Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Monday, September 1, 2008

Obama’s Promise and a Time for Change



Finding Kevin Danaher ensconced on the Club Level of Pepsi Center suggested big changes at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) from eight years earlier. In 2000, Kevin was one of the main organizers of the demonstrations at the DNC in Los Angeles where people protested the failure of the two-party system to deal with some of societies biggest problems

”I think the balance has totally changed,” he told me as delegates streamed past us on the third level of Pepsi Center. ”In LA we were lucky enough to have an insider give us the addresses of all the fundraising parties and we had flying squads in fifteen-seater vans that zoomed around to the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills to demonstrate outside these fundraising events.”

I remembered these events because I had joined him that week at a lavish party put on by Patton-Boggs, one of the biggest lobbyist firms in Washington DC. It was only one event in a week of marches and protests that brought thousands of people onto the streets of Los Angeles.

”Now Barack Obama’s people have shaken that up,” he continued. ”Objective conditions have shifted the Democratic party in a more progressive direction. The environment is more destroyed at the same time that renewable energy is more profitable. The war in Iraq is a huge failure, and a majority of the people wants to see the troops come home. Finally, Democratic outsider Barack Obama came to the fore. He brought a whole new crew of young people, African Americans, community activists, environmentalists and a lot of young people into the party. So, yes, it is the same old Democratic Party that is dominated by corporate money, but there is an upwelling within the party saying, ‘look, we have got to go in a different direction. We cannot have money values dominate life values. We have to have life values dominate money values.’

“We have to see it as a set of scales. The corporations are in Washington throwing their weights on their side of the scales to keep things the way they are and we need to throw our weight on our side of the scales to say ‘No!’ We need massive change in this country. We need renewable energy, green building materials, and green jobs. If we get organized and involved in these debates, I think the intelligence and moral authority of our arguments can win out, but it is about organize, organize, organize. If government is bad, that is our fault. We are supposed to be a self-governing citizenry It is our responsibility to fix it.”

Barack Obama and his supporters took on this responsibility at Invesco field. Barney Smith, a proud Republican got right to the point when he said, “We need a president who puts the Barney Smiths before the Smith Barneys. I’m going to put country first by voting Barack Obama for President.”

On stage, Barack Obama highlighted ways he would help justice rise across the country. He emphasized that, “We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500…But by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business…an economy that honors the dignity of work.” He invoked that “the market should reward drive and innovation.” Government, he said. “should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work…Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.” He promised to “stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas” and “to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses.” He proposed to fund his changes by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens and in a page out of Riane Eisler he implored that “I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century.” Finally, in a nod toward the importance of grassroots power he told his 80,000 supporters gathered at Invesco Field “You have shown what history teaches us— that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it—because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. 

America, this is one of those moments.”

As the speech came to an end, the crowd erupted and the fireworks exploded. After four days the Democrats surged out of the stadium, determined to ensure that Barack Obama is elected to the presidency of the United States and that our system is changed forever.

It was time to clean up and move on. After collecting our bags from the media workspace at Pepsi Center we headed for the light rail. On the way Kevin Danaher stopped us. Standing by a series of garbage cans with huge dumpsters behind him, he told us “We got the contract to do the recycling and composting for the event…It is all about training people. We want to expand this to all of the events of the campaign. Then we will leave a legacy of new practices all across the country.”

Change may come with Barack Obama. Like his image at Invesco Field, however, he is surrounded by corporations and their endemic political power. It will take an effort by all those interested in change to make sure that his promises come true.