Organizing: Why weren't we all wearing MEDICARE FOR ALL BUTTONS post-Obama win...

[defendandprotect]

Or even during the his campaign?

I see tons of people every day --- I'd like to know how they feel --

More than 74%+ of us want single payer system similar to MEDICARE FOR ALL --

Would it have created pressure?

Why weren't Democrats called out to demonstrate on OUR issues as the T-baggers

were called out and in fact PRODUCED by the GOP/Freedom Works?

Where were the women's organizations to call out their members --

who knows the need of medical care for our families better than women?

Where was the NAACP to call out Democrats and their members?

Where were labor unions to call out Democrats and their members to demonstrate for

MEDICARE FOR ALL?

What's holding back progressive organizations -- ???

TEACHER'S UNION????


Sadly, these are missed opportunities -- no hassle ways to organize and demonstrate --



Aren't they?

I mean -- yes, we can craft our own buttons -- but why haven't the Democrats supplied them?

Why has DU supplied them --

Why have none of our liberal organizations COME TOGETHER ....

and why haven't they supplied them?

[No Elephants]

1. That is a lot of questions. Here is part of the problem.

The Republicans have been organizing top to bottom and back again for years and years. As far as I know, Democrats have not.
Bill Bradley wrote a book about this in around 2006 or 2007.

Some of the things Republicans have done, that I know off the top of my head.

First and foremost, they approached churches, starting in the late seventies, after Roe v. Wade.. (I am not recommending this. I am all for separation of church and state. I am just noting it.) Churches usually set up telephone trees or other means of communicating with all their members very quickly. (This is apart from preaching the Repubican mantra from the pulpit and also bringing racial and ethnic minorities into the Republican Party via their loyalty to God/church.)

They also partnered with the organizations of gun enthusiasts.

They formed think tanks, focus groups and the like, well before Democrats did.

And, since most people form their political loyalty via their family or in their youth, they went after the young:'

They(and Libertarians) made a point of running for school boards.

In some cases, esepcially in Texas, the Republicans and their church partners have provided courses, teachers and textbooks for courses on American history and other targeted subjects. (And, of course, the history is that America is a godly nation, founded by believes and was never intended to be secular.)

They formed youth groups and ran "leadership" events for them. Or, they have provided lectures and other services to youth groups that already exist. Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts, etc.

And there is probably more that has escaped my notice.

So, given all the above, there is, among many other things, an ease of communication/organization that Democrats just have not put in place.

Democrats once had unions, but America has eviscerated those. And a lot of union members are now Republicans, not Democrats, as the Republicans somehow managed to turn reality on its head and convince them that the Democrats are the elitists.

Democrats have been playing catch up in endeavors like think tanks, but we really have nothing comparable to the combined forces of churches and guns. And, we do not ever seem to come up with these things first, or even maintain our advantages, like the one we used to have with unions. (BTW, the unions were called out to counter the Teabaggers and did turn up faithfully.)

On edit: My preference is to direct attention to what is going on now and what we can do to improve/expand on it in the future.

[defendandprotect]

2. Be back to answer this more fully tomorrow --

But basically ALL of what you are talking about was put in place by WEALTHY

right wingers -- it's all fake --

Even the right wing religious movement --

Take seriously what Cheney has told you -- they create the reality, we live it!!



Later --