The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was skeptical of sectarian forms of organizing. Although he was a powerful advocate for the rights of African Americans denied basic human rights, he insisted on demanding dignity for many other groups of people as well; his opposition to the war in Vietnam ruined his relationship with the Democratic Party and much of the Civil Rights community, who believed that speaking out on behalf of Indochina was contrary to the immediate self-interest of African-Americans.
[premium_newsticker id=”154171″]Parting shot—a word from the editors
The Best Definition of Donald Trump We Have Found
In his zeal to prove to his antagonists in the War Party that he is as bloodthirsty as their champion, Hillary Clinton, and more manly than Barack Obama, Trump seems to have gone “play-crazy” -- acting like an unpredictable maniac in order to terrorize the Russians into forcing some kind of dramatic concessions from their Syrian allies, or risk Armageddon.However, the “play-crazy” gambit can only work when the leader is, in real life, a disciplined and intelligent actor, who knows precisely what actual boundaries must not be crossed. That ain’t Donald Trump -- a pitifully shallow and ill-disciplined man, emotionally handicapped by obscene privilege and cognitively crippled by white American chauvinism. By pushing Trump into a corner and demanding that he display his most bellicose self, or be ceaselessly mocked as a “puppet” and minion of Russia, a lesser power, the War Party and its media and clandestine services have created a perfect storm of mayhem that may consume us all.— Glen Ford, Editor in Chief, Black Agenda Report
The alternative to identity politics, in fact, to all of the political machinations which have failed to challenge the neoliberal/neocon/corporate plutocracy, is embodied in the CFAR/leverage electoral strategy being promoted by Revolt Against Plutocracy. It seems that The Greanville Post should be very committed to a methodology which replaces the lapdog corporate shills now in Congress with honest, transparent, hard-working populist-progressive legislators. This would not, of course, solve all of the problems inherent in our corrupt, dysfunctional system. But it would at least open the doors to addressing those enormous, deep-rooted challenges. For a Cliff Notes preview, go to …… Read more »
Real life is more basic. What matters the most to people is whether they have the means to keep their families together, housed and fed. Many don’t. The Clinton administration ended actual welfare aid in the 1990s, and we’ve lost over 5 million jobs since 2000. It has virtually been “open season” on the homeless for years. The overall life expectancy of the US poor already fell below that of every developed nation. The majority of US poor are white, and they probably aren’t getting that whole “white privilege” thing. The country has essentially remained on a course first set… Read more »
“Citizenship” isn’t the answer — it’s just another way to avoid talking about class, that 800-lb elephant in the room. We have to be careful not to lose a class analysis when talking about solidarity.