Today’s corporate lap-dog Democrats are the products of the Clinton Administration. William Greider of The Nation outlines how Bill Clinton created the current crop of New Democrats and they have broken their promises to the People in favor of Wall Street.
It all started when Clinton said Democrats can receive Wall Street money and focus on the People at the same time, notes Greider. Much like in the Republican Party, there is a rift within the Democratic ranks, but this one is quieter and less organized. With the Republicans, there was a clear line drawn: Establishment Repubs and Tea Partiers.
However, the differences within the Democratic party are much more difficult to define because what Dems usually tower in brains compared to the GOP, they lack in backbone and vocality.
However, Greider mentions Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has the spine and voice of a Republican, but the reason, tact, and social and economic awareness of a true, populist Democrat. She is part of a new crop after “old New Dems,” as Greider calls them, of the Clinton years. Warren has since become a favorite among the left’s constituency because of her anti-corporate, pro-regulation fervor.
These Clinton-era Democrats have become a large part of Obama’s executive entourage. The American public is concerned and angry about Wall Street and the economy, but the president continues appointing former Wall Street banksters to his cabinet, notes Greider.
New Democrats are a remarkably quiet sort. Whereas Republicans will almost always shamefully support Wall Street and the big banks, the New Dems remain silent. Could this be because they are mindful of the fact that they are going against everything that their party is supposed to stand for?
Democrats have adopted a “play-nice-with-everyone” policy when it comes to politics in general. Democrats are afraid to make the demands that their constituency wants them to because it will conflict with the interests of those who hold the New Dems in their pockets. The “play nice” doctrine also affects how Democrats approach income inequality and has resonated through the media, as well.
Greider cites a Washington Post article that warned Democrats to take it easy on the “inequality” subject to avoid the appearance of class-war-mongering. The call to be “fair” to the one percent and big corporations who are anything but to the working class is disgusting and shameful. The Democratic party should be attacking the subject headon. They don’t, however, because they are still infected by the quiet cowardice of Clinton’s New Democrats.
To echo Greider, Democrats need to shake off the corporate spell, earn back some integrity, and grow a backbone. It would be a pitiful shame to fail at doing such while the Republicans are exhausted and on the ropes because of the government shutdown and many failed scandals created out of their party’s 2012 loss.
Josh is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. Follow him on Twitter @dnJdeli.
