Reality Politics

Sometimes I wonder if Democrats realize the parallels between the travails of our party and reality TV.

In January 2001, we watched in disbelief as George W. Bush was sworn into office, all the time praying that at any moment Ashton Kutcher would jump outta nowhere and yell that we’d just been punk’d.

In 2004, we could have renamed our presidential primary season America’s Next Top Democrat, as we emulated Tyra Banks and went for commercial appeal over the more dynamic candidates. 

In 2008, we recreated the tension from season two of American Idol and selected Barack Obama (a Black American who made us feel warm and fuzzy inside a la Ruben Studdard) over Hillary Clinton (a White-American who never quite fit neatly into her gender role, a la Clay Aiken).

While in the here and now, President Obama must feel more and more like he’s the political equivalent of Kate Gosselin.  Both Kate and Barack showed up with a partner they thought qualified to manage the challenges ahead.  Kate had Jon; Barack had a Progressive coalition of Democratic voters.  But as soon as things got a rough (raising eight bad-ass kids; reversing the trend of nearly 800,000 job losses a month) both Jon and Progressives seem to have peaced out and absolved themselves of the real work of parenting/governing.  Add to that the former ardent supporters who now love to hate on Kate and Barack for what they can’t do (dance with the stars; close down Guantanamo and remove its bars) and conveniently ignore what they have done (put herself out there so she can provide for her children cuz their father surely ain’t paying the bills; establish universal health insurance cuz Clinton/Carter/Johnson/Kennedy/Truman/Roosevelt surely didn’t). 

Over the course of this election season, one of the [dominant discourses] has been that the liberal coalition of voters—the Black, the Brown, the Women, the Gays, the Youths—who gave Democrats control of Congress in 2006 and placed Barack Obama in the White House in 2008 were so demoralized by the slow and painful pace of change that they rather stay at home than even bother to show up on Election Day.  This “enthusiasm gap” for progressive causes would cause Democrats to run from their record and distance themselves from their legislative achievements.

But the reality of the matter speaks to a different set of facts.

Last Tuesday, I was volunteering for the Democrats down at their Manhattan headquarters and in walked Nancy Pelosi.  Now for those of you who don’t know, my girl Nance is what a tranny would call “Legendary.” She’s fiercely pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-environment, pro-diplomacy…in a word, the very definition of Progressivism.  To top it all off, she is the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives, making her—Constitutionally-speaking—the most powerful woman in our country’s history and a living example of what being pro-diversity can mean for our nation. Naturally, I was more than a touch excited.

She shook my hand, thanked me for all my hard work and in near-pubescent glee I squeaked, "No, thank, you, Madame Speaker!"

On that night, Nance reminded me that the President and Congress have produced an enviable progressive record that The New York Times called the “biggest attack on economic inequality since inequality began rising more than three decades ago.” And carrying forth that message is just what the Democratic Party seems to be doing.  Melissa DeRosa, the New York State Director of Organizing for America (OFA)—which is what the Obama campaign apparatus morphed into post-election—framed for me what she called the President’s “Youth Agenda,” or three campaign promises aimed at young voters on which Obama has delivered: reforming the college loan process, extending parents’ health insurance to their children up to age 26, and outlawing predatory practices of credit card companies that target college students.  OFA is actively promoting these accomplishments to young people throughout the nation.  Similar efforts are being replicated with African-American, Latino and women voters.

The results of the stepped up efforts of Bammers and crew are evident in the polls. In New York, Democrats are poised to sweep all statewide offices.  In Pennsylvania, the Democratic candidate for Senate has closed the gap between him and his Republican opponent, surprising many along the way.  The same is true in Illinois and Colorado. In California and Connecticut, the Dems have managed to grow their leads despite facing challengers from GOP candidates willing to spend tens of millions of their own dollars in what is proving a futile effort to appeal to voters.  And the supposed theory that the agitated masses had grabbed their pitchforks and were aiming them at any Democrat they could find has yet to dissuade Democrats from outpacing Republicans in the race for early voters. 

In short, Progressives are coming to their senses and coming home.  And that reality check bodes very well for Democrats on November 2. 

[Photo via Flickr by dalesun ]

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Jamaal Young is a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project and Co-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee for Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century.