Liberals Are Useless: Anyone who says s/he cares about the working class should have walked in '94"

[Hannah Bell]

Liberals are a useless lot. They talk about peace and do nothing to challenge our permanent war economy. They claim to support the working class, and vote for candidates that glibly defend the North American Free Trade Agreement. They insist they believe in welfare, the right to organize, universal health care and a host of other socially progressive causes, and will not risk stepping out of the mainstream to fight for them. The only talent they seem to possess is the ability to write abject, cloying letters to Barack Obama—-as if he reads them—-asking the president to come back to his “true” self. This sterile moral posturing, which is not only useless but humiliating, has made America’s liberal class an object of public derision...

Anyone who says he or she cares about the working class in this country should have walked out on the Democratic Party in 1994 with the passage of NAFTA. And it has only been downhill since. If welfare reform, the 1999 Financial Services Modernization Act, which gutted the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act—designed to prevent the kind of banking crisis we are now undergoing—and the craven decision by the Democratic Congress to continue to fund and expand our imperial wars were not enough to make you revolt, how about the refusal to restore habeas corpus, end torture in our offshore penal colonies, abolish George W. Bush’s secrecy laws or halt the warrantless wiretapping and monitoring of American citizens?

The imperial projects and the corporate state have not altered under Obama. The state kills as ruthlessly and indiscriminately in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan as it did under Bush. It steals from the U.S. treasury as rapaciously to enrich the corporate elite. It, too, bows before the conservative Israel lobby, refuses to enact serious environmental or health care reform, regulate Wall Street, end our relationship with private mercenary contractors or stop handing obscene sums of money, some $1 trillion a year, to the military and arms industry. At what point do we stop being a doormat? At what point do we fight back? We may lose if we step outside the mainstream, but at least we will salvage our self-esteem and integrity.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/07

[elleng]

1. It MAY be that democracy is useless.

I may just give up, quit giving attention to all this.

[Mojorabbit]

3. I had to take a break from it

I am just too tired right now.

[Selatius]

5. Democracy isn't useless. It's just never been tried.

In a democracy, people hold leaders accountable whenever they screw up. People go to jail. There are trials. New people get elected, and old leaders who are part of the problem are voted out, and they are done so by a population armed with a free press and the will to stand up to thugs who claim the mantle of authority.

We are not that country. Maybe we never were. There were a few times that we really did shine, but those days are in the past.

[TBF]

17. Shining lights few and far between ...

that is how I see it as well. Agreed on the concept of democracy, but I don't see how it can ever work with the monster that is capitalism.

[Bucky]

2. Two words

unless "boo-hoo" counts as only one.

It's possible to be a liberal and still believe in free trade. It's possible to be a liberal and not line up with you (or the article's author) on every single issue.

[pampango]

9. If you are "liberal and still believe in free trade", you must be European. jk

The EU is a free trade, open immigration zone of 27 countries. And the EU has "free-trade" agreements (always a misnomer, since all FTA's have restrictions and plenty of fine print) with more non-European countries (including Mexico and South Korea) than the US and is negotiating them with others like Canada and India.

To be liberal and believe in trade is easy in Europe; not so easy here. Many American liberals blame trade for our many problems. Liberal Europeans use trade to spread peace and prosperity, BUT they have the advantage of living in progressive societies with progressive taxation, effective social safety nets, effective national health care/insurance, and strong unions.

[quaker bill]

12. Correct

"free trade" can work in countries with progressive social safety nets and open immigration laws. In short when the jobs move across "borders" (as open immigration renders the concept of "border" almost meaningless) people can follow the employment. Over time open immigration renders the scam aspects of "outsourcing" considerably more harmless.

Here, we attempt to wall off immigrants, which keeps the low wage market to our south jam-packed with unemployed low skilled and cheap labor. If people are allowed to move freely to higher wage markets, then the low wage markets will experience a tight labor supply and wages will have to increase.

The problem is the disparity, loose borders for business, tight borders for people. This policy fosters exploitation and is not accidental.

[Romulox]

24. What third world autocracies does the EU have free trade agreements with?

I'll take my answer off the air.

[JVS]

30. This might not qualify as 3rd world autocracies, but they've pretty much made the former Warsaw...

Pact countries into their version of Mexico.

[pampango]

32. One difference is that citizens of former Warsaw Pact countries are free to immigrate to other

EU countries. Joining the EU means free trade with the other members, but it also means open borders. Poles are free to move about and work anywhere in the EU, as well as sell their goods anywhere. Mexicans can sell their goods here, but are not free to live and work here.

[pampango]

31. Mexico, Turkey, Chile and South Korea come to mind, but I'll let you decide which qualifies as a

"third world autocrac(y)". Actually, the EU only has FTA's with relatively poor countries, not with rich "first world democracies" (or whatever is the opposite of your "third world autocracies").

Of course, each member country in the EU automatically has a "free trade agreement" with the 26 other member countries, some of which rich and some poor.

In addition, the EU is negotiating FTA's with Canada, India, Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and, now, Venezuela), and Euromed (Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia). The agreement with South Korea just went into effect in 2009.

[Romulox]

42. No dictionary in the CoC library? Re: "autocracy". nt

[Fading Captain]

15. LOL. Yeah. A social liberal. Who wants his money for his latte. And fuck the working man.

I know the Subaru-driving liberal pretty fucking well.
They're lowlife, selfish fucks. And they live all over Ann Arbor.

They don't give a shit about the working class.

[Bucky]

40. Why are you calling me a "lowlife selfish fuck". You don't even know me or my situation.

I'll have you know I only drink Soy milk Chai teas when I go to Starbucks for my fair trade biscottis. I'm no stereotype! See, you've stressed me out, you cad. I've go to go meditate to my Yanni albums so I won't be jumpy when I IM my 401k manager tonight.

[anonymous171]

21. A classical liberal maybe. nt

[Romulox]

25. "boo-hoo" to a millions of jobs lost, and then pat yourself on the back about how "liberal" you are?

Who are you trying to convince here? :silly:

[cornermouse]

4. That would be my definition of a DLC'er or DINO.

"They claim to support the working class, and vote for candidates that glibly defend the North American Free Trade Agreement. They insist they believe in welfare, the right to organize, universal health care and a host of other socially progressive causes, and will not risk stepping out of the mainstream to fight for them."

My definition of someone who is more interested in Obama, the celebrity?:
"The only talent they seem to possess is the ability to write abject, cloying letters to Barack Obama—-as if he reads them—-asking the president to come back to his “true” self."

[Lyric]

6. Sorry, I was a young teen in 1994.

I didn't even know what "liberal" meant yet.

[cali]

7. Hedges went off the deep end some time ago. Sad.

His hysteria, bitterness, hate and lousy writing (how does a good writer slip into this type of polemic writing?) make him pretty useless.

[opihimoimoi]

8. If anyone one is Useless...its them Conservative GOPiacs

[TexasObserver]

10. You're reduced to quoting Chris Hedges?

If he wrote it, it's probably drunken ramblings.

[Romulox]

26. I think you're thinking of Hitchens. nt

[gleaner]

11. In reply .....

where were we supposed to walk to? What do we have left to lose? Nothing. It has all been taken away from us by our second party faithful (Republicans) and their Democratic sycophants. I'm sure a number of us have demonstrated and taken the physical risks that go with that, written to people in power who hold us in even more contempt than the writer of your article. We have volunteered and acted in civil disobedience both as individuals and in groups and look what it got us. Some change but more loss. We are all here together in this place trying to do what we can do as individuals to make it better, while others spit on our efforts and hold us in contempt. I don't accept it.

So what has the writer of the post done lately other than spit venom? Can one person make a treaty, change a law, find wonderful leaders all by themselves or in small groups? No. It doesn't work that way. It never did. I'm glad I got a chance to be young in a time when it was still possible to be idealistic because I wouldn't make it now. And if we buy into this type of rhetoric about our general worthlessness, none of us will make it anyway. We need each other with all our diversity, but we don't need this. This is crap. We are better than this and we deserve better than to be characterized like this.

I have a message for Hedges. Bite me.

[RevolutionToday]

13. Liberals don't like hearing the truth

Sorry to burst bubbles of the people who think they are fighting the good fight and rationally motivated compared to the repukes, but facts are facts. Results matter. Obama is the man he claimed to be no matter what liberals pretended him to be in order to stomach voting for him. The mafia still runs the same even when the boss is a nicer guy who more eloquently justifies the crimes he commits. Maybe liberal ideology similarly isn't so rational, but based on maintaining the current power structure for people who want social protections? Maybe people who go to the ivy league don't know shit compared to those struggling to survive? The writer may have become embittered after years of covering brutal warfare at the behest of imperialist interests but who wouldn't? The Democratic Party is a big tent for the wealthy which is why they can't possibly represent workers without cognitive dissonance setting in. We need a worker's party for these very rational reasons. All you self-proclaimed pragmatists can keep going on about how you martyr yourselves and bleed your hearts to death but real people are dying everyday thanks to this political system you so voraciously defend.

[blindpig]

14. Great post.

This message will not go down well with many but it is dead on. It has always been like this but as the crisis of capitalism accelerates the velvet glove comes off. What has always been obvious to the poor is creeping into the consciousness of even this benighted place.

[anonymous171]

22. "Results matter."

:thumbsup:

[leftstreet]

33. Welcome to DU!

Excellent post

:thumbsup:

[zbdent]

16. and yet, with such glowing words, McCain was the GOP candidate?

in 2008, along with a "viable" one in 2000?

McSame's remarks in 1993, praising NAFTA ... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3188232

[BzaDem]

18. Have you ever considered that much of what you want is never going to happen?

If you haven't been satisfied with any president since LBJ or FDR, have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe, you aren't going to be satisfied with any president now or in the future that could ever get elected, and that you may want to rethink your expectations?

[TBF]

19. Typical liberal response - blame the victim. n/t

[BzaDem]

27. Your non-response is telling. n/t

[TBF]

28. Actually it is your denial that is telling. n/t

[dionysus]

34. so you must be what, a communist of some sort if you think liberals are so bad?

[TBF]

36. It must be those damned communists again. Better get Palmer.

You might be surprised to find that average Americans are fed up. Maybe another few choruses of "yes we can" will do the trick.

[walldude]

29. Right because politicians are assholes I should rethink

my expectations? Ok, good idea. Let's see, well we can start with the gays. Fuck you guys, politicians won't help you so I give up. . Homeless children, well fuck them no politician will help them so lets just ignore them. People without health care.. yeah fuck them too. Hows that, I've lowered my expectations. NOW I'm happy.

Ever think that maybe instead of asking me to lower my expectations you ought to fucking raise yours?

[anonymous171]

20. Ouch.

:kick:

[dysfunctional press]

23. some people seem to think that a president with a 'D' after their name can do no wrong...

i have NEVER been able to understand why so many people think that clinton was a GREAT democrat- when he was actually a MUCH BETTER repug.

[kctim]

35. While a few others

seem to think that a President with a 'D' after the name must do everything exactly as they wish.

I can not understand why so many people thought Obama was a GREAT liberal - when he actually ran as a moderate in order to get elected.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

37. This kind of shit is how they sold the Contract with America.

The Clinton administration started off with an unemployment at 7.2% and ended at 4.0%. They created something like 20 million jobs, which is the greated job creation of any administration ever.

And we're supposed to leave the Democratic party? Jesus fucking Christ.

[Johonny]

38. once again great post :)

[Romulox]

41. Clinton's economy was a bubble that had burst before he even left office.

He gave us, NAFTA, "free trade" with China, welfare "reform" and bank deregulation that continue to haunt us to this day. :hi:

[DailyGrind51]

39. "We" stopped being passionate enough to take risks.

Back in the '60s, we really believed that our lives were on the line, what with the draft, Vietnam and all. We also had the inspiration from the Civil Rights movement, watching unbelievably brave Freedom Riders get beaten, and, in a few instances, murdered, for registering African-American voters in the south. Sometimes I wonder, if it wasn't for Cindy Sheehan, would we even have an "anti-war" movement today?