Wade Rathke: Chief Organizer Blog » Social Policy

Biggest March of Obama Term

jstuart — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:04:29 +0000

New Orleans Don’t take my word… how about a sample from Randy Shaw’s piece from Beyond Chron today entitled, “New Immigrant Rights Campaign to Launch Largest March of Obama Era:”

“Having written about how the immigrants rights movement was built, and then exploded onto the public stage in 2006, the reassembling of this movement in Washington DC next Sunday is significant. It means that many of the nation’s most strategic organizers from diverse fields — labor, immigrant rights, faith-based activism — are again working in concert to protect the over 10 million undocumented immigrants who face deportation and the break-up of their families due to the government’s failure to legalize their status.

And while the march sends a powerful message, [Gabe] Gonzalez and key organizers know that even more important is what happens afterward.

The New Immigrant Rights Campaign

Following the march, activists plan to turn out in large numbers to the Town Hall meetings that congress members will hold during the two week recess starting March 29. The traditional media gave massive coverage to Tea Party members attending town halls last August, and should be under pressure to provide something close to that coverage for the immigrant rights activism at these upcoming events.

On April 10, there will be an immigrant rights rally in Las Vegas with Senator Reid. Reid knows his re-election depends on massive Latino turnout in November, and immigrant rights advocates are sending a message that they will mobilize for him provided he provides leadership on legalization.

Other rallies are also planned, but the chief focus will be on pressuring legislators to support legislation that activists now expect to be introduced in April. The key issue that divided progressives in the past — the treatment of guest worker programs — is likely to be resolved through various potential compromises, including the possible appointment of an independent commission to regulate such programs.

Because the groups aligned with the CCC-spawned “Fair Immigration Reform Movement” have weaker ties to the Democratic Party than do some of the key health care advocacy groups, the upcoming campaign will not hesitate to publicly criticize wavering Democrats. Gonzalez has already made it clear that “we expect the Democratic leadership to act as leaders and hold their Party’s votes,” and said New York Senator Chuck Schumer — who would be the lead Democratic Senator on the immigration bill — has “got the ball and he’s got to get off the dime.”

The Politics of Reform

Both President Obama and activists recognize that immigration legislation requires some Republican support in the Senate. This is not as impossible as it seems: recall that John McCain once co-sponsored a legalization bill, and Maine’s two Republican Senators, along with Lindsey Graham (SC), Judd Gregg (NH), Scott Brown (MA) and George Voinovich (OH) are potential yes votes.

Facing a primary challenge from a right-wing former Congressmember whose anti-immigrant attacks cost him his seat in 2006, McCain no longer supports legalization. But a grassroots pressure campaign that includes religious groups could potentially sway enough Republican Senators to avoid a filibuster, and Reid can use his clout to prevent any Democrat from joining a filibuster, even if they eventually vote against the bill.

So comprehensive immigration reform that offers a feasible path to legalization remains winnable this year. And for President Obama and other Democrats looking to fulfill their 2008 campaign promises to Latino voters, moving the legislation as far as it can go is essential.

This means requiring Republicans to actually take to the floor and spend day and night on the filibuster, clearly exposing GOP obstructionism — rather than the Democrats’ betrayal — as the cause of legislative inaction. Republicans have paid a steep political price for opposing legalization, and with key Senate contests upcoming in Colorado, Nevada, and Florida, and other states where Latino voters could prove the difference, Republican Senators may want to avoid a high-profile opposition strategy that galvanizes Latinos to come out and vote against them.

In a recent speech on health care reform, President Obama countered calls for delay by stating, “If not now, when?” The same argument applies to comprehensive immigration reform, which is why activists are mounting this unprecedented grassroots campaign to win legalization for millions of families this year.

Look for Randy’s piece in the upcoming issue of Social Policy magazine.

Thanks, Randy!

Seattle Library and Social Policy

jstuart — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:51:33 +0000

We were greeted by a gorgeous, sunny day in Seattle with a couple of free hours before the book event at Secky Fasciane’s house, so my colleague John Anderson from Vancouver ACORN indulged me and off we went to find the new Seattle Central Public Library. I was eager to see the Rem Koolhaus building that was under construction last time I was downtown, and that I had read now defined the state-of-the-art in establishing a modern library and perhaps something about public space as well. We were not disappointed.

We found it easily enough and even found parking which was a minor miracle. The outside was interesting without making any particular impression, but once we walked inside we were in a whole new world that redefined the whole notion of a library. The first impression I had was that there were people all over, walking, sitting, reading, napping, on computers, and in motion in a vast space. Usually the first – and often only – impression of a library is that this is a place and space for books. At the Seattle Central Library I knew the books had to be somewhere around and important, but they almost seemed incidental to the knowledge process. Maybe not incidental, but let me just say, “people serving” rather than the other way around.

A green and yellow hued escalator takes you up to the 3rd floor and there’s a coffee shop, another hundred very comfortable places to sit and read or lay down a computer. There are finally some short shelves of books on what’s moving, but seemingly just there to assist in passing the time nearby. The 5th floor was packed with people and computers, all free with internet, more than 120 in a quick count. There was a separate “job source” center with another half-dozen computers that targeted that interest and need.
I talked for a minute to a guy behind the desk. He said there were over 200 computers in the building, and he confirmed that the chairs were always filled. Sometimes they had to give out numbers. He was interested when I asked him if they would be open to a Citizen Wealth strategy where one of the computers would determine benefit eligibility for people. They do taxes, so this excited him, so it’s worth some follow-up.
John and I stumbled into the magazine section, which was on an open plan and easy to access as well. Out of curiosity I started looking to see if they had our Social Policy magazine and how they handled it. Sure enough we found it, and raised the flap and could see the last issues. Disappointingly they were displaying the last issue of 2008. We walked over and talked to a staffer about why this was the case. It was cool to identify myself as the publisher and editor trying to solve a problem, and to tell the truth I really did want to solve it, because I wanted Social Policy to be a part of this great library. Who knows where the recent issue might be, but I promised to send the last one so that we were square here. Later John and I found the found and displayed issues for the entire 31 year history of the magazine. Impressive!
Walking out to make our way to Secky’s and see friends interested in Citizen Wealth and saying hi, John and I were both impressed with the whole set up. I really wanted to imagine Citizen Wealth being on a shelf here and either checked out or read on a comfortable chair. Wow!
One last note that would shock those of us in broke ass cities around the country. Remember as we were touring the library along with thousands of other happy citizens, this was a beautiful Sunday. The library was open and a sanctuary even on a gorgeous sunny day. Cheers to Seattle!

Rinku and Colorlines

jstuart — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:33:34 +0000

New Orleans Rinku Sen somehow had perfect timing. She happened to be in New Orleans as a board member for Restaurant Opportunities Center and its national operations, but as an author sharing the same publisher (www.bkconnection.com) and editor of Colorlines, she and I were having lunch on the day we sent Social Policy to press and were getting to finally hold Citizen Wealth in our hot hands. It was good to see an old friend, but even more valuable to talk shop and get her advice.

Colorlines it seems, like almost every publication these days, is having the print or web debate. Rinku seems to feel the web is the future, and given the great interest and success of the magazine on the web, it’s easy to understand why. More than 100,000 unique visitors are coming onsite to check out Colorlines and its perspective every month. There’s no way to match that readership in print or unfortunately with subscriptions making them paying customers.

When I moaned at hating the loan delays between receiving and article and putting it between the covers and in the readers hands, and my temptation to start putting it on our website at www.socialpolicy.org , Rinku was clear: put it on the web! Business model or no, Rinku was clear that it made sense to with the largest voice, regardless. If anything was going to be subsidized, better to sink the money into 100K. She mentioned at one point that in analyzing the magazine it was costing them $5000 for every “pair of eyes” that worked on the magazine. I’m not sure I totally understood that, but I was scared thinking about the economics there. Perhaps more compelling on the mission side of the magazine, they had found that they were reaching huge numbers of young people on the website, and that was where they felt they could impact the debate and direction of thinking about race most acutely. Who could disagree?

Rinku’s books also seem to be doing well with movie options being discussed and new versions of old work. I had the feeling as I dropped her off that the Applied Research Center might be looking at some changes, but was hitting a high stride now that Rinku had taken the wheel and was putting the pedal to the metal.