Monthly Archives: November 2012

December 1, 1955

Posted on November 30, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Fifty-seven years ago today, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama.  When local activists learned about her arrest, they organized a city-wide boycott and filed a lawsuit, kicking an emerging civil rights … Continue reading →

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Naked truth; nude protests and the politics of attention

Posted on November 28, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Obviously, she wasn’t armed. The story is that Lady Godiva rode through the streets of Coventry naked on a dare some time in the 11th century.  After repeatedly complaining to her husband, Leofric, who had imposed those taxes, she took … Continue reading →

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Occupy Sandy and mutual aid

Posted on November 26, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Piotr Kropotkin was an anarchist because he believed that absent government, people would help each other.  Born a Russian noble, Kropotkin renounced his title and spent his life as an activist and theorist, and proclaimed his allegiance to poor.  He … Continue reading →

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Occupy and the 2012 elections

Posted on November 23, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Unlike the Tea Party, the Occupy movement wasn’t visibly invested in the elections.  Occupy groups didn’t endorse candidates, even candidates who came out of the Occupations.  Occupy groups didn’t raise money for the elections, didn’t form PACs, much less SuperPacs, … Continue reading →

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Workers of the world (at least Europe) unite

Posted on November 14, 2012 by David S. Meyer

For Marx and Engels, “workers of the world unite” was invective.  Today it’s descriptive.  Across Europe, but particularly in countries implementing harsh austerity regimes, workers are taking to the streets, sometimes landing in violent clashes with police. The global financial … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party and the 2012 elections: part III

Posted on November 14, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Tea Party groups supported Republican nominee Mitt Romney and many Congressional candidates.   They lost the presidency.  They made no new gains in Congress; some Tea Partiers lost their seats, and some–like Minnesota’s Michele Bachmann, barely held on.  It wasn’t a … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party and the 2012 elections, part II

Posted on November 13, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Tea Partiers are frustrated about the Republican defeat in the 2012 election, and angry at politicians and pundits who blame them.  All their energy, effort, and anger produced contentious campaigns, but also the reelection of President Obama and Democratic gains … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party and the 2012 election, part I.

Posted on November 12, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Post-mortems on the 2012 election are everywhere on the right right now, in all kinds of different forms: Analysts wonder why the internal polls that left conservatives confident of the outcome up until Tuesday night and Karl Rove’s televised meltdown … Continue reading →

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The Activists: documentary available on-line

Posted on November 5, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Michael Heaney, prolific political scientist and peace activist, who was last seen as a dancing vagina at the Democratic national convention, has announced the completion of a documentary he helped make. http://vimeo.com/49732898 The Activists: War, Peace, and Politics in the … Continue reading →

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Crisis and opportunities: Superstorm Sandy and climate change

Posted on November 1, 2012 by David S. Meyer

Catastrophes can be opportunities for activists prepared to exploit them.  Hurricane Sandy looks like a good chance for climate change activists to put their concerns on a national political agenda that has been incredibly inhospitable.  Their challenge is to attach … Continue reading →

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