Brian M Downing
The country has been rocked by a powerful social movement. Urban landscapes have been altered and attempts have been made to establish autonomous zones. Politicians and corporations accede to the movement – or at least tread cautiously so as not to run afoul of its demands and face cancellation.
The Movement may fade away as did its predecessors in the sixties. However, an election is at hand and the faithful will try to leave their mark on the political system as they did the urban landscape.
Composition and imperatives
The Movement comprises several activist groups. The most notable is of course the Black Lives Matter which formed over the last few years and rose to prominence after Minneapolis and coalesced an array of groups and recently-mobilized young people into a revolt. Among them are Antifa (a violent group convinced fascism is nigh), less organized people from the hard left, Hispanics angered by marginalization and recent White House policies, feminists freshly energized by Me Too, LGBT groups, and environmentalists who see extinction on the horizon.
A common element is of course hostility to Donald Trump. His conservative-nationalist program and boorish demeanor have brought outrage. The Movement wants to oust Trump but followers are unlikely to be content with street demonstrations and intimidations. They want to become an important and enduring part of politics, not just a passing phenomenon like SDS – or the Weathermen.
They are driven by fiercely held convictions and imperatives. The United States is permeated by racism, patriarchal sexism, income inequality, and environmental policies that are leading to global extinction. Some are convinced that conservatives are leading the country into fascism.
Collision with the Democratic party
Once Bernie Sanders was judged too far to the Left and unelectable, the Democratic party rallied behind Joe Biden, a centrist deemed competent and more importantly electable. He will face another challenge from the Left.
The Movement’s growing numbers, passionate politics, and uncivil demeanor are not conducive to compromise or delay. Leadership and rank and file feel destined to bring the new day and unbound by any limitations. They will turn from statues and parks to the Democratic Party and try to take it further to the Left than even Sanders had hoped.
– universal healthcare
– sweeping redistribution of wealth: higher taxes on corporations, the top 10%, and estates
– deep cuts in the military-industrial complex and withdrawal from many overseas bases
– stronger carbon emissions laws
– new standards for history texts, public monuments, commercial products, and the media
– determined pressure to establish a Palestinian state
– reparations to descendants of slaves.
The Democrats will face the dilemma of acceding to the Movement’s demands and losing independent voters, or rejecting them and risking the loss of voters on the Left. There’s also the prospect of renewed violence at party fundraisers and gatherings and even at polling stations.
Regardless how far the Democrats bend, many in the Movement will want to create a new party under their leadership, even though it might ensure a second term for Trump. After all, his policies and demeanor greatly helped their sudden rise to power. They may judge that four more years will broaden their popularity and make 2024 the year of destiny. The Left in Germany made a parallel calculus in 1932.
© 2020 Brian M Downing
Brian M Downing is a national security analyst who’s written for outlets across the political spectrum. He studied at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and did post-graduate work at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs. Thanks as ever to Susan Ganosellis.