A Failure of Political Leadership

Hi Friends,

I have been a lifelong Democrat (although sometimes I register as Independent for more choices during elections). There have been so many think pieces about what the Democrats are doing wrong, or about how they need to rally people to their side, or about why people don't understand how the Democrats can lose elections (they're the good guys!). I have been starting to notice a common underlying thread that I want to highlight more clearly here.

Regardless of political affiliation, a majority of the American public feel like the systems in place are not meeting their needs or working for them.

It is not enough (and hasn't been for a long time) to simply say the right things to get people to vote for you and then abandon those ideals and values because of the establishment or the way things are done or because of who funded your campaign or whatever other excuses there are for not making life better for your constituents.

The administration's recent refusal to fund SNAP during the government shutdown led to some helpful analysis by Anand Giridharadas, highlighting how corporations that employ many people who use such government programs also intentionally pay lower wages so that even those who work full time jobs cannot afford to buy food. He says:

"It’s a modern spin on owing your soul to the company store. Paradoxically, SNAP is at once a boogeyman that conservatives point to as they accuse workers in low-wage jobs of being undeserving of benefits, but it’s also what makes it possible for some of America’s most anti-labor employers to pay those low wages in the first place."

Zohran Mamdani's success in New York was met with active opposition from his own party because he was able to connect with people as thinking and feeling human beings. "A party that too often caves to donors is liable to be afraid of voters finding their voice and power and believing they can actually have nice things."

Waleed Shahid connects Mamdani's success to significant moments in American history when it was recognized that democracy needs to meet the needs of the American public:

"Just as Roosevelt, Randolph, King, and Reuther recognized economic injustice as a catalyst for authoritarianism, Mamdani recognizes from personal experience that when democracy fails to protect dignity for all — those often erased or demonized — it creates fertile ground for authoritarian fears to flourish. Democracy, Mamdani and Abdurraqib remind us, demands confronting inequality in all its forms — not merely economic insecurity, but the social and political marginalization of entire communities whose humanity is persistently questioned or undermined."

He continues, "When democracy doesn’t deliver shared prosperity, citizens lose faith, and authoritarian temptations grow attractive. The threats we face today, from right-wing populism to the erosion of democratic norms, have deeper roots in economic insecurity and concentrated wealth than many acknowledge." It's a brilliant article, well worth the read.

In another post by Shahid, he calls out the frustrations that need to be addressed by any political party actually interested in representing the people:

"Meanwhile, voters have been angry for years about wage stagnation, rising healthcare, housing, child care, and education costs. We’ve forgotten how to unite around those grievances and point the finger at who’s holding us back—while we defend institutions that people know aren’t working. It’s time to stop running from our strengths and start speaking to the people who’ve been left behind."

Colette Shade at Teen Vogue wrote about the lasting impact of the Great Recession and how that has shaped our current political reality, saying:

"We’re still living in the country the Great Recession made. If Democrats want to win elections, they need to start campaigning (and delivering) on big economic policies like family leave, well-funded public schools, and a higher minimum wage. These policies would give all Americans a stake in our society (and they’re popular, with many progressive ballot measures winning this year even in red states). Democrats also need to focus on rebuilding in-person communities that offer alternatives to disinformation-filled online spaces."

Normal Solomon at truthout wrote about how the Democratic party hasn't addressed the root of inequality. Lara Witt at Prism wrote about the legacy of Assata Shakur and how both political parties have failed. Here's another tribute to Shakur from truthout.

The abandonment of political leverage last week only increases the urgency that we start leaving behind the elitist, exclusive, outdated ways of politics and step into something different. Indivisible has some suggestions. Lucas Kunce wrote from a labor strike perspective. Scot Nakagawa reiterated that compromising with authoritarianism is futile. The NAACP's statement highlighted that "For more than a month, families endured life without a sustainable income — not as a matter of choice, but as collateral in a political standoff. Yet, instead of restoring stability and dignity to those harmed, this agreement offers little more than a return to uncertainty, frustration, and neglect."

As I wrote about back in September, billionaire corruption, kleptocracy, and crony capitalism continues:
- Eliza Dewey writes Private prison executives revel in profiting off ICE arrests in earnings calls
- Conor Gallagher writes The US Is Criminalizing Homelessness and Expanding Incarceration. Who Profits?
- Derek Seidman writes Trump’s White House Ballroom Is Being Bankrolled by Genocide and ICE Profiteers
- Jake Johnson writes 10 Richest People in the US Gained Nearly $700B in Wealth Since Trump Reelection
- Derek Seidman writes Data Centers Devour Electricity. Private Equity Is Buying Utilities to Cash In.
- At El País, questions about Trump's investment in Argentina reveal that "Reports show that major U.S. investment firms such as Fidelity, Pimco, and Discovery Capital Management could profit directly from the intervention due to their exposure to Argentine bonds. This only heightens concerns that the bailout is serving Wall Street’s interests rather than those of the American public."

In a situation like this, what can we do? Here are some suggestions:
- Adam Mahoney writes Black Communities Across the US Refuse to Be Sacrifice Zones for Data Centers.
- The Contrarian writes about forcing accountability, particularly for the companies currently funding the destruction of the East Wing of the White House.
- Sare Myklebust and Saqib Bhatti share A Strategy to Stop the Flow of Our Money to Billionaires.
- Kelly Hayes collected letters for Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis. She also interviews Aaron Goggans, one of the contributors to the collection, around "Burnout Is Not Inevitable: Building Movements That Can Hold Us."
- Scot Nakagawa writes about Democracy as Infrastructure and says:

Every movement faced critics saying they were legitimizing oppressive systems. Every one had to choose: defend imperfect democracy while building something better, or let it collapse and hope something better will emerge from ashes.

The ones who chose defense plus transformation gave us just about every freedom we have.

And, if you're interested in an economic boycott, check out We Ain't Buying It and Mass Blackout to pause shopping next week from the major corporations that are funding and enabling this administration.

You are not powerless. You are not alone. You are part of a very long, very powerful movement towards a better world for all of us.

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow. In solidarity.