Mediocrity for Sale
The reason Democrats have been ineffective at countering this is fairly simple. A professional class of consultants, what a friend of mine calls the consultocracy, has evolved to control the national party. They tend to be ideologically moderate and totally dependent on the corporate contributions they bring to the party. These funds not only keep them employed but a major power in the party itself.
They have a severe aversion to the words "class war" even if they know there is one and they are losing it. The reason is that they stay in power whether Democratic candidates win or lose. They continue to collect their salaries, influence who gets selected as candidates, the platform positions and the money flow. Consequently they are terrified of an open endorsement of the populism around economic issues that would attract WCWMs back to the party. They are paranoid about alienating the corporate sponsors whom they collect most of their contributions and support from. The history of this is born out in the Democratic support of "law and order", military spending, restrictions on the bill of rights and other anti-populist measures.
The moment for the rise of world wide populist power may be higher now than it has ever been. Conditions of disillusionment, organization of regular people through the internet, the growing crisis of world instability environmentally, economically, and culturally require cooperation that only every day people can bring about. These are the also the conditions that create the cauldron for revolutionary change.
The rising group of progressives must bring greens, socialists and other "fringe" groups back into the party and take control of it at every level. Activists from the 60s must reinvigorate themselves and work in cooperation with the younger generations. This time we are the parents and grandparents who owe them the rekindling of our idealism and our support. It is they who can save us if we show them the way.
We need to openly declare and engage in class warfare identifying, connecting and publicizing the growing inequities of Republican (and most Democratic) policy impacts on American working people and the growing underclass. Make economic security and social justice for all peoples the primary issue in every election. We need to make sacrifice for the common good, a mark of pride, respect and virtue as opposed to the "I got mine, screw you" culture of the Republicans. We need to elevate the work of every day people to the importance it deserves. And this is the part of it too, we need to elevate and honor these as part of the traditional male role.
We need to honor the fight. We need to bring back the history of the labor, anti-war and civil rights movements to new generations so that they can draw strength from the struggles of the past. We need to take over party positions at every level and reject the traditional party leadership. Get regular people to run on a "Mr. Smith/I'm not a politician" campaign making it a matter of principle not to accept corporate dollars. Make commonality such an issue that graduating from an Ivy League University is considered as automatic reason for disqualification from public office, comparable to child molesting. George Bush a C student rejected by a state university who got a legacy degree at Yale is the perfect example of the rule of the mediocre elite, placed in power by connections not skill, dedication or ability. Its time to show the oligarchy the door.
We must build a model of a world that people can draw hope from. Local economies controlled by the people themselves, interconnected with other small economies. Fire up local economies and entrepreneurs by implementing universal health insurance, disability and old age pensions, the main reasons people are wage slaves to corporations. Establish charters for more community based credit unions to provide locally controlled capital. Lets have government policy that encourages cooperative as opposed to exploitive economic relationships. Where governments licenses corporations owned by workers and consumers to provide goods or services needed on a larger scale then can be done by communities for themselves. Economies where long term consequences take precedence over short term gain.
People don't necessarily believe that government is bad, but they do hate bad government. The concerns of the working class have overwhelming support. Healthcare, education, old age protection, job security, protecting the environment are extremely popular issues. Can we provide this? Yes and we can pay down the national debt at the same time. How? Realize that building a larger military industrial complex is the cause of our insecurity not the answer to it. Instead of a peace dividend we need a peace initiative both at home and abroad using the former military budget to accomplish it. Recognize our responsibility for the world we leave our children, all of them. To do this we must recognize that first and last that political purpose is defined by class differences.
Politics of Purpose
We can all have a better world but it will require we give up old ways of the thinking and acting. To do this we must strip away the framing and define the purpose of politics by our interests.
Rich individuals and corporations see the purpose of politics as a way to gain advantage for themselves. Greed. They use government for: 1) Increasing profits by reducing taxes and regulation; 2) Exploiting natural (public) resources; 3) Opening and protecting revenue sources (markets); 4) Privatizing profits while subsidizing costs; 5) Protecting private property over the interests of the general welfare; 6) Controlling information (propaganda & media control); and 7) Repressing the power of the masses to organize or resist such efforts of control.
Working people see the purpose of politics as a way to help themselves and each other. They want a government that offers: 1) Protection of the commonwealth (public resources) for the good of all; 2) Provide for the common welfare; 3) To protect the weak from the abuse and exploitation by the strong; 4) A fair chance for everyone and; 5) Provide individuals and families with basic protection from catastrophic occurrences. Corporations today are like wealthy people who skip out on the restaurant bill with the underpaid waitress having it deducted from her check by her employer. All the rest of the "issues" are just to convince people otherwise.
John M. Kelley is a teacher, philosopher, writer, artist, political activist, singer of ballads, rebellious Irishman and agent for change who worries daily about the world he is leaving for his grandchildren. His blog is at http://www.mytown.ca/johnkelley
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