I, for one, don't think that people who still support Democrats (or either major party, for that matter) are blind sheeple, as is a common accusation these days from those of us who are leftists. I think that for the most part, they're good people who want to believe their government is on their side. They hear the values they support voiced by the party to whom they're loyal.
At first, I, too, was a Democrat. I voted Democrat in every election and couldn't understand how anyone could see the way the GOP acted (both the politicians and the voters) and not be repulsed by the selfishness and anger displayed there. After all, Democrats were the face of progressiveness, while the GOP was the face of stagnation. Democrats supported the policies the majority of the people wanted (as evidenced by the larger number of people who voted Democrat, as opposed to the number who voted Republican). It has been a well known axiom that if voter turnout is large, the Democrats would win...they always had. The Democrats had given us Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, a progressive tax system, and millions of jobs with the creation of the WPA. Republicans had pushed to repeal those programs and it had become a fine art by the time of Reagan. Reagan instituted "trickle down economics", who had vilified those who needed help in hard times as being takers, who had made the point that government WAS the problem, not the solution. And so began, in earnest, the effort to roll back the contributions required of those most able to give back, in exchange for their exponentially greater use and benefit of the infrastructure and protections provided by the country as a whole. Infrastructure like roads on which to conduct their businesses, utility systems with which to run their businesses and schools which educated their worker force. Protections like patent law, policing, and tax incentives to grow their businesses and enlarge their profits. But, hey...that was the GOP, right? The Democrats didn't support any of those rollbacks...right?
Then I heard Ralph Nader speak in the mid nineties. He made the point that while the Democrats talked a good game, in practice, they just didn't seem able to deliver. He spoke on peace, the environment, the FCC and universal health care. I must admit, I wasn't an activist, and I didn't pay that much attention to the reasons things were the way they were. I supported all of Nader's views, but the Democrats were a close second. At least they sympathized with those in need. For years, thereafter, I voted for Greens when a Green candidate was available on my ballot, but did vote for Democrats when a Green wasn't on the ballot. Lesser of two evils, and all that.
Then came Welfare Reform, NAFTA and the dismantling of Glass-Steagall.(1) I must say, I was too naive to realize what the latter two would actually mean for the country, but I could certainly see how reworking the way welfare worked would affect millions of people. I didn't understand why this was done. I was told that the Democrats needed to compromise with the GOP in order to get anything done. Why, if given the chance, the GOP would cut it out altogether. The Democrats SAVED welfare.(2) I wasn't so sure, but was assured by those who governed that this was the best they could do. In addition to the reduction of funds available to help the disadvantaged, many more people were added to their number as the real world effects of NAFTA became apparent. The manufacturing sector that had provided so many American workers with good jobs was in decline and getting worse.(3)
Then came the 9/11 attack, and the decimation of our manufacturing sector took a back seat (understandably so) to the horror to which the nation was witness on that day. As the drumbeat for war escalated, I was assured that tax cuts for the most wealthy would help to regain those jobs that were lost. It wasn't really NAFTA's fault, it was that corporations didn't have enough incentive to 'create more jobs'. So, they got more tax cuts. Things didn't get better, but, I was told, it was the fault of the GOP. The Democrats were fighting for US, but couldn't get anything done because of opposition by the Republicans.
Then came the Iraq War Resolution. Not only did the GOP lead the way into attacking a country that had nothing to do with the attacks on the US, leaders from the Democratic Party voted FOR the resolution. Wait....what? Yes, because, well, you know, they were lied to by the Republican administration. Now, if I, with my high school only education could see the folly of this, surely the people who dealt with foreign policy every day, of whom many were lawyers, could see it. I mean, we attacked a country that had done nothing to us on the chance they MIGHT do so in the future. This is concretely against international law. The media, for their part, promoted the war all the way. One national voice that spoke out against the war was Phil Donahue. He had the temerity to question the march to war on a supposedly left-leaning network, MSNBC, and was summarily fired.(4) It seems it was unpatriotic to question the government's motives. But, once again...this was all the fault of the GOP.
Then came the financial crash, and it became evident that this was the direct result of the abandonment of the protections put in place after the Great Depression, Glass-Steagall, which had been abandoned by the Clinton administration.(5) But, we were told, it was imperative to save those industries or things would be worse. Once again, leaders within the Democratic party voted FOR our tax dollars to go to those who had so abused our system, our country and our trust. Worse? The corporations weren't required to do ANYTHING in exchange for the funds, while millions of Americans lost everything. Jobs, homes and retirement accounts were confiscated or wiped out.(6) So, the perpetrators of this crime against the country were allowed to keep their businesses AND keep all of their ill-gotten gains? But, we were told, this was the fault of the Bush administration, and had nothing to do with the Democrats who were bullied into going along with the plan.
Then came the Democratic primaries. I watched as voters in two states had their votes invalidated.(7) Why did this happen? Because the two states decided to move the date of their primaries. This was decided by the Democratic party and agree to by Hillary Clinton. “Wait a minute”, I thought. Wasn’t the Democratic primary, along with the GOP primary, the process of deciding who would be allowed to run in each for president on the general ballot in November? Didn’t the actual votes count? As it turns out, no. The Democratic Party is not a government agency or a social club dedicated to the public good. The Democratic and Republican National Committees — the head organizations for the two parties in Washington — are classified as 527 tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations. That means taxpayers subsidize their activities without collecting taxes from their income.(8)devoted to one purpose and one purpose only...electing Democrats, just like the Republican Party is a private corporation devoted to electing Republicans. So...when did the public’s voice count? The answer was obvious...it didn’t. We were given a false “choice” between two corporate vetted candidates in the democratic primary, and two in the general election. I couldn’t believe that voters in the affected states didn’t go to court to seek redress for having their constitutional right to vote summarily discounted. Turns out, it’s perfectly legal. After all, the primaries are “party specific’ and the rules are made by the parties. HUH?? So...a corporation decides who will be on our ballots, and wants us to think we actually have a choice? What kind of con WAS this? These rules were made, of course, by the major parties themselves. Parties that are not even mentioned in the constitution, much less granted supreme power over our elections. The two major parties started looking astoundingly similar in tactics, and seemed to be in collusion to hijack the electoral process. I was not a happy camper...or rather “voter”.
Then came the disbursement of the TARP funds to those banks by the Obama administration. There were absolutely no concessions required as a condition for releasing of these funds (which was the purview of the executive branch)(9), nor even asked for. Indeed, no one even went to jail for participating in the overtly illegal acts that wrecked the country, in spite of the campaign promises of the newly elected president.(10) But, this was still the fault of the GOP, who had actually been in control when the bubble burst. (That excuse, again?)
Then came the ACA. Candidate Obama campaigned on a promise of including a public option in his health care reform proposal...and opposed the individual mandate advocated by Hillary Clinton.(11) After election, we were told that instead of keeping his promises, we would have to settle for a compromise including the individual mandate and excluding the public option, in order to be able to get the legislation past the GOP. Do you know what actually happened? The president made a deal with the hospitals. ‘In his book, (Tom) Daschle reveals that after the Senate Finance Committee and the White House convinced hospitals to to accept $155 billion in payment reductions over ten years on July 8, the hospitals and Democrats operated under two “working assumptions.” One was that the Senate would aim for health coverage of at least 94 percent of Americans,” Daschle writes. “The other was that it would contain no public health plan,” which would have reimbursed hospitals at a lower rate than private insurers.(12) The public option wasn’t even included in the president’s final proposal or in the senate bill. And that ‘compromise’ with the GOP? Not one single Republican in either chamber voted for the bill, and 34 house Democrats voted NO.(13) If this was a ‘compromise’, someone should’ve told the GOP. What we ended up getting, instead of “health care reform” was a bailout of the insurance industry guaranteeing them millions of new customers, and PROFITS. I’ve got to admit, I didn’t vote for Obama either time, but I was stunned that he had betrayed his base so blatantly. What kind of party WERE the Democrats? Yes, they spoke well, but when given the chance to govern, they couldn’t get anything done. Of course this was the fault of GOP obstruction...what else? Then we were told that they hadn’t had time, they’d had to rush to get it done. They had a majority in both chambers and held the presidency. They could’ve enacted anything they wanted, but chose, instead, to waste the time debating amongst themselves, how much they were willing to do for Americans. I’ll give the GOP this...when they wanted the Iraq War Resolution and the bank bailout passed, they got both done quick, fast and in a hurry. That’s what happens when there is commitment and the will to get legislation passed. They managed to sink the hopes of millions of Americans, leave millions STILL without health care, be defended for doing so, AND make the next years all about “saving Obamacare”, instead of actually getting health care as a right, like every other industrialized nation in the world. We spend more both per capita $8,895 (excepting Norway $9,055 and Switzerland $8890) (14) , and as a percentage of GDP (17.9) (15) than any other country, and are the only one who does not provide care to ALL of its citizens (including Norway and Switzerland). How far back was the goal of single payer set? Who knows...probably decades, as the fight to save the ACA is of paramount importance since it’s being attacked by the GOP constantly. Which, in itself, is rather ironic. This plan, with its individual mandate was conceived of by (Heritage), first implemented by (RomneyCare) and constitutionally upheld by (Roberts SCOTUS) conservatives (16). How...HOW could this be? Had the Democrats no shame? No, they didn’t. It seems they counted on being “better than the GOP”, just like the GOP counted on being “better than the Democrats”, instead of actually working for the American people. For me, that was it. I was done believing any of them actually meant a word they said. At least you could see the GOP coming, but the Democrats dripped honey all the while stabbing you in the back.
Then, as the country was reeling from the financial crisis and trying to come to terms with the fact that we just weren’t going to be able to get healthcare for everyone, the promise of leaving war behind turned, instead, into the longest war in our history. Where numbers of in-country soldiers were reduced, we learned of the covert drone wars in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere without declaration of war. Civilians...men, women and children were and are killed indiscriminately making us even more hated and more unsafe than ever, while being told we are being kept safe. How...could my country DO these things? Especially with a Democratic President? But we were assured this was a ‘cleaner war’. No one seemed to realize civilians were still dying. Our corporate owned media, once again, played a pivotal role in the views of Americans. We never see the horror our ‘cleaner war’ is still causing. (17)
BUT WAIT...THERE’S MORE! Then came the atrocious NDAA with its “indefinite detention clause” that was signed into law by our “progressive” president. In spite of his signing statement in which he said, “The fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it. In particular, I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.” and “Moreover, I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation.” (18) After the clause was found unconstitutional by a federal court, the Obama Justice Department immediately filed an emergency injunction to keep the clause in force.(19) The very clause about which the president had expressed “serious reservations”. As a direct result of this clause, American citizens far from the field of battle can be instantaneously stripped of their civil rights and jailed indefinitely without conviction, trial or even evidence. But...I thought the Democrats were for ENFORCING civil rights, not taking them away. There was absolutely no “innocent” explanation for this, but it seemed that the more our country ignored the will and the welfare of her citizens, the more fiercely those who were loyal to the Democrats defended those policies, and more those who supported the other major party hated the president who led the Democratic party, even to the point of making up lies in order to castigate him. .
Does there need to be even more? There is. The Farm Bill that was signed by our president that stole food from the mouths of starving children while preserving subsidies for members of congress (20), and the recent “cromnibus” that was passed with the help of senate Democrats (without whom it could NOT have been passed) at the urging of our president, and signed by him, as well.(21) The fact is that in his entire time in office, our president has protected the people with one of the most powerful tools our system of checks and balances provides to the executive branch, the presidential veto, twice.(22) This is the fewest number of vetoes by a US president since President James Garfield, whose presidency had lasted just 200 days, March 4, 1881, until his death on September 19, 1881.(23) Presidential vetoes are only overridden less than 10% of the time, and the votes required for an override is a much harder standard to achieve than to pass the bill the first time.(24) If I know this, surely the people who are in government know it too. While President Obama may not have been able to get legislation he promoted passed, he certainly could’ve stopped the codification of bills he ostensibly opposed. So, the question is, why didn’t he? Why let the odious NDAA with its civil rights killing indefinite detention clause, the bills reducing food for the hungry, the bills giving breaks to the already bloated banks become law? Why not make your “opposition” actually work for their passage?
Just how anyone could still support the Democrats, knowing all of this reminded me of my incredulity at seeing people support the GOP years before. I understand it better now, as I see good people, smart people, either ignore what they know, refusing to acknowledge the import of the policies they defend, or don’t bother to find out the facts, favoring, instead to go along with the narrative given them. They see our country steadily getting worse, and are scared to death. Voters supporting each major party blame the other for all the ills the country suffers, and do so vehemently, each accusing the other of ‘drinking the koolaid’. The major parties have wrecked our country with their greed, and are tearing it apart with the divisiveness they not only engender, but actively encourage. People who still think of themselves as ‘progressives’ or ‘on ‘the left’ regularly attack, vilify and/or marginalize those of us who want to break free of the system that has foisted this sick way of doing things upon us. They say we ‘split the ticket’, depriving the lesser of two evils party their rightful place as guardians of justice. They say we are utopian dreamers who just don’t understand that we are much better off with the Democrats than the republicans. They go so far as to call us “GOP moles”, out to ruin the causes they support from being enacted. They keep us tethered to this unwinnable paradigm of Republicans vs. Democrats. They forget the truth of the words of Frederick Douglass,
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” (25)
They fail to remember that Democrats did not give us the social programs that pulled us out of the depths of the depression they and the GOP caused out of the goodness of their hearts. They were forced to make a hard choice by activist organizations like the Socialist and Communist parties, along with labor organizations like the CIO. All of those entities were vibrant at that time, and represented millions of people who had been devastated. They stood up and demanded better for those whom they represented, and the major parties, in order to save capitalism, gave in to the righteous demands made of them, rather than face the fall of the system that had enriched them, in favor of one that had the welfare of the people as its main focus. (26) Ever since that time, the the Socialist and Communist parties were torn apart, being declared the new menace during the cold war, and the labor unions have been systematically dismantled in an effort to ensure that this could never happen again. Others try to tell us that we have no chance to change things and should join them in supporting the party they see as “progressive”, to try to change it from within. They forget that neither party is working for the people, though a few politicians within the party certainly may be. Both parties are run by corporations, and people self-identifying as progressives concede this. They know it to be true, but believe that somehow, beyond all logic, that one corporate party is beholden to their financiers, but the other is not. Neither party WANTS to be reformed and will use the power of their money to squelch any such effort. We hear, “well, things won’t change until we get the money out of politics”, but those saying this refuse to see that we can’t rely on the people who benefit from this system to cut their own throats by getting rid of that system which enriches them and keeps them in power. That’s why it’s so important to see things the way they really are, instead of the way we would like to believe the are. That is why we need to leave these gluttonous, self-serving parties behind and support politicians who are not beholden to any corporations.
I am saddened beyond belief that our country has come to this point. We are the richest country on earth, and we have children starving, people without shelter, people dying without healthcare and others bankrupting themselves in an effort to get that care, so that others can accrue huge profits and live in unbelievable opulence. I cannot..I will not...give the major parties permission with my vote to do the things they do in my name any longer. I will never, EVER vote for a politician from either corporate party ever again. They both work for their financiers and will...HAVE, and continue to...sell us down the river without blinking an eye. Think about these things as you consider who to support in the 2016 elections. Our country...our people...our planet, depend on it.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing~ Edmund Burke
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