This election clearly represented both a repudiation
of Bush but also very intense anger with the environment that has
been building in the USA over the last several years. Looking
at some of the polling results points to the fact that 36% of the
voters saw themselves as explicitly voting against Bush. 41%
indicated that corruption was “extremely important” in their voting
decisions. 56% of those polled indicated that the USA should
withdraw some or all of its forces from Iraq. In that sense,
this vote seems to represent the ‘I am fed up’ vote.
Second, the Democrats still do not have a coherent
message. While the vote may have largely been inspired by anti-war
sentiment (which took some time to percolate) this does not mean
that the Democrats have a clear and unified message as to what their
program will be vis-à-vis Iraq, US foreign policy, or much
else.
Third, the nightmare is not over. It was reported
that some European parliamentarians declared that the ‘six year
nightmare’ is at end. This is very hopeful. We must keep
in mind
that certainly with regard to foreign policy, Bush still has his
finger on the trigger. This should be understood both literally
and figuratively. The Bush administration military threats
towards Iran and North Korea are not ending just because of this
election. At the same time, this election was certainly a shock
to the system, and the Bush administration must assume that it will
be under a good deal of scrutiny in both branches of Congress. The
resignation/firing of Rumsfield may be the tip of the iceberg in
terms of shaking things up.
The nightmare is not over, as well, because the nightmare
is not simply a partisan nightmare. The world is suffering
not only because of the arrogance of the Bush administration but
due to the neo-liberal economic (and environmental) policies that
the USA has been articulating since mid-way through the Carter administration
in the late 1970s. While it is clear that the Bush administration
represents one wing of the ruling elite that has a heavy-handed
view toward world affairs, let’s just keep in mind that Clinton’s
international policies were not ones that strengthened a democratic
international environment (think about the Balkans war, or the near
military engagement with North Korea only resolved through the intervention
of former President Jimmy Carter).
Fourth, the Republican game of using Black faces to
advance their agendas is not over. In Maryland, the Michael
Steele candidacy was very effective in playing into discontent with
the Maryland Democratic Party and the desire for Black representation
even though the Black vote still went overwhelmingly to Democrat
Ben Cardin. We should anticipate that the Republicans will
use this black faced destabilizing tactic in the future.
Fifth, ballot initiatives were a mixed bag. While
South Dakota voters rejected the draconian anti-abortion initiative,
voters in eight states voted to ban gay marriage, though Arizona
turned this measure down. In Michigan, an anti-affirmative
action measure was passed by the electorate. Clearly so-called
wedge issues remain an important factor and one should not assume
that the rejection of Bush, et. al., represents a rejection of their
total program.
Sixth, and last (for now) the elections point to the
absolute need for an independent progressive force that can operate
both inside and outside the Democratic Party. People turned
to the Democrats out of disgust for the Republicans. This will
not be enough to hold them. It will also not be enough to advance
a progressive movement (even if the Democrats wanted to do that). Instead,
there is a need for a political motion that rebuilds a grassroots
organization and program with its eyes set on the transformation
of the US political scene. If we do not use this time to build
it, we will witness the furtherance of despair and cynicism, rather
than hope and defiance.
BC Editorial Board Member Bill
Fletcher, Jr. is a long-time labor and international activist and
writer. He is the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum.
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