This morning finds a hopeful (for me) pronouncement from Robert Borosage in the current issue of The Nation : The Populist Moment Has Finally Arrived Subtitle: Occupy Wall Street put inequality at the center of our politics. Only an independent movement will keep it there.. Okay, please go read the article and come back to discuss.
The Populist Moment for many arrived a long time ago, but hey, better late than never, right?
Borosage credits the Occupy movement with defining and placing the issue of wealth inequality on the radar. He makes the point that in all great social movements in our nation thus far, change has been the result of citizens movements that arose initially "outside of the national consensus" and uses as examples civil rights, women's rights, gay liberation, environmentalism, anti-war movements and immigration rights.
In other words, these movements overturned the concept of what had been acceptable status quo limitations or restrictions enforced by both political parties of the times. Borosage makes the HUGE point that social change in America is "ratified - but not won- at the ballot box."
He then goes on to cite historian Lawrence Goodwyn:
Goodwyn argues that democratic movements go through four stages: 1) the creation of an independent institution that can offer a new interpretation of reality; 2) the development of tactical means to attract people; 3) broad education of the citizenry; and 4) the formation of a political vehicle for driving the new ideas into the political debate.
Occupy broke through with a new interpretation of the reality around us. The “new inequality” isn’t an act of nature. It didn’t just happen; nor is it due to globalization and technology. The few are cleaning up because they have systematically rigged the rules to favor themselves. We aren’t suffering the aches and pains of bad times; we are getting mugged.
According to Borosage, Occupy did alter our perception of reality and we are now aware of the issue of wealth inequality that must be addressed. The tactical means utilized by Occupy had some success and galvanized people across the country but was not sustainable over the long haul, largely because the movement did not offer concrete and specific alternatives and also did not mutate into an "independent institution" that survived beyond its moment in the spotlight.
So where does that leave us now?
Well folks, we are still in the nascent, pupae stage of a creating a large broad Movement to address wealth inequality and I can never leave out it's twin issue, social justice. (Social justice to me involves the civil, legal and voting rights of every single American).
Borosage gives credit to a number of groups that are springing up like CREDO and Black Lives Matter as being examples of what a modern movement will look like, made up of "new forms of organizing, grounded in communities of activists linked by social media, organizing creative swarms of protest and demonstration." He says what we don't have at this point is a comprehensive "fierce, independent citizens’ movement prepared to confront the current order."
The Borosage piece is one of a number of articles that I have been reading recently that all seem to coalesque around a set of key points. This is the knowlege I have osmosed:
*Real change in society comes from the bottom up and not the top down.
*Change in society usually begins outside of politics and then co-opts politics by forcing the parties and politicians to finally address issues when they can no longer be ignored
*Political parties lag and do not lead when change is required. They are responsive and not pro-active. They will almost invariably not offer changes bold or large enough to meaningfully address the issues at hand. They are the opposite of change agents and are the defenders and guardians of the status quo.
*Defining issues as moral imperatives and matters of basic honor and decency and fairness works. Sometimes politicians have to be publicly shamed for their stances.
*Demands get more attention than polite requests.
So, who sees signs of the Fierce Independent Citizens Movement that would actually be required to change the lot of the 99%?