BILL FLETCHER: Black America: Place demands on Democrats

BILL FLETCHER: Black America: Place demands on Democrats
by Bill Fletcher, NNPANovember 30, 2006

Like most of the folks that I know, the day after Election Day, I was excited. I was excited because the Republicans generally, and President Bush in particular, had their collective noses rubbed in the mud (I was going to use another imagery but I am being polite.) The anger and frustration that millions of people have had with the Iraq war, the attacks on civil liberties, the corruption, the mean-spirited government, the cuts in services and the polarization of wealth just added up. And, oh, by the way, a side benefit of our outrage: Rumsfeld is gone.

Now that we have that out of our systems, we need to turn our attention to the Democrats. Frankly, they were lucky. There is no other way to put it. They won despite the fact that they had no clear message regarding the war or anything else. They tapped into the anger and frustration with the Republicans and were beneficiaries of that, but they were not leading anything.

So, the point is that Black America, and all others that share our desire for social, economic, political and environmental justice cannot sit back and hope that the Democrats do the right thing. They lack a clear alternative plan. If history is any judge, without pressure, the Democrats will cave in to, if not actively support, the general direction of the Republicans.

Consider for a moment the Iraq war. Increasing numbers of people in the U.S.A. recognize that not only is the Iraq war a no-win proposition but that it was wrong in the first place. Thus, there must be an approach that is fundamentally about removing all U.S. troops (including bases) and offering reparations to the Iraqi people for the horrible damage that the U.S.A. illegally inflicted upon them. This must be the stand that our political leaders take, but too many are ready to offer compromises in the name of bi-partisanship, particularly, offering a lack of specifics in terms of how quickly the U.S. will pull out and what it will actually do to assist the Iraqi people.

There is no point in waiting for the Democrats to come up with a plan on Iraq, or any other significant area. Rather, people like you and me need to place demands on the Democrats and insist on a change of course for this country. In that regard, we must learn a valuable and painful lesson from the Bill Clinton era.

When President Clinton was elected there was a sigh of relief that spread across this country, much like the sigh that many of us heard or experienced on November 8th after the Republican defeat. Having suffered under 12 years of the Reagan/Bush administration, it felt great to have, what appeared to be a different direction for the country. At that point, one movement after another de-mobilized. It was amazing to watch it happen.

Clinton was able to get a pass from organized labor as well as the African-American movement and the women's movement. When he supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), there was resistance, but his actions were forgotten. When he abolished welfare, there were murmurings of discontent, but little public outcry from the mainstream leaders of liberal and progressive America. When he advanced his anti-terrorism act, there was little concern about the arbitrariness of the provision. When he attacked Yugoslavia, too many of us accepted that this was an alleged humanitarian action. Movement after movement was prepared to stick an apple in its own mouth because any other action would embarrass our friend in the White House and give ammunition to the Republicans.


The results of this de-mobilization could be seen in the Republican victory in the 1994 midterm Congressional elections and their Contract with America. It could be seen in the declining number of Democrats elected to office during the Clinton era. And it could be seen in the conditions being laid for the assumption of office by George W. Bush. In other words, people of conscience gained absolutely nothing.

If we learn from that experience then we can go forward. If, however, we sit back and wait for the Democrats to do the right thing, we are living in a fool's paradise. Remember the old saying Trick me once, shame on you. Trick me twice, shame on me.

No time for shame, but definitely time to struggle. While the door is open, let's keep pushing.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a long-time labor and international activist and writer. He is currently serving as a Visiting Professor at Brooklyn College-City University of New York. He is the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum and can be reached at papaq54@hotmail.com.

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