Revolution in Our Lifetime

At the the 2008 SDS National Convention last weekend in College Park, MA, I co-facilitated a vision session with the entire convention. The goal of the discussion was to build consensus around our vision documents. We presented an outline of the “who we are, what we are building” document passed at least year’s convention, and then split into breakaway groups to discussion the following questions:

1. What is one dominant myth of powerlessness or hopelessness in your campus or community that has gotten in the way of your organizing?
2. Where are youth and students at today? What issues are youth already progressive on – what issues are the most relevant and captivating to our generation?
3. What will it take to meet people where they are at now? How does our organizing relate to where people are at right now? What specifically can we do in the next year to activate and mobilize masses of students?
4. So we want to end the war, and the majority of people in the U.S. agree that the war has to end. So, how can we engage with folks so that they will take action?
5. We want a revolution in our lifetime. What does that require of us?

We asked participants to think about the “who we are” document when answering these questions. The questions themselves were intentionally chosen to spark conversation around more big-picture, long haul ideas, while still being grounded in the reality of here and now.

Some common themes I quickly identified while going between the five or so breakaway groups where the need to address the elections, organizing around war and climate change, and issues directly affecting students (such as student debt). The conversations focused around what it would take to organizing masses of youth, and there was a general agreement that we need to meet our generation where they’re at.

Although the conversation was very good and interesting, they were far too short. Overall, the 2008 SDS Convention had very little political dialogue, and was dominated by  process. The failure of the Social Priorities and 100 Days Campaign  proposal (which addresses the very things we were discussion at the vision discussion) is very telling of this lack of politics.

This upcoming Fall and subsequent Spring may very well determine the future of SDS, and perhaps the entire Left. Will we miss the boat, and sink into irrelevancy? Or will we organize and build a mass base of revolutionary youth and students, and rise up to build a better world?

We say “revolution in our lifetime” because we mean it. We want revolution in our lifetime. We are all affected by oppressive institutions. We are all raped of our fullest potential, and our fullest humanity. In a way, we are all fighting for our lives. Some more than others, but we are all enslaved. We say “revolution in our lifetimes” because we know we can win it.

p.s. I’ll post more blurbs from the convention, and about the vision discussion soon.

Participatory Economics for the 21st Century

Znet is a great resource, and I highly recommend it to all my readers. One thing they have available on their site is a full copy of Looking Forward: Participatory Economics for the Twenty-First Century, by Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel. Their book was a compliment The Political Economy of Participatory Economics, which was geared more toward economists. These two books, and Albert and Hahnels other books on Participatory Society have been on the most significant contributions to the left in at least forty years. Their work with Liberating Theory alone is a monumental contribution, challenging monistic and pluralistic understanding of society, which elevate some spheres of society over others. Albert and Hahnel disagree, and helped formulate a new conceptual framework, called “complementary holism.” Albert and Hahnel describe four spheres of society: economy, polity, kinship, culture, all of which are interconnected, but none are more ‘important’ than the other. The movement is listening, and the new Students for a Democratic Society have recently clarified their commitment to this concept by adopting the “Statement on Totalist Politics.” The work coming out of Liberating Theory led to more detailed work, and eventually a vision for each of the four social spheres of life. Participatory Economics is the vision for an economy in a good society.

The theory was conceived by first evaluating what values a good society should uphold. Solidarity, Equity, Diversity and Self-Management were chosen. But values are not enough for an economy. We want solidarity, but solidarity how? Participatory economics seeks to answer the long unanswered question of what do we want? Four core institutions are described which will further our values, as well as efficiently produce, allocate and consume goods and services, and they are Democratic worker’s and consumer’s councils, remuneration according to effort and sacrifice alone, balanced job complexes, and participatory planning. Looking Forward goes into much detail on both the values and institutions of the economy, and answers many common concerns and criticisms. It is important, though, to remember this Participatory Economics is not a “blue-print,” but rather a vision of the defining features of an economy, to guide our movements for economic justice.

Read on

Hillary won last night… BUT

This is an article by Robert Creamer of the Huffington Post, entitled “Last Night Clinton Won the Pennsylvania Primary, but Lost the War for the Nomination.” The original post is here

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The Pennsylvania Primary was Hillary Clinton’s last chance to deliver a game changing blow to Obama’s campaign for the nomination. She failed to deliver.

Pennsylvania provided her with her final real opportunity to knock the wheels off the Obama campaign. She needed a crushing victory of 18% to 25% to have any real chance of altering the math or the psychology. Demographically, Pennsylvania was made for Hillary: the second oldest state in the nation, heavily blue collar, Catholic and rural — Hillary’s voter profile. She started with a lead of almost 20 points. But her final margin — which the Pennsylvania Secretary of State says was only 9.2% — fell far short of what was needed to stop Obama’s nomination. Here’s why:

Obama Smearing

Just something that’s been frustrating me…

Thursday night’s democratic debate on ABC was an unfortunate representation of the swift-boat style smearing of candidates. Over 45 minutes was spent asking the candidates irrelevant questions, and focused on Obama’s failure to wear a flag pin, his calling the people of Pennsylvania “bitter,” and his relationship to Rev. Jeremiah Right and former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers.

Bill, and his wife (another high-profile leader of the Weather Underground) Bernadine Dorhn are wonderful people, with deep sympathy and concern for the injustices our national has committed. Their actions during the Vietnam War reflect this, however unstrategic or destructive they were. BUT, I can completely understand why Obama would not want to be associated with them — being friendly with a so-called “terrorist” would spell political suicide.

It is important to remember, though, that Obama is NOT best friends with Ayers. They are acquaintances because of being in similar political circles in their shared hometown, Chicago. This relationship says nothing about Obama’s politics. Obama has his own ideas and own politics, as does Ayers. As do Obama’s other acquaintances, such as those in the U.S. senate.

This swift-boating is hurting the Obama campaign, but will it have the same effect as the swift-boating during the Kerry campaign? My theory is that Kerry lost the campaign largely as a result of the actions of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Only time will tell if Obama wins the nomination, and eventually the presidency. But everyone on the left should agree that it is extremely important that he does. The alternatives are, well… I won’t go there.

On a final note in regards to the election, I recommend reading Keith Joseph’s post on Pirate Caucus, entitled “Obama 2008: By Any Means Necessary” for a very good analysis of why this election is important even for revolutionaries.

Spring time and organizing for the long haul

The past few days have been beautiful here in Detroit. A few days ago I walked a four mile trek from a friend’s house back to my place. It was warm when I left, but the thing about April in Michigan is that it’s warm in the day, but cold at night. I began to rush. My heart sped up, I began to sweat. Two miles into my journey I was already tired, two to go I began to take it easy. It was dark, and I was tired, and walking was hard. When I started thinking to myself, is organizing for the long haul like taking a walk? We can expend all our energy and get burnt out fast in the here and now. Or we can think about the future, and take rests, and have the energy tomorrow that we’ll need. And getting to were we want to be, a just and humane world, means winning the hearts and minds of more and more people. We, as individuals, have a limited capacity, but when we combine our energy into something focused, something with a goal, and a purpose, we can move mountains. We, as activist may be ready to go there. But we are also organizers, and we must go there together.

Are Youth Up to the Challenge?

Youth and student organizing are extremely important. Many youth are at a point in their lives alienated from “the system,” frustrated at its seemingly monolithic and static nature. Generation X was often labeled angst ridden and apathetic. My generation, as well, is often is labeled with similar adjectives. New York Times columnist Thomas Freedman proclaims my generation to be “Generation Q” for quiet. He is frustrated with the millennial’s failure to take action, and believes a continuing apathy to be the predominate paradigm of my generation.

It is easy to feel powerless. We are taught a shallow assumption about how change is made –that change is made my noble individuals, acting alone. We are never taught about the power of people organizing together, or about the true history of our people and our nation –a history filled with grassroots social movements making real and fundamental change.

Like Generation X, my generation feels increasing alienated from society. My generation, though, is positioned in time and space for massive social upheaval and change. It is becoming increasingly apparent that my generation’s expectations will not be met. Expectations of a better lifestyle than our parents; expectations that the Presidential candidate will solve all our problems. This opportunity presents itself at the convergence of an occupation in Iraq, the climate crisis, an unstable economy, and failing schools with skyrocketing tuition.

This reality can either reinforce the story of the powerless people, or give birth to a new story of people reclaiming power over their lives, and futures. It is the role of organizer to facilitate the participation of millions of people seeking to alter the trajectory of change. These change agents should spread the virus of hope and of a vision for a better future, infecting millions. If my generation is up to the challenge, I truly believe massive and positive changes will come.

Student and Youth Organizing and the 2008 Election

Introduction: A Generation of Hope, a Generation of Change

I’ve been writing this paper for a few days. It sort of jumps around, and has different objectives… to argue that voter registration is an effective tactic, and that to win we need to move millions, and therefore a strategy and tactics should reflect that need, and also to provide a few strategic and tactical ideas. This isn’t suppose to be an organizers manual, and it doesn’t represent all my ideas on these topics, rather its just what I’ve been thinking about lately, and would like to share with you.

We are a Generation of Hope, and of Change. These words are verbs, and require there bearer to take action. My generation has begun its long journey to a better world, and we are here to win.

The 2008 election is brining my generation to the spotlight, as youth and student voters are becoming more important. Although grassroots organizing has not yet reached a tipping point, or critical mass, it is spreading and growing fast. A movement is building.

This essay is about building a movement in the here and now, while always looking forward to the future. My generation is changing the trajectory of change, and refuses to have someone else determine our future. Together, my generation will take back control over our destiny, and forge the road to a better world.

Robert F. Kennedy challenges GDP

This is old, but I think its relevant today. It says a lot, and does not attack but rather speaks directly to already established values. We need to be able to give speeches like this!!!

Election 2008: Why not just ignore it?

Imagine this: a black man and a white woman going head to head for the Democratic nomination for president. Assuming John McCain looses to a Democrat, we may very well have the first black president, or the first female president. That itself is a historic moment, that should be declared a victory by the left.

Imagine this: climate change is accelerating faster than expected. All the Academy of Sciences from all the industrialized nations have declared human caused global warming to not only be fact, but is happening as we speak, and to avoid unimaginable consequences we must act immediately.

Imagine this: a war is raging in two fronts. Thousands of Americans have died. Iraq and Afghanistan lie in rubble. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, total, have died. The war on Iraq was unquestionably not for liberation nor to disarm Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), but rather to secure the dominance of the United States in the middle east.

Imagine this: while a war is raging in Iraq, which sits on the largest proven oil reserve in the entire world, our economy is declining. Detroit was first to feel the hard times that are spreading to the whole country. Detroit continues to build gas-guzzling cars, further contributing to our addiction to oil, while further fueling a warming planet.

Imagine this: our educational system is failing our students. Just to have the opportunity of a comfortable lifestyle, and entry into the middle class, prospective students often take out outrageous loans. Many young adults are starting out life with 30+ thousand dollars worth of debt. Money that could be spent to guarantee universal access to higher education is instead funneled to Iraq.

Imagine this: the trillions that are spent on Iraq could be spent on education, health care, and the “greening” of our economy. Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be created by pushing our economy into the future with new, clean and green infrastructure.

The politicians and pundits are talking about these issues. Are we going to let them frame the debate? Or are we going to stand up and shift the debate in our direction?

The environmental justice movement as done a outstanding job of shifting the debate on climate change. Global warming is becoming more mainstream. Real, significant progress is being made. But what the environmental justice movement has not done, is frame the climate crisis around war, education, health care, Katrina, and a multitude of other issues.

War and climate change are not two separate issues that coincidentally are happen at the same time. The two are fundamentally connected. The same is true with other issues as well. How and when will the people’s movements frame this connection in a truly revolutionary way?

So… imagine this: a next left movement rises to the opportunity that this election season provides to frame relevant issues in ways that lead to radical conclusions. The logic of its messaging challenges dominate narratives, while it simultaneously provides a new people-powered narrative for a better future.

Together, we can win.

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