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we desperately need a unified progressive platform . . . or statement of principles, or whatever else we might want to call it . . . we don't have to decide what we'll do with it just yet . . . we might present it to the Democratic Party (along with a million or so signatures) and ask that they adopt it . . . if they don't (highly likely), there are other options (3rd parties, new parties, think tanks, etc.) . . .
yes, I know that there are other platforms and statements of principle out there . . . seems, in fact, that every organization, every website, every minor party, every publication, everyBODY has one . . . these would all feed into this project . . . the goal would be to take the best ideas and bring them together into a unified statement that everyone can agree to . . . difficult, yes . . . impossible, no . . .
here's a little bit of my thinking, which is really quite rudimentary at this point . . . just some random thoughts that have crossed my mind recently, not fleshed out at all . . . the fleshing out would be the substance of the task . . .
I think this is a good idea for several reasons . . .
first, we need a well thought-out, well articulated statement of what we stand to bring all of the diverse liberal and progressive entities (websites, publications, e-zines, nonprofits, etc.) together to work collectively toward a common, and commonly accepted, set of goals . . . we can only win this battle by working together (while each continuing to do whatever it is we do, of course) . . . the left is fragmented, and it desperately needs to become unified . . . we therefore need a unifying document that everyone can agree on, with goals that everyone can agree to work toward . . .
second, I am continually amazed at the quality of discussion, the thoughtfulness, the depth, and the imagination demonstrated on DU daily . . . amidst all the crap, there is some really quality thinking, some really quality writing, and some really quality research . . . I am also amazed at the breadth and depth of resources (articles, websites, commentary, etc.) that are linked by DUers in their posts . . . my guess is that the amount of information and knowledge that flows through DU is unsurpassed on the net . . . unfortunately, it's also unorganized . . .
and third, I know that the whole left/right dichotomy is an artificial construct created by the power structure to keep us at each other's throats . . . what unites us (working people, the non-rich, both left and right) is FAR greater than what divides us . . . ALL working people face the same challenges, and ALL working people are going to be equally screwed by BushCo . . . but only if we let them (i.e. we're good little Nazis) . . .
so why not blend these three things -- a need (for a unified platform), resources (DU members), and a purpose (joining with moderates and conservatives to take on how things are done in Washington, and to change it)? . . . those with the interest, the motivation, and the time (including, I would hope, some of our most talented contributors) could spend the next few months working together to prepare such a document . . . they could then take comments (as opposed to engaging in ongoing discussions, which would take forever), modify as necessary, and come up with the final thingy, which would then be distributed far and wide with one objective: bringing all progressives together (along with moderates and conservatives) to get something done . . . and that something is finding or developing a mechanism to put the goals of the plan into practice . . . the best mechanism would probably be the Democratic Party, if they would adopt the statement as their own . . . but they undoubtedly won't, and here's why . . .
the platform/statement I envision will not have a left/right focus . . . it will have an up/down focus . . . neither liberal nor conservative, it will instead be populist . . . it will be a statement that engages the real battle, between the corporatocracy (up) and us, the people (down) . . . now the party won't like that much, and will no doubt cringe in mock horror at this blatant appeal to "class warfare" . . . well, if that's what it is, THEY started it -- and they've spent a lot of time and energy winning it, and accumulating all of the resources -- particularly money -- in the process . . . we're just reacting to the greed, imperialism, and incompetence that currently characterizes our government . . . they WANT us to fight the left/right battle to keep us occupied . . . they most assuredly DO NOT want us to engage the up/down battle . . . because they know they'll lose (i.e. there's a hell of a lot more of us than there are of them) . . .
a statement of this kind would need an organizing theme that will appeal to ALL thinking people -- left, right, and center . . . IMHO that theme should be "Ending Corporate Governance", and the motto should be "Restoring Citizen Authority Over Corporations" . . . everything would proceed from this organizing principle . . . the first "plank" would flesh out what we mean by those phrases . . . again IMHO, this would include things like ending corporate personhood; corporate re-regulation; media control; taking corporate money out of politics; outsoucing; job creation; consumer protection; incentives in areas like alternative energy, resource conservation, recycling, etc., and for operating a clean, non-polluting company that doesn't make anything destructive, either to humans or the planet; disincentives for companies that pollute and/or make destructive or irresponsible products; and things like that . . .
here's where I expect to get the "you're completely nuts" kind of comments . . . this is a proposal to engage the beast head on, and go directly to its heart . . . it's radical, it's unprecedented, why it's downright un-American! -- that's what they'll say . . . what it really is is an acknowledgement of reality based on the truth, something sorely lacking these days . . . this is a proposal to "tell it like it is" -- in a thoughtful, well-researched, and persuasive way . . . it can be done . . . remember: what unites us (working people, the non-rich, both left and right) is FAR greater than what divides us . . . FAR greater! . . .
there would, of course, be other planks addressing the other critical issues -- foreign policy, Iraq and Afghanistan, economic policy and progressive taxation, healthcare, defense and domestic security, education, commerce, the environment, poverty, civil rights and civil liberties, voting, war, peace, and whatever else needs to be included . . . some positions will be viewed as "left", some as "right", some as "centrist" -- but they'll all be populist . . . I see the philosophical underpinning as something like "creating a humane and just society" . . .
well, that's all I've got for now . . . again, this is just an idea that I've been mulling for awhile, and a quicky explanation of why I'm mulling this instead of my apple cider . . . if this sparks your imagination, let's discuss it and get the ball rolling . . . time's a-wastin', and BushCo's a-plottin' . . . we need to do something, and we need to do it NOW . . .
this is a huge project that would have to be accomplished in a short span of time . . . say three to six months or so . . . it will require real commitment from any number of people . . . people willing to take on developing different platform planks with help from other DUers . . . how it would all work is something I haven't really thought about very much . . .
I need to crash for awhile . . . I'll post this and check back later to see if it sparks anything . . . if not, I'll just start planning next year's garden or something . . .
peace, y'all . . .
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