Weekly Update: Volunteer, Labor Pains, Peace and Democracy

This week was quiet externally for the campaign. We spent a lot of time working on endorsements, which did not go as well as hoped. These took us out of public view but did give me a chance to talk with some people. That is the part of campaigning that is the most rewarding, but also the least involved so far – which is to be expected at the beginning. It is still mostly about organizing and planning at this point.

On the subject of organizing, as we get deeper into details and plans, there arise needs for people who can manage specific outreach projects. To date, we have come up short in terms of the number of volunteers needed – and I know it is tough out there, people just trying to get by, but if you can spare some time on a regular basis to help organizationally let us know. Also, we need people who can attend public events to help with visibility. This is mostly about showing up with buttons and signs at events in order to give visibility to the campaign. I do as many of these as I can and will speak at as many as possible in the next couple of months. It is good to have our people in the crowd – building up the event’s numbers to help a good cause, whatever the cause is, and showing that we support them. And finally, we need someone with a good ten or more hours a week to take on the ! job of volunteer coordinator. This job is currently being shared by two people and needs its own staff. If you are interested, please email Michael at: communications@curtis4senate.org.

We have a lot of buttons, bumperstickers and yard signs now. Send your request to the campaign email. In some cases we might have to ask you to help with postage. I have a special marketing item in the works, but it is still a surprise.

In terms of reflections this week…

As part of the process of being evaluated for state endorsement, I met with the King County Labor Council this week. They were very nice people and I have heard good things about many of them. The curious thing is that it all was a charade. I might have been the only one in the room who knew the extent to which their time was being wasted. Before my interview, I attended a public discussion between the President of the State Labor Council and the State Chair of the Democratic Party. The President of the Sate Labor Council, after detailing the reasons why labor had difficult relations with Democrats and how the Labor Council was going to now make informed decisions and not just carte blanche endorse a Democrat, the President announced to the audience that his number one priority was electing my opponent. He then went on to say that the power to make this decision resides with someone else, a convention mee! ting next month, and later reiterated the impossible (if one expects him to follow the rules) commitment to the incumbent.

The glaring hypocrisy did not occur to him and he did not reply to an email from me explaining that this primary changed things and how he should think more strategically about this. As one of the rank-and-file I find it outrageous that the President of the State Labor Council has illegally (in terms of by-laws) assumed some sort of dictatorial authority to determine endorsements for the whole body. I am insulted personally and on behalf of the KCLC that he would waste our time with the required process when he is just dictating policy instead.

It seems sad that the people most abused by corporate power – working people – can’t rely on our unions to stand up for us. I know some of you reading this are not surprised and wondered why I would be interested in courting unions in the first place. Some think they cause as much trouble as these abusive corporations. Well, I don’t go that far but it seems pretty obvious “Big Labor” is not prepared to think outside the box, and so is part of the problem by default.

What I have really come to understand this week is that for people who are used to the status quo it is difficult to consider challenging or changing it. Generally our elections don’t change the way the system works, they just redistribute power in various small ways over time toward corporations. There are small concessions made to labor, but overall the status quo works for corporations.

It looks like incompetence to me but I don’t know how much is fair to expect of any group caught in this trap. This is my point. The political system works one way and includes one way of doing things and this involves the two parties and “everyone” knows it, so unions relate to it, special interest groups relate to it, non-profits relate to, the whole of society is permeated by a political order that stifles all dissent and as it becomes more corporate oriented becomes more detached from human needs.

The closer someone or some organization is to the two-party system the more likely they are to be frightened at changing it – even if they agree with the direction of the change.

Those who know political philosophy will be shaking their heads about now. Of course that is true – isn’t it what Louis Althusser was saying over half a decade ago? Well, yes it is, but it is a difficult lesson to encounter in person. We expect people who really believe that the country should not illegally invade other countries, for example, will support stopping that – but if they have to challenge the system that exists, and in which they exist, then they will not challenge it. These absurd wars are the most vital issue of the day but the candidates from the two parties won’t even mention it. When you ask why, the only answer to give is Althusser’s.


I always knew this had to be a grassroots campaign, but now I understand that on a deeper level. This is why so many voters are so mad. In our campaign meetings we have talked about the Tea Party Movement, and how we have to reach out to the rank and file of that movement. They are fed up with this same political system that controls things and is unresponsive to individual requests and rights. If you aren’t part of that two-party system in some fashion, then it refuses to acknowledge you, and this happens to people of all manner of political persuasions.


Anyone who thinks of themselves as being primarily committed to democracy, to the principle of equality before the law, and government of laws (constitutionality) is included in those I am trying to represent. We are the majority, as it happens, and so we can decide to not play their game. This is actually happening in a few significant races around the country. We, the people, are ready to be independent. We can run government on rational policy and democratic decision making. It is just not that hard to have honest conversations. We don’t expect that of politicians, but it is what I am about and what I will expect of them.

It is new, and it is different, and that can be scary but it is time for reason and respect for the people to prevail.

The lesson seems to be that we can’t rely on people or organizations that say they believe in peace and democracy, the rule of law and human dignity, we have to do this ourselves and it will be hard. But it can be done! We have to support people who are truly interested in challenging corporate power, and we have to know that this is done by us and not by anyone else, not by the media, not by the existing power in society, but by the collective will of the people. Democracy is a threat to concentrated power and the degree to which we endorse democracy that is the degree to which we are a threat to the status quo.

Most people say the biggest issue today is the economy, and it ought to be! So let’s bring all the troops home and get to work rebuilding our economy, instead of destroying it while we slaughter innocent people the world over. It is a matter of talking to each other. Tell people you know about the campaign. Most people agree with me, with us, on the two big issues: peace and a functioning economy.

The two-party duopoly is a disaster on the economy and senselessly committed to war instead of peaceful coexistence. Tell everyone you know – chances are they agree in principle. The issue is: are they fed up enough yet to shake things up? If they are, then tell them about my web site. If they aren’t, then leave them alone until they are – they will be eventually. We have the power – the power of our vote – we just have to use that power.

People are uncomfortable with new directions and new ways of organizing power, but it is what we all deserve – peace and prosperity.


Have a good week!

Richard