There is a lot of talk about the Democratic Party figuring out what it stands for. Daunte had
an excellent diary on this topic. He suggests some core principles that he organizes in three categories:
security (protecting freedom),
economic (economic progress), and
values (generational responsibility.) Within the category of "generational responsibility," he has three sub-principles: fiscal responsibility, leave the world a better place, and open and ethical governance. He describes
open and ethical governance as "Government of people, not interest groups, companies; transparency, openness, money out of politics." I have no problem with any of these principles, but...
My problem is with the framework. It is just a list. A list does not reflect the structural reality of the problems that confront this country. There is one foundational problem that affects all others. It deserves rhetorical prominence, rather than being just one of many equivalent sub-principles in a list.
Above all else, the Democratic Party should fight for democracy. Right now, "corporate plutocracy" is a more realistic description of our system. Until we have a fully functioning democracy, reform should be the rallying cry.
In a system that is rigged against third parties, Ross Perot got 20% of the vote based on two issues - fiscal responsibility and government reform. Like Daunte, he framed the deficit in terms of generational responsibility. As for government reform, his main rhetorical target was the lucrative revolving door between government and lobbying. With these two issues (and a vague appeal to non-idealogical common sense solutions to issues,) he built a coalition of fervent supporters from both the left and the right, taking equal numbers of votes away from both Clinton and Bush. I voted for Perot because he was the only candidate addressing the deficit issue as well as government corruption by corporate power. The fact that he was pro-choice and favored affirmative action and was generally liberal on social issues was a bonus for me, and apparently not a deal-breaker for his conservative supporters.
Howard Dean came out of nowhere to shake up the whole political establishment with these same two issues - fiscal sanity and giving power back to the people. (Being the first one to stand up to the worst president ever didn't hurt.) These two issues were what drew Democrats, Republicans, independents, Libertarians, and Greens all to the same candidate.
Newt Gingrich was smart enough to look at the 20% who voted for Perot in '92 and appeal to them. He co-opted Perot's two issues of balanced budgets and reform, and Republicans took control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1954. Of course, Republicans are the party of big money, so their reforms were superficial to begin with, only partially implemented once they achieved power, and quickly abandoned as they consolidated power. But they did run successfully as reformers fighting the corrupt, entrenched Democrats. Well, now they're the corrupt, entrenched majority. What are we going to do?
Can the Democratic Party be the real reform party? Does the Democratic Party have any credibility on this issue? The answer is sadly "no." "People, not the powerful" is a great message, but not believable coming from Gore (uncritical cheerleader for corporate globalization) in 2000. Dean was right. We can't just take back the country; we have to take back the democratic party at the same time. As far as I'm concerned, Daunte's excellent list of core principles will be as hollow and manipulative as Republican "principles" if we don't take the party back from the corporatocracy. Reform should be the rallying cry to take back the party and the country.
Reform should be the meta-theme that frames all others. The Democratic Party is the party of democracy. The Democratic Party fights for a government for the people, of the people, and by the people. That is THE core principle. Most issues can be framed by this central principle. For example:
- Defense - keeping us safe and spending our tax dollars wisely vs. corporate welfare for a corrupt military-industrial complex. "We need to reform the system."
- Trade and the economy - policies that benefit workers vs. policies that hurt workers for the enrichment of multi-national corporations with corrupt ties to politicians. "We need to reform the system."
- Healthcare - Affordable high-quality healthcare for ordinary Americans vs. outrageously expensive healthcare courtesy of politicians beholden to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. "We need to reform the system."
- Environment - A healthy environment for ourselves and future generations vs. big corporate polluters writing their own regulations. "We need to reform the system."
- Civil liberties - a necessary ingredient of any genuine democracy.
Where does that leave cultural issues? I personally am pro-choice and support equal rights. I will argue my reasons for these positions with anyone. I would hope that Democratic politicians would do the same. But I think issues like abortion and gay marriage fall outside the realm of "reform." These are people issues - issues that ordinary Americans will disagree on. They have very little to do with the usurpation of political power by economic power. I think the Democrats would do well to have a big tent on such issues. The primary goal should be to reform the system - to create a true democracy.
One issue related to cultural issues that is crucial to any reform movement is the media. Cultural conservatives worry about the debasement of moral values. Progressives realize that real democracy requires a democratic media, not one monopolized by a few mega-corporations. A real connection exists between these two issues. It is the same amoral, greed-driven corporations that dominate political discourse as well as culture. With proper framing, we can bring conservatives in on this supremely critical issue with us. The problem is the big media monopolies. "We need to reform the system."
The Republican Party now controls every branch of government and are increasingly locking Democrats and even moderate Republicans out of the process. Republicans ARE the system. They ARE Washington. They ARE the elite. They own all the corruption and sleaze.
The Democratic Party has the opportunity to become the real party of reform. Why? Because hundreds of thousands of people who crave reform are in the process of taking over the party from the bottom up. Howard Dean and Joe Trippi showed us that we don't need corporate money to compete. This is what will give Democrats credibility on this issue. This is the reality. It should be the message too. Everyone is wringing their hands and saying "The Democrats need a message." This is it! It should be a no-brainer. This issue is ours! We should be shouting it from the rooftops! We should be framing all the issues we can with this meta-issue. "We need to reform the system. We believe in democracy. We are fighting for real democracy."