Democratic Left & "Extremism" - Democratic Underground

H2O Man

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Wed Apr-13-11 11:29 AM
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Democratic Left & "Extremism"

{1}“ …. Had I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of any of their friends – either father, mother,brother, sister, wife, or children, or any of that class – and suffered and sacrificed what I have in this interference, it would have been all right, and every man in this court would have deemed it as an act worthy of reward rather than punishment.”
John Brown; 1859.

In the past ten days, I have used the term “class warfare” with increasing frequency on this forum. Yesterday, in fact, I posted a three-question survey on the topic: is it a good way to frame the important issues in the upcoming 2012 elections ?; would doing so help democratic candidates in House and Senate races?; and would it help President Obama?

Obviously, I am not the only forum member speaking about this topic. I've been delighted to read a number of other posts on the general topic. The reactions and responses to “class warfare” have been interesting. As would be expected, the majority of people who have participated in the various discussions recognize that the current domestic political-economic-social policies being advanced in Washington, DC, favor the economic elite. These same policies have caused the “middle class” to endure increasing hardships, and entrench a growing number of citizens in society's “underclass.”

Yet, the words “class warfare” make a significant number of people uneasy. Several correctly point out that, for a substantial number of voters, “class warfare” tends to cause a negative reaction, and that – at least for these people – the same general concepts might better be communicated in other ways.

One of my best friends on this forum went so far as to suggest that the term “class warfare” can be associated with “McCarthyism.” That's an interesting idea. Senator Joseph McCarthy, of course, attacked a wide range of Americans for being communists or communist-sympathizers. While I am admittedly unfamiliar with all of McCarthy's rants, my impression is that he focused his attacks on the emotional code word “communism,” and avoided actual concepts about the conflicts between the rich and the poor.

I still appreciate the example of McCarthyism, however, as the concept of “class warfare” is closely associated with the teachings of Karl Marx and Max Weber. While Weber is largely forgotten, outside of social science classrooms in our colleges and universities, “Marxism” remains one of the code words that the disciples of McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover use today. The rabid right-wing republicans attempted to derail Senator Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, by calling him a Marxist, communist, and socialist. These inaccurate charges continue today, suggesting that those who respond like Pavlov's dogs to such code words are incapable of grasping the actual concepts of class warfare – even when they are among its victims.

{2} “To them this government has no just powers derived from the consent of the governed. To them this government is not a democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful oligarchy of sex; … an oligarchy of wealth, where the rich govern the poor. “
Susan B. Anthony; 1873.

People must change the way they think, before they change the way that they behave. And throughout history, those individuals who speak out in the manner that changes the way people think, are called “extremists.” Two of the most important leaders of the Civil Rights movement in the late 1950s and '60s were called “extremists” by their opposition. By no coincidence, both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were likewise accused of being “communists,” or of being influenced by communists, by the likes of FBI Director Hoover.

Malcolm pointed out that many of history's great thinkers were “extremists.” Socrates, Jesus, and Gandhi were extreme in their pursuit of love and truth. (Not all extremists were – or are -- great leaders; just as not all extremists are good people. Bush and Cheney were extremists, are as many of the republicans in high office today.)

Susan Anthony, like Gandhi, King, and Malcolm, was an extremist. Each was involved in efforts to bring about social justice that involved “class warfare.” In fact, both Martin and Malcolm would come to view economic injustice, which involved more than black citizens, as the basis for bringing the Civil Rights movement up to the level of Human Rights.

Those of us who might, for lack of a better word, be considered this forum's “extremists” – which includes the far-left of the Democratic Left, along with our socialist and left-of-the-Democratic Party friends – understand that our efforts alone will not bring about social justice. We appreciate that it will take a coordinated effort from everyone. That obviously includes conservative democrats, moderate democrats, liberals, progressives, and progressive “extremists.” This has implications, however, that some find more uncomfortable than the term “class warfare.”

Elections, for example, always are run with campaigns that focus on three groups: those who will always vote for you; those who will never vote for you; and the “undecided.” The goal is to get a large turn-out of the first group, and to minimize the turn-out of the second group. If one creates enough of a margin, the “undecided” do not matter. However, in a close election, significant attention is focused on those undecided voters.

There is, of course, another group: those who typically do not vote. It is accurate to identify the republican party as hoping that this large group remains ignorant of their potential political power, and disenfranchised. Much of the membership of the Democratic Party recognizes that this group has the untapped potential to create a significant voting majority for our party.

However, I think there are some within the party who do not value or welcome the contributions of the Democratic Left. For a small example, in the 1980s, in the town I lived in, there was a conflict involving a couple seats on the local school board. It wasn't between Democrats and republicans. It was between some of the “established” democrats, and a group they considered to be insurgents. I brought enough people from a large Low-income neighborhood to decide the outcome. The established folks were furious. They sought to keep poor people from voting, and attacked me as a “trouble-maker.” We required the assistance of the ACLU. The two candidates I helped to elect became valued members of the board. While they did not perform miracles, they earned the community's respect for instituting some positive changes.

Small potatoes, perhaps. But keep in mind that this was the era when “Reagan democrats” turned their back on the principles of our party. And it led to the effort of Rev. Jesse Jackson, surely an “extremist,” reviving the Democratic Left. Jesse's efforts were not made in the comfortable rooms in Washington, DC; his base of power was found in those poor huddled masses that the Statue of Liberty speaks to, the farmers, the unions, and the inhabitants of our cities' ghettos.

Now, those are people who understand “class warfare.” Many, though admittedly not all, are as comfortable with the term “class warfare” as your Congressman is comfortable in his plush office. They are as comfortable breaking bread with those marginalized by the economy, as that Senator is in dining with the representatives of corporate America. They are not uncomfortable with words; they are fully aware of the pain and suffering that the political-economic system abuses them with.

We are in extreme circumstance in this country. A loose-knit organization of the Democratic Left can help apply the pressure that moderate Democrats need to move the “political center” back from its current right-wing position. Just as the “moderate” republicans benefit from justifying their actions by pointing to the right-wing extremists, we will benefit all sincere moderate republicans. It's like when King was in jail in Selma, and Malcolm came to town. He let the powers-that-be know that if they did not deal with King, there were other forces, waiting in the wings. Suddenly, a number of those who had previously identified Martin as an “extremist” found him quite reasonable, after all.

Just as many good Democrats are uncomfortable with the term “class warfare,” and are able to communicate the same basic concept in more pleasant and acceptable ways, in order to mobilize the people on the margins, some of us must use extreme language. We understand that it can, at times, offend some good and decent people. Yet that is not our goal. We simply ask that you appreciate that in order to communicate with our own, we must speak in the language they understand.

With these thoughts in mind, I believe that the only Democrats who will be uncomfortable with this, and take offense with our efforts, are those who fall into that “Reagan democrat” description. And I do not think that they are as important in advocating actual democratic principles, as are those men and women who are the victims of class warfare.

Thank you for reading this.

Peace,
H2O Man