The 21st century got off to a terrible start in its first decade what with unending wars and economic meltdown and I can’t say the opening acts of the second decade are all that promising.
On Sunday, the National Football League disgraced itself by allowing its playoff-bound teams to throw the final games of the season, much to the displeasure of fans, fantasy sports enthusiasts and hapless bettors.
Football may just be part of the circus of a runaway culture that distracts us from what matters but It says a lot about what’s happening when fabulously rich athletes and billion-dollar enterprises have so little pride that teams like the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints can go undefeated until the final weeks of the season and don’t even bother to try against weak teams because their playoff berths are secure.
Today, state Assembly Democrats are geared up to show once again there is no honor left, even among thieves.
For five months they have dawdled about passing pro forma legislation that would make California eligible for nearly $1 billion of Obama’s “Race to the Top” educational funding.
The delay was caused because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero are pushing for two measures that would give parents similar rights to force reforms in failing schools as teachers now have.
But after lengthy negotiations following passage by one vote in the state Senate, Assembly Democrats today plan to gut these reforms out of the education bill.
Bowing as usual to the political money and clout of the education lobby
of teachers unions and the school board association — organizations
that bear heavy responsibility for the failure of our schools –they do not have the courage to even put these reforms to a vote.
Their compromise is to split off the difficult choices into a separate for possible later consideration just as they did with the hard choices on the budget and water resources issues.
What does it say about the principles of the Democratic Party that they oppose empowering parents to force change in failing schools?
What does it say about us that we have tolerated both Democrats and Republicans to gerrymander our political districts to strip us all of our voting rights and bankrupt our state and yet we still elect them to office at the state and local level?
What does it take for all of us to stop talking and talking and talking about how things have gone to hell and to start really doing something about it?
There is no mystery about what’s broken.
Our political system has been taken hostage by special interests while ordinary people have been left out in the cold.
There is only one way I know of to change the political — or the cultural — dynamics. Power must be seized and that can only be done when community groups stop yakking and start acting by coming together in a well-organized movement that raises money and raises consciousness through news and information.
Eighteen months ago, we launched the Saving LA Project as a loose-knit organization that would research local issues, build an information network and pressure City Hall.
We’ve had some success but fallen far short of achieving our goals.
Whether SLAP is the vehicle or needs to be reconstituted or a new organization formed makes no difference to me. But the task needs to be done and time is critical.
The business community, private sector labor, community groups are preoccupied with their own narrow issues and all too willing to settle for crumbs from the table of power while the spoils still go to developers, public employee unions and other special interests.
Given the state of the city and state, the only issue that matters is power.
City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, and hopefully the new City Council member Paul Krekorian, give us a beachhead inside City Hall. State elections are coming and the campaigns for seven Council seats will start by summer.
What is at stake is the quality of our lives, the value of our homes, the security of our jobs and businesses and the future of our children.
If that isn’t enough to move us to look at the big picture and unite into an effective movement, nothing will ever change.
Stick to the playbook:
Rule 1: Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.
After three straight defeats at the polls (Measure B, Jack Weiss, CD 2), the city’s power structure imputes enormous power to your “loose-knit organization.” Don’t be afraid to wield it.
Rule 2: Never go outside the expertise of your people.
Focus on a handful of basic issues we all have in common — the quality of life issues that bind neighborhoods together across the city.
Rule 3: Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.
Play to their weaknessese, which shouldn’t be hard to do, given the lack of expertise in the city’s elected and appointed establishment.
Rule 4: Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.
This is a really serious and important point. If the city’s elected and appointed officials can’t follow their own rules, their lack of credibility should be exposed and exploited. If a council member promises that every constituent letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. Etc.
Rule 5: Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.
A crude but effective tactic. Never fail to point out the bumbling and stumbling of elected officials. Stick a pin in their self-importance. Don’t tolerate incompetence, ridicule it.
Rule 6: A good tactic is one your people enjoy.
Self-explanatory. Rally the troops around meaningful actions. Stay away from boring debates.
Rule 7: A tactic that drags on too long is a drag.
Don’t become old news. Mix it up and then move on to the next thing.
Rule 8: Keep the pressure on. Never let up.
Attack, attack and then attack again.
Rule 9: The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.
Play on their worst fears.
Rule 10: If you push a negative hard enough, it will become a positive.
Rule 11: The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.
Are you listening, all you proponents of the parent trigger? What is your constructive alternative for ensuring that schools can function effectively AFTER you have beheaded the current leadership?
Rule 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it and polarize it.
The target is clear: The feckless mayor and his influence-peddling entourage, and the elected members of the City Council who care more about hopscotching from one political office to another than they do about the real needs and wants of their constituents.
Spell out the personal bill of incompetence against each. Hammer them mercilessly. Pit them collectively against their constituents, and individually against one another.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat….
“We’ve had some success but fallen far short of achieving our goals”. In a large city like LA, the problem is to get people organized to accomplish common goals. Most of us hoped that the Neighborhood Councils would fulfill that role. Instead, they are mostly not worth the money the city is expending on them and should be shut down. Infact, most of them in their silence on major issues remain a disgrace. Maybe, we should just ignore them for their worthlessness and as agents in favor of the status quo, and find our strength elsewhere. My only quib is why 89 and growing Neighborhood Councils deserve the money in this economy. Should they not be earning it.
Ron, what exactly does the SLAP intend to change?
When you write:
“What is at stake is the quality of our lives, the value of our homes, the security of our jobs and businesses and the future of our children”, I can’t really see how the SLAP is going to make a difference.
Why haven’t you endorsed Mr. Moore for mayor last March? He is not perfect but huge improvement over the current mayor? My feel is that the SLAP doesn’t want really to change things drastically but instead to make some little changes and maintain the status quo. Until you & everybody else stop pretending we can make small incremental changes, the quality of our lives in LA is going down the drain.
We, the people, need seven good people to start running NOW for City Council in the even-numbered districts that are up for grabs in March 2011. Read more:
http://web.mac.com/waltermoore/WalterMooreSays.com/Blog/Entries/2009/12/30_You_Can_Beat_These_Clowns_And_Save_The_City.html
Ron, you sre abslutely correct in your appraisal.
The comments bear that out. But there is one majore obstacle as I see it. Size. When “neighborhoods” are really cities, and some are as much as (est) 70 miles apart – west valley and east L.A.- the question would be
HOW?
We need to make a major change for the better.
It will have to be legislation to separate the city into either burroughs or into small towns with their own problems and town hall meetings, their own school districts. My choice is still secession. Neighborhood councils could then become town hall meetings with the residents choosing what is needed to help themselves. Teddy Howell
Ron, you sre abslutely correct in your appraisal.
The comments bear that out. But there is one majore obstacle as I see it. Size. When “neighborhoods” are really cities, and some are as much as (est) 70 miles apart – west valley and east L.A.- the question would be
HOW?
We need to make a major change for the better.
It will have to be legislation to separate the city into either burroughs or into small towns with their own problems and town hall meetings, their own school districts. My choice is still secession. Neighborhood councils could then become town hall meetings with the residents choosing what is needed to help themselves. Teddy Howell
Walter is right good people are needed to run.
However we need serious candidates and not vanity candidates who run to see their name on yard signs, hats or get on Good Day LA.
You have to be willing to build an organization, call voters every day, knock on doors, ask for money and ask for people to vote for you.
Showing up for candidate forums, blogging, going on the radio and seeing your name on 100 yard signs is not sufficient.
In other words you need to follow the Louis Pugliese or Mary Benson playbooks – NOT the Walter Moore one.
Problem with the NC’s is they meet to whine and complain but refuse to put anything into action and don’t realize the power they really have. Its as if they are all afraid to piss off the politicans that have already failed them. It shows their lack of confidence in themselves. There have been so many great David and Goliath stories of people in small groups beating city hall. But you have 90 NC’s with over 1,000 reps and none of them have guts to stand up for the people!!!
To: 11:43.
Your arguments would be OK if our city wasn’t facing a huge deficit & rapidly declining quality of life. Waiting for a “serious” candidate would be OK if we didn’t have a mayor like Villar. But given a choice between Villar and Moore, why’d you prefer to keep Villar for another 4 yrs? Not only you keep this know-nothing crook but you also help his enablers & interests to entrench deeper & deeper. The right course of action would be to get rid of Villar (and his defeat would mean he’s OUT, period, gone) and push Moore to listen to the citizens while growing more serious candidates.
What’s wrong with you, people? Is it PC because Villar is not white? Can you see he’s a complete failure & has NEVER achieved anything in his life? Sorry, he did successfully vow a few women in the news.
1) Do you like the high unemployment rate in LA?
2) Do you believe all these claims that the crime is down even as there is at least one murder every week?
3) Do you think the city services are adequate?
4) When was your street re-paved last?
5) Do you enjoy sitting in traffic?
6) Do you like for the DWP to raise rates so Villar can go on a few more European vacations?
Geez, people, WAKE UP.
Higby –
For someone who knows absolutely nothing about how my campaign was conducted, and who has never himself obtained a vote for anything, I found your willingness to opine on campaign strategy truly impressive.
Most people feel compelled to have some basis in fact for their opinions. Not you. Your approach is much more efficient: just keep repeating the same groundless assertions over and over again, as if repetition will make them true.
Let’s recap the facts: I got nearly 72,000 votes. That’s far more than anyone on the City Council. Villaraigosa got only twice as many votes, and it cost him 15 times as much money. I had no party support, no special interest money, just pure grass roots. And yet I raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, qualified for matching funds, and got more votes than all the other candidates but Villaraigosa, combined.
So if someone out there is serious about running for office, you can listen to Higby — who has never run for anything or managed any campaign — or you can listen to me. But bear in mind: he was not involved in my campaign in any way, and instead merely makes crap up based on God only knows what. Why would he do such a thing? Who knows. Maybe he got his feelings hurt. Maybe he thinks it gets him attention.
But if you are serious about fixing this City, you need adopt strategies that have actually produced results — votes and fund-raising — rather than listen to people who, despite a total lack of relevant experience, hold themselves out as experts.
Two comments.
One-Walter Moore isn’t credible because his votes were “against” votes and there was no other person to vote for. Considering most people in the city can’t name their council person, what more can I say?
Two-The mayor isn’t responsible for the six issues you mentioned. You sound ridiculous with your blame.
6:51, there are other candidates out there besides Villa and Moore so your lesser of two evils scenario only exists in your imagination.
I am totally excited about 2010 Superbowl. We’re in for a great duel. I’ll pick them Colts in a close one.