Just reading this Twitter thread from AOC and I seriously can't get over how freaking awesome she is. I truly believe progressive Democrats like AOC (including Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, etc.) are the future of the party if it's even to have one. Ignore them and their progressive (and winning) ideas and policies at your own risk. The Democratic Party’s rejection of progressive policies and candidates by both leadership and primary voters did more harm than good. I think there's enough evidence from the results of elections around the country that progressive policies and candidates have far wider general appeal than many Democrats realize, from the success of progressive candidates winning seats or reelection and progressive measures such as $15 minimum wage in Florida to the loss of centrist Democrats.
On top of that, I think that Democrats owe a huge debt to black and brown voters and organizers for Biden's win (which looks likely at this point). I also think they also owe the many leftists and progressives like Bernie and AOC who campaigned so hard for Biden despite his unwillingness to adopt progressive policies like Medicare for All. And while I'm not going to hold my breath that the Democratic Party will do right by any of them, I hope they prove me wrong. One way of doing that is by making AOC the next speaker of the House, because her vision and energy is what the Democratic Party needs guiding it.
Also, the Lincoln Project was a grift. I'll never get tired of saying that or shitting on the very idea of it and how many liberals were suckered by it. They raised $67 million, more than they could spend during the election, so they're using it for some media project that'll likely help Republicans and/or try to push Biden right, and a larger percentage of Republicans voted for Trump in 2020 than 2016, so yeah. Back in August, I said on Facebook that, "I honestly don't think the election can be won by courting Republicans and neglecting the younger voters, progressives, latinx and Muslim voters, and the majority of working people and voters who are hurting and support things like universal healthcare." And I think the data from this election has proven that right. You're not winning over these mythical, moral Reoublicans, so let's not go that route again and instead support actual progressives and not pander to the party that gave us this "existential threat" in the first place, ok?
But the most important point in all of this, I think, is that made by Bree Newsome Bass, who wrote on Twitter, "I hope folks recognize the power actually resides with the people, that it’s not about voting folks into office & then crossing your fingers while hoping they’ll do what you need. We have to build organized power in our communities, set our own agendas & mobilize as necessary." I don't think that point can be stressed enough, which is why my politics are predominately socialist in nature, because it gives the people's needs primacy and take the efficacy of their collective power seriously.
Friday, November 6, 2020
Thursday, November 5, 2020
election 2020, part 2
On Twitter, Bree Newsome Bass wrote:
I think this is an important point that socialists need make to white people and workers. While I'm not a class reductionist, I do think the case must be made that socializing the economy and moving away from capitalism will benefit all workers by not restricting opportunities and forcing greater competition with others, but rather allowing us to eliminate bullshit jobs, reducing working hours and shorting the work week, and provide a good life for everyone. Because under the current system, gains made for BIPOC and women economically and politically will negatively impact white workers, and I think that fear is one of the reasons they vote Republican and for people like Trump. They want to protect their jobs and wages from the threat they see in immigrant labourers, equal opportunity and pay for BIPOC, women, etc.
This should only be a short-term strategy, though, for immediate electoral victories and the implementation of socialist economic policies because the problem of things like racism, sexism, etc. will still be present. Things like racism still needs to be acknowledged and uprooted, and BIPOC still need equitable economic and political power. But because capitalism depends so much upon production for profit and competition among workers, which benefits capital and gives rise to a great deal of inequality, workers see each other as competitors and enemies, battling for the two slices of pie left for them after capital takes the other eight.
In essence, I see the argument for and push to socialize the economy as just a part of the hard but necessary struggle to end white supremacy. Such economic policies can potentially act as a tool that may help lessen the material fears and economic dynamics that motivate many white people to support systems of white supremacy and racial inequality, which then could potentially promote class solidarity and help unify workers against capital rather than each other.
While this may be idealistic, I think it's worth a shot because white people make up about 70% of the population and voted for Trump in record numbers, and even more POC voted for Trump this time around that last, so I think Democrats need to start trying something different by taking a page from socialist playbooks. Obviously, moderating their platform and pandering to conservative Republicans was a failed strategy. I say this because more Republicans voted for Trump this election than last, and Democrats had pretty disappointing down-ballot results. And one of the many reasons I think this could help put a wedge between white America and white supremacy as embodied by the Republican Party electorally is the success of a $15 minimum wage in conservative Florida (which also voted to restore voting right to felons in 2018).
More liberal areas like Seattle have passed $15 minimum measures, and the fact that a conservative state like Florida can as well, combined with the popularity of universal programs like universal healthcare and education, offer a door for the left and the Democratic Party if it were to adopt even more left-leaning, working-class friendly policies to larger electoral victories. And that could possibly set the stage for even more expansive socialist policies and programs that I believe would undercut much of the fear that keeps white America up at night. And I think this strategy would be much better and more successful than trying to match a more socially-liberal equivalent to what the Republicans offer, because you're not going to beat them at their own game. How many elections do they have to win or almost win for people to see that?
To combat the power of racism and white supremacy, you have to not only change people’s minds but the material conditions and institutions that reproduce these racist biases, barriers, and outcomes. You have to physically dismantle the socio-economic supports for things like racism and white supremacy as well as the internalized beliefs and fears that express themselves electorally.
"Please stop saying working class white people “vote against their interests” when they side w/ racism. That perspective refuses to acknowledge material benefits these folks obtain by preserving a white supremacist system. They don't want racial equality or economic competition.
I think this is an important point that socialists need make to white people and workers. While I'm not a class reductionist, I do think the case must be made that socializing the economy and moving away from capitalism will benefit all workers by not restricting opportunities and forcing greater competition with others, but rather allowing us to eliminate bullshit jobs, reducing working hours and shorting the work week, and provide a good life for everyone. Because under the current system, gains made for BIPOC and women economically and politically will negatively impact white workers, and I think that fear is one of the reasons they vote Republican and for people like Trump. They want to protect their jobs and wages from the threat they see in immigrant labourers, equal opportunity and pay for BIPOC, women, etc.
This should only be a short-term strategy, though, for immediate electoral victories and the implementation of socialist economic policies because the problem of things like racism, sexism, etc. will still be present. Things like racism still needs to be acknowledged and uprooted, and BIPOC still need equitable economic and political power. But because capitalism depends so much upon production for profit and competition among workers, which benefits capital and gives rise to a great deal of inequality, workers see each other as competitors and enemies, battling for the two slices of pie left for them after capital takes the other eight.
In essence, I see the argument for and push to socialize the economy as just a part of the hard but necessary struggle to end white supremacy. Such economic policies can potentially act as a tool that may help lessen the material fears and economic dynamics that motivate many white people to support systems of white supremacy and racial inequality, which then could potentially promote class solidarity and help unify workers against capital rather than each other.
While this may be idealistic, I think it's worth a shot because white people make up about 70% of the population and voted for Trump in record numbers, and even more POC voted for Trump this time around that last, so I think Democrats need to start trying something different by taking a page from socialist playbooks. Obviously, moderating their platform and pandering to conservative Republicans was a failed strategy. I say this because more Republicans voted for Trump this election than last, and Democrats had pretty disappointing down-ballot results. And one of the many reasons I think this could help put a wedge between white America and white supremacy as embodied by the Republican Party electorally is the success of a $15 minimum wage in conservative Florida (which also voted to restore voting right to felons in 2018).
More liberal areas like Seattle have passed $15 minimum measures, and the fact that a conservative state like Florida can as well, combined with the popularity of universal programs like universal healthcare and education, offer a door for the left and the Democratic Party if it were to adopt even more left-leaning, working-class friendly policies to larger electoral victories. And that could possibly set the stage for even more expansive socialist policies and programs that I believe would undercut much of the fear that keeps white America up at night. And I think this strategy would be much better and more successful than trying to match a more socially-liberal equivalent to what the Republicans offer, because you're not going to beat them at their own game. How many elections do they have to win or almost win for people to see that?
To combat the power of racism and white supremacy, you have to not only change people’s minds but the material conditions and institutions that reproduce these racist biases, barriers, and outcomes. You have to physically dismantle the socio-economic supports for things like racism and white supremacy as well as the internalized beliefs and fears that express themselves electorally.
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
election 2020
Last night, I was watching the results at work and stressing like the rest of America seemed to be. But it also made me pissed at the Democratic Party, from the leadership on down. On Twitter, Christian socialist Dean Dettloff wrote, "The fact that things are even close against the worst president in US history is a brutal indictment of the Democrats." And I couldn't agree more. But I also don't think many Democrats get that and realize just how bad the party is and how awful their strategy has been for years. They certainly don't seem to listen to people like him or me, or learn anything from their loses and close races when there's always Naders, Bernies, and Greens to blame. They just seem to repeat the same failed strategies with often terrible candidates to, I guess, play it safe.
That there's even a contest between the two is mystifying only if one doesn't realize that. Looking at the FOX polls from yesterday, for example, 70% of voters want universal healthcare; 71% want Roe v Wade to stay as it is; 72% want a path to citizenship for immigrants. And Florida just voted for a $15 minimum. Fucking Florida, who also went for Trump, again. But what if Democrats offered someone putting all of their energy into supporting things like universal healthcare and a $15 minimum? Maybe they'd have won Florida this year. And yeah, I get that it's still early and Biden has a chance, but I wish just once Democrats went all in with a truly progressive and populist candidate and platform. No establishment moderates approved by the party leadership, just a full-on socialist or social democrat championing the shit out of universal healthcare and education, worker ownership and board votes, a $15 minimum, etc.
If Biden loses, it'll likely be because of our terrible and undemocratic electoral system and because Democrats went with the exact same strategy as 2016 except with a worse candidate (Hillary was far superior, in my opinion). And if he wins, it'll be a slog to get back to 4 years ago. Either way, I want to keep screaming at Democrats to just take the gamble and give the people what they want. Find someone on the outside of both parties who embodies the populist desires of the people — someone who's championing the things people want like universal healthcare, a living wage, etc. — and go all in. I know Bernie has his flaws, but I'm reasonably sure he would've won against Trump both times. And if Democrats really want to win and help the nation progress, they have to start taking chances on people more like him and less like Biden. Maybe I'm wrong, but I want Democrats to try and prove me wrong. Please.
Like many others, Umair Haque singles out one of the biggest problems facing America today—white Americans. He points out, for example, the large numbers of white Americans who consistently vote Republican. The battle for progress has always been WITH white America, it seems, with the majority of nonwhites and progressive whites fighting against them. And as many have pointed out, this stems from the very beginnings of the country itself, which was founded as a nation for white, male property owners (which at the beginning included human beings), and the continued battle to maintain the racial, gender, and class relations (and the inequalities that arise out of them) that have been thoroughly embedded into our economic system, political system, justice system, religious institutions, etc. None of this can be blamed on anyone else. White people started it, and they continue to protect it even though we're inching closer to becoming a failed state as a result. So the question is, what can we do about it?
Obviously, one goal is to challenge and attempt to unravel these social relations and root them out of our social institutions. This means confronting and deconstructing things like racism, sexism, classism, etc. wherever they are found. And part of that is working on ourselves as individuals, as well as being able to see areas where things like a certain colour of skin or gender gives someone an advantage that can't be explained any other way, to see areas where discrimination and inequality oppress those who aren't a certain colour of skin or gender, and do what we can to right those wrongs. And that kind of work is monumental and long-term because it literally means deconstructing and rebuilding our entire society as these things have been built in at the most foundational levels. We have to not only revolutionize our economic system and the power dynamics of capital ownership, but all of the superstructures built on top of that, including our political system, our judicial system, our religious institutions, etc.
But the question today is, what can be done in the short-term in, say, an election? Many white people are opposed to change because they don't want to lose what little privilege and advantage they have. So it seems that the weight of electoral progress is always going to be on the backs of people of colour and the minority of white allies in that struggle. And where I disagree with others is that you can have a chance to win electorally by appealing to more general needs to help to overcome this privilege-preservation instinct to some extent. Besides inspiring many nonvoters and first time voters, there was a sizable percentage of white voters that voted for Obama in 2008 who later voted for Trump, and I think a big part of that was his messaging of hope and change and fixing a broken system that wasn't working for people and the policy ideas that went with the slogans. And Trump later won them over in places like the Midwest by not only appealing to their whiteness, but also to them as workers, who were willingly seduced by his racism as well as his brand of populism.
That's not to say that another candidate would somehow win all the white people over who, deep down, don't want equality extended to nonwhites out of fear or resentment or whatever motivates their racism/acceptance of institutionalized racism. In this, I definitely don't see Trump as an aberration but the culmination of America's racist, sexist, classist beginnings. As bad as he is, as a rich white man willing to combat equality, he appears as a champion to the majority of white people. But the question is, how do you overcome this electorally? What choices do we have? Get someone who's just as racist, or attempt to appeal to material wants and needs? I say the latter. For one, Biden is an old white man who was at his peak in the senate during the 90s and one of the many who spearheaded the Democrats' tough on crime (i.e., black people) years. So you'd think that he'd appeal to some of those white people who realize that Trump has been a terrible president. But despite that, and all the money and praise showered onto the Lincoln Project, more Republicans voted for Trump this time around than in 2016.
Yes, racism accounts for most of that, in my opinion. But I also think it's because Democrats have been trying to play it safe in the last two elections and have gone with candidates who failed to do what Obama did. His message resonated with people and gave them something to vote for, not against. He was a relatively new face to people, someone on the periphery of the party, which further supported his message of change and fixing some of the brokenness of our system. And maybe I'm being way too optimistic here, but I think if there was someone like that who championed the things progressives and social dems like Bernie have made popular — universal healthcare, $15 minimum wage, pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, etc. — things would be far less close, even if they were a person of colour. They might still lose the majority of white people, but I think they'd win enough and excite enough of the rest of the population hoping for progress to vote in large numbers.
Essentially, Democrats need to start voting for and supporting those kinds of people, moving away from the safe, white candidates and those who don't want things to fundamentally change, and towards the next generation of progressives winning seats around the country, speaking the language of progressive populism, and championing universal policies that a majority of Americans at least say that they support. It should also be noted that Biden lost ground with the very voters that Democrats depend on the most, black and latinx voters, so it's not entirely the fault of racism, although racism is likely the primary reason the majority of white voters favour Trump (and Republicans in general). It shouldn't be the responsibility of nonwhites to carry the progress of the nation forward, and white people have to be held accountable for the way things are. But I think this shows that the Democrats' strategy has failed yet again and that they need to do something different if they have any hope of remaining relevant, let alone in power.
I mean, it should be obvious by now that playing it safe and banking on winning Republican voters is a lost cause. Democrats have had a similar playbook the last two elections, and they’ve chosen established candidates who they felt would have an easier path to victory based on things like name recognition, years of service, and moderate policy platforms that were far less radical and therefore less likely to scare away more conservative white voters. And they lost the first elections to, and are currently neck and neck in the second with, someone who frankly should never have made it through the primary process to begin with and has proven themselves to be a disaster. So maybe it's time to throw caution to the wind, take a chance, and try to do something more radical. Maybe it's time to stop playing it safe, quit trying to appeal to the right, quit trying to moderate your message, and just go for it, because what you're really doing is trying to compromise with that underlying racism and desire for a strong business daddy to whip all that good, ol’ fashion racism and sexism and jingoism back into us, meaning you'll lose morally and often electorally anyway. And as difficult as it may be, work on getting the 40-50% of eligible voters who don’t vote to actually come out and vote FOR something.
That there's even a contest between the two is mystifying only if one doesn't realize that. Looking at the FOX polls from yesterday, for example, 70% of voters want universal healthcare; 71% want Roe v Wade to stay as it is; 72% want a path to citizenship for immigrants. And Florida just voted for a $15 minimum. Fucking Florida, who also went for Trump, again. But what if Democrats offered someone putting all of their energy into supporting things like universal healthcare and a $15 minimum? Maybe they'd have won Florida this year. And yeah, I get that it's still early and Biden has a chance, but I wish just once Democrats went all in with a truly progressive and populist candidate and platform. No establishment moderates approved by the party leadership, just a full-on socialist or social democrat championing the shit out of universal healthcare and education, worker ownership and board votes, a $15 minimum, etc.
If Biden loses, it'll likely be because of our terrible and undemocratic electoral system and because Democrats went with the exact same strategy as 2016 except with a worse candidate (Hillary was far superior, in my opinion). And if he wins, it'll be a slog to get back to 4 years ago. Either way, I want to keep screaming at Democrats to just take the gamble and give the people what they want. Find someone on the outside of both parties who embodies the populist desires of the people — someone who's championing the things people want like universal healthcare, a living wage, etc. — and go all in. I know Bernie has his flaws, but I'm reasonably sure he would've won against Trump both times. And if Democrats really want to win and help the nation progress, they have to start taking chances on people more like him and less like Biden. Maybe I'm wrong, but I want Democrats to try and prove me wrong. Please.
Like many others, Umair Haque singles out one of the biggest problems facing America today—white Americans. He points out, for example, the large numbers of white Americans who consistently vote Republican. The battle for progress has always been WITH white America, it seems, with the majority of nonwhites and progressive whites fighting against them. And as many have pointed out, this stems from the very beginnings of the country itself, which was founded as a nation for white, male property owners (which at the beginning included human beings), and the continued battle to maintain the racial, gender, and class relations (and the inequalities that arise out of them) that have been thoroughly embedded into our economic system, political system, justice system, religious institutions, etc. None of this can be blamed on anyone else. White people started it, and they continue to protect it even though we're inching closer to becoming a failed state as a result. So the question is, what can we do about it?
Obviously, one goal is to challenge and attempt to unravel these social relations and root them out of our social institutions. This means confronting and deconstructing things like racism, sexism, classism, etc. wherever they are found. And part of that is working on ourselves as individuals, as well as being able to see areas where things like a certain colour of skin or gender gives someone an advantage that can't be explained any other way, to see areas where discrimination and inequality oppress those who aren't a certain colour of skin or gender, and do what we can to right those wrongs. And that kind of work is monumental and long-term because it literally means deconstructing and rebuilding our entire society as these things have been built in at the most foundational levels. We have to not only revolutionize our economic system and the power dynamics of capital ownership, but all of the superstructures built on top of that, including our political system, our judicial system, our religious institutions, etc.
But the question today is, what can be done in the short-term in, say, an election? Many white people are opposed to change because they don't want to lose what little privilege and advantage they have. So it seems that the weight of electoral progress is always going to be on the backs of people of colour and the minority of white allies in that struggle. And where I disagree with others is that you can have a chance to win electorally by appealing to more general needs to help to overcome this privilege-preservation instinct to some extent. Besides inspiring many nonvoters and first time voters, there was a sizable percentage of white voters that voted for Obama in 2008 who later voted for Trump, and I think a big part of that was his messaging of hope and change and fixing a broken system that wasn't working for people and the policy ideas that went with the slogans. And Trump later won them over in places like the Midwest by not only appealing to their whiteness, but also to them as workers, who were willingly seduced by his racism as well as his brand of populism.
That's not to say that another candidate would somehow win all the white people over who, deep down, don't want equality extended to nonwhites out of fear or resentment or whatever motivates their racism/acceptance of institutionalized racism. In this, I definitely don't see Trump as an aberration but the culmination of America's racist, sexist, classist beginnings. As bad as he is, as a rich white man willing to combat equality, he appears as a champion to the majority of white people. But the question is, how do you overcome this electorally? What choices do we have? Get someone who's just as racist, or attempt to appeal to material wants and needs? I say the latter. For one, Biden is an old white man who was at his peak in the senate during the 90s and one of the many who spearheaded the Democrats' tough on crime (i.e., black people) years. So you'd think that he'd appeal to some of those white people who realize that Trump has been a terrible president. But despite that, and all the money and praise showered onto the Lincoln Project, more Republicans voted for Trump this time around than in 2016.
Yes, racism accounts for most of that, in my opinion. But I also think it's because Democrats have been trying to play it safe in the last two elections and have gone with candidates who failed to do what Obama did. His message resonated with people and gave them something to vote for, not against. He was a relatively new face to people, someone on the periphery of the party, which further supported his message of change and fixing some of the brokenness of our system. And maybe I'm being way too optimistic here, but I think if there was someone like that who championed the things progressives and social dems like Bernie have made popular — universal healthcare, $15 minimum wage, pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, etc. — things would be far less close, even if they were a person of colour. They might still lose the majority of white people, but I think they'd win enough and excite enough of the rest of the population hoping for progress to vote in large numbers.
Essentially, Democrats need to start voting for and supporting those kinds of people, moving away from the safe, white candidates and those who don't want things to fundamentally change, and towards the next generation of progressives winning seats around the country, speaking the language of progressive populism, and championing universal policies that a majority of Americans at least say that they support. It should also be noted that Biden lost ground with the very voters that Democrats depend on the most, black and latinx voters, so it's not entirely the fault of racism, although racism is likely the primary reason the majority of white voters favour Trump (and Republicans in general). It shouldn't be the responsibility of nonwhites to carry the progress of the nation forward, and white people have to be held accountable for the way things are. But I think this shows that the Democrats' strategy has failed yet again and that they need to do something different if they have any hope of remaining relevant, let alone in power.
I mean, it should be obvious by now that playing it safe and banking on winning Republican voters is a lost cause. Democrats have had a similar playbook the last two elections, and they’ve chosen established candidates who they felt would have an easier path to victory based on things like name recognition, years of service, and moderate policy platforms that were far less radical and therefore less likely to scare away more conservative white voters. And they lost the first elections to, and are currently neck and neck in the second with, someone who frankly should never have made it through the primary process to begin with and has proven themselves to be a disaster. So maybe it's time to throw caution to the wind, take a chance, and try to do something more radical. Maybe it's time to stop playing it safe, quit trying to appeal to the right, quit trying to moderate your message, and just go for it, because what you're really doing is trying to compromise with that underlying racism and desire for a strong business daddy to whip all that good, ol’ fashion racism and sexism and jingoism back into us, meaning you'll lose morally and often electorally anyway. And as difficult as it may be, work on getting the 40-50% of eligible voters who don’t vote to actually come out and vote FOR something.
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