Adam Shapiro writes in the Huffington Post about a young internationally-oriented do-gooder who ends up being elected to Congress on a whim. Shapiro made his acquaintance before he planned to run for office. Congressman Tom Perriello’s election, along with the new Obama rhetoric, gave the activist-filmmaker Shapiro some hope. It proved short-lived, but also points to the need for us to get better organized in Washington, DC.

Despite the new congressman’s previous dedication to international law, which he shared with Adam when they first met in Afghanistan, he quickly developed the famous Palestine blindspot. He shed his previous disposition and voted for House Resolution 867 “Calling on the President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the ‘Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’ in multilateral fora.”

Adam thinks that Congressman Tom Perriello’s vote “resulted from the almost-obligatory fealty to AIPAC displayed by members of Congress – and perhaps his desire to get reelected.” The two go hand-in-hand sadly. When the pro-Israel lobby tackles a politician, it is usually fatal.

Anticipating the pressures of selling out, he told Shapiro he would stay true to his principles when he shared his plans to run for office.

How many allies do we hear promise the same when they aspire to work “inside the system”? It is as if by the sheer force of their personality and commitment to good that they can force the system to adapt to their beliefs. Little do they understand the power of institutions and political contexts to shape beliefs to exclusion, shaming and other disincentives (principled members of Congress, for instance, can get punished by the party for their positions: for instance, by being passed over for top committee appointments).

In the end, Shapiro is not as bothered by the Congressman’s turnabout as he is by the fact that he was not cynical from the start.

This tale of moral corruption for the sake of political expediency is nothing new. Shapiro’s story is powerful because it shows that even if Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected to Congress, he’d be bound by a certain system. Even if we was representing East Dearborn, AIPAC would find someone to challenge his seat — perhaps a young Anwar Sadat.

Money-politics is the psychic grease that keeps the machinery slugging through; and we tend to invest in the power of ideas, which is why there are no ads on KABOBfest.

That said, we have to think of ways to be involved in such politics without putting false hopes in the integrity of politicians or in the sheer power of ideas. While concepts and messages are important for persuasion, we clearly have a huge advantage in this as a displaced people robbed of our homes.

The question is, how do we play ball without making compromises in our demands and becoming slaves to the dollar? And I am not suggesting that pursue this at the expense of other modes of political activism.

Though I hear activists demean lobbying and gag at the mention of fundraising, we have to participate in mainstream politics even if what we have to say is outside the frame of acceptable discourse — like pointing out how fallacious the two-state proposal is, or arguing that boycott, divestment and sanctions are the key to peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians.

Shapiro himself is a great model for us. He’s a tireless activist and filmmaker who has founded organizations, such as the International Solidarity Movement, and built an impressive network of like-minded individuals. His films have also had powerful educational and issue-raising effects.

Short of us emulating his superman-like endeavors, we can get plugged into groups doing essential work to organize our money-politics. Organizations like the American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights (AAPER) and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation offer something of an answer. They are based in Washington, yet draw on the grassroots for financial support and for people power. They, in a sense, will be getting their hands dirty so we don’t have to. It seems, the least we can do is back them and get involved.

The Palestine Center in Washington, D.C., a non-profit I work with, is taking strides to educate the public about the status and history of the Palestinians. It also could use your support.

The budgets and presence of these groups are still minuscule compared to AIPAC bohemoth. Even if you throw in civil rights groups like ADC and CAIR, and civic empowerment groups like AAI, we still do not come close.

In short, we need to continue to institutionalize in Washington. Even if the politics in Palestine is bankrupt and seemingly leading nowhere, or to disaster, Palestinians and their supporters in the United States need build and mobilize here and now. As isolated as we are, the day may come soon for us to assert our voices and make an impact. We cannot take advantage of any political openings if we are sitting back and waiting for politicians to fix things on their own.

Related posts:

1. Chronicles of a Refugee: Get it Now!
2. A Glimmer of Hope or Something Temporary?
3. The Lobby from a Victim’s View
4. Ana Uhibbuk, Ya Abourezk
5. From J Street to One State: Time for an Israel-Palestine Integrationism Movement