Occupy's Response to President Obama's State of the Union Address

[votesparks]

Occupy's official response to President Obama's State of the Union address, delivered by Kshama Sawant (Socialist, Occupy, Seattle City Councilmember)

[SamKnause]

1. Well done

As a fellow Socialist I applaud you !!!!!

[Heather MC]

2. Best Response of all

I agree with many of the things she spoke about #1 being getting corporate money out of politics.
I think we would benefit from a multiple party system
I believe if more people had a chance to have their voices heard through a candidate that represents them, there would be less frustration and more political envolvement from elgible voters.

I hear people all the time expressing frustration that neither side is listening so what's the point.

And I really loath the Drone Program, however, I know that if Mittens had won that program would still be going strong, it was the only thing he strongly stood for during the debates.

However, I believe that it's hard to levy all the blame on the President when we have a political party that has openly admitted to making it their mission to obstruct the President every chance they get.

[malthaussen]

5. But that's like the recipe for rabbit stew...

#1: first, catch your rabbit.

I agree that overturning Citizen's United is absolutely required. How do we do it? Pack the Supreme Court next administration, and bring the case before it? How likely is a President to do that, especially as the Super PACs will doubtless play a major role in his election?

Suppose the next President is Hillary Clinton, as so many seem to want. How do we know she will choose Justices that reflect Democratic goals? She might just as well pick corporate tools to advance the Free Market agenda that she loves so well.

Kill me that rabbit. Then we'll see what's for dinner.

-- Mal

[Heather MC]

7. I am not for Hillary

I think it's premature to be picking a horse in the 2016 race, when we still have 2014 to get through.

I will make my decision on whom I will support based on the Actual Candidates, when there are Actual Candidates.

We have to find a rabbit to set a trap for first LOL
but mmm mmm rabbit stew, I am from the Country we do Rabbit Stew Surprise

Surprise, It's Possum!

[Titonwan]

34. Dat's funee! Kee!

[Half-Century Man]

15. A working effective solution

www.wolf-pac.com

Go see for yourself,

[Scuba]

3. I agree with most of what Ms. Sawant said. I disagree that we need a "new party"...

It will be much easier to wrest power away from the corporatists who have taken over the Democratic Party than it would be to start a viable new party.

I'm not sure what she meant by taking "a break from capitalism". I'm in favor of a well-regulated and progressively taxed capitalism model.

[elzenmahn]

26. I ABSOLUTELY believe we need a new party...

...or at least, enough noise from the Greens and Peace/Freedom to force the Democrats to run more to the left.

Any party that produces such swill as Blanche Lincoln, Ben Nelson, and other nameable characters bought and paid for by Corporate America needs competition from the side it alleges to be on.

And no, it won't be easier to wrest power away from the corporatists, who provide a huge percentage of the funding for the Democratic Party. From where else can this funding come from? The tragedy of the Democratic Party is, remove Corporate America's funding (thanks in large part to Billary), and you're left with entities like Labor, Education (which itself is becoming more and more infiltrated by corporate/conservative elements), some corners of the Entertainment industry (which is also becoming more rightward), and the ever-squeezed middle class and working poor's donations.

And the point you make about capitalism begs the question: by "well-regulated" - how much and how far is "well-regulated"? I'm certainly thinking that certain aspects of our economy should be "socialistic" - like a single-payer healthcare system. I'm not saying I want the government to make my TVs or shoes. But I believe that we need to get over our collective phobia about the word "socialism".

[Scuba]

28. As a proud card-carrying member of the Public Library I'm in agreement on the socialism phobia.

[zeemike]

4. Something you will never see on your TV.

But the Tea Party is.
A well spoken young lady...good for her.

[Dustlawyer]

6. I believe a new party with "Socialist" as the name is destined to be marginalized!

I would advocate that they focus ONLY on COMPLETE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM, including PUBLICLY FUNDED ELECTIONS. That would be aimed directly at the Root Cause of most of our problems. The corruption of our electoral process is complete. The politicians of both parties are bought of by the Plutocrats. Fix this and you can fix the other things like busting up the oligopolies in media and banking. Drastically curtail the MIC and return Representative government back to "We the People!"

[DhhD]

12. Agreed. Hope you have time to read my Reply down thread. What are we looking at in the future

if the Plutocracy continues to take control?

[Half-Century Man]

16. I think we are far enough from the cold war

where the propaganda we used against the USSR has lost a lot of it's sting, at least among the younger population.
The term socialism can be Americanized.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

18. Agreed.

It's time to take ownership of the word and to educate others on what it actually means, instead of what they think it means.

[noiretextatique]

22. you probably need to start right here

there seems to be a lot of support for the third way here, including their demonization of the left.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

23. Yes, I've experienced it first hand.

And I'm in a particularly precarious situation a little different than my Marxist brothers and sisters. See, some here on DU can't understand that anarchism and socialism in terms of historical philosophy, are actually the same thing. They think they are contradictory terms - but don't understand that there are other currents of socialism than just Marxism. They can't comprehend that I'm a socialist in the anarchist tradition.

Even though, in both histories, there have been a lot of animosity between the two major traditions, there have also been many cooperative agitations. The ends are the same for both, just we quibble about the means.

I have declare my affinity and solidarity with my Marxist brothers and sisters. Right now, we face a very real enemy with the merger of corporation and the state.

We can work out our differences about at a later time, but right now, all socialists need to unite.

But long story short, not only do I have to describe or define what socialism actually is (and there are minor variations between the various thinkers - though control of the means of production by Labor, and the control of their product is the main theme), I also end up in red herring arguments about what anarchism really is!

Oh well.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

33. I agree

Solidarity.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

39. Solidarity to you, my friend!

[L0oniX]

8. It's "we the people" not "we the corporations". Do we need a law to bring force to that?

[elzenmahn]

27. Yes we do...

...we need a constitutional amendment that overturns Citizens United, and says:

Money is not Speech
Corporations are not People.

[davidthegnome]

9. I like her.

She's very accurate in what she has to say - and if we had a congress or senate full of people like her, we could change the status quo. Hell, she'd get my vote.

That said... the changes she speaks of, will not occur without either an enormous change in our political atmosphere, or a massive uprising of working Americans. I don't mean a few thousand workers on strike - I mean millions of people willing to go to Washington DC and shut it down until our demands are heard. Hey, I can dream.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

19. I believe you're right.

However, we have a mix of Huxley and Orwell that has placated us in some areas, and scared us into servility in others where very few are up for the feat you propose.

[Titonwan]

35. So true.

I'd follow this woman into battle- that's how inspirational she is. Her sincerity is palpable and serene. A very strong and brave woman.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

41. We need more agitators like her.

But it's just a drop in the bucket.

I don't mean to be cynical, but for all our declarations of love for freedom and liberty, we are remarkably docile. Look at the Syrians, the Ukrainians, the Greeks, the French (who kidnap CEOs), etc., etc., - they are far more freedom loving than we can ever be. They take to the streets and they mean business when they do.

Our Occupy, while noble and genuine, was not supported by most of the populace (much of this is due to the Media). We want our Superbowls (I'm guilty), we want our McDonalds, and we want it now - and we don't need to be inconvenienced by some dirty heathens protesting about equality and the loss of our civil liberties!

In those aforementioned countries (Labor actually has a lot of support) - and in the case of the French, the workers have a lot more advantages than us, but they still take to the streets. Here, we're being raped daily, and except for a few talking heads, and some minor protests around some major cities, we do nothing.

It's depressing.

Sorry for the rant.

[Titonwan]

42. No need to be sorry, compadre.

I see it too. I was in support of OWS from it's birth but like a lot of people I couldn't afford to leave a job to join in it. I barely make it as it is. And that's the crux of it- they keep us broke, but not desperate- as a whole.
There are many things keeping us down but one is pretty insidious- food stamps (link card). During the depression, people had to wait in long soup lines for sustenance and folks talk while waiting. They can share their frustration and that is why a lot of socialist, communist and union organizing began- right smack dab there in those soup lines. Now? Every one is hidden in their poverty by the illusion of privacy when in reality it keeps the obvious soup lines hidden from public view, making no chance of popular revolt effective. We all suffer quietly alone, instead of getting angry collectively. That's pretty cold, man.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

44. Wow!

I never thought of it that way. The soup lines being the catalyst as an agent for revolt. That's a marvelous take on it. However, we do have the internet. Via the internet, I went from being a liberal to an anarchist in ten years. I read everything I could get my hands on. So the communication is there, but we are still hidden privately in our homes. We need to touch real flesh to act for change.

Another thing about your post reminded me about something. During the depression, one of the main vehicles for appeasing the various socialist and communist groups, and this won't be a popular idea here, was the New Deal. Roosevelt said it himself - this program was intended to "save capitalism from itself." Now, the cartelization of capital could move on unencumbered with the full might and backing of the state. The trade off, which many industrialists supported, was a safety net - to give the poor masses enough to A) keep from revolting because now they had something to lose, and B) provide a base of customers to continue propping up the industrial machinery. They could still have Labor (those that worked) work for less, while they take more in profits, and also have an increased consumer based which included those that didn't work so they can continue to buy widgets to prevent the collapse of capitalism.

It was truly ingenious.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Roosevelt was acting nefariously. I think he really cared about the poor, but I think the industrialists had his ear, and he sort of had to make a Sophie's choice.

This is a very enlightening exchange.

[oldandhappy]

10. We are responsible!

We must keep the Senate and take back the House. The Obama presidency is a perfect example of how one fine person cannot do the job alone. Allllll of us must be a part of change. Get involved with registering voters and then with get out the vote campaigns. If you live in a state with new voter ID laws, learn about them and then help those who need help with meeting the requirements of the new laws. We gotta do this! And yes, I am, smile.

[DhhD]

11. Upon opening the video, I was hoping that the City Councilwoman would set up a mindset to explain the

difference between socialism and capitalism. The message was exceptional; more coming from the 99% to go to the wealthy and corporations, unless the 99% stop it. I was hoping for a closure on how socialism keeps capitalism in a check and balance situation. A lot of people may be afraid of socialism because it reminds them of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia which ended not in socialism but in communism/Red Army control.

I am also disappointed in the Obama policies and practices of corporatism that Obama calls bipartisanship. I actually feel like he lied and mislead the country by using the word bipartisan instead of corporatism, which now, seems to be exactly what he meant. At least Republicans are up front enough, to as to speak and show how they want Americans to suffer even more as they did not clap in support of Obama's moderations. After hearing and seeing Obama' speech last night, I believe that the Far Right Wing Extremist are for the Trickle-Up to move even faster. Will we see a lot of new orphanages open up where children go to repay their Red, by military service? GWB gave an interview in the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, about 1992, about these orphanages that he wanted to open then in Texas. Food stamps are being removed from the poor. IMO they can withhold food from the poor to control the poor in orphanages/work camps. After all of the food stamp cuts to the poor, food for low income people, is mostly through local schools. Keep in mind that Republicans are for poor children to begin working at school for their food. And they are for privatization of classrooms so the poor can remain in a public school, taxpayer driven setting. Keep in mind that this includes Children with Disabilities educated through several education acts/public laws. Segregation in all walks of life has been reinvented by the, " GOP Red Wing Enablers".

Thanks for your work and courage Councilwoman Sawant.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

20. Both the US and the USSR ...

... were instrumental in damaging the term "socialism." The US by declaring it evil, and the USSR by pretending to be it.

Both served the interests of the uber-wealthy in both nations.

[Titonwan]

36. You just nailed it, brother.

We got full bore socialism right now- to the uber wealthy/privileged. I see a blend of the two*, where obsession isn't rewarded to the sociopaths who live by darwinian terms.

*Capitalism/Socialism

[Fantastic Anarchist]

40. Yes, it really boils down to that.

We don't have a truly free and fair market - that can only exist with a true bottom's up, grassroots socialism (i.e. anarchism, syndicalism, autonomist Marxism, Council Communism, etc).

Free markets only exists when the producers control their product and the means of production, and can then trade goods and services amongst other producers sans a parasite that extracts surplus value from the exchange that has no bearing on the market except to reward theft!

Propert is theft! ~ Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

What we see is an extreme bastardization of figurative socialism where the distribution of wealth is fed upwards to the few wealthy elite, and where the producers (the many) see no real gains, and in fact, actually see losses, in the real economy.

So, in essence, we have "socialism" (Note the quotes) for the rich! The capitalists don't decry this "socialism," no!!!! Not at all. This is preferable to them. They love to socialize the costs, and privatize the profits. That's the "socialism" - the kind that the state helps enforce through their monopoly on either the threat of use, or the actual use of violence (see Occupy).

Thank you, Titonwan! Solidarity!

[fasttense]

13. Do you think Obama would have supported increasing the minimum wage if McDonald and Wal-Mart workers

were NOT striking?

Do you think anyone would be looking at the divide between a handful of greedy corporate royalist and the rest of us if NOT for Occupy protests?

Do you think the LGBT community would have gotten the right to marry and be openly in the military if they had NOT constantly fought back?

Every time there are significant protests, there is change. That is how you affect change. You protest, you strike, you get together and demonstrate. It is just so obvious that protests by the masses, not just letter writing, not just showing up to vote, makes a big difference. If you really want change then you have to really get out there in the streets.

If the unemployed were protesting in DC in mass they would get their unemployment back. If the families who have been kicked out of their homes showed up in DC and protested in mass, the banks would be running scared.

All this passive agreement to whatever the uber rich want is what is causing the masses to suffer so much. This lack of concern and passivity to politics will be the death of workers.

[Iliyah]

14. YES

[Fantastic Anarchist]

17. This needs to be on the front page.

More kicks and more recs are needed.

Thanks for posting, votesparks!

[tjl148]

24. k/r

Keep it going!

[markpkessinger]

21. Great response, but one question

Where is it indicated that this is "Occupy's official response?" I don't doubt it, but I'd like to share it on Facebook and don't want to represent it as the official response of Occupy without knowing where it is designated as such. Thanks.

[elzenmahn]

29. I think it's impossible for Occupy to have an "official" response...

...since Occupy has no "leadership", as it's a flat structure.

[Smickey]

25. K&R

N/T

[malokvale77]

30. K&R

I logged in just to rec this OP.

I like what she says.

[swilton]

31. K&R

[Titonwan]

32. Wow

Jeez, it's hard to take so much truth in one sitting. I'm guessing she would be a Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie fan, if she was older(?). This fine woman instills hope and inspires a will to fight on every corner for the rights due us. I am impressed.
The gubmint would go to defcon4 before they'd let Ms. Sawant any where near D.C. politics!
This woman is a spitfire!

Union made, Union proud.

[Mnemosyne]

37. K&R for more visibility. nt

[BrainMann1]

38. One flew over the Coo-Coos nest

all by her lonesome

[Titonwan]

43. I know, right!

Wantin' socialism for poor folks, taking only 34% of her pay and donating the rest to action organizations. Thinkin' the rich should pay their own way. Supportin' them money grubbin' unions. Loony I tell ya!

[UglyGreed]

45. Hopefully more

people like her will run for office and fend off the rising tide of fascism in this country.

[DeSwiss]

46. I support you in all you say.

But the system cannot be fix.

It cannot be improved.

It cannot be repaired.

It is fundamentally flawed.

Its time is over.

K&R