[HCCN] fw: Action, Hope, 2011

[Judith Robbins]



Published on The Nation (http://www.thenation.com)




Action, Hope, 2011

Katrina vanden Heuvel | December 23, 2010
In the wake of the midterm elections, with conservatives and the Tea  
Party wielding new power in Washington, we have entered a tough  
period in our politics. But history helps us understand that dark  
periods come and go, and they can be overcome if—and it’s the  
critical if—we all do our part.

The late, great Studs Terkel, a true friend of The Nation, believed  
that hope was rooted in the conviction that there is always good  
worth working for. Action engenders hope, Studs told us.

Looking forward to 2011, there are many ideas, organizing efforts and  
causes worth fighting for—many which should engender hope as we work  
together to make this a more just and decent nation.

Below are five that I believe are valuable in these times.

1) CIW Takes on the Supermarkets

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers [1] (CIW) enjoyed a remarkable  
2010, successfully obtaining penny per pound pay raises [2] and code  
of conduct agreements for farmworkers from the three largest food  
service [3] companies and the growers who had blocked checks buyers  
cut directly to the workers so that millions of dollars languished in  
escrow. These agreements stand to increase workers’ annual earnings  
from about $10,000 to as much as $17,000 [4]. The State Department  
also recognized Laura Germino, CIW’s antislavery campaign [5]  
coordinator, as an “anti-Trafficking Hero [6]” for her work  
helping the US Department of Justice prosecute seven slavery  
operations [7] in Florida over the last fifteen years, resulting in  
the liberation of over 1,000 farmworkers.

Now, the CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food—think human rights in the  
food industry—takes on the $550 billion supermarket industry [8] and  
this kind of backward thinking: “We don’t have any plans to sit  
down with the CIW,” said Publix Media and Community Relations  
Manager Dwaine Stevens. “If there are some atrocities going on,  
it’s not our business.”

Actually, the supply chains used by corporations to turn a profit— 
and how workers who give us the food we eat are treated—are  
absolutely the business of corporations and consumers. Publix, Ahold  
(parent company of Giant and Stop & Shop), Kroger, Trader Joe’s— 
all would be wise to either get on board or brace themselves. You can  
begin to educate yourself and get involved here [9]. This is a fight  
we all need to be a part of in 2011.

2) Democracy Reform

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision [10]  
which opened the floodgates for corporate money in the 2010 midterms,  
people understand in their gut that our electoral system is in  
trouble and desperately needs reform. Even with a Republican- 
controlled House, it’s going to be important to continue two vital  
efforts [11] to get money out of politics and restore power to the  
hands of the people—a public campaign financing system [12] and a  
constitutional amendment [13] granting Congress the authority to  
regulate corporate campaign expenditures.

We also need to reform our voting system to encourage full  
participation [14] and end winner-take-all/lesser-of-two-evils  
elections. There was significant progress with instant runoff voting  
[15] (IRV) in 2010—most notably in Oakland [16] where a progressive  
city councilwoman scored a stunning upset in the mayoral contest. IRV  
allows citizens to rank the candidates on the ballot so they don’t  
fear “spoiler votes,” and it ensures that the winner is supported  
by a majority rather than a plurality.

Other key reforms to fight for in 2011 and beyond include ending  
abuse of the filibuster [17] in the Senate, a National Popular Vote  
[18] for President, DC Voting Rights [19], felon re-enfranchisement  
and universal voter registration. There is no shortage of excellent  
groups [20] working on these issues—FairVote [21] is one of the best  
and most under-appreciated. Common Cause [22], the Brennan Center,  
Demos and DC Vote [19] also do excellent work.  
FreeSpeechForPeople.org [23] and Move to Amend [24] are focused on  
the constitutional amendment allowing Congress to regulate corporate  
campaign expenditures. These are some great places to start getting  
involved.

3) Afghanistan Exit Strategy

The War in Afghanistan is the longest in US history [25] at 110  
months, and the most expensive at $1 million per soldier and over  
$100 billion annually. There have been over 2,200 [26] US and  
coalition casualties, and tens of thousands of Afghan civilian  
deaths. Additionally, nearly 600 US troops are wounded [27] every month.

In 2011, that majority which has turned against the war will have to  
show Congress that the American people care about the lives and  
treasure being wasted [28] in this war.   Inside the beltway, the  
Afghanistan Study Group [29] led by former Marine Matthew Hoh has  
offered an alternative path to get out of Afghanistan. Outside the  
beltway, peace groups like Voters for Peace [30], Veterans for Peace  
[31], Win Without War [32], Peace Action [33] and Codepink [34] are  
helping to make sure that the voices are heard of the 60 percent [35]  
of Americans who believe this war isn’t worth fighting.

Do your part to ensure that July 2011 begins a real withdrawal. End  
this war.

4) Taking on Poverty

The recent US Census revealed that forty-four million Americans [36]— 
one in seven citizens—are now living below the poverty line [37],  
more than at any time since the Census Bureau began tracking poverty  
51 years ago. Shamefully, that figure includes one in five children,  
more than one in four African Americans or Latinos [38] and over 51  
percent of female-headed families with children under 6.

You can begin to turn the tide on poverty by educating yourself [39]  
on the issue. In 2011, in the face of an unsympathetic Republican  
House and deficit hawks who would force us to choose between food  
stamps and teachers [40], or would cut Social Security [41]—one of  
the most effective anti-poverty programs around—all of us will need  
to fight to bring media and political attention to those who are  
living on the brink. Half In Ten [42] is a great place to start. A  
project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, Leadership  
Conference on Civil Rights and Coalition on Human Needs, it advocates  
for strong policies benefiting low- to moderate-income families,  
pursuing a national goal of cutting poverty in half in ten years.

5) Building a Progressive Infrastructure

Whatever your issue—war, poverty, financial reform, clean energy,  
global warming—the prospects for change will be brighter if you also  
work to rebuild and strengthen the progressive movement in 2011.

In some ways, this work will necessarily be defensive—it will  
involve protecting Social Security, Medicare and other vital programs  
from being slashed at the national level. But these same fights will  
also offer opportunities to lay down markers for the future of our  
economy and politics, and to galvanize progressive support. We saw  
Senator Bernie Sanders [43] do this in a powerful way with the fight  
over the extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. We will need  
to make it tough for Democrats and the President to accept  
compromises that diminish working and middle class security.

In 2011, it’s going to be key to continue organizing locally from  
the bottom-up, while also working with our allies inside the House  
and Senate—especially the Congressional Progressive Caucus [44] led  
by co-chair Congressmen Raúl Grijalva and Keith Ellison.

While opportunities for progress will be limited at the federal  
level, at the state and local levels prospects may be brighter, and  
success will depend in part on building coalitions around issues like  
drug reform, living wage campaigns and environmental sustainability.  
This is a year when we may also need to try more creative strategies,  
including nonviolent sit-ins and protests—around the climate crisis,  
joblessness, foreclosures [45] and the war, to name just a few issues.

On the ideas front, we’ll need to draw sharp lines of distinction  
between our ideas and those of a status quo that isn’t working. One  
group that is doing this vital work is the New Economy Working Group  
[46], offering grounded yet bold alternatives to make our economy  
more just, sustainable, equitable.

In 2011, as progressives try to strike a balance between needed short- 
term actions and long-term strategic thinking, here are some other  
groups—in addition to those you might already be involved with— 
that I believe are worth working with: Progressive Congress [47],  
Progressive Change Campaign Committee [48], Campaign for America’s  
Future [49], Progressive States Network [50], Working Families Party  
[51] and the Center for Community Change [52].

Rest up, get healthy and strong—and be ready for some action that  
engenders hope come January 2.


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