Robert Reich seems to think left wing activists can’t organize, as evidenced by them not doing really coming out for Obama’s health care “plan” (whatever that is). Since left wing activists put together massive marches against the Iraq war, for example, it’s nonsense that they can’t do it. So why haven’t they?
Our real activists, as a group, believe in single payer. They are not going to march, or even show up at Townhalls in large numbers in order to push some wishy -washy bill that has a public option which sucks wind (and none of the bills have a good public option.)
Obama and Democrats deliberately demotivated the base by telling them that single payer was off the table, arrested them when they dared insist on talking about it, and disrespected them in every way possible.
Of course the activists aren’t showing up. Who the hell would expect them to? If Obama or Democrats in general want activists, who by definition are hardcore people who actually believe in liberalism to show up and fight for them, they need to offer liberalism, not warmed over centrist pap.
Republican activists are worked up, and liberal activists are demotivated, and that’s a direct result of Democratic decisions. I’m tired as hell of hearing activists being blamed for decisions made by craven, triangulating politicians.
Message to Obama and other Democratic leadership: Stand for actual liberalism; for actual workable policy; and activists will stand with you. Liberals and progressives stand with liberals and progressives.
That isn’t you.
So quiver alone, until you find the courage to have some convictions.
Update: a friend tried to tell me otherwise, pointing to rallies of 1,000 to 2,000 over the last weekend. My answer:
Ah, then the majority of people at town halls are and have been supporters of the public option, yes? You’re out-numbering and out-organizing the right wing, yes? You don’t need liberal activists who favor single payer. That’s /so/ good to know.
So very glad to hear it. Not what I heard from Eric Massa, for one, at NN09 “90% of people at my town halls are against heatlh care reform”, but perhaps since then you’ve turned things around.
And of course, you are having huge rallies, right?
You will excuse me, however, if rallies of 1,000 or 2,000 people don’t impress me. How many people came out to protest the Iraq war, for example? (Answer, even in the US, rallies of 100,000 to 200,000. Even in later years 10 to 20K was not uncommon).
Where are the activists? Why are the unions having to carry this? Why are your rallies an order of magnitude or two lower than rallies for another big cause that occurred recently?
So yes, I think I’ll say that the activists are not showing up.