Jeff Winkler
The Daily Caller
2/11/2011
In the hours before Hosni Mubarak stepped down as Egypt’s president, the Egyptian people were raging for freedom in the streets of Cairo. Back in Washington D.C., lefty organizations were plotting, too, wondering: “How can we capitalize on those protesters’ positivenarrative?”
On Thursday night, the New Organizing Institute did what it does best: It set up a discussion. This one was titled, “Organizing lessons from the demonstrations in Egypt.” (Lesson 1: Have an oppressive dictator.)
Held in SEIU’s fortified compound — The Daily Caller had to flash ID and sign in, indicating that the group may have taken some organizing lessons from Mubarak rather than the protesters — the discussion and panelists were an abject demonstration of cognitive dissonance.
Arriving a little late, the first words TheDC could make out had something to do with “Barack Obama” and “campaigns.”
On a giant projector behind the panelists was a Facebook (made in America) page (hosted in England) designed to help the Egyptians share information and support with each other and the world.
Perhaps it was because TheDC was concentrating on the numerous posts written in Arabic, but when panelist Robert “Biko” Baker began speaking, something just didn’t click.
“First, I want to say, Egypt is not America,” said the executive director of the League of Young Voters. “But the more I look at it, the more it looks like …”
Was Biko saying that Americans are actually like those Egyptians with absolutely no rights under an oppressive regime?
“I’m really starting to think about [the similarities between Egypt and Biko’s own neighborhood] and think about the effects of fascism and the state to suppress people at the bottom,” said Biko.
Biko was speaking about the genuine struggles of minority communities: the rate of incarceration, the poverty, as well as the very real police brutality and abuse of civil rights.
In fighting these very serious issues, however, Biko and the League of Voters have a bit more financial and structural support than the Egyptian people, thanks to MoveOn.org, SEIU and — most importantly — the Drum Major Institute…
…“Those of us who work in organizing in D.C. have a lot of contact with philanthropy and NGOs,” began one questioner. “What kind of infrastructure should we be building now and asking for money now to support these kinds of peoples’ movements …”…[Emphasis CAJ]
The article continues at The Daily Caller.
