Over at new link Democracy Lover is a discussion of the limits of political alternatives in the United States. In many ways, my feelings concerning these views echo my feelings concerning Arthur Silberg. There is much with which I agree, but I also disagree. There is no doubt that I have been given much food for thought, and will get more in the future.
One of DL's insistent points is that our current system is not designed to deal with what can be called issues of systemic injustice. That is, issues of the persistent inequality of economic resources and rewards; legal and social inequities that are part and parcel of society; and creating real choices that are not figments of economic reductionism. On the one hand, I could not agree more. The problem, however, is that our current political system was created to ensure the viability of the American nation-state and its political and social infrastructure (as are all political systems). Even ideally, the system cannot address these systemic problems because these same problems, like a genetic disorder, infect the political system as well. Politics is only as healthy as the society it reflects.
Something specific with which I must take issue, however, is whether or not real differences exist between the Republican and Democratic Party as they are currently constituted. Back in the 1990's, as a subscriber to The Nation, I was bombarded with a constant stream of criticism of Bill Clinton from the left. By the time the 2000 election came around, I was so disaffected I voted for Ralph Nader (living in Illinois, I felt it a "safe" vote, although I may have voted that way regardless of where I lived because I had come to believe much of the "there's not a dime's worth of difference" rhetoric). In the initial aftermath of the election, I was disappointed, but as the summer of 2001 limped along, I had a feeling George Bush was going to be a one-term President, so I didn't much care.
With the events of September 11 of that year and their aftermath (where is the person who sent all that anthrax, anyway, Alberto Gonzalez?) I realized what a horrible mistake I had made believing the hype. With the benefit of hindsight, I can now see that there were and are tremendous differences between the two major parties on a range of issues. Indeed, I doubt we would be where we are today - our polity in tatters, the Constitution on life-support, waving goodbye to perhaps the most corrupt and inept Congress in American history - had there been a different result in the 2000 election. In other words, as the system is designed and as it runs, there are tremendous differences, differences are real and substantive, between the parties. There is a tremendous range within the parties - Tom Tancredo and Lincoln Chafee are both Republicans; Robert Casey, Jr. and Henry Waxman are both Democrats - and sometimes that makes it difficult to see the differences with clarity. At the same time, the Democratic Party has been suffering from loser syndrome for a generation, hedging bets and playing it safe in order to survive. This past election showed, however, that is no longer necessary. There is a potential to create a sustainable liberal (if not exactly progressive) majority, if the Democratic Party plays it smart.
I may not agree with everything the Democratic Party does; I do not believe it will ever address issues of substantive social or economic justice, for example, but then again I would never ask it to. That's a bit like requesting a fish dance - it just isn't what it was designed for. I do see it as a vehicle for moderately progressive policies that can take the edge off the worst our economy and society have to offer. I believe that is the best we can ever ask of any political party, at least in the United States. I say that because I believe, for all its faults, for all its failings, for all its limits, for all the stupid ideas swirling around (American exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny), the United States, even as it is currently constituted, is among the best and brightest hopes for humanity. I despise our current leaders, holding them, Congressional Republicans and Executive Branch Republicans alike beneath contempt; I love America, however, because I know that we as a people are much better than they are. It is because the American people are better that I believe real choice, and real alternatives, and real hope for a better future exists.
Virtual Tin Cup
