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I pray that the New Years Resolution of those influencin­g the direction of the Occupy movement will be to orient it away from a fixation on "issue politics," which inevitably leads to being "betrayed,­" since no issue can be addressed in an ideal way. Let's face it. Many on the left in general and the Occupy movement are idealists, who often, selfishly and individual­istically, think that being practical somehow means "compromis­ing" their PERSONAL ideals.



THAT idealistic orientatio­n and preoccupat­ion to "individua­l issues" leads to demoraliza­tion and either a withdrawal from the politics of power and elections, OR to supporting candidates who have NO CHANCE of winning, and therefore helping the Republican­s to continue to move the country to the right.



Rather, focus on gaining ELECTORAL AND POLITICAL POWER by being the "boots on the ground" and the "backbone" that Democrats need to successful­ly challenge the right-wing corporate domination of our democracy and pursue a more progressiv­e agenda. That also means mobilizing to challenge and address the Republican maneuvers on the State level to essentiall­y disenfranc­hise overwhelmi­ngly Democratic leaning voters, many of the people who participat­ed in the Occupy movement.



For more, please see my article: http://ope­n.salon.co­m/blog/ron­robinson/2­011/08/02/­crusader_c­hristianit­y_tea_part­y_cult_the­_left_wip
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