Neoliberals – The Selling Out of the Democratic Party

By David Starr

 

Historically, the Democratic Party has been known or reputed to support the interests of the working class and the poor. This is true to some degree but it is contradicted by a powerful tendency within the party that has controlled the leadership, and are currently entrenched in power: Corporate/neoliberal/Third Way Democrats. 

 

With the election of Bill Clinton in 1992 especially, the Democratic Party establishment has referred to itself as “New” Democrats, where they created a “Third Way” as an attempt to put forth an “alternative” to the party’s degree of working-class roots.

That is, to become more business-friendly. The result was that the party leaned to the right. The establishment became very corporatized, putting a focus on the private monopolies of capitalists. 

 

This change in policy became antithetical to prioritizing working class interests. While the establishment enacted policies that have had a limited benefit to the U.S. population, like social programs and labor rights, these are only half measures. Corporate Democrats will acknowledge the importance of the issues but will suddenly stop short when things get a little tense, and if there are threats to the campaign contributions they get from corporate donors. 

 

Both Democrats and Republicans have been dominated by the wealthy and corporate interests and both parties ideologically have the same objective: to maintain and expand the rule of capital, and usually at the expense of the working class and the poor. They do have some ways of doing this differently but it’s the same bottom line.

 

Nowadays, “New” Democrats have moved further to the right, where there’s more of an embrace to “work” with Republicans, and at times sounding like Republicans. This has meant that Democrats have caved to the Republicans for the sake of “bi-partisanship.” But with the MAGA Republicans, especially not compromising, bipartisanship is unworkable. 

 

In an interview published by The Nation, Tim Shenk, who wrote, “Left Adrift: What Happened to Liberal Politics,” criticizes neoliberalism, and two of its proponents, Bill Clinton and Tony Bair. Shenk said, “Their major economic policies have been discussed at length, and so have their costs. Free trade [the North American Free Trade Agreement being a big example, which Clinton signed into law] sent deindustrialization into overdrive, excessive deference to financial markets cleared the way for the Great Recession, and nobody came up with a plan for reviving organized labor. The economic boom of the of the 1990s covered up these weaknesses in the short term, but a system dependent on inflating asset bubbles while ignoring the decline of unions couldn’t deliver meaningful gains for workers over the long run.

 

“Neoliberalism took a bad problem and made it worse…”

 

An objective of the “Third Way,” neoliberalism is another take on imposing a “kinder and gentler” capitalism.

 

Although he supported neoliberals like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in the presidential elections of 2016 and 2020 respectively–fearing the dangers of a Trump presidency–Sen. Bernie Sanders has taken the Democratic Party to task. Quoted by Common Dreams, Sanders said, “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working-class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.”

 

Sanders also asked, “Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons? Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing? Do they have any idea as to how we can take on the increasingly powerful oligarchy which has so much economic and political power? Probably not.” He’s right. With them being a part of the establishment, they probably will not do a damn thing.

 

Further taking Democrats to task, Sanders continued: “While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”

 

Common Dreams also quoted the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate group, stating, “Millions of people are fed up after living through decades of a rigged economy and corrupt political system. For decades, Democrats have prioritized corporations over people.” The group emphasized that there must be “many thousands of people taking to the streets and preparing to strike.” It added that it will take a mass movement to do this.

 

Progressive Democrats of America had choice words for corporate Democrats who have played dirty tricks to discourage left/progressives from daring to try and primary neoliberal incumbents. Neoliberal/corporate/Third Way Democrats like James Carville, Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jefferies, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz have played their parts in preventing left/progressives from winning primary races. 

 

“Rather than listen to the base, corporate Democrats try to rig primaries, force out progressives, punish those who advise progressives, and even oust progressives from office.” Neoliberals rush to judgement when a left/progressive is running for office, hurling negative remarks and taking unethical actions, while hypocritically “support, fund, or wink at primary challenges against progressive incumbents.

 

“How damaging is this hypocrisy to the Democratic Party?” It’s clear that many in the Democratic base want real changes, something that ultimately goes against the elite interests of neoliberals. The latter refuse to change and use a time-worn strategy that has had them caving to the Republicans in a meek attempt to avoid “divisiveness” and stress “unity.” So, they resort to “bi-partisanship” which has shown to fail more often than not.

 

On Secular Talk, Kyle Kulinski criticizes democratic leaders that appear to be sounding just as right-wing as the right. 

 

Enough of the neoliberals who control the Democratic Party. Their clinging on to power has made the party a dead end, despite a few left/progressives in it. 

 

The corporate/neoliberal/Third Way Democrats are not a real alternative; as with the Republicans.