NYT: Whatever Happened to the American Left?
The New york Times asks this morning “Whatever Happened to the American Left?” lamenting the failure of the Left to mount an effective march in the streets to restore the Left’s agenda to forefront of the American discussion of economics, Michael Kazin writes;
…except for the demonstrations and energetic recall campaigns that roiled Wisconsin this year, unionists and other stern critics of corporate power and government cutbacks have failed to organize a serious movement against the people and policies that bungled the United States into recession.
Instead, the Tea Party rebellion — led by veteran conservative activists and bankrolled by billionaires — has compelled politicians from both parties to slash federal spending and defeat proposals to tax the rich and hold financiers accountable for their misdeeds. Partly as a consequence, Barack Obama’s tenure is starting to look less like the second coming of F.D.R. and more like a re-run of Jimmy Carter — although last week the president did sound a bit Rooseveltian when he proposed that millionaires should “pay their fair share in taxes, or we’re going to have to ask seniors to pay more for Medicare.”
How do we account for the relative silence of the left?
Well, Michael, it could be that the last ten years of vacuous protests against the war against terror have proved useless and pointless. maybe the hippies of the sixties are finally realizing that maybe they didn’t change much at all by being obnoxious little twerps. maybe they realize that the protests were more about assuaging their feelings than actual tangible accomplishments. Not to mention that they don’t understand the discussion at all and the “fixes” that they espouse are just duct tape solutions.
Also, when you take into account that every word used to criticize this administration is chalked up to racism, that also serves to slence your own side. And, oh, everyone is pretty sure we’re already paying “our fair share” considering what we get from government these days.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, I hate hippies, Libertines suck
“The American Left” in this case means willing, self-funded activist footsoldiers. Two things happened:
1. Democrats still control the WH and the Senate. Any protests and such invariably hurt $$$-donors to certain peoples’ re-election campaigns.
2. It’s hard to protect the SCOAMF when there’s no cash for gas, food, clothing the kids and so on. And the bank, a heavy donor to the politicians, has sent the bill to a collection agency.
Don’t worry: once Palin is elected POTUS, “The American Left” will be out in full force within a year.
Wait, we’re bankrolled by billionaires? That’s kind of funny. They must mean other Tea Party organizations. I’m part of the Oregon Tea Party and our budget comes from donations from our own members and a few others. I think we are at about $15,000 for the year, but I could be wrong… I’m not the purser. However, I know that we haven’t had any donations over $100, ever.
“How do we account for the relative silence of the left?”
Uhmm. Michael? Do you read your own rag?? Need we REALLY introduce you to your own editors, who more than frequently quote your leftist in charge, those in Congress and the SCOTUS, and push the leftist agena at every turn?
Do you really expect any of us to believe that you are not yourself following all the good lefty/communist/socialist/Marxist thomes written in the past 100 years or so?
Would that we actually COULD have silence from the left!
Hey Michael…Just so we’re clear…Not one billionaire paid for me to attend two tea parties in Shitcago, nor the the other three 5 hours from home. Nor the time I went to DC twice to protest the effing health care bill that had to be passed before we could really know what was in it…and by the way, asshole…an actuary up there SAID it would be unsustainable because the limited payments would force physicians into a hole they would never get out of. Now take your pansy ass back to where you came from…you don’t know shit.
P.fucking S. I paid for the hotel rooms too and made my own goddamn signs.
“…the ‘fixes’ that they espouse are just duct tape solutions.”
If you can find a single left-wing suggestion to fix the economy that works as well as duct tape, I’ll eat my hat. Duct tape actually serves the purpose it was designed for spectacularly well, along with countless other things it was never intended to do. Socialism? Not so much.
So I’m getting beat up today for picking on duct tape, too? Nice.
I think the American Left painted themselves into a corner. The banking problem wants so much a corporate problem, as Dodd and Frank steered the country towards collapse. Also Clinton’s community reinvestment act, or at least the executive orders that came from it were designed to give loans to people who “would not normally be able to afford it.”
Why are they so silent? Because the last two and a half years they have gotten almost everything they wanted through hugely crooked deals and this was at a time they should have focused on what we NEEDED not wanted. Then it was so hugely loopholes that it smacks of machine politics. Could that be a reason?
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Doc, Most of the programs the lefty’s wanted were put into action, leading us to the mess we’re in today…What Kazin is really upset about is that more “social spending” isn’t popular enough to protest for in public.