Everyone knows that our political system is broken. Scratch that – almost everyone knows that our political system is broken. Mmmm, I’ll try again. What looks broken to most of us is actually working very well for a select few. That about does it.

Our government is set up to protect the interests of wealthy elites. When they benefit, what happens to others is only incidental. Most Republican politicians direct people to blame others for their problems who are unlike them: “Illegal immigrants are taking our jobs and housing and bringing drugs; the Black urban poor are causing crime; Muslims are threatening our Christian way of life. We must band together against these threats to protect our freedom to take care of ourselves.” Most Democratic politicians claim to protect people from economic threats but throw others under the bus at the first opportunity: “We must protect our neighbors. We will try to implement immigration reform, police reform, and healthcare reform. But…oh no, we don’t have enough support for these things. We will do something…maybe.”

And so it went with the recent government shutdown. Democratic Senators claimed they wouldn’t vote for government funding unless it was paired with an extension to Obamacare subsidies, without which some people’s healthcare premiums would double or triple. Republicans didn’t care about people’s lapses in healthcare. After six weeks, seven Democrats and one Independent – including Dick Durbin, Senator of my home state of Illinois — caved and voted to reopen the government with nothing but Republicans’ verbal promise that there will be a future vote on these subsidies. Conveniently, all eight of these politicians are either retiring or are not up for reelection until at least three years from now. This suggests to many observers that this was not a simple matter of these eight happening to shift their opinion, but rather a deal designed by Democratic leadership to allow the government to reopen while most Democratic politicians looked like they were holding the line. The seven Democrats and one Independent could take the fall because they can’t be held accountable, which all the other Democrats who face campaigns next year can claim, “Look, we stuck to our guns.”

Democrats again failed to stand up for the American people while trying to shift the optics to claim that they did. This happens over and over. A majority of Americans and a supermajority of Americans who vote for Democrats want universal healthcare, but the party fails to substantially advocate for it or move on it, even when they hold a governing trifecta. A majority want reforms on immigration. Again, Democrats fail to deliver. A majority want to do something about climate change. Nada.

The reason is easy to see, and it brings us back to where we started: wealthy elites pay both Democrats and Republicans to work for their benefit, not the for the benefit of working people. Republicans say mean things about immigrants while Democrats say nice things, but neither party changes the immigration system. Republicans deny climate change while Democrats say it must be solved, but neither party regulates fossil fuels. Republicans say healthcare is working fine while Democrats say moderate reforms are needed, but neither party acts.

Should we abandon the Democratic Party entirely? I am not yet at that point. Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York gives me some hope that it can still be a useful vessel for the needs of working people. But I am far past viewing the party as our savior and the idea that we must support the Democratic nominee at any cost. A Democrat must earn my vote, just like any other candidate, by demonstrating what they have done and will do for working people. You say you will work to reform our labyrinthine immigration system? What have you done to address this already? You say you will cut carbon pollution? What have you already done? You say you will implement Medicare for All? How have you fought for it up until now?

Our political system is broken. Or put another way, it is constructed to serve wealthy elites. We can’t count on the existing parties – including the Democratic Party – to solve this problem. We need to elect politicians and institute reforms that take away the influence of money and ultimately place power back in the hands of those to whom it truly belongs: American working people.  

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