Listening to the recent NPR coverage of the election results in Ohio and Mississippi, the low level of political discussion and commentary in the corporate media outlets became painfully obvious. Both commentators hammered on and on about how these were victories for the Democratic Party and its prospects in 2012. Even a casual look at how the attack on the democratic rights of workers in the state of Ohio to collective bargaining was defeated at the polls, knows that it was not the Democratic Party in the lead. From the collection of signatures to the campaign around the vote, it was organized labor and their supporters in the forefront with the Democrats dragging their heels far behind. But in the media coverage (except at www.democracynow.org) there was hardly a mention of the role of the unions. The big business media controlled by the 1% wants the American people to see the 2012 elections and the Democratic Party as the only vehicles of change.

Even more shocking was the claim that the defeat of the measure to give a fertilized egg citizenship rights, was another victory for the Democrats. Neither commentator even mentioned that BOTH the Democratic and Republican leadership supported the amendment to the state constitution. The Mississippi vote, which came as a surprise to all the political pundits, was a defeat for both ruling parties. It also showed that in spite of media orchestrated ignorance, even in the South, the voters are not as clueless as everyone expected.

These victories are a reflection of a change in the political climate in America and around the world where the institutions of governance are being questioned. Unfortunately, these glimmers of hope stand a good chance of being snuffed out by the Democratic Party in the coming elections. Looking at the elections as a way to make change in America is fundamentally flawed. The power of the Occupy Wall Street movement is its independence. But already cracks are beginning to appear as at least one contingent has taken to lobbying in favor of Obama’s pitiful “Jobs Bill”. The Occupy WS movement is not alone. The national leadership of the SEIU endorsed the Obama campaign and pledged to re-elect ‘our president.’

After a wave of unprecedented demonstrations around the country against the Tar Sands Pipeline, culminating in a 12,000 strong encircling of the White House, President Obama sent the proposal back to the State Department for further study. Rightfully the main organizers of the movement claimed victory. The victory was stopping Obama from approving the ill-conceived project. But 350.org and other environmental groups called on supporters to “congratulate Obama for standing up to big oil.” Many of these well-meaning organizers were the backbone of Obama’s 2008 campaign. It seems that three years of backpedaling on flashpoint issues such as:  war, immigration, Guantanamo/torture, healthcare, economic reform, and even pollution standards, have failed to break through their Democratic Party blinders. Obama did not “stand up to big oil” he ducked—postponing the decision until after the 2012 elections. It was a calculated political move not a moral decision.

The Occupy and Environmental movements should take a lesson from the organized labor movement that has supported the Democratic Party for decades. The Democratic Party, while talking labor, joined with the Republicans to help corporate America ship union jobs overseas. They went along for the ride when the banks and financial institutions stole pension/retirement funds through legal market manipulations. The Clinton administration was a major player in restructuring these institutions to more efficiently shift the wealth of our nation from the working/middle class to the top 1%. Obama escalated the policies of rewarding the criminals and punishing the victims.

The difference between Bush II and Obama is a matter of style not substance. Obama is articulate and he can lie with a straight face. The ability to fool the American people while carrying out the most wide-ranging attacks on US citizen’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, makes Obama the number one favorite of Wall Street, the banks and corporate America. The trap of supporting one or the other of the parties of the super-rich has never been so clear. As Obama races to the right, the Republican Party gives him left cover by pushing an ultra-right agenda, which is totally out of touch with the political climate in the country. Recent polls have more people in favor of communism than support the present congressional circus.

Obama and the Democrats will hold up the possibility of having one of the nut cases running for the Republican nomination in the White House to scare people into campaigning for their candidates. These media darlings seem hell-bent to see which one can be more out of touch with the sentiments of the American people. While Texas was burning after record droughts the prayer-monger from that state still can’t seem to understand the science of global warming. Look out the window governor—or ask any third grader to explain it to you. And they all seem more concerned about the rights of a fertilized egg than the fact that millions of children in the US live below the poverty line, many homeless and hungry.

But the road to a better world for all of us who were not born with a silver spoon in our mouth lies outside either of the corporate parties. The Occupy movement and the votes in Ohio and Mississippi show the depth of dissatisfaction with the present system of greed before human need. Only by continuing to challenge the right of Wall Street to steal from the American people (and be rewarded for getting caught) in the streets and in our workplaces will real change become a reality. That is why there is a bipartisan attack on the right to demonstrate from California to the East Coast. The Occupy movement represents an independent democratic resurgence, an attempt to create a space for the tree of democracy to grow. In the spirit of the founding fathers they are experimenting with new forms of self-governance but the parties of the rich want to stop it at any cost.

The vast majority wants to see fundamental change in how our nation is run. But it will not come easily. All of us must be a part of this political awakening. It will mean turning off the propaganda box and engaging in serious study and debate. Talk to your co-workers, classmates, family and friends. The information is out there—go to the library or get online. We all need to support the Occupy movement’s peaceful attempt to find solutions to our present disaster. The terrorist methods used to break up these protests must stop. It seems the government has millions to spend on special tactical units, rubber bullets and pepper spray but not a nickel for social programs or providing a decent education for our children.

The 2012 elections will be an opportunity to show the 1% that the time has come to pay their dues. Only when they see millions in the streets organizing neighborhood committees, unions and a political party of the 99% will they see the future beginning to take form. They need to know that Americans want to work to build a just sustainable future and if they don’t want to be part of it—they can take their money and live in the slums they are creating overseas. And of course we will not sacrifice our lives and limbs to protect their interests—we want our men and women in uniform back home to be part of this new America. It is time for us to live up to our revolutionary heritage and stop the economic, political and military terrorism at home and abroad. If we are to break our chains we must not fear to change. In 1776 America was a beacon of human progress, in 2012 we must take the difficult first steps to reclaim the revolutionary spirit that will put us in the forefront of building a just sustainable world. Occupy the 2012 elections and build a movement to break the hold of the 1% on our political, social and economic future. Let’s not be fooled again.

Build a Party of the 99%!