It’s time for unity on the left

There’s a lot of bickering going on out there. I hope you’re all having fun. We’ve got until the primary Aug. 14 to have it out without tearing each other to pieces. Then, it will be time to turn the page.

We’d better be ready to unite — and not in some imaginary path to victory that runs through Centrism, hashtags, a return to norms, and cries of “this is not who we are.” That message is weak and has been proven to no longer be enough.

We’d better be ready with policy rooted in a clear, moral and responsible vision for our state that lifts all working people.

Because you’d better believe they are united on the right.

As the left fights for the rights of immigrant communities by demanding the abolition of ICE and honoring asylum — the right is united behind a candidate for attorney general that, when asked if she supported the president’s policy of separating children from their families, affirmed repeatedly, “I do,” “we want to maintain the law,” and “[Connecticut has] deteriorated.”

What disappointing language to unite behind: compassion as a sign of deterioration.

As you drive our highways, how many CCDL bumper stickers do you see? Like them or not, this group is organized, preaches a simple message, and has a social media footprint of over 40,000 members.

As you tuned in to the Republican gubernatorial debates — how many of them were united in their “A” grade for President Trump and his agenda? The answer is all of them. They were also united in their promise to revoke the state income tax — and they call us radicals.

They are united in demonizing state workers for Connecticut’s budget issues. Family, friends and neighbors all gave decades of service to our state, from teachers to firefighters to corrections officers — some of whom probably guarded the corrupt Republican governor that underfunded public pensions in the first place. And yet, the right continues to be intellectually dishonest about labor as a source of good for working people.

They are united behind expanding the police state as an answer to police violence and opioid addiction. They are united behind cutting Medicaid. They are united behind corporate handouts.

We are united in justice. We are united in equity. We are united in lifting up working poor and working class people. We are united in health care as a human right. We are united in recognizing our racial and economic privilege. We are united in elevating our black and brown sisters and brothers to positions of leadership because it is time to follow.

For too long, the right has found its place in telling us why we won’t succeed, why our beliefs mean nothing, why we mean nothing.

As we get out and talk to people, we are going to find unity with them by advocating for a floor of dignity and courage beneath us all. It’s OK to get turned away, it’s OK to smile at the hecklers, and it’s OK to let someone walk away without changing their mind.

And for every one door we find with someone on the right behind it, we will be ready, with plenty of unity left, to knock two more.

Kellin Atherton is a millennial father of two from Middletown and member of the Middletown Democratic Town Committee and Central Connecticut Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. He was also a delegate to the 2018 Democratic State Convention.