Obama and the Republicrat Party = Potential Trap

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If this protest is misdirected into the Democratic Party,  Wall Street will have carried the day.  Let me make it perfectly clear that the previous sentence has absolutely nothing to do with a general bias against cooperation and coalition.  It is instead only an acknowledgement of the fact that Obama and his party are heavily supportive of Wall Street.    


There is no law which states that oligarchs can’t fake sympathy for the people.  Neither is there a law declaring that oligarchs can’t bend just a little in order to keep the better part of their system of ruthless exploitation intact.  Therefore, the precondition for any alliance with the Democrats can only be a total, verifiable repudiation of all forms of servility to the dictates of corporate power.   Given what we’ve seen from the Democratic leadership over the past few decades, a genuine move in that direction seems most unlikely.      


Should the two-party system be replaced with a multiparty system?  Of course, multiparty systems and two-three-party systems have different strengths and weaknesses.  More to the point, however, is the fact that this topic has nothing to do with the benefits of a system of two broad-based parties, for the simple reason that the so-called “two-party” system of this country is based overwhelmingly on unaccountable, despotic corporate power.  In other words, it's no kind of democratically legitimate party system at all:  It’s an absolute dictatorship of a single party of big business.  In reality, none of us have any firsthand knowledge of what a real two-party system would be like.    


The movement, IMO, should also avoid the trap of partisan politics, of the kind that would be inherent to an alliance with the Democrats.  The United States is a diverse country. All of its people, whether on the (real) left or right, must understand that the people who control Washington aren’t in the least bit interested in ANY ideology other than the one that’s based on mindless, heartless greed.

I totally agree!!!

Poltical party has a history of co-opting movments. Name any successful, meaninful movement and you'll see it's supportors get absorbed into one of the two political parties. Labor, union, civil rights movements went to democratic party. More recently the Republican party absored the Tea Party (thought they were just Repubs mostly anyway). The point is that when people have only two choices, evil and the lessor evil, they will end up choosing some sort of evil in the end.

This movement will have the least success if it channels it's energy into the structures already present. The goal should be (imo) to forge a new path to change. Even if that path is only half created, at least there is a new path for those that come after us to follow and expand. The polical structures we have now don't work and we all know why.

If Occupy Wall Street sticks to the central tenet of NOT following leaders, but all leading together it can do what few movements in the past have done and circumvent those that seek to co-opt, usurp, and destory the energy and vigor of this movement.

We must not fight this fight just for ourselves, we must do it so that future generations aren't born into econmic slavery by corporate greed and domination.

Interesting points

'co-opt' has such a negative connotation among the activist set, I'd hasten to remind that the activist wings of both parties have historically existed to get their plank in the party platform. We never say Fightin' Bob was 'co-opted'. I guess the question is: reform or revolution? I say reform.

socrates crimes's picture

I agree with OP

When discussing politics there's always a bit of meta-speak involved. We're not dealing with two political entities that do not communicate and/or coordinate together. I can guarantee you: Both the Dems and the GOP would prefer either of each to any of us.

I would LOVE to take sides with Supersean on this however. Too bad we don't always get what we love. Reform just isn't going to cut it. Unless you mean cut the slate COMPLETELY and go back to the Constitution, or perhaps even the Declaration of Independence, as a foundation for moving forward.

And since we have Co-Option on the table. What are your thoughts regarding the recent LA City Council voting to continue "supporting" OLA (oh, and by the way, this is more reason why you, the City Council, should go ahead and approve a measure presented to you before any of these hippies showed up...)?

 I really hope to learn something at tonight's GA about this...

~SC

Leave me then, Crito, to fulfill the will of God, and to follow whither he leads.

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