Editor’s note: As the movement fights the problems that the establishment parties have not been able or willing to do, new political groupings are forming. The People’s Tribune’s electoral coverage includes articles such as the one below.
CHICAGO, IL—The Democratic Party has never been a party of the people. To the contrary, it has fought us every step of the way. The best we have ever gotten from the Democratic Party is concessions from the rich and powerful.
Those concessions were forced by outside pressure from labor movements, the left, and the disenfranchised, whether it took the form of direct action or a political party. Throughout US history, left parties fought alongside mass social movements to change the US government from the outside.
Our government serves a tiny fraction of the people, that cannot be disputed. Economic power is political power, and thus, the economic powers dominates the political system, and makes the political decisions.
At a time when we need to be more organized and powerful than ever before, labor and the left are fractured and disorganized — floundering inside the Democratic Party, and splintered outside of it.
With climate change on the horizon, we are dealing with a mass extinction event on a global scale. That is the biggest issue we face. Of course, there are many more.
The Movement for a People’s Party offers hope. Originally a statement to Bernie Sanders that he must lead a real opposition outside the Democratic Party, “Draft Bernie” became Movement for a People’s Party, refusing to wait for one person to lead us. Instead, the plan became an insistence that we must become independent of the political establishment, and take matters into our own hands.
The Movement for a People’s Party (MPP) is now working with many prominent individuals and organizations to build a real opposition. We are working with labor leaders, the rank-and-file, progressive organizations, journalists, academics, and the Poor People’s Campaign to build a major coalition — and form a new party of the people.
Polls show that the large majority of Americans are progressive and want a major new party. They want single payer health care, free public college, money out of politics, an infrastructure jobs program, a $15 minimum wage, financial regulations, and more.
The Chicago chapter of MPP is currently meeting at 3pm at the Wicker Park / Bucktown Public Library, on the third or fourth Saturday of each month. Right now we are developing our strategy, working groups, and spreading the word.
Our meetings and other events will be posted on our website (ChicagoMPP.org). We are hosting our own events, as well as attending others—in solidarity with allied groups and potential coalition partners.
The answer to political change does not lie in the Democratic Party. Since its inception, and today still, the Democratic Party has made it clear that it is against the majority. It is only willing to fool us with words, failing to turn them into action. Fortunately, the majority of the population is registered “Independent” (rather than Democratic or Republican) and wish for a new party. Over 14 major unions, representing more than 100,000 members, are already part of our coalition. We have been endorsed by many prominent individuals, from comedians to peace activists and labor organizers. We will only continue to grow. Because, the time is right for a new party of the people.
Join us soon and help build the movement!
