Plutocracy Now: What Wisconsin Is Really About (Mega-Mother Jones Piece!)

[kpete]

Plutocracy Now

Labor in the postwar era "did not confine itself to bread-and-butter issues for its own members. It was at the forefront of battles for aid to education, civil rights, housing programs, and other social causes.

Workers now lose a collective $743 billion each year. The top 1 percent gains $673 billion. That's a pretty close match.

The strength of unions in postwar America benefited nonunion workers, too.
Unions made the American economy work for the middle class"

March/April 2011 Issue
Read more: The 10 richest members of Congress, CEO pay vs. American worker pay, and more infographics on the new gilded era.


IN 2008, A LIBERAL Democrat was elected president. Landslide votes gave Democrats huge congressional majorities. Eight years of war and scandal and George W. Bush had stigmatized the Republican Party almost beyond redemption. A global financial crisis had discredited the disciples of free-market fundamentalism, and Americans were ready for serious change.

Or so it seemed. But two years later, Wall Street is back to earning record profits, and conservatives are triumphant. To understand why this happened, it's not enough to examine polls and tea parties and the makeup of Barack Obama's economic team. You have to understand how we fell so short, and what we rightfully should have expected from Obama's election. And you have to understand two crucial things about American politics.

..........


a taste:




MORE, charts, grafts, links, AMMO!
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-labor-union-decline

[polichick]

1. k&r - good article, except a "liberal" Dem was not elected in 2008...

I only wish!

[OHdem10]

2. Many have been pointing this out right here on DU.

Giving a short-cut explanation. When polls are done,
when elections occur, WHO is polled and naturally therefore
who Responds. "Likely Voters" "Likely Voters" Likely Voters"

Likely voters are upper income from about 60K and up.
Why are they likely voters--they have a financial stake
in what happens in this country. The more money you
'have, the more you have to lose, therefore you will push
for what concerns and benefits you.

It has been pointed out over and over--Likely voters are
more Republican than Democrat.
The DLC was founded to directly compete for these voters.
Thus, we have both parties focused on this group of voters
and we have more and more Conservative Democrats.

Both Parties directing their attention to the top earners
means the top earners get policies which enrich themselves
and neglect the larger middle working class and poor.

Very good article, but DU has been promulgating this for
some time.