NorthMountains.org: A project of Deb Louis & Kokopelli's Daughters
AN AMERICAN WORKERS PARTY (AWP)
Why we need one.
[Please note that this was written in 2012,
though still salient. Update at end.]
With the Republicans having gone completely off the reactionary deep end and the Democrats so lily-livered they have abandoned us to the slings and arrows of outrageous politics, it is time that regular everyday citizens of the Republic at least take a shot at mobilizing in sheer self-defense, much less actual progressive action in the PUBLIC (what a concept!) interest. At first it seemed to me that resurrecting the idea of a "Farmer-Labor Party" might be a good idea, but our political, economic, and social structures are so very different, and so much more complicated, than they were in the historical era when that made sense, it just didn't seem to any more. For starters, fewer and fewer of us are industrial workers, thanks to allowing our manufacturing base to relocate where labor--and life--is cheap, and most of our agriculture is now mega-corporate "agribusiness," much to the long-term peril of citizens, economy, and environment alike.
So, what it seems to me we need now is a true "Party of the People"--you know, most of us, not wacko teabaggers and rabid misogynists but the people who struggle "from c'aint see to c'aint see" to make ends meet every day--small farmers and farm hands, secretaries and sales clerks, artists and crafters, teachers and CNAs, microentrepreneurs (self-employed people with less than 5 employees, if any), bus drivers, waitresses, household workers, cable installers, telemarketers, janitors, "greeters," miners, soldiers, switchboard operators, truck drivers, plumbers, masons, and those who perform all the unpaid work that insures the survival and enhances the quality of life in our communities--in short, all the people who ARE "the economy" and "the public," as opposed to the greedy, gluttonous, moneyed few who manage and manipulate both.
Americans have been desirous of an effective third party for some time now, one, of course, with a realistic chance of actually electing people (whether its own or affiliated elsewhere), and/or have decisive impact on the nominations and platforms of the established two. So far in recent history, those that have attracted significant numbers have had single-issue identities--like, the Greens and Ross Perot. An "everyday working people who want this nonsense to stop before it's too late" party, however, could transcend any number of traditional partisan boundaries to actually get the work of governance back on track. If we can, as the song says, not let race hatred, red-baiting, vigilantes and/or terror tactics "break us up," several million of us could actually make a difference in 2012--and beyond! Which, as anyone who has ever been able to claim a political victory, progressive or otherwise, knows, requires 1) committed bodies, and 2) money.
though still salient. Update at end.]
With the Republicans having gone completely off the reactionary deep end and the Democrats so lily-livered they have abandoned us to the slings and arrows of outrageous politics, it is time that regular everyday citizens of the Republic at least take a shot at mobilizing in sheer self-defense, much less actual progressive action in the PUBLIC (what a concept!) interest. At first it seemed to me that resurrecting the idea of a "Farmer-Labor Party" might be a good idea, but our political, economic, and social structures are so very different, and so much more complicated, than they were in the historical era when that made sense, it just didn't seem to any more. For starters, fewer and fewer of us are industrial workers, thanks to allowing our manufacturing base to relocate where labor--and life--is cheap, and most of our agriculture is now mega-corporate "agribusiness," much to the long-term peril of citizens, economy, and environment alike.
So, what it seems to me we need now is a true "Party of the People"--you know, most of us, not wacko teabaggers and rabid misogynists but the people who struggle "from c'aint see to c'aint see" to make ends meet every day--small farmers and farm hands, secretaries and sales clerks, artists and crafters, teachers and CNAs, microentrepreneurs (self-employed people with less than 5 employees, if any), bus drivers, waitresses, household workers, cable installers, telemarketers, janitors, "greeters," miners, soldiers, switchboard operators, truck drivers, plumbers, masons, and those who perform all the unpaid work that insures the survival and enhances the quality of life in our communities--in short, all the people who ARE "the economy" and "the public," as opposed to the greedy, gluttonous, moneyed few who manage and manipulate both.
Americans have been desirous of an effective third party for some time now, one, of course, with a realistic chance of actually electing people (whether its own or affiliated elsewhere), and/or have decisive impact on the nominations and platforms of the established two. So far in recent history, those that have attracted significant numbers have had single-issue identities--like, the Greens and Ross Perot. An "everyday working people who want this nonsense to stop before it's too late" party, however, could transcend any number of traditional partisan boundaries to actually get the work of governance back on track. If we can, as the song says, not let race hatred, red-baiting, vigilantes and/or terror tactics "break us up," several million of us could actually make a difference in 2012--and beyond! Which, as anyone who has ever been able to claim a political victory, progressive or otherwise, knows, requires 1) committed bodies, and 2) money.
How we can do this.
As evidenced by MoveOn, the Obama campaign, and recent events in the Middle East, electronic networking can achieve big results for political communication and mobilization within relatively short timeframes. My suggestion is that we simply jump out there with this idea now and see what unfolds by the end of the year. I'd ask for a $1 donation to become a "countable" member of the American Workers Party--and if we can attract a million or two kindred spirits, that's a pretty substantial war chest ("peace chest?") to support meaningful action in the 2012 campaign arena. If there's not a significant enough response by then to move forward, all anybody's out is a buck--my time being worthless, of course!
Upshot.
October 2022. Well, that didn't work, but the sentiment is out there to build on. It prompted the Occupy Movement, Black Lives Matter, and Me Too, which have been having powerful grassroots impact across the country, and will hopefully segue into a coherent and effective mobilization before the opposition turns us fully into a police state. Unfortunately, it has also triggered a spreading Trumpist white supremacist/Christian Nationalist backlash that American voters have empowered to such an extent that they may well replace the Republic with a fascist/totalitarian regime. The upcoming midterm elections will point the way.
