Why aren't we "THROWING THE BUMS OUT?"

THE PHOENIX

I'm having another frustrating day when it comes to trying to keep hope alive that elections can make a difference.  Despite almost a widespread consensus that Washington isn't working and that Congress has a single digit approval rating, my hometown newspaper today ran an article from the Associated Press about how American Voters so far are not "THROWING THE BUMS OUT!" (their title..not mine).  With rare exceptions (e.g. Eric Cantor), just about all of the incumbents are winning their primary elections.  Now, I realize that there are many voting districts that are "gerrymandered" - meaning that the district's geographic boundaries have been drawn (re-drawn) to favor one particular party or the other. And, because of this practice, it's not all that surprising that a particular party would get more votes over the other.  But, what does baffle me is that THE VERY SAME POLITICIANS who are NOT DOING THEIR JOBS are getting the chance to go back to Washington and CONTINUE NOT DOING THEIR JOBS for two or six more years!?!?! (I'm not even talking about what's happening at the state and local levels...but....as the Scripture says: "..let those who have eyes..see..". You know what's happening in your area...is it true that voters where you live are KEEPING THE BUMS IN?)

At the moment I'm not arguing about gerrymandering (though I do think that voters should be on the alert that it does happen each decade depending on the results of the Census and who's in office when the Census is done...) But...what does make me, at the very least, curious, is that even if one does want to be loyal to a political party - I'm a Republican so I always vote Republican...don't know who's running...just vote my party - isn't there at least another person in your state or district who you can get to run for office (in your preferred party) so that the person who's NOT WORKING FOR YOUR INTEREST doesn't get RE-HIRED?

One thought does occur to me though, that might make sense. Maybe your elected official IS WORKING for you in that he/she does get back to your district; does get around to events and businesses when home; does get his/her name in your local paper/TV news when that happens; and when (surprise! surprise!) something does get passed in Washington some funding has been earmarked in that bill that brings money back to your area....or they help some group in your area be successful in getting some government grant.  I don't want to undervalue these political behaviors. I think they come with the job. But, when your elected officials are in your area so you can speak to them are they not hearing you when you say you want the bi-partisan gridlock to stop? Are you not asking them? Or is it that you are just not asking/telling them in a strong enough voice...with a large enough presence that those officials just don't believe you'll do anything about it if they don't?  And...let's be honest...if they are being successful in their primaries...so far EITHER YOU HAVEN'T SENT THE MESSAGE...THEY HAVEN'T HEARD IT...OR THEY JUST DON'T CARE (BECAUSE YOU'RE VOTING FOR THEM ANYWAY!!!)  

Now, the one thing that does give me some hope is that SO FAR WE'RE ONLY TALKING ABOUT PRIMARY ELECTIONS!  IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!! MID-TERMS MATTER - NOVEMBER HASN'T HAPPENED YET! (Phew!)

In an earlier post we talked about the influence of crossover Democratic votes that seemed to be the deciding factor in the election of Republican Senator Thad Cochran in Mississippi. However, it's important to remember that what happened in Mississippi happened in a Primary Runoff.  That's important because Mississippi is one of close to 20 states that does allow for crossover voting in primary elections. But...in Mississippi's case...voters DID NOT CROSSOVER DURING THE ACTUAL PRIMARY ELECTION.  Senator Cochran didn't court the African American Democratic Voters until AFTER the Primary.  More importantly, what's going on in Mississippi right now is that Cochran's opponent hasn't conceded the election because he's trying to determine if VOTER FRAUD has happened. This is not the same kind of Voter Fraud we just talked about in the last post - this is not about the struggle to get a Photo ID.  The issue here is: Did the Democratic Crossover Voters vote in the Democratic Primary as well? What this means is that if Cochran ends up being legally successful in his runoff election, he was able to get Democratic voters who didn't care enough about their own party's primary to go out and vote then but were willing to go out to vote for Cochran, the Republican, now.

If Mississippi's recent election says anything, it suggests that some voters only find the energy to vote when someone really appeals directly to them.  These voters voted based on what the POLITICIANS asked Voters to do for the POLITICIANS themselves NOT ON WHAT THE VOTERS WANTED THE POLITICIANS TO DO FOR THE VOTERS. 

This is the attitude that needs to change! Voters need to be proactive. It's important to know what/who you want and go for it first..don't wait for the politician to come to you. I don't doubt that Senator Cochran used his seniority to bring home some funding projects for his own state. But, if you're "economically poor" in Mississippi and being negatively impacted by all of the gridlock and cutbacks, did Sen. Cochran's "BACON" really balance the scales FOR YOU by all of the funding sources that aren't coming your way by what's going on in Washington?  I don't know.  I don't live in Mississippi. I'm just asking the question?

The most important issue of all in this reflection is to remind you that Primaries only "matter somewhat". They set up the November contests.  But, November Midterms "really matter"
And, it's not to late to get organized, find your voice, and figure out which candidate is ready to go back to Washington (or to your state capitol) and vote for your interests. It's not too late to let the candidates running know that you have found your voice and you have come to see the power of your vote! As these posts continue, the plan is to consider some of the ways that you can do that that may be more effective than some you've already tried.

Why is it Hard to Vote? Ever try to get a Voter Photo ID?

THE PHOENIX

As a Pennsylvania Resident, voting has always been relatively easy for me.  I'm old enough that when I first went to register to vote I actually had to physically go to the Court House to get a form and complete it there. But, I don't remember that as being a very time-consuming process. Since that time I've lived in several different locations that meant on voting days I would be going to a different polling place. When that happened, I just had to go to the computer and print out a change of registration form and mail it in. I did get a Voter Registration Card in the mail, but it was only checked the first time I showed up at my new polling place.  From then on, when I arrived, they simply opened their large voter registration forms binder and I signed in and they just compared this year's signature to last year's.  And...that was it!  Oh...those were the days!!!

Actually, for me, those are STILL THE DAYS....but..THEY COULD CHANGE AT ANY TIME! Why? Here in Pennsylvania our legislators passed some rather strict voting restriction laws that require a Voter Photo ID before one can vote.  Gratefully, those laws - which were enacted to prevent Voter Fraud (which apparently isn't really a problem...but...you know, be prepared!) - are currently being challenged in the courts. So, Voter Photo IDs aren't required YET in PA but they can be if the court challenge puts the Voter Photo ID Law back in place.

As a LICENSED DRIVER I don't really have to worry either way - I have a "Government Issued" Photo ID.  But, in that limbo period when the PA law had been passed and before it was challenged in the court, I discovered how hard it really is to get one of these "official IDs". And, as I've done some research in preparing to write this blog, I've not only discovered just how many states are in the midst of these Voter Photo ID Laws; I've also come to a much clearer understanding of just why it's so very difficult and expensive to get one of these SUPPOSEDLY FREE Photo IDs.

Since the purpose of both this blog and the Phoenix Party itself is to organize and get as many voters who support the goals of the Phoenix Party to the polls, it seemed important to spend some time exploring the obstacles to voting that need to be overcome before any "get out the vote" campaign can be successful. Exploring the challenges to getting a "Government Issued Photo ID" seems a good place to start. 

I currently live in a retirement home for members of my Congregation.  I'm the youngest resident and live here primarily because of health issues. However, I'm definitely healthy enough to volunteer to accompany our older sisters to the Driver Photo ID Center during that limbo period when we didn't know if they'd be able to vote in PA without a proper ID.  I went on two trips - both were experiences I will never forget! These women were in their 80s and 90s and some came with their walkers and canes.  The large room was packed with people either looking for Voter Photo IDs or to get their Driver's Photo IDs.  I found myself thinking what it must be like for elderly people to go through this process without any help. We sat with our sisters and helped them go from station to station to complete paperwork and sit for the ID. This process took over 2 hours! I'm twenty to thirty years younger than these women and I was exhausted! At least I got a seat - though I think the government specializes in cheap and really uncomfortable chairs. Some of the women came with the kind of walkers that had wheels and a flat surface that they could use for their own uncomfortable seats.

Beyond serving as companions, we provided two other important services that many people who need these photo IDs have to do for themselves.  We not only DROVE them there (transportation) but we had sisters who found the paperwork and the required documents needed before any request forms could be processed.

Driving may seem like a simple thing, but when you have neither a car or a driver's license, it's not such an easy or inexpensive task to get to an ID Center. Our Photo ID Center is NOT a bus stop and the other main form of public transportation available in this area is to take a cab.  In doing research for this post I discovered that most people who need to get to a Photo ID Center have to travel at least 10 miles.

The women I drove to the ID Center were older and either had never driven or were old enough that they no longer drove and their licenses had expired. I was surprised, however, to learn that a large number of people who are in the "driving age range" neither have a driver's license or even use a car - they are totally dependent on public transportation (especially if they live in big cities). I lived in NYC for a while and discovered than many people there don't have a car - not because they can't afford to buy one...they just don't want to pay to PARK ONE! There are over 3,000,000 voters in the states with current Photo ID legislation that do not have driver's licenses.

Even though it was easy enough for us to drive to our center, it was another challenge to organize our schedules to get there WHEN THE CENTER WAS OPEN. (Keep in mind I'm talking about women who are RETIRED!).  Our Center isn't open every day and is generally closed for a lunch break - a time when employed, would-be voters could leave work to get their IDs without taking time off from work.  I discovered, however, that these available hours pale in comparison to some locations. I even found a place in Wisconsin that's only open on the 5th Wednesday of every month! Access to Photo ID Centers is the most limited in the areas that have high minority populations.

Beyond driving to the Photo ID Center, the second major assistance we provided to these elderly sisters was to acquired and organize the required documentation needed beyond the Photo ID application form.  Keep in mind, at this point, this Photo ID is supposed to be FREE. You can't get a PHOTO ID unless you have some other kind of OFFICIAL ID document. You can use a BIRTH CERTIFICATE as long as it's an official certificate with a RAISED SEAL (so, no copy of the certificate accepted.) Getting a Birth Certificate is NOT FREE. And, for many people, it's a task that's next to if not impossible to accomplish.  You need to get a certificate with your correct name on it - my mother's name is EILEEN but her Birth Certificate says ELLEN. In my case, I was taking NUNs to vote. Many Nuns have different names now than they did at birth.  While that may be something specific to a nun, it's still a problem if you're now married and you have a different last name and you don't have a copy of your Marriage License. Those are simple problems.  A large number of older and minority voters were born at home and didn't get a birth certificate. Current citizens may have come to America without a birth certificate and can't get one now. While the ID Center would also accept a Passport, if you don't have the above documentation you wouldn't be able to get a Passport either! Personally, though I have one, I got it to travel abroad. I'm no longer doing that travelling so I didn't get the Passport renewed.  I can do that but it will cost me approximately $100.  They could accept my Social Security Card - but I don't have one!  I do have a number and I definitely have it memorized.  But, you're not supposed to carry your card around with you.  I got my card when I was 18. That's more than 40 years ago. For years I knew where I kept it but...alas! Of course, I can get a new Social Security Card.  But, I can't do that unless I have the kind of documentation I've already mentioned!!! For Voters unlike me (who have a driver's license) this is like a CATCH-22: I can't get I want because I don't have what I need which I can't get because I don't have what I wanted in the first place!!! And, if I need to show a proof of Citizenship form that would cost me almost $350.

So...let's review: 

• millions of people can't drive themselves to a PHOTO ID Center
• most of those people live at least 10 miles from a Center
• in rural areas and areas where minority populations live, they have the greatest challenge to have access to public transportation (which, I repeat, is not FREE)
• most ID Centers have limited hours of operation 
• before one even gets to an ID Center, one has to locate - if they can - the official documentation necessary before their Photo ID Application can be processed. Even if they can obtain that necessary documentation, the cost to do so can be substantial

Though the legislation is currently in "limbo", it is estimated that in Philadelphia, PA alone, over 250,000 of CURRENTLY REGISTERED VOTERS would be effected.

So far, we've only considered the challenges and costs to individual voters to get Voter Photo IDs (oh...before I forget to mention it - these VOTER PHOTO IDs can only be used to VOTE, they can't be a photo ID for anything else that you need! Want to open a bank account? Nope! Want to fly? Go figure!) 

However, there is also a substantial cost to any state who passes this kind of legislation. Since every citizen has the right to vote, states have to make sure that there's only a limited challenge to any citizen to comply with these laws. One of the reasons why so many state's legislation is in legal limbo is the fact that the state can be challenged to cover all of the costs that can be an impediment to complying with the law. They can be made to expand Photo ID Center hours and cover the costs to get necessary documentation. At this point, however, states don't make any attempt to do so unless the US Attorney General sues them. Remember, I  took 2 trips to the ID Center because the PA law had been passed and it wasn't immediately challenged in court. If voting is important to you, you do what you need to do as soon as you can to be sure you still can vote! Despite the likelihood of court challenges, over 90 pieces of voter restriction legislation were introduced in 2013 alone! 

Once a state's voter laws change, that state also has to assume another cost that can be substantial.  If you change a law you have to let the public know that you did and you have to train them how to comply with those changes. This might sound like a simple statement but such a PR and training campaign comes with a bottom line that gets into the millions and millions of dollars.  One would think that any state that's deeply in debt and struggling to meet its budget obligations wouldn't want to take on this additional financial burden.

Oh...and did I tell you that the research says that VOTER FRAUD - which all of this legislation is supposed to prevent - DOESN'T REALLY EXIST! For all of the money that is poured into elections it seems that none of it is going toward having someone impersonate you! And, this seems to be so even if that IMPERSONATOR doesn't need to show a Photo ID! 

And why go through what could be a very costly process that can be easily challenged in the courts???  Simple - if it works - elderly, handicapped, minority and poor people have a hard time voting!  There is also this "odd" correlation between the states that are passing these laws and the fact that those states are under the leadership of the GOP.

Happily, there are a number of ideas currently being proposed that will not only eliminate these struggles; they will also make voter registration and voting itself much easier.  Those are the ideas we'll talk about next because those are the ideas that need to be supported NOW!

(I've made a number of factual statements in this post. Most of them come from studies done by THE BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE at the New York University's School of Law.)

Setting Goals - Avoid Misconceptions!

THE PHOENIX

Now that we've talked about having a SYMBOLIC IDENTITY (PHOENIX) and a VISION, it's time to get specific and set some GOALS.  I began writing this blog talking about my own frustration about the POOR NOT VOTING, so it would follow that the Goals of this movement will include GETTING ORGANIZED, KNOWING WHO AND WHAT TO VOTE FOR and GOING OUT TO VOTE. 

But first, I have to make a CONFESSION. When I started to write this blog I was operating out of  - what I now know to be - a MISCONCEPTION.  I'd been making the JUDGMENT that the Poor weren't voting because of their DEPRESSION...APATHY...SENSE OF BEING POWERLESS. To be honest, as I've been writing this, I've even wondered whether those people who've been identified as "economically poor" would even be able to read this.  I've been content to write this almost as if this is a slow way to - post by post - put something together that would be much more effective if, in the end, I copied and pasted it into some program that would allow me to turn this blog into some pamphlet or book that I could get printed as if the printed word would be the most effective way to get this message to my intended audience. (and...to be honest...I'll probably still do this..).  But, I've finally done enough research to realize that some of the challenges I thought had to be overcome really aren't challenges at all.

For example, I discovered today that a large number of people who are identified as "poor" do have their own computers/laptops.  The cost of this technology is not only manageable but essential if you happen to be unemployed and are looking for a job.  I remember being in class during the 70s in NYC and the professor calling our attention to the number of young adults walking around with "boom boxes" on their shoulders. He suggested that one of the reasons for this behavior was that this group really wanted to be out in their own cars "cruisin' around" with their car radio blaring away.  Financially, they couldn't afford to buy that car. They could, however, afford the "boom box". Their "cruisin' around" had become "walkin' (or struttin') around but they still had a "radio blaring away"!

The Poor can manage to buy appliances...they can't afford good housing, healthcare or a quality education.  So, the challenge isn't a question of whether the Poor have computer access so they can read this blog. It's getting the word to them that it exists.  That can be done in a number of ways: sending the link to it to your email contacts; LIKING the PHOENIX PEOPLES' PARTY Facebook page then SHARING the page's STATUS UPDATES on your TIMELINE. You can print out a copy of a post you like (click on the title you like and print that so you don't end up printing the entire blog) and posting a copy of it somewhere where its intended audience can read it.

There's also a belief called SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION. That theory suggests that if I think about and make contact with the person I think would have the BEST SHOT at getting my message where I want it to go and I ask them to do the same, then, IN SIX STEPS OR LESS I SHOULD REACH MY DESTINATION.  Think about it!  If I contacted my CONGRESSMAN how many CONNECTIONS would it take for my message to get to the PRESIDENT?  Or, if I contacted my BISHOP, how many steps would it take to get my message to the POPE?

Who do you know...that if you not only talked about reading this blog (and shared the link to it) but also shared about the VISION for this PHOENIX PARTY MOVEMENT and encouraged that person to get involved and spread the word...that you could get the word to someone who might have some INFLUENCE and could ORGANIZE a group to go out and VOTE?

So...THE FIRST GOAL - GET THE WORD TO THE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO GO OUT AND VOTE.

The SECOND GOAL is to come to an understanding about WHY the Poor aren't able to effectively use their vote to INFLUENCE the political process MORE OFTEN.  I intentionally used that phrase "MORE OFTEN' because I'm writing this post the day after Senator Thad Cochran won his primary runoff in Mississippi. Cochran, a long-time Republican incumbent, was in a runoff because he'd come in second to his Tea Party Challenger.  In Mississippi, you can vote in a primary election regardless of your registered party. Cochran won this election because he was successful in getting African-American DEMOCRATIC Voters to come out..crossover and vote for him. Politicians can recognize the INFLUENCE of a voting group they often ignore WHEN THEY NEED THEM!  The question is WHY isn't the vote of the Poor valued more often?

The answer to that question is simple: this time the NUMBER of their votes mattered! In most cases, the NUMBER of VOTES represented by the Poor seems to matter somewhat - if not there wouldn't be such a struggle in the Republican Party about Immigration Reform. There is a growing concern about the number of Hispanic Voters and how their votes will impact the outcome of elections.  But, there's some kind of strange disconnect between trying to get the votes of a group of voters often classified as "economically poor" and actually doing the work of VOTING FOR LEGISLATION that would have a positive impact on their lives.  It's rather insulting when you think about it.  I want you to vote for me but I won't necessarily return the favor and work for you! 

Let me, however, clarify that last statement.  Politician may often vote in lock step with their party (thus the sense of partisan gridlock) but they often are able to do other things that can fiscally help voters at home. Thad Cochran won his election because his seniority had allowed him to regularly put "earmarks" on legislation that brought money back to his state even if that legislation's focus had nothing to do with the recipient  of that "earmark". Cochran had "brought home the bacon" and the voters in his state rewarded him for it.

After doing more research I've discovered that the Poor don't have the NUMBERS to regularly influence election NOT because of their APATHY....DEPRESSION....SENSE OF POWERLESSNESS (those feelings might be true, but that's not the main problem.) THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE'VE MADE IT SO HARD FOR THE POOR TO VOTE!

One of the Goals of this blog, therefore, will be to bring to light what those voting challenges are and how they can be overcome now and how politicians can be influenced to eliminate those obstacles in the future.

Beyond getting organized and tackling the obstacles to voting, the other main goals of this blog will be to identify what are the issues that this movement supports and how to get politicians elected that will effectively address them.

I've discovered it's so important not to stereotype the poor...not to misjudge who they are and why they do or do not do something.  Voting for some is so much harder than any of the rest of us can even imagine.  But, what is hard is NOT IMPOSSIBLE.  If we only look around there are so many small and big successes that there is great reason to be HOPEFUL!

Lately, I've been thinking about just how amazing it is that BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA is PRESIDENT...and not only that he's President but that he's in his SECOND TERM being President. President Obama is not only the first African-American President; he is the child of a BIRACIAL marriage whose father was Muslim...whose middle name is Hussein....and who was elected after 9/11 and during the Iraq War!  Oh...let me be clear...I did vote for him...TWICE! But...really?!?!  Isn't it just incredible that a man with all of those challenges against him got elected and then re-elected!!!???!!! And...if that can happen...well...THE SKY'S THE LIMIT!  

A "PARTY" VISION

THE PHOENIX

Having an IDENTITY (PHOENIX) is a first step, but, without a VISION, that Identity doesn't mean much.  So, let's move on to shaping a PHOENIX PARTY VISION.  Vision in not just thinking about what you want to be...it also means that you keep seeing that vision over and over again so that...for you...it becomes second nature.  By that I mean that it's not just a matter of having a Vision...it's about VISUALIZING that image so often that your association of the word PHOENIX PARTY and your VISION of what that term means is so connected that thinking one subconsciously imagines the other. Not only that...having a Vision means that - almost coincidentally - you find yourself facing opportunities...choices... to make that Vision come true.

Why?  Well...believe it or not...we're genetically designed for this to happen.  Our brain has a space between our emotional limbic system and our cerebral (thinking) brain. That space is filled by what's called the brain's RECTICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM. (Think "recticular" as in "retina" as in "look for"...as in...you guessed it.."VISION". This is the part of your brain that receives the commands that your THINKING BRAIN has ASKED IT to look for.  Now...if you're not sure you believe me...think "trying to remember someone's name".  We have these experiences when you look at someone and "we ask ourselves..WHAT IS THAT PERSON'S NAME?!?!"  Often what happens is sometime...much later...that person's name just seems to "pop up".  Why? Because you told your brain that you wanted to know it...and...on a subconscious level...your brain kept looking for that information way beyond that immediate moment when it might have been helpful and...as soon as it finds it..it sends it to your CONSCIOUS BRAIN to think it!

Why is that important?  When your subconscious brain knows what you want to be...it continually looks for ways to make that happen...and...when it discovers something...it sends your brain a conscious message "pay attention to this!" If you've ever followed the way athletes prepare for some competitions; you know that they've often gone to some sport's psychiatrist who helps them...step by step...visualize themselves being successful in their sport. They visualize this information very specifically - seeing the moment...feeling the moment...hearing the moment.  If you've seen athletes before a competition they often are wearing earphones. For many of them what they are listening to is that vision...repeated over and over. In fact, they've probably been repeating that vision over and over since they first shaped it.  When they win it's almost like BECOMING what they've always believed they could be.

That last line is critical! "...what they've always believed they could be."  If you're Poor...how often have you been able to imagine that you could be rich?  How often have you imagined yourself not just working...but working at a specific job....at a specific workplace...with a specific office...and...specifically...being successful...and coming home to a specific home in a specific neighborhood...to your happy family with that paycheck that proves that you're successful? And...if you're were ever able to do that....how often did you just tell yourself..."this is just silly...I'm daydreaming...this will never happen!"  See...that's the problem....just when you begin to tell your brain what you want to be...so it can look for opportunities to make that happen...you send that second command: DELETE PREVIOUS VISION!

What's a PHOENIX PARTY VISION?  Well....we can continue to flesh it out...but, for me, it includes seeing a large...LARGE..RECOGNIZED AND RESPECTED group of WELL-INFORMED VOTERS (knowing specifically what they want politicians to vote for and having a certainty about which politicians will do that) showing up at the VOTING BOOTH (knowing specifically where that polling place is..and what it'll be like to arrive there.) feeling CONFIDENT CASTING A VOTE and walking out of that Voting Booth FEELING GREAT because they DID THEIR PART and BELIEVING THAT TOMORROW WILL BE BETTER BECAUSE THEY DID!

If that message can get to our subconscious brain because we keep repeating it over and over; I'm a strong believer that the next step will be that our brain will start telling us.."If you want this to happen...then...you need to do this...you need to say that...oh...this is a person who can help make this happen...aha!...this information is useful....yes! I have the energy to go out to this meeting...talk to a friend....figure out where my polling place is...decide when and how I'm going to get there"...any step from the smallest to the biggest will soon present itself and say: CHOOSE ME!

The term PHOENIX PARTY doesn't just include the word PHOENIX; it also includes the word PARTY.  As a descriptor of a political group or movement, that might seem to just be a normal term to add. We have a Democratic "Party", a Republican "Party" a Libertarian "Party" a Conservative "Party" and so on. But, I would suggest we begin by thinking about the term TEA PARTY. This political movement doesn't just use the word "party" because other movements do.  It's in their title because they associate themselves with a specific time in history and a specific historic event - THE BOSTON TEA PARTY.  The planners of THAT event used the term specifically because they wanted participants to think of the event as just that ...A PARTY!!! They wanted the ENERGY of a PARTY....the ENTHUSIASM of a PARTY....the POSITIVE...CELEBRATORY...ATTITUDE about being a part of this PARTY! And...in this case..they wanted to people to come because they had the DESIRE to participate in this PARTY and...this desire was so strong...it gave them the COURAGE to PARTICIPATE in this PARTY no matter what the CHALLENGE or DANGER might be if they did so!

In fact, as this blog continues on and we talk about the GOALS, OBJECTIVES and STRATEGIES that can make this VISION a REALITY, I want to suggest that actually having PARTIES can be a very SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY to use. FUN ENERGY...JOYFUL ENERGY....makes the PHOENIX PARTY VISION a POSITIVE vision. If the need to make one's VISION a REALITY requires you to keep repeating it...VISUALIZING it...over and over...it's essential that that process makes you feel POSITIVE!  No one will...or should...keep repeating a vision that makes you SAD...DEPRESSED...FRUSTRATED...ANGRY.

Did you know that if you make your face muscles create a SMILE that very soon you'll start to feel HAPPY? (try it!) We may be talking about that FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT strategy...but, as one who's tried this approach more times than I can count, I assure you, IT WORKS!

And...if you're reading this and you're thinking...it's just me reading this...how can "ME BECOME A WE?"  Simple...tell your brain to make it happen!  And...as you are building your WE in your area...going from two or three to a few to many...to LOTS OF MANY....remember this quote: "If you think you are too small to be effective...you have never been in bed with a mosquito!"

Margaret Mead, a famous cultural anthropologist, said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

So...that's the VISION...being a THOUGHTFUL, COMMITTED PEOPLE...committed to the VISION that VOTING DOES AND WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE..  Tell your brain that and see what it does next! 

 

 

THE PHOENIX AND THE POWER OF METAPHOR

THE PHOENIX

I once went to a workshop titled "The Power of Metaphors". One of the key insights the speaker presented was that once you picked a metaphor for something...you are saying that all of the characteristics of that metaphor can be considered by your audience when they are trying to figure out what you mean when you selected that image. The presenter gave an example of a teacher who announced that her symbol for herself as a TEACHER was a BULLFIGHTER. When asked why that choice, she replied: "Each day I get to wave the red cape of knowledge in front of my students!"  Then, the presenter observed that "Obviously, this teacher didn't realize that the object of the Bullfight is to KILL THE BULL!.

So...I thought I'd begin today by talking about some of the characteristics of the PHOENIX that made it seem a suitable METAPHOR for this movement.  While the PHOENIX traces its roots back to Greek Mythology, most people probably know its story because it's graphically depicted in the HARRY POTTER movies. Like all images of the PHOENIX, this is a magnificent looking red bird. In one movie scene the bird is shown BURSTING INTO FLAMES and those flames descend to the floor as ASHES. Then, in the next moment, another PHOENIX would RISE FROM THE ASHES in a sort of REBIRTH!  In spiritual terms, this life-cycle of the PHOENIX is considered to be a RESURRECTION metaphor...going from DEATH to NEW LIFE.  

The life-cycle of the PHOENIX mentioned above is the metaphor I hope a PHOENIX MOVEMENT can bring about for the Poor.  I don't doubt that the Poor's daily existence - with all its pain and challenge - must feel like DEATH...at least a sort of death of their spirit...their hopes...their future...and, sadly, for some...even their real physical death at an early age either because of violence...suicide...or poor/non-existent health care. 

I believe that a change in the actions of our elected politicians can also change the realities that result in that sense of DEATH.  Let me be clear...I don't necessarily mean that we have to elect DIFFERENT politicians. I hope that the impact of this movement is more important than that. The goal is not to change WHO the politicians are...but WHAT they VOTE FOR and, most importantly, WHY they VOTE THAT WAY. The goal is to so increase the number of VOTING POOR that politicians come to DEEPLY RESPECT the INFLUENCE of this group to the extent that their VOTING RECORD reflects that RESPECT.  

If the change described above can happen - especially because of the influence of this movement - then it should follow that that DEATH....that TURNING LIFE'S HOPES INTO ASHES..will then move into this final stage of the PHOENIX'S LIFE-CYCLE - NEW LIFE!

It also seems to be a necessity that politicians identify this VOTING BLOCK by this VISUAL PHOENIX METAPHOR  so that the country will know that this new influx of VOTERS does reflect a UNIFIED GROUP with a UNIFIED PURPOSE and a UNIFIED SET OF CRITERIA that has shaped their VOTES.  

When you register to vote, you aren't asked to identify yourself by your beliefs and your values. There isn't a separate ballot for the TEA PARTY or the LIBERTARIANS or the POPULISTS or the CONSERVATIVES or any of the other labels that names the variety of INDEPENDENTS - the other major category box on your registration form.  So, to look at the voters who show up on election day, one might not easily realize just how many members of the PHOENIX PARTY have actually shown up.  That suggests three important things:  1) prior to the election, the POLITICIANS that are running for office need to know that the PHOENIX PARTY members exist...2) the POLLSTERS - who either estimate how many people will show up to vote or calculate the percentages of which group impacted the outcome of an election -  need to know to COUNT the PHOENIX VOTER ballots as an organized group...and 3) the members of the MEDIA that cover/analyze the lead up to and the outcome of any election need to get the PHOENIX PARTY MOVEMENT'S STORY OUT and make its PRESENCE known as a powerful and influential ELECTION VOICE.

There are a number of ways that these goals can be accomplished but first, the creation of a group's IDENTITY needs to be established.  Thus, the selection of the PHOENIX.  Oh...one other HARRY POTTER quality of a PHOENIX. The bird has HEALING TEARS.  So, getting in touch with the pain in the life of the Poor...moving beyond the DENIAL that may have been the only option to make it through each day...is essential. But...the tears that that ACCEPTANCE can bring can, in fact, be HEALING if they come at the same time as the HOPE that a BETTER FUTURE IS POSSIBLE!

I've often wondered, as I'm sure you have, if an effort like this can really be successful? Isn't it doomed to FAIL? Well, to be honest, I'm sure that's a real possibility. But, I've also spent sometime studying the concept of FAILURE...it's not such a bad thing. Many really famous people in this country have FAILED...ALOT! I'm currently reading the book THE INVENTION OF WINGS (by Sue Monk Kidd) that talks about Slavery and the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. Though it took years and years of FAILURE...that movement has finally reached many of the heights of SUCCESS. We have only to consider the fact that we currently have the first African-American President to realize that truth.  And, when I think of the word "INVENTION' and FAILURE, it leads me to think about one of my favorite INVENTORS - Thomas Edison. Edison is recognized as the inventor of the light bulb.  Depending on the source you quote, Edison seems to have FAILED anywhere between 1,000 to 10,000 times before he successfully invented the light bulb!  Edison has been quoted as saying that instead he "discovered 10,000 ways how NOT TO INVENT the light bulb!  And...truth be told...the other thing that Edison did is take many of those FAILURES and turn them into SUCCESSFUL PATENTS for something else.

PERSEVERANCE...HOPE...DETERMINATION...the willingness to ACCEPT FAILURE...even before you BEGIN...those are all essential qualities to being SUCCESSFUL.  Like the PHOENIX....it's not just about GOING DOWN IN FLAMES...it's much more about RISING UP FROM THE ASHES! But...having a VISION of where you want to go...knowing the GOALS you need to achieve to get there...and having a METAPHOR...an IDENTITY of who you are and what you want to be is essential so you can truly know when you truly have ARRIVED!   

Math and the Wisdom of COMMON SENSE

The PHOENIX

When I first started writing this blog I said that I was doing so because of my own personal frustration with all of the political bickering - from Washington to one's local city government - that was resulting in either spending cuts to or failure to pass bills that resulted in some kind of negative impact on the poor.  Since then, I've been trying to wrap my mind around some of the numbers that may be important to understand if one wants to change this reality.  Will try today to look at some of those findings and hope that this information helps make the case that THE NUMBERS ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE POOR! 

First, the latest estimation is that more than 15% of the US population is considered to be POOR. They get that number by creating what they call a "poverty threshold". That means that if your family's (not exactly sure what that term means...two parents and two kids?) annual income is $23,492 (yes...it's that specific!) or less then you're poor.  Now...if my math is correct...that means that this "family" brings in about $450 a month! (not exactly sure how much that means you actually have to spend...do you also pay local, state and national taxes?)  So...my assumption is that poor here really means DESTITUTE! More about this number later.  

But, for the moment, for the sake of argument, let's use that 15% number.  According to the POPULATION CLOCK http://www.census.gov/popclock/ the current US population is 318,266,543.  Now...by current I mean the number that was on the clock at the very moment when I typed that number!  Given the more for a birth and the less for a death, that number increases by 1 every 13 seconds! So, at the moment, using this poverty threshold dollar amount, it means that there are about 45,000,000 poor people in the US. One can, however, only begin to imagine what that number is when one asks a person "do you consider yourself poor?" If we double the monthly salary to $900..thus doubling the poverty number...we're up to over 90,000,000 people. (and...seriously...if the "average family" is 4 people...what is life like for you on $900 a month?) I'm not even sure what one would consider a wage high enough to call yourself a "middle class family"? I'll leave that up to you.  But, when you think about how many poor people there are, you may want to back up and click on the POPULATION CLOCK link...because those numbers have been rising and rising even while I'm writing this. 

By the way, if you think that doubling that $900 figure might work for you, that would mean there are more poor people in the US than all of the people who voted in the last Presidential Election!

Now, I realize that we're talking total number of poor here, not the number of poor that are 18 years and older who can vote....well...just reduce whatever total number works for you by 20%. (And yes...any number I'm using here can be GOOGLED!)

Anyway....can we at least agree that we're talking BIG NUMBERS here?

Now...add to that whatever you can imagine might be the number of people who might also vote for a "Phoenix Party Endorsed Candidate" just because they care about or work in service to the poor?  Think of all the nuns...priests...ministers...rabbis....parish groups...social activists....people who "used to be poor" and have not forgotten....those people who are just plain tired of all of the bipartisan bickering....cutbacks...pain and sadness...well...you get the picture.  WE'RE TALKING BIG, BIG, BIG NUMBERS!!!

Yesterday, on MSNBC's "The Daily Rundown" program, they shared the following numbers:

8 million small donors = $500 million

4,600 big donors = $500 million

We can think about political donations in a moment...but...just look at those numbers for a second: 8,000,000 vs. 4,600.  What if that number wasn't about $$$...what if it was about the number of VOTES?!?!?!  

If every poor person just donated $10 the number donated by those 4,600 big donors would be doubled!!!  I've mentioned previously that I spent a number of years working with teachers in Slovakia helping them restructure their education system.  When I got there they'd built a new school/training center. But, the school didn't have a library.  I came home and told several principals (think it was 2...might have been 3) that maybe we could start a "Pennies for Slovakia" fund.  While we're talking a rate of currency exchange, within several months those 3 schools had collected enough pennies to buy enough books to create an entire school library. So, I'm less and less concerned about how much money really wins elections.  We have only to consider Eric Cantor's recent loss. Eric Cantor - who spent more on buying lunch for his donors than his opponent spent on his entire campaign!!!

Now, try as I might, I couldn't quite figure out how much money the Koch Brothers - David and Charles - actually invest in trying to control politics in this country. Let's just say it's LOTS!!! But, for at least all that I can find, it doesn't seem like they actually BUY VOTES! (That would mean some accusation of VOTER FRAUD. It seems like there are enough people in this country who really dislike the Koch Brothers, I'm sure that if they were actually found to be buying votes, that word would get out!  But, what they do do is pay people to work at Polling Places and those people are there to INTIMIDATE voters. 

While it does seem like they invest a great deal of money - millions - to influence/control the political process -  that amount should also be put in some perspective. If you air a commercial in your local TV market it could cost about $1500 for each time that 30 second spot runs.  Now, think of the last political campaign in your area.  How many times - a day - did one candidate's commercial run? How many months BEFORE the election did those commercials begin? And, if the candidate is running for a state office, that's $1500 a pop for each commercial in each television market in your area. Remember...that's one commercial for one channel! How many channels are there in your area?  And, we're only talking about airing the commercials, we haven't even begun to talk about how much does it cost to actually make the commercial in the first place? 

Finally, we've only been talking about the costs involved in creating and airing commercials on your local TV channel.  Multiply those costs by how many people are running for office. This is a Midterm year - that means all 435 members of the House of Representatives are running for office as well as 33 Senators and 36 Governors. (won't even get into the number of state representatives/senators or mayors). And, so far, we're only talking about TV commercials....not radio...not newspaper ads...print mailers, campaign office rentals, billboards, travel and so on. So, the question is - just how far does all this political money get you?  And why consider all of these political offices? Because at each of these levels of government politicians are making political decisions that financially affect our lives!

Why am I spending all this time talking about all these numbers?  Because...that's the BOTTOM LINE...NUMBERS COUNT!!!

And, if you consider yourself Poor and you're old enough to vote and you can get together with the other eligible voters who are Poor too and, finally, if you can get together with all of those people who are willing to vote for candidates who support efforts to make the lives of the Poor better....and you're NOT INTIMIDATED by the kinds of people the Koch Brothers might put at your polling location...DON'T YOU GET IT???  VICTORY IS DEFINITELY WITHIN YOUR GRASP!!!  

We tend to think that THE TEA PARTY is an incredibly powerful voice in our elections. While that may be true, remember, only 10% of the population identifies itself as a member of that party. And, I can't imagine the fact that part of that 10% are also included in the population % that's considered Poor.  The TEA PARTY doesn't have the NUMBERS...what they have is ENTHUSIASM! That's why I titled this post "MATH AND THE WISDOM OF COMMON SENSE"  If voters can just use COMMON SENSE...just look at the NUMBERS...isn't making the EFFORT to go out and have the COURAGE..THE ENTHUSIASM TO VOTE worth it?  I hope so!

Forgive, Let Go, Move On!

The Phoenix

In the last post I talked about getting MAD. Today I want to talk about something that may sound like I want to negate what I said in my last post.  That's not at all the case, but, I do feel the need to clarify.

Last time I talked about getting in touch with your "Anger-ENERGY" that comes from all of the painful challenges in life.  I do not...I repeat...I DO NOT want you to let go of that ENERGY!  I hope to give you some constructive ways to CHANNEL that energy. In fact, to bring about any CHANGE you need a great deal of energy to do it.

But....this one fact remains...YOU CAN'T MOVE FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE IF YOU'RE STUCK IN THE PAST! And, the Intentional Act of FORGIVENESS is the way to break those past chains so you can move forward....still taking that anger-energy with you.  Think of it this way. When you try to mix oil and water it just doesn't work. The heavier of those liquids (oil) goes to the bottom of the container and the lighter one stays on top.  That's what I'm suggesting...separate and keep the heavier energy of your Anger while you LET GO of your mental OBSESSIONS with the events that have made you mad.

One of the main reasons for letting go is that you can get caught up in a memory loop. Over and over you think about what's happening to you that's making you upset - being unemployed, homeless...etc. Your brain doesn't know the difference in this case between fact and fiction. Every time you think about what's making you mad your brain makes more of that anger-energy. That energy is really a chemical in your brain..like adrenaline.  Eventually, it's like you've flooded your brain with that energy as you would flood the engine of your car when you keep flooring the gas pedal because your car won't start.  You need an appropriate amount of Anger-Energy that reflects what happens to you.  What you don't want is some kind of BLIND RAGE! What's even more important is that when you have this emotional energy overload you tend to act from that emotional part of your brain.  The emotional brain is a part of the brain that's physically located BELOW your rational brain.  So...when your actions come from that emotional brain they are usually impulsive and irrational.  You say something you don't want to say. You do something you don't want to do. You say and do something to people you love who aren't responsible for what's happened to you.  Or what you say or do comes with really substantial negative consequences. Most of all...when you do say or do these impulsive things, the worst thing is you can't take them back!

(Oh...and if you're not sure you believe me when I say that your brain doesn't understand fact or fiction when it comes to having an emotional response to what you think about...close your eyes and imagine that you've entered a tall building - like the Empire State Building - and you take the elevator to the top floor. This time they are doing some kind of construction so you are able to go right over to the edge and look down!  How do you FEEL now?  Often people feel dizzy..they get vertigo...or...they won't even IMAGINE walking up to the edge!  True...a part of you can remind yourself that this is just an imagination exercise...it's not really happening ...but..apparently..your emotional brain doesn't know that if it's produced the chemical/emotional response that would help protect you (make you step back) if you'd ACTUALLY been there.

So...first of all...the goal is to produce an appropriate amount of anger-energy and not to flood your brain with so much energy you can't control it.

One of the ways you can avoid that brain-loop that keeps generating that emotional/chemical reaction is to FORGIVE whoever you believe is RESPONSIBLE for what's happening to you . Then, you can get off the brain-loop and LET IT GO!  It's important to know that you are making this choice to forgive NOT because the person deserves it. (...and to FORGIVE doesn't at all mean to FORGET!). You are making this decision for you. You are making this decision because you want to stop carrying around the burden of this surplus energy and the headaches or negative consequences that come with it.  And, you're choosing to stop this crazy brain loop because, quite honestly, the person who's hurt you and made you angry probably doesn't even know that you're thinking about them! They are just going on with their lives completely unaware...guilt-free...of what's going on in YOUR life. They're preoccupied with what's going on in their own lives! So, forgive...and forgive specifically. Don't make some broad generalized forgiveness.  List each burden you are carrying and visualize who or what caused it and then FORGIVE that person and let that specific burden go and move on to the next one. Remember - sometimes the person you need to forgive is yourself.  You can't make your past disappear, but you can forgive yourself when something happens so you don't have to remain stuck there.

There are two other concepts that I'd like you to consider before we move onto the next phase in our journey.  The first is the concept of doing your PERSONAL BEST.  Athletes usually know what their Personal Best record is.  They know their record; the world record; they even know the Olympic Record.  And they know this information so that they can know when they've gone beyond their past record and set a new Personal Best. But all of us can begin to look at what we do every day that way.This way of looking at Personal Best is not grammatically correct. It says: "Today I did good. I did my best. But tomorrow (with more rest, more practice, more insight, more help from you...etc.) I can do better.  When you set your expectations of yourself and of others, consider doing so with this Personal Best concept in mind.  Believe that you...believe that others...including the politicians in Washington...can get better tomorrow. Maybe what they need to make some improvement is to get some FEEDBACK from you.

Finally, when you think about politicians and their capacity to change and your ability to HOPE that they CAN change, consider the following:  while a person may get into public office because they feel that noble call to serve others; once they get elected..THAT'S THEIR JOB! THAT'S THE SOURCE OF THEIR FAMILY'S INCOME! And...if they don't WIN THEIR NEXT ELECTION...THEY'RE UNEMPLOYED!!!  And...as each of us VOTES for these politicians...we are...in fact..THEIR EMPLOYERS!!!  Now, let me be clear, I believe that many politicians do some very good things.  I follow my own Congressman on Facebook.  I get the reports of the bills he's voted for; the dollars he's bringing back to our district; the projects he's supporting and so many other "public service" activities I can't even begin to count them.  But, I'd be naive to think he's doing all this just because he has some altruistic motives.  He wants to keep his job! The concern about big money donors in politics is that what may be at its base is a desire to assume that EMPLOYER role from each of us. If we don't come out and vote to make clear to our politicians that we are CLAIMING OUR RIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY to EMPLOY them. they can easily ignore us. Politicians learn to respect...need..fear donors.  And, they will continue to do so as long as those donors - who count for so few votes compared to the number of votes all of the poor and those who support their cause have - appear to be more INFLUENTIAL in this POLITICAL EMPLOYMENT process than voters do.

So...it's time to FORGIVE...LET GO of our negative emotional burdens..and..MOVE ON to claiming back our POWER...our INFLUENCE...in the next and all future elections!

The Power of MAD

The PHOENIX

As I mentioned in the last post, in order to bring about CHANGE you need a definite amount of ENERGY..most likely coming from your ANGER over the Status Quo.  Several times I've mentioned the way that this feeling of ANGER...of "MAD AS HELL"...was effectively expressed by a character in a movie - Howard Beale - who worked for a broadcast NETWORK.  The clip below will help you see what I mean: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGIY5Vyj4YM

It's Howard Beale's "MAD" that has the major impact on his audience that's explored in this film. So, as I'm hoping to raise the energy to create a movement (The PHOENIX PARTY) that will help organize the Poor and those who care about what happens to them into going out and using the POWER OF THE VOTE to bring about the changes that will improve their lives, I thought I would spend some time today not only exploring what there is to be MAD about but also trying to raise the level of that MAD so that the ENERGY needed will be there when it counts.

Does that mean that I think the Poor are not ANGRY about what's happening to them? Does that mean that I think that the people who have devoted their lives to trying to help the Poor aren't angry about what's happening to them?  Well...I'm not sure...but I do wonder...

I've discovered in life that one thing is the cause of its the opposite. For example, we wouldn't have dark if there wasn't light. We wouldn't recognize fat if we didn't have thin.  Would we understand wet if we didn't have dry?  And...for the case I'm trying to make now, would we ever know MAD if we hadn't experienced SAD?

While so much of what's happened to the Poor can certainly make them MAD, my concern is that that condition has gone on for so long that the Poor have now moved beyond MAD and just into SAD.  In fact, I'm concerned that we're not just talking SAD. We're talking a sad that has become so deep that we're now talking about a state of DEPRESSION that will make any action just about impossible.

When I think of depression I think of a scene from the STAR TREK, THE NEXT GENERATION TV series.  In this scene the ship's female therapist - Troy - is in a space shuttle that has crashed on a seemingly barren planet.  Her pilot has died in the crash and she is all alone...she thinks. However, just outside that space ship the audience sees what looks like a pool of deep, dark, very black TAR. We soon discover that that pool of tar is alive and can not only change its shape...it can also move. We know it can move because it crosses the desert-like sand and covers the space ship. Inside, Troy feels like she is covered in that tar's darkness. She becomes overwhelmed by a deep sadness and she can't even move. Later in that segment she learns that the bed of tar is all that's left behind by the creatures who had inhabited this planet. In order to move on they put all of their anger and fear into this pool of tar and left it behind.  In order to be able to leave the imprisonment of the planet they had to shed all of the negative energy that was holding them back. In short, they'd gotten in touch with their negative energy and had done something to free themselves from it. 

For me, those moments when the pool of tar covers the space ship remind me of what I've felt like when I've been depressed. I'm immobilized...I'm stuck...I'm powerless...I've become so much more than just sad. And, that's what I'm concerned about for the Poor.  Those feelings of being stuck...being powerless...being a victim...can put you in a space where you just don't even have the energy to get up and move!

In the Star Trek segment, the key to change was to focus on the sad feelings and make them as small...as weak as possible.  There's an exercise where two people stand up...face each other...put their hands up and together and begin to push to see who's stronger. The surprising thing is that the key to winning is to stop pushing. Once the one side pulls their hands away to stop pushing the other side may think they've won, but really what's happened is all of the energy has just gone out of the game...they've really lost.

While it may seem contradictory, once you stop giving your SAD your energy everything can change for you.  The key here is that we're talking about ENERGY. It has to go somewhere. So, if SAD energy immobilizes you, it should be the case that if you turn that energy into its opposite - getting ANGRY...getting MAD...then the result should also be its opposite - you should be able to (as Gloria Estefan sings..) "GET UP AND MAKE IT HAPPEN".

So, let's take a moment to consider what are the experiences that the Poor have that may be making them sad...even apathetic...now...that can also be looked at as a source of ANGRY ENERGY:

• maybe it's the fact that you don't have a job.
• maybe it's the fact that you don't have a job so you can't feed your family (and the government has cut the Food Stamps Program!) 
• maybe it's the fact that because you don't have a job you don't have the money to pay your bills.
• maybe it's the fact that because you can't pay your bills you're facing foreclosure and you and your family are on the verge of becoming homeless.
• maybe it's the fact that you're out of a job for so long you not only don't have a resume that will help you get a job; you don't even have the skills to apply for a job that will bring in a salary that's far less than the minimum wage.
• maybe it's the fact that your family's fights over your poverty has not only resulted in your experience of physical and psychology abuse but it's also resulted in the end of your marriage and now you find yourself a single woman trying to raise your family alone.
• maybe it's the fact that you have so little money that you're forced to move your family into a home that's not only falling apart but it's in a neighborhood that's riddled with violence.
• maybe it's the fact that that violence..perhaps even gang violence...has resulted in the death of one of your children or the imprisonment of another.
• maybe it's the fact that your home in a poor area also puts your kids in a school district with poor schools. 
• maybe it's the fact that those poor schools don't give your kids a good education so they can't get into a good college and now they're not qualified to get a good job.
• maybe it's the fact that because your kids can't get a good job that you now find yourself with not only an overwhelming sense of your own present poverty but you now know that you're in a CYCLE OF POVERTY and all of the "maybes" I've just listed above are about to start all over again and you have no idea how many generations of your family are going to continue to be POOR.
• maybe it's the fact that you've devoted your life to trying to help people who find themselves in these living conditions and you just don't even know where to begin and you don't know where to turn to find something/someone that will help them. 
• and finally...maybe it's the fact that every day when you look at the news or read the newspaper...you know not only that there doesn't seem to be anyone in Washington who seems to care about you but you're also worried that YOUR elected representatives have gone beyond FORGETTING about you and they now seem to even be working AGAINST YOU!!!

And...the SAD TRUTH is that I've certainly not exhausted the list of the overwhelming experiences that are true for the POOR in this country.  I haven't even begun to touch the list of problems of those whose poverty took them by SURPRISE because of some job cutbacks or some natural disaster like a flood or a forest fire. Or the students who struggled to get a college education but can't seem to get ahead because they have piled up so much debt. Or the people who suffer from some kind of mental illness (and the families who love and care for them) who don't know where to turn because of the cuts in all the social service programs that used to help them. And yes...I could go on and on.

But the question is this..does the list above just overwhelm you?.....does it just depress you?...does it just make you feel both HELPLESS and HOPELESS? Or can you make yourself reflect on any of these realities that affect your life and...like Howard Beale...say STOP!...say I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

And...if you get to this ENERGY SPACE, I want to help you realize that getting ANGRY doesn't mean that you have to turn to VIOLENCE which will make your life even worse! Today, in Brazil, people are taking to the streets to riot because they are angry that their country spent so much money on the World Cup Soccer Games and not helping the country's economy...yet those games continue on. I want to ask you to both get in touch with your ANGER and also to believe that there is a way to CHANNEL that energy into doing something much more POSITIVE..much more EFFECTIVE.

It may seem hard to believe, but I strongly believe that if the Poor can get unified and go out together and VOTE..thing can get better.

Two days ago, when I wrote the last post in this blog, Eric Cantor had just gone down to defeat in his Congressional District and, because of the powerful leadership position that Cantor had (he's already announced he's stepping down from it by the end of July..), people were in shock!. Today I learned that that defeat happened because only 12% in that district showed up to vote! And, since Cantor's opponent won by almost 10%...that means what? Less than 6 maybe 7% of the voters in that district are responsible for perhaps the biggest political defeat in the history of this country!!!

And...as the analysis of that election has gone on...it seems that some anti-immigration reform didn't really have much to do with the outcome of this vote.  Groups who had polled the people in this district prior to the primary found them pretty much in favor of immigration reform.

The people in this district were triumphant just because they got MAD and GOT UP AND TOOK SOME ACTION!  There is POWER in GETTING MAD and...as these posts continue...I hope to craft a PROPOSAL to (like the PHOENIX) help bring about the death of the Poor's SADNESS and the resurrection of it's MAD ENERGY that will bring about the CHANGE that can make life better.

Eric Cantor and MY Tea Party Surprise!!!

The Phoenix

As I write this it is the day after Eric Cantor - Majority Leader of the House of Representatives' Republican Party - lost his Primary Election in his district in Virginia.  I find myself joining in the surprise apparently everyone has - including all of the main stream media (regardless of their political...liberal/conservative...democratic/republican...leanings).  Last night it seemed like all of the cable news shows and the various Facebook pages I follow were exploding in their shock over this election!  One of the reasons for their shock could be that they were embarrassed that they (and the pollsters) didn't see this coming.  The Cantor loss (given the importance of his position in Congress) seems to be the biggest PRIMARY loss in modern time!

The one fact that has most captured my interest, however, is the "DAVID VS. GOLIATH' nature of Cantor's opponent's (David Brat) victory.  I'm struck by the comments about Brat's seemingly being the "TEA PARTY'S CANDIDATE" while his campaign didn't benefit from any support and funding from the national Tea Party funding sources.  In fact, it seems like funding didn't have much to do with Brat's victory at all.  Brat raised around one and a half hundred THOUSAND dollars while Eric Cantor raised over five MILLION dollars.

So today, as I was making my final decision about what to write about, I found myself thinking that what happened with David Brat's election is really a TEACHABLE MOMENT for many of the points I hope to make in this blog. So I couldn't pass by this opportunity to reflect on some of the learnings this victory offers for the case I'm trying to make in this PHOENIX PROPOSAL blog.

The first thing that struck me about this election was the controversy over whether or not this victory represents a true victory for THE TEA PARTY. Without any national Tea Party backing, today's analysis has wondered about whether this victory can really be claimed as a sign of the strength of the national Tea Party (in recent weeks, with the loss of so many nationally-backed Tea Party candidates, the Tea Party's influence was declared "on life support".) Yet today, less than twenty-four hours after Eric Cantor's loss, he's already announcing that he's going to step down from his House Republican Leadership position!  Last night, as election results were coming in, observers declared that this upset was the result of Cantor's support for Amnesty in the Immigration debate. Then.. in the next breath, newscasters pronounced the death of any vote on ANY Immigration Proposal!  The consequences of Cantor's loss seems to be so significant that one observation was that it might even cause Jeb Bush to dismiss any thoughts HE might be having about running for President!

I don't know about you..but I found myself sitting back and thinking...SERIOUSLY?!?!? How could this be true?  And...what should I - a single person writing a blog with a dream that perhaps these reflections might bring about some nationwide POLITICAL MOVEMENT learn from all this?

So...the first thing I did today was to finally do some research on how the Tea Party got started? What I found really amazed me. More importantly, it made me even more confident that the idea of a PHOENIX PARTY is a real possibility.  Why? Well the story of how the Tea Party got started is not only hard to believe; it also feels like what's going on for me right now.

Those who write about the beginning of the Tea Party point to it being started by a WOMAN FROM SEATTLE WHO BLOGGED!!! Her name is KELI CARENDER and she writes under the Pen Name LIBERTY BELLE. Five years ago, prompted by her anger at the proposed Stimulus Package (like the newscaster in that movie NETWORK!), Keli decided she could either take some action or crawl into bed and forget everything.  She decided to take action. She decided she would use her blog and also contact any influential people she could to get people to come out for a protest event against the Stimulus Package. Keli believed that the country shouldn't be spending money it just didn't have. She decided to call this event a "Porkulus" protest and she got 120 people to show up. For a profile on Keli and her role in the start of the Tea Party see this article written in the New York Times in 2010 - a year after she hosted her first Tea Party Protest (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/us/politics/28keli.html?_r=1&)

Four days later a broadcaster on CNBC  (Rick Santelli) went on another NETWORK-movie-like rant about the government's plan to refinance mortgages. Santelli suggested holding a "tea party" for traders from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to gather and dump these derivatives in the Chicago River.  Santelli's rant became a "viral video" and the term "Tea Party" replaced "Porkulus" and a political movement - from such a simple set of events - was born!

What had I learned about the Tea Party so far? 1) It was started by a female BLOGGER who's described as a "part-time improvisational COMEDIAN  (yes...I'm serious!) who has a degree from Oxford University (mine's from Columbia University's Teachers' College) that she uses to teach adults MATH and RESUME writing". 2) It gets it's name from a TV HOST who's rant on a financial news network became a video that went viral!

I also learned that when pollsters check, only 10 % of the population identifies itself as a member of the Tea Party. Since the Tea Party is a "political movement" and not a "political party", one needs to register in a particular political party in order to vote.  Though most Tea Party supporters have aligned themselves with the conservative values of the Republican Party, not all of them are registered Republicans. Some are registered Democrats.

Why is the Tea Party so influential?  Today I discovered the concept of ASTRO-TURFING.  In its simplest form this means that while the Tea Party is considered a "grass-roots movement" - it's real source of power comes from the 'astro turf' that covers this 'grass'. In short it means that big money sources - like the Koch Brothers - and their Political Action Committees (PACs) are the "back room power-brokers" of the Tea Party...funding everything from commercials to fliers.

While I don't disagree with this analysis, David Brat's comment in his Victory Speech last night is the one insight I hope the readers' of this blog learn to believe:

"DOLLARS DON'T VOTE - PEOPLE DO" 

Brat's victory illustrates several other points I hope supporters of a PHOENIX PARTY can also learn:

• All politics are local politics. If one is to make any change in Washington...or on the state and local level...it will take one victory at a time...one Representative...one Senator...one Governor...(you get the picture!).  Big CHANGE can be overwhelming. Lots of little changes can seem MANAGEABLE!
• The most important thing in an election is not money, it's SHOWING UP! Compared to the millions of voters in the US, the number of voters who showed up in this one district in Virginia is really quite small. Yet, the implications of Eric Cantor's defeat seem to be enormously significant.  Success may not require LOTS of political victories. Maybe it requires only a small amount of IMPORTANT ONES!
• Primaries matter! Mid-terms matter! These are times when the expectation is that there will be low turnout.  The people who find the energy and make the effort to go out and vote can have a great deal of influence even if that group of people is rather small.
• Political energy - especially energy that comes out of fear and anger - is powerful energy. The voters in Virginia were afraid of Amnesty for Immigrants. Whether I agree with their fears or not, THEY were afraid that legalizing immigrants will create job losses and lower pay. They were afraid that Eric Cantor would vote for Amnesty. They were afraid that he would do so regardless of what they - the people in his own district - wanted. They were also angry voters.  They were angry that Eric Cantor wasn't showing up for them. His political interests had become more about his national interests and less about what his local constituents' interests and concerns were.  If David Brat and his Democratic opponent in Virginia's fall election for THIS district's representative have learned anything, they should be clear about the fact that there will be consequences if they do not pay attention to the constituents in this district. Be afraid! Be very afraid!

The election last night has made me very hopeful. A very powerful national political movement had an amazingly simple beginning. (I love it...a female blogger...a teacher... who's also a part-time comedian!). Political success comes one victory at a time. There is no national Tea Party movement with recognized party leadership. The Tea Party is made up of lots of local Tea Party Chapters.  The idea of starting lots of local Phoenix Party Chapters is far less daunting than creating a national movement! Big money is helpful (and if there's any benefactor out there who wants to use your money to help the Poor help themselves I certainly would consider your offer!)..but...it isn't essential.  People who Vote are essential. And...most of all...David Brat's David vs. Goliath Victory has taught me that the numbers are on our side! Victory may be a Surprise..but...it is also a Possibility!