In November of ’08 I’ll be voting Democratic. It won’t much matter to me who the Democratic presidential candidate is. The most I hope for is that he or she will put the brakes on neocon dismantling of civil liberty protections, the aggressive favoring of the rich over the poor, and the favoring of corporations over other economic stake holders.
Even with a Democratic presidency and Democratic control of Congress I doubt we’ll see a reversal of Republican tax cuts, universal single-payer health care, or a withdrawal from Iraq. At best I expect a series of slightly more liberal judicial appointments and a less fundamentalist approach to a spectrum of women’s issues.
Although greatly weakened, the American labor union movement is the last organization, or group of organizations, still actively committed to economic democracy, the defense of the poor and, generally speaking, the progressive social ideals that were once the heart and soul of the Democratic party. There are no “Blue Dogs” in the union movement.
Therefore, rather than volunteering for, or giving money to, the Democrats I’m going to look for ways to support the growth and influence of my local unions. Collectively they are the best alternative to a progressive 3rd party.
Let’s hear from Union folks out there…how can those of us who are not union members best help?
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