The Duopoly’s Blue Dog Weapon
If Facebook is any measure, in a single day a new, strong trend has begun among progressives. Bernie is getting at least as much love as Biden, and I am afraid that there is an overwrought expectation that, as Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders will magically deliver the funding for the progressive programs he has been fighting for.
Many already believe that with Biden in the White House activists and their allies will relax their efforts, reckoning that Democratic control of government will automatically produce benefits for the people and environment. Now, there is a further risk of movement passivity stemming from the arguably unrealistic expectations of Bernie’s leadership of the budget committee.
The enthusiasm on both counts overlooks the existence of two important realities; the political duopoly and Blue Dog Democrats. The denial or ignorance of the duopoly is a fatal flaw shared by some progressives and many Dem voters alike. Despite all their feigning, the Democratic Party is as fully committed to neoliberal ideology as the Republicans. Since both Partys are in the employ of the oligarchs, decades ago they formed a partnership through which they monopolize US politics, effectively barring other political world views and their partys, such as progressivism, from gaining a foothold. Neoliberalism is a capitalist ideology that stands for the ruthless exploitation of human labor and natural resources strictly for the benefit of the owner class. The unsurprising collateral damage to families, society, and the environment is of no concern to the oligarchs and the duopoly that facilitates their ongoing ravaging of the nation.
A not-so-secret weapon of the Democrats as a duopoly partner are the Blue Dog Democrats. In the House, these very conservative DINOs have their own caucus numbering about 24. There are something like 10 Senate DINOs who, while not identifying as Blue Dogs, are the equivalent. The Party uses these members strategically to uphold neoliberal policy. If the Dems cannot rely on the Repubs to impede or defeat popular legislation that runs counter to 1% needs, they unleash just enough Blue Dogs to do the job. In this way, the Party can conceal its real anti-popular intentions and minimize its responsibility for the loss by having a handful of “rogue” members take the wrap.
Ignoring these two realities handicaps our efforts to move society forward. The duopoly is not our friend, and allowing it to operate unrecognized and unchallenged is essentially surrendering even before the battle begins.
