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October 31, 2006 at 07:16:07
by Joel S. Hirschhorn Page 1 of 2 page(s) |
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If Republicrooks should retain control of one or both houses of congress, our country continues downhill. Our trust and faith in our constitutional republic is surely flushed down the toilet, with George, Dick, Don and Condi jointly and joyously pushing the lever down.
What if Democraps win? Where are we going? To somewhere that really matters? That depends on where you think our nation should go. What problems do you want solved and what policy and political reforms do you think are critically needed?
Lately, the Dems talk about a "new direction." To where? To the Promised Land? Where exactly are they promising to take us? That logically should result from a sincere rejection of our current system. Can they reject their system? Or, is their new direction likely to be nothing more than a sleazy political U-turn?
Are they going to take us to a democracy-land free of corruption by corporate and other special interests? On the other side will the Dems take us out of the insane pre-emptive Iraq war that is wasting American lives and treasure? Will that new destination include vigorously protecting our borders from illegal immigrants and terrorists? Once we cross over will we finally see a true overhaul of our tax system that works in favor of economic justice and equality, where the rich no longer get favored treatment? Once there will they impeach – or better yet, prosecute – G.W. Bush and his accomplices for mass criminally negligent homicide? Will they restore honesty and integrity to our constitutional republic?
This is what Nancy Pelosi says the Dems will do in the first 100 legislative hours in office:
"Restore civility to the operations of the House and break the link between lobbyists and legislation." Do you really believe that the Dems will totally run lobbyists off? I don't. They take too much money from special interests. There will be nothing more than cosmetic, superficial actions.
"Pass all the recommendations made by the bipartisan and independent 9/11 Commission." Fine, long overdue, but requiring many detailed legislative actions and appropriations that may not happen.
"Raise the minimum wage." Fine, but will a Republicrook-controlled Senate and that loser in the White House go along? I'm not sure. Anyway, many states have already acted. A lot must be done to combat growing economic inequality.
"Cut the interest rate in half on student loans." Okay, sounds good, but is certainly nothing profound, especially because getting good-paying jobs has become problematic because of all the outsourcing and investment in foreign operations by "American" companies.
"Allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare patients." Another no-brainer, but no substitute for universal health care.
"Roll back the multi-billion-dollar subsidies for Big Oil companies and invest instead in energy independence." A little late and nebulous. Will they raise mileage requirements for cars?
Where is the big vision? Where is the acknowledgement of just how awful, abusive, wasteful and invasive our federal government has become? Where is the admission that our economic system serves an elitist and aristocratic Upper Class, rather than working- and middle-class Americans? Where is the commitment to reverse the many undemocratic, fascist and criminal actions by the Bush administration?
Like a waste of time crossing over a bridge to nowhere, using your time and energy to vote in an election to nowhere is either a waste or a monument to self-delusion. There is no there, there, if you are motivated by the belief, hope or desire that voting for Dems will bring a sea change in American politics, and deliver a revitalized and restored American democracy where working- and middle-class people are the priority of our elected representatives. Where the people running our government take responsibility for ensuring that our capitalist system serves our citizens and nation, not elitist and global interests. Where the government cares about future generations and, thus, works aggressively to curb global warming and make us a lot more energy efficient, not just independent. Where citizens are better informed and educated to become politically engaged. Where our culture of lying and corruption is transformed into a culture of honesty and trust.
Ask yourself, when a representative democracy has a rancid electoral system and only two superficially competing parties that have a partnership to keep out third-parties does voting make sense? With no true path to a better society and government, is voting justified? Is it that much different than voting for dictators in countries without any credible democratic government?
Does replacing Republicrook political hacks with Democrap political hacks justify participation in a fake and delusional democracy? Will winning Dems move closer to progressives?
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| 8 comments |
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Election to Redirection
Pelosi puts at the top of her list: "...break the link between lobbyists and legislation." I would be happy to start here. Enormous changes would come down quickly. True, making sure she accomplishes this might depend on holding her feet to the fire. But it is a damn good starting point, and I can't for the life of me see giving up before even making the effort. by Daniel Geery (26 articles, 95 quicklinks, 126 diaries, 912 comments [27 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Oct 31, 2006 at 1:54:27 PM  (0+)
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The Audacity of Hope
Bad form to plagiarize a title to a book not yet read (Barack Obama), but Joel's negative attitude seems almost archaic in these fast-moving times. Yes, plenty of corruption and corporatism to go around, but that focus ignores fundamental change occurring in the Democratic Party due to progressives and the blogosphere. And it ignores the current uprising occurring among Independents and even Republicans over the Neocon agenda. A good friend reminded me last week of the tremendous power of hope, and how the keen observer can see the miraculous effects of hope throughout our world. (HINT: Not on the TV.) So to Joel and the many others feeling some sense of hopelessness, I say transform thyself. The times, they are a -changin'. More importantly, so are we. They may be able to steal your vote, but they cannot control the content of your heart and mind. by Jim Prues (15 articles, 33 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 81 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Oct 31, 2006 at 2:38:25 PM (0+)
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Reply: I have hope
Rest assured, I have hope, but NOT hope in the two-party duopoly, nor in the ability of some Dems to take over the party or ensure that it delivers a much improved America to working- and middle-class people. My hope lies with we the people and the prospect for some sort of rebellion by the vast majority of Americans screwed by the political and economic systems. How that rebellion comes about is open to speculation; but if history is any clue, it will come through a third-party. And I would like to help make that happen. I think it is my advanced age that has removed all hope about the Democratic Party; and I am increasingly disappointed by the progressive community that would rather give its support to the Dems than to third parties. by Joel S. Hirschhorn (141 articles, 50 quicklinks, 65 diaries, 546 comments [2 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Oct 31, 2006 at 4:08:22 PM (0+)
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Reply: 3rd Party Necessity & Democrats
Joel, I agree with you here (and elsewhere) about the need for a 3rd party. Both major parties are essentially owned by big business and Corporate donors. The Democrats are somewhat better, but not by a lot. Though Democrats do publicly advocate more progressive and populist positions, their voting records and actions are far less populist in practice. The Democrats need to stop shying away from a push to role back the tax cuts, setting a fixed timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, and undoing ALL of the "free trade" fiascos put into law under Bush and Clinton. The Democrats need to stop being so passive about sticking up for working Americans and middle Americans, and stop worrying about offending Corporate America and the ultra-rich. EconomicPopulistForum EconomicPopulistCommentary by unlawflcombatnt (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 6 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 1, 2006 at 12:41:46 AM (0+)
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Why aren't you promoting Instant Runoff Voting???
I would gladly vote for 3rd party candidates if we had Instant Runoff Voting, but until we do have IRV, any 3rd party vote will just be helping the Republicans to win. (In fact your recommendation that we should either not vote, or vote for a 3rd party, is exactly what the Republicans are hoping we'll do.) Why do you never advocate a grassroots movement to establish Instant Runoff Voting –and why don't you promote IRV as a necessary prerequisite BEFORE we start voting for 3rd party candidates?? From your stated concern that a "Democrap mid-term victory might dissipate all the enormous amount of dissent and anger-driven steam that has built up during the Bush years," it seems that you are actually hoping the Republicans will win in this election and continue to hold on to their majority in both houses, and that you are encouraging us not to vote for Democrats so that that outcome will indeed happen. I share your deep disappointment in the past track record of the Democratic Party, but right now we're in a state of emergency, our house is on fire, and we have to use our vote to put out that fire by voting for a Democratic majority in '06. Because if we don't, the neo-cons will consolidate their power so thoroughly (by completing the dismantling of our constitutional checks and balances, our civil liberties and protections, and the legitimacy of our elections) that you can do all the grassroots organizing for 3rd parties that you want to and it will just be a meaningless waste of time. It will be too late by then. After we have a Democratic majority in place, then we can start vigorous grassroots organizing for serious election reform (full public campaign financing, hand counted paper ballots, Instant Runoff Voting, etc.). And after we have IRV, people will gladly flock to 3rd party candidates. You often claim the Democrats and Republicans are so nearly equivalent that it makes no difference which party is in power. But I wonder if you really believe that. Do you really believe that if Al Gore had won in 2000 [and to some extent his loss can be laid at the feet of 3rd party candidate Ralph Nader!] that Al Gore and company would have taken us into a pre-emptive war with Iraq, and continued our oil-dependent energy policy, and dismantled our constitutional protections? I don't. In fact I don't even think that 9/11 would have happened on his watch! And think of all the hellacious things that have happened since then, using 9/11 as a justification. That is no tweedledee-tweedledum difference! Would you be willing to see a continuation of this neocon imperial dynasty and their reign of horror and suffering, just so that the "anger-driven steam that has built up during the Bush years" will not dissipate, thus compelling more of the populace to start voting for 3rd party candidates? What good will our 3rd party vote be in a police state with rigged elections? by my2cents (0 articles, 5 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 30 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 1, 2006 at 2:43:22 AM (0+)
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The election for coming back from nowhere
You miss this point entirely: right after this election, voter discontent is going to be foremost in the minds of elected officials (unless they've completely rigged the votes, and then they're unlikely to ever give a sh*t again!). After this election, we are going to have to stand up for publicly funded campaigns for all elected officials. And if there are 5 candidates for an office, each gets 1/5 of the money allocated to that race. They spend it in that campaign or they lose it. Truth in advertising laws need to be applied to this, as well as slander laws. We, the people are going to have to ram that through. But sitting out this election in any way is an invitation to let the least crooked running lose. And that's just damn stupid. by brantl (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 23 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 1, 2006 at 8:26:23 AM (0+)
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You Nailed It
Mr. Hirschhorn, you've nailed it. There's nothing in this article with which I can disagree. In my own essay, "The Democratic Party is Not Broken", I mirror much of what you write. The only other element I include is the affect that the Electoral College has on the two party system. The EC oozes red and blue. There's no room for so called "third party" candidates in the presidential race and it just trickles down, setting up in the minds of the voters. But you're absolutely correct in implying that the Democratic Party is merely the other leg in the blue and red pair of pants. "Each can take turns running and ruining our nation." What a marvelous statement because, indeed, they have. After all, which party has been in power when we got ourselves intimately involved in foreign wars, especially in the twentieth century? Wilson got us into World War I after saying he wouldn't. Roosevelt got us into World War II after saying he wouldn't. Truman got us into Korea. Vietnam is a little unclear. Cases could be made for Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, although Johnson took us the furthest. Vietnam was unfair to Richard Nixon. If it wasn't for the aforementioned men, Nixon would have had no war to escalate. Of course, he could very well have started his own war. So, to call Democrats the party of peace is more than a stretch. Again, Mr. Hirschhorn, you nailed it. Michael Bonanno by Michael Bonanno (119 articles, 19 quicklinks, 24 diaries, 152 comments) on Wednesday, Nov 1, 2006 at 9:33:53 AM (0+)
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please vote
It's true that the Dem's and the GOP are both corrupt, it seems hopeless, at times, to find a candidate untainted by corporate control. But, I have to agree with the majority of other comments up here that to sit this one out, or vote third party, would be one more nail in the coffin, ending the possibility of a lit path in the future. We do have a two-party duopoly in this country, a third-party has no realistic chance of winning at the national level. We have to take small steps and no third-party will ever rise with the Republicans controlling the government. The overwhelming amount of Independents in this country are forced to make the decision between the two-parties, but our voices are not lost. By far, the progressive nature of the Democratic party will be a step in the right direction, and can lead to a change that may someday open the door for a third party. The ones who do go out and vote will be the Republicans, the ones who have lost their political efficacy and faith in the systems are the ones that will stay home and lose the vote. You cannot possibily think that this would be a better scenario than Democratic control of the government. A divided government has led to some of the best policies and the best form of checks and balances that this country has. To remain apathetic on election day can only hurt this country more. Changes absolutely need to be made, but until we have a legitimate third party option, to not vote surrenders the government to Republican control. This may in fact be "lesser of two evil" voting, but Democratic leadership gives our voices a shot at being heard and the progressive nature could help lead to the rise of the third party. Continuing reign by the Republicans would be the worst possible option; not voting on Tuesday will help secure that exact scenario. by Sarah Swatosh (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2 comments) on Sunday, Nov 5, 2006 at 9:01:16 AM (0+)
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