Items in bold are current.
This statement was developed by the National Coordinating Committee of the BRC.
We offer our solidarity and support for this analysis of the current crisis.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2000
Statement on the Post-Election Crisis
It's about the vote, stupid...
There he is: Vice President Al Gore defending democracy. But yes,
sisters and brothers, there is a fight underway which is not about
the elections. It is about the vote and about the inconsistent
nature of democracy in the capitalist USA.
What became very clear immediately after the November Election is
that the Republican Party and segments of the Democrats were more
concerned about the formality of an election rather than its
content. When Democrats, such as New Jersey's Toricelli, suggested
that Gore move toward concession, he was saying, in essence, that
having gone through the formality of the election, the content was
irrelevant. It did not matter to him and many other politicians that
there were all sorts of irregularities, not to mention allegations
of fraud. The USA went through an election and that was that as far
as they were concerned.
In the past this sort of approach would have been called a
"demonstration election". This is the sort of election which the USA
insists upon across this globe, particularly in the Third World.
Have the formality of political parties. Have the formality of
people casting their votes. Ignore irregularities. Ignore the
question of whether the franchise is complete and fair. Go through
the steps and let the candidate most favorable to the imperialist
agenda win.
November 2000 was a demonstration election as far as major segments
of the ruling class were concerned.
It should not be for us.
The November Election witnessed problems not only in Florida, but
allegations in cities ranging from New York to Chicago to New
Orleans. African-American and Latino voters found themselves
interrogated by police, stopped at road blocks, as well as being
subject (along with many other voters) to bizarre balloting systems.
As a result, thousands of votes were not counted.
This is not only about the counting and manual counting of ballots
which were run through the machines. It is about the thousands of
ballots which were ignored because they were double punched or
otherwise rendered useless.
The pollsters tell us that the US public is tired of this situation.
Part of that alleged fatigue is probably rooted in the fact that the
issue has not been appropriately characterized or framed. Indeed,
counting and recounting the existing ballots can be tiresome, but
the issue before this country is about voting rights vs
disenfranchisement. This is not about statistics, nor is it about
competence. Nor is it about who wins the final election. It is about
whether a vote has any meaning whatsoever.
In our gut, African-Americans, and many other people of good will,
understand that the election is on the verge of being stolen. We
understand that ignoring the thousands of votes cast in Palm Beach
County, for example, means that the voices of masses of regular
people were ignored and their actions deemed meaningless. In fact,
what is even more outrageous has been the implication raised by many
on the political Right that it was ok to ignore the votes of
thousands because those folks were allegedly too stupid to figure
out what to do once they arrived at the poll and therefore they did
not need to be voting anyway. Leaving aside that this sentiment is
unconstitutional, it also evidences the true intentions of the
political Right in this fight: to reduce the franchise to those
with money, power and education. In other words, to ensure that the
political realm reflects the realities of economic neo- liberalism:
a smaller and smaller elite deciding on the future for a larger and
larger body of the dispossessed.
We, of the Black Radical Congress and the Anti Racism Commission,
believe that this struggle is far from over. This should not be seen
as solely a legal -- in the courts -- struggle, though litigation is critically
important. This should be seen as a cause for action in the streets, and
in all facets of this society. Supporters of democracy need to be agitating
about this situation. We need to be writing columns, op-eds, letters
to the editor, calling talk-show programs. We need to be holding
picket lines and handing out flyers. We need to be supporting
demonstrations and civil disobedience, if necessary, which calls
attention to the violations of democracy underway.
There is a story passing through the Internet about how this
situation is being perceived in the Third World. The story
identifies different aspects of what is happening and notes that if
this electoral crisis was taking place in the Third World there
would be hell to pay. Supporters of democracy should take this
observation seriously, and not let this situation be brushed under
the rug nor the subject of some sort of unprincipled compromise.
Regardless of our stands on whether people should have voted for
Nader or Gore, that is all irrelevant at this moment. What is
relevant is the battle for democracy. We need to use this battle,
not simply to beat back the Right-wing's flagrant efforts to
disenfranchise entire sections of the population, but in order to
advance the struggle. The struggle for democracy must now challenge
the archaic and elitist electoral system of this country. We should
be fighting for consistency in ballots and balloting procedures. We
must fight to build the power of those traditionally
disenfranchised.
This is not a time for despair, but a time for agitation and
action.
Black Radical Congress National Office Columbia University Station
P.O. Box 250791 New York, NY 10025-1509 Phone: (212) 969-0348 Email:
blackradicalcongress@email.com Web:
http://www.blackradicalcongress.org
DSA: www.dsausa.org/antiracism
