As each of us tries, quietly and privately, to regain some
measure of balance, if not true equanimity, let me share a daydream that is
perhaps not entirely idle.
Bernie made much of the fact that the average donation to
his campaign was $27. Suppose we try to
imagine a standing organization of permanent full-time paid community organizers, scattered across
the face of America, dedicated to fostering local citizen organizations, working
to elect City Council members, School Committee members, Mayors, State
legislators, even Governors, guided in their actions by the issues that concern
the people of the community in which they work.
Suppose they were paid a salary roughly equal to the median household
income in America, namely $50,000 a year. Assume
each community unit has a minimum of two paid organizers, trained by a national
headquarters and funded by donations of $27 a month, or $324 a year. With fringe benefits and operating expenses, including
rental on an office and associated costs, each two-person unit would cost, let
us suppose, $200,000 a year. A thousand
such offices would cost $200 million a year, and would require roughly 650,000
supporters nationwide.
Are there six hundred fifty thousand men and women who could
afford, and would be willing to donate, $324 a year to such an effort, headed
we may suppose by Bernie? Perhaps not
before Trump was elected, but now? I
think so.
Would such an organizational structure be able to make a
measurable political difference in Trumpworld?
What do you think?
My initial response is that this would make sense, although (as an expat Swede living in the US) I am puzzled why it wouldn't be easier to use some kind of pre-existing structure like a union for this operation. This would hopefully also help boost union membership rates which is crucial if the working class is to have any bargaining power.
ReplyDeleteOne could interpret the whole Tr*mp debacle as a consequence of unionbusting which eventually led to a working class completely devoid of any internal solidarity and class consciousness (of course in conjunction with a perfect storm of racism and misogyny).
lol. (((wallerstein))), like a good liberal jew, resorting to subtle threats of violence. what a surprise.
ReplyDeletethe internet is full of jew hatred if you haven't noticed. mossad would have to kill off a lot of anon commenters indeed. then there are open jew-haters like david duke who have somehow survived for decades. gee whiz.
Why do you hate Jews so much?
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a not unreasonable project. Perhaps there's a lingering question about oversight? But I do agree with the premise, namely, that there's great impetus now for organzation and that Bernie is a likely spearhead for much of it. It will take form somehow.
ReplyDeleteGlenn Beck is worth $250 million. Rush Limbaugh is worth $500 million. I actually manage to prefer Rush Limbaugh's optimism, he's in charge, he is cocky. Beck's brand of tearful paranoia..well, he lives by sowing fear and stoking outrage. Beck calls himself an 'alcoholic rodeo clown'. He cleaned himself up. I mention income, here, but I observe that the formula works in more ways than one, winning audience. Beck calls himself an 'alcoholic rodeo clown'. He cleaned himself up. Beck sells so many books he's been called the 'Conservative Oprah'. There are some points that I could make, here, that might not go over too well. Like, that somebody like Glenn Beck sees the world in clearly defined blocks -- all Democrats are socialists. I remember some website having the line: 'We're here to help you into the world of politics.'Another: 'understanding politics in four easy bullet points'. Sean Hannity is worth $80 million. Actually, I haven't quite wound up to a point, here, and I have done.
ReplyDelete