What Next after the Elections? — Building a Political Alternative to the Two Parties of Big Business

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The economic crisis and the Democrats’ sweeping electoral victory opens a dramatically new period in U.S. politics, filled with possibilities and pitfalls for the left. The pressing need to build a working-class resistance against layoffs, budget cuts, and foreclosures, among other demands, is fast becoming clear to millions feeling the bite of the recession.

But at a certain stage, as the bitter experience of the Democratic Party’s big business policies sets in, increasing numbers will also recognize the necessity of creating a united, independent political voice for our social movements – labor, antiwar, immigrant rights, anti-racism, environmental justice, women’s rights, etc.

For the small activist layer that already sees the need for a left-wing, anti-corporate party, now is the time for a serious strategic discussion. Cindy Sheehan’s call for a new party is only the most prominent of a number of similar calls and discussions now taking place within left and progressive activist circles. In particular, activists around the Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney presidential campaigns are considering how to move forward.

This is against the background of stagnation and decline in the Green Party, including substantial defections of left-wing Greens since 2004 when a more conservative “Demo-Green” tendency began consolidating control of the party. There are also reports of tension between McKinney and Green Party leaders, which has provoked questions over whether she will remain with the party.

Obama’s Honeymoon
A central challenge at present is confronting the massive hopes and illusions that Obama will bring change. These illusions among workers and youth, while they persist, will cut sharply across any initiative to build a political alternative.

The Financial Times quotes prominent economist Albert Edwards, who predicts that by “[t]his time next year, Obama euphoria will be crushed under the weight of the unfolding economic and market meltdown… The crushing weight of the ‘Great Debt Unwind’ has only just begun.” (11/6/08) This scenario is quite possible, but in the coming months Obama will undoubtedly push through a number of limited reforms to somewhat cushion the impact of the recession on workers, potentially increasing his support.

Yet these limited reforms will be carried out in combination with more huge bailouts for big business, anti-worker budget cuts, maintaining the bloated military budget, fast-rising unemployment, and other attacks on working people. So it remains to be seen how long Obama and the Democratic Party can conceal their role as representatives of the financial elite.

What Now?
In the near term, these conditions make the project of building a new party difficult, but this does not mean the left should simply wait around for a more favorable moment. Even now, we can actively, publicly prepare for the inevitable mass disillusionment, finding ways to popularize the idea of working-class political independence.

We would urge Sheehan, Nader, McKinney, left-wing Green activists, and other prominent forces to organize a conference in the first half of 2009, inviting all potential allies to discuss perspectives and plans.

However, even then it would likely be premature to simply launch a new party. Even if it proved possible to assemble together the small and dispersed activist groupings that understand the need for a political alternative, the illusions in Obama could cut across our ability to attract fresh activists, without which the party would be stillborn.

Rather, we would hope to see a “campaign” for a new party emerge. Over the next year or two, the main task of such a campaign would be to organize points of support within the unions and other social movements, using leaflets, the internet, regular community meetings, and conferences to patiently expose the betrayals of the Democrats and make the case for building a working-class alternative.

Movement Politics
Such a campaign should look for favorable opportunities to run local candidates to test the mood and prepare the ground for a future party. However, a campaign for a new left-wing political party will only succeed if it is seen to be at the forefront of non-electoral struggles on issues facing our communities, from healthcare to housing, education to unemployment.

Confronting the political domination of big business is only possible through a mass movement of the multi-racial working class. Conditions are fast preparing the ground for the emergence of new mass struggles. Our task is to prepare to politically guide these struggles toward the idea of a new party, which would aim to become the organizing center of working-class resistance in each community.

The campaign, and any new party, would need a bold program explicitly challenging the domination of big business, including calls for a massive public works program providing living-wage jobs, a free single-payer healthcare system, a huge expansion of public education and mass transit, an immediate end to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, heavy taxation on the rich to pay for social programs, among other working-class demands.

Crucially, it would need to maintain unbending independence from the Democratic and Republican parties. And within any new party, Socialist Alternative would patiently argue for a program challenging the root cause of our interconnected problems: the capitalist system.

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