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So
Where Do We Go From Here?
November 16, 2002
By Morgan M. (Rocker)
Following the disastrous results of the midterm elections,
where Republicans established their grip on all facets of
the federal government, the Democrats are at odds over what
course of action to follow next. Should the Democratic party
“lurch to the left,” maintain a “centrist” posture, or push
ever more towards the right? Democratic politicians are searching
for an answer to this question as they chart the new course
for the party.
There is little doubt that political discourse in this country
has increasingly shifted towards the right in the last decade.
Aided by the demise of the Fairness Doctrine in the late 80’s
and the passing of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996,
conservative-by-nature corporations have tightened their control
over the national media. One night of surfing the cable news
landscape or the talk radio stations makes this perfectly
clear. Conservative voices dominate the airwaves. This, however,
does not necessarily mean that the electorate has shifted
its ideological dispositions. This is a red herring argument
put forth by an increasingly corporate and dissembling national
press corps.
By any sober analysis of the available facts, one would have
to conclude that most Americans remain unmoved by party loyalty
or political ideology. Voter turnout in the midterm elections
was in the range of 25%-50% of all registered voters depending
on location. This indicates that over half, or a majority,
of registered voters didn’t even bother showing up to the
polls. Hardly a ringing endorsement of any political party,
let alone today’s ultra conservative Republicans. It is more
likely that, based on voter turnout figures, the voting Republican
base headed for the polls in good numbers while base Democratic
voters had a lackluster showing. Now consider that this scenario
only applies to registered voters, ignoring the millions of
citizens who are eligible to vote, but choose not to partake
in our democratic process. This is the untapped political
goldmine.
Conservative and “moderate” Democrats argue that the battle
for plurality lies in the political center, where independent
and swing voters wallow in indecision. In the short term,
that may or may not be true. It also depends on what is meant
by “the center”. Does being “centrist” mean that one must
support President Bush’s skewed tax cuts for the wealthy?
Does being “centrist” mean granting President Bush unprecedented
war powers befitting an authoritarian? Does being “centrist”
mean supporting the abominable and unconstitutional Patriot
Act? Does being “centrist” mean rubber stamping the President’s
right wing activist judges? If these positions define a “centrist”
in today’s political discourse, then it can be concluded that
being centrist will not help Democrats get elected. Max Cleland
held all of these positions in his Senate race in Georgia
and despite being a decorated war hero, he lost his race to
the chickenhawk, Saxby Chambliss. Senator Jean Carnahan also
lost her election while pushing these same “centrist” themes.
So if the positions outlined above are consistent with a
centrist strategy, what exactly defines this much maligned
and mythic “leftist” agenda? Is tightening regulation of corporate
malfeasance and empowering regulatory agencies “leftist?”
Is environmental protection “leftist?” Is opposing tax cuts
that primarily benefit the wealthy “leftist?” How about pushing
the development of alternative fuels and improving fuel standards
in order to lower our dependence on foreign oil? Is addressing
the racist and failed “war on drugs” a “leftist” issue? How
about living wage legislation? Is providing healthcare to
our children a “leftist” issue? Is supporting our unions too
leftist? Supporting our international treaties on arms proliferation?
Hate crime legislation? Women’s reproductive rights? Supporting
teachers? Supporting veterans? Real campaign finance reform?
Unemployment protection? Are all these positions too “leftist?”
There is a crisis in the Democratic Party, but it’s not whether
to abandon traditional Democratic positions as being too “leftist”
or staying a “centrist” course. The real problem is how to
educate the population on the importance of participating
in our democracy. Take a look at the “leftist” and “centrist”
positions and determine what agenda would appeal to the average
American who makes do with about $35,000 a year. No, the crisis
is not a “lurch to the left” as some gutless, poll-driven
Democratic politicians like to insist. Democrats must focus
on the ultimate prize - the vast pool of citizens who cannot
be bothered to vote and how to attract them to the polls.
Compared to this mass of humanity, the perpetually confused
“swing voters” are irrelevant. In order to accomplish this,
Democrats must encourage grass roots support networks and
voter recruitment drives. One way to accommodate this is by
providing new voter packs with easily digestible information
on Democratic positions and how they can directly help
the citizen benefit from the political process. But most importantly,
Democrats must claim a share of the national media discourse.
The Democrats need a news network that accomplishes for their
party what Fox News does for the Republicans. The Democrats
should also make use of their liberal network of celebrities
to get the message across to people who tune out politics
altogether.
The populist message has always been the bread and butter
of the Democratic Party. Ignoring this fact will further erode
the liberal base of the party resulting in declining voter
turnout and defections to other parties. There is a solid
populist, Democratic majority out there. They just don’t know
it yet.
Morgan, or "Rocker" from the DU and Bartcop Forums, is a Chicago-based
Digital Artist, outraged Democratic activist and the lead
singer/guitarist for rock trio The Deans - www.thedeans.net.
He invites comments at: thedeans@earthlink.net.
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