Rolling Stone magazine: "Why did the Democrats lose [in the 2004 elections]?"
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: "The Democratic Party has not told a good story. What we have are a series of policy prescriptions to solve particular issues. But we don't have a narrative. And the Republicans do."
Progressive-minded folks from coast to coast have been scratching their heads since Nov. 2 attempting to answer the same question that was asked of Obama. For Democrats still left pondering the past and worrying about the future, I have one suggestion, and that is to read Thomas Frank's "What's the Matter with Kansas." Frank skillfully captures the essence of what he calls the great conservative "backlash." The backlash is essentially a conservative political movement that works brilliantly because backlashers see themselves as being constantly under attack by a shadowy liberal elite that controls society. University professors, celebrities, Washington insiders, intellectuals...you name it, they are all out to persecute the wholesome Christian values and force the liberal media onto the American people. Because they are constantly under attack, there is, therefore, a perpetual need for activism and effort on the part of traditional Americans to rage against this machine of "liberal treachery." Such a premise is ingenious in its efficiency because it allows the backlash to be self-sustaining and ever growing. Provide people with a semi-vague but constant enemy and they will fight constantly for their cause.
These backlashers bypass all economic arguments when discussions of class in America come into play. To them, class is not about your occupation, your income or your social status. Instead, they have established authenticity as the currency of exchange when determining class. Despite being a Connecticut-born, double Ivy League-educated, prosperous oil tycoon and son of a Washington insider, President Bush apparently lives on the same level of most blue collar Americans because he drives a white pickup truck, prays often, is devout in his faith, wears a cowboy hat and boots, and speaks with an unassuming twang. To them, claims Frank, class is about what you drive, what you wear, how often you pray and how many NASCAR drivers you can name.
This idea of class disregards the economic basis of what class really means and classifications used in the past and replaces it with the idea of this working class struggle against the shadowy elite. Because, as Frank states, "Liberal bias exists because it must exist in order for the rest of contemporary conservatism to be true." To be fair, the Democrats have been somewhat helpful when it comes to furthering the backlash cause. The Democratic Leadership Council and most Clintonian Democrats have urged that the party should steer away from what it calls "class warfare." Clinton's "Third Way" and his policy of triangulation sought to water down the economic differences between the parties, despite their stark opposition, in order to get legislation passed in a divided government. Meanwhile, corporate deregulation, accounting scandals and regressive taxation policies are on the rebound. Every day, Americans are losing their pensions, struggling to pay for health care and education, and losing their jobs (or falling into a lower-wage job) while crooked executives get a slap on the wrist and our mega rich keep getting richer. With the Democratic Party's new centrist economic policy, these Americans are essentially without representation and are therefore without refuge.
So "backlash" politicians (principally Republican) continue to rally voters on wedge issues that have little effect on day-to-day American life and will see no resolution, in terms of cultural and/or political harmony, in the near future. God, gays and guns - issues that sorely divide Americans are those that backlash politicians exploit to gain and maintain office. The sad story is that they fail miserably, every time, to make progress on these issues of cultural degradation. Even Ronald Reagan, the foremost conservative and patriarch of the backlash, was unable to win his wars against abortion, drugs and obscenity in the media. Where such politicians do make progress is on the economic front. They cut taxes zealously, roll back social services blindly and subsidize corporations, not workers, affectionately. All while ignoring such regressive economic policy in their rhetoric and trumpeting a perceived and perpetual culture war between the shadowy elite and everyday Americans.
The Democratic Party's narrative should revolve around a 21st-century conceptualization of rights and reform. Let us embrace new definitions of human and civil rights and national reform. Our story should be about the human right to be provided with affordable health care, an equal and quality education to compete in our dynamic economy, and a job when you seek one, because our nation is a generous and compassionate one. Our narrative is about the human and civil right to tolerance and equal treatment before the law, regardless of your race or sexual orientation, because we are a just and progressive country. Our tale is one of unanimity with Americans who are sick of our current systems and their results and are looking for reforms that their current leaders just are not offering. If we have national elections, why not a national system to hold those elections and ensure that all votes are counted? We have national education standards, but why not a national education system to guarantee that the quality of a child's education is not determined by his or her zip code?
The Democratic platform can no longer be "the opposite of what the Republicans say." We have seen what happens when we don't weave a compelling narrative in which Americans can believe. The backlashers set the terms of debate and we lose. We have our issues, our solutions, our beliefs. It is time we told our story.
