Joe Biden wins, Philadelphia celebrates.But behind the scenes the liberal and the left wing of the democrats are already fighting themselves.The main goal was to do Trump - but bidding is only a little better for the grass root movements.
By Caspar Shaller, Philadelphia
When Joe Biden is declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election on Friday, the crowd before the Convention Center in Philadelphia knows no stopping.Inside, the votes have been counted for days, two demos face each other outside.A measly assembly of Donald-Trump supporters swings American flags behind a grille, plus a rock from speakers from the eighties.On the other side of the grid, on the "Freedom Side" - the side of freedom - how someone calls, but there is the right party.Hundreds of people celebrate the election result that DJs of a music collective put on radio, hip-hop and electrical, they drown out the bad playlist on the Trump side, activists call sayings into the microphone, and the crowd cheers in time: "Count Every Vote!"- counts every voice!The orange hockey caps Gritty jumps through the crowd with Antifa logo on the chest.In the evening, a group appears as mailboxes disguised and thrown, blue and angular, for democracy.
Gut gelaufen ist die Wahl nicht
But with all the joy: A struggle between the different wings in the democratic party has already flared up.A struggle on how to interpret the election results, which strategies have fruited and for which topics you should now work.Because despite bidens victory, the election did not go well: Despite over 200,000 deaths, the presidency was won by Corona and an economic crisis..The party did not win the Senate as expected, and in the House of Representatives the democrats even lost MPs.On Thursday, the elected democratic representatives discussed the outcome of the election in a three -hour phone call.What a triumphal celebration should have been, became a crisis meeting.Many in the party give the fault of the amazingly bad performance to the progressive wing.The group around MPs such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York or Rashida Tlaib from Michigan has the image of the party with "left-wing radical" demands for "Medicare for All", state health insurance for all Americans, and "Defund The Police",damaged to save police budgets.With such positions, you don't win elections.
On CNN, the Republican John Kasich, former governor of Ohio, warned until the 2016 primary presidential candidate and trump opponent that the Democratic Party should not be put under pressure from the progressive wing.Kasich spoke at the Democratic Party Congress this year because he is considered moderate - and thus as a potential candidate for a post in the Bidens cabinet.With the appeal of Republicans, the political ditch is intended to bridge the country.Biden wants to form a government of unity to "heal the soul of America", as he says.A preliminary list of candidates for high offices consists of former investment bankers or politicians who have attracted unions with the privatization of pension systems.Posts for political stars such as Elizabeth Warren, who wants to regulate the financial industry more, or Bernie Sanders, who has been fighting for a better welfare state for decades, are considered excluded.
In an interview with the “New York Times”, the directly attacked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended itself against the accusation that left-wing demands have hurt the choice of democratic candidates.She opposed the fact that all candidates who had campaigned for “Medicare for All” in contested constituencies claimed their seats, while those who had spoken out were lost.The party leadership claims that the victory against Trump was achieved because moderate Republican voters were surrounded in suburbs - with the help of people like John Kasich.According to Cortez, Rashida Tlaibs constituency in Detroit went to bidges in Detroit, in Georgia Black-Lives-Matter activists had doubled the turnout and local political organizations had given up the election campaign in Pennsylvania.All of these groups would be fought internally by the party."My colleagues have to understand that we are not their enemies," said Cortez.
Klinkenputzen statt Urlaub
Jacob Swenson-Lengyel is also frustrated about the attacks of the party native.«We chose bidges, not the party officials, not the television advertising of the Lincoln Project.»Swenson is a spokesman for the PA stand Up group, an organization that does basic work in Pennsylvania and tries to put the democrats under pressure from the left (see WOZ No..25/2018).The Lincoln Project is the opposite: a group of former Republicans who collected donations to make election campaign against Trump and other rights politicians.The Lincoln Project advertised to be able to win moderate Republicans against Trump.Awareness achieved a biting, often funny commercials - but success was long in coming.Although the group collected record -high of $ 67 million, all candidates supported by them lost.Trump himself received more votes than in 2016: a total of 68 million, 5 million more than four years ago.
"Biden has won Pennsylvania because trade unionists from local organizations gave their nights, weekends and vacation to give him the presidency," says Swenson.8,000 PAS UP volunteers have operated for bidges for bidges for months.Their statistics read impressively: they have reached almost seven million households by phone and encouraged to vote.They spoke personally with over 400,000 voters.They are raved, knocked on doors, asked when people want to choose and why.But unlike other campaigns, they didn't leave it.Pa stand up is looking for in -depth conversations, not just about candidates, but on all topics.They want to know what moves people, be it in their street or at the federal level.They don't shy away from listening to people who support Trump.Again and again, says Swenson, he experienced that people could be voted in favor of listening to them, looking for similarities and showing new political solutions.Swenson calls this "deep canvassing" - "deep acquisition" -, it is concerned with long -term commitment and political mobilization, not just a choice.The Biden campaign this year has given up the traditional election campaign at the front door in the United States - officially because of the pandemic.She relied entirely on advertising by post and on television.This is very expensive, but according to numerous studies much less effective than the direct conversation.
Wie die russische Revolution
In Philadelphia, the unions, especially unite here, were also the representation of workers in the gastronomy and the casinos, says Paul Prescod on Saturday at the edge of the joyful demo to celebrate Trump's selection.On the Independence Mall, the park between high -rise buildings and brick buildings from the 18.Century, there are thousands and cheering speakers who conjure up the solidarity between workers and remember the Russian revolution with thunderous cheering "when the working class of the ruling class missed a kick in the ass".Of all things here: The Independence Mall is almost the birthplace of the United States, here the declaration of independence was read out in 1776.The demonstration, which was thundering with luck, is directed against Trump, but not for bidges.When the demo moves to the opulent town hall, you can see only a few “biden-hardis” posters between the “Black Lives Matter” banners and “Count Every Vote” signs.The speakers hardly mention their names, but call on to continue fighting for the rights of minorities and workers.Because everyone here is aware of: the main goal was to do Trump - but bidges only get a little better.
Paul Prescod also sees it that way.The logo of the teaching staff union is emblazoned on his red T-shirt.He is responsible for coordination with the unions at the Democratic Socialists of America."During the pandemic, eighty percent of the members of the Unite union have lost their job," says Prescod.«Nevertheless, they put all their energy into the election campaign against Trump.»Hundreds of volunteers - mainly black, Latinas and Latinos - knocked on over 500,000 doors in their arms and were able to register 30,000 people to vote who did not take part in the election in 2016.Biden won Pennsylvania with only 46,000 votes ahead.And this although Prescod says: «Trump has been the worst president for the workers' movement for a hundred years.»In reporting on the future Expernate, it has often been lost that he is not only a bad racist and women -facing, but also an enemy of the working class.His government issued as many laws to restrict the rights of workers like no government before.Trade unionists are now prohibited to talk about wages, working conditions or trade union work in public areas with employees.Even which buttons and T-shirts you can wear at work has been restricted."How should nurses fight for their rights if they are not allowed to talk about what they can do about poor working conditions in the canteen during the lunch break?" Asks Prescod.
Notfalls ein Generalstreik
Even if he is glad that Trump loses his office - the young teacher does not hope much from Biden."We trade unionists keep helping the Democrats to win elections, but we don't get anything back for that," he says.“Biden's story shows that he has always proven to politicize as a republican - and he is also proud of that too.»This goes from the collision of the welfare state to his cooperation with credit card companies to the notorious“ Crime Bill ”from 1994, which brought bidges into parliament and who sent millions of especially black young men into jail."We are ready to put him under pressure from day one," says Prescod.«We know from history that governments do not make politics without the pressure of unions and social movements that really helps people.»President Franklin D.Roosevelt only signed the famous New Deal after a strike room, and Lyndon B.In the 1960s, Johnson only acted against racial segregation after the mass demonstrations of the civil rights movement.A strong social basis is also the only way to deal with the Supreme Court in which Donald Trump sent three right judges.In addition to the conservative influence on cultural issues, this Supreme Court will also be a problem for workers, because it will try to block laws such as a strengthened right of strike.In contrast, you have to fight with huge demos or strikes, says Prescod."We will move to the front door of judges or politicians if it has to be," he says combative.
This also applies if Trump is still trying to proceed legally against his defeat: Unions from Chicago, New York, Vermont and Manchester published a statement shortly before the election, which called on to defend democracy against legal tricks or violent militias - and andbe it with a general strike.These are new tones from the US workers' movement.A leaked internal paper from the large AFL-CIO union association shows the new urgency: "We cannot trust that our institutions guarantee our voices," said the union, "workers must be willing to defend our democracy.»The new determination and militance showed itself last year: When all federal authorities had to conclude in 2019 due to a budget forecast, Sara Nelson, President of the AFL-CIO and the union of the flight staff, threatened with a mass strike if the federal budget was not released from parliament.The threat worked.With this new radicality, the unions move to the presidency Biden.At the end of October, Nelson said in a zoom seminar: «Be ready, in 2021 a hell year.»
But first Philadelphia celebrates the end of the four years of Trump.The music collective has shipped a DJ desk to wheels and pulls techno pumping through the city.People, old and young, black and white, flock out of the bars and dancing through the narrow streets.One of the DJs calls: «We want to donate community, people should come together through music, not drink alone at home.“She laughs and shakes her green hair in time of the music.«Today Philadelphia is really the city of fraternal love and sisterly affection.»
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