|
(This isn't meant to be one of those handwringing, "woe is us" posts we see from time to time, but rather a call to action on our parts, individually and collectively. Forgive me if I start to ramble.)
I've been thinking for a long time about my support for Howard Dean. I'm not exactly wavering, but it's support that comes at occasional cost to my peace of mind. I fully expect that that cost will become greater as time goes on, especially if Dean wins the nomination. Truth be told, I agree far more with Dennis Kucinich on the issues than I do with Dean, but I'm supporting Dean in the primaries because I've come to disagree with the idea that we have to blue-sky it in the primaries and then accept the inevitable for the general election. The American left needs to think strategically, but not in November. It needs to start earlier.
None of the candidates is a magic bullet or a savior. Not Dean, not Kucinich, not Clark, not Kerry. None of them will reach any kind of overall progressive goal line, even in two terms, even with a Democratic Congress. Some, however, can be a start and for me, Dean is that start. Your mileage may vary on who best represents that start - I'm not particularly worried about that here.
I think two things have held us back in effectively answering the conservative onslaught in full swing since 1980 - a compliant (or bumbling) national presence and a lack of involvement and unity at the local level. The first I think is best addressed through the nomination of someone to the national ticket who will at minimum make a break from the failed strategy of the DLC and get into office with a mandate and a commitment to stop, not just slow, the rightwing trend.
Addressing the second issue is harder, because it will depend on our willingness to get off our asses (and I very much include myself in this) and do the hard work of organization and activism. The conservative counterrevolution would never have come about without the quieter work of many thousands of little people who made phone calls, raised money, ran for office, rang doorbells, disseminated talking points both subtle and overt and generally agitated for the conservative dream. We have to do the same thing in reverse.
Involvement leads to unity, not particularly of party, but of action. The left is notoriously factional, but where at all possible, we have to fight for each other's causes, not just our own. We're simply stronger that way, as tricky as it can be getting different constituencies to realize that we all are, or can be, on the same side. We have to stop being triangulated.
Again. We. Have. To. Stop. Being. Triangulated. Until we put a stop, at the personal and local levels, to the kind of bullshit that pits environmentalists against labor and gay folks against people of faith, conservatives will continue to win. That's our work. That's what *we* have to do, to work for, regardless of who wins the Dem nomination or the election next year.
And it's the work of years. The winner of the 2004 primaries/general election will not change the nature of OUR work one whit. Dean will not magically unify the left. Kucinich will not magically spur a resurgence in citizenship. Neither Clark nor Kerry will magically erase the "liberals hate America" meme. We don't need heroes, which is a good thing since none are in the offing. We only need the right general direction and ourselves, on our feet.
Any thoughts? This is roughly put - sorry for the brain dump. :)
|