13 November 22
Live on the homepage now!
Reader Supported News
But on December 6, a Peach State runoff could turn on a tiny fraction of that…if it goes to grassroots/relational organizing led by non-partisan get-out-the-vote groups such as the Center for Common Ground ( https://www.centerforcommonground.org ) and the Atlanta NAACP ( https://naacpatlanta.org/donate_new.php ) .
It could also hinge on bottom-up action against the massive disenfranchisement perpetrated by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, as portrayed in Greg Palast’s new film “Vigilante.” ( vigilantemovie.com )
Such a “Georgia Miracle” replay of election protection and enhanced turnout could make all the difference in the state’s second consecutive race to decide control of the US Senate. )
The first Georgia Miracle came January 5, 2021, just before Donald Trump’s violent attack on the American Capitol.
In a rare double runoff, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossof won US Senate seats based on extraordinary grassroots organizing. ( https://independentmediainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/The-Georgia-Way.pdf )
With the Center for Common Ground and Atlanta NAACP in the vanguard, underfunded but powerful democracy centers, door-to-door canvassing and face-to-face campaigning yielded a massive turnout that made all the difference.
This year gargantuan sums will pour into the coffers of Trump-anointed Republican Herschel Walker. With Senate control on the line, the Democratic Party’s corporate fundraising machine, will be primed to waste millions on the usual media buys.
They will be inclined to follow their fall 2021 failure in Virginia. Despite the double grassroots victory in Georgia, Virginia Democrats squandered millions on media buys for their corporate gubernatorial candidate, who failed to pay door-to-door canvassers, and presented nothing resembling a progressive agenda. Not surprisingly, Trumpites seized the governor’s mansion and legislature.
This year’s predicated Red Wave sank on an epic uprising among female and young voters. Women and Millennial/Zoomers now comprise the majority of the US electorate, which decided this year to bury Trump fascism.
But that will again be put to the test December 6. Based on the lessons of the Georgia Miracle, Senator Warnock can be re-elected if he and the Democrats put their money into getting out the youth and female vote…and on overcoming Gov. Brian Kemp’s massive disenfranchisement campaign.
Or they can go the way of Virginia 2021 and surrender to the big money corporatists whose death-grip on American politics was barely loosened on November 8.
The future of American democracy—-if there’s to be one—-now hinges on grassroots campaigns to turn out women and Millennial/Zoomer voters. It will not happen with endless media blasts.
But as the Georgia Way showed in 2021, victory can come instead with door-to-door “relational” campaigning, neighborhood democracy centers and an escalated commitment to protecting the ability of citizens of youth and color to vote and have those votes counted.
The next test will be in Georgia, December 6.
What will YOU do about it?
Harvey Wasserman’s THE PEOPLE’S SPIRAL OF US HISTORY is at www.solartopia.org. Most Mondays at 5pm eastern he co-convenes the Green Grassroots Emergency Election Protection zoom calls via www.grassrootsep.org.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
Follow us on facebook and twitter!
PO Box 2043 / Citrus Heights, CA 95611
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.