Staying Home, Opting Out & Building Movements by Davey D

Staying Home, Opting Out & Building Movementsby Davey D | @MrDaveyD | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile)

Well folks, the people have spoken with their choice of candidate or their willingness to sit it out and make a statement of how unhappy they are with the system or the electoral process. The agendas of those who are now in control of both houses has been made crystal clear for a number of years. Some will say that it doesn't matter; Bending to the will of the rich and powerful is what all elected officials do. 'They were gonna jack up common folks anyway' is what some will claim. Perhaps. But the bottom line is this: There was and should always be push back on those who are in power until you get everything you want and need sans being severely compromised. 

In many parts of the country what will unfold is the strength or weaknesses in our Movements. What will be made clear in the months to come is how and what ways do Movements need to define and redefine themselves--and by Movement we are talking about a group of people who are able to galvanize folks around an idea or vision and see it to fruition. 

In places where there was low voter turn including here in Oakland, those who are the losing side of an issue or candidate will have to answer some hard questions honestly: Why didn't neighbors, friends and family support your cause/ candidate? The easy answer is to say it was all about the money? That's too simplistic and really doesn't address the issue at hand. Money is here to stay. What will matter most is our ability to outthink and outmaneuver those with money. It'll require creativity, thinking outside the box and a strong resistance to the seduction those in power will use to lure you to inescapable traps. It'll require community building.

If there any solace, we have lots of examples where folks show up en masse without the aid of thousands of TV ads. We also have lots of examples where folks have been bombarded us with ads and mailers and it didn't work. Have folks forgotten when billionaire Meg Whitman got clobbered? Have we forgotten how folks will spend the night online to buy a new pair of Jordans, iPhones or concert tickets without all the TV and radio ads?  We need to ask ourselves, why did our neighbors show up to buy the latest iPhone which cost them money, and even put them in debt, but didn't show up for a particular candidate or issue? It may be a hard pill to swallow, but honest answers will inform our next moves.  Was enough investment made into motivating folks? Did we rely too much on personalities and pundits who claim to have a pulse of the people? Did those personalities and pundits deliver? If not why not? 

The other excuse people like to use is that this was a midterm election and there was no Presidential ticket so people stayed home. That is complete and utter BS. That may have been the case in the past, but there is more than enough information and history for folks who know that could and should change. If folks didn't come out its not because it was a mid term.. It was because you didn't do enough to excite and engage voters. Period.  Not to mention there were many races were Democrats were handed their asses and opted not to stand alongside Obama during their campaigns. You see what good that did them? It didn't work for Gore when he abandoned Clinton and it didn't work for folks like Alison Grimes when she abandoned Obama in her bid for Senate in Kentucky. 

We also have to take into account that there were many groups who were simply fed up and opted not to show up. In Florida Black voters stayed home in Broward County around this governor's race. This was on top of the polls being jacked up and opening late. How many times is this type of BS gonna happen before the issue is eradicated once and for all? 

For those who wish to detach themselves from voting, recognize their right to not partake and build with those who are open. Some folks feel the system is too far gone and have checked out. For examples, Latinos in many places angered by mass deportations of family and friends checked out. Many women for a variety of reasons sat it out. Instead of pointing a finger and bemoaning what they should've done, it’s best to figure out why and how candidates resonated or didn't resonate with them in various races.  If you’re not convincing tea party folks to be liberals, why convince folks who say no to voting to vote. What will change minds is your success. What will change minds is the strength and vibrancy of your movement. 

With respect to voter suppression? That's been going on forever. In many of our lifetimes we can point to the 2000 election and see that attempts to suppress the vote never stopped. When it came down to it Black folks showed up and made things happen. Other groups not so much. So for example, in places like Wisconsin and Texas we saw college students disenfranchised. That means many who organized around this didn't see beyond their own circles and take into account the laws impacting us could very well impact others.  For a better understanding of voter suppression I would encourage folks to listen to this interview with folks from Ferguson about why they had low turn out historically. Its disturbing, sobering and true.

Politics is a rough and tumble endeavor because its about power.  It’s about maintaining power or yielding power, and exercising control over communities and resources. The mistake many make is engaging this arena around election time versus preparing all year round. Having strong political presence amongst friends and family is something that should be ongoing. Political education has got to be year round. It has to be built into the fabric of any vibrant movement. If the community is connected and educated on key issues and people seeking their vote, no amount of TV ads and dark money for mailers will sway them. It won't take a lot to get people to the polls, it'll be one of the many activities folks partake in their quest to fulfill a goal. 

With that being said, folks although disappointed with the results of the mid-term elections, should clear their heads and know this that even in victory there are lots glaring weaknesses within those running things. How you capitalize off that is on you. The weakness exploited after 2008 and 2012 was many saw the election and reelection of Obama as the end goal and not a stepping stone and continuation of a movement that Can't Stop and Should've Never Stopped. 

Many made the mistake of thinking that because a politician compromised a movement pushing core values and seeking justice and freedom needed to compromise. Politicians compromise, Movements should not. 

For example if the goal was single payer and the politicians compromised and gave us Obamacare. The movement for Single Payer should've never ever stopped. Yes, you could enjoy Obamacare. Yes you could take advantage of it, but as long as it had flaws, the push for what was an ideal goal should've never stopped. 

Not that the GOP/ Tea Party should be the standard bearer, but there is a lesson to be learned from them; They never stopped pushing for their goals even after there was compromise. One clear goal is to educate and strengthen community and make social justice a front and center issue. That should've never ever stopped no matter who was in office.  In two years Obama will be gone and what will be left is a Movement, and a clear indication of its strengths and weaknesses. 

What will also be left is a group of people who right now seem like massive like Goliath. If history shows, it's just a matter of time before they overreach. My suggestion to all is to get your stones ready. 

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Davey D is a nationally recognized journalist, adjunct professor, Hip Hop historian, syndicated talk show host, radio programmer, producer, deejay, media and community activist.