Rockers
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BY DAN CAROL
that
pays to
be me
‘Pick up a hammer’ politics
W
hat do you do when half of America
doesn’t vote — and too many of those
folks are young voters?
It used to be — not much. Sure, someone
would pass out some recycling literature to you at
a concert. There might be a lonely voter
registration table or two. Or sometimes, there would
be an impassioned plea from the stage — but frankly, it
was pretty hard to hear other than “(Insert politician’s
name) sucks!”
Now I am not here to tell you that a cherubic, young generation of
idealistic activists are rising up to lead America to the promised land. Not
quite. But there are some folks who have had it and aim to turn things
around. They are not waiting for permission or for a rule book. They are
building their own structure as they go, rather than waiting for directions
from above.
Informed by the barnstorming style of Habitat for Humanity rather the
fund-raising style of Ron Wyden and the DNC, breaking ground requires no
mission statement or long-term commitment — people just work together on
one project and see how they like it. If it works, they rinse and repeat. If it
doesn’t, they move on down the road. Fuzzy projects are frowned upon,
practical efforts honored. Does this register a voter? Does it build my skills?
Does it build real community? Otherwise, forget about it.
In a nutshell, call this approach “pick up a hammer” politics.
So where’s the inspiration for this? It comes mainly from the perspiration
and the shoulders you rub up against in the work. It comes from honoring
the foot soldiers, not the general. It’s rooted in the Public Enemy/Chuck D
classic: “Don’t Believe The Hype.”
Hip-hop writer Jeff Chang wisely points out how today’s generation needs
to first be convinced that political action of any kind, especially voting, is
even remotely important. Can you prove that anything can change according
to the rules that exist? Can you get young people excited in a world where
4,000 advertising images are pushed in their faces everyday? Selling easy
answers, which is what most politicians do, is a tough sell in this environment.
Why should this generation give a hoot? Born in the Reagan era, bred
under Bush and then undercoated on the final assembly line with a Clinton
presidency stained by blue dresses and school uniforms — no risk of hero
worship in the average 18- to 25-year-old, that’s for sure. So, don’t believe the
hype. Believe what you can see. Believe what you can do, with your friends.
T
he Oregon Bus Project is a homegrown example of what this new
sensibility, and a little door-knocking, can do. Happily, the Bus Project
is not the only bright spot — a new book called How To Get Stupid
White Men Out of Office documents great stories of young people in action
all over the country. And groups like IndyVoter.org are training youth
organizers to cook up more recipes for success.
There’s a lot for us all to learn here. This crew isn’t spending any energy
moaning about Kerry’s shortfalls — because they don’t look to him for most
of the answers. Hell, he’s just step No. 1 in building a new political architecture
— tearing down the House of Bush. (Note to disappointed Clinton fans from
1992 now expecting big things from Kerry: Try humming the Who’s “We Won’t
Get Fooled Again” for emotional protection.)
Young activists aren’t the only ones taking matters into their own hands.
The artists and bands have had it too — they are organizing themselves in
ways never seen before. An exciting new collaborative, called Air Traffic
Control, is spearheading new efforts to connect progressive grassroots
organizing and music fans more effectively.
131 E. 5th Ave (between Oak & Pearl) 687-2805 BUFFALOEXCHANGE . COM
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S
o are you ready to rock?
RockTheVote.com, PunkVoter.com, MusicForAmerica.org and
IndyVoter.org are three great places to start plugging in.
Or you could make the scene at www.hiphopconvention.org where some
serious organizing is going down in June. To be a delegate, you need to have
registered 50 voters before the event. So absolutely no posers are allowed at
the convention — ya gotta be real. That certainly applies to me, even though
I’ve been greeting folks for years with “Yo” because I spent some formative
years in Philly. So from this post-punk poser to Billy, Adrienne, Baye and crew,
all I can say is rock on.
Dan Carol is a Democratic political strategist and a founding partner of CTSG (www.ctsg.com), a
progressive consulting firm based in Eugene and Washington, D.C.
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MAY 6, 2004 7