Return to the Streets, Then Vote

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

07 September 10

Reader Supported News | Perspective

am tired of reading about how the election of President Obama has taken the wind out of the anti-war movement. Protesting and voting are not mutually exclusive. We can take to the streets to hold the Democrats' feet to the fire and still vote against the Republicans in November.

A massive anti-war rally will not aid the GOP; a huge labor rally will not hurt the Democrats. To the contrary, energizing the base should be a part of any get out the vote effort. One example of this is Jerry Brown's caucus win over Bill Clinton in Nevada in 1992. The party establishment in Nevada was behind Bob Kerry and Bill Clinton, then Kerry dropped out, leaving the party activists in the Clinton camp.

So why did Jerry Brown beat Clinton? Some say it was transplanted Californians. The truth, however, is it was the endorsement of a union that was on strike. Jerry Brown went to the culinary union picket line at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, and a few days later the caucus rooms were full of Culinary Union jackets. If the strike was not happening at that time, many of those rank-and-file union members would have stayed home. Jerry Brown won because those voters were engaged.

A mistake that progressives make every time a Democrat takes the White House is to stop organizing street heat. Progressives hold huge rallies when the Republicans are in office even though they will not listen. Progressives should continue to organize those rallies. They are not a waste; they energize the base and get people politically active, increasing the odds that they will vote in November. The same could be true if these rallies are held during a Democratic administration.

On October 2nd, United for Peace and Justice will be marching in Washington, DC under the theme One Nation Working Together. The goal is for peace activists to come together with civil rights, labor, immigrant rights, environmental and other progressive organizations to call for ending the wars and focusing on our nation's needs. If a coalition like this truly comes together it will not be good news for the GOP.

While many Democrats have disappointed their base, the truth is that there are many who deserve our support. Some of them are in tight races. On the Senate side, Russ Feingold, Patty Murray and Barbara Boxer are in tight races. And the GOP is throwing the kitchen sink at Congressional reps like Alan Grayson.

When pollsters identify likely voters they are seeing an enthusiasm problem among Democrats, while Tea Party rallies have energized the Republicans. With two months to go until the midterm elections, Democrats need to become engaged. Instead of wallowing in our disappointment with the Obama administration, progressives and liberals need to organize.

The benefits of organizing will not only be felt at the polls in November, we can also affect the policies of both the administration and Congress. A vibrant anti-war movement in the streets will give the administration the cover it needs to wind down the war in Afghanistan. A vibrant labor movement in the streets could lead to more stimulus.

America's future depends on progressives and liberals flooding the streets as soon as possible, and the ballot boxes in November. We can't afford to not do both.

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

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