The conventions are behind us, and now we’re headed into the summer doldrums and the Olympics. In that context, I thought I’d take a second to muse on the state of the race and on this critical moment in American political history.
Thanks to a great convention, where Democrats owned not only decency, humanity and diversity, but American pride, patriotism and power, Hillary Clinton has crested the 50% mark. And thanks to the derangement of the Republican nominee, this seems to be where the race will settle until the home stretch of the campaign kicks off on Labor Day weekend.
We are at a watershed moment in American politics. The rise of the Blue Sparrow Democrats, the curtain reveal of Trumpism as well as neoliberalism point us to a new era.
Bernie was right: Hillary is the nominee, she won fair and square.* This is all for the best, I’m afraid. We Blue Sparrows will not fade away. We will continue to engage this process in a way and at a level that has not been seen since Dr. King, and we are right to do so.
Our 36-year experiment in Reaganomics, austerity, and neoliberalism has ended the American middle class, democracy and capitalism. Democrats and Republicans both have contributed to our loss of freedom and power over these Reagan decades.
It’s time for Democrats and Republicans both to take a good look in the mirror.
“Southern Strategy” Republicans have spent decades stoking white fear for political gain. The rise of Trumpism is the best example in our lives of sins coming home. You guys built this ignorant division; now it’s time for a new politics and a new patriotism that includes all Americans.
Neoliberal Democrats need to learn the lesson of this era of politics. Without antitrust laws in our domestic policy, and without labor and environmental protections in our trade policy, we have engendered a race to the bottom economically and empowered a rigged system that no longer has a place for the American people, only the 1%. We ignore this and its symptoms, e.g. Brexit and Trump, at our peril.
It’s time for a new new deal. In the New Deal-era, wages, productivity, capitalism, democracy, economic security and the middle class grew together. We continued the march towards justice and we made America truly the world’s greatest nation.
Hillary Clinton’s election will represent an historic rebuke to the politics of hate. She will champion progressive social policy, and that is all good and well. But the real work ahead is going to be led by Americans who understand the worldwide need for economic justice. Berners, Trumpsters, Democrats and Republicans, Independents and Greens can all rise in this moment to defeat not only the fearful challenges of climate change and terrorism worldwide and racism at home, but can learn the lessons of history. Austerity has never worked. Neoliberalism has failed.
The future of American politics is in a unified move towards economic justice the world over. Right now, that means electing Hillary Clinton, and making sure she never forgets we have all learned the lessons of history.
*Please note that the “independent analysis” that found the DNC had “stolen the election” has been thoroughly debunked, repudiated and disproven.
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