Forum Post: When are you actually going to try and get some Candidates ?
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 4, 2011, 10:24 p.m. EST by jordankratz
(33)
from Portland, ME
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
I have been to OWS Rallies in Portland, Maine and I spoke at one of them.Sure I am one of the 99% and am quite poor.I want to see government changed.I want to see Big Money out of Government and I want an accounting into Big Banking and Wall Street.I am one of you. This is what I have to say whether you like it or not. TIME TO GET SOME CANDIDATES !!!! What the hell is wrong with all of you.Even the Tea Party has the brains to get people into Government and look at what they have done.I am on your side but you are really trying my patience. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER ! Occupying will not change this Government but getting people in Office will do something for sure.Your Occupying is going to get old real fast and then where are we all going to be ? 1 + 1 = 2 Do The Math
I am going to keep bumping this up when I can. This is what you people need to do.Either get Candidates into Office or go home.A lot of the Mainstream Audience you need are giving up on your tent city movement. Do Something and Bring Real Change..................... Do Nothing and the Country will rightfully think you are nothing but fools.
[-] jordankratz (Portland, ME) 2 points 5 days ago
I am going to keep bumping this up when I can. This is what you people need to do.Either get Candidates into Office or go home.A lot of the Mainstream Audience you need are giving up on your tent city movement. Do Something and Bring Real Change..................... Do Nothing and the Country will rightfully think you are nothing but fools.
I'm with you on this. Unless,OWS becomes political, and I do see a movement toward that direction, we're not going to achieve any changes. Those skunks at the U.S. Congress and State Houses don't give damn about about us. But if we organize our own political party and run our own people for all the available public office then we can hope for something.
The TP did not "get" candidates -
they used grover & koch money to blackmail republican congressmen to be their slaves -
THEN if they refused - grover used the koch money to primary them.
WE MUST USE THE EXACT SAME TACTIC [ unfortunately without the money]
We must approach our congressmen with the same threat -
"support our goals such as a constitutional amendment to overthrow citizens united" -
and we will support and work for you
OR
we will support your opponents or primary you
[ third party - what tp did NOT do - would be a disaster for our goals ]
The American people need to recognize that their political process has been compromised by all the money from the corporations and special interests. Fielding candidates is fine, but I don't think they will get very far until the corruption is dealt with.
Here's my 2 cents:
There are a lot of improvements that need to be made. The list reforms people Americans want to see is long and varied depending on who you talk to. That said, I believe there is one reform that would provide the American people the best chances of seeing other meaningful reforms actually happen - that is REAL, loop-hope free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM! I have seen others on this site calling this the "fulcrum" or pivotal issue. Right now the current legalized bribery, pay-to-play system of campaign donations and paid lobbyists has disenfranchised the American voter. Until this is fixed, any other reform the politicians may try to placate us with (be it a change to healthcare, clamping down predatory school loans, new financial regulations, etc.) will be about as effective as a farmer putting a new roof on his CHICKEN COOP, but still letting the FOX guard it.
We need to go back to the original political currency. Instead of the current system of who can collect the most money from corporations and special interests it should be who has the BEST IDEAS to EFFECTIVELY RUN THE COUNTRY (we don't need "Wealth Redistribution," what we need is "Political Influence Redistribution")!
For the sake our our children and future generations of Americans, we need to take back our democracy from the rich and powerful who are using their vast sums of money to "speak" as if they represent millions of Americans. This "Corporate Personhood" that has crept into our laws is allowing them to manipulating our policies in their favor at the expense of the average American (the recent "Citizens United" Supreme Court ruling is a miscarriage of justice and must be reversed. The $50 or $100 a normal American may give to a political campaign becomes meaningless when corporations or other special interests are handing our millions to buy political access to the decision making process.
For decades now the corporations and special interests have had our "representatives" bought and paid for (both on the right and the left). Concentrating our efforts on getting the money out of our politics is the best way we can create an environment in which further reforms can be realized. Until we end the current system of legalized bribery (campaign donations) and paid lobbying our politicians will continue to be the LAP DOGS of the corporations and special interests. What we need first and foremost is real, loop-hole free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM!!!! If the corruption is not dealt with first, the chance of any other meaningful reforms becoming a reality is almost zero - the special interests will just use their money to buy votes and put forward bills that create loop-holes or otherwise twist the law in their favor. If we want our children to live in a country where there vote matters, we need to get the money out of our politics, otherwise they will increasingly become the 21st century version of the "landless peasant." Spread the word - End the LEGALIZED BRIBERY!!! CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM needs to be THE main goal of the protests!!!
The government isn't going to give up its comfortable relationship with big corporations until it feels threatened. From what I've read about Occupy Wall Street movements is that they are very non-confrontational. It seems history has taught us that non-confrontational movements have a tendency to also be ineffective, unmotivated, and easily ignored, like a puppy gnawing at the foot of a giant.
"Awe, that's adorable. Occupuppy want's some attention! Maybe I'll give it a chew toy to placate it so it forgets about my foot and stops bugging me." - Mr. Government.
I still say that if you people really want to do some good and make change occur then we need to Vote for OWS Candidates until we are the Majority and those that take the money are the minority.Just think about it.A lot of people are feeling Negative about the lack of real progress and the sights of a bunch of tents,etc in Public Parks.Many people who post stuff on the Internet are making fun of a lot of you.Many say the same thing.NO Candidates and no real goals. Get your Act together and try to fend at least one Candidate per State.If you say you really want to change the system a civil war is not the way to go.Do it legal and get them Voted in.We have the power.There are so many angry at Government people of voting age and 2012 is right around the corner. DO IT NOW !!!!
why cant we learn -
lets not be stupid - Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders
support the people who support us!
You should read the 99% Declaration, it explains one approach to the process of getting ready to field candidates.
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
BTW, the working group is debuting its TV ad tonight.
were this a political movement i would lose all hope for this country.
This is the only way to bring about changes. Barring this we would have to leave the same skunks in power and this is not the way to make changes either. You don't have to belong to this movement if you like the status quo. This is for activists only.
were this a political movement i would lose all hope for this country.
yuck
It would be a great lesson for all to run some, loose, and then be able to tell the public that they have re-elected the same assholes (see 86.4% re-election rate of incumbents in 2010).
Might as well give it a shot. Nothing to lose.
I fully agree with you 100%. This is exactly what I've been telling from the beginning. This movement has to become political. We have to organize our own Global Revolution Party (OWS) , start registering the millions of our followers and run our own willing people for all the available political office at the local,State and Federal Level. The present politicians will not change anything. They are guilty of treason. We have to take over and bring about social justice and govern for the benefit of the people only and revoke all the oppressive and unfair laws on the books. Eventually it will happen.
why cant we learn -
lets not be stupid - Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders
support the people who support us! use the TP model to blackmail Democrats that are NOT strongly supporting our goals. learn how to attack sitting republicans owned by grover & koch
The problem is that OWS is not getting help or ideas from the hundreds of other organizations and experianced movement organizers who could offer ideas,help,and support.they are hung up on not being "co-opted"....this from their on GA'S.
They won't. It's too much work for them