How Al Green Demonstrated the Model for Defeating Authoritarianism
Why is it that progressives who are women and minorities are always targeted for criticism?
Hello Friends,
It's 6:41AM and I've already had to block somebody. He wrote a post on social media saying, “To my fellow progressives, please don't behave like Al Green.”
He's referring to how Congressman Al Green got kicked out of the state of the union for behavior that was similar, but less disrespectful, to what Republican politicians did throughout the Biden presidency.
At this point, the conversation could be about how liberals don't kick their political rivals out of the chamber, but conservatives do. But nobody is having that conversation. Instead, we're all being treated to lectures about how Al Green should “behave.”
And the person doing this called himself a “progressive.” Uh-huh.
I've said it before and I've said it again, if the democrats showed as much spine fighting fascism as they did attacking progressives, we'd have universal healthcare right now.
Centrists remind me of the current presidential administration. They try to present a facade of toughness by attacking their allies, and they end up shooting themselves in the foot.
Let's be clear, the only people doing a damn thing to stop the destruction of the USA right now are progressives like Jasmine Crockett, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Al Green. The second the rest of you get with that program, the faster we'll start making progress towards a stable society.
Seriously, I can't, for the life of me, figure out how people can waste their energy attacking a man who stood up and said, “Hey, Medicaid is important, don't cut it.”
Haven't you figured it out yet? Politics is theater. Getting kicked out of the State of the Union gave Green the opportunity to stand with a reporter and say, “My constituents are going to die because of the actions of the president.”
Then we have people saying, “This is not what we need?”
Are you kidding me?
This is exactly what we need. We need ACTION! It's not going to help us to have people standing around with signs saying, “this isn't normal” or “lies” or “stop, please stop.”
THEY AREN'T GOING TO STOP!
I've said it before and I'll say it again. People who attack progressives act like people who have never had to handle a bully. That's the exact situation our country is facing right now. When you're a little kid who is getting beaten up at school, you have to handle it. The teachers aren't going to help, your fellow classmates aren't going to help, your parents aren't going to help.
IT. HAS. TO. BE. YOU!
Begging and pleading and appealing to the humanity of a bully is never going to work. You have to push back! You have to push back HARD!
The moment I saw what Al Green did, I stood up and began to applaud. That's what you DO! That was a forceful action! You grab the cameras and force them to report on something other than normalizing the constant stream of LIE AFTER LIE AFTER LIE!
I said as much on the comment I stumbled across on social media. He replied that we're “screwed” if standing up in the chamber counts as resistance.
But why is he so insistent that his perspective is right? What about my perspective? What about the fact that having our representatives stand up and challenge the authoritarians is exactly what I want them to do!
Show some strength. Show some resistance. Show that we're not going to give up our country without a fight!
To have somebody actually do that and then have people who claim to be allies immediately start to criticize him for it is infuriating!
I've seen more articles attacking Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez than I've seen articles attacking the politicians who do nothing. Is everybody really too self-absorbed to realize that these articles are being published by the same media sources that normalized having a convicted felon run for the highest office in the land?
Publications are attacking our progressive representatives because the authoritarians are afraid of them.
Having authoritarians be afraid is exactly where we want them to be!
Look, if you don't like Al Green's tactic, that's fine. You don't have to love everything everybody does. But rather than criticize somebody for taking action, why don't you offer suggestions for better ways to go forward?
It's easy to say, “That isn't going to work.”
It's a lot harder to put yourself out there and suggest something that actually will.
These critics are using the same tactics as the current presidential administration. They tear everything down. They claim everything is bad. But they never offer any solutions.
I don't have time or energy for that.
Either offer solutions or your gone.
Also, if you claim to be progressive, but you only ever have criticisms for women and minorities, then you're not a progressive at all. You're a racist, and you're not even doing a very good job of hiding it.
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I just left scathing messages for the 10 Democrats in the House who had the unmitigated GALL to vote WITH Republicans to censure Al Green---a brave Democrat who had the GUTS to do what they all should be doing! Opposing Republican fascists in every way possible.
The time for playing nice is over. These people will destroy us. We can’t wait for the midterms----what makes them think there will even BE midterms?
"The moment I saw what Al Green did, I stood up and began to applaud." So DID I plus, I voiced my approval so loudly (like I was at a sporting event, sad but true). I also loved seeing two women leave with the word "RESIST" on the backsides of their tee-shirts. Finding it a lot sad but realizing I'm on track since earlier that day I had spent some time deciding what my resistance protest attire was going to look this year. :) Don't give me shit, this is just me, I have to match. I settled on two from Etsy, a sweatshirt that shows red caped women white bonnet hats with BOLD letters stating, "RESIST". The other is a tee-shirt that has the same logo, with words telling women "sisters arise". Of course, there is my trusty Levi jacket that has "thought pins" attached all over saying more direct messaging, mostly in R rated wording.
I tell myself, I must be brave in my mid size/rural town of 35,000. Because the last time, a bouncer type grocery clerk asked me what my Project 2025 pin was all about while checking out, when I told him and I made the mistake of saying you "should" instead of I "urge" you to check it out.
He scared the shit out of me as he changed his body language acting as if he was going to climb over the counter and then raised his voice and told me "NO one tells him what he "should" do. I left the store with my groceries trembling. The hate is so real.
Be careful. Be aware of your surroundings, and always have an exit plan when you RESIST.
My Lesson learned, I know better than to say "you should" that was a refresher moment. In my profession I know better. Also, this Natural Foods Store, does not/will not get our money very often as it once did. We've found other options. We now drive 20 minutes to shop at another healthier option store in another town. From us they lost 90% from our grocery budget. Hugs, D~