As a school teacher, I often find myself with free time in the summer. So when I'm not painting the bedroom, mowing the lawn, watering the flowers, restoring the stairs, replacing the flooring in the bathroom, or working towards my master's degree, I like to take time to go back and read those classic books that I was supposed to have read in high school lit class. (Now that I have the time to actually read and enjoy them without the pressure of getting to a certain point by tomorrow, I'm finding them much more enjoyable.)
The book I'm currently reading is John Steinbeck's
The Grapes of Wrath. For those of you that aren't familiar with the book, you can read a synopsis of it
here. To make a long story short, it's about a depression era family and their westard trek to find work and opportunity. I'm only half way through, but it is one of the most astounding works I've ever read. I can't wait to finish it.
Anyway, there is a point in the book that I found to be extremely relevant to what we do here at Daily Kos and throughout the rest of the progressive blogosphere. For those of you who wish to play along at home, it occurs midway through Chapter Fourteen, and it goes like this:
One man, one family driven from the land; this rusty car creaking along the highway to the west. I lost my land, a single tractor took my land. I am alone and I am bewildered. And in the night one family camps in a ditch and another family pulls in and the tents come out. The two men squat on their hams and the women and children listen. Here is the node, you who hate change and fear revolution. Keep these two squatting men apart; make them hate, fear, suspect each other. Here is the anlage of the thing you fear. This is the zygote. For here "I lost my land" is changed; a cell is split and from its splitting grows the thing you hate - "We lost our land." The danger is here, for two men are not as lonely and perplexed as one. And from this first "we" there grows a still more dangerous thing: "I have a little food" plus "I have none." If from this problem the sum is "We have a little food," the thing is on its way, the movement has direction. Only a little multiplication now, and this land, this tractor are ours. The two men squatting in a ditch, the little fire, the side-meat stewing in a single pot, the silent, stone-eyed women; behind, the children listening with their sould to words their minds do not understand. The night draws down. The baby has a cold. Here, take this blanket. It's wool. It was my mother's blanket - take it for the baby. This is the thing to bomb. This is the beginning - from "I" to "we."
So it occurs to me as I'm reading this paragraph that what Steinbeck is referring to is the phenomenon that we now call "people powered politics." It's the notion that we, as a community, can make a difference if we work together for the common good rather than independently for our own benefit. By staying an individual, "I" can do little; but by coming together, "we" can make a difference. And this is what the Republican party fears most. This is why they deride and degrade the Daily Kos community. Because they know that "we" are a force to be reckoned with.
After the 2000 election, we were splintered. We were angry and we were without direction. We were a bunch of "I"s. But through the power of the internet, Markos has taken 100,000 "I"s and he has made us "we." We are a community. We are Kossacks. We are the anlage of the thing the Republicans fear most. By working as a community for the good of the cause, we can, and will, accomplish more than if we were still a bunch of "I"s.
When you look back on history, you will see that most, if not all, of the significant events that have transformed this country into what it is today were accomplished by the "we"s instead of the "I"s. From the Revolutionary War and the Continental Congress to Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights, the "we"s have made their mark. Certainly, there were leaders in each of those groups, but without the "we," the "I" would have never survived.
Tom Joad knew it. John Steinbeck understood it in 1939. And now in 2006, we here at Daily Kos and throughout the progressive blogosphere are once again proving it to be true. "We" can make a difference. Now you may be saying to yourself, "But we lost in 2004," and you would be right. But we're young and we're still relatively small. However, just look at what we've accomplished so far. Ned Lamont? You can't deny the impact that people powered politics has had on his popularity. Paul Hackett? Sure he lost, but in a district like his he shouldn't have even been close. John Tester? Give me a break! The list could go on and on. Without people powered politics, many of these individuals wouldn't be where they are or wouldn't have gotten as far as they have. "We" have helped them to have a chance.
So it's like Steinbeck said:
The danger is here, for two men are not as lonely and perplexed as one. And from this first "we" there grows a still more dangerous thing: "I have a little food" plus "I have none." If from this problem the sum is "We have a little food," the thing is on its way, the movement has direction.
It's all very clear to me. From where "I" sit, the "we"s have it.
I believe that I am within the rules, however, if I have violated the rules with this diary, please let me know and I will delete it immediately.