Make Indivisible a “fusion coalition”

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August 24, 2017 Volume 1, Issue 5

Democracy with Dignity

IndivisibleCrossville at August 4 Friday at the Crossroads event. Mary deWolf, Rosemarie Linhart and Barbara Byers handed out literature and treats, collected and donated school supplies in support of funding quality public education

William J. Barber is an African-American preacher and activist who has received national attention for leading the pro-tests in North Carolina called Moral Mondays. Enduring jail time and deep political resistance, Barber has put together religious and non-religious progressives and conservatives from rural and urban areas, in an interracial, cross-cultural coalition that has changed the minds of legislators, local officials, and the public alike. He calls his efforts a “fusion coa-lition.” He makes no apology for his faith-based language: “Intellectually, I was searching for a model of engagement that took seriously what I knew biblically, historically, and personally—namely, that fusion coalitions rooted in moral dissent have power to transform our world from the grassroots community up.”(p. 39) Of particular interest to Indivisible is Barber’s conviction that disparate groups can be brought together in an effective political organization. “Only a fusion coalition representing all the people in any place could push a moral agenda over and against the interests of the powerful. But such coalitions are never possible without radical patience and stubborn persistence.”(28) That patience is what many Indivisibles are not good at, but Gandhi said, “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.” Barber adds, “While they are ignoring you, you have time to build power.”(55)

Deborah Holbrook, Editor

Freedom of the Press/Information Team: “Trump is not yet going nearly as far as Erdogan

[prime minister of Turkey], who jails journalists, but the preliminary logic is the same — an attempt to undermine the credibility of those who hold power to account,” wrote Brian Klaas, author of a book on the erosion of democracies. An editorial in the German newsweekly Der Spiegel put it most starkly: “Erdogan and Trump are positioning themselves as the only ones capable of truly understanding the people and speaking for them. It’s their view that freedom of the press does not protect democracy and that the press isn’t reverent enough to them and is therefore useless. They be-lieve that the words that come from their mouths as powerful leaders are the truth and that the media, when it strays from them, is telling lies. That’s autocratic thinking — and it is how you sustain a dictatorship.”

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/15d06d0ef1dcd035

Voters Rights Team: Represent.Us and Wolf PAC are two grassroots organizations that are working to

pass laws and constitutional amendments to stop political bribery and get big money out of politics. They’re working in red states and blue, and in local communities all over. Represent.Us has already helped pass anti-corruption laws in Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Oregon.

Public Education/Environmental Teams: Anti-Science Law Passed in Florida. Marshall Shep-

herd studies and writes about weather and climate related topics. He calls out the folly of a law officially called Florida House Bill 989 and signed into law by Florida Governor Rick Scott on June 26th after passing both chambers of the house.

With the law now in place, any county resident — not just any parent with a child in the county's public schools, as was the case previously — can now file a complaint about instructional materials in the county's public schools, and the school will now have to appoint a hearing officer to hear the complaint. Many of the affidavits filed in support of the bill complained about teaching evolution and climate change. One even complained that they have seen global warm-ing being taught as a reality. (Oh, my!)

Marshall finds this irony in what is now called the Anti-Science Law. Florida is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Its effects, expected to only worsen over time, are happening right now in South Florida. Hiding from that reality will not change it. And if the near-universal conclusions of climate scientists aren’t enough for him (referring to Trump's exit from the Paris climate agreement) perhaps he should consult with the property appraisers or insurance companies in South Florida who are already factoring sea level rise into their home value assessments. This Florida law sends a dangerous message about sound science and the quality of education in public schools.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2017/07/01/two-sad-ironies-in-florida-passing-its-anti-science-law/#128addda5089

Human Rights Initiative Team: The team has been busy meeting with Hispanic Festival organizers

and continues asking for volunteers at the September 16th event at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds. This year pre-sents a very different set of circumstances for the festival because of the new immigration policies. In the past it has been run by about 15 people. Participation as a volunteer or attending and letting more people know about it is really a significant show of support for our Hispanic community, many of whom survive here by being as invisible as possible.

PASSION GROUP UPDATES

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A transpartisan grassroots organization seeking positive political solutions nationally, locally, and statewide in an atmosphere of respect, inclusion, and rationality.

Fielding moderate candidates

Educating voters

Making our voices heard to elected officials Request to join our private Facebook page by emailing indivisiblecrossville@gmail.com

Democracy with Dignity

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August 19 and 26: Resistance School, Classes 3 and 4 in Adshead Hall, Up-lands Village, Pleasant Hill, 9 AM. August 24: IndivisibleCrossville monthly meeting, Krystal Knight of Emerge Tennessee to speak on their success in training and supporting women to fill public offices on all levels of government August 28: Anniversary of Dr King’s historic March on Washington. Watch for events.

August 29: Indivisible TN6 monthly meeting, 6:30 pm, Democratic Party Headquarters, 111 North Cedar Ave., Cookeville.

September 16: Hispanic Fair, Cumberland County Fairgrounds, 12 noon to 11pm. IndivisibleCrossville will have a booth and all members are encouraged to volunteer in some capacity. September 21: IndivisibleCrossville monthly meeting, Cumberland County Housing Authority, 6:00pm. Amos Powers, Chairman of the Putnam County Democratic Party and Vice-Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic County Chairs Association, will give us an inside look at how things are shaping up for

the 2018 elections.

Gabby Giffords’ PAC Americans for Responsible Solutions seeks to challenge the gun lobby in all fifty states. It has some success, not just in “blue” states, but “red” ones as well. They defeated bills in 20 states that would have allowed guns in public without a permit, including in Oklahoma where the governor is a Republican and 113 of 159 seats are held by Republicans. They stopped bills that would have allowed guns in schools in 17 states, including college campuses. In two Republican states, they held off efforts to repeal state background check laws. They even won in places like Utah, North Dakota, and Tennessee, passing laws to make it harder for domestic abusers and people at risk of committing suicide to get their hands on guns.

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There is a clear ideological affinity between a segment of Trump’s supporters — as well as his inner circle — and the government of President Vladimir Putin, which has for a number of years sought to strengthen ties with far-right par-ties in the West. Much as Soviet Moscow once sought alliances with leftist parties and organizations, today's Russian officials and prox-ies have courted ultranationalists, gun rights advocates and hard-line Christian groups. A range of American right-wingers have come to see a kindred spirit in Putin, admiring his uncompromising patriotism, embrace of the Orthodox Church and impatience with liberal mores. Indeed, Trump's “America First” rhetoric isn't all that different from the nationalism preached by Putin. Both are an-chored in a defense of sovereignty, nostalgia for a mythic past and the loyalty of religious conservatives. It's this agenda that has so dramatically startled American allies in Europe, who see the White House not as a guarantor of sta-bility for the international order, but as a probable liability.

Putin, Trump and the Red States

Opposition to Barber’s causes helped him to see that “fusion coalition’s work wasn’t primarily political but cultural. … Long before people went to the polls, our struggle was to reshape the stories that tell us who we are.”(68) Moral wit-nesses to injustice need to create the buzz and interest that can move forward the justice agenda. Our job is to change the public narrative. “If all folks heard in the public conversation was spin about how the economy was rebounding and unemployment rates were going down, they were damned to blaming themselves for their own suffering. Everyone else is doing better, poor people would tell themselves. We must be doing something wrong.”(85, italics in text) That is an example of a Big Lie. Barber notes the highly effective way power elites get the less powerful to argue among themselves about moral issues. For example, many black churches are not for gay rights. By painting Democrats as advocates of a “degenerate” lifestyle, issues of voting rights and racism get sidelined. The whole history of the abortion movement can be traced to a cynical slice and dice, requiring lawmakers and voters to take ever more precise positions on pro-life/choice issues - partial birth, hospital access, federal money, funding for contraception –it goes on and on. “The way to split a moral movement, *the elites understand+, is to get them arguing about morality.”(90) The civil rights movement leaders called this for what it was (and is): “It was about exposing the conspiracy of the governing elite to maintain absolute power through divide-and-conquer strategies.”(109) Citing his experience in North Carolina, Barber makes one other point that may be critical to the success of Indivisible in Tennessee. Even with all the protests we make to federal officials and the marches in Washington, “the battle for the soul of America is being fought at the state level, and nothing short of a moral movement converging in every state capital will make possible the reconstructions we need to fulfill our nation’s promise.”(109) The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear by William J. Bar-ber II with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

(Continued from page 1)

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In the Appendix of his book, Barber lists 14 steps to organizing for the Third Reconstruction: 1. Engage in indigenously led grassroots organizing across the state. 2. Use moral language to frame and critique public policy, regardless of who is in power. 3. Demonstrate a commitment to civil disobedience that follows the steps of nonviolent action and is

designed to change the public conversation and consciousness. 4. Build a stage from which to lift the voices of everyday people impacted by immoral policies. 5. Recognize the centrality of race. 6. Build a broad, diverse coalition including moral and religious leaders of all faiths. 7. Intentionally diversify the movement with the goal of winning unlikely allies. 8. Build transformative, long-term coalition relationships rooted in a clear agenda that doesn’t measure success only by electoral outcomes. 9. Make a serious commitment to academic and empirical analysis of policy. 10. Coordinate use of all forms of social media: video, text, Twitter, Facebook, and so forth. 11. Engage in voter registration and education. 12. Pursue a strong legal strategy. 13. Engage the cultural arts.

14. Resist the “one moment” mentality; we are building a movement!

Barber’s website: www.breachrepairers.org

“[T]he battle for the soul of America is being fought at the state level, and nothing short of a moral movement converging in every state capi-tal will make possible the reconstructions we need to fulfill our nation’s promise.” Barber

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Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) has announced his candidacy in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 6th Congres-sional District. Matheny is entering his 16th year as Republican state representative out of Coffee County. Matheny views his major accomplishments as state representative as increased law enforcement regarding drug use, defense of the Second Amendment including broadening permissions for legal carrying, pro-life ideals, crackdowns on illegal immi-gration, and antiterrorism. Matheny also pushes lower taxes and business regulations, and overall authority of states in all realms including education and marriage. “I want to make sure that the states learn that they can be empowered to actually dictate what the federal government does,” Matheny said. http://www.manchestertimes.com/matheny-announces-run-for-congress/ Beth Harwell: Touting nearly three decades' worth of legislative experience, including six years in leadership, House Speaker and Nashville Republican Beth Harwell is officially launching a campaign to become Tennessee’s next gover-nor. Unlike Boyd and Lee, who for the most part are political novices, Harwell will be relying heavily on her legislative experience. The main tenets of her campaign center on keeping the state’s financial house in order, continuing a com-mitment to improve education, fostering an environment for a strong workforce and supporting public safety. “As I travel our state I hear consistently that people are pleased with their state government. When they compare it to other states, or even worse the federal government, they’re saying, 'Y’all are doing a good job,'” she said. “I want to continue that.” She’s quick to tout the elimination of the death tax and gift tax, the phase out of the Hall Income Tax and several education reforms while she’s been in office as evidence of her conservative credentials. Harwell said she has heard from everyday Tennesseans on what they want improved in the state, including the need for more workers with vocational and technical training.

July IndivisibleCrossville Meeting: Clockwise: Don, Karen and Leslie listening to pre-

senters; Anna-Maria speaking on Hispanic Festival

volunteer opportunities; June taking meeting notes;

Joe, Angela and Stan discussing issues; Robin shar-

ing on results of environmental group discussion.

2018 Election News:

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Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post’s book critic, wrote of Naomi Klein, a leftist writer chronicling the excesses and inequities of globalization and neo-liberal capitalism. Seeing the Trump presidency in action, Klein is allowed to say “I told you so.” From Lozada’s review:

“In her view, all the forces she has been chronicling for two decades come together in the ascent of one Donald J. Trump. ‘Trump is not a rupture at all, but rather the culmination — the logical end point — of a great many dangerous stories our culture has been telling for a very long time,’ Klein writes. ‘That greed is good. That the market rules. That money is what matters in life. That white men are better than the rest. That the natural world is there for us to pillage. That the vulnerable deserve their fate and the one percent deserve their golden towers. That anything public or com-monly held is sinister and not worth protecting. That we are surrounded by danger and should only look after our own.’

So she’s been expecting Trump, or something like him, and now looks upon him with disdain and weary recognition. Trump the mega-brand. Trump the neoliberal standard-bearer for the entitled rich. Trump the disaster capitalist. Trump the climate-change denier. If he truly embodies the worst nightmares of the Klein oeuvre, now Trump the presi-dent has the chance to make them real.” Washington Post, 6/9/17

Democracy with Dignity

This is an occasional newsletter and the perfect place to put announcements, links to educational articles and details on upcoming actions. Not all items submitted can be printed (it is overwhelming), but we will do our best. Submit to IndivisibleCrossville@gmail.com. Email us to join our Facebook group and/or be added to our mailing list.

“There are many tools in the arsenal of resistance. It is fair to say that doing the backroom work of writing letters, researching issues, and attending meetings are valid activities in this long-haul movement. Commitment of time and brain power is as much a moral act as marching.”

Deborah Holbrook, Editor

According to The Tennesseean, July 6, 2017, ultra-conservative Republicans are asking state Rep. Mark Green to run for the Republican senatorial seat in November 2018. They say that Corker has not been sufficiently supportive of Donald Trump. At primary time, is it better to support a more moderate Republican or throw support behind a likely-to-lose Democrat? Is the Democrat likely to lose? Discuss.

Copyright © Townhall.com.

Should Indivisible Support Corker?

Told You So