We know the problem is corporate control of politics...now what?

[Ken Burch]

How do we change the balance here?

How do we bring down the corporacracy?

How do we make this country, finally, become the "land of the free"

Especially since we know freedom includes freedom from want, freedom from fear, and freedom from inequality and domination.

This is a moment when the mask has clearly slipped,

When our country's political culture has once again lived out Yeats' lines:

"The best lack all conviction, while the worst
are full of passionate intensity"?

We need to stretch our minds here, folks.

The old forms of political action don't work anymore.

The old forms of resistance(especially armed struggle)don't either.

How can we make this moment the moment when we steal victory out of the smug grasp of the grasping?

[uponit7771]

1. VERY constructive post....The right wants us to blame Obama then sit and cry. Time for REAL...

...progressives (folks who'll keep on fighting) to advocate for taking away corporate person hood or at least thinning the meaning.

[Ken Burch]

2. Which was totally not what I was doing.

The point of the thread was that it isn't a person, it's the system.

I'm not an Obama-basher, I'm a greed-and-arrogance basher. I'm a corporate-dominance basher. You do understand that there's a difference, don't you?

[uponit7771]

3. I'll edit

[xiamiam]

4. into the streets...march...protest...nt

[90-percent]

5. Sociopaths

Sociopaths have taken over all our institutions and they've stripped out all the benevolence and replaced it with outright naked every man for himself greed.

Why is it that such small minded people have ended up running everything?

-90% Jimmy

[Warren Stupidity]

6. Just to nit pick: 'all' is not true of this board

nor of our party. Vast majority, yes.

[nykym]

7. If what you say is true

then our only recourse would be to challenge the system on it's legal merits as the corporations and politically powerful have done to keep the average person in check. Repel all favorable laws and regulations for corporations giving them the same rights as the American people. Enact legislation to keep corporations and religion out of politics. But we must be aware of not becoming what we are trying to change.

[glitch]

8. This group has been working on pulling charters of bad actor corporations at a local level

http://www.celdf.org/

Building on the lessons learned at Democracy School, the Legal Defense Fund has assisted many communities to draft and adopt local laws that do more than “regulate” the amount of harm that is permitted by state and federal regulatory agencies. Some of those laws can be viewed in our Ordinance Library.

For some communities, safeguarding their future means creating local constitutions, or home rule charters, that enumerate rights of local citizens, and of ecosystems -- and backing up those rights with enforceable law. Our Home Rule program area is tailored to offer assistance to communities that are ready to take this bold step in local self-governance.

Edit: Also read David Korten's books and articles.

[Armstead]

9. We could start by not assuming defeat

Kind of a big subject...But here's a start

Maybe we should stop assuming defeat and assuming that what liberals/progressives believe is not "mainstream."

Accept that, as hard as it is to fathom sometimes,Americans are fundamentally decent and at least smart enough to recognize things that are also in their own self interest.

(Yes there a lot of hardheads, selfish bastids and others who could never be won over. But if you take it on balance there is enough reservoir of goodwill and common sense toat least eke out a majority with smart messaging and politiking.)

That's be a start, whether one is moderate liberal or staunch lefty progressive.

[Ken Burch]

11. I do assume that the people, at heart, are decent and "get it"

And this is using what, in the short term, is a set-back as a teachable moment and a chance to organize for far greater change than was previously thought possible.

[Armstead]

12. Alas, there have been too many teachable moments

Problem is the learnable moments.

(This is actually just an excuse to kick this thread, as I do think it's an important topic)

[Ken Burch]

13. Thanks for the kick.

We need to keep this discussion going, we need to generate new ideas.

[Tippy]

10. First thing we need to is to dig deeply into ...

How do we bring down the corporacracy? We will find the answers on C Steeet....

[levander]

14. Campaign finance reform

Campaign finance reform would be a game changer. If our leaders no longer had to beg and plead for money to run their campaigns, they could be so much more responsive to their voters.

When you have to keep voters and special interests happy, who do you think gets the nod when push comes to shove? Consider that when you don't keep the special interests happy, you're not gonna have the cash to get your message out to the voters anyway.

[AuntPatsy]

15. Not such a stretch you know....

the media is not a friend to the people of this country, they work for big money...they have given us crumbs..one or two journalists who only get heard by a small percentage of the populace and have been labeled that dirty word "liberal" in order to ensure those not paying good enough attention continue to remain sitting in the dark...

church is not always friendly to the people of this country, many of them too work for big money and take bribes and do the dirty work of helping to control the populace...not all churches mind you but far too many so people have to realize they cannot be trusted...

Religion must remain personal, it can never be used in order to make or enact laws or decide people's fate, I would hope that history should be a good indication that such has been the downfall of many a society.....


Could the majority of citizens work together, stand together, and march together to ensure our voices of disgust are heard and our voice of outrage that our government has all but forgotten just who it is they took an oath to work for is also not ignored?

Years of manipulation and lies that have allowed us to become so divided are deeply embedded in many...are they willing to come out of the dark?and perhaps realize finally how easily we have been played by some back room psychologist?

If du is any indication of these factors being a big "if" on getting so many to listen and work in harmony long enough to accomplish something no one in the past has ever had the ability to accomplish than it will be harder than you think....

But can it be done?

Yes it can...the question is..

how bad do you honestly want this change to become realistic and what are you willing to give up? It just might be your pride, it does not always have to be monetary nor comfort....


I think "pride" might be your biggest obstacle....its an illusion that pride is even ours to retain but still, some are comfortable with that illusion and might just not be willing to give that up so easily....