Occupy is in my view a huge good thing, and it changes everything. Stabs at electoral reform have been taken in the past, with legislation submitted nine times (four of those times by Ron Paul). In each instance the two-party tyranny has laughed at the concept of real democracy--they like their monopoly and their immunity from accountability.
Occupy is not a coherent or cohesive group, and they have in my view wasted the winter. I did several messages to Occupy, seeking to encourage a focus on electoral reform as the ONE THING that could bring us all together, and also the ONE THING that was a sure-fire fund-raised. Although I have been invited to speak to this at the 15-18 March 2012 regional meeting of Occupy in St. Louis, MO, I no longer see Occupy as the pro-active political force I had hoped for. Occupy appears to be rejecting any major role in the 2012 election, and it also appears incapable of devising a coherent national strategy for anything. Having said that, I do believe Occupy and its members are a force to be reckoned with, and one that any aspiring presidential campaign should seek to embrace.
I see a three-part process that we can still undertake in time to get the Electoral Reform Act of 2012 passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, and signed by the President, prior to 4 July 2012.
STEP ONE: Create a loose coalition that agrees to the need for Electoral Reform, and read the Statement of Demand on the steps of Capitol Hill and across the Republic, on an agreed upon given day. President's Day strikes me as a good day.
STEP TWO: Form a more structured transpartisan / non-partisan coalition to organize "Occupy" events at the home offices of every national Senator and Representative. The purpose of this is to present each Member of Congress with a copy of the Statement of Demand, the outline of the Electoral Reform Act of 2012, and a Pledge that they can sign if they wish, or not, in which case the Occupy becomes permanent and a recall effort begins.
STEP THREE: By 1 April 2012, begin to agitate persistently and insistently on the Electoral Reform Act of 2012 being passed into law. Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich in the House, and Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul in the Senate, should be able to sponsor the bill, seek co-sponsors, and ultimately demand a Roll Call vote. Follow up with a demand for Presidential signature no later than Monday, 2 July 2012.
STEP FOUR: If the Act can be passed, with a General Strike threatened if not (I have no influence in this country, it will be up to others to make these demands and make the threat of a General Strike stick, with a wave of city by city strikes recommended in May and June if progress is not forthcoming), then We the People Reform Coalition should be brought into play, and BigBatUSA, with a fund-raising potential of no less than$500 million should fund a broad range of Citizen Wisdom Councils across the country, with an online citizen-directed coalition cabinet, balanced budget, and unified national platform resulting. We can win this.
Previous: Part 13: Overview of The Ethics
Next: Part 15: The Pledge (Coming Soon)
Full Series:
Part 11: Constitutional Amendment
Part 13: Overview of The Ethics
Part 15: The Pledge (Coming Soon)
Part 16: The Statement of Demand (Coming Soon)
