Pogressive Ponderings: Scapegoating Nader
12/29/2005
by Joe Mayer
December 28, 2005
“The Democratic Leadership Council is modernizing the progressive tradition in American politics by advancing a set of innovative ideas for governing through a national network of elected officials and community leaders.” This statement is from the DLC web site which also has on its masthead “The view from the vital center.” In monitoring DLC announcements and positions this past year I fail to find any correlation between them and real progressive ideas. Their use of the words progressive and centrist is as misleading as Bush’s use of freedom, democracy, and patriotism.
Recently President Bush has been quoting a Democratic Senator who supports his position on unending war. This senator, Joe Lieberman, has attacked proposals from his own Democratic Party to repeal Bush’s tax cuts going to wealthy America. For these actions Al From, founder of the DLC said, “We need more, not fewer, people with Joe Lieberman’s character in the Democratic Party.” Lieberman is a DLC activist and leader. Remember how far Lieberman’s presidential campaign proceeded in 2004? The vast majority of Democrats rejected him early but he and the DLC continue to claim the right to set party agenda.
When Representative John Murtha, an acknowledged hawk and defense expert, recently stated that the U.S. should pull out of Iraq within twelve months, the Republicans rallied in war dress and began the name calling again as a political strategy. Instead of supporting him, most of the elected Democrats said “I don’t know the man.” The DLC immediately distanced itself from Murtha even as poll numbers against the war continued to mount.
As the corruption of GOP Congressional members becomes more public – a corruption tied to lobbyists and campaign money – Democratic House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and others brag about placing in Roll Call an article entitled “House Democrats Redouble Wooing of K Street,” the “Wall Street” of corporate offices in Washington DC. Part of the article stated “…so it’s an important time to work with our friends downtown ( K St.) to remind them we have common goals…”
That last statement is the culmination of why so many would-be Democrats, people with progressive populist ideals, don’t know where to go. Neither major political party takes them seriously. Both major political parties court the same corporate and wealthy donors and respond to “common goals” which have nothing to do with the common good of “we the people.”
It’s why incumbent Hilary Clinton (a strong DLC activist) is being challenged from within her own party. Ralph Nader reluctantly ran for president in 2000 because in his own words “the difference in the two parties is negligible.” He almost ran in 2004, and in the DLC-sponsored “centrist” candidates in 2006 many progressives may file as “independent” or “Green” candidates and run against democratic nominees. Then if democrats lose again the DLC will scapegoat the third party candidates and continue its “centrist” Washington policies while true democratic issues remain unattended.
Consider: Numerous polls show that
- the majority of Americans believe that the wealthy and corporations are favored by Republicans over the lower classes in our nation.
- the majority of Americans believe that Bush’s tax cuts favor the wealthy and want them rescinded.
- the majority of Americans support a single-payer health care system run by the government rather than the current for-profit system
- the majority of Americans believe something should be done about the high cost of drugs including the approval and easing of foreign purchases.
- the majority of Americans believe that free trade agreements have led to job losses and thus wage stagnation.
- the majority of Americans believe that mandatory miles-per-gallon imposed on car manufacturers is a prudent method of conserving energy and should be imposed.
The DLC believes these are extreme positions and does not favor any of them. Even as Americans express themselves, these righteous leaders fail to listen. Here comes Nader again.