The Progressive Opportunity
“If American democracy ceases to move forward as a living force, seeking day and night by peaceful means to better the lot of our citizens, fascism will grow in strength in our land.” ― FDR
Interesting piece from the good people at The Liberal Patriot. Important for all of us to think through.
Progressives have been rightly hammering the conservative neoliberal economic agenda for decades — at least since Reagan won in 1980 and we were introduced to “Trickle-Down” economics. But, to make a long story short, the Dem party went along with this.
Our working class was economically eviscerated in the ensuing decades and working people lost control over their lives and dignity. When, after so many year, Dems failed to rally in solidarity with working people, their disillusionment, sense of abandonment, and resentment — essentially their Fear (yes, capital “F” — the sort that FDR warned us about) — was increasingly tapped and stoked by the Republicans and now Trump. Working people have been turned against one another, racially and otherwise — and against us progressives too.
“If American democracy ceases to move forward as a living force, seeking day and night by peaceful means to better the lot of our citizens, fascism will grow in strength in our land.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt
In the meantime, progressives have slowly but surely become preoccupied with identity politics and the “perfecting of differences” (h/t John Halpin). We hardly even really think about the plight of working people much anymore as much as we think about “feeling safe,” whether that be from COVID, climate change, or from micro aggressions.
We have to get away from the culture wars, being scolds, performative virtue signaling, and honing the politics of perfecting differences, and get back to engaging in the real war, which is the only one that can save us from authoritarianism. The real war is the one that has driven so many or our fellow Americans into the other camp. It’s the war against the wellbeing and dignity of “working people,” the poor, and the disenfranchised of all colors and creeds. This war has so far succeeded for over four decades in undermining the resolve, morale, and solidarity of our side, thereby dividing, and, not just conquering, but actually assimilating many of our forces.
The “Big Opportunity” we have is to forge solidarity around commonalities. We need to form a winning coalition of Americans working for a more perfect union. People mostly just want the “normalcy” of getting on with their lives in a way that America promises as a land of equal opportunity. We have to understand that the millions of disaffected and mis-led working and heartland people supporting Trump right now want what many of us progressives have: the opportunity of a life lived well, with purpose and dignity.
If we don’t do everything we can to help them get this opportunity and to live without Fear itself, then, with the help of bigots and autocrats, they will continue to turn against us. And then we will all live in Fear.
Very interesting discussion and an interesting linked article! My allegiance to the Democratic Party is due to its underlying desire to use the government to directly help people. And I thought ``identity politics'' were always a significant part of the Democratic party's identity. Hasn't the Democratic Party always advanced equity between groups by identifying injustices done to particular groups both based on socioeconomic status and based on gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, etc.? Should we base our policy choices based on popularity? Affirmative action has presumably never been popular, but does that mean it's not right? De-segregation was not popular and lost the Democratic Party the south, but it was still right. I can't imagine the women's rights movement was popular in much of the country, but it was still right. How is what is happening now different from what happened before with those types of policies? I 100% believe that there is a real reason for the Fear and anger in a large segment of our population and that it's due to economic problems that the Democratic Party needs to help with. But I don't know that addressing those problems and trying to continue to reduce racism, sexism, and homophobia have to be incompatible pursuits. And aren't we actively trying to help economic issues through the infrastructure bill and other major bills that have been and are being worked on? Are we not trying to do both right now, just as we always have done? Are you saying we need to talk more about our economic aims than our ``identity politics'' aims, or that we actually need to reduce our efforts to reduce racism in order to increase our efforts to improve economic conditions? If we just need to talk more about our economic aims, how do we do that in ways that are energizing to people? My sense is that neither party talks much about economics, but instead uses cultural differences to drive party allegiance most of the time. And my sense is that using cultural differences to compel voters is consistent with what politicians have been doing for a long time - is it much different now than it was before?
Yes, the perfecting of differences is reaching a level of absurdity while we turn a blind eye to the life destroying plight of "working people." I just participated in a program with George Monbiot and will be paying a lot more attention to this issue. We need to stop swatting at flies and address root causes.