It was 20 years ago today...

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

My father, a devoted student and teacher of history, loved to remind people, especially his impatient sons, that human events follow no prescribed path. His favorite examples were the Populist movement of the 1890s and the Socialist Party of Eugene V. Debs, both of which seemed for many years to have left little mark on America's national politics. Then came Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal, which enacted a minimum wage, Social Security, people's right to unionize, the 40-hour workweek, and other commonsense solutions first proposed by old radicals like Debs and the Populists.

I believe that some of the bright ideas we've championed in the pages of Utne -- ideas widely discredited as imprac-tical or radical in today's culture -- will be revived and someday seen as essential ingredients of American life. That's my dearest wish as we blow out candles on Utne's birthday cake.

But none of this is likely to happen until we bring new leadership to the White House, Congress, state capitols, and local governments. The year 2004 marks the most decisive American election since 1936, when Roosevelt's New Deal policies were overwhelmingly affirmed by voters in a hard-fought campaign. That's why we chose to focus on this year's election for our cover section.

The articles gathered here make a convincing case that 2004 may prove disappointing for George W. Bush and the corporate power brokers who stuff his campaign chest and draft his policy proposals. As mainstream journalists grow obsessed about 'swing' voters, generally well-to-do people who favor Republicans' economic plans and Democrats' milder views on social issues, we take a look at the folks who will really 'decide' the election (see page 53). Single women, immigrants, and rural folks will flock to Democratic candidates if the party takes a strong stand on issues of economic justice. To reach these voters, however, Democrats need to make some changes -- in their political priorities, their campaign strategy, and the way they talk about America's future.

In an effort to help boost democratic participation across America, we have teamed up with several partners (National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, World Caf?, the Conversation Caf?s) to launch Let's Talk America. It is an ambitious project aimed at getting Americans from all walks of life to sit down together and discuss what really matters to them this election year. (For more information on how to get involved, see page 60 and www.letstalkamerica.org)

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print