[Edited Message Follows] [Reason: Forgot to include link.] On Fri, Sep 25, 2026 at 05:21 PM, Anthony Teso wrote:
> > The coalition's own literature commits it to lawful, disciplined, > de-escalated action. That is a program, and it is a program of trusting > the courts and the certification process to hold... What would I actually > propose? Concretely and modestly: DSA chapters and allied union locals > building election-defense committees now, at the county level, trained to > watch certification and to turn people out fast when an office is > threatened. That is work. No kings will not do it because it cuts against > their legalism. My reading suggests that Tony is proposing nothing other than what No Kings, Indivisible, the DSA, union locals, and the multiple other groups comprising the October 17th and Election Day coalitions are already planning. These groups are all predominantly composed of rank-and-file Democrats and are supported by the party leadership which has a vested interest in the outcome. According to an Associated Press report widely circulated by PBS and other news outlets earlier this month, Democratic state parties "are launching an operation for the midterm elections.. intended to recruit 10,000 volunteers to guard polling places in case armed federal officers show up.” https://apnews.com/article/midterm-election-trump-interference-democrats-strategy-b855934d06eb167ac5b1cc2da1c93d72 It's true, as Tony says, that “the coalition's own literature commits it to lawful, disciplined, de-escalated action”. That should not be surprising. The first recourse of all movements in bourgeois democratic societies is to ensure that the police and courts will defend their democratic right to peaceful assembly. Tony seems to believe that the No Kings organizers are uniquely committed to “legalism” and will therefore discourage demonstrators from gathering at polling stations. I’ve seen no evidence of this, and even if there were, it presumes that this highly decentralized movement can exercise that kind of control over its supporters. If the authorities or paramilitary groups do try to disrupt voting, I fully expect it will provoke the kind of mass response we have seen historically and most recently in Minneapolis. In fact, as the report notes, “activists see Minneapolis immigration protests as a midterms model...Democrats and civil rights groups are rehearsing for the possible deployment of ICE agents or the National Guard to polling sites, although the Pentagon has said it has no plans to deploy troops to the polls.” Indivisible told the AP it "has run 17 different scenarios preparing for what could happen in November” while one activist from the climate justice Sunrise Movement recognized 'there might be a similar moment in November, where Trump attempts to do that again, where everyday working people and students need to band together and say, 'Actually, no, this is our country, you don't get to decide who gets elected or who gets to take office'." Since AFAIK Tony has not been advocating that activists should exercise their open carry rights and come armed to the polling sites to deal with any disruption, I do not see how he distinguishes his own "concrete" and admittedly “modest” proposal from what is already underway. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#43530): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/43530 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/121405050/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
