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Countering Race With Class
In our us-versus-them culture, every political campaign is a battle to define who exactly the "us" and "them" are. Republicans typically say it is natives versus immigrants, Christians versus non-Christians and heartland folks versus Hollywood elites. At their most effective, Democrats parry by defining the "us" as the majority of working people, and the "them" as the tiny group of plutocrats who control the country.
In recent years, Democrats have stopped making this case for fear of offending their big donors. But this is exactly the argument they must make if they hope to defeat John McCain.
With Barack Obama on the ticket and primary exit polls showing many considering race in their vote, the GOP's traditional black-versus-white attacks are sure to be just as overt as they were during the party's halcyon days employing "welfare queen" and Willie Horton imagery -- only this time, they'll use Internet rumors to imply that Obama is a Manchurian candidate. McCain's first ad, in fact, trumpets the Arizona senator as an "American president" -- not-so-subtly crafted to imply that the multiethnic Obama is un-American.
The way for Obama to counter this racial onslaught is through class-based politics-and what a golden opportunity McCain presents for that on the issue of trade.
Despite its five letters, NAFTA is American politics' most offensive four-letter word. The lobbyist-written pact symbolizes globalization policies that force Americans into a wage-slashing, environment-destroying, union-busting competition with foreign workers.
NAFTA-style trade policies are now so unpopular that a recent Wall Street Journal poll found 60 percent of Republicans oppose them. And yet, McCain continues to stage public events supporting NAFTA.
McCain's position is backed by an Establishment media that justifies "free" trade orthodoxy with the kind of fact-free platitudes that marked New York Times contributor Roger Lowenstein's trade write-up this week. He told readers that in driving down prices for goods, free trade helps workers. Left unsaid is the fact that, in the NAFTA era, wages have not kept pace with inflation. So while prices may be driven down somewhat by forcing domestic workers into competition with foreign slave labor, wages are dropping faster than prices, meaning Americans are losing out in the deal.
Pointing out this data and promoting a new, fairer trade agenda is Obama's clearest way to the presidency.
Substantively, he can argue that America should return to fair trade and strategic protections -- the kinds of policies that originally built our economy into a powerhouse. Politically, he can hammer McCain for championing a trade policy that has economically destroyed key swing states from Maine to Ohio -- and polling suggests populist positions on trade may be precisely what swings general election voters. According to a Democracy Corps survey, Republicans who considered voting Democratic in 2006 were most put off by the GOP's support for job-killing trade agreements, meaning Obama could swing these if he champions a fair trade agenda.
That's a big if.
For every loud speech Obama has given about making sure trade pacts "are good not just for Wall Street, but also for Main Street," he has made a quiet move reassuring Wall Street that Main Street will be ignored. Last week, for example, he named Jason Furman as his top economic adviser. Furman has spent the last few years defending Wal-Mart and working closely with Bob Rubin, the Citigroup chairman who championed NAFTA as Bill Clinton's Treasury secretary.
In the battle to define us-versus-them, Obama hasn't yet made a convincing case that he stands with "us" on economic issues. But if he does and he counters the inevitable race baiting with a class-unifying message, he will win the White House and -- more importantly -- start the long process of rebuilding America.
David Sirota is a bestselling author whose newest book, "The Uprising," was just released in June of 2008. He is a fellow at the Campaign for America's Future and a board member of the Progressive States Network-both nonpartisan organizations. His blog is at www.credoaction.com/sirota.
© 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
Comments
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16 Comments so far
Show AllThe correct answer to criticizing NAFTA and other trade "deals" is not found in the racist (itself) argument of trying to make American workers hate Mexican (or other countries') workers. It is found in criticizing whether the trade deals were done to advantage corporations over people on BOTH sides of borders.
As for Obama on economic issues, I expect him to be going full bore on these from dozens of angles from now to November. These issues are WHY we need him, and they are also WHY Republicans will seek to confine the debate to Rev. Wright, Michelle, flag pins, "bitter" banter and the like.
The FACTS are on the liberals' side and Obama ain't dumb enough to miss that.
how disappointing. the title led me to believe i was about to join a discussion of how race is used to divide the working class against itself, but instead there's this silly business plan for selling old wine in a new bottle.
folks, we are WAY beyond the point where it matters what shade of lipstick the pig chooses. it's time to starve the pig.
Yes countering race with class is what the Democrats should be doing, provided they wanted to win.
Unfortunately, the last two people to do this on that national stage were both shot to death in 1968. When I read all of the one-sided articles attacking RFK on sites like this-- ones that emphasize 1962 more than 1968, articles that emphasize contradictions in RFK rather than dynamism and adaptability to challenge the emerging SOuthern Strategy-- I sometimes wonder if these writers truly understand why RFK was killed. He was the last democrat to touch the REAL third rail of American politics: talking about class and race at the same time.
When Obama let Hillary-- Mrs. Wall Mart and Nafta-- out working class him, the Obama wall-paper strategy was clear even to the blind: race INSTEAD OF class. Such is this years decoy.
David Sirota is forgetting or ignoring a very important fact which is
that Obama is also a candidate for the plutocracy who support free trade
and NAFTA. Obama is getting more campaign contributions from Wall Street
types than McCain.
There is no REAL difference between Obama and McCain. Both of them are
owned and controlled by big Money/Business. They will only serve their
masters and not the average Joe/Jane.
A third party is the only solution on the long run. Vote for the Green
party. It is a good start
Obama voted for NAFTA-Peru in December 2007, but Obamabots like Sirota have already forgotten.
I'm afraid Mr. Sirota makes a serious mistake that lies at the heart of his advice. What I believe remains assumed and unquestioned by him—and many people, whether Democrat or Republican—is the idea that "Us vs. Them" is the only way to frame political discourse. Seeing and thinking about the world that way leads to demonization, adversarial polarization, and a politics in which, if truth were really told, we would often rather see things turn out badly—as long as we get bragging rights that WE were RIGHT—than see the RESULTS we say we want if it means admitting "our" view was wrong.
I believe that Senator Obama gets that we need to find our way into a different world view, one that recognizes that we are ALL part of "US," even as we stay true to our principles and work for change. From where we stand, such a shift may look naïve, or misguided, or a matter of "just semantics." However, I am convinced that unless we approach our conflicts truly grounded in that fundamental place of shared humanity, even the best ideas will only catalyze more disagreement and fall short of creating any real and unifying change.
David Daniel " The correct answer to criticizing NAFTA and other trade "deals" is not found in the racist (itself) argument of trying to make American workers hate Mexican (or other countries') workers. It is found in criticizing whether the trade deals were done to advantage corporations over people on BOTH sides of borders."
I totally agree with mister Daniel's assessment. If Barack Obama is to have this realization or awaking he must do it now. Obama needs to speak the truth on all issues and often.
Obama played the race card over and over against Hillary Clinton, and the only "class" involved in his sleazy campaign was the no-class blather he peddled to the no-brains youth vote.
It wasn`t the Democrats that picked Obama for the opposition candidate, it was the Republicans with their control of public opinion. Now they can go to work undermining him, and if that is not enough, there is Iran for the trump card.
No use worrying about it, the Repugs are bound they will destroy the country we had a decade ago that offered a chance for everyone, with some degree of peace and the respect of other nations.
Atexan: right on.
Obama=McSame
I love you, David Sirota for your positive do-something attitude. What some of the above negative naysayers seem to have forgotten is that we don't have time to go Green Party to make a point. We have to push Obama greener and work our political magic to transform "the pig" not just decorate it with lipstick. We have to make Obama live up to his rhetoric. Given our limited two party system we must claim back the Democratic Party even as we work for fairer elections with campaign finance reform and instant runoff voting so we can vote our Green hearts and still be true to our heads. And no it is not going to be easy, especially in an America where so many are oblivious to the facts until the facts become their personal reality. It is, however, not just working for Obama and sending him this Sirota column as well as directing him to Senator Bernie Sanders for Economic Reality 101, it is working for progressive candidates wherever they can be found so that we can push a progressive liberal agenda so desperately needed by the Middle Class even if they don't know it yet.
And dhv is right, WE have to make it so. It has to be US. We have to stress to folks that we are all in this together. America is better off with everyone benefitting from the economy -- not just the top 1%. We also need media reform to shed real light on the facts. Sirota's columns should be in more newspapers. Let's find ways to spread the political message positively and firmly. Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. Obama has real possibilities. We must insist that he join US in turning the common dream into reality.
dhv June 20th, 2008 7:50 pm
Excellent post.
And Mr. Daniels is right.
Article after article and comment after comment, the Obamabots still can't deal with the fact that Obama voted for NAFTA-Peru.
And just what do you obamaniacs propose to do that will divert him from the imperial path..... whip him? Threaten him? YELL at him?
he's already shut off debate on this topic. we will re-examine the agreements, certainly not abrogate them. how quaint. change indeed. . .