DONALD TRUMP AND THE FUTURE OF THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION
In the current political environment, progressives need to be able to rub their heads and pat their bellies at the same time. Before the 2016 election, thanks to Bernie Sanders, we were on the path to a political revolution targeting the 1 percent and structural revision of our economy. He helped so many understand that the root cause of the most enduring and serious societal problems that we face rests within a single common factor, the wealthy elite who own and operate our political and economic systems. I envisioned a plan of attack for the revolution consisting generally of two stages: 1) eliminating all conditions that allow the wealthy to wield their unelected power and influence, and 2) achieving legal and structural changes that would deny those elites the ability to ever regain such a position of dominance and control, in other words putting the people, through their no longer purchasable elected representatives, permanently in control of their government.
The election of Donald Trump has seriously intensified pre-existing civil rights and justice issues because of his bigotry, misogyny and demagogic character. He has raised the level of fear among minorities and women palpably. And the public has admirably responded with unprecedented resistance. It appears that the imminent threat that Trump poses has mobilized many people in addition to those already activated by Sen. Sanders. My concern is that the powerful resistance to Trump, the individual bad guy, necessary as it is, will overshadow the original goals of the political revolution, which, in fact, subsume Trump as another 1 percenter, and that it will divert and/or dilute the energy and personnel needed by the revolution.
Even worse, Trump has complicated matters considerably for us. The original goals of the revolution remain as important as ever, however, Trump as president has created an urgency to expose and block his clearly fascistic tendencies. He telegraphed these during the campaign and now, some of his early actions are evidence that authoritarian practices will indeed be part of how he governs. In Germany during Hitler’s time, the implementation of fascism occurred so gradually that, for most, it rang no bells until it was too late. Those who did recognize the warning signs and raised alarms were ignored. Progressives need to figure out how to stay on track toward their original goal, while at the same time respond to the Trump threat without losing focus or momentum.
It is a safe bet that most the folks that took newly to the streets on January 21 are not progressives or reliable activists. They were good regular people stirred to action by the outrageous bad actor in the White House. They came out in defense of family, friends, coworkers, themselves and people they don’t even know, because their sense of justice and fairness was so brutally assaulted by a pompous, narcissistic bigot who now has frightening power over our lives. How long will they stay out there? Can we rely on them to continue to fight at our side against the larger target of the political revolution?
I believe that depends upon the ability of the organizations that they have affiliated with to raise their political consciousness and train them as activists. Many single-issue groups spontaneously form at times of crisis, then just as quickly disappear when the crisis is perceived to have passed. In all likelihood, the progressive movement will gain only a small number of these newbys without a deliberate recruiting effort right now.
Urgent tasks for the left are to avoid the splintering of existing organizations, and to consolidate progressive groups that set up independently, rather than joining forces with others that already are up and running. Bernie Sanders may have reinvigorated the US progressive movement but he failed to caution us against this fatal flaw, which has plagued it from the 60’s, or to provide us with the tools to avoid the trap. His own campaign organization provides a cogent example. As soon as it morphed into “Our Revolution” following the 2016 Democratic National Convention several key staff quit over policy disagreements and went on to start or join other organizations. Progressives preach unity all the time but tragically, fail to practice what they preach. These arguably competitive tendencies weaken the impact of the movement and open it to legitimate criticism from both the right and far left.
The US progressive movement will not complete the revolution or even neutralize Donald Trump unless it pulls itself together into a solid, united force.
