Healting the Rift

This article is for Anybody But Bush Democrats who have been focusing on examining the small differences between John Kerry and John Edwards' platforms and virtually ignoring the progressive wing of the party. It's time for you to get nervous. Sunday's announcement by Nader to run as an Independent brought a new variable into the race and it has become imperative to learn the lesson of 2000 on a deeper level or face the same splintering again.

That lesson is: progressives need to have real, ongoing power within the Democratic Party or they will abandon it. I'm not talking about respect or applause or pumped-up talks or hugs, although those things can be a good start. I am talking about the power to shape the platform, select candidates, sculpt the election process, and actually govern.

Without real political power, the progressive population starts to get angry and secede. It is a simple fact that, someone whose power as been taken away will attempt to take it back, unless they've forgotten they have a right to power. Fortunately, progressives are some of the most active, engaged, and empowered citizens that we have in this country. They are pushing the envelope of positive change, often doing work at high personal costs.

Take their power away and they will take it back, one way or another. This stance isn't anti-American or anti-Democratic Party. In fact, this country was founded by people who took a stand for their right to govern themselves. No taxation without representation can be translated into "Don't expect us to contribute into the system without giving us a voice to run the system as well."

Nader is like some of those founding fathers: uncompromising in his demand for actual influence in shaping the system. He's not afraid to become a lightning rod for the hatred of those whose power is threatened by his insurgency and "rebellion." I can respect that.

Nader's run is a wakeup call for the Democratic Party, which has really not learned the lesson of 2000. Its solution to 2000 has been to impose a guilt-ridden psychology of Anybody But Bush on the masses, attempting to use fear and subtle threats to keep that "mistake" from happening again. They villify Nader and his backers and call them traitors.

This blame game is basically a denial of responsibility. The Democratic Party itself is largely responsible for the loss of 2000 because it did not create enough legitimate power within the tent for progressive voices. Without legitimate power and representation within the tent, the folks who felt disempowered simply left it.

Anybody But Bush folks this year are going to have to face this reality, or THEY will be the ones who kill another election. We simply cannot take people's power away and demand their allegiance at the same time, unless they are slaves. It won't work. If progressives do not feel that they have actual power within the Democratic Party, a sizable number will take their power outside of the system and everyone will pay the price with four more years of Bush.

The calculus is that simple.

The task now is to figure out how to genuinely empower the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party needs to get serious about this situation soon, before Nader gains too much momentum and support. We have four months until the convention, which will be pivotal in revealing whether this lesson is learned or not.

Right now, most of the money and control in the Democratic Party is in the centrist camp, which is very corporate-friendly and special-interest influenced. Without significant money to bring to the table, those circles are difficult to penetrate. Those circles are also invested in protecting their power, controlling the shape and direction of the platform, and choosing candidates. The two front-runners have been virtually handpicked by those forces. The most powerful insurgent, Howard Dean, was crushed easily. And he wasn't even particularly progressive. The real progressives in the race are rarely mentioned, shunted aside, or dismissed as vanity candidates. That is how bad things have gotten.

That needs to shift. The Democratic Party needs to broaden its tent and give real power to progressives or else its political power will continue to dwindle.

The key player to focus on during the primaries is Dennis Kucinich. He's the only candidate who has the unqualified support of many progressives, including Ralph Nader himself, who said in January that he wouldn't run if Kucinich got the nomination. Kucinich's platform is boldly progressive and visionary. He's a man of the people who has known real poverty and has absolutely no strings attached. He's made a career of bold stances challenging entrenched and corrupt power structures. There is no one with more capacity to be the torchbearer for practical reform of the party in 2004. Not Howard Dean, whom many progressive look at suspiciously, despite his rhetoric. Neither John Kerry nor John Edwards. And not Al Sharpton, who has less direct political experience.

Dennis Kucinich can be the hero of this election by building a base of legitimate power WITHIN the Democratic Party for the progressive camp and thus save the election from Bush.

However, this needs to go beyond applause or lip service. It needs to happen in the form of votes, money, and influence. Progressives need real power and this is the formula:

1. Vote for Kucinich in your primaries to give him delegates and influence at the convention
2. Give him real money to wage ground and media campaigns.
3. Create enduring structures within the Democratic Party for progressive voices to have actual power. These structures need to be free of the taint of money politics, since the progressive camp tends to have a lot less money. I envision an independent, platform-creation wing with progressive change leaders convening regularly to shape and refine recommendations, as well as a strong commitment from the party leadership to champion these stances.
4. Progressive checks and balances on the centralization of power within the party.
5. Significant steps towards electoral reform

Kucinich needs to be empowered as an ambassador to Nader and other progressives who have broken with the party. Scapegoating and villifying only perpetuates the split and worsens the problem. Kucinich's job will be to listen to the real concerns and recommendations of Nader and other leaders outside the system and champion those changes within the party. He will also become the voice for those within the party who want deeper, more systemic change. In this way, progressives who do not have power will begin to be able to tangibly impact the system in an enduring way and gain more power in the long run.

The threat here is very real. Many Dean supporters are angry at the way they perceive the system treated their candidate and a good number have said they will vote for Nader even though Dean himself urges solidarity with the party. Many Kucinich supporters are privately saying that this is their last attempt to reform the party from inside and if Kucinich continues to be stiff-armed by the power brokers, they are gone for good and will vote Nader. This is despite Kucinich's statement of remaining fully supportive of the Democratic nominee. The thing to remember is that Dean and Kucinich do not own their constituencies. Many Kucinich supporters actually voted for Nader in 2000 and came back into the party when they heard Kucinich was running. No matter what Kucinich or Dean say or what the hatemailing ABB folks send, these people will not all stay in solidarity with the party if they honestly feel they do not have representation at the table. They will leave and take their power elsewhere. That is human nature and that is their right.

In my opinion, it's the moment of truth for the Democratic Party. Is it time to share power with progressives inside the party, thereby healing the rift, or have them sabotage this election from outside? Guilt, shame, and ostracization will only deepen the rifts. Real power and authentic respect is what will heal them.