Progressive Candidates

Maybe it's the optimist in me. Maybe it's my deep progressive roots. Maybe it's my sense of history. Maybe it's my hope for a better world.

But I'm feeling like there's a reckoning coming to the world-wide nationalistic, austerity-driven worldview. I could also be wrong.

If I'm right, Cathy Glasson from Iowa is on the leading edge of a progressive revival.

Give Me A Good Tactic

People aren't filled with apathy. They do care. People do want better lives for themselves, their children and their neighbors. No one wants to struggle to put food on the table or to keep a roof over the heads of loved ones.

What's happened, in my view, is there is a large group of people who have given up. They see no hope in challenging the system so they come home from work, lock the door, pull the shades and pump in hours and hours of broadcast anesthesia. Absent a movement with a message of where we need to go and effective tactics/strategies to get there, we are not going to recruit anyone to our cause.

In many ways, our movement organizations own this. We certainly understand how to agitate people - there are no shortages of injustices in the world. What we lack is a convincing program to challenge the power structures. How will our actions be effective? What can we say about the outcome? There are times when you simply have to protest because it is righteous, but does anyone really want to participate in a one-off event to be waited out by the power structure?

Collective action does not guarantee results, but it is the only action that produces results. The same group that many believe are apathetic are there to be persuaded, waiting for inspiration and tactics that work. This is our job moving forward.

People rise up and power structures double-down. Change requires coercive demand for change. To create an effective demand for change, we need people power. To get people power, we need a clear message and convincing strategy to move people in our direction. To do this, our communications should be on the Why, and our organizers and committed volunteers need to focus on the How to recruit our people power.

Both are needed. Why and How.

ODD

One of my values is taking ownership for mistakes. I value it in myself and others, and it raises flags for me when others deflect and blame. The challenge, and the reason for the warning flags is an unwillingness to take ownership necessarily creates obstacles to growth and development. You cannot fix a vulnerability unless you expose it.

Another value of mine is not defining people by their worst moments. At first look, these might seem incongruous values but they're not - in fact, I would say that understanding this about me should help in overcoming any hesitation in working through mistakes. Taking ownership with someone who understands we all have our worst moments creates growth opportunities for all involved.

I suppose there are lots of reasons why people deflect and blame others for their own imperfections. A close friend who I've shared some of these challenges with has shared back with me something called oppositional defiant disorder. My friend was mostly talking about Donald what's-his-name, but I didn't have to look far to see some closer examples.

Apropos Of Nothing

Trump is ditching the Paris Accord because his hand was squeezed too hard by the new French president. I wish I was making this up.

Heading out for a bike ride around Governor's Island up in Gilford. I'm thinking about riding up from Concord - it's only 27 miles, but it will be my first long ride this year. I'm not sure I'm ready - we'll see.

Some people are just not doing what they were meant to do. You know who you are.

I'm heading to Philadelphia on Tuesday for two days. I was hoping for a Barnes Museum visit but it doesn't look possible. Going to see a hotel room and airport. That's it.

I have no interest in the Boston Red Sox. Not even box score scanning these days.

I've pretty much had it with Clinton Derangement Syndrome. I'm not fan of the Clintons, but agree completely with Hillary's assessment that she lost the election because of Russian meddling, Comey interference and a weak and ineffectual main stream media. It boggles my mind to read the columns by the same people who wouldn't move off the non-story email bullshit now telling Clinton to STFU and go away. We are all well and screwed.

Average Ordinary Life

Heard this on Coffeehouse on Sirius the other day and looked it up. The guitar playing is really good and his voice resonates with another age of music.