Some of the blame has to go to all of us. It's more than a little conspicuous that the same electorate that poured its heart out last year for the Hallmark-card story line of the Obama campaign has not been seen much in this health care debate. The handful of legislators — the Weiners, Kuciniches, Wydens and Sanderses — who are fighting for something real should be doing so with armies at their back. Instead, all the noise is being made on the other side. Not so stupid after all — they, at least, understand that politics is a fight that does not end with the wearing of a T-shirt in November. - Matt Taibi, Sept 3
For all its virtues, Net-based activism will never be enough to push change. In mass and in person, we must arrive in D.C. and DEMAND it. And soon.
I am hereby calling for a left-leaning organization to organize a massive march on Washington D.C. to demand the government pass a universal single-payer health care system.
Net Activism is Not Enough
Net activism is not enough. Blogging is not enough. Kos Diaries are not enough. Facebook groups are not enough. Twibes of Tweeters are not enough. Podcasting is not enough.
That is because Net activism is largely a hidden activism, a very much diffused and non-focused activism visible mostly only to those engaged in it. It's preaching to the choir with the church windows open, at best.
And it's worse. Net activism can lull into a false sense that activism is being accomplished at all. It is not.
No, none of that is even close to enough, even when tabulated all together. So many are doing so much to accomplish so little. It's time to notch it up, raise the stakes, and produce a spectacle.
The Mainstream Media Loves Spectacle
Olbermann and Maddow and Ed Schultz and Air America are not enough. Nor is HuffPo or Talking Points Memo, or the like. Not enough people are really exposed to them. Sorry, face the facts.
But the mainstream media is attracted to spectacle. It can't avoid a really good one. We all know this. Massive numbers of people demonstrating in D.C. is spectacle.
What We Must Do
We can, and we must, push the debate, the envelope, the agenda. We must demand it.
We must march, in mass, on Washington D.C.
We must demand a single payer system because it is best. We may end up getting only a public option, but that is the compromise position. If we demand only the public option we'll probably get only a triggered public option or "co-op", if that.
Who Will Organize the March?
Which organization has the capacity to organize this? Which group will step up?
We're waiting. We're wanting. We're ready. You can step up to the plate right here on Kos.
Update: Some have indicated that this organization is organizing a march on 9/13. I'm sorry, but that organization never did have the capacity to organize a national march. On September 5, based upon communications with people stating they will attend, the organizer stated "I hope we end up with 10,000+" people in attendance. Sorry, folks, but that's not even remotely close to providing the sort of spectacle needed, as I describe above.
Update 2: Same with this march.