On October 18, some seven million people in communities large and small demonstrated against the Trump regime under the banner “No Kings,” in the largest protest in US history, according to No Kings Coalition organizers.
Sometimes I wonder why the Greens have trouble reaching masses of the people we need to build the society we want. Then I hear some Greens and wonder how we’re able to attract anyone at all.
One thing I heard on a Green list: “The No Kings rally is set up by dems to shepherd the wayward flock. If people want to pass out Green Info, that’s a place for it but I don’t know how receptive people will be.”
My friend here has one thing right: Democrats are rightfully afraid of those attracted to a nominally “antifascist” action like No Kings. And these actions do not present any demands on the government — it is merely a statement that those attending stand against authoritarianism and for whatever they individually define as “democracy.”
After the march, the newly-created “No Kings Alliance” (NKA) had a national phone call to tell those who attended “What’s Next.” What should people do now? NKA aims to channel all this energy toward Chuck Schumer’s agenda: (1) writing Congressfolk to end the government shutdown, (2) restoring federal financial aid to reduce health insurance costs for working people (and incidentally make sure that the health insurance giants still get paid), and (3) agitating for the ability to vote early. This program will surely end the threat of fascism and Trumpism!
Greens and Democrats alike understand the power of mass social movements to change the world. Movements in solidarity with Palestine and Black Lives Matter strike fear in Democratic leaders, who then seek ways to divert their militant actions toward the ballot box. “Vote for me and I’ll set you free!” is their demand. I’d call it a battle cry, but the goal here is to keep folks quiet.
When Greens direct people to the ballot box, we want to strengthen these movements.
The Wayward Flock
All of these issues are things that all Greens agree on. But where things go haywire is the implied advice that showing up to bring our message to the “wayward flock” being “shepherded” by the Democrats and their Indivisible partners is a waste of time.
The first question I ask is “if the wayward flock are there to express their anger and unwillingness to go along with the status quo, how is that not an audience we want to target? Why should we let the Democrats succeed at bringing them back into the fold?”
It’s certainly true that the organizations behind this anti-Trump movement, Indivisible and 50501, are liberal organizations seeking to channel anti-fascist energy back into the traditional channels.
Our job is not to ignore that anti-fascist energy, but to channel it into more productive and powerful actions!
The people responding to the No Kings rally call in the streets of America are unhappy with the status quo. They all want to fight back and they want their leaders to fight back. Greens should be telling this “wayward flock” that every one of them needs to stay outside the Democratic fold if real change is ever to come.
The hundreds of people who showed up to wave signs on a high-traffic corner in my little suburb of Milwaukee could be the seed of the mass Green Party, if only we “pass out our info.” Greens at every level need to develop a strategy to engage with these millions of people who want to fight back, who can take to the streets AND march to the ballot box for something that represents the change they seek!
I jokingly tell people I’m a Green Party libertarian,but that’s just because I feel so strongly about protecting this earth that I don’t want anyone telling to do something contrary to the soils needs.
I think republicans too have a chance to flip green given the right opportunity. They don’t like it when money is wasted, and many democratic charities and organizations are guilty of doing such.
I do believe conservation is key, global comparability as well. If population is such an issue, why are these hospitals growing their neonatal units larger, and their pediatric units more aggressive to finally end up in adult care, where the majority of pediatric conditions are ignored by that point, and prescribed useless medication.
that is an incredibly wasteful cycle, as it turns the America dollar into blood money.
I had a thought a while back about cryptocurrency being a huge benefit for the green movement. With crypto, one can decide what a society puts value on.
for instance, what if medical staff were incentivized with crypto retirement plans for reducing waste, lowering public health concerns and keeping hospital beds empty. That would reduce a lot of waste.
or, perhaps even more extreme, what if women of 18 were allowed to choose if they wanted to stay fertile? Perhaps if a woman chooses to tie her tubes so to speak, she could be rewarded with a crypto fund, the same the hospitals had, and than women would receive social support on how to keep that currency safe. After all, men were once drafted to wars, an able to enlist before 18. Why are women forced to wait until after childbirth to have the right to choose.
the issue now, for democrats, is that neonatal and pediatric nurses fear a loss of patients, so instead of advising women towards healthy reproductive rights, they just allow them to have the child (or force them), and then they drain the insurance by pushing that kid around the system while also causing permanent trauma for the mother.
it would be far cheaper and less stressful to avoid a whole cycle of misery and abuse rather tha allowing a select few to benefit, while everyone else looses access to comprehensive care.