As a Bernie Sanders supporter, I've been hoping that the Democrats will unify around his vision and policy proposals. This has happened to some extent with most Dem leaders now in favor of some version of Medicare for All and also a federal job guarantee, programs which are massively popular with the general public. Nevertheless, there is a still hesitancy to adopt the socialist label that Sanders so proudly wears. There is an understandable hesitancy for Dems to give the Republicans such a fat target.
Republicans have a strong track record of tearing socialist Dems to shreds, going back to George McGovern's disastrous 1972 presidential campaign. Only Carter, Clinton, and Obama have been able to win the presidency since then, and this has been accomplished by moving away from the radical left. The limits to this strategy were confronted in 2009 when Republicans, led by James O'Keefe and Andrew Breitbat, successfully destroyed one of the most effective grass roots organizations supporting ostensibly Democratic goals. They did this through lies and racist allusions, but the Democrats acquiesced to the slander and voted with Republicans to defund ACORN, in effect conceding that the untrue accusations were valid.
From How The ACORN Scandal Seeded Today’s Nightmare Politics:
But Washington didn’t wait around for the facts to come out. On Sept. 14, 2009, the Democratic-controlled Senate voted 83 to 7 to block some federal grants to ACORN... On Sept. 17, the House followed suit, with 172 Democrats joining 173 Republicans in voting to defund ACORN... (this) exposed a Democratic Party establishment unprepared for dirty tricks in the Digital Age and unwilling to defend many of the black voters and activists it claimed to represent... The illegal voting accusations never panned out. But within 18 months, Lewis would be forced to close ACORN’s doors ― exhausted, short-staffed, out of money and, most important, out of allies... ACORN registered more than 865,000 voters for the 2008 election. While other groups have tried to pick up the slack, there’s a reason Republicans haven’t selected a new organization to serve as the voter fraud boogeyman: nobody is doing the same caliber work on the same scale that ACORN did.
In retrospect, it is clear that Democrats were timid in 2009, and not without reason. Although the Dems controlled the presidency and both houses of Congress, they had achieved these gains largely due to the failures of Republicans with both Iraq and the economy. While Obama was an inspirational representative of the need for change, Dems were also aware that Republicans would be merciless in using his blackness to their advantage. Thus, they felt they had to pick their battles, and they chose not to defend ACORN (Bernie Sanders being a notable exception).
Other battles the Dems chose not to fight included:
- Prosecution of Republicans for malfeasance (including torture) in Iraq, and in the run-up to the war.
- Letting the big banks fail. Even the The Economist magazine thought they should be nationalized.
- Prosecution of various financial sector firms and/or individuals for breaking the law (accounting control fraud).
My opinion is that the Dems should be less timid going forward and try to do what is right, without being cowed by Republican slander. In other words, the treatment of ACORN by Democrats was morally and politically disastrous and should not be repeated going forward. Judge each person and organization on their own merits and stand up for one another in that spirit. Do the same for policy proposals, whether they be from the democratic socialist (fundamental change) or from the social democracy (reform) camp. Instead of identity politics (label-based as in ACORN being black and poor, Iraq being Arab and Muslim, Sanders being socialist, white, and male), practice value-based politics (what's best for people overall regardless of identity).
We don't need to re-fight the last election. We do need to learn from the last 18 years and beyond.
We don't need to re-fight the last election. We do need to learn from the last 18 years and beyond.
- Lessons from McGovern 1972 -- Ditching VP candidate was a mistake. Dem reason was "OMG -- He had been to a psychiatrist. Republicans will have a field day." McGovern would have lost anyway, but perhaps Dems could have come back as did Republicans after Goldwater loss if they had stood their ground. Also, perhaps a job guarantee would have been a more popular economic platform than a negative income tax. (The negative income tax was McGovern's version of a universal basic income.)
- Lessons from Carter -- Fiscal austerity is a losing proposition. "Deep state" (military, intelligence agencies) will sabotage foreign policy "doves". Be prepared for that and call it out when it happens.
- Lessons from 1980s -- Fiscal deficits win (Reagan success). Fiscal conservatism loses (Mondale calling for tax hikes). Staying true to values wins (Reagan success). Pragmatism wins (Reagan success in eventually raising some taxes and negotiating with USSR). Reaganomics started decline of middle class (labor), while providing boost to capital (stock market). Many of us in middle class were co-opted by 401k plans and greater stake in capitalism. Short term success of Republicans in Reagan era undeniable, Dems occasionally have to hang in as minority until tide changes.
- Lessons from 1990s -- Sometimes it is advantageous to concede ground in order to overextend enemy. Pragmatism wins. Good to have friends with money (Dem alliance with Goldman Sachs and others on Wall St paid dividends.) Voters like those receiving benefits from govt to work for them (Clinton's welfare reform popular). Voters like politicians who are tough on crime (increased incarceration during 1990s). Dems were lucky (as Republicans were in 1980s with short term success of reduced taxes and regulations), with end of Cold War paying dividends for U.S. as sole surviving superpower.
- Dubya era (2001-2008) -- Dems start out millennium on wrong foot by joining Republicans in Patriot Act and Iraq War. Iraq War in particular was massive failure. Economy crashes, yet Dems late to realize the collapse of "ownership society" dating from Reagan era.
- Obama era (2009-2016) -- Dem fecklessness exemplified by ACORN betrayal, weak use of bully pulpit to advocate programs which would genuinely help working class. Fiscal responsibility again fails politically and economically. Many Dems are bad losers in 2016, blaming others as opposed to their own mistakes.
Democrats have a chance to accomplish great things in the coming years if we can learn from the past. Identity politics has failed. MLK succeeded with value politics.
3 comments:
While neoliberalism seems to be cresting, the wave has not begun to fall yet. It will probably take some shock to wake up the public enough to end it. Like the next recession when it hits, or some other crisis.
I would put the shift in the 2020-2030 range, and it could be an epochal one.
The shift in the Democratic Party began with Jimmy Carter and while Barack Obama had the opportunity to end it, he dropped the ball.
The problem is that Bernie is the only major standard bearer, and he is past expiration date politically and he self-identifies as a socialist rather than a Democrat. Right now, the Dems have a weak bench.
I don't hold out much hope for them as they are presently configuring the Party.
Even if they took control, I doubt they would be the revolutionary party that the progressives and populists are looking for, because most of them are swamp critters or cronies, or else lack spine and a trued moral compass.
I agree that it will probably take a recession to seriously derail neoliberalism, and that such an occurrence is likely sooner rather than later. There seem to be a lot of young Dems following Bernie's lead, so I am hopeful that it is only a matter of time before a dynamic leader emerges.
As I noted in my previous post, many of the Dems are bad losers, and are going nowhere. Eventually, they will get tired of making common cause with the warmongers and will get out of the way, in my opinion.
By the way, I extensively updated the original post that we are commenting on, and I apologize for any confusion. I'm just kind of rambling here about lessons since 1972 when the progressives were burned badly. Recent Dem missteps are clear, but they were made for reasons, and we have to look farther back to digest those.
Fall out from decision not to support ACORN (and similar):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/will-democrats-lurch-to-the-left-watch-michigan/2018/07/31/38d02f86-9431-11e8-80e1-00e80e1fdf43_story.html?utm_term=.f47f292004e0
"Black turnout in 2016 was more than 12 percent lower than it had been four years earlier, when President Barack Obama was running for reelection. It was the sharpest drop among African American voters anywhere in the country and may well have accounted for Clinton losing the state."
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