Even during this lull in the pipeline construction action, there are an estimated 4000 to 7000 water protectors camped out in the middle of nowhere, North Dakota protecting the Missouri River from pipeline spills of nasty Bakken oil. They’re all volunteers, none are paid. Meanwhile, saw a picture of the Minnesota Democratic House Caucus’s new staff of paid organizers… All 20 or so of them. At peak Minnesota’s Democratic Party will probably employ over a hundred staffers and Hillary maybe a couple thousand, nationwide… And they’re being outdrawn by an uppity tribe in North Dakota and Black Lives Matter on a slow day.
People want change, and we democrats have let ourselves become the party of the status quo. After decades of foot dragging by politicians of both major parties, people no longer believe that the politicians will make change if we elect them. That social contract has been broken. Green Party candidate Jill Stein has been to Standing Rock, even got some good press for being threatened with arrest by the over reacting local sheriff for painting an ugly bulldozer blade. Where is Hillary? Where are our democratic parties and candidates from the Missouri River watershed? And after over 100 tribal nations have supported the Standing Rock nation in their fight to protect Missouri River water, how come not a single state democratic party has?
Is it no wonder young people have given up on our democratic party and politics?
