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Day after day, Democrats express indignation at yet another scandal emerging from Trump and his circle\u2014targeting immigrants, undermining judicial integrity, alienating Canada, blaming Ukraine for initiating conflict, infringing on university free speech, dismantling the EPA, dismissing forest service employees\u2014the list continues endlessly.<\/p>\n
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Yet, should this come as a shock? Was there ever any doubt that Trump would channel his fury and vindictiveness into action, adhering to the comprehensive strategies of Project 2025? Was it conceivable he would forgive those who attempted to impeach him and incarcerate him? It was crystal clear to every Democrat in office that Trump\u2019s presidency would spell catastrophe for all the values their party professed to uphold.<\/p>\n
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Nonetheless, Democrats served up the presidency to Trump on a bitcoin-coated serving dish. They clung to Biden\u2014more accurately, they groveled at his feet\u2014until it was too late to conduct primaries and select the most viable Democratic contender. (Not to imply Kamala Harris was necessarily the weakest link, but recall she dropped out before the initial primary four years prior. Just pointing it out.)<\/p>\n
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What were they thinking?<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m far from a political savant, but as Biden approached his 81st birthday in November of 2023, I pleaded with him not to seek reelection. Based on polls, his dwindling vigor, and my gut instinct, it was apparent he shouldn’t run. <\/p>\n
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I felt somewhat isolated in my view, though not entirely alone. Obama\u2019s former campaign strategist, David Axelrod, faced severe backlash for hinting that Biden might not be the optimal candidate. This effectively silenced any opposition, until six months later (July 2, 2024), when Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first incumbent Democratic congressman to suggest Biden should bow out. Courage was scarce among the Democrats, including among the governors eyeing a 2028 bid.<\/p>\n
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If I could foresee the impending disaster, why couldn\u2019t the Democrats?<\/p>\n
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I believe I understand why. They weren\u2019t particularly troubled because they were blinded by the allure of power and wealth.<\/p>\n
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Biden symbolized power. To oppose him meant losing access to that power, even as his grip on reality weakened. You risked becoming alienated by party loyalists and losing credibility within the party if you advocated for his withdrawal. You’d be ostracized. Even figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) didn\u2019t want to jeopardize their influence over Biden\u2019s worker-friendly agenda, supporting him until the very end.<\/p>\n
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Democrats are self-destructing, and rightfully so. They\u2019ve made a mess of things.<\/p>\n
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The lure of wealth is an even greater issue. Countless Democrats are captivated by the affluent and celebrated. They attended the same elite schools, depend on them for campaign donations, and plan to join their ranks post-politics. Wall Street and corporate moguls represent the class they either belong to or aspire to join.<\/p>\n
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Thus, it\u2019s no surprise that the Democratic Party has come to represent the managerial elite. Many members have long severed their working-class roots.<\/p>\n
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Many likely minimized their concerns about Trump, assuming the wealthy and powerful would keep him in check. After all, that\u2019s where Democrats believe true power resides. Would the financial sector really let Trump ruin the economy? Surely, big corporations wouldn\u2019t compromise on diversity programs or cheap immigrant labor. Top Democratic law firms wouldn\u2019t yield, right? Surely, the elite would curb Trump’s excesses as they had before? Hmm.<\/p>\n
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Over time, most Democrats lost their outrage, their fighting spirit, their connection to the working folk whose lives have been devastated by four decades of neoliberal policies. This is why many contemporary Democrats readily supported one of the worst political decisions since Nixon recorded himself engaging in criminal activity during the Watergate scandal. (Refer to Wall Street\u2019s War on Workers<\/em><\/u> for more on why working people have turned away from the Democrats, and vice versa.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the process, most Democrats have lost their anger, their zeal, and their connection to the working class, who have witnessed their livelihoods being destroyed after 40 years of neoliberalism.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Biden clearly lacked the capacity to run again. Democrats were aware of this even before he demonstrated it globally during his disastrous June 2024 debate with Trump. Yet, they did not care enough to challenge his decision publicly, where it would count. He had told his advisors during the 2020 campaign that he wouldn\u2019t seek a second term, given he would be 82 by his second inauguration, but the party did not hold him to this once he changed his mind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today, Democrats are in disarray, and they have only themselves to blame. They\u2019ve botched it. They cannot be transformed into a working-class party because that is not their true desire or identity. From where I stand, attempting to reform them is utterly futile\u2014a mere exercise in superficial adjustments and spin. What we need instead is a new party, an Independence Party, with the rallying cry: The billionaires have two parties; we need one of our own!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ending the Spoiler Argument<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n All I hear from both friends and critics is that third parties are unfeasible in America, that they only act as spoilers and can never be successful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They argue that Ralph Nader\u2019s candidacy handed the election to Bush. We can debate whether that\u2019s accurate, but there\u2019s hardly any dispute that Biden\u2019s 2024 run secured Trump\u2019s victory\u2014for the second time!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, we begin with clear targets. There\u2019s nothing to spoil if we focus on launching independent working-class candidates in one-party Congressional districts, of which there are plenty!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2022, five out of every six races<\/u> were decided by more than 10 percentage points, according to FairVote.org. One out of every 13 races went entirely uncontested! These are the districts where we must engage. The call for a new Independence Party is a call for a strong alternative, not a third party! <\/p>\n Dan Osborn, a former local union leader, proved surprisingly competitive in the 2024 Senate race in Nebraska, running against an unopposed Republican and far outpacing Kamala Harris. Bernie Sanders consistently runs as an independent and is now encouraging<\/u> others to follow suit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The urgency for a new party has never been more apparent. The time for action has never been more critical.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s a palpable hunger for something new, but it will require bravery and determination to bring it to fruition. This can only happen when major labor unions heed what their members have been urging for a generation\u2014distance themselves from corporate-aligned Democrats!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Private sector unions, though diminished, remain a potent force of worker power in the U.S. They are essential in rallying the working class around a platform that improves the lives of all working people. They are crucial for establishing a new political movement that shields us all from the ravages of Wall Street-driven job destruction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The urgency for a new party has never been clearer. The time for action has never been more pressing. The opportunity is right before us, if only we have the courage to seize it.<\/p>\n\n\n
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