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A Blueprint
for Taking Back the Democratic Party
May
2001
by TygrBright
Part
Two: Is it Worth Saving?
Okay, so we've lost control of our Democratic Party. It's
in the hands of GOPpie clones, corporate buttkissers, and
consiglieri for the International Commerce mob. What are we
going to do about it?
There are a number of us—intelligent and well-intentioned
folks—who think it's time to give up on the Democratic Party.
They argue that a strong third party will either a) attract
sufficient support to advance our agenda; or b) put enough
of a scare into the Democratic Party to swing it back to its
true philosophical roots.
They point to the well-entrenched cabal running the Party,
and the seemingly overwhelming power and money backing them.
They allude to the repeated failure of "alternative"
leaders like Ralph Nader or Jesse Jackson to develop sufficient
support within the Party to influence its direction. And they
advance the cogent argument that given the great diversity
and current diffusion of the Party, the task of developing
a consensus would be almost insurmountable. (Especially considering
the Party's well-established history of internal dissent!)
Wouldn't it be better, they say, to take our admittedly limited
money and our much more abundant energy, and create a powerhouse
among our fellow-travelers? Couldn't we have more impact with
a small but highly focused effort?
They have a point. The Green Party's efforts to ensure the
loss of several key states to the GOP in the 2000 election
demonstrated just how much of an impact such efforts can generate.
They may have cost the Democrats the election.
And it's certainly more pleasant to be in substantial agreement
with the great majority of your party colleagues, because
you all fall in the same narrow band of the ideological spectrum
and share many of the same priorities and opinions. Much
more pleasant than spending hours and hours deadlocked at
a Party caucus where a dozen different subgroups and opinions
are duking it out.
It's an appealing strategy—nevertheless, it will serve us
better in the long run to take back our Party.
Why is it important to take it back?
American democracy is set up as a two-party system. Examine
our legislative and executive institutions, and the rules
set out in the Constitution (especially the 12th Amendment)
for operating them. They are designed to permit the American
electorate to choose between two alternatives—parties that
have traditionally positioned themselves on the right and
the left, ideologically. The checks and balances, give-and-take
of creating legislation or enacting policy on the complex
national level are predicated on the assumption that at least
51% of the electorate will have an ownership stake in whichever
party controls the institution.
And at the bottom line, this is what it is all about—making
the system work. The checks and balances, the quids-pro-quo—I'll
sign on to your bill if you sign on to mine. I'll carry your
water in the legislative assembly, if you support these policies
in the executive office. That is how politics works. For a
short time, a third party or independent can act as fulcrum
or swing vote—but in the long run, the system militates toward
the stability of two parties. To make it otherwise would require
Constitutional amendment. Anyone want to take a flyer on the
chance of such an amendment surviving the 2/3 ratification
process?
The concept of political parties in a democratic system was
founded on the idea that it would be possible for numbers
to offset or overcome the weight of money and power wielded
by the few. For Democrats—traditionally the party of the not-rich—numbers
are our most powerful tool. To weaken this by splitting the
not-rich among several smaller parties almost guarantees that
the GOP—the party of the rich and the wannabe-rich (and those
they can delude with their propaganda)—will continue to carry
disproportionate power in our political system.
In other words, in unity is our strength. We can succeed
no other way. That's why, however tempting it may be, we cannot
afford to give up on our Democratic Party.
ON
TO PART THREE »
It's
Up To Us
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