The Political-Industrial Complex, Part II
The Prairie Progressive
by Jim Larew
In
contrast with the era of the Iowa Democratic Party’s modern rebirth,
today, in too many instances, within the same Party, the proper order
of priorities has been reversed. An emphasis on organizational
politics, and concerns about the need for money to finance those
organizations, now frequently supplants and precedes any overt
commitment to liberal and progressive core values.
This
premise—that the Iowa Democratic Party needs to re-commit itself to a
substantive progressive agenda before focusing on matters that mere
technological fixes cannot remedy—is increasingly obvious to many party
activists, particularly in light of the November 2004 election.
But this
viewpoint is not frequently spoken about by Democratic Party officials
or by candidates who seek the support of Democratic Party activists.
Indeed, apologists for the losing status quo, persons whose voices are
given disproportionate access to the public forum, too frequently
explain and excuse the sad events of November 2004 with implausible
rationales.
Some of
these apologists are themselves entrenched in a formidable, growing new
industry, an expensive phenomenon that might well be called the
“political-industrial complex.” Often acting in the
capacity as “political consultants” and “experts,” their survival
appears impervious to political defeat. Ironically…participation
in losing causes appears to provide solid credentials for the next
campaign season.
If the
Party’s future is to be different than its recent past, its members
must re-establish the correct order of priorities. A dedication to
fundamental liberal values must precede any grand schemes for new
campaign machineries and strategies to finance the same.
A
successful Iowa Democratic Party of the future will be infused with
progressive and liberal ideas, led by persons who are at least as
concerned about the contents and substance of our State’s future
policies as they are about getting voters to the polls on time.
Only with sound, progressive public policies can citizens hope to enter and to remain in our increasingly fragile middle class.
~ Jim Larew is an attorney in private practice in Iowa City
To read the entire article (Part II), see the Summer 2005 issue of the Prairie Progressive, Iowa's oldest progressive
newsletter, available only in hard copy for $12/yr. PP, Box 1945, Iowa City
52244. Co-editors
of The Prairie Progressive are Jeff Cox and Dave Leshtz.
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