[Iowa-dx] Fwd: Not the Revolution, But an Opening

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 21:33:24 -0600

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Future Hope column, Nov. 10, 2006

Not the Revolution, But an Opening

By Ted Glick

Fundamental, revolutionary, political and social change is clearly =20
needed in the USA and the world. Corporate domination of the economic =20
and political system and mass culture is a huge threat to the =20
possibilities for a decent and sustainable future for humankind and =20
for all forms of life on the earth.

King Coal and Big Oil continue to use their power and vast wealth to =20
keep us locked into a reliance on earth-heating fossil fuels that, if =20
not quickly reversed, will lead to a steady escalation of catastrophic =20
climate events and a breakdown of an already-stressed ecosystem.

The dominance of the Pentagon and corporate-supporting, militaristic =20
approaches to problems, the immense amounts of money wasted in weapons =20
production, robs the masses of people of badly-needed resources for =20
housing, health care, education and economic development. It also =20
generates armed resistance, including the terrorism of the stateless =20
that, in a nuclear age, is indeed terrifying.

And the widening gulf between the ever-richer, tiny ruling elite of =20
the world and the vast majority of the world's population, almost half =20
of whom try to get by on no more than $2 a day, is an obscenity =20
justifying rebellion on a wide scale.

What happened on November 7th, election day, was not that rebellion. =20
It was not the revolution. But it could be a start, an opening up of =20
prospects for strengthening independent, issue-oriented =20
movement-building.

It should also lead to a limited number of concrete, national policy =20
victories, as in an increase in the minimum wage, increased funding =20
for renewable energy, a somewhat improved system of health care =20
delivery for some, by no means all, U.S. citizens, and other reforms.

As far as the Iraq war, the major issue of the campaign, the election =20
results should lead to at least some reduction in the amount of money =20
spent and in the number of U.S. troops there, hopefully much more than =20
that. The problem, however, is that the Democratic Party has a =20
long-standing commitment to an imperial foreign policy, albeit less =20
openly warlike than the Republicans. With the exception of a small =20
minority bloc of consistently progressive elected Democrats, the =20
positions of most elected Democrats when it comes to Iraq, Iran, =20
Israel/Palestine, Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and other "hot spots" in =20
the world is essentially based upon how to maintain U.S. and corporate =20
influence and power rather than a commitment to justice and =20
self-determination.

But the fact is that, in the long run, it is the masses of people who =20
make history, and the big story of this election is that the results =20
reflected a definite turning away by a majority of the U.S. electorate =20
from the over-the-top, dangerous right-wing agenda of the neo-cons and =20
the neo-fascists.

The big question for progressives who appreciate the depth of the =20
civilizational crisis we are in is this: how do we build upon this =20
important political development, deepening, broadening and =20
accelerating it? What should we be doing to meet our responsibilities?

-The most important thing we need to do is refuse to let Nancy Pelosi, =20
Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and Steny Hoyer set the agenda for us and =20
what we do. A concrete example of what we need to be doing on a whole =20
range of issues is the recent announcement of a press conference =20
tomorrow, as this is being written, announcing the launch of an =20
impeachment campaign (www.impeachforchange.org). We should be openly =20
demanding what justice, peace and survival call for, organizing =20
ourselves to be effective in pressing those demands on elected =20
officials of both corporate parties.

-Greens and others committed to building a political alternative to =20
the Democrats and Republicans should keep at it, running "third party" =20
candidacies or as progressive independents in non-partisan races and =20
building membership-based independent political organization. There =20
are a number of concrete signs that, despite limited success by Green =20
and other third party candidates in this election cycle, conditions =20
may be ripening for a more broadly-based, mass upsurge of support for =20
a populist political alternative, and those of us with genuinely =20
progressive politics need to influence these developments as much as =20
possible.

-Already, the discussion about Presidential politics in 2008 has =20
begun. This will grow and intensify in coming months, including over =20
the question of who the Green Party should run and, for some =20
non-Greens, why activists should get behind one or the other of the =20
more progressive Democrats. There is no way to avoid these debates; =20
what is essential is that conscious efforts be made to keep them as =20
healthy as possible, recognizing that the anachronistic, undemocratic, =20
corporate-dominated, winner-take-all U.S. political system makes our =20
work in the electoral arena tremendously challenging.

-Along these lines, the Democratic victory should quickly bring to the =20
forefront the electoral democracy issues that have been submerged =20
under Republican control of Congress. Passage by the Congress of many =20
of the points of the 10-point Voters Bill of Rights, initially put =20
together at a meeting organized by IPPN following the Florida election =20
debacle in 2000, should become a main focus for all of us who =20
appreciate how seriously flawed our "democracy" is.

-Finally, and certainly not least important, we need to be about the =20
work of alliance-building across lines of culture, nationality, issue, =20
geography and political strategy. The continuing "wall between," in =20
Anne Braden's words, people of color and white people, the reality of =20
systemic racism and white supremacy that very much affects the =20
personal relations and interactions among progressive activists, must =20
be understood and worked at so that we can build a truly =20
multi-cultural movement with significant leadership from people of =20
color, youth, women and working-class people.

November 7th was not the revolution, but it was definitely an opening. =20
Let's move forward together through it with the tens of millions who =20
want not words about a "new direction" but the real thing.

Ted Glick is active with the Climate Crisis Coalition =20
(www.climatecrisiscoalition.org) and the Independent Progressive =20
Politics Network (www.ippn.org). He can be reached at indpol@igc.org =20
or P.O. Box 1132, Bloomfield, N.J.  07003.

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Future Hope column, Nov. 10, 2006

=20

Not the Revolution, But an Opening

=20

By Ted Glick

=20

Fundamental, revolutionary, political and social change is clearly =
needed in the USA and the world. Corporate domination of the economic =
and political system and mass culture is a huge threat to the =
possibilities for a decent and sustainable future for humankind and for =
all forms of life on the earth.

=20

King Coal and Big Oil continue to use their power and vast wealth to =
keep us locked into a reliance on earth-heating fossil fuels that, if =
not quickly reversed, will lead to a steady escalation of catastrophic =
climate events and a breakdown of an already-stressed ecosystem.

=20

The dominance of the Pentagon and corporate-supporting, militaristic =
approaches to problems, the immense amounts of money wasted in weapons =
production, robs the masses of people of badly-needed resources for =
housing, health care, education and economic development. It also =
generates armed resistance, including the terrorism of the stateless =
that, in a nuclear age, is indeed terrifying.

=20

And the widening gulf between the ever-richer, tiny ruling elite of the =
world and the vast majority of the world's population, almost half of =
whom try to get by on no more than $2 a day, is an obscenity justifying =
rebellion on a wide scale.

=20

What happened on November 7th, election day, was not that rebellion. It =
was not the revolution. But it could be a start, an opening up of =
prospects for strengthening independent, issue-oriented =
movement-building.=20

=20

It should also lead to a limited number of concrete, national policy =
victories, as in an increase in the minimum wage, increased funding for =
renewable energy, a somewhat improved system of health care delivery for =
some, by no means all, U.S. citizens, and other reforms.

=20

As far as the Iraq war, the major issue of the campaign, the election =
results should lead to at least some reduction in the amount of money =
spent and in the number of U.S. troops there, hopefully much more than =
that. The problem, however, is that the Democratic Party has a =
long-standing commitment to an imperial foreign policy, albeit less =
openly warlike than the Republicans. With the exception of a small =
minority bloc of consistently progressive elected Democrats, the =
positions of most elected Democrats when it comes to Iraq, Iran, =
Israel/Palestine, Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and other "hot spots" in the =
world is essentially based upon how to maintain U.S. and corporate =
influence and power rather than a commitment to justice and =
self-determination.

=20

But the fact is that, in the long run, it is the masses of people who =
make history, and the big story of this election is that the results =
reflected a definite turning away by a majority of the U.S. electorate =
from the over-the-top, dangerous right-wing agenda of the neo-cons and =
the neo-fascists.=20

=20

The big question for progressives who appreciate the depth of the =
civilizational crisis we are in is this: how do we build upon this =
important political development, deepening, broadening and accelerating =
it? What should we be doing to meet our responsibilities?

=20

-The most important thing we need to do is refuse to let Nancy Pelosi, =
Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and Steny Hoyer set the agenda for us and what =
we do. A concrete example of what we need to be doing on a whole range =
of issues is the recent announcement of a press conference tomorrow, as =
this is being written, announcing the launch of an impeachment campaign =
(www.impeachforchange.org). We should be openly demanding what justice, =
peace and survival call for, organizing ourselves to be effective in =
pressing those demands on elected officials of both corporate parties.

=20

-Greens and others committed to building a political alternative to the =
Democrats and Republicans should keep at it, running "third party" =
candidacies or as progressive independents in non-partisan races and =
building membership-based independent political organization. There are =
a number of concrete signs that, despite limited success by Green and =
other third party candidates in this election cycle, conditions may be =
ripening for a more broadly-based, mass upsurge of support for a =
populist political alternative, and those of us with genuinely =
progressive politics need to influence these developments as much as =
possible.=20

=20

-Already, the discussion about Presidential politics in 2008 has begun. =
This will grow and intensify in coming months, including over the =
question of who the Green Party should run and, for some non-Greens, why =
activists should get behind one or the other of the more progressive =
Democrats. There is no way to avoid these debates; what is essential is =
that conscious efforts be made to keep them as healthy as possible, =
recognizing that the anachronistic, undemocratic, corporate-dominated, =
winner-take-all U.S. political system makes our work in the electoral =
arena tremendously challenging.

=20

-Along these lines, the Democratic victory should quickly bring to the =
forefront the electoral democracy issues that have been submerged under =
Republican control of Congress. Passage by the Congress of many of the =
points of the 10-point Voters Bill of Rights, initially put together at =
a meeting organized by IPPN following the Florida election debacle in =
2000, should become a main focus for all of us who appreciate how =
seriously flawed our "democracy" is.

=20

-Finally, and certainly not least important, we need to be about the =
work of alliance-building across lines of culture, nationality, issue, =
geography and political strategy. The continuing "wall between," in Anne =
Braden's words, people of color and white people, the reality of =
systemic racism and white supremacy that very much affects the personal =
relations and interactions among progressive activists, must be =
understood and worked at so that we can build a truly multi-cultural =
movement with significant leadership from people of color, youth, women =
and working-class people.

=20

November 7th was not the revolution, but it was definitely an opening. =
Let's move forward together through it with the tens of millions who =
want not words about a "new direction" but the real thing.

=20

Ted Glick is active with the Climate Crisis Coalition =
(www.climatecrisiscoalition.org) and the Independent Progressive =
Politics Network (www.ippn.org). He can be reached at indpol@igc.org or =
P.O. Box 1132, Bloomfield, N.J.  07003.

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Future Hope column, Nov. 10, 2006
<?xml:namespace =
prefix =3D o ns =3D=20
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
Not the Revolution, But an Opening
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
By Ted Glick
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
Fundamental, revolutionary, political and social change is =
clearly needed=20
in the <?xml:namespace prefix =3D st1 ns =3D=20
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region=20
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region> =
and the=20
world. Corporate domination of the economic and political system and =
mass=20
culture is a huge threat to the possibilities for a decent and =
sustainable=20
future for humankind and for all forms of life on the earth.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
King Coal and Big Oil continue to use their power and vast =
wealth to keep=20
us locked into a reliance on earth-heating fossil fuels that, if not =
quickly=20
reversed, will lead to a steady escalation of catastrophic climate =
events and a=20
breakdown of an already-stressed ecosystem.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
The dominance of the Pentagon and corporate-supporting, =
militaristic=20
approaches to problems, the immense amounts of money wasted in weapons=20
production, robs the masses of people of badly-needed resources for =
housing,=20
health care, education and economic development. It also generates armed =

resistance, including the terrorism of the stateless that, in a nuclear =
age, is=20
indeed terrifying.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
And the widening gulf between the ever-richer, tiny ruling =
elite of the=20
world and the vast majority of the world=92s population, almost half of =
whom try=20
to get by on no more than $2 a day, is an obscenity justifying rebellion =
on a=20
wide scale.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
What happened on November 7th, election day, was not =
that=20
rebellion. It was not the revolution. But it could be a start, an =
opening up of=20
prospects for strengthening independent, issue-oriented =
movement-building.=20

<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
It should also lead to a limited number of concrete, national =
policy=20
victories, as in an increase in the minimum wage, increased funding for=20
renewable energy, a somewhat improved system of health care delivery for =
some,=20
by no means all, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:country-region=20
w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> citizens, and other=20
reforms.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
As far as the <st1:country-region =
w:st=3D"on">Iraq</st1:country-region>=20
war, the major issue of the campaign, the election results should lead =
to at=20
least some reduction in the amount of money spent and in the number of=20
<st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place=20
w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> troops there, =
hopefully much=20
more than that. The problem, however, is that the Democratic Party has a =

long-standing commitment to an imperial foreign policy, albeit less =
openly=20
warlike than the Republicans. With the exception of a small minority =
bloc of=20
consistently progressive elected Democrats, the positions of most =
elected=20
Democrats when it comes to Iraq, Iran, Israel/Palestine, Venezuela, =
Cuba,=20
Bolivia and other =93hot spots=94 in the world is essentially based upon =
how to=20
maintain U.S. and corporate influence and power rather than a commitment =
to=20
justice and self-determination.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
But the fact is that, in the long run, it is the masses of =
people who=20
make history, and the big story of this election is that the results =
reflected a=20
definite turning away by a majority of the <st1:country-region=20
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> =
electorate=20
from the over-the-top, dangerous right-wing agenda of the neo-cons and =
the=20
neo-fascists. 
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
The big question for progressives who appreciate the depth of =
the=20
civilizational crisis we are in is this: how do we build upon this =
important=20
political development, deepening, broadening and accelerating it? What =
should we=20
be doing to meet our responsibilities?
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-The most important thing we need to do is refuse to let Nancy =
Pelosi,=20
Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and Steny Hoyer set the agenda for us and what =
we do.=20
A concrete example of what we need to be doing on a whole range of =
issues is the=20
recent announcement of a press conference tomorrow, as this is being =
written,=20
announcing the launch of an impeachment campaign (<A=20
href=3D"http://www.impeachforchange.org/"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =

size=3D3>www.impeachforchange.org</FONT></A><FONT face=3D"Times New =
Roman" size=3D3>).=20
We should be openly demanding what justice, peace and survival call for, =

organizing ourselves to be effective in pressing those demands on =
elected=20
officials of both corporate parties.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-Greens and others committed to building a political =
alternative to the=20
Democrats and Republicans should keep at it, running =93third party=94 =
candidacies=20
or as progressive independents in non-partisan races and building=20
membership-based independent political organization. There are a number =
of=20
concrete signs that, despite limited success by Green and other third =
party=20
candidates in this election cycle, conditions may be ripening for a more =

broadly-based, mass upsurge of support for a populist political =
alternative, and=20
those of us with genuinely progressive politics need to influence these=20
developments as much as possible. 
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-Already, the discussion about Presidential politics in 2008 =
has begun.=20
This will grow and intensify in coming months, including over the =
question of=20
who the Green Party should run and, for some non-Greens, why activists =
should=20
get behind one or the other of the more progressive Democrats. There is =
no way=20
to avoid these debates; what is essential is that conscious efforts be =
made to=20
keep them as healthy as possible, recognizing that the anachronistic,=20
undemocratic, corporate-dominated, winner-take-all U.S. political system =
makes=20
our work in the electoral arena tremendously challenging.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-Along these lines, the Democratic victory should quickly bring =
to the=20
forefront the electoral democracy issues that have been submerged under=20
Republican control of Congress. Passage by the Congress of many of the =
points of=20
the 10-point Voters Bill of Rights, initially put together at a meeting=20
organized by IPPN following the Florida election debacle in 2000, should =
become=20
a main focus for all of us who appreciate how seriously flawed our =
=93democracy=94=20
is.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-Finally, and certainly not least important, we need to be =
about the work=20
of alliance-building across lines of culture, nationality, issue, =
geography and=20
political strategy. The continuing =93wall between,=94 in Anne =
Braden=92s words,=20
people of color and white people, the reality of systemic racism and =
white=20
supremacy that very much affects the personal relations and interactions =
among=20
progressive activists, must be understood and worked at so that we can =
build a=20
truly multi-cultural movement with significant leadership from people of =
color,=20
youth, women and working-class people.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
November 7th was not the revolution, but it was =
definitely an=20
opening. Let=92s move forward together through it with the tens of =
millions who=20
want not words about a =93new direction=94 but the real =
thing.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
Ted Glick is active with the Climate Crisis Coalition =
(<A=20
href=3D"http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org/">www.climatecrisiscoalition.org</A>) and the Independent Progressive Politics Network (<A=20
href=3D"http://www.ippn.org/">www.ippn.org</A>). He can be=20
reached at <A href=3D"mailto:indpol@igc.org">indpol@igc.org</A> or=20
<st1:address w:st=3D"on"><st1:Street w:st=3D"on">P.O. Box =
1132</st1:Street>,=20
<st1:City w:st=3D"on">Bloomfield</st1:City>, <st1:State=20
w:st=3D"on">N.J.</st1:State></st1:address>&nbsp;=20
07003.</DIV></BODY></HTML>

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	charset=iso-8859-1
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Future Hope column, Nov. 10, 2006

=20

Not the Revolution, But an Opening

=20

By Ted Glick

=20

Fundamental, revolutionary, political and social change is clearly =
needed in the USA and the world. Corporate domination of the economic =
and political system and mass culture is a huge threat to the =
possibilities for a decent and sustainable future for humankind and for =
all forms of life on the earth.

=20

King Coal and Big Oil continue to use their power and vast wealth to =
keep us locked into a reliance on earth-heating fossil fuels that, if =
not quickly reversed, will lead to a steady escalation of catastrophic =
climate events and a breakdown of an already-stressed ecosystem.

=20

The dominance of the Pentagon and corporate-supporting, militaristic =
approaches to problems, the immense amounts of money wasted in weapons =
production, robs the masses of people of badly-needed resources for =
housing, health care, education and economic development. It also =
generates armed resistance, including the terrorism of the stateless =
that, in a nuclear age, is indeed terrifying.

=20

And the widening gulf between the ever-richer, tiny ruling elite of the =
world and the vast majority of the world's population, almost half of =
whom try to get by on no more than $2 a day, is an obscenity justifying =
rebellion on a wide scale.

=20

What happened on November 7th, election day, was not that rebellion. It =
was not the revolution. But it could be a start, an opening up of =
prospects for strengthening independent, issue-oriented =
movement-building.=20

=20

It should also lead to a limited number of concrete, national policy =
victories, as in an increase in the minimum wage, increased funding for =
renewable energy, a somewhat improved system of health care delivery for =
some, by no means all, U.S. citizens, and other reforms.

=20

As far as the Iraq war, the major issue of the campaign, the election =
results should lead to at least some reduction in the amount of money =
spent and in the number of U.S. troops there, hopefully much more than =
that. The problem, however, is that the Democratic Party has a =
long-standing commitment to an imperial foreign policy, albeit less =
openly warlike than the Republicans. With the exception of a small =
minority bloc of consistently progressive elected Democrats, the =
positions of most elected Democrats when it comes to Iraq, Iran, =
Israel/Palestine, Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and other "hot spots" in the =
world is essentially based upon how to maintain U.S. and corporate =
influence and power rather than a commitment to justice and =
self-determination.

=20

But the fact is that, in the long run, it is the masses of people who =
make history, and the big story of this election is that the results =
reflected a definite turning away by a majority of the U.S. electorate =
from the over-the-top, dangerous right-wing agenda of the neo-cons and =
the neo-fascists.=20

=20

The big question for progressives who appreciate the depth of the =
civilizational crisis we are in is this: how do we build upon this =
important political development, deepening, broadening and accelerating =
it? What should we be doing to meet our responsibilities?

=20

-The most important thing we need to do is refuse to let Nancy Pelosi, =
Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and Steny Hoyer set the agenda for us and what =
we do. A concrete example of what we need to be doing on a whole range =
of issues is the recent announcement of a press conference tomorrow, as =
this is being written, announcing the launch of an impeachment campaign =
(www.impeachforchange.org). We should be openly demanding what justice, =
peace and survival call for, organizing ourselves to be effective in =
pressing those demands on elected officials of both corporate parties.

=20

-Greens and others committed to building a political alternative to the =
Democrats and Republicans should keep at it, running "third party" =
candidacies or as progressive independents in non-partisan races and =
building membership-based independent political organization. There are =
a number of concrete signs that, despite limited success by Green and =
other third party candidates in this election cycle, conditions may be =
ripening for a more broadly-based, mass upsurge of support for a =
populist political alternative, and those of us with genuinely =
progressive politics need to influence these developments as much as =
possible.=20

=20

-Already, the discussion about Presidential politics in 2008 has begun. =
This will grow and intensify in coming months, including over the =
question of who the Green Party should run and, for some non-Greens, why =
activists should get behind one or the other of the more progressive =
Democrats. There is no way to avoid these debates; what is essential is =
that conscious efforts be made to keep them as healthy as possible, =
recognizing that the anachronistic, undemocratic, corporate-dominated, =
winner-take-all U.S. political system makes our work in the electoral =
arena tremendously challenging.

=20

-Along these lines, the Democratic victory should quickly bring to the =
forefront the electoral democracy issues that have been submerged under =
Republican control of Congress. Passage by the Congress of many of the =
points of the 10-point Voters Bill of Rights, initially put together at =
a meeting organized by IPPN following the Florida election debacle in =
2000, should become a main focus for all of us who appreciate how =
seriously flawed our "democracy" is.

=20

-Finally, and certainly not least important, we need to be about the =
work of alliance-building across lines of culture, nationality, issue, =
geography and political strategy. The continuing "wall between," in Anne =
Braden's words, people of color and white people, the reality of =
systemic racism and white supremacy that very much affects the personal =
relations and interactions among progressive activists, must be =
understood and worked at so that we can build a truly multi-cultural =
movement with significant leadership from people of color, youth, women =
and working-class people.

=20

November 7th was not the revolution, but it was definitely an opening. =
Let's move forward together through it with the tens of millions who =
want not words about a "new direction" but the real thing.

=20

Ted Glick is active with the Climate Crisis Coalition =
(www.climatecrisiscoalition.org) and the Independent Progressive =
Politics Network (www.ippn.org). He can be reached at indpol@igc.org or =
P.O. Box 1132, Bloomfield, N.J.  07003.

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Future Hope column, Nov. 10, 2006
<?xml:namespace =
prefix =3D o ns =3D=20
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
Not the Revolution, But an Opening
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
By Ted Glick
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
Fundamental, revolutionary, political and social change is =
clearly needed=20
in the <?xml:namespace prefix =3D st1 ns =3D=20
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region=20
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region> =
and the=20
world. Corporate domination of the economic and political system and =
mass=20
culture is a huge threat to the possibilities for a decent and =
sustainable=20
future for humankind and for all forms of life on the earth.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
King Coal and Big Oil continue to use their power and vast =
wealth to keep=20
us locked into a reliance on earth-heating fossil fuels that, if not =
quickly=20
reversed, will lead to a steady escalation of catastrophic climate =
events and a=20
breakdown of an already-stressed ecosystem.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
The dominance of the Pentagon and corporate-supporting, =
militaristic=20
approaches to problems, the immense amounts of money wasted in weapons=20
production, robs the masses of people of badly-needed resources for =
housing,=20
health care, education and economic development. It also generates armed =

resistance, including the terrorism of the stateless that, in a nuclear =
age, is=20
indeed terrifying.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
And the widening gulf between the ever-richer, tiny ruling =
elite of the=20
world and the vast majority of the world=92s population, almost half of =
whom try=20
to get by on no more than $2 a day, is an obscenity justifying rebellion =
on a=20
wide scale.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
What happened on November 7th, election day, was not =
that=20
rebellion. It was not the revolution. But it could be a start, an =
opening up of=20
prospects for strengthening independent, issue-oriented =
movement-building.=20

<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
It should also lead to a limited number of concrete, national =
policy=20
victories, as in an increase in the minimum wage, increased funding for=20
renewable energy, a somewhat improved system of health care delivery for =
some,=20
by no means all, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:country-region=20
w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> citizens, and other=20
reforms.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
As far as the <st1:country-region =
w:st=3D"on">Iraq</st1:country-region>=20
war, the major issue of the campaign, the election results should lead =
to at=20
least some reduction in the amount of money spent and in the number of=20
<st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place=20
w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> troops there, =
hopefully much=20
more than that. The problem, however, is that the Democratic Party has a =

long-standing commitment to an imperial foreign policy, albeit less =
openly=20
warlike than the Republicans. With the exception of a small minority =
bloc of=20
consistently progressive elected Democrats, the positions of most =
elected=20
Democrats when it comes to Iraq, Iran, Israel/Palestine, Venezuela, =
Cuba,=20
Bolivia and other =93hot spots=94 in the world is essentially based upon =
how to=20
maintain U.S. and corporate influence and power rather than a commitment =
to=20
justice and self-determination.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
But the fact is that, in the long run, it is the masses of =
people who=20
make history, and the big story of this election is that the results =
reflected a=20
definite turning away by a majority of the <st1:country-region=20
w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> =
electorate=20
from the over-the-top, dangerous right-wing agenda of the neo-cons and =
the=20
neo-fascists. 
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
The big question for progressives who appreciate the depth of =
the=20
civilizational crisis we are in is this: how do we build upon this =
important=20
political development, deepening, broadening and accelerating it? What =
should we=20
be doing to meet our responsibilities?
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-The most important thing we need to do is refuse to let Nancy =
Pelosi,=20
Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and Steny Hoyer set the agenda for us and what =
we do.=20
A concrete example of what we need to be doing on a whole range of =
issues is the=20
recent announcement of a press conference tomorrow, as this is being =
written,=20
announcing the launch of an impeachment campaign (<A=20
href=3D"http://www.impeachforchange.org/"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =

size=3D3>www.impeachforchange.org</FONT></A><FONT face=3D"Times New =
Roman" size=3D3>).=20
We should be openly demanding what justice, peace and survival call for, =

organizing ourselves to be effective in pressing those demands on =
elected=20
officials of both corporate parties.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-Greens and others committed to building a political =
alternative to the=20
Democrats and Republicans should keep at it, running =93third party=94 =
candidacies=20
or as progressive independents in non-partisan races and building=20
membership-based independent political organization. There are a number =
of=20
concrete signs that, despite limited success by Green and other third =
party=20
candidates in this election cycle, conditions may be ripening for a more =

broadly-based, mass upsurge of support for a populist political =
alternative, and=20
those of us with genuinely progressive politics need to influence these=20
developments as much as possible. 
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-Already, the discussion about Presidential politics in 2008 =
has begun.=20
This will grow and intensify in coming months, including over the =
question of=20
who the Green Party should run and, for some non-Greens, why activists =
should=20
get behind one or the other of the more progressive Democrats. There is =
no way=20
to avoid these debates; what is essential is that conscious efforts be =
made to=20
keep them as healthy as possible, recognizing that the anachronistic,=20
undemocratic, corporate-dominated, winner-take-all U.S. political system =
makes=20
our work in the electoral arena tremendously challenging.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-Along these lines, the Democratic victory should quickly bring =
to the=20
forefront the electoral democracy issues that have been submerged under=20
Republican control of Congress. Passage by the Congress of many of the =
points of=20
the 10-point Voters Bill of Rights, initially put together at a meeting=20
organized by IPPN following the Florida election debacle in 2000, should =
become=20
a main focus for all of us who appreciate how seriously flawed our =
=93democracy=94=20
is.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
-Finally, and certainly not least important, we need to be =
about the work=20
of alliance-building across lines of culture, nationality, issue, =
geography and=20
political strategy. The continuing =93wall between,=94 in Anne =
Braden=92s words,=20
people of color and white people, the reality of systemic racism and =
white=20
supremacy that very much affects the personal relations and interactions =
among=20
progressive activists, must be understood and worked at so that we can =
build a=20
truly multi-cultural movement with significant leadership from people of =
color,=20
youth, women and working-class people.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
November 7th was not the revolution, but it was =
definitely an=20
opening. Let=92s move forward together through it with the tens of =
millions who=20
want not words about a =93new direction=94 but the real =
thing.
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
Ted Glick is active with the Climate Crisis Coalition =
(<A=20
href=3D"http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org/">www.climatecrisiscoalition.org</A>) and the Independent Progressive Politics Network (<A=20
href=3D"http://www.ippn.org/">www.ippn.org</A>). He can be=20
reached at <A href=3D"mailto:indpol@igc.org">indpol@igc.org</A> or=20
<st1:address w:st=3D"on"><st1:Street w:st=3D"on">P.O. Box =
1132</st1:Street>,=20
<st1:City w:st=3D"on">Bloomfield</st1:City>, <st1:State=20
w:st=3D"on">N.J.</st1:State></st1:address>&nbsp;=20
07003.</DIV></BODY></HTML>

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