The Politics of Commonality and Compassion
If we continue to fight along the distracting lines of left vs. right, ordinary people will never move up the ladder of basic stability and thus be in a position to pursue happiness.
“This is the real point: that we are not really freaks at all . . . but the twisted realities of the world we are trying to live in have somehow combined to make us feel like freaks. We argue, we protest, we petition— but nothing changes.”
--Hunter S. Thompson, Freak Power Campaign 1970
Face value, unfortunately, is the standard assessment of anything these days, particularly anything political. Core value is either mistaken for the face value or neglected altogether. There is, and has been, an inclination to consume bitesized information in the form of headlines, soundbites, external virtue signaling, and baseless caricatures, all along the lines of feckless ideology and party deference. Fueled by pointless distractions, our political climate among the people is increasingly divisive.
Despite that, one would think that Joe Biden is the savior based on the inauguration coverage and his first week in office. However, what this first week has shown us is that these distractions are not going anywhere. And yes, these distractions are the same things that uphold an inequitable status quo that, as a result, gave millions of voters a belief that someone like Trump was a way out.
The media never tried to understand that and instead always covered anything pertaining to Trump negatively. Sure, Trump did a ton of things worth condemning, but the media never seemed to get on him for the issues that mattered. They were never able to fully capture the absolute imbecile that was in office who held up the status quo as much as any preceding president. They got after Trump for saying something crazy, or tweeting something offensive, or going out of their way to fill pointless narratives, like the pee tape or Russian collusion, with hot air.
They never seemed to care about the things Trump really screwed up on. And that's really strange because, given the idea that they didn't like Trump, wouldn't highlighting his uselessness on actual issues be a bigger knock on him that, in turn, would be capable of reaching a broader chunk of the electorate?
Rather than getting into the culture war debate, it would have been more useful to highlight the concrete failures. He ran on an "America first" platform, yet failed to bring manufacturing jobs back to the rust belt, and actually sent more overseas. The false hints of populism all vanished as seen with his tax breaks for the rich, which seemed to be the only thing he "got done" while in office. And of course, his anti-establishment demeanor was proven fickle with his aggressive continuation of the endless wars that saw more bombs dropped in places like Afghanistan and Yemen.
For one, it is a far more convincing argument when you can cite facts, especially ones that contradict campaign promises and common assumptions. Two, taking this line of critique as the main strategy would have sought to draw a bigger circle around the American people, creating an even larger number of those in opposition to Trump. And three, it would have kept the standards of the presidency at a high, reputable status.
Instead, the media pushed abstract feelings, mostly abstained from critiques grounded in hard reality, and continued to alienate anyone even remotely inclined to consider voting for Trump. The promotion of the black and white, or good vs. evil narrative anted up the divisions. With this binary thinking, it denied that Trump voters had any reasons for voting the way they did, and rather viewing it as an indication of racism and hate.
Of course, Trump did create a nook for racism and hate, but that was never an all-encompassing embodiment of who voted for him— generalizations are never accurate, but this is for sure: there are not 74 million racists in America. Besides, that is the kind of talking point that denies common humanity and continues to divide.
By neglecting to highlight actual failures in executive leadership for the last four years, the media has distracted from what presidential duty looks like. The media coverage shows that, in contrast to the Trump tantrums, Biden looks good. However, this only distracts from the greater duty of the president. The president is supposed to lead and creating lasting, beneficial change. Lincoln did that, FDR did that. But when you use former-President Trump as the comparison, you don't have to do much— and the likelihood that Biden will be as useless as Trump is that much higher. In fact, you will be able to get away with doing nothing.
Though, nobody should be surprised by this; the media does profit heavily from divisive partisanship and political outrage. In the end, however, whether it's an inflammatory buffoon or an elderly hack, nothing in the system will fundamentally change.
Through his first week, President Biden has done next to nothing. He quickly twisted the $2,000 checks promise—the promise he made in order to win those Georgia senate seats—into an intent to send $1,400 out in addition to the $600 checks. In fact, on the issue of checks and relief, Biden has agreed to consider working with conservatives to negotiate the $1,400 checks with the distinct intent of reducing the amount of people who get them by changing the eligibility. On top of that, this relief bill probably won't arrive until mid-March.
Biden also said this past weekend that there is nothing he can do to "change the trajectory of the virus" despite explicitly running on the promise to take control of the COVID-19 pandemic, writing back in October:
"We're eight months into this pandemic, and Donald Trump still doesn't have a plan to get this virus under control.
I do."
Perhaps most notably, "the kids in cages" horror has not been addressed by Biden even though he promised he'd sign an executive order targeting that injustice on his first day in office.
And yes, Biden has done some good things so far. No doubt, the eradication of the Muslim ban, the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline permit, the readmission to the Paris Climate Accord, and the order to end private prison contracts are all phenomenal things, but it's a reminder of how easy life is when being compared to Donald Trump.
Anything Trump signed into law by executive order or not signed is either being reversed or signed through executive order by Biden. It shouldn't take away from the good of the recent orders, but it is a sign of how divisive waves of executive orders can be. If each president steers things in the direction opposite their partisan predecessor, the road to achieving anything beneficial becomes haphazard and unproductive.
Biden has also reinforced the false narrative that Democrats and Republicans can finally work together. Democrat and Republican legislators, when the useless culture war debates are not exploding on social media and cable news, agree on a lot. Sure, they may not agree on health care or social issues, but on the issues that keep them in power and keep their elite, corporatist donors happy, they always agree.
This is the common sentiment about establishment politicians, and thus the vast majority of Washington D.C. The issues show that establishment power seeks to retain that power, from wars, to increased surveillance rights, and to money in politics. These nightmarish political realities recur year after year, and administration after administration. And they always find ways to make it look inconspicuous, or, if they're lucky, attractive.
It's likely to continue treading on the same path under Biden, especially after Trump's inflammatory presidency, where "unity" is a good political look for a large portion of the country. But this idea of "unity" is based solely on the idea that establishment Democrats and Republicans are not fundamentally on the same page. It is a false sense of unity, one for the stage. In reality, with Democrats having the White House and the majority in both chambers, they should be able to direct the nation forward in a particular direction, offering meaningful and beneficial changes to the country.
Of course, there are plenty of opportunities to put money in the pockets of struggling Americans, but Biden is not showing any urgency in making those changes. In fact, like any establishment politician, he seems to care very little for the lower classes. As a result, the divisiveness will not go anywhere, and with the resulting profit bombs the media gets from a divisive political climate, they are doubling down on the stagnation.
Already, partisan-minded citizens direct much of the blame for their struggles towards their political opposites, but if they continue to struggle, or even sink deeper into them, what difference does it make that there is agreement across the aisle if it doesn't help them? Sure, Biden will hear Republicans out, but outside of Washington, in the real world, life isn't about left and right, it's about up and down. It's not a partisan dispute, it's a class dispute.
The Obama administration came in vowing to hold corporate jagoffs accountable for the economic crisis and to slowly pull the nation out of these tail-chasing wars on terror. None of that happened. No matter how convincing they are, establishment politicians never follow through on the majority of their promises, particularly the ones that would ease the burden for everyday Americans.
We have not heard Biden say anything about the massive deal reached this past weekend by way of a people-powered labor movement in the Bronx, New York. Lead by Teamsters Local 202 and through an organized strike, workers of the Hunts Point Produce Market reached a deal that would increase hourly wages by a minimum of 70¢, and raise that number to $1.85 after three years.
In the week prior, on January 17, 1,400 workers voted in favor of the strike to protest a wage dispute. The market distributes about 60% of the region's produce and its workers have worked through the whole pandemic, risking their lives, and the health of their families. In the initial demand for fairer wages, workers asked for a $1-an-hour raise only to be offered a mere 32¢. This was coming from a company that generates $2 billion in annual revenue and received $15 million-plus in forgivable Payment Protection Program loans.
On the 19th, shortly after midnight, police in riot gear broke the picket line and made five arrests for a noise complaint ironically enough. At the time, in the dead of night and freezing cold, 400 were in the line. According to Local 202 president Daniel Kane Jr., it was seen as a bit of an "overreaction," but through it all the strike kept on, and always kept its focus on achieving the end goal.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez skipped the inaugural ball and showed up to the streets where bundles of wood pallets burned to generate heat in the January cold, distributing Cafe Bustello and hand warmers. Mayoral candidates Andrew Yang, Rep. Ritchie Torres, and Maya Wiley also made appearances to show support for the labor movement.
The deal, reached on January 23, will take most of the workers' wages above $20-an-hour after the three years. Beforehand, most workers were making about $18-an-hour, and some made as little as $15 or $16-an-hour. Along with the wage increase, the deal also keeps workers from being required to pay more money into their family health benefits as management had initially sought.
So far, the president has played the stage role of a hero and has not actually gone above and beyond to really deserve that kind of praise. He makes it look like he emulates actual American heroes, but he has yet to show that he can follow through. It is funny that Biden has the portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (the king of the first 100 days) up in the Oval Office despite all his surprising sluggishness in spite of a wide open window to get things done, many of which have to do with everyday Americans' economic future. Equally as ironic is the bust of Cesar Chavez that sits behind his desk given the lack of recognition for a sizable labor movement that showed the changes that can be generated from people-powered organizing.
It is simply not enough to get by because you're not Donald Trump. A president has to fight for change, not cast the illusions of change. It seems so easy, though, to appeal to everyday Americans commonality, casting aside political ideology or party. And yet Biden's eyes are so hopelessly aimed through that lens of political difference.
Perhaps, it's the people power that is the deterrent. People-powered change, as we saw with the Hunts Point Produce Market, is the sign of people, united by the struggles of reality, organizing to make their existence, needs, and demands known to those in power. Historically, it fights for things like civil rights, fair wages, and peace, and it always challenges the status quo.
But actual unity among working Americans is not something the establishment wants. Power and ratings will remain atop the game and continue to rise when common Americans disagree. Divisive politics and conflict attracts viewers and it stands as a roadblock in the way of everyday Americans ability to recognize their common humanity. If we continue to fight along the distracting lines of left vs. right, ordinary people will never move up the ladder of basic stability and thus be in a position to pursue happiness.
While Americans are busy hating each other, the political establishment further cements their place in the throne of absolute authority. And like all the modern presidents before him, Biden keeps up with the trend of increasing their power. Just this time, with a media utterly infatuated with him, allowing that power to grow unchecked.
Biden had all the money going his way through the 2020 election. With the massive help of elites from Silicon Valley to Big Pharma, the Biden campaign amassed over $1 billion in donor money for the recent election. He out-raised Trump, and seemingly all sectors of industry donated heavily to Biden.
All the money and power is trending towards Biden, and the establishment looks like it will stay on top. So while Americans hate each other, the corporate elite are rallying together.
That's the unifying problem: the elite keeping the bottom 99% under their boot. This is a class struggle that is apparent in Washington's tangible corruption and industry's growing wealth, all juxtaposed with the everyday struggles of ordinary people. That would be the us vs. them, if there ever was such a cookie-cutter view of the world; perhaps it wouldn't define the complexities of reality, but it would be a productive way of easing the common burden of living in an oligarchy.
Politics, through greed and distractions, have made outcasts of us all, drunk with mistrust at other outcasts. Since politics is always going to necessary to implement change, it is time to start embracing politics of compassion to combat distractions. That's an idea from Marianne Williamson, who wrote a book called A Politics of Love: A Handbook for a New American Revolution. This is something we have seen before, in other candidates, just not the ones that were able to successfully complete the maze of greed and deceit.
And it's not just Williamson who adopts this style of politics, we saw many others in the same Democratic primary. Sanders, of course, is a champion of the people, fighting against corporate and party corruption that keeps everyday people down. Andrew Yang, the founder of Humanity Forward, the modern day champion of Universal Basic Income before pandemic relief was a thing, and who famously said on the debate stage the truest thing about Trump: he is not the source of our problems, but "a symptom of a disease that has been building up in our communities for years and decades." And Tulsi Gabbard, who, as a combat vet, sees the dangers of foreign intervention and the Military Industrial Complex first hand, and who—above all—is always calm, clear, and level-headed when calling out establishment lies and when having to deal with or respond to being misrepresented and demonized with baseless smears.
Politics driven by compassion and common humanity is the antithesis of the politics of greed and distractions. Distractions move nothing. Hate creates more hate. But you know—and it may be cliché—but love can move mountains. And maybe mountains can't be moved, but if people can come together and at least try to, then in the end, they can at least have some harmony among them knowing they gave it their all.
This sounds like hippie-stuff, but you may forget the political aspect of this. It is very integral to change. The game is politics, and we can't quit the game otherwise any hope for change caves in fast. All we can do is get together because when we are able to recognize our common humanity and draw that broader circle around us, it will be at that point when we can debate the finer details of policy and political direction. Until then, we have to see the similarities.
It may seem hard to try to draw that bigger circle around ordinary people, but it only seems difficult. Americans are diverse in backgrounds, opinions, and lifestyles, and that will always be the case. However, it is not something to cringe at, it should be celebrated, and that's because it is an opportunity to understand. If we fail to try to understand, we will never learn and never progress.
Pariahs should not be neglected and ridiculed; the least we can do is try to understand. In this world of distractions that fool us into trying to simplify a vastly complex world, we are all pariahs and outcasts. It's just time to get together because though true happiness is subjective, the right to find it is should be an objective right.
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