The Intersectional Working Class Shall Be The Human Race (rough draft)

[forjusticethunders]

Last edited Mon Apr 25, 2016, 02:41 PM - Edit history (2)

The 2016 Democratic Party primary has revealed some fundamental divisions in the left-wing progressive movement, divisions that, while not sufficient to prevent victory in November, will continue to be a sore spot going forward, with little sign of either side waning in power or influence. On one side, we have Bernie Sanders, championing a struggle against the class oppression represented by Wall Street, the banks and the entrenched political interests and a voice for disaffected movement progressives and millenials struggling with the uneven economic recovery, on the other side, we have Hillary Clinton, who represents the continuation of the power and strength of the "Obama coalition" - people of color, women, LGBT people, a demographic that has experienced significant oppression beyond class and economic issues, and appreciate Hillary Clinton's record of leadership and outreach despite various missteps over the years.

The question that emerges is, looking at the inability of the radical, class-oriented socialist (albeit a very moderate kind) of Sanders to gain a foothold among the Obama coalition that has become the base of the Democratic Party, what are economic progressives to do? Luckily, the failures of the Sanders campaign and the success of the Clinton campaign provides an answer that can potentially unify the two sides of the divide, expand the appeal of the message, and ultimately provide the political framework for radical change in America - a revolution if you will.

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First off, the question must be asked: What is the "Working Class"? It's a question that seems easy to answer, but in reality it's complex. Obviously if one is a worker, they are part of the working class. But when it comes to identification, how many people identify themselves as a "worker" first? The purely economic view of identity fails to capture all the various aspects of oppression that are distinct from economics, and not taking these factors into regard is a recipe for failure. So how would one rectify this? Simply put, while class and economic disprivilege impacts everyone without said privilege, different groups experience class oppression differently. So while a class approach can and will appeal to different marginalized groups, the socialist progressive must be cognizant, understanding and articulate in how class intersects with specific marginalized people. For example, take Ferguson. The killing of Michael Brown, while a major sparkpoint for the BlackLivesMatter movement, was a single incident in an entire system of racialized oppression where the black residents of Ferguson were, according to the Department of Justice report on Ferguson, used as a funding source for the city - excessively ticketed, excessively policed, excessively fined, etc.

To quote the report:

The department found that Ferguson Municipal Court has a pattern or practice of:

•Focusing on revenue over public safety, leading to court practices that violate the 14th Amendment’s due process and equal protection requirements.


•Court practices exacerbating the harm of Ferguson’s unconstitutional police practices and imposing particular hardship upon Ferguson’s most vulnerable residents, especially upon those living in or near poverty. Minor offenses can generate crippling debts, result in jail time because of an inability to pay and result in the loss of a driver’s license, employment, or housing.

This is where class, economics and race intersect. The socialist progressive politician MUST be able to speak to these issues. Equal pay is both a class issue and a gender issue (women are often the first to be fired during cutbacks, are often passed over for promotion, are often relegated to low level, low wage jobs, particularly women of color). Class impacts, say, a gay person's ability to escape a homophobic family, or a trans person's ability to begin transition (a process that involves significant financial expenditure) or move out of a state like North Carolina.

The socialist progressive must be able to accurately and insightfully see how the economic intersects with the personal, and adroitly shift between articulating this insight on many issues, and then tie all of this together into an intersectional working class program that not only addresses the shared issues that the working class shares, but addresses the unique issues that the various marginalized groups of the working class share.

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One issue that many leftists have is with communication and listening. All too often, people on the left are content to talk at people, or lecture, or preach about THEIR view of what the people they're supposedly serving need. It says a lot that a listening tour is treated with derision as opposed to encouraged. The socialist progressive who wishes to build an intersectional coalition must do the work of reaching out to their potential constituency, finding out what they want and need, finding out what issues they want the politician to amplify and work towards, and weave those issues into their platform. Furthermore, it is important not to denigrate the value of symbolic displays. When you make a speech and you're surrounded by a rainbow of POC, a diverse mix of men and women, and has LBGT representation, and even disabled persons, it sends a far different and more inclusive message than a speech showing you surrounded by largely white males. This should also be reflected in one's campaign staff - it shows a desire to listen to different voices (this especially applies if the politician is white and male, but even say, an African American person can't disregard Hispanic or Asian voices or representation). Diversity is strength. Finally, if a group criticizes you, or accuses you of being tone deaf, listen. Examine your policies and message and determine what about your message is causing that reactions. Having an ideology and message is important, but modifying that message based on feedback from the people you are fighting for is critical to creating an investment and connection from those people with you.



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Organizing. This is what pulls people into your movement. But you need a coherent theory of organizing if you want to be successful. Now, let's say you're starting at the bottom - no national figures, not a lot of money, etc. How do you organize? This is where you apply the issues talked about previously. Get out into your local communities, find out what people are concerned about, find out how you can help, emphasize the potential power of the people to make change on a local level. Be responsive, be active, be involved. Furthermore, even if you are an insurgent or an outsider, it is critical to work with existing political structures, even if it requires compromise. Oftentimes, the existing local infrastructure already exists, it just needs an infusion of energy and passion to make it work to build local strength. And while internet/online organizing cannot replace boots on the ground, it CAN link local and state movements to similar ones in other states, and potentially "nationalize" certain issues (min wage, labor laws, LBGT rights) etc. Above all, do not fall into the trap of saying "both parties are the same" even if you have major disagreements with the Democrats - firstly, the Republicans are far worse no matter what, secondly, this line will alienate more people than it attracts, especially in states where the Democratic Party is the only defense for oppressed and marginalized people against a full on fascist onslaught, and finally, critical support (aka voting for the best option available) makes incumbent politicians more beholden to your movement - after all, a politician needs to listen to their voters to win.

Also critical to organizing is attracting non-voters, and registering them. Any political movement MUST have a robust and reliable apparatus for getting voters registered, especially in states with restrictive ID laws. Produce pamphlets, cards and other media that detail the process of getting registered, how to get the required ID, where and how to do it online, and depending on area, both in English and Spanish. Set up phonebanking campaigns through online media and if you have a lot of young volunteers, emphasize how important this is to the campaign. Encourage people to turn out for midterms even if you're not on the ballot. Get voters to see voting as an act of self-empowerment that is connected to their personal struggles and activism done on their behalf.

It's important to remember that this takes lots of time and a good amount of money and a good amount of legwork, and it won't see results right away. And in most cases, the socialist progressive will have to settle for changes short of their ideological leanings. But this cannot be seen as a defeat because firstly, incremental progress still will improve people's lives, which is why the socialist is in this fight to begin with. And furthermore, incremental progress often sets the stage for major progress. Civil Rights came about not just as large bills and court decisions, but due to a critical mass starting with the New Deal and building during World War II. LBGT rights started as a fringe, hated idea, growing through the decades into a massive expansions of both social acceptance and legal rights.

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Negotiating and Compromise

Now that you've created a beachhead within a wider left-leaning movement, you will find that not everyone is as radical or as ambitious as you. You may have to work with people who are more conservative, more pragmatic/risk-averse, or may be intimidated by local or national or multinational business interests. For example, let's say you're running in a small Midwest precinct and you want to push through a minimum wage increase. One of the first things you need to do is talk with the local capitalist oppressors (speaking tongue in cheek of course) and at least hear what they'd be willing to accept. Obviously, if 15 dollars an hour will put them out of business, they're going to vigorously oppose you. But if you compromise and get 12.50 with either tax credits or subsidies then the resistance of all but the most ideological free marketeers may soften, even if they would have really wanted 10 dollars, 8 dollars or no minimum wage and the repeal of child labor laws (actually that last group are the people you probably won't be convincing). The key thing is that you've gotten positive change, you've created a positive working relationship with people who are technically your ideological adversaries, and you've built up your reputation in terms of "getting things done". It's that kind of stuff that will make that moderate conservative business owner think the following:

1: Hey, those pinko commies aren't so bad!
2: I'd vote for the Republican but they're running Trump again and this time he wants to build a wall around the entire planet to protect us from REAL aliens. Guess I'm sending 25 dollars to the socialist.

Again, obviously this guy is not your base, and you shouldn't be giving too much leeway, and there will obviously be times you need to say not no, but hell no, to some new tax cut or fracking permit. But being a good politician is knowing when to hold, and when to fold and when to bluff. The key is being willing to settle, but starting negotiations from as left a point as you can. Furthermore, having access to business means that you become a vector through which the voices of the marginalized can be heard by the powerful.

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More on Marginalized People

Try to speak out on as many issues affecting marginalized persons as you can, both local and national. Depending on your profile, you may even want to go there in person. Establish a strong record of fighting those intersectional fights. If you're running in a state with a bathroom bill, protest it as much as you can, and don't be shy about going for a symbolic message if you simply don't have the power to stop it. Speak out on women's issues, LBGT issues, Hispanic issues, use access gained through political power to speak for the oppressed, etc etc. Sample issues:

Equal pay (especially when the pay differential stems from discriminatory attitudes like a bias against married/pregnant women, or a lack of promotion opportunities)
Access to treatment for trans and gender-nonconforming people especially via medical coverage
Anti-bullying and pro-tolerance education in schools

It was stated before but the composition of your staff is very important. POC, women, trans people, make them your constituency and reflect that in who you pick to advise you. This isn't pandering or machine politics or anything like that, this is showing that you value their voices and perspectives which you may have.