Van Jones penned a piece over at Huffpost , and it states clearly what our message is:
Over the next hours and days, all who love this country need to do everything possible to spread the "spirit of Madison" to all 50 states. This does not mean we need to occupy 50 state capitol buildings; things elsewhere are not yet that dire. But this weekend, the best of America should rally on the steps of every statehouse in the union.
Moveon.org and others have issued just this kind of call to action; everyone should prioritize responding and turning out in large numbers.
On Saturday, the powers-that-be (in both parties) should see a rainbow force coming together: organized workers, business leaders, veterans, students and youth, faith leaders, civil rights fighters, women's rights champions, immigrant rights defenders, LGBTQ stalwarts, environmentalists, academics, artists, celebrities, community activists, elected officials and more -- all standing up for what's right.
The G.O.P ain't bluffing. They want a fight. They tried very hard to pick a fight. They're taking shots at teachers- teachers!- for **'s sake.
Will we fight back? Will we defend ourselves? Jon Stewart mocked the protesters in Madison last night on his show, calling them a "Bizarro Tea Party". But that's not the case. Madison is a CALL TO SANITY.
Stewart, won't you come join Van Jones, Madison, and everyone standing up for this country? The same website that spearheaded the "Rally for Sanity" now has a frontpage appeal for Stewart/Colbert to stand with Madison.
If you have read this much, you might as well go ahead and read the whole Van Jones piece. Here's one more excerpt:
If we take a bold and courageous stand, over time, we can win. Make no mistake about it: this is our "Tea Party" moment -- in a positive sense.
In fact, we can learn many important lessons from the recent achievements of the libertarian, populist right. Don't forget: even after the Republican's epic electoral defeat in 2008, a right-wing uprising was still able to smash public support for "new New Deal" economics. Along the way, it revived the political fortunes of the GOP.
A popular outcry from the left could just as easily shatter the prevailing bipartisan consensus that America is suddenly a poor country that cannot possibly help its people meet our basic needs.
America Is Not a Poor Country -- We Suffer From Poor Leadership
The truth is that we don't live Bangladesh or Malawi. America is not a poor country. The public has just been hypnotized into believing that the richest and most creative nation on Earth has only two choices in this crisis: massive austerity (as championed by the Tea Party/Republicans) or SEMI-massive austerity (as meekly offered by too many DC Democrats). It is ridiculous.
Fortunately, the people in Wisconsin know that. So they are fighting courageously. Their efforts could blossom into a compelling, national force for the good -- offering a powerful alternative to those false choices.
And while our re-born movement needs to be as clear and bold as the Tea Parties, we must base our efforts on a deeper set of American values.
The Tea Party attached itself to only a single American principle. And it identifies itself with only one moment in our distant past: the Boston Tea Party, symbolizing "no taxation without representation."
Ultimately, it comes down to this, with all due respect to Jon Stewart: the Tea Party, like much of the conservative kingdom,
is the "bizarro" reality. They call Soros the anti-christ, while the rightwing Koch bros. try to f*** up as much as they can. The GOP screams that they are being 'tread' on, when they in fact enabled Bush in his creation of a Nanny State (Patriot Act, Homeland security color codes, the TSA's massive growth, more Drug War). And the Tea Party screams about "socialism" killing America, but they just want to "take the country back" from the black guy. Any of us who have married, lived with, or even worked with right-wingers know all TOO WELL what a "bizarro" reality looks like. Bizarro reality is when your right wing buddy shoots you in the face with a shotgun and you apologize to HIM (what's up , cheney?). A "bizarro" reality is one in which people, who are scared of multiculturalism , attach tea bags to their hats and misspell two-syllable words on hand-painted signs.
Now is the time to fight back. We've lost so much in past ten years. How much more we lose is going to depend on how big of a fight we put up.
And this comment sums up what your 'centrist' Dems are going to do left to their own devices...(h/t to LaFeminista)
This is a declaration of political war (36+ / 0-)
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Do we try and get them to make concessions in a bipartisan love in, we will just end up being drugged and 'not really' raped.
"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing." Arundhati Roy
by LaFeminista on Sat Feb 19, 2011 at 09:47:00 AM PST