The Self-Destructive Left

As Biden clings on and insists he will run again for President, the American left isn’t unanimous in putting up a different candidate. Even as it is increasingly likely that concerns about Biden’s mental faculties in a second term will cost the party the election. Surely Biden cannot be the best/only option in the Left?

 

This reminded me of the Deccan Herald editorial about the deadlocked French election recently. After the first round, it looked like the Far Right would come to power – I’ve been hearing this since I was in college: the French Far Right will do best in the first round; alarm bells and media frenzy will start; the remaining parties will pair (gang?) up; the Far Right won’t win; and France will heave a collective sigh of relief. It turned out the same this time too. Except, this time, nobody got anything close to a majority. And yet, the editorial says:

“(The French election) revives the hope that the lurch to the Right the world over is not inevitable, especially when it is thwarted by a combination of smart politics and determined voters.”

A hung parliament. Parties coming together only to block another group, not based on any ideological or policy similarity. A prospect of a deadlocked parliament not being able to govern. This is what is called “hope”? Because, hey, the important thing is that the Right didn’t come to power.

 

We saw the same thing in India too. Yes, the election results were a spectacular slap in the face for the Right; and unexpectedly high numbers for the Left. But the Left got so caught up in their “moral” victory that they seemed to forget that Modi and the BJP still came back to power – wasn’t preventing that the intent?

 

World over, even when the fear of the Right is high among many, even when polarization is so high, the Left just can’t seem to find candidates for the top job who resonate with the public (or even with the supporters of the Left). The single point agenda is just a negative – not Trump, not Modi, not the Far Right in France. Will the Left govern well, do they have the right leader(s), what policies do they have in mind (other than blocking “Fascism”, of course) - none of these questions matter to the Left or to many (not all) of their supporters. But of course, these questions do matter to other supporters of the Left who are then not full hearted in their support anymore.

 

Perhaps the Left could remember what the right-wing PM of Italy, Georgia Meloni said:

“The constant attempt to demonise and corner people who don't vote for the left... is a trick that fewer and fewer people fall for.”

Have a positive message instead. Tell what you stand for, not just what you are against. And for God’s sake, come up with better lead candidates that inspire hope and rally voters. Or is there such an ideological vacuum in the Left that none of these things are possible from within?

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