Where we are now is no one's fault but our own, he continued. We were so quiet after Obama took office, sitting back and eating popcorn, thinking "yes he can," when what he had told us was "yes WE can." We must return to the "we," Jones said. LBJ and FDR were pushed by the people to accomplish what they did. And what about Nixon? Even with a "crappy" president we can get things done (elimination of the draft, outreach to China; Tricky Dick even suggested single-payer health care).
We must go from moping to hoping, he told us. However many times we are knocked down, we must rise up, wiser and stronger than before.
Referring to the occupiers of Wall Street, he noted that we are fighting on behalf of the people who are committing violence against us, the New York police. However, in the news today was also veteran U.S. Marines' decision to join the persistently nonviolent crowds. One wore a poster on which he had written," This is the second time we are fighting for our country; at least this time we know who the enemy is."
We built this movement for hope and change, said Jones. It was not build by Obama. Among accomplishments in 2005 was expanded use of the blogosphere, the concept of green job creation, George Lakoff telling us to frame our message as skillfully as do the Republicans and stop "talking stupid."
He referred laughingly to Karl Rove's prediction in 2004 that he and his people would run the country for the next forty years.
We can win it all back, he continued, bigger and better than in 2008. The president brought patriotism back to our cause. Contrast the "meta-brand" of our opponents, the Tea Party. They have no leaders (at this point someone in the audience suggested the Koch brothers), a starfish rather than a spider.
He spoke of the shock of those victims of the housing bubbles forced out of mansions into the streets.
We must do more than blog, he said [that tweaked me a bit, but I kept writing; in the same breath I believe he belittled ideas in favor of action. "Good thing we had Tom Paine way back when," I thought, that Winter Soldier.]
The Tea Party is about liberty, he continued, "but not about justice for all." "Those who are greatest love this country and all that is in it."
And [believe it or not] progressive movements have been through harder times than ours.
After more words about working together, Jones turned to the tragedy of young veterans coming home to nothing, and how 17 of them commit suicide every day. High school graduates move out into the word to nothing--unpaid internships at best.
And the Wall Street bankers would have been homeless without our bailouts.
The Tea Party talks rugged individualism and acts together, he said, whereas we talk Kumbaya. The warmth and kindness of the Tea Party form a low bar. We can do something.
Just one week's money spent by the warmongers would do so much here. We allowed "them" to ruin America. Help is on the way!
After his speech, Jones introduced twenty-five young people who had been standing in a group below and right of the stage. They were activating allies of the American Dream Movement, leaders of individual groups such as AFGE, the federal employees' movement, People for the American Way, the Hiphop Caucus, the AFL-CIO, Democracy for America, Peace Action, SEIU, Moveon.org, and many more.
They received thunderous applause from the rest of us. Leaders are what we need to move us forward.
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