From xxxxxx <[email protected]>
Subject A Message to the Left About Kamala Harris — And Us
Date August 14, 2020 3:54 AM
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[ Should activists sit this election out? Not if you believe in
activism. The right tactical call for activists is to elect the
politicians theyre most able to cajole, persuade, and pressure. That
means viewing politicians in a different light...]
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A MESSAGE TO THE LEFT ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS — AND US  
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Richard Eskow
August 12, 2020
Common Dreams
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_ Should activists sit this election out? Not if you believe in
activism. The right tactical call for activists is to elect the
politicians they're most able to cajole, persuade, and pressure. That
means viewing politicians in a different light... _

,

 

Millions of people have worked for change in this country in recent
years. An incomplete list includes the Occupy movement, Standing Rock,
the Sunrise movement, the Bernie Sanders campaigns, Black Lives
Matter, the Red State teachers' strikes, and the Women's Marches. For
the activist left (I include myself in this group), here's a thought:
It matters who Joe Biden chose for vice president. Of course, it does.
But it doesn't matter as much as you do. If you stay committed, if
you unite your movements into a broad alliance for social and economic
change, change will come. You have that power.

There's no way to sugarcoat it: If Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are
elected, they'll still be influenced by the powerful forces that have
shaped their careers. Biden has reassured billionaires that he doesn't
think they're the problem. Wall Street has celebrated
[[link removed]] Biden's
decision to choose Harris.

That's where you come in. Your activism—your constant, fearless,
unyielding calls to conscience and sanity—will be the only
counterforce to the pernicious influence of money in politics.

 

Kamala Harris addresses the media about migrant children in front of a
detention center in Homestead, Florida on June 28, 2019.
Photo: Rhona Wise / AFP / Getty Images  //  Common Dreams
Should activists sit this election out? Not if you believe in
activism. The right tactical call for activists is to elect the
politicians they're most able to cajole, persuade, and pressure. That
means viewing politicians in a different light: not as heroes or
villains, but as tools. (And, no, I don't mean "tool" in the
pejorative, slang sense—at least, not necessarily.) Confronted with
the choice between Trump or Biden, the question isn't, which of these
people do I admire? The question is, which of these people can I most
effectively use as a tool for change? 

"Should activists sit this election out? Not if you believe in
activism."

Too many people in this country's progressive majority—a category
that ranges from center-left to socialist—are still searching for
heroes when they vote. There aren't many heroes in politics—although
there are some, and their ranks are growing. But there are people that
can be tools for change. Find them. Use them. But when it comes to
heroes, look to yourselves. As the great civil rights leader Ella
Baker said, "strong people don't need strong leaders."

You are strong. Stay strong.

For the white people among us, let's not forget how inspiring the
Harris choice is for millions of people, especially Black women and
girls. That's something to celebrate. It's important and beautiful.
But there's no reason to abandon left policy goals. It takes nothing
away from this moment to point out that Bernie Sanders consistently
[[link removed]] polled better
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Harris herself among Black voters. People want a government that looks
like the people, and they want one that works for the people, too. 

Contrary to some recent centrist propaganda, "identity" politics and
class politics are not in conflict. They never have been. In fact, the
economic left has always been in the vanguard of alliance with social
justice. Its leaders have long included women, people of color, and
members of other oppressed groups, decades before that was true in
other social spheres.

As for Harris' policy record
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it's mixed. She's taken some excellent positions, some that weren't as
good, and others that seemed to float in a Schrodinger's-cat
reality—either alive nor dead.

Take healthcare. As someone who knows health economics quite well, I
watched with some dismay as Kamala Harris watered down her own views
on Medicare For All. She first stated—correctly—that private
insurers should have no part in the health insurance system. Then she
pivoted and attacked the Sanders plan, calling instead for a national
Medicare system run by private insurers along the "Medicare
Advantage." Medicare Advantage plans pose serious problems, some of
which Diane Archer and I explored here
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Then there are her most objectionable words and deeds: on the
(non)-prosecution of Steve Mnuchin, on cozying up to AIPAC, on
policing, and truancy. She needs to know that people are aware of that
record, and that they'll be watching what she does going forward.

As a candidate, Harris never seemed to be wedded to any particular
policy proposal. Like Biden, she appears to lack an ideological core.
While that can be seen as a character defect, it actually affords an
opportunity. Biden and Harris may turn out to be malleable on policy
in ways that the more ideologically neoliberal Bill and Hillary
Clinton, for example, were not.

"Biden and Harris may turn out to be malleable on policy in ways that
the more ideologically neoliberal Bill and Hillary Clinton, for
example, were not."

Some of you will argue that this is a naive thought. We'll find out if
they win. But we know they'll be more malleable than Trump. Yes, their
administration will probably be filled with the usual centrist
suspects. And the wealthy will have far more influence than they
should. But you'll have influence, too—if you stay organized. They
can't afford to lose your support.

Sorry if I seem to be pontificating. After all, a strong people don't
need strong leaders. But this is a time to speak, for anyone who has
something to say. Personally, I want a radically different world than
the one we live in today—a world mainstream politicians can't
imagine, much less build. I believe we'll need that kind of world to
survive what's coming. But we will have to cross a long, hard
political landscape before we reach it.

With this announcement, movement activists now have more information
about the terrain they'll need to navigate. Information is power. So
is activism. My plea to you, as someone with no particular standing to
make a plea, is this: Use this information. Stay powerful. Know that
you can win—that we can win—if we love, hope, and work together.

_[RICHARD (RJ) ESKOW
[[link removed]] is Senior Advisor
for Health and Economic Justice at Social Security Works
[[link removed]] and the host of The Zero Hour
with RJ Eskow
[[link removed]] on Free
Speech TV. Follow him on Twitter: @rjeskow 
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