We find ourselves living in an age of instability at the onset of the 21st century’s second decade. Entire economies are writhing from the gyrations of financial markets and oppressive regimes are groaning underneath the demands of their disgruntled people. Social, economic and political change has become the new constant of our time. Europe lies in chaos, the Middle East erupts in flames and America withers in decay.
Though we share in the burdens of the world’s problems today, with hordes of unemployed workers, legions of foreclosed homes and unprecedented levels of domestic poverty, one gets the feeling that it has invoked no outrage. No sense of equal urgency. It seems as though the peace of our two neighbors and calm of our two oceans has insulated us from the passions and perils of the world. In lieu of political action we have gridlock, in light of growth we suffer stagnation and rather than dialogue we endure rancor.
However, what is most interesting about the nature of American politics today is not the extent to which liberals and progressives have remained mute, but rather the nature and reaction of both conservatives and libertarians. In the aftermath of an economic crisis — facilitated by deregulated financial markets — unprecedented levels of income inequality and free market fundamentalism, one would think that the political conditions here at home would be ripe for a social movement to revive the spirit of the New Deal of old.
Barack Obama’s victory in the 2008 presidential election seemed to augur the promise of a historic political realignment that would usher in a new era of liberalism. This moment could have been promising for progressives, but instead, right-wing populist Tea Partiers have managed to seize, control and manipulate the national debate within the public and government.
What was once an unemployment crisis is now a deficit crisis. Where originally we didn’t invest enough, we now spend too much. It is a troubling paradox of contemporary American politics. The conservative policies of deregulation, war spending and tax cuts, which brought about both our recession and deficit respectively, have caused a political backlash from conservatives themselves. Einstein’s definition of insanity apparently does not hold true to Republicans pushing their old agendas and tired dogmas.
For those who care about the nature of our politics and spirit of our debate, it is necessary to understand how this came about and to examine what exactly can be done to reverse it. The Tea Party’s emergence and success in the midterm elections of 2010 — as well as their subsequently disproportionate influence during the debates over extending the Bush tax cuts and debt ceiling — should show liberals and progressives alike that the soil of our politics is fertile for grassroots activism.
They need only seize the opportunity from the political vacuum.
Indeed, upon writing this column, the nation belatedly celebrates one of history’s greatest liberal grassroots activism successes: the Civil Rights Movement, which culminated in the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” on Aug. 28, 1963, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The hewing of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial into the stone of hope amidst the mountain of despair in our nation’s capital should remind us of the struggle of a dreamer who had a dream yet to be fulfilled.
For liberals to reclaim the politics of America, it will be necessary for its leaders to channel the will and legacy of Dr. King. It must be remembered that Dr. King’s death came prior to his planned march alongside union workers seeking better wages and stronger pensions during the “Poor People’s Campaign.” Dr. King once said, “In every age and every generation, men have envisioned a promised land.”
We can have ours if we so choose.