recently, president evo morales of bolivia went on a five day hunger strike to influence the passage of progressive laws which will act to strengthen the power of the poor. think of this; the president as underdog. the president as practitioner of civil disobedience. the tactics of gandhi and chavez used by a president! on the surface, it's stunning, but if one knows evo, it isn't really, for he comes from the struggle, and the struggle influences him always. the struggle continues, whether one is president or pauper. this evo digs.
i ask you to think about this for a second...the president as protester. the leader as social agitator and instigator of progressive change. for when leaders arise from mass movements, such a thing occurs. in our nation, people such as debs and wallace and nader and cleaver and gregory and davis have run for office, but have never come close to winning. they were protestors, but within the american political structure, they had no chance of ultimate victory.
ah, to be born bolivian, where democracy is not dead.
long live the hunger strike, and its most recent practitioner.
may more presidents and other people practice its profound power in a progressive period that hopefully lies ahead.
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