Since liberal theory only sees political inequality, it ignores class and economic exploitation. Not only are there theoretical problems with this perspective, but there have also been actual historical inequalities created under democratic liberalism. So, it failed on its own terms.
According to democratic liberalism, political inequality is the most fundamental form of inequality. The right to vote is supposed to solve all problems, but voting is aspirational. It isn’t true equality in the present. This is the contradiction between democratic liberal equality and true equality: the former ignores non-political inequalities. Most significantly, democratic liberalism ignores class.
In addressing class inequality, we’ll inevitably encounter other inequalities. We should expect that. This is why we understand theory as a toolbox containing a variety of tools to pick up and use for different tasks. Non-political inequalities were ignored by democratic liberalism because it only has one tool, the State. Everything it does has to be run through that one mechanism; it sees the State in all of its possible paths forward.
True equality can’t be achieved by voting, so political inequality is pointless in a system of domination. Equal political rights can’t solve all problems the way democratic liberalism promises. The people won’t win by voting, only by fighting to end economic exploitation. Revolution has to be achieved and won. We have to build power and defeat the opposing forces.
