And trade “them” for what?
By Jon Anne Willow
Dear Readers,
Being a monthly publication has its disadvantages of timing. Never is this more apparent to me than when I have to write this column before a momentous event, knowing most people won’t read it until after. Such is the case with these midterm elections. As of this morning, both liberal and conservative think tanks are predicting that Democrats will pick up 18-22 seats in the House (15 are needed for a majority) and 2-3 seats in the Senate (of the six needed for a majority). In short, by the time you read this, it’s likely that Democrats will take back one of the houses and hold a stronger position in the other. It would seem that change is in the air.
But I’m troubled. The other evening, VITAL hosted a screening of Robert Greenwald’s Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers to a packed room at Bremen Café. Granted, this is pretty far-left stuff, attracting mostly those who already know they’re mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore, so I wasn’t surprised that the lively talkback session after the film touched on wholesale revolution in the streets. But as PeaceAction’s George Martin whipped up the crowd with enthusiastically rejoined calls to “Send them home!” I couldn’t help but ask: And trade “them” for what?
Let’s put this in perspective. This election serves one very valuable purpose: to restore some modicum of party balance within the three branches of our federal government. But a Democratic House will not have the power to make sweeping changes to our domestic policies on health, education, jobs, campaign reform and the federal budget. And even if the will to do so is there, this cash-strapped nation is so committed to military spending at this point that to withdraw significant funding from the war to reallocate it to domestic interests would potentially put the lives of our deployed soldiers in even greater peril. I’ll lay down money that few Democrats with future political aspirations will take up that charge, for fear of alienating their home base and drawing easy fire from angry, organized Republicans.
It’s all very interesting. While I applaud the Democrats’ success in mobilizing liberals and dissatisfied swing voters (though the Republicans have done plenty to help), I still haven’t seen anything to help me understand what real difference a party-based power shift will effect. It’s not clearly expressed in campaign rhetoric, and it’s certainly not present in currently-seated Democrats’ voting records. I don’t accept that Democratic votes on key issues in the last twelve years have consistently betrayed the interests of the base because of Republican strong-arm tactics. That’s just lame. And if it is true, is this party qualified to lead our nation, or even the House of Representatives?
Lest I be branded a terminal cynic, let me say this. There is hope. But we will not find the solutions we seek by relying on firmly-entrenched career politicians in Washington. Change, as it always does, must start at home. Pay attention to what goes on in your own backyard. Advocate at the city and state level for better schools, fairer taxes and economic initiatives. Write letters, join committees, read the news and keep score. Talk it out and don’t let the issues be eclipsed by tonight’s episode of Lost. State and local officials are more easily held accountable to their constituencies. Vet them at home. If they pass the audition, then send them to Washington. It’s a longer process, but one that holds whatever hope we have left for a genuine democracy. After all, it’s a scientific fact that the force of an earthquake is strongest at its epicenter.
Peace,
Jon Anne
