This is exactly the groundwork we need to be laying right now, and I’m delighted to hear it coming from a US Senator (!):
If Trump tries to prevent a fair election from happening, then we need “a true national strike in the sense that, if they do this, if they try to overthrow our democracy, if you are allied with democracy, do not go to work . If you’re a pilot, do not show up. If you drive a train, do not show up. If you’re a teacher, do not show up. We grind the country to a halt.”
1/
This part is especially important (emphasis added):
“If we have to destroy the stock market to save democracy, we need to accept that and, more importantly, •••the richest and the most powerful people in the world and in this country need to understand that that is a real possibility.••• There is no economic stability without democratic stability. If you take away our democratic stability, we will take away the economic stability.”
2/
Lay the groundwork for a national strike, and lay it •loudly• so that the billionaires know — believe! — that it is a real possibility. Make them terrified of it.
It’s like the doomsday device in Dr. Strangelove: you have to tell them about it. And they have to believe it’s real.
How do we do that? It starts with talking to each other about it. •We• have to believe it’s real. We have to lay the groundwork.
3/
I consider the Jan 23 general strike in Minnesota to be fairly successful. It didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t just happen because people posted about it a lot. There was a •lot• of consensus-building via social networks new and old. Unions got on board, lead the charge. Local businesses goaded each other into participating until •not• participating became a sort of black eye.
4/
@inthehands So to the point about local businesses... Part of me thinks that those *shouldn't* shut down in a strike because if people use those businesses that's money not going to the billionaires.
I'm interested to know how other folks think about it though because I honestly don't know what strategies make the most sense toward the objective of pressuring folks with their hands on the levers of power to take action.
You may be thinking of a boycott instead of a strike.
Here in Minneapolis, local businesses helped lead the charge — and I’d venture that they benefitted from it, from the community seeing them support the cause and feeling a sense of connection with the people behind them.
Cash payments only. None of their money-making payment terminals.
@nanobri @inthehands Where I live, no one working at a local business will go out. I doubt they'd even notice, frankly.
The other thing is, say a local grocery, a lot, if not most, items are the same as in a brick-and-mortar store, so it's all going to the billionaires anyway.
Paul Cantrell
Pup Sniff
eswillwalker
Kirsty
No Exceptions