Progressive Diary
Mid-term Elections across the USA—October 2010
By John Clay
The mid-term elections across the USA rarely draw as many voters as the presidential elections. But keep in mind that every election is another chance to vote for democracy and against the growing consolidation of corporate wealth and power that is eroding our democracy.
Progressives know that democracy can be sustained only where there is a balance of power among all citizens. James Madison wrote in The Federalist, No. 39, in 1788 that: "It is essential to such a government, that it be derived from the great body of society, not from an inconsiderable portion, or a favored class of it..."
Progressives also know that one of the best strategies to sustain a balance of power among all citizens is to invest, through taxes, in the public resources that support the common good. Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to Charles Yancey in 1816: "I am a great friend to the improvement of roads, canals, and schools.... If the legislature would add a perpetual tax ... it would set agoing at once, and forever maintain, a system of primary or ward schools, and an university..."
Vote for candidates that support a balance of power and solid investment in the common good, and you will be voting for democracy.
For the anti-democracy crowd, the candidate choices are clear because the Republican Party and their Tea Party extremist wing are supporting an all-out class war against American democracy. (Most so-called Independent candidates are going that way too.) If you want America to be ruled by a corporate elite, these are the candidates for you.
For progressives and liberals, the choices are a lot more murky and less inspiring. There is the Democratic Party which is so shot-through with Republican Party ideology after years on the defensive that many commentators call them Republican-Lite. Or there is the Green Party which, except in some local elections that use Instant Runoff Voting, usually serves to split the liberal vote and guarantee a conservative Republican victory.
At this point you are probably asking: So why should I vote? So again I'll say: Every election is another chance to vote for democracy. Use the links on the elections page to find the candidates for office in your locality. Then search the candidates by name on the web and browse their websites to see which of the policies below they support.
Vote for candidates who support these policies which strengthen democracy:
- Raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
- Increasing federal stimulus spending to create jobs nationwide and help states, cities, and towns recover from the recession and the unemployment crisis.
- Increasing state and local investment in job programs and in public infrastructure like roads, bridges, and schools.
- Sustaining as much state or local government spending as possible, and sustaining as many state or local services as possible.
Vote against candidates who support these policies which erode democracy:
- Tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy.
- Cutting as much federal, state, or local government spending as possible, and cutting as many state or local services as possible.
- Replacing income tax with sales tax.
There are lots of issues out there, but on any candidate's website you will see positions on the issues above. These issues are the easiest way to spot who is for democracy and who is for the corporate aristocracy.
Email reactions to director@democraticpromise.org.
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