Can Social Movements Transform the Two-Party System?
The power of social movements to transform the two-party system was discussed in another panel. These movements have taken distinct paths in recent history, such as the “Buy American” campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s (“look for the union label”), Pat Buchanan’s economic patriarchalism (“seal the borders and don’t buy foreign goods”), and the recent anti-WTO movement, which argued for a third-way trade policy. Central to this last movement is a global economic solidarity and internationalism. It was pointed out in this panel that opposition to the WTO is not only an attack on corporate rule but also on the mainstreaming of the corporate political process in the U.S. through campaign contributions and lobbying. Stanley Aronowitz, Professor of Sociology at CUNY , described a social movement as “one which through its demands changes life, and not just traffic lights.” The feminist movement and ecological movement have led to real changes in work relations, in politics and the economy. Aron
