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LAURIE KAFKA's avatar

If only we had the leadership to boldly implement this incredible plan, we would be in such a different place than we are now. If we could only keep money out of politics, much of what you have laid would be possible. It seems that almost every politician is owned, so until that changes, our current trajectory seems to be imminent. It all comes down to leadership, and unfortunately, that is what we are currently lacking. I would love to see what you have laid out to see the light of day, and millions of others would too, if they only realized what we could have, what is possible, if only…

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Lukium's avatar

Honestly though, I think that it’s about more than just money in politics. Don’t get me wrong, that’s an important factor. But I think even more than that a big issue is that people have become so disillusioned that they give up before even trying to push for something that’s truly transformational. Many people call it Cynical Resignation / Political Cynicism.

The reason why I think this is important is because it’s not just about politicians being bought. It’s about not enough people trying to hold them accountable because deep inside they believe that the thing they want can’t happen (because politicians are bought, or corrupted in some other way, etc.).

Here’s a perfect example. Look at the number of people that came out last weekend. Over 5 million. But what exactly was their ask from the elected officials that are closer to them (local/state level)? Virtually none that I can point to, definitely nothing consistent. If we could get that kind of momentum behind “asks” designed to shift the scales of power, we could get so much done.

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LAURIE KAFKA's avatar

I hear what you are saying, and I agree. However, there are several roadblocks to what you are proposing, and again, it always comes down to leadership, & right now, the party does not have their “Navalny.” Without a leader, the messages are fragmented. The protests were amazing, and I believe it is incumbent upon every one of us who are able, to be out there. But, there is also a large fraction of the population who are willfully ignorant or just don’t care about politics, they (& we have discussed this before) are the very people we need to reach, but how can we do that? Until we have solid leadership, we are, undoubtedly, going to continue into this ongoing cycle of decline.

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Lukium's avatar

So, I think we have a bit of a “chicken or the egg” problem. I’m of the mind that a leader can only come from the people, once the people unite behind a cohesive idea. In my opinion, if we wait for a leader to come for us to fall behind them, then we will wait forever and never get it.

I think what needs to happen is for the different silos on the left to realize and accept that whether they care about: immigrants’ rights, African American rights, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, money in politics, etc., that none of it will see substantial improvements until we can mend the most fundamental issue of our social fabric: the erosion of Capitalism into Corporatism.

Unless we can redirect some of our efforts (not all), from the key things we care about, and push, together, for massive changes to how our economy is structured, the incentives, taxation, etc., what little is left of democracy will be shattered and turned into fascism, under which, none of the things we care about will see any progress, only regression.

TL,DR: either people on our side consolidate behind a cohesive economic agenda and lift up leaders that will make it happen, or America is done.

We need to stop saying “if only we could do X first, then Y would happen.” No. We need tax reform (WAY WAY WAY higher taxes of the wealthy) along with training & public works (our bridges and dams are crumbling, our pipes are leaching lead, our roads are full of potholes, our power grid sucks, too many people don’t have internet, etc. — there’s plenty of work to be done). To be blunt, every person in the left who’s distracted pushing anything but the above is essentially in the way of us overcoming Trumpism.

And believe me, I understand how pressing other issues can feel. As an immigrant who’s not yet a citizen, I go to sleep every day wondering if tomorrow is gonna be the day I get disappeared, and yet, I realize/accept that the best way to make sure that that day never comes, is for me to try and build a movement that will lift people up economically (both on the left and the right); that any effort I put towards immigration issues only guarantees that more people will get disappeared in the long run, including potentially, myself.

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LAURIE KAFKA's avatar

I agree with everything you said, but I’m not sure we can wait too much longer for that person to step up. They kind of start, (like Newsom & Pritzker), but then they stay silent. I don’t really have any preferences, just someone who the people can unite with who supports humanity, not corporations and the morbidly wealthy. It’s definitely a challenge, but time is really ticking for all of us at this point.

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Lukium's avatar

We shouldn’t be waiting for them to step up…

The people that came out in California a week ago to say “No Kings” should be going to Newsom’s office to tell him what they do want. Same for Pritzker, etc.

Tell them you want them to raise taxes on millionaires to house the homeless veterans.

Tell them you want them to raise taxes on millionaires to pay for school lunches.

Tell them you want them to raise taxes on millionaires to implement a single payer healthcare system.

Tell them you want them to raise taxes on millionaires to fix the bridges, the dams, the roads, the pipes.

Tell them you want them to raise taxes on millionaires to fund their own version of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that can’t be screwed up by federal gridlock.

Tell them you want them to raise taxes on millionaires to pay for vocational training for those whose jobs were shipped away by the millionaires and billionaires.

In short… stop going out on the streets to say that you don’t want Donald Trump and start going out to the streets to tell your Democratic elected officials to give you the government you deserve. And if they don’t listen, be louder. And if they don’t listen, then fire them in the next election and elect from among you someone who will do these things.

Stop having marches saying you don’t want millionaires and billionaires. Start going out on the streets to tell your governor that if we can have a system where someone can be a billionaire, we can have a system where that billionaire funds the needs of our society. That they can and will make a sacrifice, with their massive wealth, that feels equivalent to the bus driver, the Walmart cashier, the pre-school teacher.

Stop screaming about what you don’t want, start screaming about what you expect.

That’s how a leader will step up, either the one you already have, or someone else to replace them.

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LAURIE KAFKA's avatar

You are 100% correct. How motivating this message is! That is exactly what we should all be doing! To that end, 5calls.org is an excellent way to express what we want our legislators to know about how we feel about so many issues, and we can tell them what we want (expect) them to do. So, you are definitely on the right track (as you so often are). Please stay safe, as we are living through quite extraordinary times! I will definitely look forward to your next Substack.

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