Do Democrats like peace? Well, most elected Democrats won't risk much for it. And neither will most American citizens. But most people who identify themselves as Democrats (as well as those who identify themselves as individuals but often vote for Democrats) would prefer peace to war. And of the few elected representatives who will work for peace, they are almost all Democrats. Of the serious intra-party movements for peace in recent decades, they have all been among Democrats. It was Democrats in Congress who were finally compelled by a popular movement to end the war in Vietnam. While Perrin offers a useful but simplistic tale of how a whole Party is evil and murderous, he turns around and volunteers to work for John Kerry, not just a member of that Party, but a war-supporting member to boot. Why? Because he understands the more complex picture that he fails to present.
We all would like to see a better party than the Democratic Party as it is today. We all see how incredibly difficult it is to create a new party, as well as how difficult it is to reform the existing one. In many cases, the same action - that of supporting a progressive outsider candidate - can BOTH help to reform the existing party AND help to build a new one. It's not always necessary to choose at the level of grand theory in order to act. And any grand theory aboout parties is a mistake.
The important shift we need is one away from all parties, away from acceptance of dictatorial power in the White House, and away from the emphasis on elections. We need non-partisan movements to compel individual representatives to represent us. That is where 90% of our energy should go, and where most of us can find agreement on how to act.
But elections are not without their importance. And it would be a shame for someone to reject the best candidate in a race because Andrew Jackson killed Indians. Similarly, it is discouraging to hear people fantasizing about how Senator Barack Obama is supposedly pretending to be less progressive than he really is, in order to get elected. That sort of wishful thinking leads to disappointment. The smartest choice might be to vote for Obama, but believing nonsense while doing so can discourage the more important work of building the necessary movement to compel him to represent us both now and after he is (if he is) elected.
We can always choose where to compromise, and even where to self-censor and not point out some uncomfortable fact. But we shouldn't choose not to know. That very few people will blurt out the uncomfortable facts that Dennis Perrin has assembled should make you want to read his book and want to question exactly how extensive is our self-censorship.
The United States has always been soaked in blood and racism and sadistic cruelty, yet we've worked and worked and worked over the centuries to make it less so, and I don't hear from too many people ready to give up on the country. Giving up on a party because of its criminal past makes no more sense. But learning to outgrow both nationalism and party-loyalty, and to be full-time engaged citizens (not just voters) both of our nation and of the world may be an idea whose time has come.
We all would like to see a better party than the Democratic Party as it is today. We all see how incredibly difficult it is to create a new party, as well as how difficult it is to reform the existing one. In many cases, the same action - that of supporting a progressive outsider candidate - can BOTH help to reform the existing party AND help to build a new one. It's not always necessary to choose at the level of grand theory in order to act. And any grand theory aboout parties is a mistake.
The important shift we need is one away from all parties, away from acceptance of dictatorial power in the White House, and away from the emphasis on elections. We need non-partisan movements to compel individual representatives to represent us. That is where 90% of our energy should go, and where most of us can find agreement on how to act.
But elections are not without their importance. And it would be a shame for someone to reject the best candidate in a race because Andrew Jackson killed Indians. Similarly, it is discouraging to hear people fantasizing about how Senator Barack Obama is supposedly pretending to be less progressive than he really is, in order to get elected. That sort of wishful thinking leads to disappointment. The smartest choice might be to vote for Obama, but believing nonsense while doing so can discourage the more important work of building the necessary movement to compel him to represent us both now and after he is (if he is) elected.
The United States has always been soaked in blood and racism and sadistic cruelty, yet we've worked and worked and worked over the centuries to make it less so, and I don't hear from too many people ready to give up on the country. Giving up on a party because of its criminal past makes no more sense. But learning to outgrow both nationalism and party-loyalty, and to be full-time engaged citizens (not just voters) both of our nation and of the world may be an idea whose time has come.
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