…the Democratic and Republican parties, two apparently distinct political entities feeding at the same corporate trough.
Up against the corporate government, voters find themselves asked to choose between look-alike candidates from two parties vying to see who takes the marching orders from their campaign paymasters and their future employers. The money of vested interest nullifies genuine voter choice and trust.
The “democracy gap” in our politics and elections spells a deep sense of powerlessness by people who drop out, do not vote, or listlessly vote for the “least worst” every four years and then wonder why after every cycle the “least worst” gets worse.
From Ralph Nader’s Book “Crashing the Party”, Thomas Dunne Books, 2002.
On Labor (and other traditional supporters of the Democratic Party).
Like knowing hostages, the AFL-CIO and its unions march in tandem to endorse the Democratic presidential nominees early in the primary season. They have given up their capacity for negotiation, so frightened are they of the Republicans. Meanwhile, the rank-and-file workers suffer their dwindling status in silence.
…organized labor…rushes to support the party without demanding a turn away from corporatism toward workers’ needs. This is the logic of the lesser of two evils. It tethers labor to a relentless slide deeper into the corporate power pits year after year.
…the Democrats know that no matter how many GATTs, NAFTAs, empty OSHAs, and other betrayals…they heap on those labor leaders, they can be had because, once again, the Republicans are deemed worse.
The tired whine of “But the Republicans are worse” will fall flat as more young Americans take charge of their future and move, with their reenergized elders, toward the Green Party and parallel civic and political movements.
From a memo by Nader team-member Steve Cobble to the Sierra Club, regarding its expected endorsement of Al Gore. 7-21-2000.
…the Sierra Club will be ignored the rest of the campaign; key environmental issues will be left off the agenda and out of the presidential debates…
This is not the way to play even the insider game on behalf of the environment, much less the long-term, mass movement, change the anti-environment-corporate-structure game. After all, in American politics, it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, not the go-along-to-get-along liberal interest group…
The sad fact is that in modern politics, only when a candidate is fearful of losing your vote does he pay attention.
