Electoral Pains and Movement Gains: Why the 2004 Election Pretty Much Sucks
Press Action
Monday, August 09, 2004
http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/frank08092004/
By Joshua Frank
The stench is dizzying. It’s almost too much to bear. Progressive voters are having a more and more difficult time justifying their support for the rot we call the Democratic Party—as the John-John ticket has few redeeming qualities, if any.
Then again this George W. Bush guy is pretty fricken bad, isn’t he? He lied, and drove our country into an unnecessary war that just happened to be illegal. He hates minorities and despises gays. He cares little for the environment (unless it can turn a quick oily buck or course). He believes the government has the right to spy on its citizens. He thinks the poor and working class deserve their wretched poverty. And the list goes on.
You would think that in this polluted neocon atmosphere the Democrats would feel invigorated. You would think they’d want to differentiate themselves from their Republican rivals by offering an alternative. You would think they’d want to win the election.
You would think.
Instead we have a neoliberal troupe of banal Democrats (the richest ticket in the history of the world mind you) who agree with virtually every major plank of the Republican Party. They overwhelmingly supported Bush’s invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Attorney General Ashcroft’s Patriot Act. Bush’s (not-so) “healthy” forest plan. The Republican’s prescription drug bill. The tax-cuts. The $87 billion occupation funds. You name the crime, and the Democrats are sure to have their fingerprints all over it.
In steps the trusted Green Party, the standard bearer of social and environmental justice. Or so we once thought. They hate Bush as much as anyone and hope this election sends him packing. But the Greens folded at their convention in June and endorsed a lackluster lawyer named David Cobb. By embracing this Cobb character, the Greens opted to run a “safe-state” strategy that ensures the Green campaign will have no effect on the election whatsoever. For the Greens are more concerned with “movement building” than electoral gains, and they believe the best way to succeed is to steer clear of that rough battleground territory.
Sounds like a losing plan to me. It’s as if the Greens are asking folks to rally for a team that doesn’t have any players on the roster. But we’ll see how successful they are after November’s contest. Until then we’ll have to endure the agony of the humdrum Cobb recital. As if we weren’t already sick to our stomachs from the Democrats’ ghastly show.
So how about the independent candidacy of Ralph Nader? The consumer advocate’s heart is in the right place, no doubt. He’s not afraid of taking on the Beltway fat cats. He said he will run hard in all states and isn’t fazed by the Democrats’ attempts to exterminate his drive, or the conservatives’ ploy to co-opt his campaign. He doesn’t care much for the Iraq war, and thinks the U.S. is too nice to Israel.
However, many progressives argue Nader has no vision past this dismal election season. And that’s a problem. They claim that he has done little to reach out to the Left. He has registered his own “Progressive Party” in certain states, but says he’ll only move forward with the prospect if there is ample support. If Nader isn’t preparing to do something after November, what’s the point of even running? Huh Ralph?
But if Nader does go ahead with his own party, his campaign mate Peter Camejo, a longtime Green Party member, may have to decide if his old party is worth hanging onto. Will Camejo bail the Green Party and work with Nader to spark a Progressive crusade? Will faithful Camejo enthusiasts desert the Greens and follow his lead? Is Nader’s objective to demolish the Greens altogether? Indeed it was Nader who put the Green Party on the map by running as their presidential candidate in 1996 and 2000. So it is certain that many Greens would follow his lead.
There is no question the guy has some answering to do. Well, maybe this diatribe is entirely meaningless. Ralph Nader may not even get on enough ballots to make a bit of difference anyway.
All this political poison doesn’t leave one feeling so damn hot about electoral politics. It’s like these campaigns are asking us to take a chug out of a carton of spoiled milk. There just isn’t much to get excited about. Maybe that Mikhail Bakunin cat was onto something when he said we shouldn’t even bother participating in “bourgeois politics.” At least I’m starting to think so.
Joshua Frank is the author of the forthcoming book, “Left Out!: How Liberals Did Bush’s Work for Him.” Frank also is a contributor to Counterpunch’s upcoming book, “Dime’s Worth of Difference.” He welcomes comments at frank_joshua@hotmail.com.