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Can Democrats Landslide Republicans?
I often ask Congressional Democrats these days: "If you agree that your Republican counterparts in Congress are the most craven, corporatist, fact-denying, falsifying, anti-99 percent, militaristic Republicans in the party's history, then why are you not landsliding them?" Their responses are largely in the form of knowing smiles and furrowed brows.
There are answers that are more specific to account for the large election losses in 2010, the loss of the House of Representatives to John Boehner and Eric Cantor, and the prospect of losing the House and the Senate this November. Chief among them is that the two parties are vigorously dialing for the same commercial dollars to finance their campaigns. The resultant inhibitions and self-censorships bring the parties' real agendas closer together, erasing the bright lines that make elections clearer choices for voters.
Here are eight initiatives that could landslide the Republicans in November's Congressional contests. It starts with a ringing declaration that recalls the legendary labor rally challenge: "Whose side are you on?" With the two parties often seen as Republicrats or DemReps, due to the lack of credible, distinct differences on military, foreign policy, trade, agribusiness, energy and corporate crime/welfare subjects, among others, such a proclamation of "we the people" helps frame the details of this fresh approach, as follows.
First, resurrect the old Democratic Party's historic safeguarding of federal minimum wage and labor laws from Republican dissolution. It is astonishing that, since the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy, there have been so few high-profile champions in Congress for restoring the minimum wage - now $7.25 per hour - to its inflation-adjusted level of 1968 which today would be $10.00 per hour. That long overdue move would pour tens of billions of dollars into job-producing consumer demand during this recession. It would end a decades-long windfall for employers who have been increasing their prices and salaries while receiving many tax breaks during that period. To objections from the curled-lip House Republican Eric Cantor, the reply is: "You don't believe workers in your district should make as much as workers made 44 years ago when their productivity was half what it is today, Eric?"
The scholar who showed that keeping minimum wages current doesn't cost jobs is Alan Krueger, now President Obama's chief economic advisor. In 2008, Mr. Obama himself pledged to push for a $9.50 minimum wage by 2011.
Second, announce the filing of legislation that declares immediate drafting of all able-bodied and age-qualified children and grandchildren of all members of Congress any time that branch or the president plunge us into another war. Besides forcing Congress to pay attention to its Constitutional responsibilities to declare or not declare war, this legislation would ring with the authenticity of responsible humble servants becoming part of the risk presently hoisted on a few million, mostly low income, families.
Third, cut the huge, bloated, wasteful military budget, really end the wars, and switch the expected savings into repairing and renovating America through a public works program all over the country with good-paying, non-exportable jobs.
Fourth, shift much of the tax burdens to activities we do not like, such as pollution, huge Wall Street speculation, corporate crime waves and profits from systemic product waste. Even Exxon/Mobil supports the idea of a carbon tax, which would help the environment. The motto: tax what you burn before you tax what you earn.
Fifth, announce a national energy conversion campaign based on efficiency and renewables. The only true energy independence comes from the sun in its many manifestations. This will create more local employment and small businesses down to the community-neighborhood levels. Goodbye to the toxic fossil fuel and atomic energy cartels.
Sixth, crack down on corporate and governmental violations of our Constitution and laws. No more no-fault government and no-more no-fault big business. If the law is to be observed in the streets, then it must be observed in the suites. People are being pushed around, disrespected, defrauded, injured, and given the runaround from arrogant corporate bureaucrats using nameless, robotic and tyrannical "fine print" barricades. There have to be accountabilities that the abused citizens can invoke.
Seventh is a proposal to establish a national complaint-handling system using the internet to help consumers, taxpayers and workers, for a change. You got a beef with your insurance company, bank, energy company, pension fund, cable company, hospital, telephone/gas/water/electric utility, or some government agency you can't get through to file your complaint.
A complaint-handling system will save billions of hours wasted on just trying to get through, much less getting your complaint heard. It will also be a good way to aggregate complaints to detect patterns for policy-making and enforcement corrections. Patterns lead to deterrence, fewer complaints, and fewer dollar losses. What a way to show sensitivity to the daily irritations and frustrations of the American people!
Eighth, create a democracy movement based on simple facilities for people who choose to band together in various roles. In return for what you the taxpayers have had to spend to bail out and otherwise privilege these large companies, the Democratic party can press for inserts in their billing systems and other corporate carriers inviting you to voluntarily join and contribute dues to a nonprofit staffed with full-time champions of your causes as consumers, patients, workers and taxpayers (inserts could also be sent in the communications from tax collecting agencies) directly accountable to you. No results, then no dues next time, and no taxpayer subsidies. These facilities would shift some power from the haves to the have-nots.
Imagine the public discussion, excitement and participation these eight proposals would provoke. Previous non-voters along with regular voters would see they have a stake in these elections and that one of the major parties at least wants to be on their side, and strive to earn their trust by empowering them directly.
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70 Comments so far
Show AllNader has a lot of good ideas, the significant problem is no one listens to him. I would like to hear of him being more active on the ground so to speak, he's been so marginalized that his columns only resonate so far.
Don't forget one simple fact: No matter what policies the Democrats promote, people in rural areas, particularly the South, with limited life experience and education, see ideas like these as being anti-American. The American myth promoted for the last 30 years is one of individual inititative and patriotism. Anything remotely critical of these ideals - for lack of a better word - is not acceptable to these folks. They fear government because government is a remote abstraction to them. Tied to tradition, government threatens them because of these types of initiatives, that are necessary for urban living, which they care nothing for. As someone who lived in a rural area among rural and small-town working class people, I say this not because I agree with them or am apologizing for their ignorance, but because I understand their mentality, to which ideas like these do not appeal. Until somehow these people can be dragged into the 21st century, they will continue to obstruct progressivism in a democratic society.
They fear government partly because government so often screws the poor, including the rural and the white. Here is a song about the people you cite. The reality bites everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv_NwsCfmUs
It is obvious that both corrupt parties only argue at the edges of issues and very rarely on important matters and I don't understand why progressives have been so mired down within the democratic party that they haven't worked to form a third party and not just a third party candidate for president which will change nothing. I guess they are simply not interested enough to put in the hard work necessary to make this a reality. That is the only way to really change the United States.
Hey Ralph, can the Greens landslide the corporate parties?
Absolutely not. Those mole Democrats aren't interested in beating Democrats. In 2008 their Pres. and VP candidates went around the country telling people they needed to vote for the D. because "anybody but Bush." So stupid.
Greens I know and observe are wimpy and really do not talk much about the environment. Where were they in the Occupy movement? Bet you didn't see hide nor hair of them, right?
Anyone who wasn't part of Occupy or at least supporting it in some public way simply has no credibility in the movements for change.
By this article we see Nader has resigned to the unfortunate inability of a 3rd party platform to take seat in US national politics. He makes his appeal to the Dems because tradition suggests the Dems care more about common interests of the people, which should be clearly no longer true.
This appeal shouldn't be (and I don't think actually is) addressed to the Dems. It should speak to you and I, and the blithe sheeple who believe any elected politician has the opportunity and means to make a change. Only we can actually do that.
It does not matter whom we elect, for even if the candidates are sincere (and some are), they will be compromised and their good intentions nullified once they become entrenched into the machinery that is the intelligence, MIC, financial, multinational and elite influence that exists and persists from election to election to election to ...
Like quitting smoking, there are many possible solutions, but it begins and ends with the will and commitment to actually do it. If there is the will and commitment to do it then almost any method will work, whereas if there is not the will and commitment to do it then no method will.
Will this be the year, 2012, in which we the people make clear our will and commitment? Yes, we can, but will we?
Occupy has planted some seeds, but it will take much more before those seeds can bear fruit.
Amazing! The first time in what I can remember an article by Nader without many (only 2 in this one) crazy Nader attacks by commentors (Of course 1 was about election-throwing, but nicely refuted). Does this means the trolls and morons think Nader is "not listened to"? If so they will find they are wrong (if their brains can handle being wrong) because as the national discourse allows for more and more "99% Perspective" We the Thinking People will always use people who consistantly where Honest and Thinking- and "shares our values" actually has meaning to the non-evanjelical
"We the Thinking People will always use people who consistently were Honest and Thinking- and "shares our values" actually has meaning to the non-Evangelical"
Translation: Nader is still relevant! Of course; brains have only gone out of style to those who let it happen. You make a good point, though, about non-religious folks forgetting to share their values; maybe they don't have any! That partly explains why some refuse to see how industrial pollution is killing our planet: they might have to make a change in what they value (Nature vs. NASCAR, etc.). I share Nader's values and if he ran for President I would vote for him. The idea that it is a wasted vote and will help the Republicans win makes no sense, as the Republicans ARE the Democrats in wolves clothing. They have lost my vote until they prove they are not one in the same.
If only it were that easy, Ralph.
I'm not saying that Haidt has it all figured out, but there is something to what he's getting at with his research.
http://billmoyers.com/segment/jonathan-haidt-explains-our-contentious-culture/
George Lakoff has been trying for years to make the point that it's more about how the arguement is framed than what the arguement is.
http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml
What an eloquent shaming of the Democratic Party. Of course, the point of the essay is that elected Dems will never do any of the simple practical things Ralph Nader has listed.
We are beyond the point where we write to them. If you are still doing that, then I'll bet most of your letters are appeals for them NOT to vote up legislation. It's a total corporate package for Dems and Repugs, with little regard for the public interest.
So, you know what you must do - vote third party. Alas, many a Common Dem will just pull the handle for the party line. That's the death of hope, and more of the same.
The Democratic Party will never adopt these suggestions, and Ralph Nader knows it. He also knows why: "...the two parties are vigorously dialing for the same commercial dollars to finance their campaigns."
Both mainstream parties receive THE MAJORITY of their funding from corporate sources. (I learned this from Ralph Nader years ago.)
The Green Party is the progressive alternative. The Green Party doesn't accept corporate money and represents the 99%.
5% of the vote will get the Green Party matching Federal funds.
Your Green vote sends a message to the corporate parties that selling out the 99% to corporate interests will lose them votes.
And this message is sent even if the Green you vote for loses.
VOTE GREEN!
Unfortunately, the Greens were taken over by mole Democrats about a decade ago, which is why they haven't done much since.
The D.'s didn't want Greens becoming a genuine threat, so they engineered a split and then the conservative group, the mole D.'s, declared themselves the "real" Greens - but the genuine Greens still exist in small pockets. But a large pocket still exists in the American Midwest, mostly in St. Louis, Mo., at http://www.greenparty.org - original Greens with original Green values.
Today's national Greens don't organize, they don't raise serious issues, just go around saying "we're greens, vote for us," as they run the occasional candidate with programs almost identical to some "progressive" Democrats..
Worse than useless, they are.
Political parties get in the way these days. We need to join together on ISSUES, buklding coalitions that can take on city hall or industries' filthy projects. That's more like what Occupy is, and why many of its groups are still actively fighting for what the real people want - Real Democracy.
Bottom Line I've always supported Ralph Nader because he's for Real Democracy.
I like these proposals from Ralph Nader but they are not going to occur. The Democratic Party which I participated in actively for decades is now Republican lite or sometimes Republican with heavy syrup.
I think Obama who may win re-election has spelled disaster for the other offices up for election next time. Why? Because he is weak and spiritless as porridge.
By being such a weak leader for positive change he has helped to take the stuffing out of the momentum he brought in replacing G W Bush.
While I love Ralph Nader none of these proposals is coming out of the current crop of Democratic "leaders". It is wishful.
We are currently without any real politics, just a charade. To end the charade it would take a much more basic reform which is to upturn the two parties and do this over.
Looks like Nader is asking Democrats to adopt Jill Stein's Green Party campaign initiatives.
I voted for Nader in 00', 04', and 08'. I have also voted for "3rd" Party candidates, ever since my 1st election, in 80'. I have been thinking I'll go with the Green party for this year's election, but that's all going to depend on just how close it "appears" to be in my State (between Obama and whichever Repuke) come election day.
I say this, because unfortunately right now, the Dumbos and Repukes have gamed the system so well, so that none of the "3rd" parties stand any chance, in winning any Federal/National elections right now. As I have ended up having to do a couple of times in the past, I will hold my nose and vote for Obama if I have to, only because I prefer him, far more than ANY Repuke candidate. The old "lesser of 2 evils thing". While I dis-like and really can't stand the Dumbos, I absolutely HATE the Repukes, and I will NEVER vote for a Repuke.
It is basically having to vote AGAINST someone, rather than for someone I want, that I really hate the way both the Dumbos and Repukes have been able, or rather "allowed", to game our political system, so that their 2 parties are the only ones who have any type of chance to gain a National office, for the present time at least. I place a lot of blame on the 4th Estate for this too, because they have played large role with their NON-COVERAGE of anybody NOT a Dumbo or a Repuke. They also don't do any actual, real, investigative reporting, so they basically DON'T fulfill their responsibility, that comes along with their rights.
First things first. The power to create the nation’s money must be taken away from the private banking system and restored to the government.
With the exception of coins, our nation’s money supply is created by a banking cartel made up of commercial banks, twelve regional reserve banks and the central Federal Reserve in Washington. Using fractional reserve lending formulas, the banking system writes bank credit to itself, lending it to the government and public as the principal of loans.
Every Federal Reserve note and checkbook dollar in the economy is somebody’s debt, with interest due to the banking system. The banking system and their corporations constantly drain money from the economy.
The total debt is equal to the nation’s money supply. The debt currently stands at $56.7 trillion with annual interest of $3.75 trillion (6.61% APR). At this rate, the interest payments will transfer the entire U.S. money supply to the banking cartel in fifteen years, one month and fourteen days.
Reserve currencies are the greatest threat to civil rights, not only in the U.S. but throughout the rest of the world.
Issuance of a nation’s currency is the sole prerogative of a sovereign government. Operating in the best interest of the citizens, only sovereign governments can provide all currency and banking services for nations to have stable currencies necessary to grow sustainable economies.
If Corporate America can be compared to the German battleship Bismarck, then you can deduct that the thousands of blogs relentlessly attacking Corporate America are like small arms fire ricocheting off the armor of the battleship. America is going to have to galvanize their grievances against Corporate America into a new Civil Rights Movement in order to deliver a decisive blow against the Corporate–Government Partnership now controlling and abusing the power of government for self interest.