Prometheus 6

shystee at Corrente

In the 2008 election cycle, rather than making the candidates earn their support by insisting on specific policy pledges, the blogosphere and other activist groups volunteered to become cheerleaders for one candidate or the other.

Cheerleaders are more willing to forgive their chosen politician’s failure to fully and specifically embrace necessary policies because cheerleaders have bought into the idea that the primary objective is “victory” and all other goals are secondary.

By doing this, activists have forfeited the only leverage they have: their vote and their ability to influence other citizens’ votes.

Players understand that the real contest is for leverage over politicians. The other team is composed of corporations and super-rich individuals. The prize is enacted, enforced US government policy.

Policy translates into dollars, life and death.

So which side can bring the most pain, pleasure, pressure to bear on a politician?

What can progressive activists do that will have more leverage than hundreds of millions of dollars in legalized bribes (also known as campaign contributions)?

Lambert says that “protests don’t work”. So far, blog posts haven’t either.

Both tactics are working towards the same goal: changing mass public opinion to such an extent that politicians will have to act accordingly or face losing their next election. But this will not work if we give away our support and our vote - our only bargaining chips - without demanding anything in return.