Why Post at DU: Supporting Working Americans first, or Establishment Politics first?

[Political Heretic]

Supporting Working Americans first, or Establishment Politics first?

A question I've been thinking about lately: why do I post at DU? I've been asking that not because I have any problem with anything going on, not because I'm debating about leaving (I'm not significant enough that anyone should care about that) but simply as a general reflection as to what I want when I participate in this community.


Why?

I post on Democratic Underground because I find there to be some like-minded individuals who seem to believe in a "radical" politic of a working class agenda, who deplore unjust violent wars, who have a keen awareness that a tiny faction of wealthy elite interests have gained near total control of American politics, and that it has been decades if not generations since the American people were put first in policy, ahead of the business and financial interests of the super-rich. And thus, despite the possibility that I hold minority viewpoints, I hope there's a place for me.

I post here to persuade others to look these realities square in the face, and not rationalize them away for the sake of feeling more comfortable - to bring the issues that affect me, a bottom-fifth quintile American, and my family, friends and neighbors in working class America to the forefront of discussion, and not bury them because they disturb a sense of "happiness" at having Democrats control all branches of government.

I admit to attempting to persuade. I want others to look at the issues I feel are too often ignored, because I believe that they are critical. They're even more critical than health care "reform" (though we can certainly think about more than one thing at once.)

• Issues like the fact that simply wishing for a so-called economic "recovery" that puts us right back to where we were before last year's mainstream-acknowledged crisis only worsens our long term economic health and societal well-being.
  
  
• Issues like understanding that the destruction of organized labor - the ability for ordinary Americans to bargain collectively and have equal representation in workplace decisions - is one of the key root causes of the continuing decline.
  
  
• Issues like understanding the ways in which a small number of super-rich extensively fund almost all politicians in Washington, in either party. Their investments constitute a sizable piece of nearly every politicians campaign funding, and in many cases represent the bulk of their campaign funding.
  
  They have a significant say in whether or not politicians will face hostile 527s in primaries and general elections, which is a very large stick to wield. They have significant say in whether or not politicians will have influence or power while in Washington, another very large stick. And they have significant say in whether or not politicians will enjoy luxury, perks, and special treatment.
  
  
• Issues like understanding that our violent aggression around the world - be it in the form of direct military occupation or in the forum of insidious destabilization of democratically elected governments - has never been about keeping ordinary Americans "safe" from anything. If the only issue at hand was the safety of ordinary Americans, we'd never go to war.
  
  Some politicians may buy into the narrative created by privileged interests and feel some sense of obligation to continue wars on "terror" or interventions in key regions. That is to say a few politicians may be purely dupes, who don't understand how they are being used. But most, I believe, know the implications of what they are supporting, just as they know who the primary beneficiaries of their actions are.
  

The lie desperately willed to be truth is that somehow everything listed above can be true, and yet we really have some serious hope at a government that will pass laws or advocate policy that works for the bottom 90% of American that is not super-rich. And yet here we are, going around acting like if we just "Call congress right now!" everything will be okay.

These are the things I feel must be clearly understood, and each and every one of these things are issues that transcend party. Insofar as democratic politicians stand on the right side of these issues, we should support them. Insofar as they don't, we should find the courage to oppose them, or at the very least be honest about their colossal failure of the American people.

Perhaps it is true that if we did not continue to support even the Democrats who clearly demonstrate their total apathy, if not animosity, toward working class American interests, somehow the alternative would be even worse. But that does not excuse us from truthfully acknowledging the implied reality that no one in Washington is sufficiently representing we the people. It's like saying "I'll chose a rapist over a murderer because at least I won't die" but then not having the courage to acknowledge that rape is still wrong.


Post-Post-Partisanism

The truth is, I have become a different sort of "post-partisan" than the kind Obama used to talk about. I'm not "post-partisan" because I want establishment Democrats and establishment Republicans to come together and focus on the establishment areas where they agree to get an establishment agenda accomplished. I'm "post-partisan" in the sense that I no longer care about what letter political representatives have after their name. I'm done (and have been done for a while, some might say) defending "Democrats" as a generic group.

I'm not interested in a new party, a third party, or any party. I'm not anti-Democrat, but I'm also longer pro-Democratic Party as an abstract concept. I'm interested in people standing up for working class interests and against the influence of an oligarchic minority. Some of those people will be Democrats. Few or none of those people will be Republicans. And many more will likely be seen as "outsiders" apart from the establishment political mainstream.

The solution to the issues I mentioned isn't to simply "vote Democrat" then blindly support them no matter what they do. It is better to put the issues of working class Americans first, and from that foundation evaluate the actions of politicians. I fully reject the notion that honestly identifying the problems in Washington politics somehow harms us. We can vote for Democrats if we see some strategic value in doing so and also be honest in criticism when those we vote for fail to represent working class interests or the broader cause of social and economic justice. We can do both.

There should be nothing wrong with strong and honest criticism of even the people we vote for, and we should be voting with our eyes wide open. Our political system is already broken. Those who enter into it are entering into a con game with overwhelming pressure to bend to the will of those who control the con. Even politicians with noble intent would find themselves feeling largely powerless in a system so utterly corrupt.

We cannot even hope to do anything about what's broken until we have unity about the scope of the problem. As long as we find ourselves unable to even agree about what's wrong, and as long as some continue to put the idealized notion of "Party" before the cold reality of the issues of working Americans, we really are stuck.


An Inconvenient Truth

This is the mentality that keeps America trapped: it is the mentality that sides with rulers rather than workers. It is most common among those who have a measure of prosperity without truly being among the wealthy elite - those who have just enough power and privilege to either want more or be terrified of losing what they have. Thus, this mentality is tragically common in upper-middle class America.

That is not to say that achieving a certain measure of success is a bad thing. The problem is not financial comfort or even wealth directly. The problem is with mindset. The more comfortable this system makes an individual, the greater the temptation to desire the status-quo, the greater the risks of losing touch with the plight of the working class, or the injustice of our political-economic structure.

Let me reiterate this point: a person can be wealthy or impoverished and maintain solidarity with the people. Thus, material "success" in and of itself is not the problem. But honesty requires that we acknowledge the escalating difficulty in maintaining solidarity as one increasingly benefits from an exploitative system. We must find the courage to confront this difficult truth. We must seek to better understand the ways in which the limited power and privileged afforded the comfortably middle-class can breed complacency. How the comfortable frequently find themselves defending the status quo, siding with controlling privileged interests against the interests of the majority of Americans - even against their own best interests.

The reason this system of corruption and domination by a small ruling class of financial and business interests continues to exist is because much of the middle class allows it and reinforces its existence. The solution is not to eliminate the middle class as some of other political leanings might suggest. Instead, I believe the solution is to fight as hard as possible for an awakening. The working poor often have the desire, but not the means to resist political exploitation alone. The middle class often have the means, but not the desire. The key is to find the courage to look at what is wrong in our system, wake up, and unite.


What Must Be Done?

This unity is a unity of values - placing the interest of working Americans over the interests of a ruling elite. Our goal and our vision should not be the elimination of the middle class, nor an absolute equality of resource and materials among all persons. There will always be those who have more than enough and those who do not have enough. This has been true across every civilization of any political structure, no matter what the intention or goal of that structure.

Our goal should be one that we have historically attained in times past - the shrinking of the number of poor, the shrinking of the number of super-rich, and the renewed expansion of the middle-class. Any hope of truly achieving this will not come from small or incremental changes to our current political structure. Our current political structure is simply completely incompatible with a growing middle class. And it has been so deeply corrupted and co-opted that small reforms do not have the power to change our national course.

• A renewed expansion of the middle class will require nothing short of a political revolution. Obviously, if one accepts that statement, its implications are both discouraging and frightening. Discouraging because the likelihood of a political revolution seems so remote. So many things would have to happen. Corporations would have to be completely stripped of their power and position - personhood revoked, limited duration of corporate charters restored, and monopolies broken. Working class Americans would have to have a restored power of collective negotiation. That means the full revival of organized labor, and the promotion of employee-owned businesses.
  
  
• Taxation would have to return to responsible levels, as they were when the United States desired to prevent a controlling oligarchy. Progressive tax rates were 70% on the richest Americans prior to Ronald Reagan, and as high as 90% on the wealthiest one percent during the times of our broadest middle class expansions. This serves not only to fund the social investments necessary to sustain a healthy robust society free of shackling debt (things such as infrastructure development and maintenance, public utilities, security and protection, social investment in society's elderly, disabled and poverty-stricken, etc) but also as a preventative measure against the emergency of dynastic families - passing on unearned wealth from one generation to another.
  
  
• Many other things would have to happen for there to be a true political revolution that would make an expanding middle class possible. But this above all would be essential: the end of money in politics. All federal elections would have to be publicly financed and financial contributions to political candidates before, during or after elections would have to be completely banned. As long as money plays a role in our electoral politics, those with it have a disproportional voice compared to those who do not. And as long as that is the case, politics will continue to reflect the interests of the financially elite over the interests of everyone else.
  

Acceptance of the need for political revolution is also frightening. Frightening because it seems unlikely - so many forces oppose the radical change required to achieve a more just and sustainable society. Frightening because such a revolution would likely require sacrifices from those who have some measure of comfort and security right now. And frightening because any thought about dramatic political change is so completely foreign to most people. Such talk is totally shut out of any national discourse, given that such discourse is largely facilitated by corporate controlled media and corporate public relations firms. Such talk is carefully labeled as "fringe" or "loony" in a well-orchestrated attempt to insure that no public awakening will ever occur.

There is no Guarantee

The truth is, such an awakening may never occur. We exist at a unique point in history, with unprecedented mechanisms for the dissemination of propaganda and distractions. We drown in entertainment, info-tainment, and escapist activities offered to each of us multiple times each and every day. We should accept the possibility that we are beyond hope of a public awakening or a pushed for radical change.

If that is the case, not every shred of hope is lost. For better or worse, this current system is truly unsustainable. Every decade our economy grows more volatile, our debt is skyrocketing, our business practices becoming ever more corrupt and ridiculous. The elite players hardly even mask their utter corruption anymore. The one certainty is that the controlling oligarchy of wealthy elite interests is driving our society into the ground. If nothing else, amidst the ashes of that demise the people can unite for something new.

So, why do I post here? Because I don’t believe these values are wholly incompatible with the values of Democratic Underground. It’s true that DU puts an emphasis on supporting Democrats, but it also puts an emphasis on substantive, criticism of the actions of our representatives or the state of our political system. Further, I believe that pro-labor, anti-ruling elite attitudes that want big money out of government and want the interests of working American put first are welcome here – even when such beliefs lead one to criticize Democratic representatives who fail to live up to those principles.

I certainly am not a yellow dog, voting a straight (D) ticket without thought every (or any) year no matter what. That will never be me. And if that means I don’t belong, then fine. But until I am no longer able, I’ll continue to advocate the issues that I believe to be critically important for our future, whether it makes current Democratic representatives look good or not.