Democrats OWN the Civil Economy [View all]

[DemocracyMouse]

I lead a discussion on DU over the weekend and learned a lot about people's feelings regarding certain buzz words. This new piece reflects a lot of great input:

Civil Infrastructure for a Civil Economy

I recommend that we abandon the "socialism vs capitalism" rhetoric. Let us call instead for a CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE for a CIVIL ECONOMY. It may help unify progressives and centrists and help put some wind in our sails as we aporoach elections in November.

Democrats should emphasize a CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE of public roads, public education, net neutrality, bank regulation and healthcare, etc., which essentially feeds a CIVIL ECONOMY of small, innovative businesses. A civil infrastructure regulates big business for the purpose of creating a fair playing field for small business and individuals. Trust busting and support for unions, just as occurred after the Great Depression, would be essential.

We should stop letting Republicans frame the national discourse as "WELFARE (or SOCIALISM) vs CAPITALISM." We should immediately state "that's just dumb" and point out that governing in a high tech society requires the building of a good, efficient CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE to grow the economy with an educated populace and fair rules and regulations so everyone gets to participate.

What I'm proposing is a nested model of society with a democratically determined infrastructure at the center of a continuously emergent system. Wired Magazine meets The Nation. Biology meets economics.

All of the traditional Democratic priorities going back to the New Deal, from raising the minimum wage to supporting unions and public education, fosters a civil economy.

In other words, Democrats must not be trapped into defending welfare against capitalism. We should reframe the debate. Welfare – and all the other regulations, public services and environmental protections – are there to support a CIVIL ECONOMY. Democratic policies have usually been great for the economy. Republicans, in their deep, selfish stupidity, foster recessions. Its a historical fact we have rarely exploited.

In the 1990s I saw Bill Clinton give a speech about the Democrat/Republican cycle of boom and bust. It was a revelation to me. The point is rarely made unfortunately, and it's largely because most Democrats don't realize how their own good policies function to grow the economy for all, not just the 1%.