Any “movement” that leads protest back to the Democratic Party is, by definition, dangerous. Criticism of Donald Trump cannot be a defining feature of change.
“I think some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere. Some, I think, are connected to Russia and I say that having looked at this for a long time. I think some financing should be investigated. And I want to ask the FBI to investigate them.” - Nancy Pelosi discussing Palestine solidarity protests in 2024
What kind of protest has Nancy Pelosi as a featured speaker? One that is connected to the Democratic Party and that by definition isn’t protesting anything important, which is why Nancy Pelosi appeared at a Hands Off rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania on April 5. She spoke predictably as a democratic member of congress would, saying that she wanted to protect the safety net, “Hands off our safety net. Hands off our medicaid. Hands off our medicare. Hands off our social security.” But those who have longer memories know that during the Obama administration she declared that social security was “on the table” for budget cut consideration.
The Hands Off organization was suspect from the moment of its inception. Of course one would say hands off of popular programs. But why “Hands Off NATO” and how could “Hands Off Palestine” possibly be missing?
The answer of course is that Hands Off was organized by Indivisible, a group run by Democratic Party insiders. Co-executive directors Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin are not only a married couple but both have worked for Democratic Party candidates and Greenberg was a staffer in the State Department during the Obama administration. They can best be described as controlled opposition, speaking in support of the low hanging fruit of popular safety net programs which allow for the likes of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to show up at what is allegedly a protest. Pelosi’s main function as Speaker was to raise money from her equally rich friends and dispatch any hint of slightly progressive policy from House members foolish enough to think they might have an impact on their party.
Hands Off rallies attracted thousands of people across the country and gave the impression that some sort of serious opposition was being waged against Donald Trump’s agenda. It certainly was a week for high profile extravaganza. The rallies were preceded by another extravaganza of nothingness carried out by none other than New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.
Booker’s 25 hour long speech from March 31 to April 1 was initially presented as a filibuster that would break segregationist Strom Thurmond’s 24 hour effort to delay passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. But by definition, a filibuster is carried out in order to oppose legislation. Booker’s speech didn’t oppose anything in particular. Kudos should go to his staff who wrote a 1,000 page document so that their boss could engage in a campaign and fundraising stunt.
What did Booker say? He said that Trump is very bad without mentioning the continued genocide in Gaza or that non-citizen students are being snatched off the street and sent to immigration detention. He said that democrats should apologize for losing. Why does he think they should apologize? He said that they didn’t show voters that they care about them. That statement is true but not for any reason that Booker would mention. The democrats didn’t continue the covid era programs that could have helped millions of people and they lost in part because of their choice to adhere to the dictates of their party’s oligarchs and defend neo-liberal austerity. Booker certainly doesn’t own up to what the democrats really got wrong. How could he? Among other things Booker is known for voting with republicans in 2017 to prevent the importation of drugs from Canada. As for his opinions of Trump, no one needed him to speak for hours on end to say what they dislike about his administration.
Yet the bamboozlement worked. Booker was defended more often than not. We were told how he trained and fasted and rehydrated himself before his speechathon. These details were meant to quiet any criticism and sadly, for the most part they did just that. Anyone who questioned the effectiveness of his theatrical performance was deemed a “hater.” White people who rightly pointed out that emperor Booker wore no clothes were labeled “anti Black” and were informed that their opinions were not wanted.
After the Booker extravaganza of nothingness, Barack Obama reappeared and made what he thinks are meaningful comparisons between himself and Trump.
“Imagine if I had done any of this. Imagine if I pulled Fox News credentials from the White House press corps. … Imagine if I had said to law firms representing parties my administration had initiated, that you will not be allowed into government buildings. We will punish you economically from dissenting from the Affordable Care Act or the Iran deal. We will ferret out students who will protest against my policies. It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me.”
Obama may not have pulled any press credentials, but he prosecuted nine journalists under the Espionage Act, more than any of his predecessors. As for ferreting out students, he killed a 16 year old U.S. citizen, Abdulrahman Al-Awlaki in a drone strike after assassinating his father the same way. He may not have kept anyone out of a government building, but his administration forced down a plane carrying Evo Morales, then the president of Bolivia, because they thought whistleblower Edward Snowden may have been aboard. It is also interesting that Obama didn’t say, “Imagine if I had a kill list.” He did have one and very few of his supporters blinked an eye, much less protested the carnage he caused.
A fake right wing movement in left wing disguise is the last thing that anyone needs at this juncture. For one thing, Trump has proven that the presidency is a powerful office and that the president can get away with doing most of what he wants. If Obama wanted to ask about imagining, he might ask us to imagine what would have happened if he made recess Supreme Court appointments. We might imagine how Joe Biden could have added to the court and undone the conservative super majority. But they won’t ask us to imagine any of their choices which have been so damaging.
Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are sheepdogging desperate democrats back into the party. Democratic Party operatives in Indivisible are doing the same thing. There have been no mentions of the continued U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza. Only 15 Senate democrats voted to halt the next installment of weapons to Israel. Cory Booker was not among that number.
There is no value to bringing thousands of people together and then keeping them in a state of confusion. The end result may be that democrats will be victorious in the future, but what will those victories be worth? Will there be undercover efforts to cut social security and very public wars of aggression that kill thousands of people? If history is any guide the answer to those questions will be a resounding yes. It will be better to hold off on protest until there is a better understanding about what and who we should be fighting.
Keeping the duopoly party tag team alive will only lead to more disaster for people in this country and around the world. It is time for true movement politics, a mass left wing movement in order to have any improvement in our lives and in our human rights. The Hands Off rallies should be the last time that well meaning but uninformed people are led right back to failure.
Margaret Kimberley is the author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents. You can support her work on Patreon and also find it on the Twitter, Bluesky, and Telegram platforms. She can be reached via email at margaret.kimberley@blackagendareport.com.
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