Leftists want to change the world. They want peace, equal income, equal wealth, equal rights for everybody.
Democrats are not part of the Left. If Democrats have their way, the fundamental inequality of American capitalism, a system in which 1% of the people “earn” 82% of the income, will never change. Democrats apply identity politics as a distraction, in lieu of systematic solutions to class-based discrimination. Democrats demand more women directors in Hollywood, more African-Americans admitted to Ivy League schools, transgendered soldiers in the military so they can join the slaughter of brown people in other countries.
Donald Trump represented a rare opportunity for the Left. After eight years of fascism with a smile, the American system got a figurehead as visually and tonally repugnant as its foreign policy (drones, aggressive wars, coups, undermining popular elected leaders) and its domestic reality (widespread poverty, crumbling infrastructure, no social safety net, for-profit healthcare and education). “Hey,” the Left could finally say, “the U.S. is a disgusting monster headed by a disgusting monster. Let’s get rid of that monster!”
It has become painfully apparent that Democrats have hijacked the anti-Trump Resistance.
“I feel like the revolution is now,” a demonstrator at last weekend’s second Women’s March told a New York Times reporter. “I want equal pay,” added her 11-year-old daughter, Xenaya, chimed in. “And equal rights.”
Definition of “revolution”: “a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system.”
At those very same marches, however, (establishment Democratic) speakers like Nancy Pelosi and Kirsten Gillibrand urged women to run for office (presumably as Democrats) and to support Democratic candidates (whether they’re women or men). Even if you think that is a beautiful and important idea, it is not revolution.
Running for office and validating the status quo by voting for major-party candidates is the exact opposite of revolution.
USA Today’s take was typical: “Women’s March returns, but the real focus now is the midterm elections.” The paper quotes Linda Meigs, who is challenging a GOP incumbent in Alabama: “I just feel that there’s a blue wave coming, and it’s a wave of women – women who were energized by the Women’s March and by what’s going on in Washington in the White House.”
Meigs is probably right. Even Republicans think so. But so what?
Even if Democrats take back the House and the Senate, women Resisters who fall for the Dems’ co-option game hoping for “equal pay” and “equal rights” will be sorely disappointed. Not because Trump will get in the way — because Democrats won’t fight for anything substantial.
Consider the Democrat most Women’s Marchers probably voted for. Like the rest of her fellow Democrats, Hillary Clinton (a multimillionaire) supported raising the minimum wage to a pitiful $12 per hour. (If it had merely kept up with inflation, it would be $23 per hour now. Given increases in worker productivity, it ought to be at least $25 per hour.)
Nearly two-thirds of minimum-wage earners are women.
Clinton gets better-a-century-late-than-never cred for endorsing the long-stalled Equal Rights Amendment. But Democrats controlled the White House, House and Senate as recently as 2010 — and never mentioned it.
Even on the signature identity-politics issue of abortion rights, Democrats have long deployed a form of psychological terrorism against women. Unless you vote for us, they’ve been telling women, some Republican president might appoint a Supreme Court justice who might cast the deciding vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Women and their partners shouldn’t have to rely on a wobbly 45-year-old court decision. Why don’t Democrats ever propose a bill legalizing abortion nationwide? Considering that 58% of voters, including many Republicans, support abortion rights, and that Democrats could characterize Congressional opponents as misogynists in attack ads, it’s entirely possible that an abortion-rights law could pass Congress. They certainly could have tried under Obama. But they didn’t. Because Democrats don’t care about people. Democrats care about electing and collecting campaign donations for Democrats.
There is no reason — zero, none, nada — to believe that the Democratic Party’s half-century-old refusal to lift a finger to help the disenfranchised will change if and when they win back Congress. Which makes the squandering of the anti-Trump historical moment so tragic.
It’s time for the actually-existing American Left to do some serious soul-searching, analysis and — most of all — organizing. Why didn’t militant leftists insist on greater prominence at the Women’s Marches than those Democratic hacks? Where is the grassroots organizing? Where are the left-wing thinktanks to create an intellectual and theoretical basis for our arguments? Why aren’t there protests daily, as opposed to annually? Trump and the Republicans and the Democrats shouldn’t be able to show their faces in public without facing a crowd of loud and angry protesters.
It’s not like the Democrats are a fiendishly clever adversary! Allowing the idiots who chose Hillary over Bernie to steal anti-Trumpism points to complete impotence and political incompetence on the part of what’s left of the Left.
(Ted Rall’s (Twitter: @tedrall) brand-new book is “Meet the Deplorables: Infiltrating Trump America,” co-written with Harmon Leon. His next book will be “Francis: The People’s Pope,” the latest in his series of graphic novel-format biographies. Publication date is March 13, 2018. You can support Ted’s hard-hitting political cartoons and columns and see his work first by sponsoring his work on Patreon.)
9 Comments.
Let’s draw a line between The Democratic Party and the percentage of the electorate which usually vote for The Democratic Candidate.
The Party is corrupt (in general – there are still A Few Good Women (and at least one Good Man)) The electorate, not so much – merely misguided. They are – unfortunately – moving to the right, but are still somewhat lefter than The Party. So the question is: can we turn the tide on things like The Women’s march? There was one helluva turnout last weekend, tens of thousands in many cities. “We” could preempt The Democratic Party, if we duh pipple speak out at such events. We make our desires known and those that want to get elected need to play to those desires.
A leader is a person who sees which way the crowd is moving, jumps to the front, and yells “Follow me!” – Pliny the Elder
re: the ERA.
I’m not sure it’s necessary. So long as abortion is legal women have greater legal rights than men. Women still get the short end of the stick in real life; but that’s a social issue not a legislative one. We can’t legislate personal beliefs. I don’t like the idea of a law “legalizing” abortion – but only because we don’t need laws ‘legalizing’ things. In Duh Land Ubbuh Free, the default is legal.
We only need laws to stop people from harming others; abortion doesn’t harm anyone and so it shouldn’t need debate in the first place.
Here are my counter proposals:
Abortion – I’d much prefer an amendment stating that all people have exclusive rights over their own bodies. That is, after all, what Roe v. Wade was all about. However my proposal includes not only abortion, but voluntary euthanasia, motorcycle helmets, dueling, sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. The difference is that it is a positive statement addressing the larger issue, rather than a negative statement addressing only one part of the problem.. My body, my life, my decision, end of discussion.
ERA – again, it shouldn’t be necessary because we already have ‘equal justice under the law.’ But gee whiz, it doesn’t play out that way. The constitution doesn’t specifically say ‘transgender’ so many states assume they can pass bathroom laws. That’s absolutely illegal under the current constitution. But okay, if we need to make it explicit then we need an amendment stating ALL PEOPLE. Forget ‘race, color creed’ because that allows idjits to interpret it as NOT covering certain groups. Screw that noise – if you are human, you get the same rights as any other human. End of discussion.
/flamebait
«Democrats [the organised Party] are not part of the Left. If Democrats have their way, the fundamental inequality of American capitalism, a system in which 1% of the people “earn” 82% of the income, will never change. Democrats apply identity politics as a distraction, in lieu of systematic solutions to class-based discrimination.» Nailed it again, Ted – but you didn’t mention the warmongering and the resurgent McCarthyism, etc, etc, which are so typical for that political party. Being to left of the GOP (if that), is hardly Left….
Henri
Assuming that “the Resistance” is not actually a wholly-owned, if profoundly delusional, subsidiary of “the Democrats” themselves, I’d predict the Dems’ hijacking of it would pan out like a hijacking of “the Titanic.”
«… I’d predict the Dems’ hijacking of it would pan out like a hijacking of “the Titanic.”» Alas, I haven’t seen the film, falco ; how did that one go ?… 😉
Henri
Hi Henri,
It went: ” … blub, blub, blub …. blub, blub …
bluuuu ….. ”
One could hardly ask for a more appropriate end to this pack of feckless, spineless, co-conspiratorial frauds. (See, e.g., “Subcommandante Schumer,” above.)
I always have a bit of a giggle and a lot of a sigh whenever some foaming-at-the-mouth Republicans (or worse) points at the Dems and say “leftists!” and claim that electing Democrats will plunge the country into a morass of Stalinesque depravity.
Americans don’t have anything resembling real choice in political parties. Speaking as an observer from outside the country, as far as I can tell, the only obvious differences I can see is the colour of the neckties. Both parties, in any other country, would be both considered right-wing. The Democrats, for example, are politically and policy-wise clearly to the right of Canada’s Conservatives.
Because the general direction of the ‘States has been sooo effective and efficient – y’know, for things like prison, policing, health, education, and civility – I don’t expect that it’s going change soon.
«Because the general direction of the ‘States has been sooo effective and efficient – y’know, for things like prison, policing, health, education, and civility – I don’t expect that it’s going change soon.» And don’t forget war, «regime change», and «sanctions», Thauma Technician !…
But I agree ; the likelihood of a change in the near future is minimal. Sooner or later, however, one will be forced on the US, if not by internal, then by external factors. The question is whether H sapiens sapiens will survive that change – or rather, the reaction to it on the part of those who run the US….
Henri
” the only obvious differences I can see is the colour of the neckties. ”
False. Democrats tie their ties in a four-in-hand knot; Republicans use a half Windsor. (No, really – watch)
😀