I think the Left needs an early-SPD style organization, but I seem to be in a minority here. Even with a few thousand of the people languishing in post-Trotskyist sects and popular frontist-outfits and even a limited foothold in immigrant rights struggles (CiW) and city-central style organizing (JwJ), I think we would be 10x less marginalized a force as we are now.
~ Bhaskar
On Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 2:56 PM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> On Sep 18, 2009, at 2:34 PM, Bob Morris wrote:
>
> Back of the Yards created a model of community organizing that has been
>> widely adopted. Cesar Chavez was recruited by an East LA organization that
>> Alinsky started. The Industrial Areas Foundation still trains organizers.
>>
>> My real point though is that the Right seems to be doing most the
>> organizing
>> now (and having the most fun now) while the Left isn't doing much. How do
>> we
>> change that? Maybe Alinsky's rules could help.
>>
>
> That widely adopted model - what has it accomplished? As far as I can tell
> it's done nothing to change politics or power either at the municipal or
> national level.
>
> Re: Chavez, check out Michael Yates's dissenting view on the standard
> hagiography:
>
> <http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/YatesOnUFW.html>.
>
> Doug