The so-called divided nation is a myth. What I see is that we are estranged from ourselves because capitalism vs socialism can’t be discussed in any serious way. The Democrats said the neo-fascist Donald Trump was so bad that we had to vote for Joe Biden. But no one liked Joe Biden/Kamala Harris. But no one liked Donald Trump either. We had genocidal war mongers against a lying fascist war monger. Both parties, the center, want to give all our collective money to the ultra-rich. That’s the democratic choice we had. Is that democratic? I don’t think so but I don’t know. That’s what we have. We voted for it. I guess that’s democracy. We get to vote.
I think this is the point: right and left agree, the way it is (centrism) isn’t working: you “centrists” are the problem. Everything stays the same. You, “middle of the road centrists” won’t allow discussion of volatile issues to come to the fore. You want it to be non-political. “We should just be happy and liberal.”
We need this angry discussion. For instance: in my opinion:
Venezuela is the most democratic nation on the earth right now. Any woman and every woman should have the right to abortion on demand, at any time for free. Killing Ukrainian and Russian workers at the behest of genocidal capitalists in the USA, Russia, and Europe is an abomination. Taiwan is part of the mainland China. These are issues that millions of people around the world agree and disagree but are allowed to discuss: but not here. It’s not discussed at all. (thank you for your courage, Valley Reporter).
We know that many conservative women are for a woman’s right to abortion. They’ve voted for it when it came up as a ballot initiatives. They just don’t like Democrats. I’m on the “left” and I don’t like Democrats either. But, because of “centrism,” the conservatives vote for Republicans they don’t necessarily like and people like me vote Democrat even though I don’t like the Democrat alternatives. The same angry discussions should be had with regard to changing our neo-liberal political/economic system. But the “centrist” media won’t allow that either. Both Republicans and Democrats centrists support neo-liberalism (Reagan’s Trickle Down Economics). If we just give all our money to the ultra-rich, they’ll take care of us workers (trickle down).
Centrists both Republican and Democratic, and Trump support genocide in Palestine. Centrists will “fight to the last Ukrainian” against Russia: Trump will just allow Russia to massacre the Ukrainians. They both are power hungry. This is our democracy. This is what we get to vote for. But we don’t get to discuss it. If you try to talk about peace negotiations with Russia, compromising Ukraine’s NATO membership or its neo-Nazi past, you will be accused of being pro Putin. I regard Putin with the same contempt as I hold Trump and the centrists. I just want to stop the killing of workers getting massacred by Russia and our Proxy, Ukraine. If you want to stop the genocide in Palestine the centrists will call you anti-Semitic. We, the antiwar libertarian and left, want to stop the massacre of human beings. Palestinians are our brothers and sisters. Ukrainians and Russians are our brothers and sisters. We have to convince our Israeli brothers and sisters that their security is contingent on allowing the Palestinians back into their homes and land (that is what anti Zionism is).
Centrism supports genocide and is an abomination and a corruption of values. It’s saying we need to not move forward. It’s saying that left and right are extremist and not worthy of being examined. It’s saying we need to maintain the processes and institutions that have brought about the failed consensus that violence and domination are an appropriate way of managing our relations with one another and the world.
This reality needs to be challenged. But centrism denies this.
Right wingers, Trumpists, we need to hear from you. Explain your support of violence against our fellow immigrants and support of genocide. Do you want Trump as a dictator? Centrists, I want to hear from you too. You need to justify yourselves, as the most powerful group ruling society, why do you support genocide? Is love an inaccessible ideal? Is it “childish”? Shouldn’t we be discussing our ideals and how to get there? What are our ideals? Is love a part of that? Do we have ideals and what are they? Are we us? Is there us? Don’t we have to have those discussions, those angry discussions, to move us forward. We need a new politics.
Lehman lives in Warren.
