The Democratic National Committee will elect a new chairman on February 12. Along with new leadership, Democrats are challenged to provide meaningful thought leadership at a time when control of the national government has totally been lost. I’d like to propose three ideas to DNC Chairman Howard Dean which I believe can help the party recapture its strength.
DESIDERATA FOR A FUTURE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
It’s about the future, stupid.
Continue to protect and empower the powerless.
The U.S. Federal government is to be controlled, not encouraged to grow more powerful.
Let me elaborate:
First, the future: We look to the future, they look to the past. They have the edge in the short run, but we will win in the long run because we put the future first. The Bushites have forfeited any moral basis to even discuss plans for this country’s future with their deficits, endless military adventures, and myopic energy policies. Where their plans were good, as with education, their execution was poor, and instances of great execution, as with the military’s invasion of Iraq, have been sandwiched with poor planning. The Medicare prescription legislation and their prescribed changes to Social Security are two more cases in point.
My boomer generation stands for little except selfishness, so here's a selfish argument for us to consider: the time all America has to plan for is when the boomers are old, 2020-2050 (roughly). We have to give our children (or whoever it is who's going to be of a productive age then--immigrants, someone else's children, our grandchildren, etc.) a chance to work their butts off and keep us going then. There’s really not that much chance that, as a generation, we’re saving enough to take care of ourselves on our own resources. The robust economy we will all need to have built by then is not facilitated by letting lobbyists draft legislation favorable to themselves, by squandering our resources, by subsidizing weak industries, nor by nurturing an underclass through affirmative action for the privileged; it is facilitated by building the infrastructure and fostering the conditions to produce workers and industries capable and ready for fiercely competitive global markets.
Democrats made solid progress toward regaining the youth vote in 2004. In order to secure a dominant position as the party of today’s youth, and in order to continue to gain a majority share of tomorrow’s youth (the combination of which will prove a successful long-term strategy), we must filter our policies through the prism of long-term viability. The Bush administration’s policies threaten to steal vitality from the future and postpone critical progress. We can and must offer clear alternatives on each national issue that will counter the course that’s set for the short run.
Secondly, we have to protect the interests of our core constituencies, groups that remain relatively distant from the centers of federal power: Blacks, Latinos, women, gays, workers (both unionized and not) and students. Due primarily to the progress made under Democratic leadership, these groups are not totally powerless in today’s America, but they are systematically undermined by the current political power structure. We have to critically review our economic and infrastructure proposals with these constituencies through systematic grass-roots outreach, in order to build up and continuously refine a “Preservation of Base” set of programs (alternative Federal programs, along with local and state initiatives), combined with the rationale for each, that can be utilized as a potent alternative to any administration proposal. We should not be deterred by those who charge us with creating “class struggle”: the struggle is real for those without power, and the gaps between rich and poor are growing steadily under Bushite rule. The undermining of the middle class will be the next phase, already begun.
Protecting the powerless extends beyond our borders, as well. We must be outspoken when the Bushites fail to live up to their idealistic rhetoric, as they will.
Third, an estrangement has already occurred between Democrats and Federal government policies. This will be most difficult for party leaders to accept, but its recognition is the one change that will produce the greatest gains. The U.S. federal government is the greatest power in the world today, but this is not our power; it is something that, in a political sense, operates counter to our needs, our legitimate interests, and our desires. I agree with our new Senator Obama that the federal government can be a force for great benefit, but, as he will see soon enough, it will not be during this administration. Like it or not, we are the opposition party. I am not suggesting that those of us who work for the U.S. government resign wholesale: many of us perform vital roles in education, defense, social services, etc. that must continue or even be redoubled. All of us should look at the ethical implications of what we do, trying to balance these against the necessity of earning a living. Instead, as a party we should sponsor development of our oversight capabilities, ones that do not rely on control of the branches of government. The objective is to build a capable and smart political counterforce that will know what must be done differently when we finally regain the national popular mandate.
In the Bushite era, Democratic policies should be flavored with a healthy dose of populism. We should openly express our suspicions about the military-industrial-pharma cabal which controls the national government. I exaggerate here, but I’m expressing the emotion which comes from the heart. Many others feel the same, and many of those are Republicans and Independents today. We should express a healthy skepticism—for a change—about bringing about change through the federal government and search for other ways to gain success. The day may come, even soon, when we are not shut out from control of the power center as we are today, but this skepticism and openness to other channels should remain part of our creed. This is the way to break out of the liberal/conservative box in which we find ourselves. Democrats have every right to reclaim the ideal of restraint of federal powers and to do so in the name of progressive goals. When we do so, we will find surprising gains in support.
This idea of limiting the power of the federal government means strengthening the power of states and localities to go their ways, but also strengthening international organizations (though we want them to be more democratic). Here’s a great idea, long overdue, but one that must wait until the post-Bushite era: the U.S. should lead a movement to reform the U.N. Charter and bring it forward from its genesis during the postwar period (that’s post-WWII). But, in the meantime, there’s plenty of opportunities for improvements in areas other than the legislation and execution of the federal laws. Examples could include initiatives within individual states; opportunities for restoration of civic community, and for supporting non-governmental organizations with local, national, and international scope.
If we wish to end tyranny in the world, then we must begin by building greater democracy at home. One component of the Democratic agenda that is entirely suitable for full cooperation with the national Republican majority is electoral reform. Everyone should be able to vote anytime in October, on the Internet at home or in an Internet café with the appropriate security and encryption. Or, if you prefer, you can stand in line Election Day. And let us finally rid ourselves of the Electoral College--hopefully, the Republicans will work with us, understanding the argument that (with the 0.5% Ohio Solution being discovered in time) they could have lost the 2004 Presidential election, while drubbing the Democrats unmercifully in so much of the country and drawing 51% of the popular vote. The fact that the 2004 elections went "smoothly"—-voters scooting uneasily through a No-Man's Land patrolled by lawyers from both sides--doesn't mean things are OK. We are spending too much money for the quality of this process. America needs more democracy: Along with better means of informing the people, we should advocate such items as direct democracy, arising from citizens’ petitions; Democratic primary elections open to all; democratic elections for the majority of DNC members; and statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico.
We must be zealous in the drive for integrity in public affairs, and vocal in demonstrating how the Bushites have attacked transparency and allowed and encouraged abuses of power. But we must be equally vocal about the protection of our liberties, and our privacy--even the privacy of public figures. We must be brave, defending the rights of expression for unpopular, even antisocial points of view. At the same time, we must add focus in our secondary education on the key civic skills of developing individuals’ ethical and practical capabilities, so we can eventually stop trying to legislate morality--as though the American people will always remain children.
Is Washington our enemy? No, we are Americans. We send our tribunes to Washington to keep an eye on the Red Revenuers and control their excesses at public expense, not because we want our turn at the cranes to build monuments to ourselves. Washington already has plenty of impressive monuments, ones that could last for thousands of years, as the ancient Romans had--If we are wise. To continue a bit in historical terms, we have to be more the party of Jefferson and Jackson, in the best sense: We have to restore the sense of adventure to America. And the greatest adventure we could possibly have is that of world leadership. America has now a brief window in history in which we can uniquely and positively affect the course of human civilization. With the disastrous outcome of the 2004 elections, we will be four years closer in simple terms of the calendar to the time our window of opportunity will close, but much more so in terms of the unintended long-term effects of Bushite policies.
DESIDERATA FOR A FUTURE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
It’s about the future, stupid.
Protect and empower the powerless.
The U.S. Federal government is to be controlled, not encouraged to grow more powerful.
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