New 'Southern Strategy'? Waves of Liberal Protest Ripple Across South

[xchrom]

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/03/19-2


Disrupting a session of the Georgia Senate, protesters unfurled a large banner denouncing the GOP-led push against health care in the state. (Photo: Moral Monday Georgia/ Facebook)


Waves of liberal protest are rippling across the South as a newly energized base—fueled by the momentum of the Moral Monday protests in North Carolina—are declaring to the largely Republican establishment that they will no longer be ignored.

Thirty-nine protesters were arrested at the capitol building in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday during a raucous protest against the GOP-led effort to prohibit Medicaid expansion in the state. In South Carolina, 17 demonstrators were also arrested at the Columbia state house in the third weekly demonstration against lawmakers' refusal to accept federal health care funding.

"The movements are rare stirrings of impassioned, liberal political action," writes Herbert Buchsbaum at the New York Times, "in a region where conservative control of government is as solid as cold grits and Democrats are struggling for survival more than influence."

The focus of these demonstrations was health care, but the rhetoric of those protesting touched upon a wide swath of issues, from education to voting rights to women's health. Spinning off from the Moral Monday movement in North Carolina—which organizes weekly demonstrations and grew into a massive march of more than 80,000 people last month—the demonstrators are borrowing the notion of morality- and agenda-based protests, including issues that resonate with the poor and minority populations in the South.

[riqster]

1. K & R

[Berlum]

2. "You smelly proles just don't matter. Ha ha. Smirk." - RepubliWankers, Inc. (R)

[Augiedog]

3. Asleep?

Is a new "sleeping Giant" about to awaken; smell the coffee, see the light, get a clue? What will happen when the dumbass dynasty awakens to the reality that the real death panel is the repucklian party. There comes, at times, a moment in history when the stars align and comeuppance is delivered to those who actually deserve it. The Affordable Health Care Act is going to be the vehicle which conveys that duly earned retribution. As awareness dawns and clarity awakens among the aggrieved, those actually dying or watching their family and friends dying due to intentionally withheld access to health care; those most closely attached to the act of that denial will reap the whirlwind from the wind of lies and deceit they have sown. The repucklians have assisted the theft of people's pensions, homes, health and the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness all for the shine of a golden nickel. Sow lies and hate, reap the fury of truth.

[Enthusiast]

4. Kicked and Recommended! nt

[Brigid]

5. "Our Lives Matter" . . .

If that isn't the perfect name for a grassroots movement, I don't know what is.

[octoberlib]

6. K&R!

[MisterP]

7. blocs never last--and, in fact, as these well-motivated, experienced activists start

running into problems in the party (veal-penning, "who-else-ya-gonna-vote-for"-ism, being Sat Down and given a finger-wagging lecture on the Greater Good) it's gonna cause cracks in both parties and net us state and Fed seats filled by corporatist fighter--pols with a goal in mind rather than just there to play nice and "pilot out" into lucrative gigs once they've further turned the country into the Airplane Game

[RebelOne]

8. I live in Georgia and I am rooting for Medicaid to be expanded.

I know many people who do not have insurance or jobs and really need Medicaid.