Why aren't MILLIONS of people swarming DC right now?

[CleanGreenFuture]

Both sides of this debate and crisis have their own interests to protect.

So where are the People?

Disclaimer: If I could be there, I would. Anyone going who can stop by Dalls and pick me up, I can help a little with gas as well as provide some great company on the road. :hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Sort off people have done it with faxes

but at this point I fear what will work is what people are not willing to do... strikes.

They can and do ignore you in DC... but a march of the unemployed might be in the future, near future.

[flamingdem]

2. On Cnn: Reid: no progress today and

"Entitlements, oh they want entitlements"

It looks like the Rethugs want default.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. They can smell it now.

[dana_b]

24. didn't Obama already offer

cuts to entitlements and the Repubs rejected it? Wtf?? I detest these pigs.

[Doctor_J]

3. Probably because it wouldn't accomplish anything

Hate Radio rules the country.

[readmoreoften]

5. 1. Lack of national organizers capable of such a task.

2. The RW shift of Ibama has left millions of Americans confused and demoralized.
3. Who can afford a flight to DC in this economy? Who would be organizing the busses?
4. Labor needs to become a fighting, organizing force that isn't afraid to take on the neoliberal Democrats.

[trueblue2007]

18. if we had marches all over the USA, I would have marched

Not just in Washington DC... but in all major cities

I marched during Vietnam

[Chipper Chat]

6. Because we have 55 channels

and something's on.

[Ozymanithrax]

7. Unemployed and do not have money for a plane ticket...

or gas.

At my age, riding my thumb all the way across the country is a daunting concept.

[cascadiance]

9. ditto...

[bhikkhu]

13. Employed, but that wouldn't last if I didn't show up for work Monday!

...and no money for a trip anyway.

[Ozymanithrax]

25. The time may come when we will be in the same position as the Greeks...

and have no choice but to protest. It isn't here yet.

[sarge43]

32. I live on my military pension and social security, so ....

what little savings I have may be used for such frivolous things as food, shelter, electricity, etc.

[sendero]

8. It would do no good..

... the media would ignore it, the politicians have dropped any pretense that they have any intention of carrying out the will of the people.

It's going to have to get a lot worse IMHO. And it will.

[Rex]

10. GWB broke us of protesting, they didn't care and it hurt.

Now we have protest remorse.

[Cleita]

11. I think you hit the nail on the head.

Not too many of us can afford the gas or the wear and tear on our old cars even if we camped all the way to save money.

[Saphire]

12. I can't afford it.

[GoCubsGo]

19. Ditto. n/t

[trof]

14. We'd rather watch NASCAR.

Or WWF.
Or the latest Paris Hilton 'reality' show.
:eyes:

[HappyMe]

23. Really? That's not fair.

I don't watch nascar, but why would you give people shit about something that makes them happy?


Are you going?

[sarge43]

33. Thank you

That "we" is getting tiresome. We is appropriate if you're a monarch, a newspaper editor, pregnant or have a mouse in your pocket.

[HappyMe]

51. You're welcome.

I just get sick of the rolling their eyes people. Especially when I know damn well they are rolling their eyes, downgrading people, and not going any damn where themselves.

Pompous.

[sarge43]

53. Then wondering why so many people believe Democrats are elitists. n/t

[RebelOne]

15. Living on Social Security and if I am lucky will get a check in August. n/t

[theophilus]

16. It's too darned HOT. n/t

[Ineeda]

17. maybe for the same reason you're not there? n/t

[Urban Prairie]

20. Can't afford it and I am disabled, really, really, wish I could go though. n/t

[One Voice]

21. Gas is too expensive.

Probably why they want to keep it that way!
So the masses can't show up on their doorstep!

[HappyMe]

22. No damn money for that.

Have put in 15 online job apps. Waiting for phone calls.

Even if I had a couple extra bucks, would have to spend them on frivolous crap like food & rent.

[CleanGreenFuture]

28. I understand about those of us (yes, me too) for whom money is the issue. But what

about the people who can afford to go?

I just wonder where everyone is. There are millions of people who do have PTL/vacation days accumulated and can afford to get there.

I guess I just wish there were lots of people there letting Washington know how unhappy the nation is right now.

[HappyMe]

31. I can only speak for myself.

I think most are contacting via email & phone. I have emailed.

[Retrograde]

26. Maybe there's something to be said about having the capital so far from most of the people

It keeps the angry crowds away. Even if you can afford a last-minute plane ticket from the West Coast (that's easily 15% of the population, maybe more) to DC it's going to take the better part of a day to get there. And if you still have a job you'll need to be back for it or risk losing it. A lot of the population is within a long day's drive, but again it's a several day commitment that a lot of people just can't afford.

I've contacted my senators and representative, even though they're already inclined to vote correctly.

(Yes, I know Washington was originally supposed to be centrally located, but it hasn't kept up with the times)

[bigwillq]

27. I can't afford to miss work

and can't afford the trip down there.

For those out of work, I am thinking they can't afford the travel costs either.

[jwirr]

29. For many of us it would be the heat. My children are making sure

that I do not go out for very long at a time. Imagine if I told them I was going to DC to protest in the streets. What is the temp in DC? Still in the 100s?

Also I think self preservation is involved. So I do manage to get to DC and they default - how am I going to get home to MN?

[Marrah_G]

30. I can't afford to get there.

[Ohio Joe]

43. +1 - nt

[liberal_mama]

34. My daughter's boyfriend is on his way to DC now

I don't know if there are going to be any demonstrations, but you'd sure think there would be. I'd love to go, however I'm an agoraphobic with panic disorder and GAD. :( All I can do is make calls, write letters, tweet and watch MSNBC with horror.

[Raksha]

35. I'm very sorry to hear about your agoraphobia and panic disorder.

I used to have that problem and know how crippling it can be.

[pipi_k]

45. You're lucky...

I had a "remission" of symptoms for nearly 10 years once, but it came back with a vengeance.

[Raksha]

50. I know about that too, although none of my remissions lasted as long as 10 years.

Maybe 2-3 years, and then a period of stress would bring it back again. What finally "cured" me once and for all was menopause. I gradually stopped having panic attacks as my body chemistry changed. It really is as simple as that.

[pipi_k]

44. Same here...

Agoraphobia...panic disorder...GAD

Some days it's all I can do to make it to therapy 20 miles away.


sucks.
:(

[CleanGreenFuture]

52. Oh my, liberal_mama, I'm so sorry to hear that. I can relate, though I'm lucky

to only experience the occasional panic episode.

Do take care of yourself, dear.

[Incitatus]

36. Because many are living check to check and if they miss one week of work

they might lose their house and not be able to feed their families.

[blkmusclmachine]

37. They're not hurting enough. Yet.

n/t

[AnnieBW]

38. It's 100 degrees in DC

Both this weekend and last. Nobody's storming anything, unless it's an air-conditioned room.

[Hatchling]

39. Because in the 1960's when we had big protests going on

gas was 31 cents a gallon and hitchhiking seemed a lot safer. The Greyhound Bus was inexpensive.People could GET there.

People weren't so frightened and believed they could make a difference.

Now people are having a hard time just finding enough money to get to work. And fear and apathy from so many attacks on us have become prevalent. Cops tasered and beat a homeless man to death just for being in the same area as some car break ins. What would they do to serious to people practicing civil disobedience which is so much more a threat?

People are just hanging on and hoping someone else will start this and force TPTB to take heed of us.

Okay, big generalizations and using the "royal" we, but I think it is valid.

[Terry in Austin]

40. Right idea, wrong tactic

Protest had a certain effectiveness in the sixties when it was novel. Also, the media were still fairly sincere, which matters because protest is useful mainly as a way to manipulate the media into shaping public opinion favorable to our cause. The modern corporate media are pretty immune to any of that, making it not such a good tactical choice.

The other reason for filling the streets is when it's not symbolic, but for no-fooling-around, torches-and-pitchforks purposes. At that point, it's also useful to consider that the other end of the street is going to be flled with tanks and machine guns.

As to what the "right" tactics might be, well, that's kind of what we're thrashing around trying to find out, I'd say.

:shrug:

[treestar]

41. They don't really believe there is going to be any real disaster

They've become deaf to the M$M's ginning up the drama. They think it is a lot of hot air and think it will all be resolved somehow.

[JoeyT]

42. Well, most people are just too poor to afford the trip.

Those of us that aren't too poor to afford the trip will get shitcanned for taking off, so we'd be too poor to make the next trip.

The things the epic handwringing threads about how they're not afraid to protest in Europe always ignore is #1: We're pretty spread out in this country. #2: A large chunk of it is struggling just to eat. and #3: We tend to work much longer hours and can be fired for pretty much anything. When you're exhausted and hungry, it's mighty hard to make a thousand mile trip to fuck around with some signs when the news won't show it anyway. Especially when the only real outcome will be getting fired with the jobs situation this bad taking yourself from struggling to starving.

Pretty much all of us would be there if we could. It wouldn't do any good, other than to maybe shut down some of the authoritarian apologists around here once they found out what pepper spray, tasers, and concussion grenades feel like, but we'd probably still be there if we could. The teabaggers only ever got the numbers they did because there were corporate funded buses driving retirees around for free.

[JI7]

46. i don't know, maybe not millions but thousands could if they wanted to, just look at Casey Anthony

trial.

but people just don't have much interest.

[Lyric]

47. For the same reason you're not there.

Can't afford gas/hotel/food/whatever. Don't have a car, or any friends who can drive them. Will get fired if they miss work (and in this jobless market, getting fired can often be a one-way ticket to the homeless shelter).

They made damned good and sure that we were too effing poor and dependent on our meager jobs before they started the hostile takeover, that's for sure.

[SalviaBlue]

48. If 10,000,000 protest and it isn't on the "news"

did it really happen?

[Proles]

49. People can't afford to miss work

or can't afford to go -- because they're unemployed.

And I think the whole, "Well Americans are distracted by reality TV or other pointless entertainment" is not exactly a fair argument.

It's recreation. Everyone can't worry about everything all of the time. That'd be unhealthy, and those sort of things can be an escape from the terrible reality that most citizens feel they can't change anyways. Many people who partake in that sort of entertainment aren't exactly in a mindless stupor, but rather realize the horrible situation their country is in.

The media is in control, and most politicians don't care. In light of this demoralizing reality, a march on DC would acomplish little to nothing. It's not like a compromise would be reached, or the tea baggers would suddenly wise up.

The only hope is an enactment of the 14th amendment, or that crazy trillion dollar coin idea... oh, and voting Democrat in the next congressional election... even if they're conservative blue dogs.

[formercia]

54. The rest are all sedated on the latest Happy Pill.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz