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LAROUCHE YOUTH BRING REAL POLITICS TO LOUISVILLE DEMSby Bill Roberts
LaRouche Youth MovementLOUISVILLE, Aug. 25—As part of LaRouche's strategy for defeating Cheney/Bush in November, the LaRouche Youth Movement is leading a campaign to bring great infrastructure projects, modelled on FDR's anti-Depression programs, to the key "Rust Belt" states around the Ohio River, Mississippi River, and Tennessee-Tombigbee River Systems. These states, which could be decisive in assuring a Democratic victory in November, are areas in which there are large concentrations of what the Democratic Party has cynically labelled "unlikely voters" (i.e., youth and poor folks)—those whom FDR called the "forgotten man." These are people who would be voting Democrat, if the party were to show some backbone and leadership.

A group of six youth from the LYM, who have experience in taking leadership where the Democratic Party has failed to, are on the ground, organizing, to shift the situation here in the Louisville, Ky. area.

Our first deployment at the University of Louisville was very effective. The table was busy all day; there was a general excitement about the fact that, here were youth who were political in their own right, fighting over ideas. We met youth who kept coming back to the table, admitting that they "just couldn't stay away." All in all, 71 youth signed up. The sign "Kerry Fights a War While Bush Gets Drunk" set off a lot of responses—a lot of people agreed that the attack on Kerry's war record was a fraud.

We are organizing around the "Real Democratic Platform," LaRouche's solution to compromise and lethargy within the ranks of the Democratic Party, and low voter turnouts. We've also been distributing the new EIR featuring articles on why "Bush Doesn't Give a Dam," and why Louisville has declined from being a powerful manufacturing hub, to a place where people can't find work.

In addition to four veteran youth organizers, we were joined by two sisters who were met at a Starbucks, attended the town hall meeting, and were excited that they've had their entire world outlook challenged, and are now deploying regularly with the permanent squad. We distributed about 15 bundles of Platforms, two bundles of New Fed, and a bundle or two of the EIRs. A lot of the youth contacts have been made by holding impromptu meetings at cafes, where we work through pedagogies on geometric constructions and Classical music. - The 'Real' Economy -

Some very explosive discussion broke out at the town hall meeting last night on questions, especially regarding LaRouche's method, and the "real" state of the economy, measurable not in terms of dollars but in terms of the state of dilapidated infrastructure, collapse of physical production, and declining health care and standard of living.

The meeting kicked off with the singing of "O Freedom," followed by native son Travis Lee Smith introducing Kentucky State Rep. Perry Clark, a local Machinist Union president, and Western states spokesman for the LaRouche PAC, Harley Schlanger. Harley led a discussion on the difference in response between America and Germany in the 1930s, how FDR led the mobilization out of the Great Depression, while Germany went fascist, and why this longer-term historical process has to be understood today, so that people can have the correct response and take responsibility for the nation.

A number of people were very provoked by the idea, presented by Harley, of the historical necessity for large-scale infrastructure development along the inland waterways of America's rivers, and it made a local official come to terms with the real crisis in the country (some people like the ideas of FDR's projects but don't want to fight for the financing). The discussion reflected that local leaders have been working through LaRouche's ideas over the last few years, and have begun to grasp the anti-Baby Boomer principle of "learned ignorance." A Boomer contact who attended, and a youth organizer sang Negro Spirituals in the car ride the whole way home. A youth guest started passionately organizing someone in the lobby of the hotel after the event. Union workers were sharing stories with the youth of how the rolling waves of shutdowns have hit the local industries one by one.

This year, the Democratic opponent of Bushite Congresswoman Anne Northup is Tony Miller, who, according to some, is running a close race for the 3rd District seat. What is notable about Jefferson County (the Louisville metro area), is that about 100,000 registered Democrats didn't vote in the 2000 elections; 600,000 stayed home, statewide. - Finding the 'Unlikely' Voter -

At a local Democratic Club meeting, members were surprised when they realized that they going to get more support from the LYM than from the Democratic National Committee: The LaRouche Youth will go to the "unlikely" voters and discuss real politics. Despite the potential that exists in the area to shift the balance in some elections from Republican to Democrat, the Dems were told by the Kerry campaign that they will receive no resources from the DNC. The LYM, however, was there in full force. Bill, an organizer from Philadelphia, made the announcement at the end of the meeting that LaRouche has declared his support for John Kerry, and that the LYM intends to take a non-pragmatic approach to organizing, discussing with people in the neighborhoods and on the college campuses why their future is being ruined in an economic collapse, and why Dick Cheney is becoming "Emperor of the World," and then recruit them to a movement to change the focus of the party back toward the lower 80% of income brackets. John Paul, an organizer from Los Angeles, Socratically questioned local candidates for district judge if they could tell him what justice was. This is the second local Democratic Club meeting where the LYM has inspired the people to think of their role in changing the direction of the nation, not just getting out a few votes.