Social movements and their organizational structures

Social Movement

The 2008 upcoming U.S. elections are considered by most specialists to be one of the most important and most interesting elections of recent times. This is largely due to a combination of factors. On the one hand, the main contenders present a perspective which draws the attention on a series of issues that marked the history of the U.S. since its early beginnings. In this sense, women are strongly represented through the Democrat candidacy of Hilary Clinton, New York senator. At the same time, the African-Americans have a strong representative in the person of Barack Obama, Illinois senator from the Democrat party.

On the other hand, it is important for the nature of the elections to consider also the platform the candidates are using in developing their messages. Therefore, all the candidates tackle issues such as immigration, poverty, and healthcare. Although these aspects are constant subjects for discussion in elections in the U.S., it appears that in 2008 there are predominant.

In order to assess the degree in which the 2008 elections can be considered to have a major impact in terms of social issues, it is important to discuss both perspectives and to analyze the candidates as well as their electoral platforms.

Hilary Clinton is one of the most well-known personalities of the American politics. This is not necessarily because of her career as a politician. As the former First Lady of the Clinton Administration she had an important background in social issues taking into account the fact that she was an active participant in projects involving homeless children, abused ones, and even poor people whom she helped by offering free legal assistance (the National First Ladies Library, 2005). From this point-of-view, it can be said that for the majority of the electorate she represents an important figure in the fight against social injustice and poverty. At the same time though, her early attempts to defy the status of inferiority imposed to women in the early 1960s revealed the eventual role she would play in the promotion of the role of women in a society run by men. In this sense, "she applied to NASA and was stunned when she was told that girls were not accepted for the astronaut program" (the National First Ladies Library, 2005). Even so, she would later engage in programs that would make her an important asset for the emancipation of women.

Today, she is viewed as a strong voice for the American women society as she tries to promote the right of women to be heard and to have a strong impact on the evolution of the society. In this sense, she is a strong supporter of the idea of the emancipation of women as she argues that "there cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country" (Lewis, 2008). Therefore, from this perspective, it is clear the fact that one of her major focuses is on the role women should have in the American society. This attention given to the issue of women is the result of decades of submission and unequal treatment they were subjected to throughout the decades. In this sense, her attitude is socially oriented from this point-of-view because she raises serious questions over the engagement of women in the political and public life, an issue that was never discussed before at such a high level. The fact that these matters are dealt with and addressed in an upcoming electoral campaign points out the importance of these issues and at the same times shows a change in the perspective candidates tend to give to the electoral race.

The presence of Hilary Clinton in the Democrat's race for nomination is important also from the point-of-view of the way in which she is perceived. Indeed, the fact that she is a woman is an interesting fact for the political scene and for the other candidates. At the same time however, she is also making a special appeal to the women in the electorate. Even though the relationship with the female electorate is considered to require an improvement, she is still regarded by female voters more favorable than male voters. In this sense, "women tend to agree with her on the issues and see her as a strong leader and as a positive role model." (Seelye, 2007) Therefore, her candidacy draws the attention on the importance of the female voters who made up 54% of the last U.S. voters (Seelye, 2007). This is an important issue to be taken into account from the perspective of the ratio between men and women who go to the poll. The fact that women have a strong representative and an eligible candidate for the Democrat elections represents a chance for women to express themselves in a legitimate matter and at the same time it offers them a stronger incentive for the participation to the vote. Therefore, the fact that a women is present in the primaries with a strong chance of getting the Democrat nomination for presidency is a proof of the fact that social change and the perspective on the role of women in the society is changing in America and that the social movement is indeed underway in the U.S.

Barack Obama is yet another piece of the electoral game which is essential for the way in which the American society is viewed in the 2008 elections. This time however, his presence on the ballots is important for the African-American community in particular. The issue of the rights for the black people is rather old and has been a major point of disputes in the history of the United State. In particular slavery of the 19th century made a clear statement for the society at the time pointing out the fact that black people were perceived as inferior in rank, race, and social status in the U.S. society. The 1960s however brought the change in the society, but only through actions and activists that have tried hard to point out the equal chances each citizen of the United States should have, including the African-American population. As a result, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s represented a crucial moment in the history of this issue. It pointed out the fact that equality and tolerance can be achieved in the society and citizens and human beings must have access to all the rights their presence in the United States offers them. From this point-of-view, the possible candidacy of Barack Obama for the highest position in the state appears to be crucial for the African-American community in particular.

Aside from the mere existence of Obama on the candidates lists, an significant issue and a proof which shows the fact that his candidacy is important for the arguments it tends to bring in the discussions, as well as for the community he most visibly serves in a first instance, that of the African-Americans, is his previous activity which includes a varied background. More precisely, he comes from a family in which the black and white race mingled, as his father is from Kenya, and his mother from the United States. His family appears in this sense to be the symbol of the American racial reconciliation.

It is not sufficient to consider the ethnical background of an individual in order to assess the degree in which he or she is racial blind. This is applicable to the Obama case as well. Although it may appear that the family background of an African-American in the race for the U.S. presidency would be sufficient for raising the awareness on the need to totally eliminate racial discrimination, there are also issues arising concerning the background itself. In this sense, in an interviewed he pointed out the fact that racial discrimination is an issue that will continue to represent a problem for the American society. Thus, he offered his grandmother as an example. In this sense, he argued that "she is a typical white person who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know, there's a reaction that's been bred into our experiences that don't go away, and that sometimes come out in the wrong way, and that's just the nature of race in our society." (Mcauliff and Saul, 2008) However, in the same interview, he tries to point out the fact that it is not a matter of personal choice and that his grandmother is racial, but that the spirit of racial discrimination is entrenched in the collective mentality of the U.S. society. In this sense, he argued that "the point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn't." (Mcauliff and Saul, 2008) What is relevant for the society as a whole and in the long run is the mere discussion of these issues, not necessarily their actual content because it is rather clear that there are still entrenched mentalities at the core of the social strata which argue for a continued discriminatory strategy and behavior.

The perspectives presented in the first instance by the two main candidates for the Democrat nomination is essential. Their presence of the ballots raises serious questions that in the end target defining issues for the American society. On the one hand, Hilary Clinton addresses the issue of women in the society and in the political and civil arena; on the other hand, Obama underlines the existence of the African-American community, the issue of discrimination, and the need for emancipation in this sense. Although these matters have been discussed along the decades, their importance is greater at this point because these problems and issues are raised at the highest level.

The other dimension of the idea that the current electoral campaign is labeled "a social movement" is the actual electoral platforms the two candidates have. Indeed, both Clinton and Obama are running for the same nomination and one of them will have to face the Republican candidate. However, this current analysis takes into account only the Democrat candidates because it is considered that the interesting element of the presidential race is precisely the confrontation inside the Democrat party, rather than the wider campaign. This is largely due to the fact that it is considered that after the Democrat nomination, the either a woman or a Black person will have won the seat for the presidential elections, a fact which will point out, at least at the level of the Democrat electorate, the importance given to the issues related to women as opposed to those related to Black people and racial discrimination.

The major issues both of the candidates have on their agenda are related more to the domestic issues of the country, rather than the foreign policy of the United States. Indeed, the American strategy in Iraq represents a major point in the discourse of both candidates, as their initial positions on the matter differed. In this sense, Obama opposed the intervention in Iraq from the very beginning, as he considered that such kind of war would "require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undermined cost, with undetermined consequences" (Barack Obama, 2008). By comparison, the U.S. Senator of New York supported in the beginning the war, as she voted for the war. However "she has not apologized for that vote but has since said that, had she known then what she knows now, she would have acted differently" (BBC, 2007). Similar to her counter candidate, she tried to change the policy concerning the war in Iraq and " has said she would end the war if she were president. She favors the phased redeployment of troops and caps on troop numbers in Iraq" (BBC, 2007). Therefore, although in the beginning the two were on different sides of the issue, as the war in Iraq proved its limitations, they came to consider the withdrawal of troops as the most viable solution of for its resolution.

However, the social matters that both take into account concern in particular several aspects. First and foremost, one of the most important issues is related to immigration. Immigration has become one of the most stringent problems facing the U.S. society. This is largely due to the fact that more and more immigrants are being hired to do unqualified labor, which in turn determines the lowering of wages in this area throughout the country. At the same time, such a situation determines a change in the social situation of many low income families which are affected by this massive afflux of immigrants. At the same time however, there is growing demand for jobs, as the level of the economy must rise. In this sense, there are many voices which rely on the work of the immigrants (Isidore, 2007). Thus, a stronger immigration stand is taken into consideration by both candidates. However, theirs positions are rather similar. On the one hand, Hilary Clinton argues in favor of a reformation of the current immigration system by "tightening border security, tougher penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers and a system to bring the estimated 12m illegal immigrants out of the shadows" (BBC, 2007).

Similarly, Obama supports the idea of the inclusion of the immigrants in the society because of their importance for the system and for the job benefits they might bring. However, at the same time, he points out the importance of increasing the control measures at the border. In this sense, he considers that "We're going to have to secure our borders. And this past year, the Senate invested billions of dollars in improving border security. I think that's important because I think all Americans think that we should be able to regulate who comes in and out of this country in an orderly way, not only for the sake of our sovereignty, but also to avoid the hundreds of people who have been dying across the desert, the enormous costs that are placed on border states and border towns" (the New York Times, 2008). Therefore, as he considers the matter of the security of the American people, he also takes into account the social issues immigration entangles. He points out the fact that a major issue concerning illegal immigrants is also related to the fact that employers are not interested in the origin and status of their employees. In order to tackle this issue, he proposed a system of sanctions for the employers who hire illegal immigrants (the New York Times, 2008).

Another major point the two candidates consider in their campaign is the issue poverty and the way this aspect which affects a large segment of the society can be dealt with. From this point-of-view, the fact that poverty represents a matter of discussion is an important idea of the campaign and of the interests of the two candidates. Concerning Obama's strategy for dealing with poverty, his main goal is to apply the knowledge he accumulated as a community organizer to broader-based projects. In this sense, in the early years of his career "in the mid-1980s, (he spent) 4 years organizing African-American neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side." (on the issues, 2007). This experience and many other projects determined him to take a positive position on issues such as creating shelters for the homeless, taking care of the poor, and offering the young people the possibility to learn. More precisely, one of the declared aims of his presidency would be to "establish 20 Promise Neighborhoods: Obama will create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in cities across the nation that have high levels of poverty and crime and low levels of student academic achievement. The Promise Neighborhoods will be modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone, which provides a full network of services, including early childhood education, youth violence prevention efforts and after-school activities, to an entire neighborhood from birth to college" (on the issues, 2007). Therefore, from this point-of-view, the social orientation of Obama is rather clear, as he tries to discuss the issues of poverty, lack of social aid, and limited education possibilities.