Blog 1, 6/4: Power & Citizenship in American Politics

In the article "Introverted Totalitarianism" by Sheldon Wolin, he states, "The Republicans have emerged as a unique phenomenon in American history of a fervently doctrinal party, zealous, ruthless, anti-democratic and boasting a near majority. As Republicans have become more ideologically intolerant, the Democrats have shrugged off the liberal label and their critical reform-minded constituencies to embrace centrism and footnote the end of ideology. In ceasing to be a genuine opposition party the Democrats have smoothed the road to power of a party more than eager to use it to promote empire abroad and corporate power at home."

While Sheldon Wolin describes the Republicans as self-interested extremists who want to end left wing idealistic thinking, he also criticizes the Democratic Party. He faults the Democratic Party for transitioning from a liberal pro-reform party to a "centralist" complacent party that offers no opposition to the Republicans, effectively paving the way for the rise of the Republican Party. This article was written in May 2003, only a few months after the start of the war in Iraq. The war in Iraq, bought with a lie of weapons of mass destruction, solidified America, as Wolin described, an "empire abroad."

Though this article was written 16 years ago, it is filled with timeless statements that may be even more valid today. This quote is head on by stating the Democrats provided almost no opposition to the Republican Party, forgetting their liberal pro-reform identity and contributing to the rise of the Republican Party. The passing of anti-illegal immigrant legislation, Arizona SB10 later modified (Arizona HB 2162), is evidence of this and the passing of anti-abortion laws by several states. I feel that not enough has been done by Democrats to oppose these anti-democratic laws as can be seen in Alabama, where Democrat Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier abstained from voting in the anti-abortion bill and in Louisiana where Democratic governor signed an anti-abortion law, once again showing the Democratic Party's lack of opposition. The Republican Party's zealot, anti-democratic and xenophobic rhetoric has been seen several times since 2003 most recently with the Mexican border crisis and Executive Order 13769.