The Biggest Issues The American Left Has Revolve Around Coordination, Collaboration and Organization.

 

The American Left has many strong, passionate, intelligent people in it. I won't go into names here directly (mostly because that would distract from the message here and my opinion on specific people and/or groups isn't the point), but if you read enough posts on this space you'll get a good idea of who some of those people are, and hopefully an inkling of the degree I agree with each of them (and trust me, no one gets 100% agreement from me, regardless of the videos and links and references). 

The American Left is also having a problem getting the portion of America who hasn't completely embraced the Democratic Party/Republican Party duopoly to at least consider an alternative to the dangerous actions and consequences of aligning with the capitalist-to-fascist pipeline, to the point where people who grew up watching movies like Star Wars, the Hunger Games and Harry Potter are openly asking questions like "How did we get here?" or "Are we living in an empire?"   

This Donkey/Elephant Duopoly, which deceives the American electorate every two-to-four years into voting for them, has long convinced voters that the two "factions" are simultaneously opposites yet symbiotic. For every instance of them fighting each other over one policy or another, there are two (if not more) examples of them working in tandem, usually to the detriment of the people. From local issues like the treatment (read: abuse) of unions to foreign policy like "should Gazans be genocided?" Democrats and Republicans agree more often than not.

Sure, they may say different things, especially at crucial points in time (like when an issue first bubbles up or when polling data is released). But such statements are either muted or retracted. For every time the Democrats admonish ICE, they are hesitant to call for its abolishment (or, *shudder* the complete abandonment of the whole "War on Terror" policy). For all the time MAGA focused on PizzaGate and then Jeffrey Epstein (the later being, in some ways, the evolution of the former) once their leader was revealed to be a major player in the once-coveted "Epstein Files" interest in outing (let alone punishing) the sexual abuse of minors and young women waned. The bases of both parties embraced calls from their respective leaders/representatives to end wars and foreign conflicts, until those leaders/representatives themselves began to embrace to political and financial benefits of continuing and escalating these conflicts...leading every foreign conflict to become "necessary" for the "interests" or "safety" of America.

For the American Right, "business" is booming. Right influencers are getting views and paychecks. Right Pundits are gaining in clout and in fandom. Right leaders are touted and (in some cases) deified. Decry "woke," "DEI," "Critical Race Theory," immigrants, trans rights, reparations, and body autonomy, while praising nationalism, state obedience (and surveillance), supremacy and "religious freedom" and you, like most Republicans, will be on your way to conservative glory. 

For Democrats, it's about preaching "diversity," "inclusion," "a fair shake," and the like. Not as much to be made nowadays, but still lucrative.

What's missing? Something that the American Left continues to exalt: the social-economic system that the rest of the United States refuse to admit has played a large part in the country's decline. Capitalism -and more specifically, the greed fostered by focusing on profits before the needs of either the laborers or the customers- has hurt America beyond belief, to the point that Americans blame socialism for the increased Cost of Living, a crumbling infrastructure, homelessness, a poor healthcare system and more. On the contrary, socialism -which, is at its essence, a critique of capitalism- has been providing solutions since the first market crash. 

So why, with all the real life and real time examples, does the messaging of the Right prevail? Why is China's model (aka, "socialism with Chinese characteristics" being attacked instead of copied or adapted? Why was it so hard for leadership in the Democratic Party to admit what was (and still is) going on in Gaza? Why was "defund the police" met with such hostility, despite evidence of police brutality? Why was no one talking about how white women were the biggest beneficiaries of DEI on the cable and network news shows? Why was the Democrats biggest criticism of the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro essentially, "We agree he was a bad person who should be disposed, but next time give us a head's up, okay?"

Because, compared to the Left, the Right has it together.

Don't get me wrong; there are the occasional schisms and splits. Just recently, there have been fights over:

• The importance of releasing the Epstein Files;
• The death of Charlie Kirk;
• Whether supporting Israel's endeavors is "America First;"
• Immigration vs Visas

but in each case the detractors have been excommunicated or brought to heel. Compare them to the two events that some credit as the proverbial forks in the road for left-leaning supporters of the Democrats: Force the Vote and the genocide in Gaza. In both cases, there was an attempt to silence, ostracize or re-absorb the major critics, but it only lead to estrangement. 

And with that estrangement, came a fracturing that further complicated the effort of bringing people together in shared class struggle. It's easier to get people to group together over race, religion, sexual/gender orientation or even a favorite entertainer. But saying, "Hey, if your income doesn't match the cost of living in your state, or any other, maybe we should team up and do something about it" doesn't generate the same response, at least until it's obvious that the abusive nature of the government defies all of those aforementioned groups (and sadly, sometimes even that isn't enough).

Not that the Left is going out of it's way to coordinate, collaborate or organize. Don't get me wrong, there are people/channels/groups working on strikes, food programs, community policing, ballot initiatives, campaign finance reform, protests against police brutality/war, and gathering funding for everything from medical bills to rent to back-to-school supplies. But sadly, these people/channels/groups aren't always working together. 

Everyone seems to have their own focus, working on their own solution, and the people who support them and their cause are being forced to pick and choose. Why can't all of these things be put under one umbrella movement? Why can't the American Left present an alternative to the Donkey/Elephant Duopoly regardless of whether or not you still believe in the electoral process? 

The funny thing is that, despite the criticism of socialism, the American Right is way more of a social animal than the American Left. Again, there are people on the American Left doing and saying positive things on behalf of the people, but the people either aren't aware or the longevity resulting initiatives is not sustainable (especially if it's dependent on the person who came up with it). And if few cases, there's infighting among the Left over "the best way" to do or say something.

What if people were offered the following: 

• "If you still believe that elections are were changes are made, then we can not only provide candidates, but a vetting process that can adapted across different states and local governments to use in selecting candidates that didn't come up on the radar. While we don't encourage supporting anyone under the Democrat or Republican banners, we're leave it up to  you (the people) to decided whether or not to dismiss them entirely or set up a way to keep them honest throughout their term. Meanwhile, ballot initiatives will be provided (and accepted) that can give the people the policies that the elected officials have failed to enact." 
• "If you believe that actions must be taken outside of electoral politics, then we have programs nationwide that require leaders, volunteers, or just plain exposure. Choose between back-to-school programs, meal programs, building community centers/libraries, or joining groups that have a specific or general advocacy focus. You'll have the option to coordinate locally or with like-minded people in other cities, districts or states, and share ideas, tactics and experiences." 
• "If you believe both are equally important, we can provide hybrid solutions where you can provide support or be involved in either of the two major tracts."
• "In all cases, we can help provide outlets for supplies, reading material that supports/reflects our views, and space to for discussions/meetings."

Imagine offering this instead of (or in conjunction with) the regular justified criticism of Democrats and Republicans. Imagine a "hub of the Left" where every constructive thing that is currently being said and done is being shared with everyone, so that people are not only informed, but engaged and empowered. Imagine being about to share this with your friend, family or co-worker who you know just needs to be cleansed of the propaganda so they don't blindly follow capitalism off a cliff. 

Imagine focusing on the objectives more than the methods. 

We have the pieces; we just need to put it together.