Politics can exhibit “Eusociability”. The term refers to the highest level of community-building among some animals, such as the hives of the hymenoptera class of insects – wasps, bees, etc. Political eusociability is becoming increasingly evident among the Left since the election of Trump.
As in a wasps’ hive in an agitated state, the activists of the Left are swarming. The Left’s fury isn’t the spontaneous activity of scattered individuals – or “organic” as some would say – but behave as a horde neurally connected through the bio-chemicals of past activism and social media, triggered with the seed money of donors.
Consider the financial backers to be the “angel investors” of the hive. An example would be Democracy Alliance.
Hive-funding can go through a circuitous route, almost like money-laundering. One such example would be Alliance for Global Justice, headquartered in Tucson, Az. An examination of its 503(c) IRS form 990 reveals a list of wealthy donors that includes The Bridgewater Fund, The Tides Foundation, Ben & Jerry Foundation, etc. It, in turn, ladles the money out. Crowdrise’s page for a fundraiser for Alliance for Global Justice (AGJ) describes refusefascism.org as a project of AGJ. Money moves about.
The phenomena of hive-building can be traced back to the early labor organizing of the late 18th century into the more sophisticated 19th/20th century efforts of Eugene Debs, Big Bill Haywood, Samuel Gompers, John L. Lewis, and Marry Harris Jones (“Mother Jones”).
Modern iterations of the activity include “Occupy….(fill in the blank)”, “the Resistance” (to Trump), “Fight Fascism”, and “Indivisible”.
It’s simply hive activity, without splitting academic hairs over the fine distinctions between “community organizing”, mere “activism”, or “mobilizing”. It’s also not a conspiracy in the same vein as the Comintern (Communist International), which had a Moscow address. The organization’s constituent national communist parties were appendages of the Soviet Politburo.
No central commissariat exists for the hive. It is a web of scattered individuals and groups, united by compatible beliefs, a tendency to activism, most lacking permanence, and interconnected by social media and loose funding streams. They spring up as events warrant and vary to local circumstances. They can appear spasmodic, and frequently are.
The tie that binds is a remarkably consistent set of beliefs. You know, the litany of “isms” and “phobias” are prominent: racism, sexism, Islamaphobia, homophobia, etc., etc., etc. The list is notably fungible according to the fads-of-thought of the moment. For them, America is reduced to a collection of group victims. Their cure is Fabianism-with-an-edge.
Fabianism is a form of socialism without the violent overthrow of Marx and Lenin. It’s socialism with a human face – i.e., democracy. This form has been called “social democracy”. It favors human rights broadly defined and greater government control of the “commanding heights” of society, to borrow from Lenin. In Britain, it led to the formation of the Labour Party. In Europe, many national social democratic parties sprang up. In today’s America, it has found a home in the Democratic Party.
The modern Democratic Party has given the movement an institutional form. However, the plodding nature of a national political party is ill-suited to a base agitated by immediate events. The desire for respectability of a national party restrains the emotional explosion which has led some partisans to break away seeking the “Bern”, or “StopFascism”, or “Black Lives Matter”, or “Occupy” (the universe?), or …….. That’s the “edge” part of Fabianism-with-an-edge. Yet, party activists are still littered throughout the constellation of groups.
Taking a closer look into one these groups, Indivisible, will bring to light the interconnected nature of the hive. From their “Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda”, the authors parrot the hive’s party line on the threat posed by Trump:
“…[Trump] will attempt to use his congressional majority to reshape America in his own racist, authoritarian, and corrupt image.”
Three of the four individuals listed as authors of the “Guide” – Ezra Levin, Adam Padilla, and Jeremy Haile – were ex-staffers of Democrat representatives. Levin and Haile were staffers for Lloyd Doggett (D-Tx). Padilla was a legislative assistant for Luis Gutierrez (D-IL). The fourth, Leah Greenberg, wife of Ezra Levin, is listed as the young policy director for the Tom Perriello gubernatorial campaign along with involvement in various “social justice” private and non-profit organizations according to her LinkedIn page.
Perriello is another interesting specimen. He served as representative in Virginia’s 5th congressional district from 2009-11, but was defeated in 2010 by Republican Robert Hurt. He is mentioned as the founder of Avaaz, ” a U.S. based civic organization launched in January 2007 that promotes global activism on issues such as climate change, human rights, animal rights, corruption, poverty, and conflict.” It’s a mission statement for the “social justice warrior” (SJW).
The “Guide” asserts that they are emulating the Tea Party circa 2009. But the Tea Party wasn’t organized by Hill staffers, or anyone representing the “establishment”. More believably, the kinship of the “the resistance” points to the “Occupy” factions of 2011 and the more recent campus SJW outbursts, not the Tea Party.
Below is an “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration from October 2011. It’s 6:46 in length.
Compare the above to the disruption of Charles Murray’s attempt to speak to students at Middlebury College.
When the above attempt at a lecture failed, Murray and Prof. Allison Stanger, professor of International Politics and Economics, went to a room to live stream their conversation. The disruptions continued in the auditorium, and when Murray and Prof. Stanger attempted to exit to her car, they were assaulted. Stanger required hospitalization.
Now, let’s take a look at a congressional townhall, the kind of thing that Greenberg, et al, are encouraging.
Or this one.
Or the harassment of Tom McClintock after leaving his townhall.
The townhall crowds appear to be older versions of the campus SJW’s . Five decades ago many of them might have been at home on Haight-Ashbury – at least spiritually.
The outbursts, cries, and incriminations aren’t spontaneous in the literal meaning of the word. I suspect that the swarms are people – local and transported – already active in the party, agitated by the election’s results, neurally connected by social media, loosely directed by certain websites, and reflective of blue-America, even if they might live in red-America. Rather than an inter-cultural phenomena spanning the cultural divide, quite the opposite, they emulate the deep cultural division in the country. The hive’s views have no home in red-America.
What does this portend for the country? Blue-America is still geographically stuck in blue-America. Their behavior has just become more rabid. The beliefs of identity politics, assaults on traditional Christianity, the blind faith in the omni-competent state, and hyper-environmentalism has no more credence today in “fly-over” country than it did before the election.
The danger for Republicans lies in the appearance of a groundswell. Such a thing could have an effect on impressionable “independents” and lukewarm Republicans. The Republicans could experience a dip in passion while independents fall away leaving the field open for the Fabians-with-an-edge in the Democratic Party.
If Republicans don’t counter-organize, the next couple of election cycles could pave the way for boys-in-dresses in the girls’ lockeroom and on the girls’ field hockey team. Be prepared for a sovietized EPA. The professions of Christian faith in the economy will be criminalized. Just take the California template and press it onto the country.
It’s time for red-America to get organized to challenge the hive. You might call it red-America’s “counter-swarm”.
RogerG
Sources:
Wikipedia – Fabian Society – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabian_Society
“Indivisible: The Liberal Group Putting Pressure On Republicans In Order To Destroy Trump’s Agenda”, Matt Vespa, Townhall, 2/13/17, https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2017/02/13/indivisible-the-liberal-group-putting-pressure-on-republicans-in-order-to-destroy-trumps-agenda-n2284442
“A gift and a challenge for Democrats: A restive, active and aggressive base”, David Weigel & Karen Tumulty, Wash Post, 2/11/17, https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/a-gift-and-a-challenge-for-democrats-a-restive-active-and-aggressive-base/2017/02/11/e265dd44-efef-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_resistance-7pm:homepage/story&utm_term=.db5527d18253
“Democratic Super PAC Launches Ad Campaign To Promote Town Halls”, Daniel Marans, the Huffington Post, 2/17/17, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/priorities-usa-ad-campaign-indivisible_us_58a716bce4b045cd34c0ed35
“Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda – Former congressional staffers reveal best practices for making Congress listen.”, https://www.indivisibleguide.com/
“Rules for Radicals” – synopsis of Saul Alinsky’s tactics, http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/rules.html
“Ex-Hill Staffers Put A Spin On The Tea Party Playbook In Anti-Trump Guide”, Allegra Kirkland, TPM, 12/15/16, http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/former-hill-staffers-guide-resisting-trump-administration-indivisible
“READ: Ex-Congressional Staffers Write Anti-Trump Resistance Guide”, Daniel J. Solomon, Fast Forward: Quick reads through a Jewish lens, 2/15/17, http://forward.com/fast-forward/363247/read-ex-congressional-staffers-write-anti-trump-resistance-guide/
https://twitter.com/leahgreenb?lang=en, Twitter for Leah Greenberg
More on Leah Greenberg – “Friends, First and Always”, Weddings, NY Times
Leha Greenberg’s LinkedIn page, https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-greenberg-30a0a439
More on Angel Padilla – NATIONAL IMMIGRATION LAW CENTER, https://www.nilc.org/about-us/nilc-staff/
“Student Protests Prevent Charles Murray From Delivering Lecture”, Will DiGravio, The Middlebury Campus, 3/2/17, https://middleburycampus.com/article/student-protests-prevent-charles-murray-from-delivering-lecture/
Youtube video – “Students Protest Lecture By Dr. Charles Murray at Middlebury College”, https://youtu.be/a6EASuhefeI
Condensed version of protest – on youtube – “Guest lecturer calls protesting students ‘seriously scary’”, https://youtu.be/U_e0ZUthSA0
“SJWs Flip Out When Ben Shapiro Destroys Social Justice, White Privilege & Safe Spaces”, 11/21/16, https://youtu.be/hLYu-BW87p0
“Congressman Tom McClintock leaves contentious town hall with police escort as protesters”, youtube.com, 2/4/17, https://youtu.be/etNQsncV9vw
“Protesters disrupt GOP gathering in Utah”, CNN, youtube.com, 2/10/17, https://youtu.be/5Kbxw41eX2Y
“Angry Citizens Shut Down Senator Bill Cassidy Town Hall”, youtube.com, https://youtu.be/QG361msBKfE
“Look Who Funds The Group Behind The Call To Arms At Milo’s Berkeley Event”, chuck Ross, The Daily Caller, 2/3/17, http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/03/look-who-funds-the-group-behind-the-call-to-arms-at-milos-berkeley-event/#ixzz4aOom2ygo
AGJ IRS form 990 (2015) – http://afgj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/AFGJ-990-2015-Small.pdf
https://refusefascism.org/, IN THE NAME OF HUMANITY WE REFUSE TO ACCEPT A FASCIST AMERICA
“Popular Resistance”, https://popularresistance.org/
“Democratic Alliance”, wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Alliance
“Tom Perriello announces staff for gubernatorial campaign”, 2/7/17, http://augustafreepress.com/tom-perriello-announces-staff-gubernatorial-campaign/
“Alliance for Global Justice’s fundraiser: Refusefascism.org – Stop Trump/Pence”, https://www.crowdrise.com/stop-trumppence-before-they-start
“Soros, Steyer, and Democracy Alliance Work to Retake Colorado: Left-wing donor club returns to its birthplace to win back state senate for Dems”, Lachlan Markey, The Washington Free Beacon, 8/5/16, http://freebeacon.com/politics/soros-steyer-and-democracy-alliance-work-to-retake-colorado/