Suchergebnisse

In this expanded text of remarks given at of the election debate the speaker presents the question "Should radicals work to realign the Democratic Party?" The speaker defines the debate as what political work in the electoral arena makes sense for the left, & which electoral path has the fewest divergences & can defeat neoliberalism & global capitalist politics. The speaker presents for proposals that identify and seek to surpass the inhibitions of the Democratic Party, and the creation of a Congressional progressive caucus. The Democratic Party is argued to be controlled by the center-right bloc that effectively freezes out the left. Creating a center-left coalition is argued to be an imperative action, despite the conflicts between unions, socialists, & the labor movement. The speaker argues that the fight over the Democratic Party's direction is the only consistently progressive form electoral politics can take in this era, placing Green politics as protest politics that now need protest voting. In closing, the speaker notes welcome exceptions of advances in grassroots offensives, & building progressives into a significant power block that reflects Marx's statement on historical conditions to the contemporary need to turn ideals into facts on the ground, and an opposition party into a reality. Adapted from the source document.

The impacts of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on the California home care crisis are investigated in the case of the grassroots demands by caregivers working within the constraints of the unaccommodating institutional framework. The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) funded by Medicaid dollars resulted in uneven relationships that created an oppressed group of workers lacking any opportunity to exercise or advance their rights outside of private negotiation. The limitations of SEIU are identified as unresolved issues around brokering services for respite, & the absence of any mechanisms for addressing financial & emotional burdens of families. The roots of the health care crisis are identified as a tension between how care work ought to be carried out as to how care work manifests itself in postindustrial society. Although SEIU organizing in California is acknowledged to have been somewhat successful in battling the devaluation of home care work in addressing the labor shortage, the lack of clarity on how the strategy accommodates four principles indicate that a culture of collaboration between consumer groups, workers, & public agencies needs to continue a dialogue about the nature of care services & delivery at the national level. J. Harwell