Occupy Wall Street is the best thing that has happened to the Democratic Party in a long time. Finally, a movement has come along to reveal a hard edge of a party that has been taking soft stances on too many issues for too many years.
Despite whatever rhetoric has been going around since the creation of the Tea Party, the Democratic Party is America's only true populist party. The Democrats are populists because they stand up for the economic interests of the many and against the greed of the few. But since the 1970s, our populist party has lacked the conviction that it needs to inspire confidence and lead America to a better future. The Democratic Party's relativism is to blame.
It makes sense that the Democratic Party is prone to relativism and the Republican Party is not. The Democratic Party is the party that supports individuals' right to marry whom they want, regardless of gender. The Democratic Party is against schools teaching the Christian Bible; in short, the Democrats accept what is right for some may not be right for others. In contrast, Republicans generally have a far more homogenous ideal for America. In their view, one man and one woman lead every household and go to Church every Sunday. The Republican world is a simpler world than the one we live in.
This simplicity has become imbedded in the Republican Party's DNA and denies its opponents any claim to truth. The Republicans' refusal to admit any rationality on the part of opponents leads to hyperbole. Apparently Obama is a socialist who is attempting to undermine the Constitution.
Rhetoric that portrays Democrats as worthless dregs, undeserving of even a modicum of respect, abounds. Not all Republicans believe it, but they all benefit from the fact that others do. And until Occupy Wall Street, there has been no satisfactory liberal response to the Republican Party's irrationality.
In a column for The Daily Beast, Lee Siegel wrote that Occupy Wall Street's "job is to tear off the mask of manipulative rhetoric and show the reality of brute power." He continues, speaking directly to the protestors, "be inclusive. Protest the government's indifference to the physical and mental health problems and the often-vulnerable financial circumstances of returning veterans... Embrace everyone hurt by the greedheads and their political enablers."
These are some of the points of interest that liberals share. If Occupy Wall Street truly represents the factions within the Democratic Party coming together around these rallying cries, the Republican Party should shutter.
Occupy Wall Street allows the blue-collar union member and the Upper West Side gay rights activist to finally find their voice. If the spirit of the protests lasts, the Democratic Party can stop Republican rhetoric in its tracks and speak with conviction again.
To quote "The West Wing," the pattern of political discourse has been predictable for many years. Republicans "came along and said that liberal means 'soft on crime.' 'Soft on drugs.' 'Soft on communism.' 'Soft on defense.' And 'we're gonna tax you back to the Stone Age because people shouldn't have to go to work if they don't want to.' And instead of saying, 'Well, excuse me, you right-wing, reactionary xenophobic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-choice, pro-gun, Leave-it-to-Beaver-trip-back-to-the- '50s!' we cowered in the corner and said, 'Please. Don't. Hurt. Me.'"
Well, "no more." A new world is upon us if Occupy Wall Street is successful at inspiring the liberal base of this country with a new confidence in its common purpose.
If this inspiration succeeds, the days of running away from our ideals will be over. We should be so lucky.
Sam Vitello is a member of the Class of 2013.