General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: So can we get rid of the stupid "progressive vs establishment" false dichotomy now? [View all]JHan
(10,173 posts)But unless you're a third party libertarian, ( since most of them seem to have no problem with Citizens United) a third party progressive would have realized what was at stake with a Conservative-Leaning Scotus and made a home among Democrats best they could.
Because in Politics all that matters is the outcome.
But I get the frustration you point to.
The filibuster dominates the political process in America so strongly that the idea of third parties and coalition governments remain alien concepts for the most part. The frustration with the system is therefore natural but would require pragmatism to work through. ( just as an example, even if first past the post was eliminated, there's no guarantee far leftists will see the candidates they want. The electoral college system would guarantee no one reaches 270 which would send the election to the house and god knows what else). Current primaries are probably the smartest way to test ideas less moderate but when those ideas and candidates representing don't win at the ballot.. ?
Citizens United was a terrible development , and in the mind of many it has brought along more corruption with it and I'm not entirely comfortable with that analysis. Sure a lot more money is pouring into political parties but history is replete with far more jarringly corrupt examples pre C.U. like Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed, Huey Long, the involvement of the Astors and Vanderbilts in elections, the Pendergast machine, William A Clark etc etc.
But say a third party progressive was really bothered with Citizens United, the election of Bush JR should have shown the importance of pragmatic utility over "purity politics". A Democratic President would have appointed a makeup on the bench where Corporate Personhood and other regressive policies wouldn't have passed.
I also think we need to talk about power a lot more than we do and how to consolidate it to maximise outcomes we wish for ourselves and our communities. I really see this as a power game where Liberals took a lot for granted, while Conservatives - who long felt that they lost something and needed to "Own" liberals again - looked to gain power by gaming the system, even if they sacrificed democratic values in the process.