WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange outlined a list of six reasons "Why the Democratic Party is doomed" earlier this week, and in the process, spelled doom for all political partisanship.
Some of the reasons he listed were particular to the United States' oldest political party's recent electoral failures and short-sighted strategy of pushing the narrative that President Trump's team colluded with Russia to steal the election.
In the course of his analysis, however, Assange inadvertently makes a compelling case for why the entire paradigm embodied by both major political parties is perilously vulnerable to disruption. This disruption can come from independent voters using the power of the Internet and social media to rapidly organize and challenge the status quo.
Assange says the Democratic Party is wasting energy on conspiracy theories about Russia, instead of embracing what he sees as Bernie Sanders' winning anti-establishment message:
"The Democratic establishment has vortexed the party's narrative energy into hysteria about Russia (a state with a lower GDP than South Korea). It is starkly obvious that were it not for this hysteria insurgent narratives of the type promoted by Bernie Sanders would rapidly dominate the party's base and its relationship with the public." - Julian Assange
Assange makes the case that the reason for this is to deflect blame and avoid responsibility for the "collapse of the Democratic vote over the last eight years... at every level, city, state, Congressional and presidential," due to the party's cynical embrace of divisive identity politics:
"Without the 'We didn't lose--Russia won' narrative, the party's elite and those who exist under its patronage would be purged for being electorally incompetent and ideologically passé." - Julian Assange
Assange notes that in pushing the Trump-Russia collusion narrative, the Democratic Party has made a short-sighted alliance of convenience with the national security state, actively working to bolster its credibility with the public.
This will only enshrine the mostly Republican-aligned national security sector's inevitable future support for Donald Trump:
"The Democrat establishment needs the support of the security sector and media barons to push this diversionary conspiracy agenda, so they ingratiate themselves with these two classes leading to further perceptions that the Democrats act on behalf of an entrenched power elite.
"Eventually, Trump or Pence will 'merge' with the security state leaving Democrats in a vulnerable position having talked up two deeply unaccountable traditionally Republican-aligned organizations, in particular, the CIA and the FBI, who will be turned against them." - Julian Assange
The timing of Assange's analysis in incredible.
He published this short editorial on Sunday. By Wednesday, the Washington security sector's allegiance could not have been made more clear.
Splashed over every inch above the fold on The Drudge Report was CNBC's headline, "Condoleezza Rice: Trump stands for American values and seeks to act in the best interests of the US."
The former Bush Administration National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice anointed the new president and beat the drum for war in Syria with these words:
"I believe every president of the United States stands for our values. You heard President Trump say, for instance, after the Syrian chemical attack, we can't let that stand. What he was saying was the president of the United States can't let that stand." - Condoleezza Rice
The ultimate result, Assange concludes, is the Democratic Party's leadership has boxed its party in between elite interests that are ultimately opposed to its success, and a majority of the electorate who increasingly perceive the party as having sold out its values and integrity:
"The twin result is to place the primary self-interest concerns of most Americans, class competition, freedom from crime and ill health and the empowerment of their children, into the shadows and project the Democrats as close to DC and media elites. This has further cemented Trump's anti-establishment positioning and fettered attacks on Trump's run away embrace of robber barons, dictators and gravitas-free buffoons like the CIA's Mike Pompeo." - Julian Assange
In wrapping up his analysis, Assange explains how the Democratic Party elite will find their hold on voters disrupted by independents mobilizing rapidly over the Internet and spending little money, similar to how Trump's supporters swept away the entrenched influence of the GOP establishment in the last election:
"The Democratic base should move to start a new party since the party elite shows no signs that they will give up power. This can be done quickly and cheaply as a result of the internet and databases of peoples' political preferences. This reality is proven in practice with the rapid construction of the Macron, Sanders and Trump campaigns from nothing.
The existing Democratic party may well have negative reputational capital, stimulating a Macron-style clean slate approach. Regardless, in the face of such a threat, the Democratic establishment will either concede control or, as in the case of Macron, be eliminated by the new structure." - Julian Assange
As Camille Paglia assessed in October just before the election, the Trump victory as-proof-of-concept for independent voters successfully subverting partisan power structures shattered the foundations of both party establishments:
"[I]f Trump wins it will be an amazing moment of change because it would destroy the power structure of the Republican party, the power structure of the Democratic party and destroy the power of the media. It would be an incredible release of energy..." - Camille Paglia
As President Trump assimilates to the powerful Washington special interests he was sent in to wrangle, those that profit most from what Americans dislike about Washington, independent voters seeking an electoral remedy are indeed primed to leave Democratic elites out of the decision about who to challenge Trump in 2020.
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