moveon

[seemoreglass09]

Hey research committee, and anyone reading this forum, I'm trying to find out more about Moveon.org, it's history with the occupation movement (especially Chitown), whether rumors that it's been claiming to have started OWS are true (that there were claims, cause I'm pretty sure they didn't start OWS), and anything it's done or supports that seems counter to our agenda.
I'm concerned that they may be co-opting our movement and trying to deceive donors into donating to moveon instead of OWS, OChi etc. If so, we need to know everything possible and nip it in the bud.

[ciwp]

[Scene: Occupy Chicago website 'Research' forum]
[Sounds of crickets chirping]

Action: Seemoreglass and Ciwp enter

Ciwp (whispering): Psst... seemore! Don't want to wake anyone up... that was a very good question, seemoreglass!... I wonder if the Researchers have an answer to that simplest of all questions yet... look at them lying all around us, fast asleep! Researching must be very tough work!

Mark Donaghey
Housing, Donations Committees
Committee for an Independent Workers Party

[marty]

Hi Seemoreglass,

I haven't heard any rumors that moveon has claimed responsibility for starting the occupy movement, but I have heard many criticisms that moveon is trying to 'co opt' the movement.

As full disclosure, I have previously worked with moveon.org and will likely continue to support them in the future.

A large criticism of moveon's involvement with Occupy has been this email:

http://www.moveon.org/emails/2011-10-18-a-dramatic-shift-in-america.html

The language within the email is carefully phrased so that moveon does not have to provide any financial support for the Occupy movement; additionally, moveon.org is asking for donations for their own organization while referencing the actions of Occupy.

A more in depth criticism of the email is here: http://www.occupyr.com/General/thread.php?id=201 (note: obscenity is used in the article).

The overall criticsms I have seen have been that moveon.org is coopting the movement. For instance, this article criticises moveon as a 'top down' approach for policy change (wherein one organization attempts to influence politics) where as Occupy advcoates 'bottom up' changes from grass roots efforts:

http://october2011.org/blogs/margaret-flowers/occupy-movement-tells-moveon-back

Additionally, people view MoveOn.org as an organization for the Democratic Party whereas Occupy is decidely independent:

http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/11/no-to-co-option-moveon-is-the-opposite-of-the-occupy-movement-2/

There is concern that MoveOn's attempts to support Occupy could leave it as an instrument of large institutions, as occurred to the Tea Party movement:

http://www.truth-out.org/moveonorg-and-friends-attempt-co-opt-occupy-wall-street-movement/1318259708