It's one thing to attack the religious right -- but another to condemn the religious. A vital warning for liberals.
Salon
Liberals are overlooking a major political ally: Yes, there’s a religious left!
Liberals are overlooking a major political ally: Yes, there’s a religious left!
Elizabeth Stoker
8 comments:
Although an atheist really like reading Stoker.
I dont know if they are overlooking them these people already are on board as their primary issue is socio-economic justice... so Dems have this cohort of Christendom locked up as the Dems have more than a narrow edge on these issues....
Now, recently, with Hoyer and other parts of the Dem leadership signing on with the Ryan budget out of "bipartisanship" they DO risk LOSING these people as if the Dems cave on economic justice, then these people are less motivated to stay Democrat and may jump to the GOP on the other issues such as life/evolution/marriage, etc...
So I'd look at as this cohort is for the Democrats to lose not "overlook"....
rsp,
DO risk LOSING these people as if the Dems cave on economic justice
Unfortunately, its a done deal. The cave has already happened. A while ago there was some noise in liberal blog/radio circles about the religions left and a charismatic reverend named Jim Wallis was making the rounds and was making a lot of sense but not much came of it. Having watched the Democratic party pretty closely for the last ten years I am pretty confident in making the assertion that they'd sooner lose 10 million votes than lose one big donor.
The only way to unite the 99% against the 1% is with a populist agenda focusing on economic issues and the Bill of Rights. The 99% will never agree on social issues.
Yet the so-called "left" continues to wade into divisive social issues like the 2nd amendment.
Here's an example of how populist Huey Long handled touchy social issues in religiously divided Louisiana:
“When I was a boy I would get up at six o’clock in the morning on Sunday and I would hitch our old horse up to the buggy and I would take my Catholic grandparents to mass. I would bring them home, and at ten o’clock I would hitch the old horse up again, and I would take my Baptist grandparents to church.”
Later that night, the political boss complimented Huey as they headed back to Baton Rouge. “Why Huey, you’ve been holding out on us. I didn’t know you had any Catholic grandparents.”
“Don’t be a damned fool,” shot back Huey. “We didn’t even have a horse.”
The US runs on interest politics and the two parties represent the different interests. Thus each party is a coalition of interests. Keeping the coalitions in balance is, well, a balancing act. The GOP is having major difficulties keeping its act together as factions vie for power. The Democrats are still pretty much ruled by the Establishment that determine priorities of interests. However, with Elizabeth Warren's star rising, there may be a populist backlash brewing on the left just as there was on the right. But I'll believe it when I see it.
Look for a coalition of the liberal progressive left and the libertarian right to emerge over constitutional and populist themes with the approach of the mid-term elections this November and as the 2016 general election swings into gear. If the establishments from both political parties put up Hillary Clinton vs. Jeb Bush into the fray, it increases the odds of a disruptive 3rd Party emerging.
Ed,
Rand Paul recently appeared at Berkeley of all places and received a standing ovation from his audience there.... so evidence of that coalition forming here...
Dan,
Forgot about the 2nd amendment good point that is another one...
David,
I dont see why the Dems have to think they have to cave on socio-economic issues or lose the donations... I would think that the big donors just want influence for their "money" no matter who is in office... so if the Dems maintain a strong stance on the socio-economic issues and this gets them elected (which I think it does right now...) then just take the money and run... so I'm left to think that Hoyer & Co are "true believers" that we are "out of money" and "borrowing from our grandchildren" and think they are doing this "for the good of the country" type thing... imo exactly the same motivation of the Ryan side ie morons....
rsp,
Matt, I just know what I've observed over the years. I think that in a way you're right that they think "we're out of money." The D's, remember, goiing back to Walter Mondale, have been running against the deficit. I think the turning point for them was back in the '80's when Jesse Jackson was running economic populist campaigns and getting quite a bit of traction with the rank and file of the party. In 1988 Michael Dukakis chose to stiff Jesse Jackson and picked Lloyd Bentsen, a Texas banker for his V.P. The elite of the party have since then assiduously cultivated ties with the financial sector which seems to have an irrational fear and loathing of economic populism. They won't go near any candidate whom they fear might raise their taxes or risk inflation with "tax and spend" policies. Hoyer and his ilk may or may not be "true believers," but most certainly have extremely warm relations with the financial sector and would not only avoid any turn toward economic populism themselves but would go to great lengths to stamp it out before it gained traction within the D. party.
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