Why it Must Be All-Out for 10/2/10

By Mark Solomon

About three years ago Portside posted an article,
"Let's Build The Mother of All Coalitions." The article
stressed the urgent need to end the near-fatal
fragmentation of progressive movements. It called for a
unified, coherent and effective coalition to counteract
the dangerous growth of the right wing and to finally
offer a focused multi-issue vision and program to win a
latent progressive majority to engagement in battle for
a better country and world.

That "mother of all coalitions" was projected as the
powerful independent force fully capable of imposing
upon the political system progressive policies and
programs. With shared resources, it would generate
ideas to deal with growing multifaceted crises. It
would tackle the political and cultural barriers that
impede multiracial and multi-class unity. In short, it
would constitute the broad social movement that is
absolutely required to beat back reaction and overcome
corporate-military control of government.

The "One Nation Working Together" rally in Washington,
D.C. on October 10 is the best moment yet to create
that unbeatable alliance. It's an historic
collaboration of organizations across the political and
social landscape - the AFL-CIO, the NAACP, United for
Peace and Justice, the US Student Association, the
National Council of La Raza and scores of other groups.
The organizers have promised that the massive rally
will be the start of ongoing coalition to impact the
country's political and social life.

This fleeting moment to finally build the coalition of
the progressive majority must not be allowed to slip
away. Far too much is at stake.

-          The alarming growth of the far right
portends a lethal brand of native fascism spawned by
nagging economic crisis and festering racism.

-          A persistent, grating crisis of unemployment
now affects vast numbers beyond the official 9.5
percent joblessness figures. As many as 30 million or
more are impacted by the frightening prospect of
joblessness, home foreclosure, schools ridden by fiscal
crisis and skyrocketing costs of health care.

-          By virtually every scientific measure, an
environmental catastrophe is upon us, bringing drastic
changes in weather patterns, rising water temperatures,
ferocious storms, drastic disruption of agriculture and
increasing health hazards.

-          Incarceration and deportation of over
350,000 immigrants is a growing scandal that is
undermining basic constitutional protection for all.

-          A simmering war in Iraq, a rising tide of
military and civilian deaths in Afghanistan in an
intractable, un-winnable war, new US bases in Latin
America - all signal an endless train of "long wars"
with vast profits for military industries and deepening
misery for civilian populations, including ours.

Those crises are deeply interconnected and cannot be
dealt with separately. That compelling reality requires
that progressives act together.

The jobless crisis is structural and political. It is
driven by the export of jobs under globalization, by
technological change and by ruthless corporate attacks
on labor. That requires a vast economic restructuring
built upon the creation by government of millions of
"green jobs" to tackle the environmental crisis. That
also entails an end to the massive drain of the
nation's resources in wars and in proliferating
military bases around the world.

It's time to build a new majority social movement based
upon the inseparability of issues and upon the
mobilization and cooperation of all sectors of the
progressive community. There are disagreements among
progressives in assessing the current Obama
administration. But there is also a strong consensus
that as in the past, a compelling grass roots social
movement is required to move the administration and set
the country on a path of saving and expanding
democracy.

It's time to come to Washington to massively display
the power of that emerging coalition; to swamp the Glen
Beck August 23 charade by producing far greater
numbers. It's time to beat back the Tea Party challenge
in the coming elections. It's time to utilize a
successful 10/2/10 rally to spark a permanent winning
coalition of all progressive forces.

_____________________________________________

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