The Nation Show

One of the greatest obstacles to emergence of the “left” in modern national politics is a coherent picture, clear to the American people, of what the left seeks to accomplish.

Courtesy: Social Sense

(WINDSOR, N.H.) - At no other time in history has it become so essential that an alternative voice emerge. This country and, by the pursuits of this country, the world is facing a terrible crash far worse than what we are now witnessing.

The political “left” has always represented that alternative voice. It is a result of that voice that so many socially just programs took root in American politics. Worker protections, economic safety nets, municipal safeguards (notably, as example, fire departments) and much more. Since the 70’s, however, the voice of the “left” has become a feeble whisper.

One of the greatest obstacles to emergence of the “left” in modern national politics is a coherent picture, clear to the American people, of what the left seeks to accomplish.

Despite the increasingly obvious failures of capitalism, the American public is media deprived of the information essential in its ability to grasp genuine political and economic alternative.

The left, so splintered by its own intellectual disputes and the history of infiltrations of its component groups by both government agent and sincere ideological disputants, has demonstrated an inability to present a united picture of possibility to the public. The terms “left” and “leftist” bring to mind those most ideologically extreme proponents of socialism or communism. The GOP relies on that image and reinforces it with vigor.

In truth, there is a very small minority on the left aligned with either a socialist or communist agenda. The vast majority are aligned with principles of humanism, equality, fairness, and justice. Most simply want capitalism absent all its negatives. Americans do not understand the difference.

The die hard out front corporate aligned party, the GOP, is obviously not an option for the left. The more socially conscious yet corporate reliant Democratic Party, being the only other historically recognizable party in American politics, represents a meager alternative for the left.

Various attempts to utilize a marketing approach which relies on use of the term “progressive” to integrate the left in mainstream politics have failed in their alignment with the Democratic Party which quickly learned how to absorb the term and its proponents in mobilizing its fragile base. What has occurred is the energizing of the Democrat base through promoting progressive appearing agendas which are quickly discarded once the true objective, getting a “moderate” in power, is achieved. Once in power, the moderate Democrat plays almost exclusively to its corporate masters, even in fronting seemingly progressive ideas such as health care, and the “progressives” are dismissed as malcontents dragging the “Party” down and presenting an obstacle to maintaining power in mid term elections.

Disheartened and confused, the left flounders and either avoids the mid terms by failing to promote fully progressive candidates or simply sits out the election either not voting or voting for Party candidate in hopes that a perceived more damaging GOP candidate will be blocked from office. The thinking that a Democrat in office will be better for the country than a Republican, promoted so heavily by the Party and its sycophant bloggers, sits as a hard choice for the left. They know, in their hearts, that either choice represents no genuine change for America. On October 2, 2010, America was treated to yet another heavy handed promotion to use the left in pushing for maintaining the power of the Democrats in the mid terms.

A wide array of “progressive” organizations mobilized in DC to hear speaker after speaker push social justice agendas, all much needed in our country. However, the over riding message of this event was nothing more than “vote Democrat” ... because you have no other alternative if you want anything remotely resembling what the country sorely needs (like jobs). Should the Democrats pull off a miracle and maintain their power in the mid terms, January will see yet another dismissal of the left and it will be business as usual in America. Discontent with business as usual has grown since the Bush administration.

The corporate think tanks and their capitalist financiers recognized this and created the freakish, yet formidable, Tea Party in order to play off the discontent of Americans with the GOP. Of course, any Tea Party winners in the mid term will fall in line with the wishes of their corporate backers and are, therefore, not a true alternative for change.

Will the left continue to lock themselves into this vicious cycle of promise and negation or will they wake up and fully extricate themselves from the corporate Democratic Party, collectively organize the educational tools that will help America recognize the potential of alternative politics, and promote genuinely progressive candidates in every state?

Should the left rise to the occasion and bring themselves out as an alternative, they would have to do so through the shunning of any corporate appearing support and demonstrate their true objection to business as usual with massive educational campaigns.

They will have to be a lot smarter than the Democratic operatives that corralled them into the One Nation promotion and not fall into the traps that would make them into just another say whatever, promise whatever to stay in power party. There are certainly enough left leaning organizations in the US, enough manpower, enough intellectual prowess to create a sufficient platform from which to promote genuinely progressive candidates.

Many came together for the One Nation Show. Let’s see if they can come together for themselves and for the country... instead of the corporate Democratic Party and business as usual.

He is the Creator of Thought Addiction programs (Lectures Seminars & Workshops) (Intensive 21 day Addiction Recovery Programs designed for Artists, Actors, Musicians & Industry Leaders) residing in New Hampshire (US). (The Website for M. Dennis Paul, Ph.D. is currently under reconstruction) Contact: mdp54@gsinet.net
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