The reality is that in the last year, maybe two years in the last six to nine months, the conditions have become rife. Between a Democrat in the White House who is just absolutely flaunting the desires of the progressives who elected him. Anti war sentiment is at its height, yet bombs drop. People want healthcare and an insurance boondoggle is being shoved down our throats. And there is a trillion dollar bailout to Wall Street and banksters that both Democrats and Republicans passed.
So there's a seething populist outrage over this. Frankly, the tea party people reflect that and there's much of their anger that I share.
I'm very concerned about the strain of racism and anti-immigrant phobia that is underlying it. So we need progressives to mobilize in response to that.
This moment in time is calling for the tactic of a constitutional amendment, but, for me, it's much bigger than merely amending the Constitution.
I know a most people may say, "What do you mean, merely amending the Constitution?" because most people don't think in those terms.
MB: You must have been reading my mind because I was going to ask you about the tea partiers or teabaggers or whatever one wishes to call them. Quite frankly, this decision by The Supreme Court is going to affect all of us, liberals, conservatives and independents.
Is there some way that the tea party movement and the left, who are both attacking Obama and his administration, could put aside their differences and, of course, racism is a big, big issue, so it might be difficult. Do you see some way that the left and the right can look at The Supreme Court decision and see it for the abomination that it is and work together?
DC: Yes. We are reaching out to principled conservatives at the MoveToAmend web site. We actually have people who have signed up and, in their signups, have self described as tea party people. Yes, we are reaching out to them. Yes, we have common cause.
MB: We talked about support. Do you see more people becoming interested in corporate personhood? Have you seen anything overnight?
DC: We launched the web site and, within ten hours, we had ten thousand people. I've never experienced that in my entire history of organizing. Without a doubt, people are outraged. Without a doubt, the meme of corporate personhood is catching on. Without a doubt, people are reacting to it.
MB: Is the decision by The Supreme Court a decision that will take precedent over local policies?
DC: Yes, that's always been the case. Our law got overturned by federal courts because the courts said we were infringing upon constitutional rights of corporations. And that's my point, Michael. The use of that doctrine happens thousands of times and it has happened so much that we the people and our elected representatives have been cowed. There's been a "chilling effect", if you will, on what people actually think that they're allowed to do.
The most frustrating thing for me when we started Measure T as a local law back in 2005 is the number of liberals that I talked to in the early stages of planning and thinking and strategizing who said, "Gosh, I support this. I wish we could do it but do we have the right to do it?"
Literally, people tend to think that they have to have permission from the courts before they do what they believe needs to be done. That kind of thinking is the reason that liberals are so pathetic and anemic.
Give me populist outrage any day which is willing to rail and organize against entrenched power. Frankly, that's the reason why I spend most of my time either with committed, systemic radicals or ordinary people who are out of working class backgrounds.
The liberals will come along, but they're not going to lead this.
