Leftward Ho!

German and American voters are shifting dramatically to the left, and the major political parties are peddling furiously to catch up.  This report just in on the German Green Party annual conference taking place in Nuremberg this weekend:

"Germany's Green Party voted for an increase and extension of social security spending Saturday, partly rejecting some of the reforms the party itself approved when in government.

At the party's three-day annual conference in Nuremberg -- which started Friday -- more than half the 800 delegates voted in favour of extending benefits for the long-term unemployed."

This comes after the recent conference of the Social Democrats in Hamburg which was characterized by a "leftist turn" away from the neo-liberal Agenda 2010 implemented by the former SPD/Green coalition under Gerhard Schroeder.  Actually, the SPD had no choice, since it was being badly outflanked on the left by the Left Party ( Die Linke) which has lately attracted both voters and political defectors from the SPD. The trend was already clear after the national election in 2005 when the Greens,SPD and Left Party captured collectively the majority of the votes cast. Up to now, the Social Democrats have treated the Left Party as "untouchables". But there are signs that this isolation-policy may be changing.  A couple of weeks ago the weekly magazine Freitag featured a 3-way conversation between leaders of the SPD, Greens and Left Party.  André Brie of the Left Party made the following observation:

Wir haben - erstmals in der bundesrepublikanischen Geschichte - die Möglichkeit einer strukturellen und kulturellen Mehrheit jenseits von CDU, CSU und FDP. Für meine Partei kann es jedoch nicht einfach um ein numerisches Bündnis gehen. Auch nicht darum, einen Mindestkatalog, wie ihn Oskar Lafontaine beschrieben hat - Rente mit 67, Mindestlohn, Afghanistan und so weiter - abzuarbeiten. Es müsste ein strategisches Projekt sein - es geht um gravierende Veränderungen in der gesamten Sozialpolitik, der Beschäftigungspolitik, der Umweltpolitik, der Außenpolitik und der Demokratie in diesem Land. Dazu brauchen wir einen Wandel im geistigen Klima, weil es nur dann eine gesellschaftliche Bewegung geben kann, die ein solches Bündnis trägt.

In the US there is also a chance to achieve "a structural and cultural majority" (Brie) on the left.  After seven years "Bush fatigue" has set in as independent voters reject the neo-conservative foreign policy abroad and the massive transfer of wealth to the very rich at home. On every issue, from the Iraq War. to healthcare, to social security, to the environment, public sentiment leans heavily in favor of the Democrats. The hot-button social issues of previous elections such as abortion and gay rights have receded in importance for all but the extreme "Christian" conservatives.  There are indications that we will see a major "tectonic shift" in the 2008 presidential election that will usher in a long period of Democratic rule reminiscent of the 1932 election that brought FDR to power:

"Democrats believe they are on the cusp of what Schumer calls a "seminal election" that shifts the "plate tectonics" of the political map, shoring up a lasting Democratic majority for the next political generation. Schumer likens next year to 1932, a political watershed that led to Democratic control of the White House for 28 of the next 36 years and a Democratic majority in Congress over most of that period."The numbers are at record levels for Democrats," Schumer said, pointing to most recent polling data favoring his party over Republicans on many issues.On five key issues -- the Iraq war, healthcare, the economy, taxes and immigration -- Democrats hold advantages ranging from 6 to 27 percentage points over Republicans in terms of which party is more trusted. Only on combating terrorism do Republicans hold an edge, 42 to 41 percent, over Democrats"

The only question in both Germany and the US is: will the political leaders have the courage to keep pace with the electorate?

Comments

[Nancy Hanks]

Excellent Question: The only question in both Germany and the US is: will the political leaders have the courage to keep pace with the electorate?

Let's not hold our breath! But let's do keep organizing the unorganized!