Workers are marching in New York City, Boston,
Chicago, and San Francisco for their rights. Activists for women’s rights, gay
rights, and the rights of people of color are on the move. Environmentalists
are saying “no” Tar Sands and “yes” to moving nationally and globally against
the dangers of climate change. Everyone is demanding that the Obama
Administration reject demands by the rightwing to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and
Social Security while protecting tax breaks for the rich and excessive military
spending.
Millions of us worked to defeat the far rightwing in
the recent election and celebrated the historic reelection of an African
American for President. During much of Obama’s first term, the President sought
to compromise with the rightwing, avoiding radical reforms, for example the one
that would have provided Americans with single payer health care. He was
reluctant to defend American public institutions, such as schools and
libraries, worker’s rights, and to demand adequate resources for rebuilding our
physical infrastructure and saving our environment.
However, in President Obama’s 2013 inaugural address
he affirmed his commitment to social and economic justice, peace, and
protection of our precious and threatened environment. The president referred
metaphorically to Seneca Falls, Selma, and Stonewall to underscore his
commitment to women, African-Americans, and gays and lesbians. While he should
have added Flint, Michigan, site of worker sit-downs in 1937 where rights to
organize where demanded, Obama clearly promised to work toward empowerment of
some of the traditionally voiceless, usually not referred to in inaugural
speeches. Obama also raised in a forceful way the problem of climate change.
The President, without raising specifics, clearly articulated a progressive
agenda for the next four years that we on the left should organize around.
In addition, there are signs that the Obama election
organization is being transformed into what could become part of a social movement
to support a progressive agenda in the Congress. Organizing for Action (OFA)
promises to take the resources, human and financial, that were mobilized during
the campaign to build constituencies to work on issues and campaigns in
Congressional districts. Skeptics correctly suggest that OFA may serve more to
channel and control growing militancy at the grassroots rather than unleash it.
However, those of us at the base can use the OFA format and resources as part
of our own organizing.
Organizing at the grassroots in communities and
states is particularly critical in the thirty states in which government is
dominated by Tea Party and other conservative elected officials. And it is in
these states and communities that outside money has poured in to reverse
institutions and policies that service human needs. In many of the states, such
as Indiana, advocates for reaction have gained an upper hand and threaten
public institutions, social programs, and democratic representation.
We, the left/liberal community, stepped back from
activism after the 2008 election assuming that the new President would advance
a people’s agenda. We were wrong. He adopted a cautious and pragmatic strategy
incorrectly assuming he could achieve compromise policies with Republicans and
Blue Dog Democrats. In 2010, a new group of Republicans opposed to virtually
all public institutions, the so-called Tea Party Republicans, gained many seats
in Congress, state legislatures, and governorships.
After the 2012 election the same progressive forces
which withdrew from political combat after 2008 and sat out the 2010 elections
mobilized to reelect the President in 2012. Since last November they have
proclaimed that they will not become passive again.
We must stand for human progress inside the legislative/executive
arena and everywhere in the public sphere. We must stand up for the populist
agenda candidate Obama proposed in 2008 and was hesitant to deliver and he has
articulated in his 2013 inaugural speech.
In short, we in labor, women’s, African-American,
Latino, environmental, and civil liberties groups must build a coalition that recognizes that we share common needs and
goals. We must realize we are all victims of an economic and political system
that rewards the few at the expense of the many.
How do we come together? How should we relate to the
electoral arena, in our communities and states? Should we work in the
Democratic Party? A progressive segment of it and/or a Third Party? When and
where should we protest? Can we begin to construct alternative institutions?
How can we spread our messages through the media--print, electronic, public
performance?
Perhaps most important is the question of our vision
of the future. What kind of society would we want to create? How can we achieve
economic and political justice for all?
These are heady
questions but they can only be answered if we act together. As inspired by the
Rebuild the American Dream campaigns and Occupy movements of 2011 we can begin to dialogue anew about
building movements in our communities, identifying a range of issues to work on
together, and, ultimately advancing our
states and society toward economic and social justice.
