Occupy Wall Street [OWS], Decision Time: Movement or Mob?
For several weeks now I and others have been trying to identify electoral reform points of contact across all occupy groups, and in passing, finance points of contact. This has proven to be next to impossible, and revealed the dirty little secret of Occupy: outside of New York, Boston, Chicago, and Oakland, Occupy is more mob than movement.
Message to OWS Activists: Use Reddit to Organize
New York is the best of breed, and the New York spokes initiative is a superb model. I suggest that Occupy turn its attention inward for a week, get on Reddit, and get its shit together nationally.
Electoral Reform: the Best Way to Rein In Wall Street
1) Whether you agree with this idea or not, electoral reform is the one thing that the Independents, members of the 63 parties shut out of the process, and moderate Republicans & Democrats might agree with Occupy on. All other issues including corporate personality and campaign finance pale in comparison. I recommend that the entire “Movement” turn its attention to helping the NYC GA working group on Politics & Electoral Reform identify a point of contact in every Occupy movement, and they in turn should turn to identifying a point of contact in every Congressional district, all toward the day when we can organize a simultaneous Occupy of the offices of every Senator and Representive while they are home for the holidays fund-raising.
IndieGoGo: Ready Resource for the Fledgling OWS Movement
2) Finance is a mess, even in NYC where transparency is down the tubes and chaos reigns, at least in the perception of the public–this despite the fact that NYC is again a superb model in its relation with the community bank. I have spoken to the owner-managers of IndieGoGo via their business development chief. IndieGoGo is prepared to immediately create a campaign for every Occupy movement, and to provide the tools of accountability, transparency, and collective action that are needed to make the most of the public’s considerable interest in seeing Occupy succeed on substance. I believe that Occupy is capable of inspiring $500 million in donations if it will get its act together at the strategic, operational, tactical, and technical levels. Certainly I will help if asked.
To Build a Movement, Build Momentum: Adapting OWS Strategy to Changing Circumstances: Working Smart
In my view, Occupy needs to shift from encampments that got public attention and forced media attention, to a strategic winter campaign that focuses on movement building, electoral reform as the singular demand, and finance as the sustaining foundation for assuring that Occupy/99%'rs are elected in 2012.
Breathe New Life Into This Movement Before it Falters
Time is the one strategic variable that cannot be bought and cannot be replaced. In my view, Occupy has crossed the line from meaningful action and is now is a descending spiral toward impotence. That descent can be stopped. Occupy must ascend by FOCUSING.
Semper Fidelis,
Robert David Steele (Vivas)
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