Two years ago today, Jim Bacon wrote a column titled “Elections, Shmelections. Nothing has changed.”
That column deserves to be reread with care. From the perspective of the long term trajectory of civilization, NOTHING WAS CHANGED by yesterday’s election except the level of hype.
Barack Obama could be the best president the US of A has ever had and that would not change the current trajectory on contemporary society.
The future is not about what President Elect Obama – or any other President – can or will do. The future is about what citizens and their Organizations have already done, individually and collectively, and will do, especially collectively and primarily at the New Urban Region scale.
This is true whether or not Senator Obama is able to implement his agenda. Check out the Obama platform on taxes and spending, housing stimulus and the bailout, retirement security, trade, foreign policy, access to health care, offshore drilling, climate change, immigration, education and the culture war issues. They are great pre-1973 ideas but will they really result in “change” much less yield Fundamental Transformation to a sustainable trajectory?
To be fair with the Elephant Clan promising pre-1973 “growth and prosperity” had the Donkey Clan been more realistic, they would have been hammered by the voters. That is because the vast majority who went to the polls believe in Big Rock Candy Mountain.
And why do they believe in Big Rock Candy Mountain? That is what both Clans have been promising for 35 years.
In neither Clan’s platform were there substantive proposals for Fundamental Transformation in governance structure to reflect economic, social and physical reality. There was not even the call for a Balance of individual rights with community responsibilities that was in both the Bush I and Clinton platforms of 1992.
There were no proposals that would result in a Fundamental Transformation in human settlement pattern.
Both Fundamental Transformations are necessary to preserve democracy with a market economy.
An ‘historic’ election? The only historic aspect is that finally citizens MAY have put aside prejudices that were contrary to the principles upon which the US of A was founded 233 years ago – slavery and racism.
On 5 November citizens and their Organizations are faced with the same human settlement pattern they had on 3 November – the Helter Skelter Crisis. That crisis has resulted in:
The Mobility and Access Crisis, and
The Affordable and Accessible Housing Crisis
The later of which has triggered a Global financial meltdown.
Reversing the Helter Skelter Crisis is the only path to shrinking the ecological footprint of humans, reducing energy consumption and dependence on foreign petroleum as well as enhancing personal and food security along with other key elements of a sustainable trajectory for civilization.
Although they make important observations, there is something profoundly frustrating about the posts “A Few Pre-Election Thoughts,” (3 Nov) and “Va, Welcome to the Real World,” (5 Nov) by Peter Galuszka and “Democracy in Action,” (4 Nov) Jim Bacon. These posts imply that who gets elected and which party they represent (note: “which PARTY they represent) makes a difference. Political party monopoly is bad, the current political party duopoly is worse.
In the ESTATES MATRIX we document why MainStream Media has abandoned the Fourth Estate. Watching the election coverage on the ‘major’ networks and cable channels last night and then reading the election coverage in today’s press makes it clear:
MainStream Media is dependent on political party duopoly is pseudo “competition” for revenue.
“Let’s you and him fight” political ‘coverage’ is a huge contributor to MainStream Media’s bottom line. According to WaPo the two parties spent over $375 million dollars on “media and advertising” for the top of the ticket from June trough election day.
Political candidate and party ads plus the ‘issue’ ads intended to generate bail-out proceeds, defense contracts and to obscure responsibility for the Global financial meltdown (and other hot air issues) make up the majority of ad revenue. The prime drivers of dysfunctional settlement patterns – Large, Private Vehicles and Dream Homes – ad revenue is in the tank along with the advertisers.
In a democracy there is no sustainable path to Elephant Clan recovery. That is because the Clan would have to convince 50.5 percent of the voters in key states that they are enjoying to fruits of “growth and prosperity.” That is not possible when the “growth and prosperity” they tout has been subsidized by burning thru natural capital that has been and / or is being exhausted.
This is not just the problem with oil but with all resources from blue crabs to top soil, to potable water. The natural capital is not completely gone yet but it will be more inaccessible and much more expensive in the future. Resources will be affordable only by those at the top of the economic Ziggurat and they do not make up 1 percent of the voters, much less 50.5 percent.
Oh yes, there is a way to lower the cost – a recession. A depression works even better. But that does not make those voters at the bottom of the Ziggurat happy.
Culture War issues are no longer a viable refuge for the Elephant Clan. Concerning the Culture Wars the op ed “Last of the Culture Warriors” by Peter Beinart in the 3 Nov 2008 WaPo is a must read.
In a democracy with a market economy there is no sustainable path for the traditional platform of the Donkey Clan either. The only option is rabid populism because there are not enough resources to support continued Mass OverConsumption, especially with dysfunctional human settlement patterns.
The favorite weapons of the Clan wars and also not available. Derogatory labels are not only useless – as the results from yesterday’s election show – hurling misleading epithets at the other party is ineffective and probably counter-productive. Calling someone a fascist, ultra conservative, right wingnut, center right, center, center left, liberal, ultra liberal, left wingnut, socialist, communist – and all the other labels – is meaningless.
Scaring citizens by suggesting that the other party wants to take away their ‘freedom’ or ‘taxing the poor to support the rich’ is will not work. Neither will using ill defined terms like “limited government,” “free markets” or “rule of law” when those in public office violate their responsibility to protect community interests.
Party labels have been stretched and distorted to include at least 50.5% of those who come out to voter. (By the way, “Donkey Clan” and “Elephant Clan” were not invented by EMR or Jim Bacon. EMR first heard about them from a political scientist who describes himself as a “recovering Republican.” The Clan designations have a useful ‘tribal’ ring and have been adopted into the SYNERGY Lexicon.)
Where to from here?
“Politics is broken.” Partisan two party competition is a dead end. Bipartisan ‘cooperation’ is worse and a nonpartisan agenda not much better. Bipartisan and nonpartisan catchalls mask the need for Fundamental Transformation. How about an Antipartisan strategy?
Drop the superficial political spectrum labels – call them all Core Confusing Words.
Spell out principles such as those in The Shape of the Future with respect to human settlement patterns or those dealing with managing the economy in the “IT IS ELEMENTARY” post of 10 October 2008 on this Blog.
Define objectives using clear, well defined terms within a comprehensive Conceptual Framework.
Spe
ll out the strategy to achieve the objectives and seek broad agreement on the tactics to achieve the objectives. With respect to human settlement pattern, SYNERGY lays out a Three Step Process in HANDBOOK.
The Antipartisan approach is to create a broad consensus based on agreement of the vast majority of stake holders with the level of decision being the level of impact.
The biggest problem for some will be that an inclusive Antipartisan process will “slow things down.” Slowing things down in a society where speed has burned through natural capital and atomized society is a good thing, not a bad thing. Small is beautiful and Regional is the new Global.
Note on Vocabulary:
Google and Webster, Third Edition indicate that “Antipartisan” is a new word so we capitalized it. Antipartisan.com is an available domain name. Jim Bacon’s “Elections, Shmelections, Nothing Has Changed” column drew a suggestion from Groveton concerning a new “third” party. Perhaps what is needed is an antiparty?
EMR
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