On the Two Democratic Parties

[durutti]

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=33&ItemID=3999

While on vacation last week I had the opportunity to hear Dennis Kucinich speak, and I took advantage of it. I was not disappointed. I was impressed by Kucinich’s consistently progressive positions on every issue he addressed or was asked about. I appreciated the way he spoke about a “politics of the heart,” and the need for a movement for fundamental transformation of this nation. He came across genuine and honest.

He was also very forthright about being not just a Democrat but about his efforts to recruit Greens and other third party-ites to join and support his campaign. He spoke with understanding about why many of us have rejected the corporate-dominated, two-party system and indicated openness to the emergence of a genuinely democratic, multi-party system, but he made it clear that he believes the path to fundamental change lies through the Democratic Party.

I hold no hopes for the Democratic Party and haven’t for over 30 years. But I recognize that there are people like Dennis Kucinich, or Al Sharpton, who have looked at the current reality of the U.S. political system and have come to believe that they can be most effective, at least for now, if they function within that flawed and highly problematic structure. There are many tens, possibly hundreds, of thousands of activists around the country who fall into this category.