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Politics

Parteien brauchen Programme

Sep 2, 2020 Jan-Werner Mueller

BERLIN – Der jüngste Nationale Parteitag der Republikaner war aus viele Gründen skandalös – vom Missbrauch des Weißen Hauses als Wahlkampfkulisse (wodurch der Hatch Act und traditionelle Normen verletzt wurden) und der dreisten Verlogenheit seiner Sprecher bis hin zur Parade der Trumpschen Familienmitglieder. Beim diesem geschmacklosen Spektakel der GOP, die zu einer Filiale des Trump-Organisation geworden ist, fiel ein schockierender Aspekt besonders ins Auge: Die Partei hatte kein Programm zu bieten. Offensichtlich besteht das einzige Ziel der Republikaner darin, „die America-First-Agenda des Präsidenten enthusiastisch zu unterstützen“.

In gewisser Weise könnte die Vermeidung eines politischen Programms als kluge Strategie betrachtet werden, um die Partei von Trump zu isolieren. Sollte der Präsident im November besiegt werden, könnten die Mitglieder der GOP ihre Hände von ihm reinwaschen und behaupten, er sei nur ein unbeliebter Staatschef, der verloren hat – und die traditionellen Ziele der Partei blieben unangetastet.

Plausibler ist aber, dass die giftige Polarisierung und die extreme Parteilichkeit in Amerika eine neue Ebene erreicht haben. Mindestens eine der beiden großen politischen Parteien wurde völlig ausgehöhlt und erfüllt ihre grundlegende demokratische Funktion nicht mehr.

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j. von Hettlingen Sep 6, 2020

Jan-Werner Mueller says the “tawdry spectacle” at the Republican National Congress between August 24-27 shows that the Grand Old Party has become “a subsidiary” of the Trump Organisation. Taken over by Trumpism, “one shocking aspect stands out: the party has no platform. The GOP's transformation into an ideas-free cult of personality is bad news not just for US conservatives, but also for the American political system.”
The author says, “eschewing a policy platform can be read as a smart strategy to insulate the party from Donald Trump the person. In the event that Trump is defeated in November, members of the GOP establishment can wash their hands of it, claiming that it was only an unpopular leader who lost; the party’s long-standing principles remain sound. But a more plausible interpretation is that the toxic mix of polarization and hyper-partisanship in America has reached a new level of concentration.”
Critics say the GOP is no longer the party of Dwight Eisenhower and George HW Bush. It has lost its moral compass, turning a blind eye to Trump’s abuse of office – “from the misuse of the White House as a campaign prop (in violation of the Hatch Act and longstanding norms) and the brazen mendacity of its speakers, to the parade of Trump family members……The Republicans’ only purpose, apparently, is “to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda.”
As the GOP has “been completely hollowed out” by Trump, today “one of the country’s main political parties no longer fulfills its basic democratic function.” A political party brings together people who share the same political beliefs and values, promoting voters’ interests, and offering them “a choice.” It shapes the party programme and decides how to wage political battles. Democracy is not about forging “consensus on every issue,” but rather “managing conflicting interests and commitments.”
The author believes “by appealing to some groups more than others, parties draw lines in the sand.” It does the GOP little good that Trump’s loyalists are mostly low-earning and little-educated, white, working-class men. Although they support him through thick and thin, Republicans can not rely on his base, which makes up roughly 25 to 30 percent of voters at most, to win, while ignoring the demographic shifts at their own political peril.
Republicans seem not concerned about Trump’s “plutocratic populism,” and that “democracy can break down when parties or politicians openly demonize or deny the legitimacy of other contenders for power. Such tactics have long been the specialty of right-wing populists, who wage culture wars in an effort to reduce all political conflict to questions of belonging. Hence, rather than engage with his opponents’ arguments, Trump simply smears all critics as ‘un-American.”
The GOP parrots Trump’s talking points and perpetuates his “culture warfares,” because they need to distract the public from their unpopular policies – cutting taxes for the rich and failing to manage the pandemic, and its economic fallout. While doubling down on tax cuts and “mindless deregulation,” The GOP has failed to offer “any coherent alternative to the 2010 Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”),” and health care is one of the hottest items in the November elections.
The author points out how populists “outsource” their culture wars to right-wing media, and how they monitor their boutique activitism. Unlike traditional parties, populists run their parties like boutiques – Geert Wilders’ party has just two official members; and Nigel Farage ran the one-man-show – These “upstarts” pose a huge challenge to mainstream parties, even though they “tend to hold no serious internal debates, let alone embrace democratic decision-making.”
Political parties are still relevant. “A system of properly functioning political parties is not sufficient for democracy, but it is necessary. Though the state cannot require parties to hold vigorous internal debates, laws can and should establish stronger guidelines for internal pluralism and accountability.” Sadly, the current crop of Congressional Republicans have shown that, like Trump, they are in office to serve themselves rather than the nation and its Constitution.
Although it is too soon to write Trump’s political obituary, critics doubt whether the GOP will get back to “normal” – a return to the Reaganesque agenda of tax cuts, free trade, deregulation, muscular internationalism, social conservatism and a welcoming attitude toward immigrants – if Trump is unseated. There is the fear that the basic Trump worldview — on immigration, trade, foreign policy, etc. — will shape the GOP for decades, just the way the basic Reagan worldview did. One might see some conservatives building a new party after 2020, but one that is Trumpian.
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Paul Martin Sep 4, 2020

It is very interesting that the constitutions of Germany, Spain, and Portugal, for instance, prescribe internal party pluralism. Quite obviously the purpose of this is to allow interest groups, lobbies, etc., to be always able to coopt the elements in each particular party who are ready to betray the party's ideals, for which the party's members fought and the electors voted, and put those traitors in governments while putting the genuine political talents offside.

By doing so the occult establishment is able to make it impossible for any party to implement its program or bring about a political alternative ever. In other words, it is making any political change impossible and only mainstream politicians will have access to the government responsibilities.

In other words, the motto is T.I.N.A. There Is No Alternative but a centrist liberal social bullshit à la Angela Merkel which has disappointed every one and proven to be a curse for the ordinary man.

The result is the feeling of despair in the electorate, which is under the impression that what ever you vote, they just do what they want and democracy is a farce.This, as you know, is feeding populism and the worst conspiracy theories. It is very dangerous.

Having parties with an internal discipline, a clear cut ideological profile and a firm internal leadership, would offer real choices to be made by the voters. It would be better for democracy and allow less populism and/or nationalistic reactions.
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Abdella Abdou Sep 2, 2020

Are there differences between American and European political parties. It seems to me that in general American parties are not as serious or beholden to their platforms as European parties are.
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