I couldn't resist using that for a headline. (Translation: Sorry, I couldn't think up a cleverer headline than that.)
About a week before Election Day, I began earnestly considering transferring (or perhaps expanding) my allegiance into the Movement for a People's Party. I have already signed up to volunteer and should soon receive an organizing packet from the group's membership coordinator.
In lieu of a big, momentous announcement of a new direction, this post is my "soft opening." I just hope it works out better than my declaration last summer that I would be working with Lina Hidalgo's campaign and rebooting the county chapter of Move to Amend—neither of which, to my continued bewilderment, actually happened. (This is a great illustration of why I prefer not to make plans.)
Of all the progressive post-Bernie spin-offs that I've seen, only MPP has held firm to its doctrine that the Democratic Party is not a friend to Progressives. This is not equal to saying that individual Democratic candidates or voters are all to be painted with the Enemy Brush; however, per MPP, neither corporate party is reformable from within, and neither is not worth our time, money, or labor.
Becoming a Brana Bro
As if to confirm my lingering suspicions, MPP organizer and spokesperson Nick Brana appeared in a lengthy segment with Jimmy Dore et al Friday, wherein Brana said a lot of things that got me nodding along. Most pertinent of all is this: Whatever joy Democrats and their friends may get from reclaiming a majority in the US House, plus picking up a few governorships, this victory for the Democratic Party and its candidates is not a victory for Progressives, their policies, or indeed for the planet.
About a week before Election Day, I began earnestly considering transferring (or perhaps expanding) my allegiance into the Movement for a People's Party. I have already signed up to volunteer and should soon receive an organizing packet from the group's membership coordinator.
In lieu of a big, momentous announcement of a new direction, this post is my "soft opening." I just hope it works out better than my declaration last summer that I would be working with Lina Hidalgo's campaign and rebooting the county chapter of Move to Amend—neither of which, to my continued bewilderment, actually happened. (This is a great illustration of why I prefer not to make plans.)
Of all the progressive post-Bernie spin-offs that I've seen, only MPP has held firm to its doctrine that the Democratic Party is not a friend to Progressives. This is not equal to saying that individual Democratic candidates or voters are all to be painted with the Enemy Brush; however, per MPP, neither corporate party is reformable from within, and neither is not worth our time, money, or labor.
Becoming a Brana Bro
As if to confirm my lingering suspicions, MPP organizer and spokesperson Nick Brana appeared in a lengthy segment with Jimmy Dore et al Friday, wherein Brana said a lot of things that got me nodding along. Most pertinent of all is this: Whatever joy Democrats and their friends may get from reclaiming a majority in the US House, plus picking up a few governorships, this victory for the Democratic Party and its candidates is not a victory for Progressives, their policies, or indeed for the planet.
When I first saw Brana on video pushing his movement back in 2016, my first thought was that it would sure be sensible for him to lead the Sandernistas into the Green Party. The explanation on the MPP site's FAQ page, of why joining GP is not the optimal path to follow, still isn't entirely satisfactory to me, but I am seeing the wisdom of creating an entirely new party despite that dissatisfaction.
While plenty of disaffected Sanders supporters voted for Stein/Baraka after Philadelphia 2016, only a small percentage of them became committed Green Party activists. Going Green remains a hard sell for this independent bunch; my instinct is that building something new from the Green Party template has more appeal for them.
Still Not Making Plans, but...
I will still be the same Green guy as I have been since the 1990s, but I will likely discontinue my already reduced role with GPTX and GPUS in order to focus on building a new party that shares a lot of its values and goals with the Greens. Without going into too much detail on how I have arrived at this decision, allow me just to repeat the following from a recent post:
Fellow Greenies will certainly be welcome to participate in this project, whether or not they also continue actively with their local and state Green groups. They should be advised, however: If I have anything to say about it, MPP Harris County will fortify itself against making the same errors of policy and practice that have limited the effectiveness of the Harris County Green Party.
Arizona Update
The relevant media referees have declared Kyrsten Sinema the victor in the Arizona Senate race. The first place I heard about this development yesterday was on NPR's All Things Considered, and the story kept me from switching over to Blues in Hi-Fi on KPFT. I've been misspelling Kyrsten Sinema's first name for the past week now; when I first saw the name online, someone (probably Politico) had it spelled Krysten. I have since gone back and fixed the spelling in my recent posts where her name appears.
In another error, I've referred to the Senate seat in other forums as the one recently vacated by John McCain, rather than the one about to be vacated by Jeff Flake. Oops, my bad, sorry if that confused anyone.
While plenty of disaffected Sanders supporters voted for Stein/Baraka after Philadelphia 2016, only a small percentage of them became committed Green Party activists. Going Green remains a hard sell for this independent bunch; my instinct is that building something new from the Green Party template has more appeal for them.
Still Not Making Plans, but...
I will still be the same Green guy as I have been since the 1990s, but I will likely discontinue my already reduced role with GPTX and GPUS in order to focus on building a new party that shares a lot of its values and goals with the Greens. Without going into too much detail on how I have arrived at this decision, allow me just to repeat the following from a recent post:
- For a number of reasons, first and foremost the current disheveled state of GPTX, I do not foresee Texas Greens collecting the necessary 83,000-plus valid signatures needed to reclaim ballot access in 2020.
- With its emphasis on building coalitions, I give MPP better odds of finding voters in this state who know that neither corporate party serves their interests.
Fellow Greenies will certainly be welcome to participate in this project, whether or not they also continue actively with their local and state Green groups. They should be advised, however: If I have anything to say about it, MPP Harris County will fortify itself against making the same errors of policy and practice that have limited the effectiveness of the Harris County Green Party.
Arizona Update
The relevant media referees have declared Kyrsten Sinema the victor in the Arizona Senate race. The first place I heard about this development yesterday was on NPR's All Things Considered, and the story kept me from switching over to Blues in Hi-Fi on KPFT. I've been misspelling Kyrsten Sinema's first name for the past week now; when I first saw the name online, someone (probably Politico) had it spelled Krysten. I have since gone back and fixed the spelling in my recent posts where her name appears.
In another error, I've referred to the Senate seat in other forums as the one recently vacated by John McCain, rather than the one about to be vacated by Jeff Flake. Oops, my bad, sorry if that confused anyone.
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