3-28-06, 1:oo pm
We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. [standing ovation] But Coretta knew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor. – Rev. Joseph Lowery at Coretta Scott King’s funeral.
A war-weary public is feeling the heat. In generic polls asking voter preference for elections to Congress, Democrats consistently outpoll Republicans, and now show support over 50 percent.
The combination of 2,348 US deaths in Iraq – plus many times more Iraqi deaths – in a war launched on a lie, corruption trials, wiretapping scandal, abandoned Katrina families, is leading to more and more anger and disillusionment.
As the light of day exposes their ugly corruption and decay, the Bush far-right cabal is moving even more strenuously and quietly to establish the structures that can be used to carry on their corporate agenda no matter who wins the election. Stacked courts, privatized entitlements, dismantled public education, intrusions on civil liberties and criminalization of immigrants are all part of this plan.
At hearings of the National Security Subcommittee in February, ranking minority member Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) insisted a closed hearing be convened to receive testimony, now being suppressed, from NSA whistle-blowers about secret domestic surveillance.
These conditions present a grave danger to democracy, a grave danger to the future of working people, and a grave danger to the future of the planet. The constitutional crisis created by the lawless “imperial presidency” is so extreme that some centrist Democrats and a few moderate Republicans have felt compelled to speak out in the name of democratic rights. At a bipartisan gathering on Martin Luther King’s birthday, former Vice President Al Gore issued a ringing call to defend our Constitution, saying:
We have a duty as Americans to defend our citizens’ right not only to life but also to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is therefore vital in our current circumstances that immediate steps be taken to safeguard our Constitution against the present danger posed by the intrusive overreaching on the part of the executive branch and the President’s apparent belief that he need not live under the rule of law.
Pressure from constituents in opposition to the appointment of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, and opposition to budget cuts have forced Republican members of Congress facing challenges to maneuver distance between themselves and Bush. However, even much of this is contrived. The day after the budget passed by two votes, House majority whip, Roy Blunt told Congress Daily, “we were able to let the [11] members vote ‘no’ that needed to vote no.”
The far right is raising gigantic sums for their campaign war chest, despite the indictment of Tom DeLay (R-TX) and his ties to the Jack Abramoff money trail. They are cynically riding on fear of terrorism and racist anti-immigrant attacks while looking toward the religious right to carry them through the finish line once again. Deputy White House chief of staff and campaign strategist Karl Rove gave the battle cry to prevent a Democratic majority in Congress at the Republican National Committee saying, “At the core, we are dealing with two parties that have fundamentally different views on national security. Republicans have a post-9/11 worldview and many Democrats have a pre-9/11 worldview.”
In the Capitol Beltway the significance of a Democrat majority in the House is well understood. With Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, censure and impeachment bills would come off the shelf and onto the floor to be acted upon. HR 676, US National Health Insurance Act, would be on the calendar for debate. The Employee Free Choice Act would be high on the agenda for vote, enabling millions of workers to win union representation and increase their income, benefits and respect on the job. Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act with strengthened enforcement would be up for immediate action.
Majority Issues
Point for point, the right-wing corporate Bush agenda is being rejected by a majority of voters who oppose specific policies that perpetuate poverty, the war, lack of health care and social security/Medicare privatization. According to the latest Pew Research Center Poll, the public believes the Democrats could do a better job by huge margins on the environment (+32) and health care (+22), and significantly better on energy (+13), taxes (+11), education (+11) and the economy (+10). These issue majorities hold the key to break the Republican grip on the House and the Senate, if they take priority over the only Republican issue advantage, which is terrorism (-16).
A shocked public expressed its priorities after witnessing on television the raw racism and inhumanity in New Orleans as African American families who lacked the means to leave before Hurricane Katrina were left stranded for days, and still remain displaced. For the first time, eradication of poverty was ranked the most important issue to a majority of Americans, even more important than the issue of terrorism. African Americans (77 percent), Hispanics (69 percent), Asians (60 percent) and non-Hispanic whites (46 percent) who were polled said “the government should finance the reconstruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and hurricane relief efforts by ‘getting our troops out of Iraq as soon as possible.’” (Bendixen and Associates, October 2005).
Instead, the president and Republican-controlled Congress arrogantly pushed through a budget that cut the very social service programs needed in the name of financing Katrina relief while continuing to spiral the national debt out of control for military operations. This issue will figure large in elections, as grass roots support demand grows to enact the Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act, HR 4197.
By mid-February, a national Gallup poll on attitudes to Bush performance showed 58 percent disapproval of the Iraq war, 56 percent disapproval of the economy, 53 percent disapproval of handling of Katrina, and 44 percent disapproval of handling terrorism. Overall, only 39 percent said they approved of the president’s performance.
All-People’s Upsurge
Despite public opinion on the issues, bourgeois political analysts, looking at the election on a district by district basis, say the chance is slim for Democrats to win a majority in Congress. However, they also admit that if there is a voter upsurge, Republicans could lose control of both the House and Senate.
Within the Democratic Party and within labor and people’s organizations election strategy is under debate. What will give rise to such an upsurge? What will galvanize a massive, national vote in rejection of Republican control of Congress and give way to a lasting movement?
In the 2004 elections, union households accounted for one of four voters, totaling 27 million union household voters. Union households provided a 5.8 million vote advantage for the Democratic candidate for president. African American voters were nearly unanimous for Democrats. Latino, women and young voters also turned out in disproportionately high numbers for Democratic candidates. Strategically, the emphasis in the 2006 election must be on activating, mobilizing and turning out these key elements of the all-people’s front. They have the capacity to deliver the votes.
Playing to the Bush agenda or moving to the right will not mobilize these key voters. Great impatience has been expressed at the rank-and-file level that the Democratic Party is not fighting the Bush agenda harder.
That is the lesson from California, where voters trounced Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s antiworker and anti-social services ballot initiatives in November. Unprecedented multiracial organizing in neighborhood union centers on a program of workers’ rights and no cuts won an election that was considered impossible to achieve. Progressive candidates in other states have won similar victories in the past months.
Especially regarding health care, voters are looking for fundamental change. Anger at skyrocketing insurance and pharmaceutical profits at the expense of 46 million with no health coverage has reached new levels. In a February CBS/New York Times survey, 62 percent said it is the responsibility of the federal government to “guarantee health care for all.”
A report by Americans for Health Care and the Center for American Progress found 86 percent support for “reforming our current health care system to provide affordable health care for all Americans. At least 80 percent of those in virtually every demographic group and every region of the country, even 76 percent of Republicans agree.” The report sends a powerful message that candidates for Congress take a stand for universal health care.
HR 676, US National Health Insurance Act, introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) now has 68 co-sponsors. This growing movement must be organized to deliver an upsurge of health care voters to change the balance of forces in Congress.
Iraq
While voters are increasingly opposed to the war and occupation of Iraq, Congressional Democrats are not united in opposition. Some Democratic incumbents who are not supporting initiatives for withdrawal have been targeted for primaries by peace candidates.
In the Senate, these include Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), who continues to back Bush’s “stay the course” approach, and is being challenged by Ned Lamont. Gold Star peace mom Cindy Sheehan considered a primary against Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), but decided she would be more effective mobilizing the antiwar message around the country.
Democratic peace candidates in the general election have targeted House Republicans who support the war. In Connecticut’s 4th Congressional district, one of the top 10 competitive races in the country, Diane Farrell’s (D) challenge to Rep. Chris Shays (R) is focused on his support for the war and the Bush program. “Chris has stood with Bush from day one on Iraq, and he’s Bush’s biggest supporter in the House on the war,” she says. “There has to be a price for that.”
Ending Republican control of Congress is decisive toward ending the Iraq war and first strike military policy. It will take a pickup of 15 seats in the House to achieve a Democratic majority, and six seats in the Senate. This is the strategic framework in which all races should be viewed, pre- and post-primary. The focus must be kept on breaking the Republican grip in November.
The massive April 29 peace march in New York being organized by the National Organization for Women, Rainbow-PUSH Coalition, Friends of the Earth, US Labor Against the War, Peoples’ Hurricane Relief Fund, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition and United for Peace and Justice will reverberate into the electoral arena, and hopefully contribute toward building an upsurge of peace voters to change Congress.
Immigrant Rights
Karl Rove’s broad stroke Republican strategy to focus on terrorism in the 2006 elections covers everything from support for the war on Iraq to reauthorization of the Patriot Act to justification for domestic surveillance to hysteria about undocumented immigration crossing the southern border and billion dollar contracts to Halliburton for a miles-long wall separating the US and Mexico.
This atmosphere was key to the passage in December of HR 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. Ten House Democrats facing serious challenges were advised to vote in favor, despite the undemocratic and inhumane measures. The bill makes it a felony offense to be in this country without papers, and a criminal offense for anyone who has contact with someone without papers at work, school, church or in any context. Every Democrat on the Immigration subcommittee voted against the bill, led by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), who would be chair if Democrats claim a majority of seats in Congress.
The debate moves to the Senate, where guest worker programs may be added to the mix, creating a permanent cheap labor pool for industry with separate and unequal conditions for immigrant workers kept apart from their families and dependent on their employer to stay in this country. It has sparked a new movement by immigrants for democratic rights in cities across the nation around the demands of legalization and a clear path to citizenship, family reunification, workers’ rights and civic participation.
An attempt to pit overwhelmingly Democratic African American and Latino voters against each other for jobs and social services underscores the racism of the Republican strategy. Speaking at an immigrant rights rally in Waterbury, Connecticut, Labor Council Vice President Kit Salazar-Smith issued a clear call for unity. “There are no jobs. If we continue to fight against each other, we will all go down.”
The Bush administration appeal to Black churches in 2004, dishonestly utilizing abortion and gay rights as a wedge issue to create a diversion from the war and economic policies that hurt the African American and Latino communities especially hard, has not been forgotten. African American leaders locally are beginning to raise their voices for immigrant rights, along with labor and others, creating the basis for broad unity that can defeat punitive legislation and contribute toward an upsurge for democratic rights, human rights and worker rights that can change Congress in November.
Delivering the Upsurge
The Republican strategy of undermining the strength of their greatest opposition by peeling off whatever support they can has had some limited success. To repel this divisive attack, union members, African American, Latino, women and youth voters need the highest level of unity and coordination in order to deliver the upsurge that can change Congress.
The fight against corruption, lies and take backs being waged within Congress by the Progressive Caucus, Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus and Out of Iraq Caucus opens the door for grassroots organizing on the issues between now and November. Governor and state legislature campaigns provide the opportunity to connect the devastating impact of federal priorities on health care, education, housing and other basic services with the need to change Congress.
In 1996 the AFL-CIO launched an electoral apparatus and strategy independent of the Democratic Party. By 2004, the methodology of workers speaking to workers on the job and also at home produced a substantial percentage of Democratic votes. The biggest weakness was not enough union members, which argued for a combined approach to organizing and politics.
The role of labor is crucial in 2006. With several federations instead of one, collaboration and coordination of strategy and tactics depends heavily on the local level.
Within the Democratic Party ideological struggles in 2004 resulted in several new organizations joining the field to train and mobilize support for progressive candidates. This push continues, as the demand for a strong stand against Bush administration policies gains support. This push becomes even more important as independent voters who supported Republicans in the past are now looking toward the Democrats for relief. According to the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, 51 percent of independents plan to vote Democratic as opposed to 42 percent at this time in 2002. (2/1 – 5/06)
Progressive Democrats of America, which emerged from the Kucinich for president campaign, has evolved into a national organization with several members of Congress on its board alongside grassroots activists. In addition to candidate endorsements, they have initiated an “Impeach Bush and Cheney” campaign supporting legislation introduced by Rep. John Conyers to censure the president and vice president, and create a fact-finding committee that could be a first step toward impeachment.
Democracy for America emerged from the Dean for President campaign. Their 2006 “Plan to Take Our Country Back,” projects endorsement of 100 candidates who agree with their program for jobs, health care for all, tax reform, public education and a plan for withdrawal from Iraq.
In February, MoveOn.org broke the mold and decided to take on primary races where a clear progressive could win. Their first effort was to help Ciro Rodriguez win back his seat from Henry Cuellar in San Antonio, Texas in the March 7th primary. Cuellar, a Democratic Bush supporter, won narrowly in 2004 when Tom DeLay’s redistricting eliminated five House Democratic seats.
At the state and local level independent electoral forms like Working Families Party, third parties like Peace and Freedom and Greens, and issue referenda like those in Wisconsin to withdraw from Iraq can all have an impact on creating the upsurge that can change Congress, if they approach their campaigns strategically.
In the second term of George W. Bush, the necessity for an all-people’s front strategy to defeat the extreme right-wing is very clear. With the Supreme Court stacked and the White House in Republican control, the stakes for the House and Senate are higher than ever.
As a nation we no longer can tolerate “for war billions more but no more for the poor.” We can no longer tolerate racism and anti-immigrant bigotry. We can no longer tolerate violations of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It is time to take a stand. That is what an upsurge to change Congress is all about.
--Joelle Fishman chairs the Political Action Commission of th ecommunist Party USA. Send your letters to the editor to
