Howard Dean always said "you have the power." That's why so many of us were drawn to him. That's why so many of us chose to shake ourselves out of our apathy and rush to his aid in Iowa-- whether with our feet or our checkbooks. That's why so many of us were inspired by a politician for the first time in decades (if ever).
We were fired up by the idea that we actually had the power to change things in a positive way. He gave us hope that the preceding year of rank, politically-calculated Democratic capitulation, was just a blip. He offered us an easy solution too: vote for him and we would be exercising our "power".
But February made us shiver, and everything since has been a downward slide. The Establishment re-asserted itself, and today we find ourselves fighting depressing "politics-as-usual" turf battles inside the party. All of which raises the question: is it maybe time to get out of this organization?
There are going to be a few points that get the flamers typing in this post, so let me first start out with some background.
I'm a pretty young guy. 2000 was my first election, and I was extremely pro-Gore. I liked Bradley's positions and history better, but after Gore won I liked him. I was never seduced by Ralph Nader, the way so many other members of my generation were. I wasn't as politically engaged then as I am now, but I fought for Gore. In fact, I crossed a number of important relationships into very uncomfortable territory by arguing that it was completely moronic to vote Green. "A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush" became my mantra.
I watched in dismay, though, as Gore's campaign became little more than a staging ground for high-priced consultants who were willing to sell out every Democratic value to satisfy some personal theory about "what the electorate wanted". From Donna Brazile's self-aggrandizement to Naomi Wolf's "alpha male" theory to Al From's centrism, the Gore campaign became a rotating stage for a group of players who were more interested in promoting themselves than winning the election. By the time Gore finally reconnected with his Southern Populist roots and crafted a strong, popular message-- with the DLC attacking him for it all the way into November-- it was too late.
We all know the rest. The Dems' "give them enough rope" strategy in which virtually every Bush policy was rubber-stamped through Congress. The post-9/11 Congress which proudly passed the PATRIOT Act, the Iraq War Resolution, and seriously considered the importance of Freedom Fries even as real problems multiplied. The electoral rout that was the result of the "give them enough rope" strategy.
But what really sticks in my mind is the campaign against Howard Dean. I don't just mean the various different attacks on him by other candidates-- that's normal and justified. I mean the coordinated attack by every faction within the party, and the utter fear they evidenced at US, the base. I know as a good Dem I'm supposed to forget about inconvenient things like the Florida Recount and Howard Dean, but I honestly can't forget about this:
There's one big problem with this strategy: Most of those party activists the candidates are trying so hard to please are wildly out of touch not only with middle America but with the Democratic rank and file. The great myth of the campaign is the misguided notion that the hopes and dreams of party activists and single-issue groups represent the heart and soul of the Democratic Party. They don't.
The fact is, "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean likes to call it, is an aberration, a modern-day version of the old McGovern wing of the party, defined principally by weakness abroad and elitist interest-group liberalism at home. That wing lost the party 49 states in two elections and turned a powerful national organization into a much weaker, regional one.
That was written by Al From, and it was written specifically to attack me and liberals like me. It wasn't an attack on Howard Dean, it was an attack on party activists. It was an attack on people who feel that the death penalty is wrong, that universal healthcare is a right, that Americans deserve to live in a clean environment. It was an attack on people who think it's terrifying that 1/3 of the FULL TIME WORKERS in the United States of America are homeless. People who think fair labor practices are a human right. People who think the first amendment is something to be cherished and protected from people who would silence free speech.
Interestingly enough, if the DLC has any real power it's with centrists. Moderates. Exactly the people Kerry was trying to attract in the general. Yet where are the vitriolic attacks on George W. Bush or the Republican base? Where are the nationwide op-eds with cruel mischaracterizations? With the terrifying Democratic base safey defeated, the New Democrats retreated back into their cave and let Kerry take on Bush without them. They won the only battle that was important to them: keeping their established power base active.
And now we cope with yet another loss, and even less impact on government. The crushing thing about this loss, however, is not just the defeat. It's the fact that the party has apparently learned nothing from its uninterrupted 3-cycle losing streak. Reid is anointed Senate Minority Leader with no internal debate, despite the fact that he actually compounds Daschle's problems: he's a red state Senator with a vulnerable seat who has a demeanor that actually makes Daschle and Lieberman look like firebrands. At the same time, there's this huge push to install Vilsack as head of the DNC to satisfy a bunch of parochial interests: Kerry 08, the Iowa Caucuses, and undoubtedly some corporate donor or another. And on Democratic issues? We're seriously considering giving up on gay marriage, abortion, and protecting wildlife areas. Essentially, the DLC sees this loss as even more political capital-- they benefit greatly when Democrats lose b/c they can blame it on fundamental problems with Democratic ideology. And on top of all of this, Kerry is simply squatting on $45 million of activist money just in case he needs it at some future date.
Which brings me back to us "having the power". Democratic activists have been alternately attacked and ignored for too long now. I am genuinely starting to see the rationale behind leaving the party and putting down stakes in some third party organization. I'm not sure what, exactly, although Cobb's Green party is far more amenable than Nader's. But I'm simply tired of being treated like nothing more than an ATM. I'm tired of the party choosing to spit on my beliefs while insisting I support them. I'm tired of losing while cringing; if we're going to lose I'd rather lose fighting.
I know many of you will talk about intraparty reform, but I'm not convinced. I saw what they did to Howard Dean. And I know my history. I know about Bill Bradley, Jerry Brown, and Eugene McCarthy. I know there were probably many others as well. It seems the Establishment has enough power to control the primaries. Indeed, that may be why they're pushing Vilsack and his Iowa Protection Plan so strongly.
The party cannot exist without an ideological base. In order for the "party leadership" to mean anything, they need people to lead. And this, ultimately, is where "we have the power". We have the power to walk out. We have the power to say "we're not propping up your antagonistic system anymore". We have the power to refuse to be treated like scapegoats or ATMs.
It's uncomfortable, but every exercise of political power is. This means antagonizing people, and it means refusing to give in. I'm afraid it may be the only hope the Left has left.
UPDATE/CORRECTION:
Kerry "only" has $12 million unaccounted for, which is still unacceptable. And yeah, I was wrong about 1/3 of the full-time employees in the country being homeless, but the statistic is still scary. According to The United States Conference of Mayors, 26% of the homeless in cities surveyed had full-time employment at the end of 2000. Call me crazy but I think that number has increased during our "economic recovery". And that's truly unacceptable as well.
