tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post8943823108728031001..comments2024-03-18T22:21:33.261-07:00Comments on The Debate Link: Occupational TherapyDavid Schraubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946653376744012423noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post-89094062999484851282012-02-07T17:18:45.600-08:002012-02-07T17:18:45.600-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.siryoz0https://www.blogger.com/profile/07805227020638142542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post-25476393370226050692012-02-04T01:01:10.953-08:002012-02-04T01:01:10.953-08:00I say OWS's success has been staggering.
The...I say OWS's success has been staggering. <br /><br />They completely altered the agenda. The focus had previously targeted on subjects concerning the preservation of existing wealth: deficit hysteria, austerity measures. Focused on keeping inflation low (preserving value of existing dollars) taxes low, and preserving the value of loans made to the government. <br /><br />Now it is far more focused on inequality and corporate power. <br /><br />Agenda control is extraordinarily important. Political power isn't so much about "do this" as it is about "Hey, look over here." <br /><br />Normally the agenda is set by elites in media, business, and politics. It's remarkable that a genuine grassroots campaign was able to take over. Initiated by anarchists, no less. When was the last time radicals had any national agenda-setting power whatsoever? (They've had a share of influence on things like the Iraq War and the Wisconsin union fights, but those were reactionary; the Republicans were the ones that picked the fights.) <br /><br />They've now been a substantial part of the agenda for months. Even if their success went no further than that, it would be substantial in its own right, because they have pushed the preservation of wealth items to the side during that period. <br /><br />But of course it goes much further than that. They've done a tremendous amount to raise class consciousness. As you surely know from studying the women's and gay rights movements, raising group consciousness is half the battle right there. <br /><br />This is no small feat for the U.S. McCarthyism has been ruinously successful at tying class consciousness efforts to treason. We are finally beginning to thaw out from the Cold War. Breaking out of that ice is a prerequisite for the emergence of a genuine left. <br /><br />The language is now infused with OWS terminology. Even Republican presidential candidates are using it. Linguistic control, too, is critical. Words themselves shape people's perceptions, and OWS has successfully promoted terms that are heavily in their favor, e.g. "the 1%".<br /><br />They've substantially damaged the reputation of corporations in general and large banks in particular. They are the impetus behind the "Move Your Money" campaign, which has had substantial results already and will compound over time. <br /><br />If you insist on limiting the examination to only short-term political gains, there are still plenty of things one could point to. Buffett Rule, payroll tax cut extension, Congressional insider trading ban--all are helped out substantially by OWS. <br /><br />Romney is now substantially more vulnerable to attacks against his ill-gained wealth. Obama probably won't need that--I expect he'd win anyway--but it will help downticket. <br /><br />But yeah, the long-term effects have been way, way more substantial here. Those long-term effects would not have been nearly as strong if they had focused just on a limited set of incremental, pragmatic agenda items.Christopher Meyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02651295150446429839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post-77673673828321084132012-02-02T23:09:27.217-08:002012-02-02T23:09:27.217-08:00"It managed the impressive feet of mobilizing..."It managed the impressive feet of mobilizing a massive number of progressive-minded citizens, and then managed the even more impressive feet of walking away without having gained anything."<br /><br />These feet are made for walking.PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09381347581328622706noreply@blogger.com