I am a liberal. Or a progressive. Or a leftist. Whatever the word we are using this election cycle to describe my politics. I have always been registered as a Democrat, until this election. I changed my voter registration to the Green Party last year.
And before all of you chime in and say that I am wasting my vote, let me give you a little personal history.
A Little Personal History
Growing up, my father and grandfather worked with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers strikes. They organized for Chavez and my father dragged me along. Some of my earliest memories of my dad were sitting is smoky union halls. I remember this because I hated the smoke. I was in marches. Cesar Chavez even visited my grandfather’s home once.
I was brought up in revolution.
As I grew up my politics were decidedly left-leaning. I was always in favor of same-sex marriage. My position did not have to evolve. I have always been for equal rights, no matter what.
I have always thought the minimum wage was too low, and that it should be tied to inflation. I felt that most wars were unnecessary and were just fought for profits. I never understood how we are the only industrialized nation that does not have universal health care for all its citizens.
Growing up that’s what I thought the Democratic Party was all about. And to a large degree, it was. And then the Corporatists took over.
The Beginning Of The End
The presidency of Bill Clinton marked the Democratic Party’s move to the right, and they have been going that way ever since.
As the party has become cozy with Wall Street and the defense industry, it has become Republican Party Lite. And, frankly, unrecognizable to me and many others.
During Barack Obama’s first term the Dems held all three branches of government. And instead of giving all of us universal health care, they gave us the Affordable Care Act that was taken right out of the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank.
And they also bailed out the banks who nearly destroyed our country.
Nothing for us, but everything for the banks and the right-wing.
The 2018 Midterm Elections
There is a lot of speculation about how the Dems could take back the House of Representatives and the Senate. They need to pick up 24 seats to make that happen in the House and two seats to make it happen in the Senate.
I think the Senate is out of the question simply because the Democratic candidates are running as Republicans. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) was just on Fox News bragging about how she votes with President Trump 50% of the time. Not the best way to energize the Democratic base.
If the Democrats really want to win back power they could do it easily.
All they would have to do is run on a platform of:
Medicare For All
Ending the wars
Free higher education
And a $15 Federal minimum wage
But they won’t do it. Ever.
Instead, they will demonize Trump and say, “Look how bad he is. We’re not like Trump!” They are only giving you something to vote against. They will never give you something to vote for.
The last few weeks my social media feeds have been eaten up with pleas to “Get out and vote!” from celebrities and non-celebrities alike. And they all seem to be telling me to vote against Trump. No one is telling me to vote for something.
I have already sent in my ballot, but when filling it out this time, it seemed like a hollow gesture. It almost seemed meaningless. And by that, I mean that it seemed like there was no passion, no core belief that went into my choices. I was just voting against something nebulous, some phantom.
If the Democrats take over the House I’m pretty sure that we will not get any of the things I have listed above. I am sure that we will get more political theater and the corporations will get richer. We might even go to war with Iran.
Give the people something to vote for and they will march in the streets to make it happen. Just like when I was a kid.