End Corporate Rule: Ohio Speaking Tour of David Cobb

End Corporate Rule. Legalize Democracy. Move to Amend.
Ohio Speaking Tour of David Cobb
Executive Committee, Move to Amend (www.movetoamend.org)
Board Member, Program on Corporations Law & Democracy (POCLAD)
2004 Green Party Presidential candidate
June 28 – July 3 2010

Bring David to your community!
Only cost is putting David up for the night (home hospitality welcome) and passing the hat for the movement!
To schedule David for your community, contact Greg Coleridge, gcoleridge@afsc.org, 330-928-2301.

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Talk by David Cobb on “Organizing Community to Abolish Corporate Personhood”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tzWKjF3zQc&feature=PlayList&p=CAB46B18AA209A63&playnext_from=PL&index=0

OUR MOVEMENT- BUILDING STRATEGY TO WIN
David Cobb

1) Our political system is so corrupted that most elected officials are already bought and paid for by corporate money. Those that are not beholden to corporate money do not have the support or courage to demand systemic change. Instead, they offer ineffectual and non-threatening “reform” and expect us to be satisfied.

2) Prior successful efforts at systemic change—the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, trade unionists, and civil rights—understood that “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” So they were not timid at demanding what they wanted. They did not allow the power holders to tell them what was reasonable or acceptable.

3) They also knew that real change requires both a broad social movement and an electoral arm. In other words, people raising hell in the streets as well as candidates running for office on the legislative agenda of that social movement.

4) So our strategy is not to ask, “What is the best we can get out of the existing Congress?”

5) Instead, we are making our demand as clear and plain as possible—we want the democratic right and authority to create the world we want and need. And we are inviting YOU to add your voice to ours so that we become a chorus that cannot be ignored!

6) Our first arena of struggle is at the local level-- where we live, work and play. That’s where we have the most power, and the most influence. Our campaign committed to building from the grassroots up.

7) We know that many people most directly affected by corporate abuse—especially low income people and communities of color—will not join a movement that is led by only white people. So our coalition (Move to Amend) has been very conscious and deliberate about ensuring that people from both those communities have been at the table from the beginning, helping to shape and lead the effort.

8) Our commitment is working. The Steering Committee is multi-racial and multi-ethnic, gender balanced, and represents every geographical area of the country. This is in stark contrast to the traditional DC-based non profit groups. We are not just speaking for the grassroots, we are the grassroots. And we are growing!