ne·o·lib·er·al
ˌnēōˈlibərəl/
adjective
- 1.relating to a modified form of liberalism tending to favor free-market capitalism.
When I first encountered the term "neoliberal" it
confused me.
Clarification is always relevant.
The Democratic party leadership
as it now exists is neoliberal in my opinion. They are corporate; and this is
their allegiance. Even Obama, whose presidency was historic and would normally
be celebrated as a feather in the cap of this nation for electing its first
president of African ancestry; he, Hillary, Mr. Clinton, and most main stream
establishment Democrats are this brand of conservative/corporatist at the
moment.
And this confuses those who like
to consider themselves "liberal" I think.
"Neo" liberal at first
sounded to me like something new and better.
I was wrong.
The term is at face value
misleading.
There is nothing "new"
about neoliberalism: it is an ideology that endorses corporate policies and big
money policies in politics. It is Bill Clinton’s 1997 Welfare Reform (PRWORA)
which continues to penalize the poor and disproportionately people of color,
especially in the realms of child support.
It is “super predators” and brutal policing. It is Wall Street money that buys policies
that perpetuate what Bernie Sanders called a business model based on
fraud. It is savings accounts that by
law only earn 1/10 of 1% interest, and credit companies that can charge up to
35% interest by law while financial companies continue their fraudulent
practices and pay out millions in bonuses to high up personnel. It is predatory lending, tax cuts that lead
to cuts in social services. It is celebrating
the stock market going up while wages remain stagnant. It is celebrating corporate profit; and
promoting policies that make wage stagnation and high prices seem healthy for
the economy.
And if the term “neoliberal” was
at first confusing to me, it is confusing to others who would like to consider
themselves “liberal” or even “progressive” I'm sure.
And this is why the Democratic party
could not beat a game show host:
neoliberal party leadership, the Wasserman’s, the Clinton’s, the Obama’s,
the Bookers, the super delegates, and others sold the party out to corporations
and this caused a cognitive dissonance on the left where many people still
believed in liberal values and progressive ideals. Those who wanted an end to the corporatists
abandoned the establishment…some even were seduced by the lies of the abomination
in office in 2018.
Many "liberals" are rightly
very confused by Democrats that push neoliberal/corporatist policies. And the
party is splintered because of this.
Because of this the left will
continue to lose in my opinion.
If nothing else, the right is
unified in their conservativism. The right
is rooted in hatred and oppression, disguised as fairness and balance. The
right is the old “southern democrats”, which is the echo of racism that pervades
it. This is simply historic fact. The right will unify behind anyone who adopts those
views and promotes corporate policies and war to further corporate policies
around the globe, and oppression of the poor and vulnerable domestically. But
that is merely my analysis.
There are still enough idealists
and dreamers on the left that defy corporatist policies that keep the
Democratic party weak. And the neoliberal refused to take the opportunity to
embrace 13 Million of us in 2013, though Bernie bent over backwards and still
does to try and unify the and reconcile them.
When I think of the Democratic
party I'd like to support I think of Robert Kennedy, FDR, even Jimmy Carter.
When I think of progressives I
think of Eugene V. Debs, Bernie of
course, Tulsi Gabbard, the Greens, and
some aspects of Teddy Roosevelt.
But despite my high ideals, there
is no denying that, splintered on the left, we must lose until we can unite
somehow under the progressive banner of ideals and values.
