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Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted
from the Oct. 24, 1996
issue of Workers World newspaper
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Opinion polls show that boredom is the number-one response to the Bill Clinton-Bob Dole election contest.
It's not surprising. Nothing much of substance separates the two candidates.
Does that mean there are no issues facing the workers? Of course not. It just means that both Clinton and Dole have brought evasion to a fine art. They both avoid debating the real issues while focusing on differences of style rather than substance.
The so-called debates between Clinton and Dole are boring because they've excluded all other opponents. By mutual agreement between the two capitalist parties, the issues that are of concern to the majority in this country- working-class issues-are not debated at all. The agenda is set completely by the elite. The only voices allowed are those of rich, white men.
The tax cut Bob Dole talks about is a tax cut to aid businesses. The capital gains tax he wants to eliminate is an issue of interest to the rich.
Instead of that, how about raising taxes on the wealthy and their profits while eliminating taxes on workers' wages? Why not let that point of view be heard? That would certainly stir up a lot of interest. But you won't hear it from Clinton.
He just keeps saying how he's "good for business."
There's no debate on how racism hurts all workers in this country and helps only the exploiters. No debate on the burning of Black churches.
What do these candidates have to say about CIA crack dealing in South Central Los Angeles? Dole could hit Clinton hard for his failure to act decisively on this one. Except Dole was the head of the Senate when all this was going on and probably knew of the dirty dealing all along.
Or what about the anti-immigrant repression being unleashed across the country? Both Clinton and Dole support the new anti-immigrant laws, so that is left out of the debate. No one is allowed to speak in defense of immigrant rights.
What about the AIDS epidemic? Or gay rights in the military? Or same-sex marriages? There's no debate because there is no difference between the two.
One of the more interesting aspects of this year's election campaign is the role of the AFL-CIO. The labor federation has made a significant shift from political passivity to political activism. News reports, which may be exaggerated, say that the AFL-CIO is spending $40 million in its election-year strategy.
While the Wall Street Journal may rant against the AFL-CIO's involvement in this year's elections, most workers are glad when the unions begin to take action to defend the interests of the working class.
But the AFL-CIO's election strategy hasn't just provoked the ire of Wall Street. It has provoked a hot debate in the ranks of the union movement itself. How can the AFL-CIO possibly justify supporting as anti-labor a candidate as Bill Clinton?
Clinton has a solidly anti-labor record, beginning with his support of the union-busting NAFTA trade agreement during his first year in office to his signing of the welfare cuts last month. That was a body blow to labor because it means that people are forced onto "workfare"-a modern form of slave labor.
In fact, the debate is so hot inside the unions that the AFL-CIO barely ever mentions that it has endorsed Bill Clinton. Instead, almost all its election work is focused on TV advertisements that raise particular issues or support particular Congressional candidates and never mention Clinton.
The union movement covers only about 14 percent of the work force. In the 1950s it was more than twice that.
The ruling class is organized. It's got not only the government but hundreds of commerce associations and lobbying organizations. Even the small capitalists have some sort of organization. It reflects their strength.
But the mass of the workers, especially the poorest, are not organized.
Once the elections are over, the real debate will begin. When it comes to jobs, wages, health care, workers will ask those in office, which side are you on? The side of the bosses or the side of the workers?
During the election campaign, it seems as though all these things will be solved by voting. But once the hoopla is over, the truth becomes clearer: The ballot box can only be a barometer of where the people are at. In order to achieve their needs and desires, the struggle of mass movements is everything.
- END -
(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@wwpublish.com. For subscription info send message to: ww-info@wwpublish.com. Web: http://www.workers.org)