Congressman Barney Frank (D, MA) spoke to the
Newton Dialogues on Peace and War yesterday about "What Happened in the Election? Where Do We Go From Here?". He was either optimistically bringing bad news or pessimistically inspiring, depending on your view. He spoke about election results, the domestic outlook, foreign policy, and what we can do. Here are my rough, non-verbatim notes:
ELECTION RESULTS
Don't abandon what you stand for, just in order to win. We're in politics to effect change. Losing makes that harder. But winning is not our first objective. Effecting change is.
Some say we should "move to the center", but the center is just the average of where everyone is. It's mindless to try to move to the center. Our job is to move the center.
About the election results: Get over it. Don't put your feelings ahead of your work on issues. You're not in politics to feel good. I didn't come here to make you feel good.
Unfortunately, there is no one in a position to investigate the election results who is non-partisan. The Justice Dept. is Republican. The Secretaries of State in the key states are Republican. There's nothing we can do to challenge the results.
DOMESTIC POLICY
The Bush Administration now will be very aggressive in its conservative domestic agenda, but this will create a political backlash when people see what the results are. People who bought the music of the Bush campaign will not like it when they hear the words. As the negative effects of these policies become clear, people will become angry. For instance,
- Roe v. Wade will be overturned. I have not checked the actuarial tables that apply to the Supreme Court, but I think it's a certainty.
- The minimum wage will become meaningless, as inflation continues. It does not have to be repealed to be meaningless.
- Public housing will fall into disuse. The number of homeless will increase.
Our job is to make the Republicans take responsibility for what they do. We need to help people connect the dots, to see that they are not victims of randomness but of conscious policy choices -- by the Republicans.
The Bush Administration essentially wants to remove all government restrictions on capital (taxation, OSHA, minimum wage, unions, etc.). In essence, they plan on repealing the New Deal. Get the Republican Party 2004 platform and read it.
The theme that the Democrats should have is: We're all capitalists (believing in the benefits of ownership), and that causes some inequality. But without some public-sector action, the private sector will create too much inequality for comfort and efficiency.
FOREIGN POLICY
On foreign policy, the Bush Administration will be more cautious. Most see the war in Iraq as a political mistake, and many wish they had voted against it. I doubt he'll try something like that again, and our military is stretched to thin to do that, anyway.
Our job is to turn the Bush Administration's words against them. Having failed with other justifications for the war, they say their reason for invading is to advance democracy in the world. But where else has Bush done anything to promote democracy?
It's time to renew our assault on the military budget. We have hugely expensive Cold War weapons that have no enemy to aim at. The new F-22 fighter, costing over $100 million each, can withstand anything put up against it by the Soviet Union! We have much more military power than we need, and we can save $10s of billions without endangering ourselves whatsoever.
As for Iraq, George W. Bush is the opposite of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. Everytime he says we have won or have turned the corner ('mission accomplished', Saddam Hussein captured, new Iraqi government installed), things have got worse, and we've been bitten. Bush should be called the "Man Who Cried Nice Doggy".
WHAT TO DO NOW
Prepare for the mid-term (2006) elections. Work within existing organizations to make them politically aware. Organizations that need money for good causes need to openly stand in opposition to the tax cuts. Help them connect the dots. The tax cuts are everybody's issue. Help persuade organizations not to be non-partisan.
Give money to political organizations that you have found to be effective.
To seek an end to the Iraq War, lobby Congress to attach riders to appropriations bills, to limit U.S. involvement in Iraq. (Bush can veto bills, so make it a rider to a bill he doesn't want to veto.) Wait until after the Iraqi elections in January.
Marchs, demonstrations, civil disobedience will not be effective. The Republicans will just play them back against you.
Remember: People turn out to vote against something with more energy than they turn out to vote for something.
Relentless, steady organizing is what's important.