Which Democratic Party? Bernie Sanders and FDR's Second Bill of Rights

[eridani]

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/05/which-democratic-party-bernie-sanders-and-fdrs-second-bill-rights

I am firmly in the camp of the latter interpretation of the past four decades of Democratic Party history. This of course is precisely why Bernie Sanders’ campaign has been so energizing to myself and the millions of people who went beyond the passive step of the base level of democratic participation (voting) or the subbasement level (tweeting or Facebook posting) and gave money and time to the campaign. Lots of very smart people support the former interpretation of course. The litany of reasons why the Democratic Party must support or even champion this decimation of a social right, must not argue that health care, education, and living wages should be rights because American are naturally and intrinsically conservative, must allow big donors to have undue influence, must bomb this or that country, or overthrow this or that democratically elected government has always been long, and in some individual cases, somewhat reasonable devoid of larger historical context. Looking at the forest through the trees though the pattern becomes clear: as a whole, the Democratic Party for decades has ceased to offer an effective bulwark in defense of the program and vision outlined by Roosevelt more than seven decades ago. Furthermore, it has acquiesced and often led the charge for a foreign policy that has killed thousands and denied millions the right to self-determination.

To become relevant to my students, to the millions of Americans who are swimming in debt and decimated by low wages, unaffordable health care, and rising housing costs the Democratic Party must unequivocally reclaim the mantle of the Second Bill of Rights.

As an American living abroad I see first hand that for the United States to become a true force for good around the world, the Democratic Party must lead the charge in fighting against an American chauvinism that puts little value on the lives of people who are innocent bystanders to our supposed economic and military interests.

Up until the previous year, many were skeptical that the Democratic Party could ever return to these principles. The successes of the Sanders campaign have given some of us a glimmer of hope that the party can be reclaimed from its seemingly inexorable drift to the party of lesser inequality and dislocation. The campaign’s victories have pointed to something that many have always suspected: when you bring Americans together around universal common interests like a right to education, health care, and a decent and remunerative job you are much more likely to beat back the forces of conservative reaction in the long term than by aping and appeasing the reactionaries.

[highprincipleswork]

1. A "glimmer of hope", and it's right there ready before us, if we will only embrace it.