The Democratic Party is No Longer Relevant: What Now?

In the past year, the last several months of which I have been taking a break from writing, it has become blatantly clear that the Democratic Party is not, nor has it been since JFK in my opinion, the party that represents the center and center-left of the voting public.  Quite obviously it has never been the party that represents the actual left, those of us who follow and to some degree adhere to economic and otherwise philosophies that are in direct contrast to free market capitalism and the survival of the fittest mentality it fosters.  The question remains, who does the Democratic Party represent?

The question I pose is fairly complex to answer, if indeed you are willing to consider "centrism" as a general political or philosophical operating assumption.  I do not.  In the immortal words of Jim Hightower, "There's nothing in the middle of the road but dead armadillos."  I can in no way, as a degree-holding political scientist, for what that's worth, support any theory that is based on "centrism".  Here's where the complexity comes in?  If the Democratic Party only represents the "centrists", that means two things: One, the party represents just as many (per capita) center right constituents as it does center left.  And two, it therefore defacto doesn't represent the true left (whatever that is) and the true right (whatever that is).  Well, we do know that many on the "true right" support the corporations that support the most anti-humanitarian policies known to man.  Hmm.  Can you see how complex this is?

I'm going to simplify it right now.  If the Democratic Party is focussed solely upon representing the "center", or the "middle" of the American voting public, it represents such a minority of the actual population, it is worthless.  We are lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) to have a general election where more than 50% show up to vote, so already, everyone who is elected is elected by a minority of the public for whom they will work.  Add to that the ridiculous first-past-the-post voting system we have and it immediately becomes clear that the Democratic Party is essentially a worthless, unfocused, money-poisoned interest group.  And that is to say nothing of the overly simplified access of the rich to the party apparatus.

All said, I think it is objectively obvious that the Democratic Party holds no relevance at all for those of us engaged in the struggle to build a needed revolution in America.  At best, it holds monetary relevance to the worldview of democratic free-market capitalists, who are themselves the cultish minority.  And for the rich, the Democratic Party holds great relevance, for they are in it for the money; the same money those in the halls of Congress are after, and in most cases already posses.  

As for me personally, I will be in Washington, DC occupying Freedom Plaza on October 6th to demand an end to corporate greed and a government intent on supporting human needs.  And while I am there, communing with thousands of non-violent, like-minded revolutionaries, I will be debating this question of political relevance in the American party system with some of the greatest minds around.  You should come too.  In fact, take the pledge: http://october2011.org/pledge This is the beginning.