A Progressive Strategy

Progressive Ponderings
JOE MAYER

With Minnesota precinct caucuses just two weeks away on March 7, some groups are implementing the lessons they learned from the caucus process two years ago. Usually caucuses organize around particular candidates. The problem with this procedure is what occurred during the past presidential election in the Democratic Party. Many delegates, some participating for the first time, were elected as Dean or Kucinich supporters. When these two candidates dropped out of the contest, their delegates championing "peace" as a main issue were left without a peace candidate and with little or no negotiating power.

Peace-in-the-Precincts, an organization of peace activists that began in the Twin Cities, has branched out into greater Minnesota and has developed a strategy called "Peace First." Rather than caucus for a particular candidate, they're uniting around "peace" as the overwhelming issue of the time. Peace activists are asked to go to their precinct caucus, present a peace resolution (see below) and caucus as a group called "Peace First," adding the subtitle of "uncommitted U.S. Senate." By organizing in this manner, peace activists will advance "Peace First" delegates to county, district, and the state conventions with two outcomes: 1) by staying uncommitted to a particular candidate and showing strength in numbers they expect to achieve negotiating leverage on all Senate candidates, and 2) if a peace candidate doesn't emerge at the state convention level, Peace-in-the-Precincts hopes to have enough votes to block an endorsement until negotiations bring a meaningful result.

Peace-in-the-Precincts is concentrating on the U.S. Senate race since it is the only state-wide race for federal office; other positions in both the federal and state governments do not carry the responsibility or the ability to effect change for peace.

At first glance this may look like a very narrow agenda. Analyzing it further one begins to realize that our war mentality, our world-dominating foreign policy, and our corporate-driven armaments industry is devouring our tax dollars so that little is left for progressive social initiatives. Healthcare, education, childcare, college aid, aid to seniors and the poor, natural disaster aid are all impoverished by our mountainous war spending.

Delegates who have "universal, single-payer healthcare" as a main issue could also organize in this uncommitted fashion. Many current candidates have some good positions in fixing our healthcare mess, but few advocate the complete fix provided by a universal single-payer system. "Uncommitted" could nudge them toward a stronger stand.

Should this happen in one or more "issue" areas, our conventions might again become sessions of democracy-in-action rather than rubber-stamp cheerleading assemblies. This would also tie candidates to the party platform.

A consistent peace resolution across the state will help it to pass intact. Hundreds of people over the past few months have fine-tuned this resolution.

jmayer

Be it resolved that the United States ensure an end to the war in Iraq, funding for veterans' benefits, and provision for Iraqi reconstruction and ownership by

1. Ending U.S. funding for military operations in Iraq, including, but not limited to, permanent bases, air strikes, clandestine operations, and private military contractors;

2. By generously funding veterans' benefits for all returning U.S. troops, including physical and psychological rehabilitation and duty-related economic protection; and

3. By financing a generous, UN-administered reconstruction fund that will provide for Iraqi ownership of reconstruction, for the renegotiation of all contracts awarded during the period following the invasion and before the creation of a fully representative and sovereign Iraqi government, and for the recovery of Iraqi property stolen during this same period; and will protect the Iraqi people and U.S. taxpayers from further theft, corruption, foreign exploitation, forced privatization, and no-bid, cash-only contracting.