Washblog

It was great.  Seattle Peace Chorus got the room going. They're fabulous.  They ended on Pete Seeger's classic, "This Land is Your Land" and got the whole room clapping.  I flashed back on a memory of being in a peace march in the early 1990s -- it might have been the march on Washington against the Iraq war.  And I had the great fortune to be walking with my sister and husband right behind Pete Seeger as he sang that song.  In Town Hall Seattle, with Jim Hightower standing on the sidelines and a room full of peace and justice and environment advocates, that was just about as American as it gets.  I'm a sucker for civic displays, so I was basking.  For a list of the sponsors of this event, go to the Back to the Roots event page -- and you'll get a sense of who all might have been there.  

Hightower was hilarious.  Despite my distraction from all the organizing stuff, I laughed like crazy.  But there was another side to his talk that was very moving to me.  And that was a very quiet, intense, sober --  almost preacherly -- speaking to the grave political realities we find ourselves in.  This was connected with his call for us to continue on in our work, to step up our work, to use all our resources, in order to turn things around.  Rob Holland, who introduced Hightower, had started off with a room-rousing repetition of the call "Are you ready to be inspired".   Good setup, Rob, because that was the feeling that Hightower's quiet intensity and plain talk about our current realities -- that was the effect on me at least.  Inspiring.  Especially in the beautiful Town Hall great room that hosts so many civic events, and which was last night filled with activists for peace and justice.

Hightower only briefly addressed Washington issues specifically -- perhaps for 5 minutes of the 45-minute talk.  He characterized I-933 as a "moral issue".  More on that later, because he said some great stuff.  Likewise, he identified the pesticide-exposures and other struggles of farmworkers as a moral issue.  He pointed out, as well all know, that "they're changing America" -- dismantling the American democracy and dream -- and that this is a "big time" -- this is an exceptionally important time -- when none of us have the luxury of just sitting back and relaxing.

The audience was filled with activists - from election integrity to environmentalists to progressive bloggers and other alternative media, farmworker advocates, sustainable farming and energy advocates, sustainability networkers, campaign finance reform advocates, etc.  There was also a nice contingency of Democrats from the 47th Legislative District -- my LD.  I know first-hand from two years of working with these people the tremendous time and dedication they give.  

Hightower also recognized this spirit of activism represented there.  He noted the collective power of the people in that room to effect change and urged progressives to unite across their issue areas to put that power to work.  He identified three ways in which he sees that happening.

First, he urged, form coalitions.  And base them on foundational American ideals of democracy, fairness, economic justice, and opportunity.  People say that trying to unite progressives is like "herding cats", he said.  Well, it's actually quite easy to herd cats.  Just start up a can opener.  Those foundational American ideals are like the sound of a can-opener for progressives.  He said we need to join even with those people we might not feel comfortable with.  Mainline American evanglicism has taken up the cause of environmentalism.  But they don't call themselves environmentalists.  They call themselves advocates for "creation care."  He identified sustainable energy as a main crux for coalition building and, with prompting from an audience member during the question period, spoke of the Apollo Alliance, and even gave their web address.

I drove Mr. Hightower to the airport this morning and asked him what other major opportunities he sees for coalition building.  And he shared how, during the Rolling Thunder organizing, his organization made certain that both labor and environmentalism was included.

The second piece of advice he offered on the subject of uniting for political power was to pay no heed to the naysayers.  People who say 'it can't be done' shouldn't interrupt the people who are doing it.

Third, movements take time.  This one's on its way.  It's happening; we're in the midst of it.    What we are doing now is having its impact.  The full impact takes years.  Some of what we set in motion will be realized only after we are gone.  It is up to us-- those who are living now -- to understand that we have power and responsibility and to continue on in the tradition of those who fought before us.  The world and its condition are in our hands.  We are the patriots who are fighting for democracy.

He talked about public financing of campaigns as an important step and held up a brochure of Washington Public Campaigns, one of the events sponsors, to endorse their work.  

There was more, of course.  Ed Mays of Pirate TV taped it.  Maura Goodwin of Infotexts.com recorded it for podcasting. I believe that Community Radio KBCS 91.3 FM also recorded it for later broadcasting.  And Seattle TV was there.  So those who'd like to hear it, can.  In addition, Lynn Allen of Evergreenpolitics.com and the Back to the Roots team  did a podcasting interview with Mr. Hightower before the show.

I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the evening was when Marv Kvamme, a member of Seattle Peace Chorus, took me into Town Hall's "green room" to meet the members of the Chorus -- and they sang me Happy Birthday.  I'll be 45 tomorrow...   That was amazing!  

Last note, and dlaw and rmseabos may appreciate this, Hightower really lit into the Democrats as well as the Republicans.  The fault he identified with the Democrats is great timidity.  72% of Americans (I'm probably remembering this statistic wrong), support universal health care.  What are the Democrats so afraid of.  67% of Republicans (again, I'm probably off on this #), say we should do whatever it takes to protect the environment.  So, again, what are the Democrats afraid of?

BTW, thank you to all the volunteers who stepped in and made this work.  You were amazing.

by noemie maxwell on Fri Sep 15, 2006 at 08:57:49 AM PST

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Good job Noemie.

We had a great time. The singing was a huge plus. Very innovative.

I had never heard Jim Hightower before. He's great. Quite the engaging speaker. I really like some of his near off color humor.

"Come on! 100,000 sperm and Tom DeLay was the fastest?"

"Best bumper sticker: Where are we heading? And why am I in this handbasket?"

His facts and stories about the steady progress (made by progressives) in food and energy were great to hear. Organic food sales increase 20% every year. "Because even Republican mom's don't want to feed their babies fruit covered in pesticide."

I really like how he pointed out the growing environmental movement within the evangelical community. But they call it "Creation Care", not "Environmentalism."

The evangelicals, Jim, and many others, have correctly pointed out that all of these issues confronting us today (e.g. living wages, clean air, clear water, healthy food, social justice, etc, etc) or NOT economic issues -- they're moral issues. Damned straight.

And I'm beyond sick and tired of hearing about the fabled "free market". There is no such thing. There are open markets, closed markets (e.g. command economy), crony capitalism (aka laissez faire), kleptocracies (our current system), and a few other systems. But there is no such thing as a "free market". That's ideology, best left to the whackjobs whacking off on TV, and has no place in a policy discussion. So there.

While I sitting there, listening to my progressive brethen talk about progressive values in a progressive environment, I was reminded of the recent "analysis" of diversity at Seattle's Town Hall done by Seth of Seattlest: Programming to the Choir. (Found via SoundPolitic's post Diversity of opinion, Seattle-style.)

I can't believe how much those complaints piss me off. As a child of Reagan, I think I've had my fill of opinions from wingnuts, charlatans, and criminals. Gordon Liddy had/has his own radio talk show! Like Bill Moyers said (quoted by Hightower last night) "The delusional is no longer marginal". The self-described conservatives have near total monolopy on public discourse and the media, and they begrudge us one of our few remaining venues.

If Seattle Town Hall was a publicly financed or owned spaced, maybe I could see them hosting a token conservative or moderate. Like perhaps Maria Cantwell. Even then, I'm not terribly motivated to care.

Some things that would change my mind are the restoration of the fairness doctrine (shredded by that famed man of the people, Ronald Reagan), make "to serve the public interest" the norm again, and establishing the rule that broadcasters (and other freeloaders on the public commons) must tell the truth.

Do all that, and maybe, just maybe, I'll reconsider my position on giving "conservatives" equal access on progressive venues.

Until then, "conservatives" can console themselves by reading the NY Times, Seattle Times, Washington Post; listening to pretty much any radio or TV station other than Air America affiliates or Bill Maher's or Keith Olbermann's programs; or hanging out at one of their "christian" churches.

by zappini on Fri Sep 15, 2006 at 11:24:50 AM PST

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And a good job of organizing. The place looked mostly full--that's a lot in Town Hall.

Many of the sponsoring groups' activists buttonholed Jim at the meet-n-greet before the event for conversation or book signings; with the Washington Public Campaigns reps appearing to be hogging him the most.  
Below: Jim (signature cowboy hat) with Terry of WA Public Campaigns and Dina.

I have more pictures HERE,including the PeaceChorus, Noemie, and the Town Hall audience.

by dinazina on Fri Sep 15, 2006 at 11:26:22 AM PST

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Jim Hightower campaigned for Ralph Nader in '00.  I wonder what he says about his previous Nader affiliation?

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