Norman Solomon visits with us to encourage a Biden vote but with an important caveat. And it is a message, progressives must receive.
Norman Solomon, a prescient message
I opened an LA Progressive newsletter and was immediately drawn to an article by Norman Solomon. He titled it “We’ve Got Reasons to Elect Joe — He Isn’t One of Them.”
You see, as a Progressive I know I am doing the right thing by voting for Joe Biden. The problem is that I must present a narrative to those who are more unbending for the larger cause. This article has the right message and title.
What are progressives to make of this truly dire situation—and, most importantly, what are we to do? Right now.
At this potentially cataclysmic moment, I haven’t seen better answers anywhere than on the new website NotHimUs.org, where a basic precept is laid out in big letters on the first screen: “We’ve got our own reasons to vote for Biden, and Joe ain’t one.”
The next words are from Cornel West: “A vote for Joe Biden is . . . a way of preserving the condition for the possibility of any kind of democratic practice in the United States.”
The “Not Him Us” site goes on to ask a central question: “We wanted a political revolution. Now what?” The answers begin by reframing the current realities to include not just clear and present dangers but also great possibilities:
* “It might not feel like it right now, but our movements are starting to win. In the streets: one of the most massive uprisings in our nation’s history is unfolding, demanding racial justice and systemic change. And in the halls of power: from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, to Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush, more and more people’s champions are challenging a failed status quo — and winning.”
* “To continue to gain ground, we need to keep building our movements and elect more people’s candidates. But right now our forward trajectory depends on stopping Trump in his tracks. Our organizations, movements, and people’s candidates are engaged in an incredibly consequential contest for the future. If history is any guide, we cannot allow an authoritarian demagogue like Trump to continue to consolidate power.”
* “We must defeat Trump soundly in November. It’s up to us. Plug into a voter engagement effort in a priority state.”
It could not be clearer.
