US workers support for Democrat/Republican duopoly at all time low

The farce that is politics in America continues. The political system, like the US economy is beyond badly damaged, it is broken.  It is hard to imagine a nation where politicians are as hated as they are in the US.  Because the political system is so blatantly corrupt with two capitalist parties wantonly plundering society through their monopoly of political life, many millions of Americans have simply withdrawn from the electoral process; a sort of protest in itself.

The voter turnout in the federal elections of 2010 was 37.8%, some 90 million out of a voting age population of 235 million. The 2008 federal elections and the euphoria around Obama increased turnout that was still dismal in the country that claims the mantle of freedom and democracy in a turbulent world; out of a voting age population of 231 million, 132 million went to the polls for a turnout of 56.8, high by US standards.  The US is undoubtedly a political wasteland and getting worse.

Today's Wall Street Journal reports that another imbecile from the Bush hatchery is the front runner for the Republican nomination for president.  This doesn't really mean so much over here as electioneering begins two years or so before the vote actually takes place and those that will manage to  survive the barrage of advertisements and mudslinging and praising the lord that occurs during this period may well shift allegiances.  So representing one of the Wall Street parties we have a right wing Christian in first place and a Mormon runner up.  The Democrats, the other billionaire's party has Obama who expects to raise a record one billion dollars to buy an election victory.

The euphoria around Obama has dissipated considerably after all the betrayals, which, are par for the course for Democratic politicians, but having no other choices, the dedicated will vote for him again for fear that this Bush clone might end up in the White House and compared to Perry, Bush was a genius. He did inform us after all that "The French don't have a word for entrepreneur."

The crisis is reflected in the polls as more and more voters refuse to identify with either of the two capitalist parties. A Rasmussen poll conducted earlier this month found that only "17% of likely US voters believe the US government has the consent of the governed" while 69% "believe the government does not have that consent". 

Another poll conducted by pollster Douglas Schoen finds that a "solid" majority of Americans (57%) are looking for alternatives to the two party system. Other findings were just as impressive with over 51% of voters favoring a third party and 31% of them saying that such a development is "very important" for the country according to Patrick Caddell and Douglas Schoen writing in yesterday's Journal.   All recent polls reveal this trend, something that has been going on for some time as US workers and the middle class find themselves deeper and deeper in debt and in a country with some of the worst social services of all advanced capitalist economies.  Even a third of Republicans now say they would consider voting for a third party.

"The "American people are desperate for a leader who stands outside of the political establishment.  A leader who can speak for the American majority---offering not just rhetoric but a new direction" says Caddell.  The authors expect a third party candidate to arise out of this discontent b y 2012. "The political order as we know it is deteriorating and disintegrating, and politics abhors a vacuum" they argue concluding that, "The American people clearly are looking for alternatives now."

Well, I'd have to agree with that.  The American people have been looking for an alternative for a long time but one hasn't been forthcoming.  The tea party is functioning as a "quasi third party"say Cadell and Schoen and estimate a tea party candidate could get 15% to 20% of the vote.  The Labor hierarchy likes to whine about the right wing and the popularity of the tea party among some workers but refuses to provide an alternative that an increasing numbers of workers savaged by the market and the capitalist offensive can turn to despite having the resources, both financial, structural and in terms of manpower to do so. My former Union alone had some 4000 locals when I was active.  It gave 40,000 volunteers to elect Walter Mondale in his campaign against Reagan.  There are some 1000 Central Labor Councils throughout the country and these resources plus hundreds of million in cash are handed over to the Democrats. If the left doesn't fill this vacuum the right will.

In California during the Gray Davis recall election there were some 28 candidates for the job from porno stars to business people and all the potentially powerful California Labor movement could offer with it's two million affiliated members was to keep Gray Davis, the Democrat in power.  We've had twits like Ross Perot and even a former wrestler and film actor elected as governor of a major US state.  The reason for the Labor hierarchy's refusal to provide an alternative is that as things stand they can always blame the Democrats or politics in general; they avoid the hook.  If they ran independent candidates it would place them in the hot seat, they'd have to "produce the goods" and their policies are no different from the Democrats and if anything to the right of them.  They are more vulnerable to the anger of organized Labor's rank and file than Democrats.  No, the best of all worlds for them is where they're at; it's criminal.

The discontent has to find some outlet and it should not be a surprise that some workers will be drawn to right wing or more conservative elements.  Because the Labor leadership offers no independent way forward, some workers will be drawn to groups like the tea party because of aspects of the group that appear to be an anti-establishment stance. As the Wall Street Journal article points out, "politics abhors a vacuum" and a vacuum cannot exist forever-----something will try to fill it.

In the aftermath of the Great Recession the hatred and disdain for the rich and the corporations was at an all time high.  The revolts, protests and social upheavals we are witnessing from Greece to Chile are the results of the capitalist offensive and are the reasons sections of the capitalist class are volunteering to pay more in taxes.  They are very aware that their wealth comes from investment, capital gains and it is taxed much lower than wages, about 15% as opposed to 35 or 40 for workers' incomes; they are afraid of these mass uprisings taking a more organized and political character. A recent US poll found that 36% of Americans responded favorably to socialism. I am not sure what this means as many Americans think a national health service is socialism or Obama is a socialist.  But it does reflect a changing mood as do all the figures above. 

What is absolutely certain is that the events we have seen in London, Chile, Greece etc. will occur here; it's just a matter of time.  The capitalists are still on strike and a period of high unemployment and further austerity lies ahead.  The US working class has a rich history of militant struggle and this history will be reborn as the capitalist offensive continues.  The most important issue for activists is helping build a broad, direct action combative movement that rejects the passive, business as usual approach and demands and fights for what we need and not what is acceptable to Wall Street or the Democrats and their allies atop organized Labor.

The longer this element is missing, the more confused, volatile and unnecessarily painful the road will be.