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Occupy Movement tells MoveOn: Back Off!
The Occupy Movement is an independent movement looking for radical transformation of the political process in the United States so that Wall Street no longer runs the government and economy; and our resources are used to meet human needs and environmental protection rather than being used to funnel wealth to the top 1%.
This organic bottom-up movement arose in response to public policies that have been promoted by both the Democratic and Republican parties, policies that promote privatization of public functions such as housing, healthcare and education, that cut our social safety nets, and that provide unlimited spending for war and increasing surveillance of our people.
MoveOn and Rebuild the Dream are fundamentally different from the Occupy Movement. MoveOn/Rebuild the Dream is a top-down organization that functions to bring people into the Democrat party. MoveOn has a history of using progressive language and latching on wherever progressive momentum is being created and using it for their own agenda.
MoveOn did this in 2007 and allowed the Democrats to continue to fund war when the majority of people in the US and all of the anti-war groups opposed funding of the war. As a result, thousands have been killed.
MoveOn did this again in 2009 when it refused to consider single payer health care even though it is supported by a supermajority of people in the US and the majority of physicians. Instead, MoveOn supported what the Democrats wanted and assisted in the passage of legislation that continues to leave tens of millions either uninsured or unable to afford health care.
We will not allow MoveOn/Rebuild the Dream to co-opt the Occupy Movement. So we say to MoveOn and Rebuild the Dream, “Back off and stop using the language of the Occupy Movement.” If you would like to encourage your membership to attend Occupy Movement actions, you are welcome. However, you have no place creating an Occupy Newspaper, holding Occupy houseparties or claiming actions organized by the Occupy Movement as your own.
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Margaret,
You are a hypocrite. Occupy has no one spokesperson, but you use their name to spout your own points of view. Here attack AFSCME now. I am giving you a link. They are representing themselves with demands for the 99%.
http://ninedemands.com/petitions/afscme
I am a member of Move.On and Occupy. You don't represent me as a member of Occupy. I don't agree with everything Move.On does and I don't agree with every point of view that every Occupy member or the 99% has. Don't try to speak for me or the entire movement.
Occupy is very deliberate in its decision making process through consensus. And even if you did represent Occupy, this blog post message would still be hypocritical of the movement because it is attacking one group and not the others who it blames are using Occupy as being themselves.
Where is the disclosure statement on your blog that opinions expressed are just your own? You are the hypocrite using the Occupy name as your own.
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In order that we are not to be divided, we must say NO to affiliation with all other groups. That does not mean that we exclude any person, and that does not mean that we must reject support from groups, but Occupy is something fundamentally different. We are a MOVEMENT. We must resist all attempts to use our strength to advance anyone's agenda, because then we become divided. Occupy must focus clearly on our main issue. Different people express it in different ways. The government should not be for sale. When that problem is fixed, everything else will fall into place. Before we succeed a solid majority of all Americans from every political persuasion must stand together as one. Allowing people to use our movement to push agenda pushes away people who don't favor those agendas. Let us focus on the one thing that everyone will be able to agree upon - money has corrupted our government.
Until you have everyone agree on one thing, and as soon as the problem of government not being for sale "is fixed," and until "a solid majority of all Americans from every political persuasion must stand together as one," NO AGENDAS? Keith, I believe your heart's in the right place and your idealism is noteworthy however, I am doubtful as to your grasp on political realities here.
"Agenda" shouldn't be a bad word or a bad thing. Would you disagree with an agenda that calls for Obama's Jobs Act to be passed, for example? How about an agenda looking for extensions of payroll tax exemption and an extension of unemployment benefits? My concern is real people in real world situations are suffering RIGHT NOW. There's no honor in demanding they wait for some kind of relief until we get all the money out of politics.
I disagree with the notion that the Occupy movement should focus on anything other that uniting all Americans so that we can stand together against the corruption in our government.
If Occupy is co-opted into pushing any other agenda the movement will be destroyed without producing any meaningful change. I hope to see the agendas you mention passed, but they only temporarily treat the symptoms of the actual problem. Lasting change requires more than beating the Republicans. Both parties have knowingly participated for many years in the travesties that have turned our government over to corporate interests, and I don't see any reason for either party to continue to exist after our government is reformed.
Next Up: 'Occupy Congress'
By Greg Sargent, The Washington Post
19 November 11
One of the enduring questions about Occupy Wall Street has been this: Can the energy unleashed by the movement be leveraged behind a concrete political agenda and push for change that will constitute a meaningful challenge to the inequality and excessive Wall Street influence highlighted by the protests?
A coalition of labor and progressive groups is about to unveil its answer to that question. Get ready for "Occupy Congress."
The coalition - which includes unions like SEIU and CWA and groups like the Center for Community Change - is currently working on a plan to bus thousands of protesters from across the country to Washington, where they will congregate around the Capitol from December 5-9, SEIU president Mary Kay Henry tells me in an interview.
"Thousands of people have signed up to come to Capitol Hill during the first week in December," Henry says, adding that protesters are invited to make their way to Washington on their own, too. "We're figuring out buses and transportation now."
One idea under consideration - pending various permitting and other logistical issues - is to have a series of tents set up on the lawn outside the Capitol, each representing a state, with the number of unemployed in each state prominently displayed. But the optics are still being worked out.
One goal of the protests, Henry says, is to pressure Republicans to support Obama's jobs creation proposals. More generally, the aim is to highlight Congress's misguided obsession with the deficit and overall inaction on unemployment.
"We're taking about it as an effort to take back the Capitol," Henry says. "It would be great if we could build pressure that goes beyond the jobs act."
Of course, Occupy Wall Street is distinguished by its organic, bottom-up nature and its critique of both parties' coziness with Wall Street. Does a coordinated effort by labor and liberal groups to channel the movement's energy into pressuring one party risk compromising the essence of what's driven the protests?
Henry said she wasn't worried about that happening, noting that Occupy Wall Street had created a "framework" - which she described as "we are the 99 percent" - within which such activities would fit comfortably.
"The reason we're targeting Republicans is because this is about jobs," she said. "The Republicans' insistence that no revenue can be put on the table is the reason we're not creating jobs in this country. We want to draw a stark contrast between a party that wants to scapegoat immigrants, attack public workers, and protect the rich, versus a president who has been saying he wants America to get back to work and that everybody should pay their fair share."
But Henry added she salutes Occupy Wall Street for finding fault with both parties, adding: "We agree that on domestic social programs, we have not won the day with either party. And we are applying pressure to both."
Occupy Congress!
I agree .
My reply to Keith Hardwick didn't get posted. Here's a shorter version. I would like to see Stop the Machine rearrange its goals to put "Get Money Out of Politics" higher up on the list. My wonderful Miami-Dade County Commissioner ruled out running for Congress because she didn't want to spend half of her day on the phone with donors. That's why we have such awful people in Congress. The honest people who want to help citizens choose not to run for Congress.
Please see Americans for Campaign Reform (non-partisan) and www.getmoneyout.com. The Fair Elections Now Act is a good start and gaining some momentum.
I don't know all the details on the ground but from what I've heard there are actually two Occupy groups in DC (in two different locations) that have disagreements. We've been working closely with the other Occupy group to help support the Occupy march from NYC to DC (since the marchers asked for support). The march ended yesterday in DC with tons of media and a big rally. I'm not exactly sure what the source of the disagreement is -- but that's some context. I don't think it's helpful to exclude anyone.
Ali Canada,National Organizer,Occupy Together .
I thought Margaret Flowers was a facilitator for Stop the Machine. I remember reading a statement from Occupy that they were not affiliated with Stop the Machine and they didn't necessarily support everything STM was doing. When I was at STM at Freedom Plaza, I personally saw some questionable actions going on by the group. For example, I have never walked into a museum or any government building and got maced for no reason...
So now, Stop the Machine, which is now Occupy DC (?) is calling out MoveOn for being shady? Not that I'm disagreeing with it. I asked many times where MO's donation money goes (since they didn't make it transparent on their website) and never heard back from them. I also didn't like the way they tried to generate emotional responses from the people they were soliciting for money, or taking credit and self-congratulating themselves for actions they may not have really deserved.
I do think it's funny that Margaret Flowers is calling them out though, especially after all the strange "incidents" we witnessed with STM.
People, if you're in ANY group and you get a bad feeling about it, then there's a reason for it. Pay attention to it and go to a group that is more reputable.
MoveOn expenditures are public information so anyone can find it and look it up.
I spent three days with this group in October and participated in some of their actions. I found these actions to be brave acts of citizens who are trying to make some very good points that need to be made. U.S. history gives many examples of brave acts of people in such movements as those that brought about child labor laws, labor unions, women's suffrage, civil rights and an end to the senseless Viet Nam war. Stop the Machine advocates non-violent ways of expressing what is wrong in this country today. The formers and facilitators of this group, such as Dr. Flowers and David Swanson, have inspired me to continue to travel to D.C. from Miami whenever possible to support their actions.
I think it will be the doom of OWS to exclude groups. Most of us have the same agenda, that is, to make Wall Street accountable and have a true working progressive tax system. Some of us may have become sidetracked and a little overzealous for our own pet projects. It’s time to refocus and define what OWS wants. Otherwise, the movement just becomes a passive aggressive temper tantrum. There are many groups that will take ownership of OWS because the movement belongs to everyone. Period.
All Occupy groups need to realize a couple of things, which I believe the majority of Occupy supporters already do.
1. Occupy groups are not in competition and groups pushing agendas are acting outside our movement.
2. Initial support for the Occupy movement came from Progressives, but if we maintain clear focus on the corrupting influence of money in government and refuse to advance specific agendas, the Conservatives will eventually stand beside us, and as Americans no longer divided we can force change.
Many people will try to co-opt our movement. We must reject them all. We can accept support from groups but only under the condition that they not try to use Occupy to advance their agendas. We need even those frightened people who turned out for the Tea Party to stand with us now.
The goal should be to unite the 99% so that we speak with one voice. The 10 goals of Move On are much more credible and possible than the overthrow the government that were posted on Michael Moore's website with the notice that they came from Occupy leadership. Michael Moore's list of 10 items plus three constitutional amendments were also very plausible and were uniting.
How do you plan to unite the effort?
You have many peace groups and Nation of Change, Campaign for Our Future, Free Press, Media Matters, Health Care for Everyone Now etc. which I am associated with and they are utilizing the Occupy Movement as a vehicle to promote their work of 20 years. This will only work if we unite our effort. Stop the DIVISION because wedge issues and division is how the 1% has gained control.
My concern is that the OCCUPY Movement will be jeopardized as soon as the 1%'s game of DIVIDE is played by Occupy Participants!!!!!!!!!!!
PS
Happy Thanksgiving!
I agree
You said it yourself.."take ownership". Do you really want that?
How about feel ownership? That's what I want.
I find this post interesting because I have seen plenty of other groups use Occupy lingo. In Hartford, there were labor union people using the Occupy language in the title of their Nov. 17th action as if they were from Occupy Hartford, but... no one said anything to them. Lots of groups are using this lingo. I'm not sticking up for MoveOn but am wondering why they are being singled out. Also, does the author of this article stand a as representative for the whole Occupy movement? I am a MoveOn supporter in some things but not all. When I support Occupy New Haven by giving food & supplies, I attend their events as myself. I have had discussions with many Occupiers in Atlanta and New Haven. There are many points of view. The tone of the "Back Off" message does have a tone that alienates instead of unites. This person or the Occupy movement will need to stop accepting the support and also ask other groups that talk about & use Occupy movement lingo as their own also. It needs to be consistent, otherwise this is picking and choosing those who are part of the 99% and those who are not. A different approach is needed. I also wonder what gives Margaret Flowers the power to speak for the whole movement. I have seen Ron Paul supporters as well as many other groups use this lingo as well and in their own official use of all sorts of communication mediums. For the record, MoveOn has not supported all Democratic Party pursuits and actions. People are also individuals and do make up their own minds to not follow blindly.
Occupy4Jobs Network and OWS?
The Occupy4Jobs Network is in complete and utter SOLIDARITY with the OWS Movement.
We are a grassroots effort of activists of color, grassroots groups, militants within the trade unions &anti-imperialist forces who want to demand a job program at union wages for all working people. WE are an effort just like "Occupy Harlem" , "OccupytheHood" or "Occupy Schools" that has a focused but multi-faceted program within the Occupy Movement. Also as individuals we have slept at, organized, defended, been arrested , marched , written about, done legal support for OWS camps across the US. We think the OWS movement is a GREAT & AMAZING development politically & We only want it GROW and SUCCEED.
Division is not the answer.
I don't remember their broad swings that well, because I was continually ranting at them to stop reacting to every little "insult of the week", and, to articulate a BIGGER-PICTURE, COHERENT, LONG-TERM, FUNDAMENTAL VALUES train that huge numbers of people could board, because "they eventually wanted to get THERE". THERE being a general-principles-based and sustainable place they could see their grandchildren in. That has the advantage of NOT having to define all kinds of zero-sum answers right now, of taking the heat off "exactly how are we going to get there" and, for example, persuading the rich that they start some generosity slowly, get used to it, and see it doing some good.
But they've failed in the same ways that Obama has failed, with various commentators now defining that very well. THERE HAS TO BE A NARRATIVE, simple, prophetic, moving from past to future, and then an ability to connect more immediate policies to that narrative. So far, some of the things on this Occupy Washington site / blogs looks like darned good narrative. And I encourage all of you to continue in that direction. NEVER ignore your big context, even when the substance of a particular item gets very specific. Also, read "Deer Hunting with Jesus" for info on people who need to hear a piece of the narrative that fits them, that honors their heritage.
Isn't this exactly what the organizers of this site at 'Freedom Plaza' DC have done, and continue to try to do, to the much larger and more dynamic occupation at McPherson Square? It seems as though too many people have come to the occupation with little more than personal or organizational agendas to advance, documentaries to make and market, and political capital to accrue and try to bargain with.
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2011/11/20/owsthe-occupation-movement-and-thos...
This is hilarious, and I hadn't heard of this -- after MoveOn became the target of controversy for its "Betray Us/Petraeus" ad, the group defended it for the next few years, but then, according to Wikipedia:
That's some "resource for anti-war activists!"
Do a Google search for "MoveOn.org." You'll find MoveOn listed as a site that "offers information on the anti-war movement and resources for activists."
That perplexing description of the now-pro-war MoveOn.org is left over from when MoveOn.org's people were flavoring this Democratic Party group with the taste of mid-'00s horror at Bush, the same way they are now trying to capitalize on Occupy Wall Street.
Today, of course, you'd have a hard time finding information at MoveOn.org about the "anti-war movement."
Huh?
Yes, after spending the last decade spamming people's mothers with promises to oppose war when you click on the PayPal button, MoveOn.org -- like many of the once-promising '00s Netroots-linked groups -- has retreated from questioning American military adventures.
Not seeing a lot on there about drones or bombs.
Is it any wonder that young people are seeking other avenues than gross, shape-changing candidate fundraising outlets? The shift has been ludicrous: Websites like DailyKos that teemed in 2004 with images of innocents killed by bombs, along with maudlin shirt-rending of the "how could this be happening" variety, have now gone disgracefully quiet on this and other issues.
MoveOn.org's approach has not been so different from that of Republican grassroots groups since the 1970s: filling coffers by waving the faces of hated political opponents, appealing to the emotions of a target audience whipped up by sales pitches about the outrageousness of abortion, Jane Fonda, or school prayer bans.
The mistake was imitating groups like the Heritage Foundation in the first place.
I agree. It is the current democratic process that is broken.
though i've been involved with MoveOn for several years, and have attended a number of their events, i was definitely put off by their recent messages, which felt downright sleazy to me. inviting me to attend "their" event at foley square?
MoveOn, despite the size of its budget and large membership, has NEVER been able to mobilize anything even remotely approaching what the Occupy movement has done in two short months. while i appreciate the good work that MoveOn has done in the past, and hope that they continue to be of use on the slimy battlefield of our present political system, if I get even one more message from them like the one they sent out regarding N17, i'm DONE with them once and for all.
good for you putting it out there loud & clear. this almost-former MoveOn member is right there with you.
rock on!
Will see how it all ends, if any achievements will happen. For now it shows the nation unite, problems in funds share.
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I am so happy that Margaret Flowers brought this out. Have noticed moveon and other groups trying to co-opt the Occupy Movement for their own ends...that being support of the Democratic party specifically Obama's re-election. One of the groups was selling 99% bumper stickers but the money raised was going into the re-elect fund instead of to Occupy.
One important point about moveon that was not mentioned was that many years ago they refused to support Bush's impeachment. It became obviously they wanted to be accepted into the Democratic party network and if you remember when the Dems took control of Congress suddenly all talk of impeachment disappeared. That was the moment I dropped any support for moveon and hope people will wake up and look closely at who they support.
I can't support that either. I understand there is concern about any group trying to co-opt Occupy. That is valid. From my own point of view, I still have to ask, how will real change be accomplished if not through our current system? (Yes I do believe that is do-able)
whoaaa... this issue is really problematic. Anyway, thanks Margaret for your post.
Manga Drawing
Thank you, Margaret, for putting out this very clear and important message.
We in Wisconsin saw our original 3 week Occupation of the state capitol last spring systematically demobilized by the Democratic Party and National and International union leadership. When Van Jones announced the Rebuild the Dream campaign and talked about "our" victories in Wisconsin, he clearly didn't know what he was talking about since we have seen mostly defeat over the past 11 months.
In the course of 11 months, Wisconsin has become a right-wingers wet dream with the elimination of meaningful collective bargaining for public employees, unprecedented cuts to public education, complete gutting of environmental regulations and the medical assistance, concealed carry and "castle doctrine" laws, privatization of parts of most state agencies, outlawing sex education in public schools, unprecedented tax breaks for corporations, gerrymandered legislative and congressional maps, political control over our supposedly non-partisan elections board - it goes on and on, and Democrats voted for some of this.
Plus, we didn't see or hear anything from Jones or any other Democratic politician from out of state except for Dennis Kucinich in all these months.
My advice to all occupiers - build strong relationships with each other in solidarity and love and come to believe that we can truly build new ways to meet our needs as a society. We have the creativity, talent, skill and energy to do it, and we don't need to give into the "lesser of 2 evils" crap that has been the Dems message for years. Not a very inspiring message, and 2010 elections results proved that out as huge numbers of people didn't bother to vote, which gave the tea partiers the power they now have in congress and in many a state house. We can't afford to rely on the Dems anymore.
Rebecca Kemble
Madison, WI
I hear ya, I get what you're saying. I love the Occupy movement. I believe in its values...however, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PARTIES, no matter how many voices you hear to the contrary. You have only to look at what the House of Reps has busied themselves with this year. And, unfortunately, for now, there is a system of government which requires a choice between the two parties. If Occupy can change that fact before Nov 2012, I salute you...I support you...however, if you cannot, the "Democrat" party (how GOP-esque of you) is certainly your most compatible choice. MoveOn supports Dems because they cannot support Republicans. It is practical, it is pragmatic. And may not always be MoveOn's first choice.
I'm just sayin'...
There is a difference between the D and R parties, true! But, not when it comes to the 1% vs. 99% issue; not when it comes to Medicare for All vs. Insurance Co. bailouts, not when it comes to upholding Civil Rights and Liberties, not when it comes to the reality or fantasy of the debt reduction problem; not when it comes to prosecuting and convicting the big bank fraudsters and restoring the rule of law; and not when it comes to passing legislation that favors working people over large corporations.
So, I think that Margaret's piece is right on the money. Move-On is run by people who have shown in the past that they will not contest the Administration's predilection for governing in favor of the haves and for slowing, but inexorably weakening the safety net. It refuses to raise its voice to call for Obama's resignation or impeachment. So, it is co-opting our profound disapproval and anger to serve its own cowardice and its "seat at the table." Its support for OWS is insincere and dishonest when measured against its past actions and what it is now advocating.
It is true that we should not exclude individuals who are members of Move-On from joining OWS. It would be foolish for OWS to be exclusionary. But at the same time it would also be foolish to ally with organizations and people that clearly subordinate all issues to their perceived need to get President Obama re-elected.
While, it's probably true that the President's re-election might be marginally less dangerous for most Americans than the election of almost all of the R candidates for the Presidency; I don't think that's the issue a full year before the election. I think the issue now is whether we can build a movement that will provide a political climate in which all the corrupt incumbents of both parties can be defeated in 2012.
We need to elect people who aren't bought. That can slow down the corporate political machine at least for a year, and during that time we may be able to constrain it and begin to dismantle its instruments of power. Electing today's Democrats or Republicans and today's Presidential candidates simply will not accomplish what needs to be done!
You are so right on. Occupy also needs to approach other groups then too or otherwise they are hypocritical. I think there is some extra agenda in this post too.
I totally support Occupy and we need to open up the conversation to new and united ways of thinking. This approach and hostile tone in here does not open up conversation. Not only is Occupy a revolution but it can become an evolution for our democracy where all points of view are welcome and we can perhaps create newer/ better ways of living, governing and preventing corruption in a truer democracy. I have had my mind opened up from Occupy and want to grow more.
The tone of this post stifles that. They need to tell other groups to stop using Occupy movement stuff as their own also then. I wonder if this blog post represents a consensus among the entire Occupy movement and/or if the author of the post has taken it upon herself to represent Occupy to push her own agenda.
No, it is not up to someone else or up to "Occupy"...it is up to us to stop supporting the unsupportable.
Anyone thinking that Democrats are better than Republicans are living in dreamland. Any semblance of "democracy" is just an illusion. There aren't even two separate parties. It is only one corporatist party (aka fascism). It's like pitting two football teams against one another to keep us distracted and busy while they rob us blind and destroy our planet. They are all corrupt and in collusion and they think of you good little Democrats as their abused spouses - no matter what they do you come back for more while swallowing the propaganda that living under Obama and the Democrats are better than the other "team".
I love the way the people who stood in the streets screaming about Bush et al and wondering how Republicans could keep supporting them no matter their crimes are now the very same individuals who are doing just that with Obama and the Democrats - 6+ wars and a fake war on terror, rendition, torture, destruction of the environment, destruction of the economy (to list only a few of the many crimes of this administration. Where the hell are your principles?
Thank you, Margaret, for clarifying this. I knew I had heard negative things about MoveOn in the past, but I wasn't paying attention. I am working with some MoveOn people locally in Miami to support Obama's re-election. I have passed your blog on to the local council leader.