It Only Got Worse — June 11, 2003 and Today
In 2003 I spent my birthday with my friend Pat writing the “Definitional Moment” memo to Governor Howard Dean, and we finished it the next day — June 11, 2003.
Remember that what you are about to read was written five years ago — and the events of the last few weeks make it clear that it has all only gotten worse.
Excerpt from the “Definitional Moment” Memo – June 11, 2003
“Truth is the issue – but sitting out there is the biggest issue of all time.
Somehow 7 trillion dollars of people’s money disappeared. 8% of our retired people have had to return to the workforce because they lost their pensions. Companies are leaving the country to avoid paying taxes, or avoid paying people livable wages. And they are doing it with the support of the Government they own, and the opposition party they have rented.
The past is prologue and we have been here before. In the 1890’s just as we moved from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy, we now see the same attempt to profit from economic change, disruption and chaos, as we move from an industrial economy and into the information age.
Madison said when speaking for the founding fathers “what we fear the most is that economic power would try to seize political power.” And that is why our country was founded on the idea of Democratic Capitalism – where the undeniable power of capitalism would be subservient to democracy and not the master.
‘A government of the people, by the people and for the people’ — not a government for the corporations, special interests, and campaign contributors.
In the first gilded age there were two responses – the angry populist, and then shortly thereafter came the progressive movement of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and ran through Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal.
It was a movement that sprang from anger but promoted a positive vision that brought justice, and progress, and saved our nation.
It offered a critic, and hope and a progressive plan – we are not the old angry populist – we are the new progressives.
Our critic is that we are in crisis. And the crisis domestically is the destruction of the idea of community. We are witnessing the repeal of E Pluribus Unim (from the many – one) – and it is being replaced by survival of the economic fittest.
We are not about revolution – we are about restoration – and we aim to reclaim the American ideal of community – the idea that survives from John Winthrop who said:
‘We shall be as one. We must delight in each other, make other’s conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor, and suffer together, always living before our eyes our Commission and Community in the work, our Community again as members of the same body, so shall we keep the virtue of the spirit in the bonds of peace.’”
And then….
“But Lincoln’s warning is still there ‘If it – the danger ever reaches us – it must spring up amongst us – it can never come from abroad.’ ‘If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.’ ‘As a nation of free men we must live for all time or die by suicide.’
The suicide Lincoln speaks of is the destruction of the rule of the people.
This campaign is about restoring what America has always been in the world.
It is about restoring our values, our principles, and our purpose.”
Later in 2004 when I wrote “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised — Democracy, the Internet and the Overthrow of Everything” I wrote of the initial signs I saw of the impending financial disaster that we were likely to see given the deadly combination of Bush/Cheney policies, Washington’s thirst for campaign money, corporate greed unchecked and a growing indifference by ruling elites to the will of the people.
“Jefferson wrote that the corrosive nature of money in politics virtually guaranteed that one day, ‘corruption…will have seized the heads of government, and be the voices of the people, and make them pay the price’. In fact, Jefferson might have been describing American politics in the year 2004: (now 2008)
‘Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust’
Today I know even more than I did 5 years ago that the mass that must retain sufficient control is us.
Its September 30, 2008. The day after the market fell 777 points. Weeks after billions have been squandered to shore up failing investment banks and insurance companies. Months after we were all told how “sound” everything was by our President. And after five more years of Wall Street and corporate interests spreading millions in campaign contributions into the war chests of politicians that coincidentally vote their way — we have to take action now.
We get involved now — and I do not mean just in an election — I mean in our governance.
Amazon link to The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Today, September 30th the second edition of my book “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is being released. Its not just about the Dean Campaign. The new edition is about how we got from the Wright Brother days of Dean to the Apollo project of Obama. But more than anything it is about how our democracy has been hollowed out by corruption and greed — its about the responsibility we have to come together and take control as Jefferson said we would be required to do — and to stop the suicide from within that Lincoln warned is the only way our nation can fail. Forget Washington — only we can save us. I hope you will read the book and take action on November 4th to take back our country and our future.
Joe, here’s a inspiring video of Gil Scott Heron’s poem, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, to commemorate the release of the latest edition of your book:
http://www.theabundanceleague.org/2008/09/revolution-will-not-be-televised.html
Thanks Neal — that is a really cool video — enjoyed it. Thanks.
Awesome Joe. And frightening. I think about what you were afraid of if/when Bush won and didn’t even have to worry about reelection, completely free of that accountability nonsense. I felt the same way to be sure.
The possibility of the complete transfer of this government to McCain’s corporate puppeteers absolutely terrifies me now. If he gets in, we will be indistinguishable from feudalism.
You’re welcome Joe. Yeah, I’ve watched it about 10 times. The gesalt and tension is addictive. It embodies the contradictions of American life – the great promises and the equally great compromises. It’s really relevant to your post today – the trampling and trumping of the revolutionary idea of our democracy by marketplace values.
And here’s the thing that’s been on my mind since this financial meltdown picked up steam and evolved into a convincing repudiation of free market fundamentalism…
…Where is the Dem’s alternative to free market fundamentalism when we really need one? Dems should have been waiting in the wings for the inevitable meltdown.
Where’s a plan for financial markets that puts our democracy first, that reflects new economic opportunities.
The lack of an alternative isn’t even conspicuous in its absence. It’s so absent that no one even notices it’s not there.
Well, I’m calling Dems out.
You’ve failed the American people, again. You were asleep at the wheel. You let us hit the iceberg. You did not bring life boats. And there’s a chance we could sink in lethally cold waters.
Dems have had at least eight years to come up with an alternative to free market fundamentalism, but instead they’re caught flatfooted when anyone that reads the business pages could see this crisis coming at least two years out.
Instead Dems were obsessed with “framing” and I don’t know what. Well, if you’re intellectually bankrupt, or worse, brainwashed by your opposition, no amount of framing is going to help you.
Please correct me y’all if you think Obama has an alternative to free market fundamentalism. Otherwise, I’m so ready for a third party.
Makes McCain look all the better.
End earmarks. End transactional politics.
Vote Nader Neal……we learned in 2000 that there is no difference between the parties.
Yeah, no difference, both owned by corporations. Perhaps this explains why I didn’t recognize Obama coming out the primaries. I was like “who is this guy?” It was a surprising break in continuity. My brother, who is an ex-military conservative, was considering Obama until he sensed he was pandering, when he changed the story line. I don’t know what happened, but it didn’t look like he was leading the party. Rather it looked like the party was leading him. That’s not change I can believe in.
Hi, Joe – Amazon delivered my copy Tuesday. Whooot! I’m responsible for the sale of 19 copies (a graduate seminar on digital democracy). Still would love to talk you into chatting with the class post election!
On a serious note, this is a wonderfully written, albeit disheartening, essay.
Neal, write in Hoover
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