By Wade Lee Hudson

The DNC speeches last night by Barack and Michele Obama were remarkable. Among their strong points were rare affirmations of two principles at the heart of the Compassionate Humanity Community project. I don’t often hear political leaders address these points.

Concerning the first, Michele used a great phrase that was new to me despite how obvious it is. It hits the nail on the head: “ensuring that everyone has enough.” That sums up Elizabeth Anderson’s argument for democratic equality quite nicely. Barack articulated a similar principle when he affirmed “the freedom to provide for your family if you’re willing to work hard.” 

If society guaranteed this economic security, this foundation would help people relax and devote more time to meaningful, unpaid activities.

On the second point, Barack once again addressed the need for self-improvement to overcome personal weaknesses that society inflames. In his 2020 speech at the John Lewis memorial service, Obama said

In all of us there is a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect. So many of us lose that sense. It’s taught out of us. We start feeling as if, in fact, that we can’t afford to extend kindness or decency to other people. That we’re better off if we are above other people and looking down on them, and so often that’s encouraged in our culture. (emphases added)

Last night, Obama confronted the issue from a different perspective. He said

That approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division, but it won’t work for us. To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives, we need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices. And that if we want to win over those who aren’t yet ready to support our candidates, we need to listen to their concerns and maybe learn something in the process… Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us. (emphases added)

This formulation is couched within the instrumental framework of persuasion. However, this learning is also inherently valuable. Moreover, it can take place within other settings, such as a small group of trusted allies who support each other in overcoming these tensions, as proposed by the Compassionate Humanity Community website.

By Wade Lee Hudson

With one notable exception, the speakers on the first day of the Democratic National Convention didn’t talk about poor people, much less homeless people. They merely advocated action “for the people” and affirmed “working people,” “everyday people,” and, most of all, the “middle class.”

They promoted the myth of the American Dream with platitudes such as “You can go as far as your hard work and talent will take you,” and “He told me I can be and do anything.” 

In so doing, they followed the starting gate equality script. The key goals proposed were to ensure that “Everyone has a fair shot“ and “Give every child a chance.” 

This empty promise neither defines what a fair shot is nor prescribes a plan for responding to those who miss their shot or fall behind once they leave the starting gate.

Unspoken was that increasingly the Democratic response to deepening poverty is to clear homeless camps and impose mandatory outpatient psychiatric treatment (chemical straight jackets) without establishing adequate supportive housing first.

The only speaker to talk about poor people explicitly was Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, whose rousing conclusion included:

The pandemic taught us how. A contagious airborne disease means that I have a personal stake in the health of my neighbor. If she’s sick, I may get sick too. Her health care is good for my health. We are as close in our humanity as a cough. I need my neighbor’s children to be ok so that my children will be ok. I need all of my neighbors’ children to be ok, poor inner-city children of Atlanta and poor children of Appalachia. I need the poor children of Israel and the poor children of Gaza to be ok. I need American children on both sides of the track to be ok because we are all God’s children. So let’s work together, pray together, organize together and heal the land. Keep the faith.

With these words, he brought the crowd to its feet with what was probably the loudest sudden outburst of the night. Nevertheless, none of the pro-Democratic talking heads I heard afterward discussed his remarks, and The New York Times did not include it as a key takeaway.

Maybe they’re right. Maybe “out of sight, out of mind” is a winning strategy for the November election. Maybe we need to rebuild poor houses and asylums. 

I disagree. I believe the American people are better than that, and trust Warnock’s message would appeal to them.

+++++

Tonight I’ll be listening for affirmations of Palestinian rights and a commitment to considering conditions on military aid to Israel.

By Wade Lee Hudson
August 18, 2024

Kamala Harris wants to “expand opportunity so that every American can not just get by, but get ahead.” However, “get ahead” means to “get ahead of somebody, ​to make progress further than others have done.” On Meet the Press, Governor Gretchen Whitman said she and the Democrats want to “pull more people into the middle class.” 

This traditional Democratic Party policy adopts what Elizabeth Anderson calls “starting gate equality.” The alleged goal is to ensure equal opportunity at the outset of life, but this rhetoric is a lie. People with more privilege give their children advantages, and those who claim to affirm equal opportunity know it.

Moreover, the number of seats at the middle-class table is limited. The number increases slightly if the economy grows, but given national economic policies, the economy will never offer everyone a living wage job. Maintaining substantial unemployment and poverty makes it easier to control inflation, though other methods could achieve the same goal.

Despite the misleading rhetoric about being very close to “full employment,” millions of Americans aren’t able to make ends meet working one full-time job. As of January 2024, 38 million Americans, or 11.5% of the population, were living in poverty as officially defined. Worse yet, that definition is inaccurate. 

A more realistic measure of what’s required to obtain a decent standard of living would find many more Americans are poor. Additionally, millions are in danger of falling into poverty and are anxious about it. Almost two-thirds of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and would be unable to pay their bills if they lost their job. 

Given these conditions, the Democrats might best shift to guaranteeing everyone economic security and the ability to advance. 

Enabling people to improve their financial condition is not the problem. You can do that without celebrating that you’re better off than others. You can improve your situation so you can better serve your family, community, nation, and all humanity. 

Your relative position is irrelevant. It’s both/and; not either/or. The more others benefit, the more you benefit. Compassionate action promotes the general welfare, but the Democrats’ emphasis on the middle class getting ahead neglects low-income and homeless people. 

This self-centered hyper-individualism reinforces the Top-Down System’s programming, which can arguably be called brainwashing. This systematic conditioning, which is embedded in the unconscious, teaches everyone to climb social ladders and look down on and often oppress and exploit those below, or submit to those above. For most people, a major motivation is the desire to be superior in some way, so even at home, they’re bossy, preachy, or controlling.

A Bottom-Up System would empower everyone, cultivate cooperation and teamwork, and ensure a good life for all. Transforming the Top-Down System into a Bottom-Up system will not be easy, but we can do it, step by step. Numerous examples already demonstrate ways forward.

I’ll be watching the Democratic National Convention this week to see if anyone addresses these issues, especially poor and homeless people, and will report on what I see and hear.

I prefer heartfelt dialogue, open and spontaneous sharing, being present and responsive, mutual support, intimacy, active listening, appreciative inquiry, peer learning, dreaming, co-creating, collaborating, exploring ideas, clarifying insights, joint political action, and deep community, with nonjudgmental respect — whether online, the phone, Zoom, or in person. In short, I prefer holistic mutuality. 

However, I don’t need it; it’s not necessary. I can manage by myself, alone but not lonely. I can commune with Mother Nature, love the universe, feel the life force, appreciate unity and inter-connectedness, meditate, enjoy music, reflect, breathe, exercise, listen to podcasts, read, write, research

 new ideas, and share my discoveries on the Compassionate Humanity Community website. In short, I can engage in holistic solitude.

On occasion, I’m willing to tell and listen to stories, complain, discuss sports, entertainment, or the weather, enjoy each other’s company, and maybe even gossip. In short, I sometimes engage in small talk, but I prefer holistic mutuality.