Electoral politics are cool, but have you heard of the abolition, civil rights, collective bargaining, minimum wage, weekends, labor rights, woman’s suffrage, stonewall, reproductive rights, social security, UFW, AIM, ADA, anti-war… movements?
Movement Lessons for #NotMeUs 1/9
Movement Lessons for #NotMeUs 1/9
What historical gains like these all share in common is that they were ALL rooted in movements that posed a serious threat to the status quo.
Civil disobedience, strikes & shutting down business-as-usual all raise the cost of oppression & injustice. 2/9
Civil disobedience, strikes & shutting down business-as-usual all raise the cost of oppression & injustice. 2/9
ONLY when those in power felt that if they did not concede to demand X, they would then lose something EVEN GREATER than X is when we won X.
That’s the logic of movements. 3/9
That’s the logic of movements. 3/9
Electoral work is incredibly important & needs to continue, but if our demands are threatening to the status quo, then electoral work needs to be supported by a movement that is always demanding & threatening MORE than the current ask. That’s the key take-away from history. 4/9
And few lessons from history seem to be so consistent:
Power concedes nothing. EVER.
Change is always forced, begrudgingly, when those in power fear if they don’t concede, they will lose something greater.
See this thread for some of that history: 5/9
Power concedes nothing. EVER.
Change is always forced, begrudgingly, when those in power fear if they don’t concede, they will lose something greater.
See this thread for some of that history: 5/9
Not only do we need a powerful movement to resist the Dem establishment thwarting Sanders, not only do we need a powerful movement to resist the billionaire owned MSM slandering of Sanders & our movement, but we will need a powerful movement MORE THAN EVER once Sanders wins! 6/9
A Sanders White House will be resisted by the full weight of republicans, corporate dems & the entire elite class! The only way Sanders will be able to make progress on our platform is by us demanding & threatening much more & making his platform OUR compromise position. 7/9
To state the obvious, imagine a movement so powerful that those in power genuinely fear a revolution is imminent.
What would they be willing to concede?
That’s how we win. That’s people power. 8/9
What would they be willing to concede?
That’s how we win. That’s people power. 8/9
A powerful movement is a win-win-win. It will help:
• protect against primary cheating
• protect against general election cheating
• pass a truly progressive platform despite establishment elites doing everything & anything to thwart progress. 9/9
• protect against primary cheating
• protect against general election cheating
• pass a truly progressive platform despite establishment elites doing everything & anything to thwart progress. 9/9
