This entry is adapted from a Facebook post I made earlier today.
One of the commenters on this "Rising" video sez, "Catering to Biden Republicans may usher in a true third party." Krystal Ball is pretty canny, but does she see the same implications of the Democrats' nationally televised slide to the right?
The Biden Republican phenomenon is a continuation of the #NeverTrump Republicans who came to light in 2016. It's related to how MSNBC tends to invite Military-Industrial Complex types on to talk foreign & defense policy, yet seldom invites peace activists to provide contrasting views.
I foresee a major realignment in the next decade, more of a flow than a sudden seismic shift. What emerges will depend on whether millions of Democrats stick with the party our of habit or bolt in disgust. It may even strengthen the Libertarian Party while the left unites under the Greens, the People's Party, or a brand new coalition.
Scenario
Needless to say, I don't think a dominant Democratic Party is a good thing. It will still be the "reasonable" head of the two-headed War & Wall Street Party, more beholden to mega-donors than to voters or citizen advocates, still OK with drone strikes & deportations & market-based solutions to every crisis that comes along.
Krystal and the Greens
I have whined here and elsewhere about Krystal Ball's reluctance even to hypothesize about the Green Party or the incipient People's Party as a haven for progressive voters. But look at the group with whom she's hanging out today:
One of the commenters on this "Rising" video sez, "Catering to Biden Republicans may usher in a true third party." Krystal Ball is pretty canny, but does she see the same implications of the Democrats' nationally televised slide to the right?
The Biden Republican phenomenon is a continuation of the #NeverTrump Republicans who came to light in 2016. It's related to how MSNBC tends to invite Military-Industrial Complex types on to talk foreign & defense policy, yet seldom invites peace activists to provide contrasting views.
I foresee a major realignment in the next decade, more of a flow than a sudden seismic shift. What emerges will depend on whether millions of Democrats stick with the party our of habit or bolt in disgust. It may even strengthen the Libertarian Party while the left unites under the Greens, the People's Party, or a brand new coalition.
Scenario
- The Republican Party is no longer in denial about its fascistic tendencies, but rather embraces them. Middle-of-the-road Republicans abandon the GOP to the Trump/Tea Party wing, fleeing either toward the Democrats or the Libertarians.
- The Democratic Party holds down the neoliberal center-right, with a few progressives hanging in because Democratic candidates still spout the same old culturally liberal rhetoric. At least for a while, it will dominate the political landscape (my Democratic friends say huzzah & amen)—assuming Climate Apocalypse holds off another decade or two.
- The Green/People's Party Alliance occupies the left-of-center territory, including a substantial number of people who had given up voting. It may even grow to become the main opposition party.
- The Libertarian Party gets the aforementioned NeverTrumpers, plus folks who hate corporatism & militarism but think Medicare for All & Green New Deal socialism goes a few bridges too far.
Needless to say, I don't think a dominant Democratic Party is a good thing. It will still be the "reasonable" head of the two-headed War & Wall Street Party, more beholden to mega-donors than to voters or citizen advocates, still OK with drone strikes & deportations & market-based solutions to every crisis that comes along.
Krystal and the Greens
I have whined here and elsewhere about Krystal Ball's reluctance even to hypothesize about the Green Party or the incipient People's Party as a haven for progressive voters. But look at the group with whom she's hanging out today:
We will be streaming the recording of an episode for @cspan's BookTV this afternoon! Don't miss Howie and our all-star panel of @ajamubaraka, @krystalball, and @sunraysunray for a discussion of our campaign ebook, The Case for an Independent Left Party.
— Howie Hawkins (@HowieHawkins) August 25, 2020
TODAY
4:00 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/wviE9WkwGN
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