Disir
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- Sep 30, 2011
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One thing to keep in mind about the recent Thomas Perez–Keith Ellison race for Democratic National Committee chair is that it was pretty much an only-in-America sort of thing. Were we in any kind of parliamentary system – like most countries have – the two sides would probably be in different parties – the Bernie Sanders core of the Ellison campaign most likely in some type of socialist or labor-oriented party, with the Clinton people around Perez probably mostly in a more business-oriented liberal party. Instead, however, the American presidential system that we actually have pretty much keeps the two sides coexisting under one big Democratic Party tent.
If all of this seems somewhat less than clear to us, though, we can probably be excused since this type of distinction within the party is pretty much a post-Sanders campaign thing. Sanders, after all, went further on the national level than any figure so clearly of-the-left since George McGovern won the nomination in 1972. And no self-identified socialist had made such a splash in a presidential race since Eugene Debs ran from his Atlanta Federal Penitentiary cell in 1920. So, the next thing to remember about the DNC chair’s race is that a year ago the wing of the Party that considers it overly influenced by corporate money and connections simply didn’t exist on a national level; the DNC only contained the Clinton/Obama wing.
When Perez entered the race, his supporters argued that he was just as, or nearly as progressive as Ellison – which then raised the question of why, if the differences really were slight, he found it necessary to run against the already-declared Ellison. In a New Republic article, “Establishment Democrats Just Won a Needless Proxy War,” Alex Shephard posited a pretty simple and convincing answer – the party’s main liners simply “don’t believe a major course correction is in order and … are reluctant to make significant reforms.” Certainly Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi buttressed that conclusion when she told Face the Nation that, so far as possible post-election changes in the Democratic Party went, “I don’t think people want a new direction.”
Shephard also seems on the money in writing that, very simply, “the party is once again saying it doesn’t trust progressives.” Of course, that lack of trust might be understandable enough, in that it seems fair to say that a lot of us on the other side of the divide don’t really trust the leadership of the corporate Democrats either. So concentrating on the question of “trust” is probably off the point. What is to the point is that there are currently two substantially varying views about what the Democratic Party needs to do to effectively represent the interests of the working people of the nation – and about whether it needs to reduce corporate influence within the party. The two sides see the very question of debate within the Party very differently. For those who generally favor the current course, arguing about changing it may seem a diversionary and possibly even a dangerous waste of time. On the other hand, for those who think serious change actually is in order, it could be seen as a dereliction of duty not to discuss that. What we have here is an argument about the legitimacy of argument.
The Democratic Party Left After the Ellison DNC Campaign: Unite or Fight?
^^^^Still trying to play nice under the same tent. It's only going to get worse.
If all of this seems somewhat less than clear to us, though, we can probably be excused since this type of distinction within the party is pretty much a post-Sanders campaign thing. Sanders, after all, went further on the national level than any figure so clearly of-the-left since George McGovern won the nomination in 1972. And no self-identified socialist had made such a splash in a presidential race since Eugene Debs ran from his Atlanta Federal Penitentiary cell in 1920. So, the next thing to remember about the DNC chair’s race is that a year ago the wing of the Party that considers it overly influenced by corporate money and connections simply didn’t exist on a national level; the DNC only contained the Clinton/Obama wing.
When Perez entered the race, his supporters argued that he was just as, or nearly as progressive as Ellison – which then raised the question of why, if the differences really were slight, he found it necessary to run against the already-declared Ellison. In a New Republic article, “Establishment Democrats Just Won a Needless Proxy War,” Alex Shephard posited a pretty simple and convincing answer – the party’s main liners simply “don’t believe a major course correction is in order and … are reluctant to make significant reforms.” Certainly Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi buttressed that conclusion when she told Face the Nation that, so far as possible post-election changes in the Democratic Party went, “I don’t think people want a new direction.”
Shephard also seems on the money in writing that, very simply, “the party is once again saying it doesn’t trust progressives.” Of course, that lack of trust might be understandable enough, in that it seems fair to say that a lot of us on the other side of the divide don’t really trust the leadership of the corporate Democrats either. So concentrating on the question of “trust” is probably off the point. What is to the point is that there are currently two substantially varying views about what the Democratic Party needs to do to effectively represent the interests of the working people of the nation – and about whether it needs to reduce corporate influence within the party. The two sides see the very question of debate within the Party very differently. For those who generally favor the current course, arguing about changing it may seem a diversionary and possibly even a dangerous waste of time. On the other hand, for those who think serious change actually is in order, it could be seen as a dereliction of duty not to discuss that. What we have here is an argument about the legitimacy of argument.
The Democratic Party Left After the Ellison DNC Campaign: Unite or Fight?
^^^^Still trying to play nice under the same tent. It's only going to get worse.
