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Bill Alstrom (MA/Maine/MA)'s avatar

HCRs recent "Politics Chat" emphasisized the bottom up idea.

Example. Francis Perkins emerged from local then state responsibilities to become the longest serving Sec of Labor...and was the driving force behind establishing Social Security.

From teacher to social worker to advocate of workers rights (the horror of the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory fire) to state and the federal leadership.

We all could consider doing something, anything local now - just to feel like we are making one small difference.

The Clown Car is now so crazy, so diabolical and fucked up that it will self destruct.

Of course, millions of people will suffer or die before our gullible fools wake up.

But the pendulum will swing back to sanity. Hope I live long enough to see it.

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hw's avatar
Nov 15Edited

I don't yet have solutions, but I know that any movement must be bottom-up.

The days of blinding trusting DC Democrats is well and truly over.

The days of "savior syndrome" are over (Obama-Biden-Mueller-Garland-Smith-Pelosi-Harris, etc)..

The most powerful movements are always bottom up...a true leader comes later.

Stop watching the news/reading legacy media...it will neither inform nor inspire.

Invest in alternative media that provides honest assessments, not hopium.

Limit time on social media. Start really building communities. Greta Thunberg ignited a worldwide movement as a 16-year-old. She didn't succeed, but she planted seeds.

Do not donate to the DNC, invest in groups like "Run For Something" and "States Project" who are building out down ballot candidates because they understand the bottom up strategy.

This is a marathon, don't believe anyone who tells you 2026 will magically fall to Democrats or that Gavin Newsom will "save us" in 2028 (see Savior Syndrome above)

There is infrastructure we can build on: Reverend Barber, for example.

Don't believe anyone who pretends that we'll win if we move to a mythical center.

That's all I have for now.

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