Occupy Trump - some speculation
Could 1968 replay in 2016? On the GOP side this time.
Update: It's happening as my article indicated: Drumpf's Kansas rally got disrupted by peace warriors protesting his racism and threat to democracy. Go Occupy Trump!
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/12/donald-trump-cancels-cinc...
Herr Drumpf has a rally scheduled for Cincinnati, OH, tomorrow, Sunday afternoon. Media speculation is swirling on the Cinci rally. Is it still on? Would it be cancelled? Would the security arrangement be complete? Or suffice? Here's the Guardian saying it is still on/off/on/off:
The big question is whether the young peace warriors of Chicago have inspire the compatriots in Cincinnatti to try the same tomorrow? Circumstances differ, of course. I have no insight into the state of play among peace warriors there, but it wouldn't surprise, eh? And then the question becomes, what thereafter? Could the following scenario unfold?
Consider this, if you will. A thought experiment. For now.
First, racially diverse America is not the homogeneous German republic of Weimar in the 1930s. The Drumpf trajectory had been one of increasing bellicosity followed by increasing protest. Minorities and liberal whites have been quick to oppose his racism and St Louis and Chicago have shown bravery in substantial numbers. I have the fullest confidence that millennials and aging hippies are going to rise in numbers against the Drumpf.
Then, social media enables peace warriors to communicate, strategize, and, implement nonviolent resistance to domination, as the youth of downtown Chicago showed yesterday and during Occupy. I have no doubt that the "wires are burning" along all known Drumpf stops. Third, progressives have a rallying standard in Bernie. No, he has nothing to do with Drumpf street resistance. After all, he has a day job in the senate and a second job running for president. But he is our standard bearer. Occupy didn't have that, remember. So, picture this if you will.
What if Herr Drumpf faces thousands of angry millennials at every rally from here on out? He'd bust every city's police budget, for sure. The thin blue line would work like mad to keep the peace warriors and the brown shirts (pants) apart. The media would record every bit of the chaos. Passions on all sides would, ahem, peak. The spotlight would burn very bright on all things Drumpf. His support among the faux right would vanish. The Yeehawdists would rally and make buffoons of themselves. Reasonable right wingers would sit on their hands.
Picture the Dem race while all this goes on. Take Clinton's fluffy response to Drumpf's protesters yesterday. A complete weasel cop-out. When democratic voters see our millennials offering themselves as peace warriors against the rising fascism, and then turn back to the two candidates, which of them looks strong against Drumpf? "Who is our warrior?" Who has the backbone? Easy answer.
Could we see a GOP convention surrounded by a sea of peace warriors? Paul Brown Stadium, home to the futility of the Cleveland Browns, is known as The House Of Sorrows. The GOP convention hall could acquire a similar nickname. What would that to to the race? Theirs and ours?
What does a general election look like when the GOP candidate faces significant peace warrior protests everywhere he goes? Millennials know you cannot let a fascist win at the ballot box. They know that the existing ballot crookery (raise your hand if you trust the Diebold machines - now owned by McCarthy Capital 
will become completely rigged. There wouldn't even be any chads to hang. You know what it would look like with Bernie as the standard bearer. Bernie would say, "On me" and lead. I mean, he has some relevant experience.
Could you even bear to watch if it would be Clinton? The Children's Crusade comes to mind. "Standing against" the GOP for decades in the weasel world of Washington might get you a paper cut, if you had to handle papers yourself. It is zero preparation for going head to head with fascists.
I'd like to hear what you think.
Peace be with us, if we work for it with peaceful hearts.
gerrit
Comments
Guardian link doesn't post - here it is:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/12/donald-trump-cancels-cinc...
Resilience: practical action to improve things we can control.
3D+: developing language for postmodern spirituality.
Gold Plated Toilet Man is actively engaged in promoting war
between his followers and anybody opposed. He does this by not reigning in his supporters, instead INSISTING that they are being attacked because they are being protested.
GPTM will have his brownshirts soon. The only question is if they grow out of an existing group or whether GPTM decides to take an active hand in their conception.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
You're right, that's what he's doing. What Drumpf hasn't
realized is that, unlike his reality shows, millennials, and all manner of activist organizations, along with some of us old duffers, will take to the street at all his rallies and give him whatfor.
In fact, I'm banking on activist peace warriors to resist and disrupt everything Drumpf from here on out. If people do not rise up in non-violent resistance to Drumpf, he would become stronger and stronger and embolden every entitled white male in the U.S. in a rising tide of hate. The time to stop the fascists of the 1930s was before they arrived at their first ballot. Herr Drumpf has to arrive at November 8th in a dishevelled shrivelled state, abandoned by all except the diehard racists. If Drumpf gets to the ballot in strength, Houston we have a problem. Even if he loses, he'd be a power until the next election.
Occupy Trump now. The alternative is very bad for democracy. The time for nonviolent resistance to domination is now. With peaceful hearts
Cheers and thanks, mate
Resilience: practical action to improve things we can control.
3D+: developing language for postmodern spirituality.
So far, incident is being used
to try to tarnish Sanders' reputation, and lots of people are freaking out that Trump vs Sanders is a win for the establishment.
But it's crucial that Sanders present a model of multi-racial coalition politics that stands against racism AND against a violent response to dissent. There needs to be a home for that idea, and right now, he's it. Clinton has begun her pivot away from black people, and her statement on incident comes off as extremely condescending to the protesters and their concerns.
Clinton's pivot shows that she believes that once she has nomination, black people will necessarily support her because Trump is so terrible. Therefore, she doesn't--and won't--have to do anything more to keep them in her camp. The racism of Trump will keep black people with Clinton, and because black people have been so instrumental in keeping her campaign alive, her campaign will be portrayed as the POC campaign, while Trump's campaign will be the White People campaign.
Clinton vs Trump, if it goes as it's been prepared to go, will therefore pit black people against angry white racist Cliven Bundy types--and that will be THE dividing line between their campaigns. Such an election, especially when prosecuted by irresponsible liars who don't care what harm they cause, will result in violence and harm to innocent people, and incalculable damage to both political parties (I'm not sure anymore whether it's a bad thing to damage the parties, but it deserves mention).
Sanders needs to be a home for these protesters. Anti-racism needs to have a home in a politics of coalition, and it needs leaders--both from the Sanders campaign and BLM and other places--who actually give a damn about the people who are marching and striving.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Wall Street may be more scared of Drumpf
than they are of Sanders.
Sanders has socialist ideas, sure, but they can probably deal with those especially if they keep control of Congress. Drumpf, OTOH, is a loose cannon; Muslims and people of color are consumers -- sometimes pretty well-heeled consumers. The last thing they need is for a President to pull some stunt that would lead to countries calling for an economic boycott of the US.
Trump blames "our communist friend" for clashes
It's Bernie's fault
Trump is "pathological liar"
I wonder how voters will react to this?
If it's anything like my reaction...
That Trump seems to be channeling his supposed opponent with his red-baiting.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxlhyX-4qKI]
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
I think racist voters will hug Drumpf and the majority will not.
Resilience: practical action to improve things we can control.
3D+: developing language for postmodern spirituality.
Voter Reaction
I think most of us would be upset if there were protests at Hillary, Bernie, Kasich, or Rubio events because none of these candidates are openly encouraging violence. But Trump is giving tips about what violence is acceptable to him at every rally he has. We know about brown shirts, black shirts, white sheets, and pseudo-military garb and what the folks wearing them intend. Trump’s people just haven’t gotten around to deciding what to wear. I think we must make it clear that fascism is not an acceptable American political doctrine and protests are one way to do it.
-Greed is not a virtue.
-Socialism: the radical idea of sharing.
-Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
John F. Kennedy, In a speech at the White House, 1962
So far, Bernie's favorables and Donald's unfavorables
are holding steady; Hillary's unfavorables are rising.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
The Lesser of two evils crap...
isn't going to work if people hate Hillary more than they hate Trump.
Which is of course, why we need Bernie. Every smear seems to just bounce off him.
Every single issue with Hillary just reinforces the underlying problem with her. She's a liar and people don't trust or like her.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Right on! Add the FBI and it's Katie bar the door.
Resilience: practical action to improve things we can control.
3D+: developing language for postmodern spirituality.
Another win for the Establishment
They've got the proles fighting each other
instead of The System.
Only connect. - E.M. Forster
You've nailed it, dr! These 'major' protests
didn't explode until AFTER Mitt Romney's speech, and the 24-7 very public push by the Republican Establishment to have the Republican nomination determined by a 'brokered convention.'
Could some of those protestors, be protestors-for-hire? From what I've read, the RNC has plenty of 'walking around money.'
(Which is not to say that none of the protestors are legitimate, or real. I'm certain that many are.)
Bottom line, it makes both the candidates at the fringes--the MSM's characterization, not mine--look like they are going at it. I agree that this is not by accident. (on the part of the RNC, etc.)
Have a good one!
(Music City) Mollie
elinkarlsson@WordPress
"The standard of living of the average American has to decline," he said. I don't think you can escape that."--Paul A Volcker, during Congressional testimony, October 1978
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
That's the idea. It's just been moved up in schedule
That's what Hillary vs Trump was supposed to be, except in that case, neither leader actually gives a shit about their followers or the causes they supposedly espouse. It's been moved up because Sanders is presenting a real challenge.
IMO, Sanders campaign has been doing pretty well steering amongst these shoals. His response to Trump's threat to send Trump supporters to Bernie rallies: "Send them. They deserve to hear what an honest politician sounds like."
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
That's right. They forget Bernie learned how to fight in the 60s
Resilience: practical action to improve things we can control.
3D+: developing language for postmodern spirituality.