Sources of hope in the US?

[Colfax]

What, if anything, in the present American political landscape gives you any cause for hope?

[LOLseph Stalin]

The SPUSA, maybe. I'm not American though, but I know of at least a few comrades who are members. I still think the US is the country least likely to have a revolution. There would be a Tea Party revolution there before a socialist one.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Occupy Wall Street, from about October 2011-December 2011 actually gave me some hope that maybe something might appear politically here in the states that may be worthwhile.

That was the last time I had hope, though.

[Per Levy]

there is no hope there is only suffering and pain and it will go on.

[SergeNubret]

I think USA will be one of the last countries to have a revolution

[The Idler]

Rebecca Solnit wrote a book called Hope in the Dark

Acclaimed author Rebecca Solnit draws on her life as a writer and activist, on the events of our moment, on our deepest past, to argue for hope—hope even in the dark. Solnit reminds us of how changed the world has been by the activism of the past five decades. Offering a dazzling account of some of the least expected of those changes, she proposes a vision of cause-and-effect relations that provides new grounds for political engagement in the present. Counting historic victories—from the fall of the Berlin wall to the Zapatista uprising to Seattle in 1999 to the worldwide marches against war in Iraq to Cancun in September 2003—she traces the rise of a sophisticated, supple, nonviolent new movement that unites all the diverse and fragmentary issues of the eighties and nineties in our new century.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

What, if anything, in the present American political landscape gives you any cause for hope?
Abso-fucking-lutely nothing.

[teflon_john]

who gives a damn? be on the correct side of history, if nothing else.

[Skyhilist]

There isn't much hope. Any beacons of hope like the OWS just get shut out by the bourgeoisie. I'm only 16 and even I'm not that optimistic about a revolution happening in my life time. The bourgeois have mastered the art of thought control and have out a stranglehold on almost everyone here.

[Starship Stormtrooper]

I agree with what others have said, that there is no real hope for a revolution in America any time soon. That doesn't mean that we should stop trying however. Even if the prospects for revolution aren't the best right now we can still continue to fight and at least be a thorn (however tiny) in the side of the ruling class. Likewise, fighting against the system can also force concessions that improve the lives of the oppressed, even if it doesn't result in an eventual Social Revolution.

Look at it this way, while the situation in the US is indeed hopeless, your doing nothing will only help to guarantee that it remains so.

[#FF0000]

The stuff in the works in my community.

[The Idler]

who gives a damn? be on the correct side of history, if nothing else.
Haha, sounds almost determinist

[Rooiakker]

I suspect that the green party is the closest thing we have to "hope" in the USA. The Green New Deal would put us on a road toward a mixed economy like Scandanavia. The bad part of this is that the libertarians are more likely to make it to office than the greens. (If any third part ever does again.)

[melvin]

I generally have no hope. But I am a very depressed person.

[slum]

i have pretty much no hope- the U.S. will be the last country to have a revolution. i thought occupy was pretty tepid, except for oakland and zucotti, and guess who got infiltrated and had the shit beaten out of them?

but since i can't escape and being honest is paralyzing, i feed myself myths and black panther party bedtime stories and try really hard to believe that class consciousness is just around the bend.

[Taters]

I suspect that the green party is the closest thing we have to "hope" in the USA.


Hahaha.... so you're saying there is no hope?

I don't know what to think about the US, because, really, it's been isolated from events that could be potentially radicalizing. Of course, the US is more likely to be radicalized in the direction of out and out fascism.

[Lord Hargreaves]

Due to demographic changes in the US, the GOP's racist electoral strategy of playing its core white vote against Hispanic immigrants and black welfare queens is less likely to be successful in the future. What this will mean for the future of the Democrats is unclear, but there is at least some potential for liberals to push back against the corporate establishment of the party, if the bogeyman threat of the GOP is perceived as weakened.

There is also, as others have said, the potential of the Green Party to make some localized electoral breakthroughs in the future. If the green movement can resist co-option by the Democratic party, then that will be a success.

'Occupy' also has the potential to flare up again at any moment: since it apparently flared up out of nowhere to begin with, then there is no reason why that couldn't happen again. The task this time will be to build some continuity into the movement.

C'mon guys, its about "pessimism of the intelligence, optimism of the will"... you're forgetting about the last part!

[teflon_john]

Haha, sounds almost determinist

i'll readily admit that i'm not a very smart person, but i think you mean that i was implying that world communism is inevitable or something, which definitely isn't the case.

i'm just saying like, even if we fail and the world blows up at least we were right.

[Radji]

I actually think USA will be one of the first to have a revolution. The politicians have absolutely no idea what they're doing anymore. This month they let the sequester happen. For those who don't know, that's an 8% cut in the government's budget. So next month there will be 2 million more Americans added to unemployment.

Think of all the people that are out of work now and have been for the last couple of years, they're definitely not happy with the current system. And when the troops from Afghanistan get back and have no jobs, it will get worse.

So what's the solution to all this, more entitlement programs. Try and keep the people happy for a little longer. That's what you call a stall tactic.

An American revolution is underway, we just need to keep informing people and plan for the new America. :grin:

[Broha]

I think the fact that we have a black president is proof that American society as a whole is moving forwards. I mean, that never would have happened a couple of decades ago. Sure it's slow, but it's something. We're also becoming more accepting of the LGBT community, and the amount of "non-religious" people is increasing at a pretty decent pace. While I don't think we're going to have a socialist revolution soon, we're taking baby steps in the right direction.