If you mean, do I think it's a good idea to make peace with North Korea, Yes I
do. So when Trump says that he wants that to happen, I hope that his
administration will, in fact, follow through with that plan. Unfortunately,
with the US policy having been consistently opposed to peace with Korea, and
with John Bolton in the position that he's in, I'm not convinced that it's
going to happen.
As for the Democratic Party, well, I think the two party system isn't working
out very well. I think we need a multitude of parties like they have in some of
the European countries, to reflect the various viewpoints of our citizens. Then
you could have coalitions to pass certain laws. The problem is that we have
these two parties funded by wealthy elites, run by professional politicians
who, when all is said and done, must satisfy the people who provide the
majority of funds to them. I'm not one of those people. So their public
relations folks, their advertising teams, try to figure out what I want them to
say so that I'll vote for them. Now that's the Democrats who, if I'm a member
of a large important voting block, willll try to con me into voting for them.
The Republicans will try to elicit votes from some people, and eliminate the
voting rights of others. So right now, it's fashionable for Democrats to say
that they're in favor of "medicare for all", but not all of them are, and most
of them are not actually in favor of a real single payer health system which we
once used to call, "socialized medicine". But everyone is mumbling right now
about medicare for all. I think if we had all the details of Bernie's plan,
we'd realize that it isn't actually a single payer health care system. The
house bill is, but no one is talking about it.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Evan Reese
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2018 2:18 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Midterm elections: Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ falls short
Sometimes the Democratic party represents my interests, sometimes they don't.
For example, the recent bipartisan criminal justice reform bill represents my
interests.
Even Donald Trump represents my interests occasionally.
For example, if he really intends to make peace with North Korea, that would
represent my interests. I should think it would represent yours as well.
Evan
-----Original Message-----
From: Miriam Vieni
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2018 9:23 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] RE: [blind-democracy] Re: [blind-democracy] RE:
[blind-democracy] Re: [blind-democracy] Midterm elections: Democrats’ ‘blue
wave’ falls short
Yes, but let's put that aside and look at some of the statements and actions of
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, for example, or how the party dealt with
funding young progressive candidates. Do you approve of how the party
leadership has been functioning? Has what they've been doing in your best
interests?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Evan Reese
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 11:11 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: [blind-democracy] RE: [blind-democracy] Re:
[blind-democracy] Midterm elections: Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ falls short
Whether or not the Democratic party does so, I would certainly not consider
those who throw around the word "enemies" as representing my interests.
Evan
-----Original Message-----
From: Miriam Vieni
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 9:28 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] RE: [blind-democracy] Re: [blind-democracy] Midterm
elections: Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ falls short
Evan,
Well, I won't quote Marxist doctrine regarding the Democratic Party but I think
that you might consider whether the current leadership of the party is
representing your interests.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Evan Reese
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 8:46 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: [blind-democracy] Midterm elections:
Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ falls short
Your class enemies perhaps, not mine.
Evan
-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Loran Bailey
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 8:12 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ; Evan Reese
Subject: Re: [blind-democracy] Re: [blind-democracy] Midterm elections:
Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ falls short
If you know anything about Socialist Action you will realize that the author of
this article is not advocating that the Democrat party be run in any way.
That is the business of the Democrats. Rather, the author is pointing out that
the Democrat party is just generally not in the interests of the large majority
of the population at all. That is, the Democrat party is a party of our class
enemies.
_________________________________________________________________
Isaac Asimov
“Don't you believe in flying saucers, they ask me? Don't you believe in
telepathy? — in ancient astronauts? — in the Bermuda triangle? — in life after
death?
No, I reply. No, no, no, no, and again no.
One person recently, goaded into desperation by the litany of unrelieved
negation, burst out "Don't you believe in anything?"
Yes", I said. "I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement,
and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I'll believe anything, no
matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and
more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence
will have to be.”
― Isaac Asimov
On 11/9/2018 2:32 PM, Evan Reese wrote:
Quoting the article in part:
"But the candidates within the Democratic Party “big tent” ranged
widely in their views—from Democratic Socialists of America members to
conservatives like party hack Joe Manchin in West Virginia—who
shamefully voted for Brett Kavanaugh to join the Supreme Court...."
Now I don't like Kavanaugh at all, but I hope the author doesn't think
that only people with a narrow range of views should be elected, as
beginning the sentence with the word, "But", implies. That doesn't
sound like a very intelligent way to run a party or a government.
That's what's happening to the Republican party. I do not want the
Democratic party to become a mirror image of that. We are talking
about the House of Representatives after all. And whatever I think of
many other peoples'
views, there are a wide range of views out there. The House is
supposed to represent those views, not be a forum for a narrow set of
them.
Again, quoting the article in part:
"Evidence that the “blue wave” did not flow significantly to the left
can be seen in the fact that a quarter of the Democratic Party
candidates in the Nov. 6 election have a background in the CIA, the
military, the State Department, or national security...."
The fact that a quarter of them had such backgrounds is a problem?
Does the author mean to say that only people ignorant of such matters
should be elected? If the fact that only a quarter of them had such
backgrounds is a problem for him, that would seem to be what he's
saying. Again, that doesn't sound like a very intelligent way to make
decisions. Whatever one's positions on matters of the military, the
CIA, the State Department, or national security might be, it seems
hard to justify ignorance as a good approach to making decisions about
matters involving them. Ignorance is Donald Trump's approach to
running things. I hope this author isn't advocating a similar approach
for Democrats.
Evan
-----Original Message----- From: Roger Loran Bailey (Redacted sender
"rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2018 11:24 AM
To: blind-democracy
Subject: [blind-democracy] Midterm elections: Democrats’ ‘blue wave’
falls short
https://socialistaction.org/2018/11/07/midterm-elections-democrats-blu
e-wave-falls-short/
Midterm elections: Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ falls short
/ 2 days ago
Nov. 2018 Ocasio Cortez (AP)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of
America, was elected to Congress on the Democratic Party ticket. (AP)
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER
“This is the most important midterm election in the modern history of
this country,” said Senator Bernie Sanders, and many politicians and
pundits agreed. President Trump spoke similarly during his week-long
campaign tour, aimed mainly at shoring up Republican candidates in
so-called Red States. “Everything we have achieved is at stake,” Trump
declared to his cheering admirers.
After the election, however, the mood quickly subsided; there was no
evidence that substantial changes had come onto the political landscape.
For one thing, the hoopla that Democrats had drummed up to create a
mighty “blue wave” produced merely a ripple of elected candidates. In
a Nov. 7 news conference, in fact, Trump boasted that his campaign
rallies had “stopped the blue wave.”
The Democrats’ lackluster finish came despite the fact that they had
received the bulk of Wall Street donations. The securities and finance
industry backed Democratic congressional candidates 63 percent to 37
percent for the Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive
Politics.
Of course, the Democrats did succeed in winning a majority in the
House for the first time since 2011, and made gains in many relatively
affluent suburban districts that had leaned Republican in years past.
And here and there, a few rookie Congress members were elected who
consider themselves to be “progressives” or even “democratic
socialists.” More women, LGBTQ people, and people of color than ever
before were elected on the Democratic ticket.
But the candidates within the Democratic Party “big tent” ranged
widely in their views—from Democratic Socialists of America members to
conservatives like party hack Joe Manchin in West Virginia—who
shamefully voted for Brett Kavanaugh to join the Supreme Court. The
crook Bob Menendez was also reelected as a Democratic U.S. Senator
from New Jersey, despite having been censured by the Senate Ethics
Committee for accepting bribes from a wealthy businessman.
Evidence that the “blue wave” did not flow significantly to the left
can be seen in the fact that a quarter of the Democratic Party
candidates in the Nov. 6 election have a background in the CIA, the
military, the State Department, or national security. They included,
for example, Elissa Slotkin, who won a congressional seat from
Michigan’s Eighth District. Slotkin is a former CIA operative in Iraq,
who also served as Obama’s Iraq director on the National Security
Council. Later, she worked at the Pentagon, looking into drone
warfare, “homeland defense,”
and cyber warfare.
All in all, despite the addition of a few “progressive” Democrats to
Congress, the complexion of U.S. politics has changed very little
since the election. The policies of the capitalist Democratic Party
have not been altered one iota from the pro-corporate, pro-war,
anti-environmental ones of the past.
The social issues that the Democratic Party candidates addressed in
their campaigns were exceedingly narrow. “Medicare for All” was a
central plank of the Democrats this year, though we can expect that
the proposal will be watered down; as under Obama, the needs of the
insurance industry will have to be catered to before the proposal ever
reaches a vote in Congress. The Democrats also spoke about repairing
the country’s roads and bridges—always a safe bet at election time—but
ignoring the need for efficient mass transportation and the use of
renewable fuels.
Major issues of an international scope were ignored, such as climate
change and out-of-control environmental pollution, and pouring more
money into the military (most Democrats in Congress supported this
year’s $716 billion military budget). Likewise, questions such as the
sanctions against Iran, trade wars with China and other countries, and
the endless U.S. wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East were
virtually absent from the platforms of Democratic candidates for Congress.
Moreover, important domestic issues such as raising the minimum wage
to be enough to live on; the right to low-cost housing; securing the
rights of women, immigrants, and LGBTQ people; and stopping police
violence against people of color generally received no more than a nod
by the Democrats.
A referendum on Trump
The main issue that the Democrats ran on was simply “stop Trump.” CNN
and AP VoteCast polls on the eve of the election both showed that
close to 70% of voters hoped to send a message to Trump with their
vote; about 26% to 28% of the respondents were for Trump, and 38% to
40% were against. Trump readily agreed that the election was a
referendum on his administration. He told potential voters in
Mississippi, “Pretend I’m on the ballot.”
The Republicans held onto their “strongholds” in rural districts and
in areas of discontented white workers who had voted for Trump in 2016.
Accordingly, the Republicans increased their edge in the Senate and
won several key governor races. In general, right-wing and
Trump-supporting politicians were elected, while more mainstream
Republicans did not do as well. In a Nov. 7 tweet, Trump acknowledged
the fact, saying, “Those that worked with me in this incredible
Midterm Election, embracing certain policies and principles, did very
well. Those that did not, say goodbye!”
One loyal Trump supporter who followed the formula, Marsha Blackburn,
was elected to the Senate from Tennessee. “I’m going to work with
President Trump all of the way to build that wall,” she affirmed to
voters. A Blackburn commercial started with a shot of the immigrant
caravan crossing Mexico. “I’m going to stop the criminals who are
going toward our border,” Blackburn stated in a voice-over.
In order to rally his supporters in the weeks leading up to the
election, Trump relied almost exclusively on scare tactics, using
racist descriptions that are commonly employed by the ultra-right.
Trump described the Central American migrants traveling through Mexico
as “invaders” and “terrorists,” and he endorsed a campaign ad that
likened them to Luis Bracamontes, an immigrant who had been convicted
for killing two police officers.
Polls showed that the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme
Court was a key issue for Trump supporters in the election. Only a
month before the election, Trump spread the conspiracy theory that
people protesting Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination (“elevator screamers”)
were being paid for by billionaire George Soros—a figure who is
frequently denounced in anti-Semitic literature.
In the South, with its long history of injustices against Black
people, racism was merged with anti-immigrant prejudices in Republican
messages against the Democrats. In Georgia, Trump said that Democrat
Stacey Abrams, a Black “progressive” running for governor, was
“unqualified”
for the office, and that she “would turn Georgia into a giant
sanctuary city for criminal aliens, putting innocent Georgia families
at the mercy of hardened criminals and predators.” The National Rifle
Association in Georgia put out a message, “Defend yourself. Defeat
Abrams.” And ABC News reported that a robocall on behalf of her
Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, called Abrams a “negress.”
Should socialists work within the Democratic Party?
The elections reflected the broader polarization that has taken place
in the United States during the last few years, brought on in part by
the dissatisfaction and alienation that working people feel toward the
status quo in capitalist society. Some workers and middle-class
people, often in “rust-belt” districts that have seen better times,
have been hoodwinked by the anti-immigrant and racist messages of the
right wing.
But likewise, there is no doubt that the reactionary pronouncements by
Trump and the right have had an electric effect in mobilizing people
in opposition. The last two years have seen massive rallies in the
streets against Trump’s policies.
Unfortunately, at the present time, working people have no authentic
voice in the political arena except in the streets. Some socialists
mistakenly adhere to the idea that it might be possible to change the
pro-big business nature of the Democratic Party by working within it,
or that it might be possible to break a “left wing” (such as Bernie
Sanders
supporters) out of the party. But both scenarios are merely wishful
thinking.
Similarly, it is a deadly illusion to think that revolutionary
socialists can be elected to public office and work for significant
social change when using the ballot line of the capitalist Democratic
Party—always a “lesser-evil” trap for the unwary. History has
repeatedly demonstrated that the former party of the Klan, White
Citizens Councils, and Southern slavocracy serves the ruling class
elite unfailingly.
That this “graveyard of all fighting social movements” can be
considered a vehicle for advancing working-class interests is
preposterous. In general, when “progressive” or “left” candidates run
as Democrats, the party hierarchy forces them to align their positions
with those of the mainstream, not the opposite.
Consider Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the member of the Democratic
Socialists of America (DSA) from the Bronx, who was just elected to
the House as a Democrat. At first, the party leadership viewed her
with suspicion, but after winning the primary vote, she became a
celebrity, the subject of talk shows—and even Barak Obama endorsed her.
Accordingly, the DSA enlisted Ocasio-Cortez to travel to California to
raise money and support for other “left” candidates running in the
Democratic Party. We can expect, too, that the Democratic Party
leadership will use her services in selected and “safe” locales as an
opportunity to refurbish the party’s image when it suits their needs.
They understand that Ocasio-Cortez and other DSAers are fresh faces
who can attract young people and activists with new energy into the
party—and thus channel dissident voices into the double-talking
capitalist mainstream. Sanders played a similar role in 2016,
shepherding the unwary first into his campaign and then into Hillary
Clinton’s.
At her acceptance speech on Nov. 6, Ocasio-Cortez told supporters, “We
can make change … We are here, and we are going to rock the world in
the next two years … This is not the end. This is the beginning.”
But real change will never be achieved from within the Democratic Party.
The beginning of a new day for working people in the United States
will arrive when they construct their own party, one that operates not
only at the ballot box but in workplaces and in the streets, and with
a revolutionary program to enable the working class to take political
power in its own name and abolish the rule of the capitalists.
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November 7, 2018 in Elections, Trump / U.S. Government.
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