Walking and Chewing Gum. Do it together!
In today’s turbulent political landscape, activists and voters often face a choice—and a dilemma: Should we prioritize cultural battles or economic justice? The truth is, to achieve lasting social change, we need both. But history and hard reality teach us that economic power shapes the terrain more fundamentally. Without confronting the entrenched economic interests—the plunderers who rig the system in their favor—our cultural victories risk being superficial or fleeting.
The Big Fish in the Small Pond: Who’s Really Calling the Shots?
Across administrations and party lines—from Bill Clinton’s embrace of deregulation to Bush’s tax cuts to Obama staffing his economic team with Wall Street veterans—economic elites have shaped policy outcomes in ways that preserve their wealth and influence. This bipartisan economic consensus keeps real, structural change out of reach for the working and middle classes.
This is not conspiracy theory; it is a pattern supported by decades of policy decisions:
Financial deregulation enabled the 2008 crisis and ongoing economic inequality.
Tax cuts for the rich have become a durable feature under both Republican and Democratic leadership.
Corporate lobbying and donations ensure that economic actors maintain outsized influence over legislation and regulation.
Understanding this context explains why popular economic reforms—paid family leave, $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All—remain elusive even with broad public support.
The Strategy: Economic Progressivism as the Foundation
Economic issues—wages, health care, housing, workers’ rights, tax fairness—affect the daily lives of millions and unite a broad coalition of voters across lines of race, gender, and ideology. These are the issues that can build the largest, most durable political majority.
When economic justice is the driver, cultural issues become passengers—important and non-negotiable in their own right, but fought from a position of strength rather than distraction or division.
Why prioritize economic progressivism?
It addresses root causes: Economic inequality fuels many social issues, including racial disparities, access to education, and health outcomes.
It builds broad coalitions: Unlike some cultural issues, economic justice resonates widely across geographic and demographic divides.
It undercuts “divide and conquer”: Powerful interests exploit cultural differences to fracture solidarity; economic issues unite.
Culture Matters, But Don’t Be Divided and Conquered
Cultural issues—reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, racial justice—are essential moral and social struggles deserving attention and action. However, when forces that benefit from the status quo magnify cultural wedge issues, they often do so to distract from economic exploitation.
This is why some political strategists urge:
Fight culture wars with careful strategy: Lean into cultural battles that are winnable and that build trust and coalition.
Keep economic progress at the forefront: Prioritize policies that lift wages, reduce corporate power, and ensure economic dignity.
Beware the “look left, look right but don’t look up” trap: Don’t let plunderers divide us; look up to those economic structures locking in inequality.
Walking and Chewing Gum: The Dual Approach
Of course, prioritizing economic policy does not mean abandoning cultural justice. It means fighting economic power with the determination to transform the entire system while advancing cultural rights.
Economic progress fuels cultural progress: A more economically equitable society lays the groundwork for greater social inclusion.
Cultural progress energizes economic justice: Social movements raise political consciousness and participation critical for economic change.
The key is in pacing and political wisdom. Jumping into culture wars while economic power is unchecked can divide movements and exhaust political capital.
Conclusion: It’s Time to Stop the Plunderers
The plunderers—corporate elites, billionaire donors, unaccountable financial interests—have long rigged the system against the many for the benefit of the few. Stopping this economic predation must be the strategic priority because without it, cultural victories risk being temporary and incomplete.
We can walk and chew gum at the same time: advocate for economic progressivism as a foundation while advocating for cultural justice without letting one overshadow or undermine the other.
In the struggle for real democracy and justice, stopping the plunderers is not just an economic imperative. It is the precondition for social liberation on every front.
If you want, I can expand on specific examples or policy proposals, or include historical case studies illustrating this strategic approach. Let me know!
