They marched--men and women, black, white, and brown, young and old, for jobs, justice, and peace. And in their midst was...li'l ol' me, carrying my sign ("Bring the Troops Home Now!" with a b/side of "Money For Our City, Not For War!"), and sporting one big ass grin. Fifty-one years on this planet, and today was the first time I ever joined a rally for a cause I believed in. Indeed, as the saying goes, you are never too old.
'Twas very nice to be among a group of like-minded souls, and even better, souls who sought the betterment of our fellow poor and middle-class Americans. Railing against Wall Street, railing against corporations, railing against continued tax cuts for the wealthy--you have got to love unions and African-American churches. As the poet queen (Ms. Patti Smith) said, "People have the power."
Nice speech from UAW President Bob King on the need to continue marching and fighting. Virg Bernero put in an appearance and continued his Main Street vs. Wall Street theme. Debbie Stabenow put in a few good words for the President (he owes her big time). Marcy Kaptur (with whom I was not familiar), an Ohio U. S. Rep., gave perhaps the best progressive speech of the bunch. And, of course, the Rev. Jackson gave his usual stirring speech (plus we all got to recite "I am...somebody!").
A wonderful experience, but...
Turnout was moderate at best (a few thousand)--yes, it was a beautiful day here in Detroit, yes it was in downtown Detroit, yes, it was a Saturday, but you'd hope this close to such an important election people would turn out for the cause. Also, when Sen. Stabenow attempted to give President Obama his props, the response was...underwhelming. One has to wonder if his administration has any clue--Democrats aren't Republicans: we don't reward disappointing Presidents (see also, George W. winning in 2004). The enthusiasm gap may be a real problem--never having attended a Republican rally (and never will) I have no idea what they are like, but the mood started great and eventually became subdued. Don't know if it was disappointment in Democrats or hopelesness in the face of corporate power and a corporate media who kisses republican party ass on a daily basis, but the disappointment was real. Finally, the talking points on Wall Street were dead on, but other than Bob King and Sen. Stabenow, very little was done to tie these people to their biggest supporters--the republican party. We really need to remind people that the republican party has never, and never will, stand up for the working people, unionized or not. It is a party for corporations and the wealthy, the poor and the middle class be damned.
One other thing--if you're ever organizing a march with speeches afterward, keep the speech segment afterward BRIEF. There's a reason most school courses last an hour--that's about the limit for people's attention span. As the speeches dragged on today it was painfully obvious that people were turning their attention elsewhere (like on going home).
Still: raise your fists, brothers and sisters--NO JOBS, NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!
Amen.
Peace,
emaycee
