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The First Occupy Candidate
Nathan Kleinman, a 29-year-old member of Occupy Philadelphia, is running for Congress in Pennsylvania's 13th district against Democrat Allyson Schwartz. A graduate of Georgetown who has worked on several political campaigns, wears a Stop the Patriot Act button and lists his occupation on election petitions as human rights activist, Kleinman didn't sleep at the Occupy site - he gave his tent to a homeless person - but helped create its "Free University," move homeless residents to an encampment on a Conrail property, and plans to model his campaign on an Occupy assembly, with regular meetings open to the public. His credentials sound pretty cool. His website is here.
"We can create the systems that should exist in a modern society, but don't exist in ours." - Kleinman, on what he learned from Occupy.
13 Comments so far
Show AllI do not vote in Pennsylvania, but will certainly support Mr.Kleinman.
This is promising. Till we are in congress like the Teaparty, we aren't going to get much done.
Nice and about time.
While I applaud his experience and efforts, he is not the first Occupy candidate for congress. There is an occupation party that has already endorsed a candidate for Congress. General assemblies for the campaign and as political candidate have been called for similarly. The 99% needs to coordinate efforts better.
See here:
http://theoccupationparty.org/our-candidates
The two party system will now hijack Occupy like they did the Tea Party.
This is what I have been advocating for some time now! How exciting to see OWS movement people are stepping up. I will surely support him and others like him, if they enter the arena. For one thing, in the near future there is no alternative; besides, campaigning for him and others like him also is an opportunity to build a progressive alternative.
MSiddique:
Before you get carried away with this guy, please read ezeflyer's post above--it's about what this guy's position is on the ME.
What are his politics for the ME?
Hey, someone with a conscience! I hope we get some in WA state to support.
He is running in Allyson Schwartz's district. I know her, she used to be my State Rep here in Phila where she sold out my neighborhood to gangsters on more than one occasion. Now she's a totally mediocre Democrat congresswoman. My brother and his wife live in her district, they'll be happy to vote for Kleinman. It would be nice if he beat her, because in my well-informed opinion, she sucks.
Good article on this fellow in the OWS movement!
Bad news from Colorado, Missouri, and Minnesota!
The bad news in Minnesota where I live first! Rick "asytlum mad dog" Santorum beat Mitt (more reasoned and moderate) Romney with a small turnout made smaller by dirty BS tactics of not letting people know to the last moment the exact schedule and location of the caucuses-- not just for us entryists or progressives seeking to put a crimp on the insanity in the GOP presidential race. Retired people and small business people such as myself, many of whom couldn't deal with this last moment BS couldn't take part. Otherwise in Minnesota no party registration is required. Just show up and inform those present of desire to participate in the process. Hell if somebody ask "are you a Republican" easily just say yes. I would be one at least for the time of that caucus. Hey, that's the truth. An entyist is always in but not of the party. To take on the name of the party isn't anything especially in the USA. Regardless, I was ready to give a solid effort at old fashioned British entryism in the USA to restore some sanity to the presidential contests. I'll just have to be more vigilant in the future in dealing with the GOP. I'd say all out big turnout would have favored Romney to beat Rick the insane.
"Our man" Rick is all out for cutting all the social programs to the bone while keeping war going full blast everywhere on this planet. If he gets in, prayer would be my first thought, lots of it and lots to pray for! If the current president gets in, roughly the same!
All this is just for those who believe in prayer. Those who believe in meditation, might as well do some heavy duty meditation. It sure can't hurt. Romney likely won't be as crazy as his campaign rhetoric and even that's not in the ball park with con man con servative Rick. Romney knows war everywhere all the time isn't good for business even big companies. The mushroom cloud can be a real downer for even the biggest company's business. Strontium 90 is forever as is dead! Hard to make the big money while in the old grave. Most big company CEOs understand this. Likely they will except for the Koch brothers get behind Romney. The Koch brothers have cash registers for brains--a bit of a problem for conceptualization of reality internationallly.
In Colorado, likely people got more notice as to the exact schedule and location of the caucuses, which accounted for Rick "the mad dog" having a tougher time even though this is one state which gave the Gipper a victory over Gerald Ford in the GOP contest in 1976 even though Ford won then. Not a bad showing for a moderate!
Missouri! Missouri has been moving steadily to the right it looks, as this was a primary or at least moving that direction in the GOP. Maybe it will be differernt in the election. I wouldn't count on it though. Outside St Louis and Kansas City, the rest of the state and especially the southeastern part is over to the right as far as I know. It borders Kansas. They're more pro Democrat than progressive any day of the week now. Maybe back 30 years or more ago it would have been different. Not really sure about that!
To sum up we have bad news which might get worse. But if Romney can pull off a victory, we'll likely survive.
Politics is intersting. Sometimes it's best to infiltrate as we lefties are always accused of doing anyway.
whether the lemming runs off of the cliff, as his companions do, or prefers to stylize with a triple jump off of the cliff, or a swan dive, or a moon walk, he is still a lemming going off of the cliff...
there isn't anything anyone can say to defend running for office, but that they are ignorant...
the 'office' for which they run is the possession of the enemy...as will be any inhabitant...
there is no solution to be found there...
30,000 domestic drones...are we paying attention?