The Democratic Party needs to look inward to understand why we lost

Dear Friends,

The United States of America is a country where racism and misogyny are fully institutionalized and rampant.  This racism and misogyny existed long before this election cycle, and long before Donald Trump said things out loud that had only been said with dog whistles and in private before.  These pre-existing conditions and their exposure to all those who had previously ignored them cannot explain Hillary Clinton's loss in this election.  The mainly white, more often males, who voted for Donald Trump were no more racist and misogynist this election cycle than they were in prior ones.  So why did so many of them desert the Democratic Party this time when they had not done so in such huge numbers in the past?

My thesis is that historically the Democratic Party was the champion for these people, and they voted their economic interests over their racist and misogynist feelings.  The Democratic Party lost most of these people in the South with the voting and civil rights legislation of the early 1960s.  Unfortunately, the Democratic Party Establishment since the election of Bill Clinton in 1992,  has  attempted to become Republican light and do the bidding of the monied interests and has deserted the poor and middle class.

It was Bill Clinton who fought for and signed the revised NAFTA into law in August 1993.  NAFTA caused a significant loss of good jobs in the United States.  Since NAFTA, low wage workers have seen their compensation decline.  It was also Bill Clinton who supported and signed the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act which was one of several steps at deregulating Wall Street that helped to produce the Great Recession.

Many of the Trump voters lost their jobs, theirs houses and their self-respect in the Great Recession.  Wall Street was bailed out, and there were no prosecutions for any of the wrongs that were done, even when President Obama took over. While many jobs have returned under Barack Obama, they are lower paying jobs with little or no job security or upward mobility.  In 2007 Candidate Obama promised to walk the picket lines with the workers whenever the right to organize was being challenged.  He broke that promise in 2011when Governor Walker in Wisconsin was passing legislation designed to kill unions and thousands of people were protesting.  President Obama, along with the rest of the Democratic Party Establishment, remained silent and certainly did not join the picket lines.  He let them fight alone.  Is it any wonder that Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania all voted for Donald Trump?

Not only has the Democratic Party Establishment turned their backs on the working people of this country, they have sent their sons and daughters to unpopular wars where both sides are using arms supplied by the US arms industry with support and encouragement from the United States government and in particular from President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  To make matters worse, the Democratic Party Establishment supports and nominates Hillary Clinton who is clearly a hawk.

The Democratic Party Establishment courts the oligarchy and takes their money in the form of political contributions, charitable contributions and paid speaking engagements at the same time that it ignores the plight of the working class.  The wealth and wage inequality continues to rise and the rich and powerful are treated differently from the working class.  Is it any wonder the working class is angry?

It is not just old white men that the Democratic Party Establishment has turned its back on.  Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities most of whom are working class have been hurt even more than the old white males.  As hard as it is to believe, Donald Trump did better with these groups than Mitt Romney did.  Hillary Clinton got 6 percentage points less of the Hispanic vote than President Obama did and 7 percentage points less than Bill Clinton did. I am convinced that part of this reduction in support is the result of the failure of the Democratic Party Establishment to stand up for and with these minorities.

The former white Democrats who flocked to Donald Trump in this election did so because they could no longer see any hope of the Democratic Party Establishment helping them economically.  While at the same time they saw a "strong" man who was standing up for them and giving voice to their racism, misogyny and economic fear and anxiety.

What can I do?  First and foremost, as a person of great white privilege, I must actively, publicly and boldly stand with my brothers and sisters who are the focus of Donald Trump's racism, misogyny and hatred, and I must actively, publicly and boldly protect the earth.  I must also work and organize to reclaim the Democratic Party.  It must be restored to the party that protects those least able to protect themselves, that fights for justice for all, that protects the earth and that demonstrates true love, compassion and empathy.  The Democratic Party has lost its way, and Donald Trump's victory is just the latest proof of that fact.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal