Obama's historic run for President of the United States. I knew even back when it was only rumored that he would challenge Sen. Hillary Clinton that this would be a Moment in Time. A historic moment when our country would have to look deep inside itself and perhaps reevaluate where we had been and where we are going. I knew that I could not live through this moment without doing everything I could to help push things in the right direction.
That is what I have been doing for the last 20 months, and really for the last five years since Howard Dean's run for the Presidency in 2005. That is when I quit my career as a journalist to devote it to the cause.
What is that cause? Back then, it was little more than wanting to disrupt Republican control. But over time, and by nature of the people I have been so fortunate to meet and work with, the cause for which I am fighting is social justice. My vision is for a thriving, multi-racial democracy, which works from a place of love to further the cause of justice in this country and around the world. My strategy is to build a strong political movement, one that works with but outside of the Democratic Party, to fight relentlessly for this vision -- all day, every day. This movement is made of large numbers of diverse people, is fueled by compelling ideas, strengthened by inspiring leaders, and kept thriving in part by use of creative media -- particularly on the Internet.
I work on this vision and strategy in various ways, but primarily as a senior advisor to Steve Phillips, a San Francisco-based activist and leader who founded PowerPAC.org and Vote Hope, and who sits on the board of the Democracy Alliance. Our work is often difficult to describe our quantify, but our motivations can be summed up by a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., that we have on the back of our business cards:
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice."Our lives have been consumed in the last 20 months, maintaining our ongoing work while putting everything we have into helping Barack Obama become the next President of the United States. But we are very clear that our work does not end there. Under President Obama, our work really will just begin.
That's why I created this blog, so I can share my stories and my thoughts as we go on to the next leg of this "improbably journey." It's an incredible time to be alive, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a part of it.
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