Democratic Socialism Isn’t Going Anywhere. It's the Future and the Past.
My Opinion (*updated*Final Draft)
Democratic Socialism Isn’t Going Anywhere. It’s the Future and the Past of the Democratic Party. The people want something Bold. From FDR to AOC and now Bernie Sanders is in the Lead in NH. But this ideology in recent times not just championed by him, but also Elizabeth Warren who is currently in third, and that not a bad thing but speaks volumes on the current narrative norm people want and the kind of action they expect in these trying times from politicians. Both sides of the political American experience are pulling the center, and widening the gap of for centralist, and redefining the term to be closer to each party's ideology.. I believe the Elizabeth Warren style progressive policies will be the new left of center in this new century.
The current political climate I would summarize in two words, “Popcorn Politics”. Actions like this have not been seen since the fierce campaigning since the time the radio was invented. The birth of the internet has created platforms like social media, which allow a greater voice and, narrative for the individual. Like minds attract other like-minded people and tribalism and echo chambers have formed. They want to feel safe and sane in their own principles and ethics. At the end of the day though it emboldens ego and people don't want safe. They don't want the safe choice anymore in the party. Safe is boring. It not an instant or dramatic change for the better its the same old, same old and the majority of the population between x-z live in an instant world. With more instant knowledge, we want more instant action and answers that lead to more questions. They want something deeper, something bolder. If you say an extremist cant win I say you do not know America. Sex, excess, hard music, hard alcohol, and extremes sports sell; why not extreme politics? Rarely is it argued the only way to counter one extreme is with another of equal weight in order to find or create a middle. I say extremes will be the case for the 21st century for politics. Why extremes in the Democratic party? well, maybe it is to make up for the lack of action on all the social movements of the past 20–60+ years. From the Anti-War movements, civil rights, and women’s rights. to recently Occupy Wall St, to Black Lives Matter, Antifa, #Metoo. They are the Disenfranchised screaming about the issues, and what has truly been done? The status quo has not worked those are disenfranchised and forgotten.
Let’s Have a maybe moment. Maybe its because two of the longest wars in American history; the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan were voted by centralists, who forgot the errors of Vietnam or were enticed by the military-industrial complex and forgoed evidence, facts, and diplomacy. Maybe it was the fact that some centralists worked with Segregationists during the 60–70s to find solutions, instead of protesting and standing with people of color. Maybe it was because centralists voted for a bailout for corporations during the recession instead of helping those facing bankruptcy and foreclosure. Maybe it’s because Democratic Centralists did not do more for abortion rights aka equal body autonomy, settled with a hyde amendment and now there is a 5 to 4 Supreme Court Conservative majority that could overturn. Maybe it was the 90s crime bill that put a generation of non-white people behind bars for petty drug crimes voted by centralist, along with stop and frisk programs enacted by Centrists. Maybe it was the fact that 20 years ago the majority of Centralists were against Equal Marriage or LBGTQ+ rights. Maybe its the fact that the whole generation is burdened with college debt which costs compared to the cost of what it was 40 yrs ago has increased to almost debt slavery for X-Z Generation. Maybe is hows Rent is out of control, and people want rent control to better regulate the market from scumlords. It could be few of these things or all these things. Either way, the status quo has not worked those that disenfranchised and forgotten.
Some say its a time of generational change and ideals within both party’s; that it is a passing of the torch with the Democratic party, as bold and equal to its rival. Others say its return to the roots, to something similar to FDR progressives. People are upset because they believe Bernie is not centralists enough but perhaps that is a good thing or is that narrative of a broken system that is being force-fed through teleprompter journalism. Some divisive people within the democratic party still blame Bernie for an Electoral College loss, despite him being on the campaign trail for Nominee. There is still part of the democratic party still mad Hillary lost the electoral college but won the popular vote with Bernie’s help and other Democratic candidate help, despite the lawsuits against the DNC, and Obama asking the Chair at the time to step down aka Debbie Washington Schultz after accusations of favoritism, and the DNC leaked emails do not help. The emails shed light on the backroom antics of the “fair and honest” DNC. Either way, that issue is resolved Hillary is not running, and you are not in the game, who are you to criticize others playing it, you’re not playing.
the idea of America and other modern democratic societies have been about balancing two ideologies; Individualism and Collectivism. Both have qualities to admire and despise. The trends of both though, have weighted differently in popularity and value; at different times throughout the history of this nation, and many others. But a balance must be found for sake of security of collective individualism and collectivism.
We have a subtle system designed to divide and conquer. A system designed to manipulate and extort time and money, to the point of exhaustion by creating an environment of the overworked individuals through isolationism, at work, school, home breaking the collective down to the family to better control. For when there is no other influence, the individual few can control their narrative, because it is easier to control the individual when they are not part of a collective. We live in a world where personal ego/vanity/opinion matters more than collective fact (scientific/other), things matter more than collective or the individual it is done purposely to damage the collective as much as the individual for greater control of narrative created by the individual few to distract from their own collective pursuit of truth and happiness. In the end, the collective is as strong as the rights of the individual. only as a collective can truly change progress happen in the face of the tyranny of traditional systemic division, where the few control/represents the many through division. the quality of work is not equal to the quality of life or quality of life is not equal to the quality work, it damages the idea of a free nation.
“The law will never make men free; it is men who have got to make the law free. “ ~HENRY DAVID THOREAU
I open my thoughts with that quote because it is one that should echo forever in every land that believes in liberty. As I share my many thoughts in order for others to understand my perspective I do not wish to convince or sway but provide the many thoughts of this one being, me.
by definition in the Merriam Webster dictionary liberty. 1 : the quality or state of being free:a : the power to do as one pleases b : freedom from physical restraint c : freedom from arbitrary or despotic (see despot 2) control d : the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges : the power of choice.
I say and paste this so all and others will understand the word, a word that is part of a declaration provided by our founders. The rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those in Political Power, whether they are a Judge or Politician, He or She sits in judgment and sentences and or judge others, they sentences there own consciousness eternally aside and must consistently be in a consistent judgment of oneself; words and action equally for America is made up many faiths, ideas, and dreams. They must take and weigh not just there own perspectives into account and weight but all perspectives unbridled and unswayed by there own.
There in total 322,762,018 Americans roughly within our borders of this great nation at this point in history. Some illegal most legal but i believe all long for the liberty of all if not-self, and if not for self then why not for all, why denies what you the individual pursues or loves. All that long for liberty and freedom illegal or legal are equally American in sentiment, heart, and spirit, so who can truly deny them passage to the land of liberty that is at the heart of the matter. For it would be to deny one’s true belief of liberty in which one and others have stood for and died for. To deny one or a group choice is to deny liberty and freedom. To be a true American patriot is to be a patriot of liberty and its freedom of choice. For In a truly free nation each individual has the right to liberty whether it your body( abortion, medication, etc), your heart(gay, straight, trans, etc) or your spirit(religion, belief or opinion) it is your own, it’s your choice, your liberty and it should be respected, and equally tolerated, and because of that; it should not be imposed onto others by-laws rules or regulations but tolerated equally and respected. It is for the individual to decide, not the state or the nation to impose for that would be tyranny. It is for each individual to decides if they are a patriot for one either court's love of tyranny or love of liberty whichever is truer is up to the individual and what lyes within the heart, their words, and their actions.
But many could argue that one person’s liberty is other individuals' tyranny. In regards to Politics in many cases, politicians free themselves but shackle the people to man’s many constructs of control. In regards to Justice and Law, money has now, in essence, become freedom, the more money you have the freer you are to enjoy a better lawyer and more lawyers in most cases who have more sway based on there social, educational, and professional connections all intermingling and overlapping. by this, having the ability to achieve the end result desired of any case civil, criminal, state or federal. Money, None of which is based on principle or morality, constituents, or constitutional, or law and justice, let alone freedom or liberty, but one tied to a monopoly of moneys influence on the industry’s of laws of traditions and ability to manipulate the weight of perception and needs of the system of which amounts of money is justice and freedom. But one must ask themselves if and when the value of things out weights the value of people wither we have lost the values and principles of everything Furthermore on law, and education of law, one must consider the lack of education or absentee of knowledge of the laws, rules, and regulation in the education system to provide a better understanding of that knowledge and given to every free citizen that attempt to abide by justice and those that enforce it is done pre-meditatively to make more money by ransoming justice of the ignorant, and if that is the case does it only give further proof that this system designed purposely out of control where laws do no make more freedoms, liberty’s, or justice but more regulated control, tyranny, and ignorance creating two classes those that know and those that don’t, those that have, and those that have not, The rich, and the working poor. All leading to what I will call the great decay.
read more on workplace democracy — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_democracy
In regards to things, there are those that work in other nations, getting paid a slaves wage, slaving to provide, creating, building in sweat factory’s to the free open unaccountable market of consumer nations ignorant to origination of condition of the worker/providers and without consciousness of purchase for lack of patience, considering more the policy’s and warranties and speed over the morality, principle, and ethics. When does one stop to measure there impact of actions?.
In regards to Social networking and wikis has in most cases replaced education, social justice and the press, just as the press in some cases replaced religion and how digital has replaced paper. It’s a digital bible we read every morning and carried in our pockets, People cite more things that are digital then those things on paper as if either had any weight compared to that of a blank page. Social networking creators are the saints of the marketplace that is the digital church of ideas, facts, and opinions. In the beginning, it was pure bringing many together to mingle and share creating a marketplace of knowledge, culture, and ideas and news. But now i must say it has become a battlefield of feeds and streams, progress vs tradition and the merging argue of one or the other or both and none. It has become corrupt and more of a tool to measure the perception of those with ego, power or money to enforce perspective opinions as fact and traditional institutes. Now with the ability to buy likes with fake accounts, trolling by shaming people’s perspectives and ideas, perceptions with multiple accounts or followers. one must consider if the press does measure posts to see if their mainstream opinion has been eaten or not and measure the feedback to see if their perception has generated interest and there narrative/ perceptional opinionated generating revenue of shock politics with each click. It is sad that is is not the sharing of ideas of knowledge or opinions with any sort of professionalism or tact. It is basically a religion of opinionated perspective practiced religiously for the battle and measurement of perception, steeped in instant gratification of mostly garbage. At the core one of its values is one of vanity and ego with slight knowledge and facts like sprinkles on an ice cream sundae of heavily enshrined opinions, both imposing and providing, but at the end of it all free with a donation/sacrifice every month to internet/phone provider gods who themselves control the flow and spice of 1 and 0’s appealing to the liberty of knowledge of providing a “free’ space to the best and worst of humanity.
If Trump is reelected, and the Democrats lose, it will be the corporate tentacles that have paralyzed the same Establishment centralist democrats to vote for war, and Wall streets Bailouts. From media mogul billionaires to big pharma CEO, to tech giant who wants a technocracy, are upset, for their will, will not be done, but the will of the disfranchised. For that, centralist Democrats will cut their nose to spite their face and give Trump the election, Even though The modern idea for Democratic Socialism has been around since the Mid 20th Century With Presidents Like Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King. It is a classic pure progressive Ideology. Both Martin Luther King and Franklin Roosevelt, Have Talked and fought for Progressive change and security for the working class. Both have given many speeches on Income Inequality and have tried to make a more equal secure future. Most importantly they helped the disenfranchised. Here is FDR’s Second Bill of Rights, read it, for it is something that every democrat has faught for in part or as a whole for the past 70 yrs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bill_of_Rights). Now compare it to today’s Democratic Socialists Policy like the Green New deal. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal). After reading can you see how both are very similar and Almost complete the agenda the party has been fighting for since FDR. Here is a link to FDR speak on the second bill of rights something he tried to pass but died before achieving it. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZ5bx9AyI4)
A secure healthcare system that does not profit or bankrupt those most desperate but provides quality care, dignity and helps all. A secure future where 40+ hours a week equals a living wage matching labor to correct equal pay, and inflation giving deserved respect. Greater accountability, transparency, and regulation on the presidency, congress, the justice system, and corporations. A more secure tax code against big corporations from taking money overseas in tax havens or paying nothing. If democracy is good enough for the system is should be good enough for the workforce, no more golden parachutes, each worker should have an equal investment in its growth and economic future, no more trickle-down but trickle up. The exploitation of community-based economic and criminal justice punishments on race or religion has no place and those that commit these acts should be punished and held in the same way we would a hate crime. Greater citizen access to information and transparency of the criminal justice system. If equal opportunity is equal knowledge then we should have free and equal higher education for all. Expanding Medicare and Social Security, Going after companies who profit off the future of our children by pillaging the earth at the expense of the environments with no safety measures, thought to the surrounding community they effect, valuing profits over the lives of fellow Americans, they must be held accountable by a jury of their peers we must be caretakers now, ever watchful to preserve what we have left for all to enjoy. A secure home that does not poison a family that is safe. All these things they spoke about. to quote Robert Dahl “ ‘if democracy is justified in governing the state, it must also be justified in governing economic enterprises’”.The Democratic Socialist/Progressive dream is renewed by people like Bernie Sanders, AOC, Elizabeth Warren and many others. So is the good fight for all classic progressives.
In a true Individual society, the individual is in charge. Only the individual’s views are respected, everyone is for themselves, competitions breed progress for one and violence for many. But If the rights of the individual are not respected equally how can the rights of the collective be just and fair though? To quote the great Mr. Nemoy “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one”. There must be balance and one of logic.
In a true collective society their no individual in charge. Every nation has a collective truth to aspire to. Some call it Faith, belief, etc to the idea of the nation based on cultural/technological goals. How you can get collectivism without tyranny is to be able to tolerate, to have empathy, and respect for other perspectives, traditions, and differences even individualism. Collectivism focusing on the common universal truths that unite many, and those are ( we all want peace, we all want love, we all respect, we all want equality, we all want equal justice, we all want to help others, we all want to make a difference, we all want to leave this earth better then when we came in, we all want dignity and quality of work and of life, we all want a quality education for children that provides opportunity) these are the universal truths of a true fairing collective. as long as there is individualism there will be corrupt intent on the collective, and as long there is an individual representative of the collective and not the collective there will be a corrupt intent by the individual. In a true equal collective society(pay, job, health, education etc) there would be no need for representatives or leaders, for everyone’s voice would have equal weight and value. A free and open collective can be judged from the individual rights/health/education/choice/speech though.
It all begins by investing into the children of tomorrow by Expanding and creating more social programs will only grow with the growth of current technology and its impact on the workforce, Income Inequality platform and those that stand behind it will also grow with it. Automation plus capitalism will only lead to a darker employment future. Industry Experts have spoken at this to length saying that 25–40% of the workforce will be replaced by automation and AI within the next 5–15 yrs world wide. Here are three links to further my argument.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/25/these-workers-face-the-highest-risk-of-losing-their-jobs-to-automation.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2019/07/15/is-ai-going-to-be-a-jobs-killer-new-reports-about-the-future-of-work/#11f82f34afb2
https://fortune.com/2019/01/10/automation-replace-jobs/
Automation technologies will first replace repetitive tasks, will be whether it be AI(Majority of white-collar jobs, secretarial jobs, healthcare jobs, office base jobs, education jobs, etc), robotics(blue-collar jobs and manufacturing, warehouses, nanorobotics for healthcare purposes), 3d printing ( manufacturing jobs, electronics assembly, houses, tools, etc) every household will have one, self-driving ( trucking, taxi, delivery, all transportation jobs) every car/vehicle will be self-driving. Within 20 years 40% of the workforce will be gone thanks to automation, meaning wealth and inequality gap will be a major topic and Democratic Socialists have been bringing the topic to the for front form the very beginning it will only grow, the support of social programs because of theses issues equal knowledge is equal opportunity, an opportunity for the pursuit of happiness, in turn, if a person pursued a higher education into one of many diverse fields of study that they then could/would put higher effort into a job because it would be meaningful to them, creating worth…. so yea without equal knowledge there is no opportunity or chance of equal worth. Those that look at Education as a Status or a separation of economic class, and will only create more competition, those that “have” will not want this….and those that “have not” will. Martin Luther King Spoke of these inequalities and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgwtd4X_qFM.
Those in positions of Economic Power will accept this innovation because it doesn’t sleep, eat, get sick, take holidays off, it will cut costs and promote growth, meaning the rich will get richer. Those with enough capital to buy these machines, they will only grow faster small business and the worker will not be able to compete. Those at the top will not weigh the costs to society nor to their humanity. For they value things, and when the value of things outweighs the value of people you lose the value of everything. With up to 40% of the working population jobs becoming obsolete, major changes will be needed and the only way to counter it is with job creation from innovation and society or nation will yield more with reeducation(free technical and college education).
The Democratic Leadership, and those closer to the center would be a foolish to not champion the issue of income inequality, criminal justice reform, a living wage, climate change, tuition-free education, expanding social security and medicare, or pushing for Medicare for all. The country without a strong reeducation or higher learning system will suffer, which will take 10–20 years to retrain the older generation when this occurs. Those that suffer will promote the idea of conscious capitalism and Capitalist will take precedent but it won’t be as effective and truly will be for self-gain and will be only for publicity stunts for conscientious capitalism is as mythological as trickledown economics and unicorns.
I fear some of us will live to see the trauma and horror in our grandchildren’s eyes and the fear, anger, sadness’s that we can not imagine emotionally at all because of our collective inaction.
As time has gone on the more careless, regarding to the value of our labor, our morals, principles, dignity’ for all have been exploited, dehumanized, overworked to the point of exhaustion to not collectively paying attention or pursue truth, instead we are accepting half-truths which are full lies, and tolerating opinions are more important then facts by baby birded generational systems narrative of fear and control out greed/ego. Both are chains, a slow poison for them want to divide and conquer by feeding fear, ego, vanity, insecurity, for it is easier to control by consistently by masking all of this as normal and ok.
Why do I say that? well, right now we only value, insulated, and protect a system that values things. A system where the value of the things outweigh the value of life and the labors of the living(reinforced by collective belief/desperation or inaction) Right now we are on the edge of losing the value of everything. Right now the individuals greed(ego/fear) is worth more than the collective’s values and values; labor, or natural cycles of this one planet that sustain us, and our inaction has led to complacency, and complacency has led to tolerance of what is in my view a collective assisted suicide a reaction from ignorant inaction. society’s economic structure is based on the nativity of the instant; fear-mongering vanity and gluttony. But now we MUST be patient no longer in tolerating these behaviors or feeding it with inaction. Forgive me for I am tired, tired of collective systematic lie we believe, that another way is not possible. That we can not rise to meet the tides of change and progress together, overcome our differences.
Expansion and creation of new social programs like higher education and medicare for all will provide a safeguard for those weaker economic country’s in regards to restructuring its economy would speed up the cost and length of self-repair to its economic system. Social programs that provide food, healthcare, and education to allow it to rebuild the workforce. This is not counting for possible climate change effects creating massive migration(lack of habitable environments and the coastline pushing further because of the poles melting causing a lot of coastal species to die) human climate refugees and diseases(melting permafrost now 28 new viruses https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a30643717/viruses-found-melting-glacier/ along with diseases ticks, parasites, and mosquitoes breeding https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/vector-borne-disease-final_508.pdf)..along with All theses reason is why I do see The Democratic Socialist base growing at a rapid rate currently and in the future, and is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Read further on the origins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism )
I do not want to look any generation in the eye, and say I failed them, that we and the generations before were a disappointment for they lacked humanity of logic, love, and compassion,. Or that my parents failed them or my grandparents failed them and their sacrifices because we ignore the facts because we supported a system that valued things more than life. That we fed into our lesser nature’s should I say primitive nature of fear, greed, ego and the act of believing them or feeding them. That it was more important than reverence love, compassion knowledge, logic, and life. Do you?
This argument that has echoed throughout history and won’t end here. Time is a human concept, we are only fleeting thoughts, but this one has been constant, the individual vs the collective. I believe their mite be a third choice, one of balance. Life is not black and white, life is gray. Compromise can be found and should be pursued. actions and words should be of respect, tolerance, empathy, and logic. for the sake of a dream, called peace. In a world of words, actions are bombs when paired with universal truths and ideas. You are where you stand, alone, or together, you stand in an idea, in a dream, in a heart.