The "DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama" is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service. With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!
Today marks the completion of the second week of the DREAM Now series. I am sorry I was not able to get a letter out on Wednesday. Too much travel and not enough sleep led me to come down with a soar throat and a fever on Tuesday. Thankfully, I'm starting to recover, today. If you're not getting enough of your DREAM Now fix I recommend reading Matias Ramos' post on why he stood up during Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) speech at Netroots Nation.
I'm going to echo Jane's comments about diversity and supplement them with my own observations. It's not enough to say that diversity is important. The political blogosphere is political, which means you have to discuss politics, and you have to do it with specifics.
If you want to discuss diversity, you have to talk about African-American politics, including problems at the NAACP and newer vital organizations like the Ella Baker Center and ColorofChange.org. You have to talk primaries. That's why I covered Donna Edwards and Al Wynn last cycle, and it's why I talk about the CBC and corrupt black billionaires like Robert Johnson. And not to play the 'why isn't everyone working on my pet issue', but doesn't it seem strange that Robert Johnson's push to use race to justify light taxes on his investment funds - after he did the same thing on the estate tax - gets no play anywhere except on a blog written by a Jewish liberal? I don't mean to whine but, to be selfish, I want a lot more discussion of ethnic politics on the blogs so I can read about it. I find the specifics really interesting. And the specifics - whether AIPAC is supporting Artur Davis in Alabama or was involved in beating Cynthia McKinney - are not just important but critical for progressives.
If you want to discuss diversity, you have to talk about Latino politics. That means Joe Baca and his awful stewardship of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the fight between the male and female members within the CHC. You have to talk about how Latino groups like Southwest Voter failed to bump up registration rates among Hispanics last cycle after the huge immigrants rights marches, and how labor screwed up on immigration.
If you want to discuss why women are so disempowered in our political system, you have to look not only at our cultural roots but at clear examples of problematic organizational structures, such as Emily's List or NARAL.
Like it or not, politics is politics, and specifics are the whole ball game. In Connecticut, I remember who was there with us. It was Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and Danny Glover, and they helped us beat Lieberman in the primary. Maxine Waters is heroic, while Bobby Rush takes millions from AT&T to his charities and Harold Ford Jr is a contributor to Fox News and an employee of the financial service industry.
Politics is about power, and power in America cuts through race and identity. It's a fascinating story to tell, but it has to be told if you want to make any change.
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