969: No Kings, Many Causes
Lowest Intersectional Denominator
Too often, Democratic coalition messaging is hijacked by its most divisive elements. Even in moments that should play to the party’s strengths.
This could be called the ‘Lowest Intersectional Denominator’: the least popular position gets the microphone.
As Trump continues doing things that should make him unpopular, you can bet a progressive interest group with a toxic approach will try to steal the show and redirect public attention to something bad for Democrats.
The New York Times covered this phenomenon today on the immigration protests:
At a protest in St. Louis on Wednesday called “March to Defend Immigrant Rights,” participants chanted, “From Ferguson to Palestine, occupation is a crime!” invoking unrest in Ferguson, Mo., over police brutality in 2014 and Palestinian freedom.
The scene encapsulated how the left’s decades-long embrace of intersectionality — the concept that all oppressed people are linked — gives the protest movement large numbers of supporters but also can create a cacophony of messages.
The forces stirring action on the streets this week have been led by labor groups. And many protests, including those in Los Angeles, have continued to focus on workplace raids. But the voices at other protests are mixed, an echo of the wide array of progressive forces that have animated every anti-Trump protest this year.
Those earlier actions have been coordinated affairs, planned in advance for weeks by large groups like MoveOn and Indivisible, which have helped keep actions focused on concerns like cuts to Medicaid and Social Security, the power of billionaires and immigration policies. But in this week’s spontaneous actions, the many interests from the broad base of anti-Trump activists came to the fore, including more explicit support for racial justice, Palestinian freedom and socialist politics.
“In this moment we must all stand together,” said Becky Pringle, the head of the National Education Association, the largest individual union in the country and one of the groups that sprang into action as the protests emerged in Los Angeles.
Local chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a Communist Party offshoot of the Workers World Party, have also played a leading role, working with local leftist groups to post information about new demonstrations from California to Maine.
The NEA has more than 3 million members. How broad is the “we” when its president says “we must all stand together”?
Since Friday, and following the deployment of the National Guard, a broad coalition of organizations has called on the public to join demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles. They include Unión del Barrio, a grass roots group with volunteer membership that describes itself as revolutionary and anti-imperialist …
“Revolutionary and anti-imperialist” seems a tad much.
A Black Lives Matter leader goes on to say that “For both moral and strategic reasons, this is a Black fight.”
The strategic thinking seems to dissipate at night, though:
But by 10 p.m., as much of the protest had dissipated, a splinter group of about 100 protesters remained, some wearing tactical looking outfits and kaffiyehs, appearing more intent on taunting police officers and causing disruption with sporadic chants of Palestinian liberation.
At a protest this week in Chicago, many protesters also wore kaffiyehs and carried signs supporting Palestinians. Some of the loudest chants heard downtown were targeted at U.S. policy in Gaza: “From Palestine to Mexico these border walls have got to go!”
The spontaneous protests that erupted this week are a preview of what is to come on Saturday — a long-planned, nationwide protest against the Trump administration called No Kings, scheduled to coincide with the president’s birthday and a military parade celebrating the Army’s 250th birthday.
Several prominent progressive coalitions planned No Kings, including MoveOn, Indivisible and 50501.
Indivisible has done a ton of counterproductive stuff - they’re the Weak Tea Party for a reason - but hopefully the Times journalists here are correct and they can keep a lid on the most extreme stuff this weekend. And that the protestors listen to Bernie and be responsible.
969 days until the Democratic presidential primary gives the microphone to one broadly popular leader.