My vision: a New Broom coalition- a clean sweep of Congress
ASSESSMENT
We are up against a one-party system, which is poised for fascism. The least little excuse will see martial law. Bush may use the time that Congress is in recess- Aug 6th- Sept 4th, to seize the assets of peace activists. The plans to attack, perhaps nuke Iran are full steam ahead. Congress has done nothing to stop any of this, and there is no talk of postponing or canceling the recess.
It's fine to mobilize people to protest, but without a positive vision of how to take back the country, the protests will fizzle, as they have been doing. Especially as the risk of sticking one's neck out grows greater, people will need to be inspired if they are to become active.
We can't deviate from the path laid out by the US Constitution, the path of government by We the People, through our elected Representatives in Congress. We must remain peaceful and legal, on practical grounds and also on moral/ethical grounds. The ethical high ground, the path of truth and justice, is our strength and hope. Some might say that as long as we do the right thing, God is with is.
So the focus has to be on the '08 elections, praying that they will take place, and we'll have another chance to change the regime peacefully, as Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Movement did in Poland. It can be done here, if we have the right vision and all work together.
MY VISION
We need to take back Congress. I propose a New Broom Coalition of candidates for Congress, for a clean sweep. We won't run candidates against anyone now in Congress who supports impeachment by signing on to HR 333. Everyone else, all those in "safe seats", will face a New Broom opponent- perhaps in the Democratic primary, perhaps in November.
Cindy Sheehan, challenging House Speaker Pelosi's seat in San Francisco, is a prime example. Pelosi does NOT represent her constituency, which voted 60% for impeachment on a district - wide ballot referendum last November.
I'm challenging Mike Thompson in CA District 1 as a Green. Carol Brouillet may well do the same against Anna Eshoo. There are others already announcing around the country.
The New Broom Coalition would give potential activists a rallying point, a legitimate focus for political activity. If we start now, we can have viable candidates in all 435 Congressional Districts. We can be nonpartisan, a loose-knit group of candidates of whatever party, who share the common goal of replacing Congresspeople who represent corporations and the war machine, with Reps who truly will represent We the People.
Right now, the MSM are keeping the focus on the presidential campaign. A warmonger- whether its Hillary, Barak, or Bush-lite, will be president. We can forget the presidency.
If we are pursuing legitimate electoral politics, and the Bush administration tries to stop us, we can tell local law enforcement- police and sheriff, National Guard- that we are acting on behalf of We the People, and ask them to choose. Many, if not most, will side with us. This happened in Poland.
Once we can get a powerful people's Congress in place, we will be able to restore the Constitutional balance of powers, so that the job of the Executive is to carry out the laws passed by the legislature. This is our hope.
This is very do-able. Organizing by Congressional District, around elections, is a natural, organic way for people to work together for the common good. The big obstacle is political parties, which keep progressives separated and fighting one another- Greens vs. Democrats vs. libertarian Republicans vs. splinter party members.
We all share the goal of taking our country back.
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