The
November elections were a setback for the U.S.
experiment called democracy. We who believe in
freedom have every right to be disgusted and
outraged. That’s because trump has done more
than shown us his racist, misogynist criminal
character; he has flaunted his backside for
the last four years. His MAGA movement has
gained new momentum, but it is not
unstoppable. Our side needs a reality check
that puts an end to its magical thinking. The
fact that the Harris-Walz team raised over a
billion dollars and still lost is just the tip
of the political iceberg.
There
are some of us who are pointing fingers at
those we believe are responsible for this
maddening defeat. There are others who are
critical of engaging in such circular firing
squads. I fall somewhere in the middle of
these two points of view. If we are to move
forward, there must be a sobering assessment
of the Democratic Party, the social movements
and the U.S. Left. This requires a national,
collective engagement of the forces who
understand the importance of doing so. Until
then, I’ll briefly share some observations
which are rooted in my organizing experiences.
The
Dems have played the same flawed strategy for
years on the local, state and national levels,
disregarding the growing strength of the
reactionary forces. The party elites have
ignored the right’s expanding influence on the
entire electorate, not just its conservative
base. The Dems have abandoned a 50-state
strategy that educates and engages its
constituents around a visionary platform for
prosperity of the working class, and instead
have focused their resources on a few
battleground states.
The
Dems’ miscalculations have resulted in
successful gerrymandering by the Republicans
that ensure legislative victories for decades.
It has meant GOP trifectas in nearly half the
states. It has given the Republicans the
freedom to stack the courts at all levels to
do their bidding. If investigative journalist
Greg Palast is correct, the GOP has operatives
in place at the city and county levels who are
purging voter rolls by the millions without
getting called out.
The
Left needs a sobering analysis of how trump
got elected twice and lay out its plan to stop
the hemorrhaging of democracy. Blood is what I
see when I look at the election map of red
states. Simultaneously, the U.S. Left needs to
take inventory of its stagnant place in
history before its lack of action is seen as a
wretched betrayal of the multi-racial working
class. The absence of a robust Left means the
social movements are bereft of leadership that
drives a radical re-imagination of
possibilities.
No,
finger pointing is not beneficial in this
post-election, apocalyptic period, but
principled debate about strategy and tactics
will move us in a forward direction. The good
news is that such discussions are already
happening. Groups like the Working Families
Party, Standing for Democracy and others are
poised to put forward plans for building power
while putting structures in place to slow down
the spread of fascism. My hope is that the
many silos will give way to a formidable
united front.
There
is a new majority rising. It’s all those folks
that trump has demeaned, criticized and
demonized on his way to the White House. Our
mission is to galvanize that majority into a
cohesive force, capable and committed to
fighting for its self-interests and building a
genuine democracy. There is no room for the
confused and fainthearted. This mission
requires discipline, intentionality and
audacity. Are you in?
