At home cutbacks and austerity measures will be imposed at all levels of government, with job losses. We will need to defend unemployment insurance benefits, Social Security and Medicare in the coming months, since cooperation between Democrats and Republicans means working people will lose out.

We should expect and be prepared to resist more attacks on our civil liberties in the period ahead.

Marching for social change

Leading up to the 2012 election, we focused our efforts on organizing the March on the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida on Aug. 27, 2012. Despite a threatened hurricane, we rallied and marched in the streets with a people’s agenda, demanding “Good jobs, healthcare, affordable education, equality and peace!” A week later we joined the March on Wall Street of the South, necessarily with the same agenda, outside the Democratic Convention.

Close election outcome; money decides

The reelection of President Barack Obama is an echo of 2008 when John McCain was defeated. This time, with a lower turnout, the popular vote was closer, with Obama leading Romney 50.6% to 47.9%. The 2012 Electoral College vote narrowed too. Much of the pro-Obama enthusiasm of 2008 was absent as people turned away from the idea that elections deliver the change we need. Of the people who voted, most who opposed Romney wanted to lessen attacks on working and oppressed people, especially with the ongoing economic difficulties. With more than $2 billion spent, many are worn down by the time Election Day arrives. People understand too well that it is billionaires and multi-millionaires, along with their corporations and political action committees, who frame the process and select the candidates. Money is the big decider.

In the run up to the elections, many people feared Romney and voted against a Republican Party promoting wealthy business elites, blunt racism and national oppression, and anti-gay and anti-woman bigotry. Many activists and organizers of the people’s struggles take joy in the Republican dismay of Romney’s defeat.

The defeat of Republican Mitt Romney provides a better political terrain for progressive forces to fight on. With Romney defeated, the terms of debate are less likely to be framed by the outrageously racist, anti-women, anti-worker and anti-communist Tea Party types.

In addition to the defeat of Romney, the third of a million-plus votes cast for candidates independent of big business and the defeat of reactionary constitutional amendments in statewide races must be noted. So should the victories that paved the way for gay marriage. Voters in Minnesota defeated a constitutional amendment banning same sex manages. Voters in three other states legalized marriage equality.

Demand a better world! Right here! Right now!

Before the elections, we said, “Hope is in the people’s struggles, change is in the streets.” This is the main lesson of the first term of Barack Obama. We don’t believe that real change comes through the ballot box. We know change comes through the dedicated work of building and leading social movements with a goal of making revolution. We organize for reforms, knowing one day we will fight for revolution. While the U.S. empire is being challenged by an array of forces abroad, wanting freedom and self-determination, we are organizing people to march in the streets at home and demand the fruits of their labor. We demand a better world right here, right now!

The road to victory, organize movements

In recent years we helped build the mass movements opposing U.S. wars, demanding immigrant rights, rallying for education rights, joining Occupy Wall Street, demanding justice for Trayvon Martin and protesting FBI and U.S. government political repression.

The immigrant rights movement benefited by targeting President Obama and placing demands on him. It will need to do so again very soon. The other movements would be wise to take note. It is clear we are in a period of rising protest movements and people more and more want to fight back! The U.S. government response is to unleash the FBI and other repressive forces to clear people from public parks, tie them down with false but dangerous terrorism charges and to stymie organizing for social change.

We predict the second term for President Obama will see a further radicalization of people’s politics. We plan to be part of that and of the leadership of the groups and movements that will win victories for the people in the next four years. Come join us and work together to make a difference!

#UnitedStates #Editorials #PeoplesStruggles #2012Election

Saint Paul, MN – On Nov. 6, Minnesotans voted down two controversial constitutional amendments that conservatives put on the ballot. An amendment that would have made gay marriage unconstitutional was defeated 51.2% to 47.6%. An amendment that would have put restrictive voter ID requirements into the state constitution – an effort to suppress voter turnout – was also defeated, 52.2% to 46.3%.

For several months support for a ‘no’ vote on the anti-gay marriage amendment gradually grew and got close enough to be within the polling margin of error, but never took a decisive or comfortable lead in pre-election polls. The climb was even steeper for opponents of the Voter ID amendment. When it was first proposed, the Voter ID amendment had about 80% support, and almost nobody thought it could be defeated. But a few progressive organizations and unions took on the challenge and month after month chipped away at the lead through grassroots organizing.

Like with the marriage amendment, opponents of the Voter ID amendment were consistently behind in the polls until the last pre-election poll surprised everyone and showed the ‘no’ vote slightly ahead. The final poll numbers held on Election Day, with the ‘no’ votes winning in one of the most dramatic electoral turnarounds in recent memory.

The defeat of these amendments was a stinging rebuke for the right wing in Minnesota, who put them on the ballot specifically in an attempt to increase conservative voter turnout in a presidential election year. They assumed the amendments would easily pass, as similar proposals have in other states.

The right wing even thought they had protected themselves against a progressive backlash by at first proposing, then deciding to scrap, a third referendum which would have attacked unions by trying to make Minnesota a ‘right to work’ state. By pulling that one back they presumably hoped to take union mobilization out of the equation on the other two amendments. But most unions went all in anyway to defeat the marriage and voter ID amendments, seeing them as part of an overall attack on democratic rights, and that the right wing would have attacked union rights next if they were successful on these ones.

So instead of increasing conservative voter turnout, the marriage and voter ID amendments seemed to have the opposite effect – they created a progressive outpouring that delivered a historic defeat for the two amendments, while also going further and eviscerating the Republicans’ short-lived majorities in the State House and Senate. Republicans had taken control of both houses in 2010 for the first time in a generation, but on Tuesday their fortunes were reversed. Republicans lost control of both houses, with the Democrats taking a 39-28 seat majority in the Senate and a 73-61 seat majority in the House.

In addition to the statewide reverberations, Minnesota voters’ rejection of both amendments bucks recent national trends on restrictive voter ID laws and gay marriage. In recent years, restrictive voter ID laws have passed in a majority of states. And until Tuesday, legalizing same-sex marriage had never happened through a ballot referendum – in fact it had lost more than 30 times in such votes. Six states and Washington D.C. had legalized gay marriage, but through court rulings or legislation, not referendums.

That all changed on Nov. 6, when a majority of voters in Maine, Washington and Maryland voted to legalize gay marriage. The Minnesota vote didn’t legalize gay marriage in the state; it only prevented its illegality from being written into the state constitution. Same-sex marriage continues to be illegal in the state due to existing legislation. But by voting against outlawing it in the constitution in the same year that voters in three other states voted to make it legal, the message is clear: the tide has turned and the struggle for marriage equality is on the offensive now instead of the defensive.

#SaintPaulMN #GayMarriage #PeoplesStruggles #2012Election #constitutionalAmendments #GayRights

Amendment 3, which would have placed limits on state revenue and automatically triggered budget cuts to education and public sector workers, was defeated by 57.63% of voters. Similarly, 55.53% of voters struck down Amendment 8, which would have allowed charter schools and other private religious institutions to receive public funds.

Most surprising of all, however, was the 55.05% no vote on Amendment 6, which would have eroded women’s rights by restricting abortion access in Florida. Several other southern states have passed similar restrictions on women’s health care, but Florida activists tirelessly organized communities to defeat the amendment.

Jessica Schwartz, a student organizer with F-Word, a feminist activist group at Florida State University, said, “We tabled on campus, phone-banked and held trainings educating people about the effects of the amendment.” Countless activist groups across the state, like Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in Gainesville and Feminist Majority, joined Schwartz in standing outside of polling locations during early voting and on Election Day to urge voters to reject the right wing’s attack on women.

When asked about what this victory means for women in Florida, Schwartz said, “Politicians don’t have the increased capacity to restrict reproductive health services. We still don’t have public funding for abortion because of the Hyde Amendment already in place, but the part of the amendment making abortion not a constitutional right to privacy would have been detrimental to women.”

Florida’s constitution requires that amendments receive 60% of the vote in order to pass. Perhaps signaling the end of the notorious socially conservative voting base in Florida, Amendment 6 not only failed to gather the 60% of votes necessary to pass; a majority of voters knowingly rejected it.

Amendments 4, 5, 10, and 12 were also rejected by more than 50% of voters.

Amendment 12’s defeat, in particular, leaves the federative Florida Student Association (FSA) structure intact for independent student representation on the Board of Governors, which determines higher education policy for public universities. Had it passed, Amendment 12 would have allowed the Board of Governors to appoint the student representative on the Board.

“It’s a big blow to Rick Scott’s agenda in Florida that seeks to strip students of the only voice they have on the Board of Governors,” said Robbey Hayes, a senior at the University of Florida and an organizer with SDS.

“However, we know that we won’t win the fight against budget cuts and tuition hikes through a student representative on the Board of Governors. That battle will be won in the streets by the students themselves,” said Hayes.

The three amendments that did pass – 2, 9 and 11 – were minor tax exemptions given to veterans, spouses of first-responders and seniors respectively. They are not expected to significantly reduce state revenue.

#TallahasseeFL #Elections #2012Election #Florida #constitutionalAmendments

At the root of these long lines is the voter suppression laws passed by Florida Governor Rick Scott and the Republican legislature earlier in the year. In 2008, Florida voters had 14 days to cast an early ballot, but Scott’s voter suppression laws reduced early voting to only eight days. This substantial six-day reduction was not accompanied by an increase in poll staff or resources to meet the increased demand.

Eric Brown, a sophomore at University of Florida and a member of Students for a Democratic Society, traveled home to Fort Lauderdale to cast his ballot on Nov. 3 with his father. Brown reported that there were nearly 200 people waiting in line to vote early when he arrived at 4:00 p.m. “They [Supervisor of Elections Office] had to move us into an auditorium and give us numbers for our place in line,” said Brown. “It took us about an hour and 40 minutes to actually vote.”

When asked about the effects of long lines, Brown said, “I think it discourages people from voting, who see a long line and think, ‘I’ll wait until election day.’”

Discouraging voters was an intentional component of Gov. Scott’s voter suppression laws, which were designed to disenfranchise African-Americans, Latinos, students and working people in Florida. Among the early voting days cut was the Sunday before Election Day, which has historically seen high turnout by African-American churches as a part of their Souls to the Polls drive.

“Cutting Sunday from early voting was designed to target churches that end their services around noon and go to the polls together,” said Brown. “It was designed to keep African-American churchgoers from voting.”

Early voting has also allowed workers, who may have difficulty getting enough time off of work to vote on a Tuesday, to cast their ballots at their convenience. Jose Soto, Co-president of the Graduate Assistants United at University of Florida, said, “The Republican voter suppression laws were deliberately designed to disenfranchise workers. We’re seeing how discouraging these long lines are for people who work nine to five and might not be able to take off work on Election Day.”

Besides reducing the number of days that voters could cast their ballots early, the Republicans also passed the ‘Voter ID’ law. These new requirements demand that voters produce a photo identification card before receiving their ballot. Scott’s law was designed to disenfranchise working class voters who may not have a photo ID and further incite racist suspicion towards African Americans, Latinos and other oppressed nationalities.

Activists across Florida have worked tirelessly to expose and defeat these racist laws, which blatantly attack the democratic rights of oppressed people. Dream Defenders, an African-American and Latino youth organization, led rallies and held discussion panels on the effects of voter suppression and how youth can defend their democratic rights from attacks.

Michael Sampson, an organizer with Dream Defenders, said, “Voter suppression is a tactic by radical right wing to suppress the rise of Black and brown people. It’s designed to take away the most fundamental democratic right born through the struggle.”

Voter suppression laws were not the only anti-democratic attacks experienced by Floridians last week. In Pensacola, voters reported more than a dozen cars and trucks with Texas license plates and conservative bumper stickers parked all day at the Lucia M. Tryon Branch Library, the main early voting location in Pensacola.

James Lingley, the Vice-president of the District 3 Florida State Council of Machinists, said that these out-of-state vehicles made it more difficult for voters to find parking and cast their ballots.

“Any political party bringing up people from out of state to take up space is trying to suppress the vote,” said Lingley. “It will go on all day tomorrow, and it’s not just here. It’s in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, too.”

The right-wing state lawmakers understand that working people overwhelmingly oppose their racist, anti-women, homophobic and anti-union agenda. They also understand that without Florida’s 29 electoral votes, Romney has no chance of winning the presidency. In order to grab onto power and deliver an electoral victory for republican candidate Mitt Romney, they have resorted to legal and extra-legal methods of suppressing voters.

After the U.S. Supreme Court disenfranchised hundreds of Florida voters in order to ensure victory for George W. Bush in the 2000 election, all eyes are on Florida for Election Day.

Speaking about the role of activist groups like Dream Defenders in the struggle against voter suppression, Michael Sampson said that activists need to broaden and deepen the struggle long past Election Day: “Our obligation is to organize, to fight back against these attacks and to win freedom for our communities.”

#TallahasseeFL #voterSuppression #2012Election #Florida

In the November elections, Florida will be a major battleground in the people’s fight-back against budget cuts, the war on women and the struggle to protect the public education system. Eleven constitutional amendments will appear on the ballot for Florida voters. Every one of these amendments would hurt the people of Florida and help only the wealthy 1%. We urge all Floridians to vote “no” on all the constitutional amendments.

Since becoming Florida Governor in the 2010 midterm election, Rick Scott has ushered in a period of vicious attacks on workers, trade unions, Latinos, African-Americans, women and students. This new period of reaction is provoking an overwhelming response by Floridians. They are taking to the streets to oppose the governor’s far-right policies.

Two years after becoming Governor, Scott hopes to achieve his long-term goals of cutting programs for the working class and urban poor, gutting public education and shackling women with restrictions on personal health care decisions. In order to do this, Scott and the Republicans need to pass these constitutional amendments in 2012 to set the stage for the legislative session in 2013.

The people of Florida can deliver a serious blow to Rick Scott in the 2012 elections by overwhelmingly voting down all eleven constitutional amendments.

Amendment 3: “Smart Cap” legislation, not so smart

Before Scott’s right-wing administration can launch its campaign of crippling austerity measures, Florida legislators must make adjustments to the way the state calculates its budget, manages its revenue and spends its remaining surplus. These changes rest in Amendment 3, otherwise known as the Florida “Smart Cap,” which will result in widespread budget cuts, the privatization of public education and tax breaks for the rich at the expense of working and low-income people.

To do this, the amendment proposes two key modifications. The budget formula will go from depending on personal income growth and yearly earnings, to depending on population size and inflation. All revenue above the state cap is then funneled into a ‘rainy day fund’ instead of returning to the people in the form of much-needed public services.

What this boils down to is a tragically reduced budget for social services and cuts to public education, healthcare, public safety, public transportation, senior services and other programs vital to the lives of Florida’s working people. Moreover, legislators maintain that the rainy day fund will only be accessed for tax relief or a reduction in property taxes. In other words, this fund exists in order to carry tax cuts for the wealthiest property owners, despite coming from tax revenue provided by working people.

Not only do these cuts widen the gap between the rich and Florida’s working class, they drain public institutions and allow them to be privatized. The most urgent cases are the drainage of public education and healthcare. One needs only to look at the growing frequency of corporate healthcare fraud, the proliferation of private schools, and the proposed Amendment 3 to see evidence of this.

Action is underway. Working class citizens can dismantle Amendment 3 by voting “No” come November and, more importantly, joining protesters from Florida’s labor unions, community and student groups in the streets.

The so-called “Religious Freedom” Amendment 8

The far right sees Florida as a testing ground for its neoliberal education reform schemes. The corporations seek to bust teachers unions and privatize education. Under the guise of ‘religious freedom,’ Amendment 8 will allow for-profit charter schools to take public funding from taxpayers.

Florida’s constitution, with its separation of church and state, prohibits religious institutions from receiving public funds. This is one of the last obstacles standing in the way of privatizing Florida’s education system via charter schools.

Former Republican Governor Jeb Bush, acting as a lobbyist for far-right organizations funded by the Koch Brothers, was handed a defeat in the Florida state legislature last year. A coalition of teachers unions, student groups and parent organizations shut down the so-called ‘parent-trigger’ bill. This bill would allow for-profit corporations to take over public schools designated by the state-imposed standards as “failing.” The corporate funded, far-right groups proposing the ‘parent-trigger’ legislation plan to bring the bill up again. They hope Amendment 8 will lay the groundwork for the 2013 legislative session.

In many ways, Amendment 8 paves the way for this corporate takeover of public education in Florida, under the false cover of religious freedom. The politicians are choking education with regulations that prevent raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy. When Florida finds itself in this artificially created ‘budget crisis,’ charter schools and other private institutions falsely portray themselves as the solution. They can then consolidate the far-right plan to privatize public education.

Teachers, working people and students must vote “no” on Amendment 8 and in doing so, deal another decisive blow to the anti-democratic trend of privatizing the public education system.

Amendment 6: Women’s rights are once again in the Tea Party’s crossfire

With a state government dominated by Republicans, it is no surprise that women’s rights are under fire. Under the guise of moral decency, the patriarchs of the Florida state government are banding together in a crusade against women’s reproductive rights.

The conspicuously titled “Prohibition on Public Funding of Abortions” amendment strictly states that no public funds, i.e. health care, shall be allocated towards abortion. This would prohibit the use of public funds for abortions except as required by federal law or to save the mother's life.

Amendment 6 grossly violates human rights. Women will lose the right to choose. Women will be forced to parent without support. Women’s right to privacy will be violated. Politicians and other outsiders will be making life choices for women instead.

Women’s rights in Florida are under attack. If this amendment passes, it will lead to more amendments down the road further restricting women’s choices in their own lives. Vote “no” on Amendment 6 and protect the right to choose.

Amendment 12: The suppression of the student voice

In the past several years the attacks on education are reaching a record high. Extreme budget cuts result in yearly tuition hikes and the defunding of Bright Futures, the state scholarship program. These cuts affect many African-American, Latino and working-class students of all nationalities who struggle daily to afford higher education.

Students have limited representation in the state government. There is one student seat on the Board of Governors, reserved for the student body president of a Florida public university. The seat works on a rotation basis and each year a different university has their student body president sit on the Board of Governors. Seemingly fair, the system works to stifle the student voice by allowing only one representative to stand for tens of thousands.

However, Amendment 12 works to further suppress the student voice. If passed, it would give the power of choice to the Board of Governors in selecting the student body president who sits on board. It would eliminate the rotation between universities and ensure that the Board could choose someone who they believe would align with their agenda.

This amendment follows the year where Michael Long, New College’s student president, was very vocal and outspoken against tuition hikes. He gave the board some trouble when he voted against the hikes and voiced his concerns to the media. For representing the concerns of Florida’s students, right-wing politicians and the Board of Governors returned the favor by placing Amendment 12 on the ballot.

Amendment 12 will ensure that student body presidents like Michael Long will no longer be able to represent students. This will cause the student voice to become nothing more than an echo in the decision-making. Students, parents and educators need to vote a resounding “no” on Amendment 12 and continue organizing against education cuts.

Hope is in the people’s struggle, change is in the streets

With the exception of Amendment 1, which amounts to a non-binding referendum on the Affordable Care Act, the other amendments on the Florida ballot in 2012 all represent the interests of the far-right Florida state legislature and Governor Rick Scott. They would write more tax exemptions into the Constitution, to pave the way for more budget cuts. Amendments 2, 10, and 11, for instance, offer yet another tax exemption for property owners in Florida, and Amendment 4 restricts the ability of county and municipal governments to raise property tax revenue. In essence, this creates an artificial crisis, in which the state and local governments will claim they must cut the jobs of public employees, take away the right to collectively bargain, and slash funding for public schools in order to “balance the budget.”

We hope that Floridians vote overwhelmingly “no” on all eleven constitutional amendments on or before Nov. 6. However, we know that even dealing a blow to Governor Scott’s far-right agenda at the ballot box is not enough to stop the budget cuts and attacks on workers.

In order to build a better, stronger and more equal Florida with fully funded public education, robust trade unions, health care for all, good jobs for working people and full equality for women and oppressed people, we must continue to organize our movements in the streets. We need to organize a fight back into the coming year, defend what is good and build progressive movements with demands that challenge politicians of both parties to meet the needs of the people.

#Florida #FL #Editorials #PeoplesStruggles #2012Election #constitutionalAmendments

Pero hay mucha esperanza que viene de las luchas populares que han surgido en los últimos 10 años. Primero surgió el movimiento anti-guerra en contra de las guerras de Bush en Irak y Afganistan. Entonces el primero de mayo 2006 los inmigrantes salieron a las calles en megamarchas en numeros historicos, con millones de chicanos, mexicanos, centroamericanos y otros inmigrantes marchando en las calles en todo el país. Estudiantes que participaron en estos dos movimientos después empezaron a exigir derechos educacionales en sus campus, organizando en contra de los crecientes costos de la matrícula y la creciente deuda estudiantil. Los afro-americanos salieron a votar en los números más altos en la historia y salieron a celebrar la elección de Barack Obama in 2008, mientras el movimiento en contra de la brutalidad policial alcanzó altos niveles exigiendo justicia para Trayvon Martin. Los trabajadores en Wisconsin, Ohio y otros estados se movilizaron en contra de los ataques de los republicanos en contra de los trabajadores públicos y los sindicatos. Inspirados por la Primavera Árabe, el movimiento Ocupar Wall Street surgió para echarle la culpa de la crisis económica justo en el 1% de los más ricos y exigir reformas democráticas. El movimiento Ocupar ganó el apoyo de las masas hasta que una campaña nacional de represión policial corrió el movimiento de las calles.

Estos movimientos representando diversos sectores y masas oprimidas del país son una amenaza para la clase pequeña de ricos quienes dominan la economía y dictan a los políticos. Los ricos viven en temor del poder del pueblo y activamente utilizan la policía, el FBI y las cortes para aumentar la represión política. Debemos mantenernos firmes en el conocimiento de que la única manera de hacer los cambios fundamentales es seguir construyendo estos movimientos, y que las elecciones nunca han sido y nunca serán el vehículo para hacer cambios fundamentales.

Los partidos del 1% se reunirán

Es en este contexto que los demócratas y los republicanos — los dos partidos del 1% — están convocando sus convenciones para nombrar oficialmente sus candidatos presidenciales para la elección del 6 de noviembre. Nosotros hacemos una llamada al pueblo a construir las luchas populares y a protestar en las calles. SI quieres paz con justicia, si quieres un trabajo, cuidado de salud, la educación y la igualdad, te invitamos a unirte a la protesta afuera de la Convención Nacional Republicana el lunes 27 de agosto en Tampa, Florida. Unos días después de esta protesta, más personas van a unirse a la Marcha Contra el Wall Street del Sur durante la Convención Nacional Demócrata en Charlotte, Carolina del Norte. Hay elecciones cada dos años en que los dos partidos cambian lugares, pero los movimientos populares — particularmente la alianza estratégica del movimiento de la clase trabajadora y los movimientos de las nacionalidades oprimidas (afroamericanos, chicanos, y otras nacionalidades oprimidas) pueden ganar no sólo reformas sino que el cambio radical que ningun politico vendido puede llevar a cabo.

El peor de los dos malos

El presidente Obama va adelante del republicano Mitt Romney en la mayoría de las encuestas y los analistas tienden a pensar que Obama ganara la elección. En el sistema bipartidista en este país, el candidato con más dinero casi siempre gana y Wall Street siempre gana. Podemos ver una muestra de que Wall Street siempre gana con la designación de Obama a Timothy Geithner como el secretario del tesorero del país aun después de la crisis económica del 2008.

Sin embargo eso no significa que la persona que está en la Casa Blanca no tiene impacto real en las condiciones reales de la lucha popular y las condiciones de la vida diaria del pueblo. A veces los movimientos populares están más activos cuando sienten que es posible ganar reformas. Es un hecho que Romney y los republicanos son agresivamente reaccionarios en comparación con Obama y los demócratas. El estado de Wisconsin bajo gobernador Walker o el estado de Florida bajo gobernador Scott comprueban eso.

Los republicanos son los peores de los dos. Representan a la sección más reaccionaria y racista de la clase capitalista — los millonarios y billonarios que tienen el verdadero poder en este país. Romney complace a la base anti-mujer, anti-gay y racista del partido republicano en los asuntos sociales. Mitt Romney quiere más gastos militares, más guerra y más ocupaciones militares, especialmente en el Medio Oriente. Romney quiere privatizar servicios gubernamentales o quiere cortarlos completamente y quiere recortar y dejar más personas sin trabajo como hizo en su compañía Bain Capital.

Cuatro años de Obama: los jóvenes rechazados, los movimientos reprimidos

Cuando McCain fue derrotado en la elección del 2008, un factor grande en su derrota fue el voto de los jóvenes. La gente entre 18 y 29 años de edad que votaron dio su voto en gran número a Obama. Eso ahora es la causa de un dilema para el presidente Obama en la elección del 2012 porque no hizo lo que prometió que iba a hacer para los jóvenes. Aunque líderes del partido demócrata dicen que la mayoría republicana en el congreso bloquea a las iniciativas de Obama, nosotros recordamos que los demócratas tenían mayorías en la Casa de Representantes y en el Senado por los primeros dos años de la presidencia de Obama.

Viendo la situación actual, es claro que aunque la ocupación de Irak ha terminado, la guerra en Afganistan sigue y ataques estadounidenses contra otros países en el Medio Oriente siguen creciendo. La cárcel de torturas en Guantánamo permanece abierta, el Acta de Autorización de Defensa de la Patria (NDAA por sus siglas en inglés) ahora permite la detención militar de ciudadanos estadounidenses, y más inmigrantes están siendo deportados ahora que bajo la administración de Bush y no hay progreso en el congreso sobre una legalización. Inmediatamente después de la elección del 2008, los demócratas desconocieron la propuesta de ley promovido por los sindicatos que hubiera facilitado el proceso de sindicalización para los trabajadores, y la reforma de salud que aprobaron beneficia principalmente a las corporaciones de seguro médico y las compañías de drogas, no a los pacientes.

Los activistas y líderes estudiantiles y juveniles están enojados sobre la represión del gobierno contra el movimiento Ocupar Wall Street cuando sacaron a los activistas de este movimiento de los espacios públicos y de los parques que ocuparon a través del país. Esta represión vino después de la represión contra las protestas de la Convención Nacional Republicana en 2008 y las redadas del FBI el 24 de septiembre 2010 contra los organizadores de las protestas de la convención republicana en 2008 y contra otros activistas anti-guerra. Todo el movimiento está enojado con el creciente uso de tácticas violentas por la policía para lastimar manifestantes como lo que ocurrió en la protesta contra OTAN en Chicago este año. El gobierno está usando tácticas represivas con más frecuencia como las redadas, las citaciones legales y otros procesos legales en las cortes para criminalizar el activismo político y tildarlo como el ‘terrorismo’. Esta represión está alejando los activistas aún más de los demócratas y de las elecciones.

¿Que hacer?

Sabemos que muchos activistas en los sindicatos, mucha gente de los movimientos afro-americano, chicano y de otras nacionalidades oprimidas, y secciones del movimiento anti-guerra y activistas luchando por los derechos de los inmigrantes probablemente van a seguir votando por el candidato menos mal de los dos malos. Pero creemos que las condiciones son buenas en este ciclo electoral para enfatizar que el sistema electoral en este país tiene dos partidos que representan la misma clase dominante y para hablar del hecho de que el sistema actual no es una democracia verdadera y no es suficiente. Creemos que todavía es importante que los progresistas vayamos a las urnas para votar en contra de los ataques sobre los derechos democráticos como las iniciativas en varios estados para restringir el voto a personas que solo tienen cierta forma de identificación, y las iniciativas como enmiendas constitucionales anti-gay. En términos del voto en la elección presidencial, es mejor votar en contra de Romney, especialmente en los estados donde la elección está muy cerrada. En otros estados como California no es probable que los republicanos ganen. En estos casos sería positivo tener un voto fuerte para terceros partidos.

Nuestro mensaje principal es que las elecciones no son el vehículo para lograr un cambio verdadero. La decision legal en el caso de “Citizens United” que las corporaciones pueden libremente y abiertamente comprar los políticos hace más claro que nunca lo que siempre ha sido la realidad — los que tienen el oro hacen las reglas. Durante este ciclo electoral los progresistas debemos enfatizar y hablar de los problemas orgánicos de este sistema y debemos seguir movilizando y exigiendo cambios de los políticos de los dos partidos. Tenemos confianza que es la lucha popular no las urnas que nos traerá un futuro mejor.

#EstadosUnidos #Elections #Editorials #PeoplesStruggles #BarackObama #2012Election #MittRomney

However, there is great hope in the rising struggles of the past ten years. First came the anti-war movement that rose up to oppose Bush’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then on May Day 2006, the immigrant rights mega-marches made history, with millions of Chicano, Mexicano, Central American and other immigrants marching in the streets of cities across the country. Students who participated in both movements began demanding educational rights on campuses, opposing rising tuition costs and mounting student debt. African-Americans turned out in their greatest numbers ever to vote for and celebrate the election of Barack Obama in 2008, while the nationwide movement against police brutality and police misconduct reached new levels with a campaign demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. Workers in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states rallied to oppose Republican attacks on government workers and labor unions. Inspired by the Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street Movement rose up to place the blame for the economic crisis squarely on the richest 1% and demand democratic reforms. Occupy captured the support of the masses until it was driven from the streets by waves of nationally coordinated police repression.

Taken together, these movements – representing diverse sectors and oppressed masses of our country – are threatening to the small class of rich people who dominate the economy and dictate to the politicians. The rich live in fear of the power of the people and are unleashing the police, FBI and courts as political repression grows. We must remain firm in knowing that building on these people’s struggles is the only way to make the fundamental changes that voting never has and never will be able to make.

Parties of the 1% to meet

It is in this context that the Democrats and the Republicans, both parties of the 1%, are holding conventions and nominating their candidates for the Nov. 6 elections. We are calling for people to build the people’s struggles and protest in the streets. If you want peace and justice, if you want a job, healthcare, education and equality, then join us at the Republican National Convention on Monday, August 27, in Tampa, Florida. A few days later more will join the March on the Wall Street South during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Elections come and go, parties change places, but the people’s movements – especially the strategic alliance of the working class movement and the national movements of African-American, Chicanos, and other oppressed nationalities, can bring not just reforms, but radical change that no bought and paid for politician can deliver.

The greater of two evils

President Obama is leading in most polls over Republican Mitt Romney and analysts tend to have Obama winning the election. In the American two-party system, the candidate with the most money is the winner almost all the time and Wall Street is the winner, every time. Obama’s Wall Street appointments like Timothy Geithner, even after the 2008 financial crisis, show this to be true.

However, this doesn’t mean that there is no impact on objective conditions in the people’s struggles and the condition of people’s everyday lives, depending upon who is in the White House. At times, people’s movements are more active when there is a sense that achieving reform is possible. It is a fact that Romney and the Republicans are aggressively reactionary as compared to Obama and the Democrats. Governor Walkers’ Wisconsin or Governor Scott’s Florida are proof of that.

The Republicans are the greater of two evils. They represent the most reactionary and racist section of the capitalist class – the millionaires and billionaires who rule this country. Romney panders to the anti-women, anti-gay and racist base of the Republican Party on social issues. Mitt Romney wants more military spending, more war, and more U.S. occupations, especially in the Middle East. Romney wants to privatize government services or just cut them altogether, to downsize and put more people out of work like he did at Bain Capital.

Four years of Obama, young people spurned, movements repressed

When McCain went down in flames, a big factor was the youth vote. Those between 18 and 29 who did vote went big for Obama. This now creates a dilemma for President Obama in the 2012 election, because he did not deliver what the youth were promised. While Democratic Party leaders point to the Republican majority blocking Obama initiatives in the House of Representatives, we remember the Democrats had majorities in both the House and the Senate when President Obama took office.

Taking stock, it is clear that while the U.S. occupation of Iraq ended, the war in Afghanistan continues and U.S. attacks on other countries in the Middle East continue to grow. Guantanamo’s torture prison is still open, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) now allows for military detention of U.S. citizens, and immigrants are being deported at a faster rate than under the Bush administration, with no progress in Congress on legalization. Union card check, making it easier for workers to organize into unions was dropped immediately after the election, and the healthcare law mainly benefits health insurance corporations and drug companies, not patients.

Student and youth activists and leaders are angry about the U.S. government’s treatment of Occupy Wall Street and the clearing of the parks and public spaces. This came after the police repression unleashed at the 2008 Republican National Convention, followed by the FBI raids of RNC protest organizers and anti-war activists’ homes on Sept. 24, 2010. The whole movement is angry about the spreading use of violent police tactics to intimidate and physically hurt demonstrators, as we saw at the anti-NATO protest in Chicago this year. More and more, the government’s use of raids, subpoenas and courts to criminalize political activism and label it as ‘terrorism’ is driving activists away from the Democrats and electoral politics.

What to do?

We know that many activists in unions, the African-American, Chicano and other oppressed nationality movements, and sections of anti-war protesters and immigrant rights activists are likely to continue to vote for the lesser of two evils. However, we think the conditions are right in this electoral cycle to emphasize instead the nature of the two party, one ruling class system and talk about why what we have is not democracy and not good enough. We do think it is still important for progressives to go to the polls to oppose concrete attacks on democratic rights, such as Voter ID and anti-gay amendments. In terms of voting in the presidential election, it is better to vote against Romney, especially in swing states. In other states like California, the Republicans are unlikely to win. In these cases, it would be positive to have a strong third party vote total.

Our main message is that no matter how hopeful we are for change to come through electoral politics, this is not the venue for real change. Citizens United, and its ruling that corporations are free to openly buy the allegiance of politicians, makes more clear what has always been true: those who have the gold, make the rules. During this particular election cycle progressives should emphasize and talk about the problems inherent in the system, while placing demands on politicians from both parties. Our faith and our future are in the people’s struggle, not the ballot box.

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